‘Clinton Plan' Emails Were Likely Made by Russian Spies, New Documents Show
The information, a 29-page annex to the special counsel's 2023 report, reveals that a foundational document for that theory was most likely stitched together by Russian spies. The document is a purported email from July 27, 2016, that said Mrs. Clinton had approved a campaign proposal to tie Mr. Trump to Russia to distract from the scandal over her use of a private email server.
The release of the annex adds new details to the public's understanding of a complex trove of 2016 Russian intelligence reports analyzing purported emails that Russian hackers stole from Americans. It also shows how the special counsel, John H. Durham, went to great lengths to try to prove that several of the emails were real, only to ultimately conclude otherwise.
The declassification is the latest disclosure in recent weeks concerning the Russia investigation. The wave has come as the administration is seeking to change the subject from its broken promise to release files related to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
12 minutes ago
- UPI
Texas Democrats flee state over GOP-drawn House maps
Texas Governor Greg Abbott listens as President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order to begin the process of dismantling the Department of Education at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, March 20, 2025. On Sunday, Democrats fled the state to prevent the Republicans from advancing controversial GOP-drawn congressional maps. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Texas Democrats have fled the Lone Star State in an effort to block Republicans from advancing state House maps that not only advantage the GOP by five seats but that critics say target the voting power of people of color. The local Democrats traveled to Illinois and other Democratic-led states to prevent a Republican quorum -- meaning the minimum number of congressional members needed for a vote -- from being reached to advance the controversial maps on Monday when the House reconvenes at 3 p.m. local time. The Republicans hold a nearly 60% majority in the Texas House with 88 representatives to the Democrats' 62. With Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker behind him, Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu told reporters at a press conference that they were armed with the moral responsibility to leave the state. "We're not here to have fun. We're not here because it is easy, and we did not make the decision to come here today lightly," he said. "But we come here today with absolute moral clarity that this is the absolutely the right thing to do to protect the people of the state of Texas." The Republicans released their proposed Texas congressional map late last month that, if adopted, would add five new Republican congressional seats. The bill, House Bill 4, has since been hastily moved through the state's Congress, with the redistricting committee passing it to the House floor on Saturday. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas has rebuked the GOP maps as "designed to dilute the voting power of communities of color." Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, on Saturday warned the Democrats against breaking quorum, issuing a letter stating by not being present when the House reconvenes for the special session, they could be removed from office and face felony charges, on allegations of them accepting funds to assist in their violation of legislative duties. Abbott did not provide proof to support the allegations. "Real Texans do not run from a fight," he said in the letter. "But that's exactly what most of the Texas House Democrats just did." Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also took to X to say that the Democrats "should be found, arrested and brought back to the Capitol immediately. "We should use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law," he said. During the Sunday press conference, Wu lambasted Abbott for using the people of Texas as hostages "in a political game" as the Republicans were seeking to pass the congressional maps before filing a promised bill to aid those suffering from last month's flooding that killed more than 135 people. "Instead, they spent their entire time playing dirty political games that only help themselves," he said. "And what is even worse -- their attempts to do this, their attempts to disenfranchise Texans, the tool their using is a racist, gerrymandered map, a map that seeks to use racial lines to divide hardworking communities who have spent decades building up their power and strengthening their voices." The Democratic National Committee has voiced support for the Texas Democrats, issuing a statement saying it was "time to fight back" against Republicans, including President Donald Trump who "have tried to get away with rigging the system, breaking the rules and scheming to hold onto power." "For weeks, we've been warning that if Republicans in Texas want a showdown -- if they want to delay flood relief to cravenly protect Donald Trump from an inevitable midterm meltdown -- then we'd give them that showdown," DNC Chair Ken Martin said. "Republicans thought they could just rig the maps and change the rules without the American people taking notice. They were dead wrong."
Forbes
12 minutes ago
- Forbes
Texas Democrats Flee State To Halt GOP Redistricting Bid—Abbott Threatens Their Removal
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott late on Sunday warned the state's Democratic lawmakers—who fled the state to prevent a vote on a GOP-led redistricting effort—that they will be removed from office unless they return to Austin by Monday afternoon. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Texas Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D) listen as Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu speaks to reporters during a press conference at the DuPage County Democratic Party headquarters in Carol Stream, Illinois. Getty Images More than 50 Democratic state lawmakers left the state on Sunday afternoon and flew to Chicago to deny the quorum needed to pass the Republicans' proposed new congressional maps, which could help the GOP gain up to five additional seats in the midterms. The 150-member Texas House needs at least 100 lawmakers to be present to conduct its business and pass legislation. In a statement on X, the Texas House Democratic Caucus accused the GOP and Abbott of using a special House session called to deal with last month's flooding in Central Texas 'as political cover' to pass their redrawn maps. Late on Sunday evening, Illinois' Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker joined a few of the Texas Democrats for a press conference in a Chicago-area suburb and said: 'Donald Trump is trying to cheat the system in Texas, but these Democratic legislators refuse to let it happen without a fight.' Pritzker said his administration is 'going to do everything we can to protect every single one of them,' amid Abbott's demand for their extradition. 'Governor Abbott has turned the victims of a tragedy into political hostages in his submission to Donald Trump. We will not allow disaster relief to be held hostage to a Trump gerrymander. As of today, this corrupt special session is over,' the Texas House Democratic Caucus said in its statement. What Has Gov. Greg Abbott Said? In a statement issued on Sunday night, Abbott bashed the Democratic lawmakers, saying: 'Real Texans do not run from a fight. But that's exactly what most of the Texas House Democrats just did.' He said being present for the special session was their 'duty' and not 'optional,' adding: 'The absconded Democrat House members were elected to meet and vote on legislation—not to prevent votes that may not go their way.' He then added: 'This truancy ends now,' warning that the Democrats must return to the state and be in attendance, 'when the House reconvenes at 3:00 PM on Monday, August 4, 2025.' Abbott warned that if they don't return, he will move to 'remove the missing Democrats from membership in the Texas House.' The governor said he will use a non-binding August 2021 opinion issued by the state's Attorney General, Ken Paxton, to initiate the removal. Paxton opined in 2021 that any lawmaker who attempts to break quorum intentionally could be removed from office due to 'abandonment' of their duties. The Texas House Democrats responded to Abbott's threats to remove their membership from the state House with a single sentence: 'Come and take it.'
