(…) According to the OIG Horowitz Report, around the same time of Steele’s interview, in early October of 2016, the FBI opened up a counterintelligence investigation on Sergei Millian. h164
Additionally, the FBI also investigated whether there were cyber links between the Trump Organization and Alfa Bank, and had concluded by early February 2017 that there were no such links. h119
But what investigative steps were taken between the initiation of allegations and their resolution in February? And was the investigation into Millian the same investigation into Alfa Bank? And was the Dragon FISA that was being discussed in the same time frame, a part of the investigation into Sergei Millian or Alfa Bank, or neither, or both?
By the time of the early October interview with Steele, the FBI was in possession of information that made Sergei Millian a FISA target that was arguably three times stronger than that of Carter Page.
- 1) Millian was concurrently being alleged by both Steele and Simpson as an Alfa bank connection working in tandem with Michael Cohen as “replacements” for recently fired Carter Page and Paul Manafort. h282 The need to investigate Sergei was more immediate and had allegedly superseded Page.
- 2) Millian was known by the FBI to be in “sustained contact” with George Papadopoulos, the Crossfire Hurricane’s investigative “Predicate”, since August 2016. h132 In fact, in those same contacts, Sergei was making financial overtures much more direct and documented than anything Carter was “known” to have received. m95
- 3) Millian as the purported Source D/E of Steele Dossier was responsible for “the most descriptive information in the FISA application of alleged coordination between Page and Russia” h163 spanning 4 separate memos over the course of 3 months. h243
For reasons 1 & 2, FBI already had arguably more reason to FISA Sergei Millian than Carter Page, and the corroboration of the Dossier is just extra incentive. (Monsieur America, 3/09/2020) (Archive)