Post-Convention Contacts with Kislyak

Post-Convention Contacts with Kislyak

¶Ambassador Kislyak continued his efforts to interact with Campaign officials with responsibility for the foreign-policy portfolio—among them Sessions and Gordon—in the weeks after the Convention. The Office did not identify evidence in those interactions of coordination between the Campaign and the Russian government.

Ambassador Kislyak Invites J.D. Gordon to Breakfast at the Ambassador's Residence

¶On August 3, 2016, an official from the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the United States wrote to Gordon "[o]n behalf of" Ambassador Kislyak inviting Gordon "to have breakfast/tea with the Ambassador at his residence" in Washington, D.C. the following week.⁸¹⁸⁸¹⁸ DJTFP00004828 (8/3/16 Email, Pchelyakov [embassy@russianembassy.org] to Gordon). Gordon responded five days later to decline the invitation. He wrote, "[t]hese days are not optimal for us, as we are busily knocking down a constant stream of false media stories while also preparing for the first debate with HRC. Hope to take a raincheck for another time when things quiet down a bit. Please pass along my regards to the Ambassador."⁸¹⁹⁸¹⁹ DJTFP00004953 (8/8/16 Email, Gordon to embassy@russianembassy.org). The investigation did not identify evidence that Gordon made any other arrangements to meet (or met) with Kislyak after this email.

Senator Sessions's September 2016 Meeting with Ambassador Kislyak

¶Also in August 2016, a representative of the Russian Embassy contacted Sessions's Senate office about setting up a meeting with Kislyak.⁸²⁰⁸²⁰ Luff 1/30/18 302, at 5. At the time, Sessions was a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and would meet with foreign officials in that capacity.⁸²¹⁸²¹ Sessions 1/17/18 302, at 23-24; Luff 1/30/18 302, at 5. But Sessions's staff reported, and Sessions himself acknowledged, that meeting requests from ambassadors increased substantially in 2016, as Sessions assumed a prominent role in the Trump Campaign and his name was mentioned for potential cabinet-level positions in a future Trump Administration.⁸²²⁸²² Sessions 1/17/18 302, at 23-24; Luff 1/30/18 302, at 5; Landrum 2/27/18 302, at 3-5.

¶On September 8, 2016, Sessions met with Kislyak in his Senate office.⁸²³⁸²³ Sessions 1/17/18 302, at 23. Sessions said that he believed he was doing the Campaign a service by meeting with foreign ambassadors, including Kislyak.⁸²⁴⁸²⁴ Sessions 1/17/18 302, at 23. He was accompanied in the meeting by at least two of his Senate staff: Sandra Luff, his legislative director; and Pete Landrum, who handled military affairs.⁸²⁵⁸²⁵ Sessions 1/17/18 302, at 23; Luff 1/30/18 302, at 5-6; Landrum 2/27/18 302, at 4-5 (stating he could not remember if election was discussed). The meeting lasted less than 30 minutes.⁸²⁶⁸²⁶ Luff 1/30/18 302, at 6; Landrum 2/27/18 302, at 5. Sessions voiced concerns about Russia's sale of a missile- defense system to Iran, Russian planes buzzing U.S. military assets in the Middle East, and Russian aggression in emerging democracies such as Ukraine and Moldova.⁸²⁷⁸²⁷ Luff 1/30/18 302, at 6; Landrum 2/27/18 302, at 4-5. Kislyak offered explanations on these issues and complained about NATO land forces in former Soviet-bloc countries that border Russia.⁸²⁸⁸²⁸ Luff 1/30/18 302, at 6; Landrum 2/27/18 302 at 4-5. Landrum recalled that Kislyak referred to the presidential campaign as "an interesting campaign,"⁸²⁹⁸²⁹ Landrum 2/27/18 302, at 5. and Sessions also recalled Kislyak saying that the Russian government was receptive to the overtures Trump had laid out during his campaign.⁸³⁰⁸³⁰ Sessions 1/17/18 302, at 23. Sessions also noted that ambassadors came to him for information about Trump and hoped he would pass along information to Trump. Sessions 1/17/18 302, at 23-24. None of the attendees, though, remembered any discussion of Russian election interference or any request that Sessions convey information from the Russian government to the Trump Campaign.⁸³¹⁸³¹ Sessions 1/17/18 302, at 23; Luff 1/30/18 302, at 6; Landrum 2/27/18 302, at 5.

¶During the meeting, Kislyak invited Sessions to further discuss U.S.-Russia relations with him over a meal at the ambassador's residence.⁸³²⁸³² Luff 1/30/18 302, at 5; Landrum 2/27/18 302, at 4. Sessions was non-committal when Kislyak extended the invitation. After the meeting ended, Luff advised Sessions against accepting the one- on-one meeting with Kislyak, whom she assessed to be an "old school KGB guy."⁸³³⁸³³ Luff 1/30/18 302, at 5. Neither Luff nor Landrum recalled that Sessions followed up on the invitation or made any further effort to dine or meet with Kislyak before the November 2016 election.⁸³⁴⁸³⁴ Luff 1/30/18 302, at 6; Landrum 2/27/18 302, at 4-5. Sessions and Landrum recalled that, after the election, some efforts were made to arrange a meeting between Sessions and Kislyak.⁸³⁵⁸³⁵ Sessions 1/17/18 302, at 23. According to Sessions, the request came through CNI and would have involved a meeting between Sessions and Kislyak, two other ambassadors, and the Governor of Alabama.⁸³⁶⁸³⁶ Sessions 1/17/18 302, at 23. Sessions, however, was in New York on the day of the anticipated meeting and was unable to attend.⁸³⁷⁸³⁷ Sessions 1/17/18 302, at 23. The investigation did not identify evidence that the two men met at any point after their September 8 meeting.