Kevin Graham wrote:Associate of a high ranking Trump official texted Stone "Well done" after Wikileaks first release of Clinton emails.
Paragraph 12 of the indictment says an official (believed to be Steve Bannon) was instructed to contact Stone. How many people were above Bannon?
I have added brackets round the bolded words - otherwise you may inadvertently give the impression that the indictment says that the official was believed to be Steve Bannon, which it does not.
In fact paragraph 12 reads:
12. After the July 22, 2016 release of stolen DNC emails by Organization 1, a senior Trump Campaign official was directed to contact STONE about any additional releases and what other damaging information Organization 1 had regarding the Clinton Campaign. STONE thereafter told the Trump Campaign about potential future releases of damaging material by Organization 1.
However, Mueller's team clearly knows who this 'high ranking official' is, since the name of that person is redacted in this paragraph:
16. In or around October 2016, STONE made statements about Organization 1’s future releases, including statements similar to those that Person 2 made to him. For example:
a. On or about October 3, 2016, STONE wrote to a supporter involved with the Trump Campaign, “Spoke to my friend in London last night. The payload is still coming.”
b. Also on or about October 3, 2016, STONE received an email from a reporter who had connections to a high-ranking Trump Campaign official that asked, “[the head of Organization 1] – what’s he got? Hope it’s good.” STONE responded in part, “It is. I’d tell [the high-ranking Trump Campaign official] but he doesn’t call me back.”
If that person was Steve Bannon, it is hard to see who but Trump could have 'directed' him. And Mueller's team is very well aware of that.
The walls are closing in ...
