June 23, 2017

BY ELECTRONIC MAIL

The Honorable K. Michael Conaway and Adam Schiff

U.S. House of Representatives
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI)
Capitol Visitor Center HVC-304
US Capitol Building
Washington, DC 20515

Subject: Suggested questions for your alleged upcoming secret meeting with Mr. John Podesta

Dear Congressman Conaway and Congressman Schiff:

I have learned from news reports that Clinton associate John Podesta is now allegedly scheduled
to appear before your Committee during the week of June 26, 2017, after my previously agreed
meeting for this month was indefinitely postponed.1 As a primary provocateur who helped
initiate the current Russia witch hunt in conjuction with his accomplices in the Obama
Administration based on nothing more than complete lies, it is hard to understand why Podesta
might be given precedence in having his voice heard before your Committee prior to those he has
falsely accused and severely defamed. Even more disappointing than his complete lack of
credibility was the news that this session will allegedly be held in secret, without access by the
American public which has been so severely misled by him and his associates last year.

To the extent that Podesta is indeed given this stunning precedence and an opportunity to
continue his pattern of extremist lies, I would suggest the following short sample of some
questions which members of your Committee might wish to address with him:

•   Twenty years ago, you were a member of the 1997 Commission on Protecting and Reducing
Government Secrecy chaired by Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Ph.D.2 In a prophetic
warning that would largely explain the proceedings of the past year as part of the
unsuccessful efforts by the Clinton-Obama-Comey regime to rig the 2016 election, the final
report of this Commission concluded that: “Secrecy has the potential to undermine well-
informed judgment by limiting the opportunity for input, review, and criticism, thus allowing
individuals and groups to avoid the type of scrutiny that might challenge long-accepted
beliefs and ways of thinking. Some form of ‘sunlight’ that permits views to be challenged

1
Manu Raju and Tom LoBianco, “First on CNN: House intel panel plans to interview
Podesta next week, sources say,” CNN, June 22, 2017.
[http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/22/politics/podesta-testify-house-intelligence-panel/index.html]
2
“Report of the Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy,” Pursuant to
Public Law 236, 103rd Congress, 1997; Federation of Atomic Scientists website.
[https://fas.org/sgp/library/moynihan/index.html]
 while they are still in the formative stage can help reveal any institutional biases or
preconceived ideas about how to approach a particular issue.”3

o   Given the unprecedented steps that the Clinton campaign took under your leadership
to avoid any scrutiny that might challenge Mrs. Clinton’s long-accepted beliefs and
ways of thinking in the foreign policy and national security arena amidst an
unparalleled attempt by the Obama Administration to manipulate the 2016 election
and subsequently undermine their successors, would you agree to this Committee’s
inclusion of the full transcript of today’s discussion in the Congressional Record for
public review?

•   How much did the Clinton campaign or its associates pay Christopher Steele and/or Fusion
GPS? Who specifically was the source of those funds? In the case of any such associates,
what is your relationship with those individuals and/or entities? What information do you
have related to the reports that: “Mr. Steele met his F.B.I. contact in Rome in early October,
bringing a stack of new intelligence reports… The agent said that if Mr. Steele could get
solid corroboration of his reports, the F.B.I. would pay him $50,000 for his efforts, according
to two people familiar with the offer.”?4

•   A September 23, 2016 news article by Yahoo Finance stated that, “U.S. intelligence agencies
have also received reports that Page met with another top Putin aide while in Moscow”.5 It
wasn’t until several months later in January 2017 that the source of this false information
became fully known: the Dodgy Dossier prepared on behalf of the “Hillary for America”
campaign.6 As a potential severe case of election fraud, any related FISA warrant will
eventually help ascertain whether criminal obstruction of justice in the form of false evidence
may be the case in the wake of these developments. But in the interim and after this initial
report by Yahoo News, the campaign you chaired put out an  equally false press release
shortly following the article’s release that same afternoon.7

3
Chapter I, Overview: Protecting Secrets and Reducing Secrecy, “Report of the Commission
on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy,” Pursuant to Public Law 236, 103rd Congress,
1997; Federation of Atomic Scientists website. [https://fas.org/sgp/library/moynihan/chap1.pdf]
4
Matt Apuzzo, Michael S. Schmidt, Adam Goldman and Eric Lichtblau, “Comey Tried to
Shield the F.B.I. From Politics. Then He Shaped an Election.” New York Times, April 22, 2017.
[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/22/us/politics/james-comey-election.html]
5
Michael Isikoff, “U.S. intel officials probe ties between Trump adviser and Kremlin,” Yahoo
News, September 23, 2016. [https://www.yahoo.com/news/u-s-intel-officials-probe-ties-
between-trump-adviser-and-kremlin-175046002.html]
6
Ken Bensinger, Miriam Elder and Mark Schoofs, “These Reports Allege Trump Has Deep
Ties To Russia,” BuzzFeed News, January 10, 2017.
[https://www.buzzfeed.com/kenbensinger/these-reports-allege-trump-has-deep-ties-to-russia]
7
Hillary for America, “Hillary for America Statement on Bombshell Report About Trump
Aide’s Chilling Ties To Kremlin,” September 23, 2016.
[https://www.hillaryclinton.com/briefing/statements/2016/09/23/hillary-for-america-statement-
on-bombshell-report-about-trump-aides-chilling-ties-to-kremlin/]