Forbes
12 minutes ago
- Forbes
No Friends In The Pipeline: Why 300,000 Black Women Were Pushed Out Of The Workforce
A recently published MSNBC article made headlines for a shocking stat: nearly 300,000 Black women have exited the American labor force in the last three months. The article attributes the mass exodus to reasons like federal job cuts and the dismantling of DEI programs, with issues like inflation, student loan debt, automation, and underrepresentation in growing tech sectors creating a compounded economic risk for Black women. This phenomenon not only hurts Black women but has a ripple effect for the entire U.S. economy, resulting in a loss in the country's gross domestic product (GDP). A less-discussed issue that must be considered is how what is happening is also the cause of a widening network gap faced by Black women. A 2019 article from LinkedIn's Vice President of Social Impact, Meg Garlinghouse, explored the network gap: the unequal access a person has to opportunities based on who they know. Garlinghouse's article cited research that indicates that 70% of professionals get hired at jobs where they know someone who works there. A 2020 study by Chika O. Okafor indicated that non-white job candidates get fewer jobs through referrals because their social network is smaller. With the anti-DEI legislation and a wave of corporate DEI rollbacks, many companies have deprioritized DEI, dismantling programs and initiatives like employee resource groups (ERGs), which provide key opportunities to boost one's professional network. According to Catalyst, ERGs can be thought of as 'voluntary, employee-led groups that foster inclusive work environments aligned with business values, goals, and objectives.' Often ERGs focus on a shared identity (race, religion, being a parent, LGBTQIA+ status, etc.). ERGs provide employees with pathways to network, connect across departments, find mentors, and build relationships but many organizations are quietly shuttering their ERGs amid growing anti-DEI sentiments. Having less opportunities to be in community with employees at different levels in an organization can exacerbate the network gap that Black women face. Mentorship and sponsorship programs, which are often perceived to be DEI or DEI-adjacent, may be halted in the current climate, even though these programs can play an instrumental role in employees' careers, and Black women's career advancement. A wealth of research indicates that Black women leading Fortune 500 companies, as well as those in education, medicine, and tech, routinely report feelings of both hypervisibility and invisibility. Organizational psychologist Dr. Kecia M. Thomas has highlighted the pet to threat concept in her research: the phenomenon in Black women's career trajectories where they go from being the 'pet,' where they are well-liked and celebrated but exploited, to being the 'threat,' where they are seen as posing a risk to the status quo. A 2023 report from Exhale indicated that 36% of Black women have exited a job because they felt unsafe. Black women face a slew of inequities in the workplace and must deal with issues of gendered racism and the angry Black woman stereotype. A 2024 Harvard study also found evidence that when Black women have a higher percentage of white team members, they are more likely to leave their job and less likely to be promoted, revealing the systemic inequities that are entrenched in the workplace. The rise of AI may be making the problem worse. Many of the AI tools that companies lean on to help with hiring decisions may exacerbate existing biases, contributing to hiring gaps when it comes to Black women. Black women are overrepresented in jobs roles that are vulnerable to AI and automation, explained executive leadership coach Margaret Spence in a LinkedIn article. These factors in conjunction with the dismantling of corporate DEI programs makes building and sustaining professional networks for Black women more challenging. What can organizations do to address this issue? First off, workplaces should be intentional about providing employees with opportunities to network with each other. Do you have active mentorship and sponsorship programs in place? If not, how can you get them started? Ensure that equity is foundational in your workplace; frequently audit company policies and practices to ensure fairness and disaggregate employee feedback from anonymous channels, focus groups, and surveys to better understand Black women's experiences. What are Black women saying when they leave your organization? Assess exit interview data to see if patterns are emerging from the Black women who have left. The current anti-DEI legislation was implemented to sow fear and confusion in the workplace. Be aware of the ever-changing laws and stay up to date on local legislation. Consult with legal counsel to better understand what DEI practices are legal. Despite popular misconceptions, there are still many ways to drive fairness and equity while complying with state and federal laws. For Black women, there are some ways to address the network gap. Building community intentionally is vital. Consider joining different community groups, whether in-person or virtually, that align with your goals. This could be an online community for Black women in law, for example, or a meetup group for Black women in cybersecurity. If the community you are seeking doesn't exist, think about ways to create it. Also consider intentional networking on LinkedIn. Many see the platform as a place to go only when job searching but it can also be a great place to build networks, find your people and directly engage with community members. Black women's mass exodus from the U.S. labor market is caused by several different factors. While some reasons, like the DEI rollbacks and federal job cuts, are more obvious, there are issues that are more insidious at play. It's important that we understand what the antecedents are and put measures in place to ensure that Black women are given the support that is needed to thrive. When Black women are given the tools to succeed, everyone across the board will benefit.
