NYT: Former Trump campaign adviser told Australian diplomat Russia had dirt on Clinton

George Papadopoulos told an Australian diplomat that Russia had "political dirt" on Hillary Clinton in May of last year, a conversation that might have played a role in the FBI's decision to open an investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, according to a report published Saturday. The New York Times reported that Papadopoulos, then a foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump's campaign, was drinking at an upscale London bar when he told Australia's top diplomat in Britain, Alexander Downer, that Russia had political information on Clinton.

FBI Russia probe helped by Australian diplomat tip-off – NYT

WASHINGTON: Former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos told an Australian diplomat in May 2016 that Russia had political dirt on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, the New York Times reported on Saturday. The conversation between Papadopoulos and the diplomat, Alexander Downer, in London was a driving factor behind the FBI's decision to open a counter-intelligence investigation of Moscow's contacts with the Trump campaign, the Times reported.

In impromptu interview, Trump touches on N. Korea, Russia inquiry and Roy Moore

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he believes Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel in the Russia investigation, will treat him fairly, contradicting some members of his party who have waged a weekslong campaign to try to discredit Mueller and the continuing inquiry. During an impromptu 30-minute interview with The New York Times at his golf club in West Palm Beach, the president did not demand an end to the Russia investigations swirling around his administration, but insisted 16 times that there has been "no collusion" discovered by the inquiry.

What Russian Journalists Uncovered About Russian Election Meddling

Much of what we learned came from American journalists, who brought us revelation after revelation about how the Kremlin meddled in the presidential election. Through these reporters' domestic sources-in the White House, Congress, and the intelligence community-we learned how Russians bought Facebook ads aimed at sowing division; how Russian government agencies hacked the Democratic National Committee and congressional races ; how Russians loosely affiliated with the Kremlin reached out to the Trump campaign ; and how the Kremlin turned the popular Kaspersky Labs anti-virus software into a spying tool.

Time to Give Clinton’s Server Technician the Mueller Treatmentby…

Alas, when a year passes, a mothballed prosecutor finds himself thinking about the statute of limitations. As 2018 beckons, it has me thinking about Paul Combetta - the Platte River Networks technician who used the "BleachBit" program to destroy thousands of Hillary Clinton's emails when they were under congressional subpoena and preservation orders.

Still No Evidence Of Trump-Russia Collusion As 2017 Draws To A Close

Since President Donald Trump shocked the country with hisvictory in the 2016 election, Democrats have attacked Trump with the accusation that he - or at least his campaign - colluded with the Russian government's hacking of Democratic emails during the campaign. And yet, as 2017 draws to a close, none of the four investigations into Russian election meddling has turned up any evidence of collusion.

State Dept. posts Huma Abedin emails found on Anthony Weiner’s laptop

The State Department posted a number of emails belonging to former top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin on Friday after the messages were found on Anthony Weiner's laptop by the FBI. Several of the released documents were found to contain information classified "confidential," and were heavily redacted.

2017 was a year of chaos, division and disruption in national politics

President Donald Trump delivers his inaugural address after being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States in front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20. So did chaos, division and disruption, and a sense that the guardrails that usually had kept the capital and American politics on a normal path had collapsed under the weight of it all.

Democrats are deluded about tax cuts’ effect on 2018 elections

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer hold a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 20. If Democrats do well in the 2018 midterm elections, it won't be because of the Trump tax cuts. Democrats' hyperbole notwithstanding, voters are not going to vote against Republicans for putting more money in their pockets.

Trump says Russia inquiry makes U.S. a look very bada

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he believes Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel in the Russia investigation, will treat him fairly, contradicting some members of his party who have waged a weekslong campaign to try to discredit Mueller and the continuing inquiry. During an impromptu 30-minute interview with The New York Times at his golf club in West Palm Beach, the president did not demand an end to the Russia investigations swirling around his administration, but insisted 16 times that there has been “no collusion” discovered by the inquiry.

In this July 23, 2013, file photo, Anthony Weiner speaks

In this July 23, 2013, file photo, Anthony Weiner speaks during a news conference alongside Huma Abedin in New York. Several emails with classified information from former Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin were among a tranche of documents released Friday that were found on Anthony Weiner's personal computer during an FBI probe.

Top 10 stories: Women emboldened in year of #metoo

By DAVID CRARY AP National Writer NEW YORK - The wave of sexual misconduct allegations that toppled Hollywood power brokers, politicians, media icons and many others was the top news story of 2017, according to the Associated Press' annual poll of U.S. editors and news directors.

Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t care about a victory by…

Debate rages in Washington over the true scale and impact of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, but intelligence sources say Moscow 's hacking, fake news and social media manipulation ignited a global trend that now threatens some of the world's most fragile democracies. "It's as if David slung a rock into Goliath's eye and Goliath actually stumbled," said one source, who added that "if America could be shaken by such a campaign, imagine what would happen if it were repeated in a place like Kenya."

What was funny in 2017? Late-night writers dish about their favorite moments

"Tonight Show" writers Albertina Rizzo, Becky Krause, Caroline Eppright, Marina Cockenberg, Jo Firestone, guest Hillary Rodham Clinton, Jasmine Pierce, Taryn Englehart, guest Miley Cyrus and host Jimmy Fallon during "Thank You Notes" to Clinton. : Andrew Lipovsky, NBC Julia Roberts and Ben Schwartz chat with James Corden during "The Late Late Show with James Corden."

Vanity Fair apologizes for snipe

Registration will allow you to post comments on timesunion.com and create a timesunion.com Subscriber Portal account for you to manage subscriptions and email preferences. FILE - In this Nov. 8, 2016 file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton waves as she arrives to vote at her polling place in Chappaqua, N.Y. Vanity Fair is trying to defuse criticism of a video mocking Clinton and her presidential aspirations.