- A private jet belonging to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska landed in the US shortly after a meeting between former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former Russian military intelligence operative Konstantin Kilimnik.
- The news sheds light on a pivotal time in the 2016 US election, during which Manafort offered "private briefings" about the Trump campaign to Deripaska in a likely effort to resolve a financial dispute.
- Deripaska is closely tied to the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Manafort, Kilimnik, and Deripaska are at the center of an FBI inquiry into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow to tilt the 2016 race in his favor.
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A Putin ally's jet arrived in the US within hours of a meeting between Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and a Russian operative
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort offered to give Oleg Deripaska "private briefings" about the campaign just days earlier.
A private jet belonging to the Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska arrived in the US shortly after a meeting between the then-chairman of President Donald Trump's campaign and a mysterious Russian operative who has now become the center of the Russia controversy, Vice News reported Friday.
According to the report, the jet linked to Deripaska landed in New Jersey in August 2016, within hours of the meeting between then-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and the former Russian military intelligence officer Konstantin Kilimnik. Weeks earlier, Manafort had emailed Kilimnik offering to give Deripaska "private briefings" about the campaign.
Though there was no evidence at the time that Deripaska received Manafort's request or that the briefings took place, investigators believed Manafort's offer created an opening that Russia could exploit to gain a foothold in the US election.
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If he needs private briefings, we can accommodate
Deripaska is a longtime ally of the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Manafort's relationship with Deripaska, meanwhile, stretches back years and relates to the two men's work pushing pro-Russian interests on the world stage.
"Absolutely," replied Kilimnik. "Every article."
"How do we use to get whole," Manafort responded. "Has OVD operation seen?"
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Investigators concluded that "OVD" was a reference to Deripaska's full name: Oleg Vladimirovich Deripaska.
"Frankly, the coverage has been much better than Trump's," Kilimnik wrote. "In any case it will hugely enhance your reputation no matter what happens."
Deripaska's representatives confirmed to Vice News that his jet flew to New Jersey in August 2016, but said the trip had nothing to do with Manafort's offer and said Deripaska never received the offer. A spokesperson for Deripaska added that the only passengers on the flight at the time were the oligarch's family members, and added that any implication that Deripaska communicated with Manafort during the election "would be a false statement of fact."
Mueller's office has charged Manafort with dozens of counts related to tax and bank fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy against the US. Manafort has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
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