Ex-Clinton Campaign Manager: Hillary OK’d Debunked Story Alleging Trump Had Secret Line To Russia

Robby Mook, who was Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager in 2016, reportedly testified in court today that the candidate herself gave the green light to advance a story which claimed then-candidate Donald Trump had a secret line of communication with the largest private bank in Russia.

The revelation came as part of ongoing litigation regarding the long-debunked claims which had been pushed by high profile Democrats, including many in the Biden administration.

“Robby Mook, the Clinton Campaign Manager in 2016 said in court Friday that Hillary Clinton herself approved the idea of giving the Alfa Bank story to a reporter,” reported Fox News producer Jake Gibson.  “We told her we have this and we want to share it with a reporter,” Mook reportedly said. “She agreed to that.”

Robby Mook, the Clinton Campaign Manager in 2016 said in court Friday that Hillary Clinton herself approved the idea of giving the Alfa Bank story to a reporter. “We told her we have this and we want to share it with a reporter. She agreed to that.”
 @BrookeSingman @davidspunt

— Jake Gibson (@JakeBGibson) May 20, 2022

Mook also testified that he was “briefed about the Alfa Bank issue first” by Clinton campaign general counsel Mark Elias, reported The Gazette. He said that “campaign leadership” made the decision, including Clinton, John Podesta, Jennifer Palmieri, and Jake Sullivan, who is now Joe Biden’s national security adviser, the outlet reported.

“I discussed it with Hillary as well,” said Mook before explaining how he approached her. He also clarified that he did not remember “the exact sequence of events,” or whether Clinton was approving something the campaign did without her knowledge, or was approving something the campaign was preparing to release to the media.

The story alleged that Trump had a secret email connection to Alfa Bank, the largest private bank in Russia, and was using it as a secret method of communication with Russia. It was later revealed to be a hoax.

Special Counsel John Durham called Mook as a witness in the ongoing criminal trial against Michael Sussmann, a former cyber security lawyer for the Democrat-aligned law firm Perkins Coie that was formerly headed by Mark Elias. Sussmann is the first to go to trial due to the findings of the probe investigating how the original investigation into Trump’s nonexistent collusion with Russia began.

He is accused of lying to the FBI in the hopes the agency would “manipulate” the 2016 election in Clinton’s favor, and pleaded not guilty.

Whether Clinton knew that the information was debunked at the time she approved its release is unclear, and some on the far left maintain that questions remain. Most reputable publications characterize the report as a fabrication or hoax.

Among those who pushed the hoax was exiled disinformation czar Nina Jankowicz. Breitbart reported that “On November 1, 2016, Jankowicz tweeted a Clinton tweet that included the elements of the Alfa Bank hoax, which was later discredited.”