By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
Australian officials expressed “annoyance and frustration” that one of their top diplomats was identified as the source of information that triggered the Trump-Russia investigation, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
In a bombshell report on Saturday, the New York Times revealed that the wide-ranging federal investigation was prompted by revelations shared by a Trump campaign aide at an upscale London bar in May 2016. According to Australian diplomat Alexander Downer, he was told by a tipsy, boastful Trump aide, George Papadopolous, that Russia had political “dirt” on Hillary Clinton in the form of “thousands of emails.”
Downer revealed the conversation about two months later, when droves of Clinton emails began surfacing online.
The tip was enough to prompt the FBI to launch an investigation into possible collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia to undermine Hillary Clinton.
Papadopolous has since pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and is cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