2
 o   What directions or information did your campaign give to Yahoo News or members
of its staff preceding these dishonest reports?
o   Which other journalists and news agencies did your campaign previously contact with
similar misinformation before finally finding a compliant supporter at Yahoo News?

•   Compounding this transnational disinformation initiative, U.S. Government-funded

propaganda outlets echoed the lies advanced by your campaign’s Dodgy Dossier (again, in
contrast to what Steele himself said was “never supposed to be made public”8). As dutifully
recited by the Obama Administration-controlled Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty news
network in September 2016: “Yahoo News cited the same Western intelligence source as
saying that U.S. intelligence officials have received reports that Page has also met with
Igor Diveikin, a right-hand man of Vyacheslav Volodin, Putin's first deputy chief of staff and
a key architect of Russia's political landscape during Putin's third term.”9 Just days before
the election, the same U.S. Government-funded sources repeated these fabrications: “Another
adviser, Carter Page, reportedly met with top Kremlin officials including those under U.S.
sanctions.”10 The propagation of these falsehoods was indeed truly state-sponsored by our
taxpayer dollars with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s FY 2016 budget of $108.4 million
in direct federal subsidies.

o   What propaganda arms of the Obama Administration did you or other Clinton
associates coordinate with in 2016?
o   What specific direction did your campaign provide to Radio Free Europe / Radio
Liberty or other propaganda arms overseen by the Obama Administration in 2016?

•   What discussions did you have with Harry Reid regarding matters related to the Russia witch
hunt, preceding his letter to Comey on August 27, 2016 as part of the collusive obstruction of
justice campaign against the Trump movement, Carter Page and American democracy in
general?11

•   200 days days passed between Carter Page’s September 25, 2016 offer to Director Comey to
help put your outrageous allegations to rest and the subsequent announcement by the
Washington Post that illegitimate FISA warrants had been issued against this informal,

8
Rowan Scarborough, “Ex-spy admits anti-Trump dossier unverified, blames Buzzfeed for
publishing,” Washington Times, April 25, 2017.
[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/apr/25/christopher-steele-admits-dossier-charge-
unverifie/]
9
“Report: U.S. Intelligence Officials Examining Trump Adviser's Russia Ties,” Radio Free
Europe / Radio Liberty, September 24, 2016. [http://www.rferl.org/a/report-us-intelligence-
probes-trump-advisers-russia-ties-kremlin/28010062.html]
10
Mike Eckel, “Reset To Overload: Russia-U.S. Ties Have Changed, No Matter Who Wins
The Election,” Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, November 6, 2016. [http://www.rferl.org/a/u-
s-election-trump-clinton-relations-russia/28100058.html]
11
Minority Leader Harry Reid letter to Director Comey, August 27, 2016.
[https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3035844/Reid-Letter-to-Comey.pdf]

3
 unpaid member of the Trump movement.12 When did you learn about the FISA warrant
issued against Carter Page? What was the source of any such illegal leak this year? What if
any coordination did you or your campaign have with Comey during, before or after this
interim period - a period which has been marked by continued lies from you and your
associates?

•   Did you make a request to any member of this Committee or HPSCI staff that Carter Page be
blocked from providing open testimony, which might have otherwise allowed him to respond
to the defamatory lies that you and other Clinton campaign staff or associates have peddled
for many months?

•   On December 18, 2016, you appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press and claimed: “Carter Page,
one of Trump's foreign policy advisors went to Russia before the Republican convention and
met with the person in the Russian hierarchy who was responsible for collecting
intelligence.” Did any source other than the political consultant Christopher Steele provide
you with support for this false information?

•   In response to your baseless statement about Carter Page on December 18, 2016, Meet the
Press anchor Chuck Todd simply replied, “All right,” without any question and before
quickly moving to another unrelated question about the electoral college.13 However, three
weeks later, Chuck Todd asked a journalist from the news organization which published the
full details of these corresponding lies: “You just published fake news. You made a knowing
decision to put out an untruth.”14 What was your personal involvement and your campaign’s
involvement in orchestating these respective, highly divergent treatments of the same
misinformation?

