The media seized on President Donald Trump’s remarks about how he didn’t believe Russia was responsible for influencing the 2016 election…
But they seemed to miss that Russian President Vladimir Putin dropped his own bombshell. Putin claimed that $400 million in illegally-earned profits were funneled from Russian investors to the Clinton campaign—and done so with the help of the U.S. intelligence officials, who “accompanied and guided these transactions.”
Putin referenced Bill Browder, a British financier with large investments in Russia, as being the point man to move money from his Russia-based associates to the Clinton campaign.
“For instance, we can bring up Mr. Browder, in this particular case,” said Putin. “Business associates of Mr. Browder have earned over $1.5 billion in Russia and never paid any taxes neither in Russia or the United States and yet the money escaped the country. They were transferred to the United States. They sent [a] huge amount of money, $400,000,000, as a contribution to the campaign of Hillary Clinton. Well that’s their personal case.”
“It might have been legal, the contribution itself but the way the money was earned was illegal,” Putin added. “So we have solid reason to believe that some [US] intelligence officers accompanied and guided these transactions. So we have an interest in questioning them.”
Putin offered to allow special counsel Robert Mueller’s team to come to Russia as part of their investigation—but added that he would only do so if Russian intelligence officials were able to investigate U.S. officials as well.
