Thread by @JohnWHuber

There's a BIG problem with the PAPADOPOULOS story

Why didn't he tell anyone about the conservative holy grail, the hacked "Hilary emails"?

(Except the FBI and Alexander Downer of course)

THREAD

Former Trump campaign aide GEORGE PAPADOPOULOS has sworn under oath these key facts:

1. He met "Professor" MIFSUD in early '16

2. MIFSUD told him "Russia" had 1,000's of "Hilary emails"

These come from his "statement of the offence" to the FBI, submitted to federal court

PAPADOPOULOS supposedly tells ALEXANDER DOWNER about this in a "drunken conversation" at Kensington Wine Rooms, May '16

DOWNER sits on it, eventually getting telling the FBI after he sees hacked DNC emails being released

From Jul 31, the Trump/Russian investigation is ON

By the way, DOWNER has NEVER gone on the record himself supporting this version of events. Please point me to a statement where *he* says he was specifically told about "Hilary emails" (and not just that he met with PAPADOPOULOS)

I'll wait.

The DOWNER information isn't in the sworn statement of the offence either. Not even as a redacted or vague statement. For example, "PAPADOPOULOS also told a Friendly Country National about the emails in London in May"

Back to MIFSUD. PAPADOPOULOS didn't just *meet* with him. He emailed him, repeatedly. Interacted on Facebook messenger. Spoke to some Russians MIFSUD hooked him up with. Spoke on the phone too. That's a big, big electronic audit trail he would've left behind

MIFSUD also denies ever mentioning "Hilary emails" to PAPADOUPOULOS. Maybe he's lying because he's a Putin spy?

Maybe, but that doesn't explain PAPADOUPOULOS not asking MIFSUD about them ever again. Ever. Not even the FBI claims he did (it's not in the statement of the offence)

As a backbencher on the Trump campaign PAPADOPOULOS was also trying to make himself loook important during this time. He tried to leverage his MIFSUD contact into showing he could arrange a Trump & Putin meeting, and improve ties with Russia

The campaign didn't seem that interested. At one point they deny poor PAPADOPOULOS reimbursement for travel expenses that he incurred without prior approval. He asks for a paid role, and is rejected. Weeks and months go by and no Trump Russia meeting ever comes close to happening

Here is the PROBLEM

The dream of finding "Hilary's emails", the 30,000 deleted ones? This is the holy grail of dynamite campaign info - almost anyone in the GOP or press would rip your arm off to get them, even today

Lowly George is on the cusp of finding them!

He tells NOBODY

Why does he never ask MIFSUD about the Hilary emails via Facebook, phone, SMS or email? It's too sensitive perhaps? Nope: he supposedly blabs to DOWNER after a few of glasses of Shiraz

He never asks any of the "Russians" MIFSUD has put him in touch with either

PAPADOPOULOS is trying to get himself noticed by the Trump campaign at the time TRUMP himself asks Russia to find the "missing" Hilary emails at a press conference

@DonaldJTrumpJr is also willing to meet Russians off the back of one sketchy email from a British music producer

Why does PAPADOPOULOS *never* mention the "Hilary emails" to the campaign?

The FBI, Mueller and Congress have virtually all the campaign emails by now. If such an email was there, you can bet shifty @RepAdamSchiff would have leaked it already

Nothing, bupkis, nada, snake eyes

I'll stress again: nearly everyone in the GOP wants these emails. @JudicialWatch filed lawsuits. Congress issued subpoenas. @seanhannity ranted on about them almost every night for months (still does)

*EVERYONE* wanted to know what Hilary had bleachbit and hammered into oblivion

PAPADOPOULOS knows someone he thinks is connected high up with the Russian government, who actually knows who has the "missing Hilary emails". MIFSUD.

He does *nothing* with this information.

Anyone else find that curious?

Here's another thing. If DOWNER really told the FBI that PAPADOPOULOS told him about Russians having "Hilary emails", why isn't this written down in the Electronic Communication of July 31 2016 that opened the Trump/Russian counterintelligence investigation?

In the aftermath of a DNC hacking breach and a spear phishing attack on Hilary 4 America Chair John Podesta, why does the FBI not even interview PAPADOPOULOS until Jan 2017, if they know he knows about "Hilary's emails"?

Why'd the FBI go after @carterwpage instead?

Stefan Halper also meets PAPADOUPOLOS in Sep '16. He pays him $3K. Wines and dines him like a boy king at London's finest. When Halper asks him about the emails, he DENIES knowing anything.

Wait, he blabbed to DOWNER who was angry at him over David Cameron but won't tell Halper?

Also, NOBODY was acting like MIFSUD was really a Russian agent as they should have, if this "story" is true

Why is Mifsud not detained while in the US Feb 2017?

Why does nobody warn people he meets (E.g. @BorisJohnson or Saudi Royals)?

Why's he *still* being protected in Rome?

This story doesn't add up and it is going to fall apart #soon

/ENDS

ADDENDEUM: Here is the @nytimes desperately trying to keep this story alive. Sorry, nope:

"No evidence has come to light indicating that Mr. Papadopoulos told anyone on the campaign....officials don't believe [emails] exist...turned up nothing..."

mobile.nytimes.com/2018/05/15/us/…