AM Greatness
The recent indictment by Special Counsel John Durham of Igor Danchenko raises potentially explosive possibilities, so far overlooked by public reporting. They all stem from a central question: who was behind the maneuverings of the mysterious Sergei Millian?
Until the Danchenko indictment, it had been the prevailing wisdom for years that a key damning allegation—that there was a “well-developed conspiracy” of Trump-Russian electoral collusion—came from Millian, the president of the grandly-named Russian-American Chamber of Commerce, a sketchy, dime-store organization headquartered in Millian’s Queens apartment.
Christopher Steele, author of the now-infamous dossier, himself revealed Millian’s role to the FBI in early October 2016, while defensively labeling him as a “boaster” and “embellisher,” seemingly seeking distance from a potential liar.
But, to the surprise of most, Durham’s recent indictment states that the story Danchenko attributed to Millian (alternately, Source D and Source E in the Steele dossier) did not come from Millian. Rather, the story came from the long-time Clinton supporter, PR executive Charles Dolan, himself tied to the Russian Federation from past years representing the country. At the same time Dolan was sourcing these claims to Danchenko, he was closely consulting with Russian “diplomats,” another word for “intelligence agents.”
So, yes, this is a jaw-dropping revelation, because it shows direct collaboration between the Clinton campaign and the Russian government in fomenting a baseless charge. In other words, Clinton forces can no longer blame the anti-Trump smear campaign on a shady British ex-spy.
But this seeming blockbuster is dwarfed by the implications of Millian’s nonengagement in Steele’s lies. Millian was not a dishonest Danchenko crony, as astute observers had assumed. Rather, the evidence suggests he was working for . . . the FBI! If that is so, then the FBI was not just acting incompetently by vetting the partisan falsehoods of the dossier. Rather, it was, chillingly and actively fabricating them.
On January 20, 2017, after the Trump victory, lowly Trump aide George Papadopoulos met with Millian and his “good-time-Charlie” friend, who blurted out, “Sergei works for the FBI.” An embarrassed Millian looked up at the ceiling, denying nothing. Days after this, FBI agents questioned Papadopoulos about Millian, questions confirming ongoing talks with Millian. But we may ask, so what?
Let’s go back further in time. Before the 2016 election, around October 7, Millian had offered Papadopoulos employment for $30,000 per month, to be paid by a former Russian energy minister (read: Kremlin agent), on the condition that Papadopoulos must also be working for an elected Trump. Papadopoulos suspected Millian was wearing a wire, because he wore a scarf in a warm room. The day of this conversation, October 7, 2016, is key, because at that time the FBI was desperately scrambling for any illegality by a Trump agent to strengthen its weak FISA application. Without an illegal act, the FISA warrant for Carter Page as a suspected Russian agent was doomed…