•   You were White House Chief of Staff on January 20, 2001, when Bill Clinton pardoned
Marc Rich – the founder of Glencore plc, of Baar, Switzerland. During the hearings before
the House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform regarding “The
Controversial Pardon of International Fugitive Marc Rich” which provided extensive related
details, then-Representative Bernie Sanders said: “I think it is important that we have this
hearing, that we learn about what Mr. Clinton did and his terrible lapse in judgment, but if we

12
Ellen Nakashima, Devlin Barrett and Adam Entous, "FBI obtained FISA warrant to monitor
Trump adviser Carter Page" Washington Post, April 12, 2017, p. A1.
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/fbi-obtained-fisa-warrant-to-monitor-
former-trump-adviser-carter-page/2017/04/11/620192ea-1e0e-11e7-ad74-
3a742a6e93a7_story.html]
13
Meet The Press, NBC News, December 18, 2016. [http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-
press/meet-press-12-18-2016-n697546 ]
14
“Chuck Todd Goes One-On-One With Buzzfeed Editor,” MTP Daily, MSNBC, January 11,
2017. [http://www.msnbc.com/mtp-daily/watch/chuck-todd-goes-one-on-one-with-buzzfeed-
editor-852858947658]

4
 are going to talk about money in politics, let’s talk about money in politics, the influence that
money had on Mr. Clinton…”15

o   What role did you personally play in Marc Rich’s 2001 pardon?
o   What role did you play, what benefit did you receive or what advance knowledge did
you have that Glencore plc would eventually be the acquirer of the Rosneft stake
which your campaign falsely accused Carter Page of benefitting from approximately
one month after the election in December 2016? Please provide the same
information regarding any connections between you or the Center for American
Progress16 with Qatar17 - the other financial partner in this recent transaction18 which
Carter Page played no part in whatsoever, contrary to your repeated lies.

•   A recent book claims: “…That strategy had been set within twenty-four hours of [Mrs.
Clinton’s] concession speech. Mook and Podesta assembled her communications team at the
Brooklyn headquarters to engineer the case that the election wasn’t entirely on the up-and-up.
For a couple of hours, with Shake Shack containers littering the room, they went over the
script they would pitch to the press and the public. Already, Russian hacking was the
centerpiece of the argument.”19 Despite the extreme inaccuracy of that purported argument,
is this an accurate description of those proceedings in November 2016?

•   Domestic terrorism is defined by the 2001 USA Patriot Act as activities that:
‘‘(A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the
United States or of any State;
‘‘(B) appear to be intended—
‘‘(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
‘‘(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
‘‘(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or
kidnapping; and

15

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/2001_The_Controversial_Pardon_of_International_Fu
gitive_Marc_Rich.pdf
16
Dmitriy Shapiro, “How independent is a think tank funded by Hamas-backing Qatar?”
Washington Jewish Week, September 17, 2014. [http://www.jns.org/latest-
articles/2014/9/17/how-independent-is-a-think-tank-funded-by-hamas-backing-
qatar#.WU032DOZOCQ]
17
Jonathan Allen, “Clinton's charity confirms Qatar's $1 million gift while she was at State
Dept,” Reuters, November 4, 2016. [http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-foundation-
idUSKBN12Z2SL]
18
Elena Mazneva and Ilya Arkhipov, “Russia Sells $11 Billion Stake in Rosneft to Glencore,
Qatar,” Bloomberg, December 7, 2016. [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-
07/glencore-qatar-fund-buy-russia-s-rosneft-stake-for-11-billion]
19
Jerome Hudson, “‘Shattered’ Revelation: Clinton Campaign Hatched Russian Hacking
Narrative 24 Hours After Hillary’s Loss,” Breitbart, April 21, 2017.
[http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/04/21/shattered-revelation-clinton-campaign-
hatched-russian-hacking-narrative-24-hours-after-hillarys-loss/]

5
 ‘‘(C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States.’’20

o   With respect to the Russia witch hunt instigated by the Clinton campaign in 2016,
what if any aspect of the definition for “domestic terrorism” did the collective efforts
by your organization not meet as defined by the 2001 USA Patriot Act?

Despite the severe injustice apparently represented by this unfortunate continuation of these
misinformation tactics through your invitation to Podesta as he jumps to the front of the line in
terms of testimony, I hope these suggested questions might help you get the most out of any
forthcoming discussions which might indeed be scheduled.

Sincerely,

Carter Page, Ph.D.

20
“USA PATRIOT Act: Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools
Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001,” Public Law 107–56, 107th Congress,
October 26, 2001. [https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-107publ56/pdf/PLAW-
107publ56.pdf]