U.S. Department of Justice
Report On The Investigation Into
Russian Interference In The
2016 Presidential Election
Volume I and II
Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller, III
Submitted Pursuant to 28 C.F.R. § 600.8(c)
Washington, D.C.
March 2019
TABLE OF CONTENTS- VOLUME I
INTRODUCTION TO VOLUME I pg 1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TO VOLUME 1 pg 4
- THE SPECIAL COUNSEL’S INVESTIGATION pg 11
- RUSSIAN “ACTIVE MEASURES” SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN pg 1
A. Structure of the Internet Research Agency pg 15
B. Funding and Oversight from Concord and pg 16
C. The IRA Targets U.S. Elections pg 19
1. The IRA Ramps Up U.S . Operations As Early As 2014 pg 19
2. U.S. Operations Through IRA-Controlled Social Media Accounts pg 22
3. U.S. Operations Through Facebook pg 24
4. U.S. Operations Through Twitter pg 26
a. Individualized Accounts pg 26
b. IRA Botnet Activities pg 28
5. U.S. Operations Involving Political Rallies pg 29
6. Targeting and Recruitment of U.S. Persons pg 31
7. Interactions and Contacts with the Trump Campaign pg 33
a. Trump Campaign Promotion of IRA Political Materials pg 33
b. Contact with Trump Campaign Officials in Connection to Rallies pg 35 - RUSSIAN HACKING AND DUMPING OPERATIONS pg 36
A. GRU Hacking Directed at the Clinton Campaign pg 36
1. GRU Units Target the Clinton Campaign pg 36
2. Intrusions into the DCCC and DNC Networks pg 38
a. Initial Access pg 38
b. Implantation of Malware on DCCC and DNC Networks pg 38
c. Theft of Documents from DNC and DCCC Networks 40
B. Dissemination of the Hacked Materials 41
1. DCLeaks 41
2. Guccifer 2.0 42
3. Use of WikiLeaks 44
a. WikiLeaks’s Expressed Opposition Toward the Clinton Campaign 44
b. WikiLeaks’ s First Contact with Guccifer 2.0 and DCLeaks 45
c. The GRU’s Transfer of Stolen Materials to WikiLeaks 45
d. WikiLeaks Statements Dissembling About the Source of Stolen Materials 48
C. Additional GRU Cyber Operations 49
1. Summer and Fall 2016 Operations Targeting Democrat-Linked Victims 49
2. Intrusions Targeting the Administration of U.S. Elections 50
D. Trump Campaign and the Dissemination of Hacked Materials 51
1. Harm to Ongoing Matter 51
a. Background 51
b. Contacts with the Campaign about WikiLeaks 52
c. Harm to Ongoing Matter 54
d. WikiLeaks’s October 7, 2016 Release of Stolen Podesta Emails 58
e. Donald Trump Jr. Interaction with WikiLeaks 59
2. Other Potential Campaign Interest in Russian Hacked Materials 61
a. Henry Oknyansky (alk/a Henry Greenberg) 61
b. Campaign Efforts to Obtain Deleted Clinton Emails 62 - RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT LINKS To AND CONTACTS WITH THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN 66
A. Campaign Period (September 2015 -November 8, 2016) 66
1. Trump Tower Moscow Project 67
a. Trump Tower Moscow Venture with the Crocus Group (2013-2014) 67
b. Communications with LC. Expert Investment Company and Giorgi Rtskhiladze (Summer and Fall 2015) 69
c. Letter of Intent and Contacts to Russian Government (October 2015-January 2016) 70
i. Trump Signs the Letter of Intent on behalf of the Trump Organization 70
ii. Post-LOI Contacts with Individuals in Russia 72
d. Discussions about Russia Travel by Michael Cohen or Candidate Trump (December 2015-June 2016) 76
i. Sater’ s Overtures to Cohen to Travel to Russia 76
ii. Candidate Trump’s Opportunities to Travel to Russia 78
2. George Papadopoulos 80
a. Origins of Campaign Work 81
b. Initial Russia-Related Contacts 82
c. March 31 Foreign Policy Team Meeting 85
d. George Papadopoulos Learns That Russia Has “Dirt” in the Form of Clinton Emails 86
e. Russia-Related Communications With The Campaign 89
f. Trump Campaign Knowledge of “Dirt” 93
6. Additional George Papadopoulos Contact 94
3. Carter Page 95
a. Background 96
b. Origins of and Early Campaign Work 97
c. Carter Page’s July 2016 Trip To Moscow 98
d. Later Campaign Work and Removal from the Campaign 102
