Countable Explains: Who's Who in the Russia Investigation

Carter Page

Role:

A former foreign policy adviser to the President

Quote:

"Rather than continuing to harass me with conspiracy theories, why don't you call Chappaqua and ask Mrs. Clinton why her criminal gang in Brooklyn invited Steele to write his fabricated report which that campaign illegally used for Obstruction of Justice purposes with the U.S. Government?"

— Carter Page responding to a question on why the Trump team contends they never worked closely with Page, while he’d claimed he spent "many hours" at Trump campaign headquarters

Key dates

• July 7, 2016: Page visits Moscow and gives a speech at the New Economic School where he criticizes the U..S. for its "hypocritical focus on ideas such as democratization" and "inequality."

• For months, Page denied meeting with any Russian government officials during his time in Moscow. However, in November 2017, Page testified that he met with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich during the above trip. According to a transcript of the testimony, Page claims he emailed Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, national security advisory committee director J.D. Gordon, and campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks about the trip. Page also said he told then-Senator Jeff Sessions about the trip in passing – which contradicts Sessions’ previous testimony about the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russians.

• Page testified that after the trip, he sent a memo to the Trump campaign stating that “Dvorkovich expressed strong support for Mr. Trump and a desire to work together toward devising better solutions in response to the vast range of current international problems."

• July 2016: during the Republican National Convention, Carter Page and then-Senator Sessions speak with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

• During his November 2017 testimony, Page was asked whether he and Kislyak had discussed sanctions against Russia. After initially responding, "I don't recall talking with him about sanctions," Page added: "In passing, it may have briefly come up in some context.”

• January 2017: In Christopher Steele’s dossier, Page is listed as an intermediary between the Trump campaign and Kremlin officials.

• April 2017: it emerges that the FBI and Justice Department had obtained a secret court order to monitor Page’s communication after convincing a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge they had reason to believe Page was a Russian agent.

• November 6, 2017: The House Intelligence Committee publicly releases Page’s testimony from November 2.

Current mood:

Agreeable. Page has said he’s willing to testify about his knowledge of Russian interference — but only in an open hearing. He said in April, "I have nothing to hide."