Legislative Blog
J.B. Williams, J.D.
Danchenko
A Blog about Durham Report
A Bit of Background
The following backgrounds help summarize the author's views on both the general topic: Other and more specifically Durham Report as it relates to that topic.
Brief Summary of Other
Topics here may be related to legal matters but not innately legal. For instance, discussing grocery plastic bags versus cotton cloth bags. The item itself is not legal but many city governments have placed it into legislation.
Summary of Durham Report
The Durham report is the attempt to review what occurred during Crossfire Hurricane. It shows major fails on the part of the FBI to remain non-political and significantly harms their reputation. It makes Watergate look like child's play, even if taken in a light most favorable to the FBI.
Blog Summary
Danchenko was being investigated on counterespionage ground previously. The only reason the investigation was closed was due to the mistaken belief that he had left the country. Interestingly, he remained resided in Washington, D.C. And even after discovering some of his information was merely 'invented', the Page FISA application continued to rely upon it.
Danchenko
Published: 2023-08-16
Interview and Information on Dachenko
In January 2017, Danchenko, Steele's sub-source, was interviewed. There were apparent contradictions between what Danchenko stated and what was in the Steele reports. Further there were concerns about the reliability of Danchenko's information. If the Steele information had not been passed along, there were doubts that the FISA renewals would have been supported. Even some of the most basic things from the Steele Reports were not accurate, including but not limited to, the statement that the source was Russian-based when Danchenko lived in Washington D.C. This inaccurate information was not corrected in FISA renewals, nor was any statement regarding the questionable reliability of additional information.
Igor Danchenko background. From 2005 to 2010 Danchenko worked as an analyst at Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C. In 2010 a Brookings Fellow introduced Danchenko to Steele. In 2011 Steele retained Danchenko as a contractor for Orbis Business Intelligence, based in London. Danchenko's work for Orbis was a side project, as Danchenko's primary job was for a Virginia-based venture capital firm. In 2014, the venture capital firm declared bankruptcy; at the same time they were in the process of sponsoring Danchenko's visa application to allow him to remain in the United States. He reached out to another Virginia-based technology staffing firm advising he was looking to remain in the United States and needed a US employer to sponsor his Visa. Orbis, being a UK registered company, could not do so. The Virginia-based technology staffing firm said they would hire him if he was compensated from an outside source; so they would assist in his immigration status but not fund his salary. Danchenko advised Steele of this, and Steele agreed to pay Danchenko through the Virginia-based tech company for Danchenko's work with Orbis. So the Virginia tech company was merely a front to provide the work visa from alleged employment with a US based company, while he continued working for Orbis. An Executive at the Virginia-based tech company, an ethnic Russian, described Danchenko as someone who was 'boastful... having low credibility, and a person who liked to embellish his purported contacts with the Kremlin.' As it turns out, Orbis paid a New Jersey-based company, who in turn paid the funds to the Virginia-based company where Danchenko was said to be employed; but the work he did was all for Orbis. And the Virginia-based company sponsored his VISA. Banking and other records show that from January 2016 through June 2021, Danchenko received over $436,000 from European business, including Orbis. These funds were in addition to the salary he was receiving from the Virginia-based firm (paid by Orbis).
From 2009 to 2011, Danchenko was the subject of an FBI counterespionage investigation. In 2008, Danchenko had approached 2 employees at Brookings advising he might be willing or able to pay for classified information. One of the employees was about to begin working for the Obama administration. The Brookings Researcher informed the appropriate government agency about this encounter, and the information was passed to the FBI. The Baltimore field office of the FBI initiated a preliminary investigation with Brian Auten, at the time an Intelligence Analyst. The investigation was converted to a full investigation after learning that Danchenko 'had been identified as an associate of two other FBI espionage subjects' and 'had previous contact with the Russian Embassy and known Russian intelligence officers.' Learning that Danchenko had advised a Russian intelligence officer that he was interested in entering Russian diplomatic service. The 2 met in person to review documents and think about future plans. The documents were later placed in a diplomatic mail pouch. Another individual advised that Danchenko stated his passport listed him as GRU (Russian military intelligence service) and that he had worked for the Russian army on 'special' matters. Due to the number of conversations and the things Danchenko mentioned, as well as what he seemed interested in, led them to believe he was Russian intelligence. In 2010 the FBI initiated a FISA request on Danchenko, only closing it when they mistakeningly believed he'd left the country. In 2012 Autin advised the Danchenko may not have left the country in 2010 as the FBI believed. Regardless, the Baltimore field office never re-opened their investigation.
During FBI interviews to determine the accuracy of the Steele Reports, Danchenko claimed the Ritz Carlton allegations were nothing more than rumor and speculation, and in fact, most of the information he provided for Steele was the 'product of casual conversation with people in his social circle.' This included the portions of the Steele Reports that were provided and relied on for probably cause in the Page FISA applications. The FBI interviews of Danchenko was primarily meant to recruit him as a paid CHS. The initial interviews were taken over 3 days under a grant of letter immunity. Auten was present at the interviews. Auten stated that Danchenko was not able to provide any corrobative evidence related to any substantive allegations in the Steele Reports. Nevertheless, in January 2017, Crossfire Hurricane assigned Helson as Danchenko's handler. Helson prepared the opening documents stating that the was no 'derogatory information associated with Danchenko and that Danchenko had not been a prior subject of an FBI investigation.' This was obviously incorrect. There is evidence that Helson became aware of the counterespionage investigation shortly after completing the opening documents, yet he failed to revise the paperwork. In fact, Helson did not reach out to the Baltimore field agents when the FBI's CHS management unit raised serious concerns about the prior counterespionage case.
In May 2019 the prior investigation of Danchenko was raised by the CHS Validation Management Unit (VMU). They raised concerns relating to Danchenko's past associations, behaviors and travel history. A February 2018 US Customs and Border Patrol inspection of Danchenko when he re-entered the US after being in the UK. The Border Patrol discovered business cards for Russian diplomats residing in England. And the VMU noted inconsistencies on Danchenko's visa application and immigration documents. A prior Army counterintelligence officer working in the VMU, expressed 'grave concerns' that Danchenko was 'connected to Russian intelligence in some manner.' At this time Helson reached out to the Baltimore agents, reporting back that they claimed the investigation was 'hearsay at best.' When the Office interviewed the Baltimore agent she was adamant that she would never have described the approaching of the Brookings researcher for classified information as hearsay at best; and advised if they had not mistakeningly believed Danchenko left the country the investigation would have continued. (Not sure why it was not re-opened in 2012 then.)
They ultimately kept Danchenko open as a source but recommended a polygraph examination, and further controls on his reporting. These steps were not taken. In total the FBI paid Danchenko approximately $220,000 during 3.5 years as a CHS, until he was closed as a CHS in October 2020. The FBI proposed more than $300,000 in payments to Danchenko during the time the Office was conducting this investigation. In fact interviews conducted by the Office of the Assistant Directors for Counterintelligence in WFO and FBI headquarters, and the FBI's Executive Assistance Director for National Security, that they could not accurately describe the value or contributions of Danchenko that would justify keeping him open, much less paying him hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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