A researcher tasked by tech executive Rodney Joffe with mining internet
data to create a �narrative� of Trump-Russia collusion expressed doubt
about the Hillary Clinton campaign project in an August 2016 email cited
by Special Counsel John Durham � writing at one point, �This will not
fly,� according to court documents.

The message emerged in an explosive motion filed late Monday, in which
Durham alleged that Joffe, Clinton�s 2016 presidential campaign, and
attorney Michael Sussmann took part in a �joint venture� to gather and
spread damaging information about then-Republican nominee Donald Trump.

In the filing, Durham argued that communications between Joffe and online
sleuths should be admitted as evidence in Sussmann�s upcoming trial on a
charge of lying to the FBI about his work for the Clinton campaign while
suggesting that the Trump Organization had ties to a Russian bank.

According to prosecutors, Joffe told his subordinates that �VIPs� � a
phrase Durham says refers to Sussmann, Clinton campaign general counsel
Marc Elias, and the campaign itself � were �looking for a true story that
could be used as the basis for closer examination.�

�Trump has claimed he and his company have had NO dealings with .ru [web
domains] other than the failed Casino, and the Miss universe [sic]
pageant,� Joffe allegedly wrote. �He claims absolutely NO interaction with
any financial institutions. So any potential like that would be jackpot.�

A couple of days later, the researcher responded to Joffe that his ask was
all but impossible.

�[Y]ou do realize that we will have to expose every trick we have in our
bag to even make a very weak association?� wrote the person, identified
only as Researcher-1. � � [U]nless we get � traffic collected at critical
points between suspect organizations, we cannot technically make any
claims that would fly public scrutiny.�

�In this case we will have not only the Trump folks trying to sho[o]t this
down, but all the privacy freaks trying to come up with a crazy conspiracy
theory on how we obtain the data,� the researcher added. �Sorry to say
this, we are nowhere close coming with a plan to attack this problem that
will fly in the public domain. The only thing that drive us at this point
is that we just do not like [Trump]. This will not fly in eyes of public
scrutiny. Folks, I am afraid we have tunnel vision.�

Despite the skepticism, Joffe and Sussmann pressed on, eventually drafting
a �white paper� of information claiming that Trump Organization computer
servers were communicating with servers at Moscow-based Alfa-Bank.

Sussmann turned over the white paper to then-FBI General Counsel James
Baker on Sept. 19, 2016, after allegedly texting him that he had �time-
sensitive (and sensitive)� information to discuss.

�I�m coming on my own � not on behalf of a client or company � want to
help the Bureau,� Sussmann added in his message to Baker, which was
reproduced in Durham�s filing.

In addition to the FBI, the special counsel alleges, the allegations about
Trump and Alfa-Bank were shared with State Department personnel by
Christopher Steele, the former British spy who authored the now-infamous
dossier of allegations about the 45th president�s links with Russia. The
firm that hired Steele on behalf of the Clinton campaign, Fusion GPS, also
shared the allegations with at least one Department of Justice official,
according to prosecutors.

Four days before Sussmann met with Baker, Joffe allegedly asked his
researchers for feedback on the draft white paper of Alfa-Bank
allegations.

�Please read as if you had no prior knowledge or involvement, and you were
handed this document as a security expert � and were asked: �Is this
plausible as an explanation?�� Joffe wrote in an email. �NOT to be able to
say that this is, without doubt, fact, but to merely be plausible. Do NOT
spend more than a short while on this (If you spend more than an hour you
have failed the assignment). Hopefully less.�

The email was accompanied by a smiley-face text emoji.

https://nypost.com/2022/04/06/tech-exec-was-warned-smearing-on-trump-will-
not-fly-durham-says/