4. Dimitri Simes and the Center for the National Interest 103
a. CNI and Dimitri Simes Connect with the Trump Campaign 103
b. National Interest Hosts a Foreign Policy Speech at the Mayflower Hotel 105
c. Jeff Sessions’s Post-Speech Interactions with CNI 107
d. Jared Kushner’s Continuing Contacts with Simes 108
5. June 9, 2016 Meeting at Trump Tower 110
a. Setting Up the June 9 Meeting 110
i. Outreach to Donald Trump Jr 110
ii. Awareness of the Meeting Within the Campaign 114
b. The Events of June 9, 2016 116
i. Arrangements for the Meeting 116
ii. Conduct of the Meeting 117
c. Post-June 9 Events 120
6. Events at the Republican National Convention 123
a. Ambassador Kislyak’s Encounters with Senator Sessions and J.D. Gordon the Week of the RNC 123
b. Change to Republican Party Platform 124
7. Post-Convention Contacts with Kislyak 127
a. Ambassador Kislyak Invites J.D. Gordon to Breakfast at the Ambassador’s Residence 127
b. Senator Sessions’s September 2016 Meeting with Ambassador Kislyak 127
8. Paul Manafort 129
a. Paul Manafort’s Ties to Russia and Ukraine 131
i. Oleg Deripaska Consulting Work 131
ii. Political Consulting Work 132
iii. Konstantin Kilimnik 132
b. Contacts during Paul Manafort’ s Time with the Trump Campaign 134
1. Paul Manafort Joins the Campaign 134
ii. Paul Manafort’s Campaign-Period Contacts 135
iii. Paul Manafort’s Two Campaign-Period Meetings with Konstantin Kilimnik in the United States 138
c. Post-Resignation Activities 141
B. Post-Election and Transition-Period Contacts 144
1. Immediate Post-Election Activity 144
a. Outreach from the Russian Government 145
b. High-Level Encouragement of Contacts through Alternative Channels 146
2. Kirill Dmitriev’s Transition-Era Outreach to the Incoming Administration 147
a. Background 147
b. Kirill Dmitriev’s Post-Election Contacts With the Incoming Administration 149
c. Erik Prince and Kirill Dmitriev Meet in the Seychelles 151
i. George Nader and Erik Prince Arrange Seychelles Meeting with Dmitriev 151
ii. The Seychelles Meetings 153
iii. Erik Prince’s Meeting with Steve Bannon after the Seychelles Trip 155
d. Kirill Dmitriev’s Post-Election Contact with Rick Gerson Regarding U .S.-Russia Relations 156
3. Ambassador Kislyak’s Meeting with Jared Kushner and Michael Flynn in Trump Tower Following the Election 159
4. Jared Kushner’ s Meeting with Sergey Gorkov 161
5. Petr Aven’s Outreach Efforts to the Transition Team 163
6. Carter Page Contact with Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich 166
7. Contacts With and Through Michael T. Flynn 167
a. United Nations Vote on Israeli Settlements 167
b. U.S. Sanctions Against Russia 168 - PROSECUTION AND DECLINATION DECISIONS 174
A. Russian “Active Measures” Social Media Campaign 174
B. Russian Hacking and Dumping Operations 175
1. Section 1030 Computer-Intrusion Conspiracy 175
a. Background 175
b. Charging Decision As to Harm to Ongoing Matterrr 176
2. Potential Section 1030 Violation by Harm to Ongoing Matterrr 179
C. Russian Government Outreach and Contacts 180
1. Potential Coordination: Conspiracy and Collusion 180
2. Potential Coordination: Foreign Agent Statutes (FARA and 18 U.S.C. § 951). 181
a. Governing Law 181
b. Application 182
3. Campaign Finance 183
a. Overview Of Governing Law 184
b. Application to June 9 Trump Tower Meeting 185
i. Thing-of-Value Element 186
ii. Willfulness 187
iii. Difficulties in Valuing Promised Information 188
c. Application to WikiLeaks Harm to Ongoing Matter 188
i. Questions over Harm to Ongoing Matter 189
ii. Willfulness 190
iii. Constitutional Considerations 190
iv. Analysis Harm to Ongoing Matter 190
4. False Statements and Obstruction of the Investigation 191
a. Overview Of Governing Law 191
b. Application to Certain Individuals 192
i. George Papadopoulos 192
ii. Personal Privacy 194
iii. Michael Flynn 194
iv. Michael Cohen 195
v. Harm to Ongoing Matter 196
iv. Jeff Sessions 197
vii. Others Interviewed During the Investigation 198