Simon Kukes told Russian ex-ambassador he was involved in "strategy development" for #Trump campaign, and sent photos to Moscow of his 29-year-old girlfriend posing with candidate Trump and Mike Pence theguardian.com/us-news/2018/s…
Kukes gave $273,000 to #Trump Victory, making the first of several donations two weeks after notorious meeting in Trump Tower between Russia lawyer, Donald Trump Jr. et al. Kukes had no previous history of political donations
Kukes also attended several #Trump fund-raising dinners, and posed for a snap with Rudy Guiliani - or "America's most respected former mayor", as Kukes told Moscow. Both wore MAGA hats
At one #Trump fund-raiser Kukes had "warm conversation" with Len Blavatnik, Soviet-born US tycoon who gave $1m to #Trump's inauguration. Blavatnik's presence at the dinner new. The two men, plus Mikhail Fridman, Viktor Vekselberg and German Khan, were at Russian oil firm TNK
Here's @NBCNews and @RichardEngel on the breaking #Kukes story, featuring comment from former CIA officer on Kukes's messages to #Moscow: “To me this reads like an email exchange between a source and a handler, or a source and headquarters ..” nbcnews.com/politics/donal…
Blavatnik says he's donated to both Democrats and Republicans in the past, supports Trump's "pro-business agenda". Kukes declined to comment but is understood to regret the donations, says he made them to make contacts in Houston. RNC confirms Kukes attended Trump fund-raisers
A few thoughts on today's extraordinary meeting. Vladimir #Putin hinted that the FSB does indeed have #kompromat on Trump. Putin said he didn't know about #Trump's 2013 visit to Moscow, therefore this material can't exist. A non sequitur. Conclusion: there is a tape
Putin's offer to cooperate with Mueller is playful trolling. Mueller's agents won't be travelling to #Moscow anytime soon. In 2006 the Kremlin offered to cooperate in the Litvinenko murder probe. UK detectives visited Russia and were given the run-around, used as pawns in PR game
The limits of British diplomacy were woefully exposed. Theresa May had asked #Trump to raise the novichok poisoning of the Skripals and the death of Dawn Sturgess. Trump didn't and appears to have forgotten about them. No mention today of (alleged) #Russian state murder ops