Jake Sullivan’s Role in Pushing Russia Collusion Hoax Questioned after Durham Filing

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan departs after speaking with reporters in the James
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Kristina Wong

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan’s role in pushing claims of Trump campaign collusion with Russia is under fresh scrutiny after a recent special counsel court filing suggests those claims were cooked up by the Hillary Clinton campaign.

On October 31, 2016, about a week before the 2016 presidential election, Sullivan, who was working on the Clinton campaign at the time, pushed a Slate report “showing that the Trump Organization has a secret server registered to Trump Tower that has been covertly communicating with Russia.”

The Slate report alleged that cyber experts had uncovered a secret server linking the Trump Organization to the Russian-based Alfa Bank.

Sullivan wrote: “This could be the most direct link yet between Donald Trump and Moscow. Computer scientists have apparently uncovered a covert server linking the Trump Organization to a Russian-based bank.”

He wrote, without adding any disclaimer: “This secret hotline may be the key to unlocking the mystery of Trump’s ties to Russia. It certainly seems the Trump Organization felt it had something to hide, given that it apparently took steps to conceal the link when it was discovered by journalists.”

He added:

This line of communication may help explain Trump’s bizarre adoration of Vladimir Putin and endorsement of so many pro-Kremlin positions throughout this campaign. It raises even more troubling questions in light of Russia’s masterminding of hacking efforts that are clearly intended to hurt Hillary Clinton’s campaign. We can only assume that federal authorities will now explore this direct connection between Trump and Russia as part of their existing probe into Russia’s meddling in our elections.

Clinton herself tweeted out this statement, as well as another stating the claims as fact.

Sullivan’s role in pushing these claims is receiving fresh scrutiny after a recent filing by Special Counsel John Durham laid out allegations that a lawyer who was with the law firm representing Clinton’s campaign had worked with a tech executive to gather the evidence for those claims.

More specifically, Durham is alleging that Michael Sussmann, a former lawyer with Perkins Coie, had worked with tech executive Rodney Joffe to collect data on the Trump campaign and the White House to use as the basis of those claims.

Donald Trump Jr. recently quote-tweeted Sullivan’s statement, urging journalists to ask Sullivan questions about his role in pushing these claims.

“Biden’s current national security adviser was intimately involved in the activities for which Durham is now bringing indictments. Any self-respecting journalist should be demanding the @WhiteHouse and @PressSec answer questions about this,” he tweeted.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) tweeted, “Jake Sullivan pushed the Russia hoax. He knew it was a lie. He now works in the Biden White House.”

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) called for Sullivan to resign or be fired if Durham’s allegations are true.

She also questioned why Sullivan has not commented on his purported role.

Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Banks (R-IN) said if Durham’s allegations are true, Sullivan should be removed from office.

“No one who has spied on the White House is fit to serve in the White House. Jake Sullivan is already a notorious partisan and if he participated in Clinton’s illicit spying on President Trump, he must be removed from office and held responsible,” Banks told the DailyMail.com.

Breitbart News’ Joel Pollak has previously reported on Sullivan’s larger role in the Russia collusion hoax. Sullivan testified under oath to Congress in 2017 that he had briefed reporters about his suspicions of “collusion” between Russia and the Trump campaign. He also testified that he believed former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn had conspired with the Russian government — claims that earlier led to Flynn’s ouster. Ironically, Sullivan now holds Flynn’s job.

Durham’s indictment of Sussmann in September alleged that then-Perkins Coie lawyer Marc Elias had communicated with Sullivan about the Alfa Bank allegations, which Sullivan denied during testimony. Legal scholar Jonathan Turley wrote that it raised the possibility of perjury.

“Sullivan reportedly gave his series of denials to Congress in December 2017. The statute of limitations for lying to Congress is five years, which means that Sullivan still would be within range for Durham if the special counsel does not buy Sullivan’s denials. He could also find himself unindicted but entirely exposed in a report that is likely to be blistering,” Turley wrote.

Follow Breitbart News’s Kristina Wong on Twitter or on Facebook. 

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