A secret server channel linked the Trump Organization to Russia's Alfa Bank
Unchecked
| A secret server channel linked the Trump Organization to Russia's Alfa Bank | |
|---|---|
| UNSUPPORTED | |
| "Computer data showed a secret communications channel between Trump Organization servers and the Kremlin-linked Alfa Bank during the 2016 campaign." | |
| Domain | Technology & Internet |
| Tactic | Conspiracy Theory Statistical & Evidentiary Distortion |
| Era | Current |
| First seen | 2016 |
| Origin | Cybersecurity researchers' analysis of internet data, passed to the FBI by Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann in September 2016 and reported by the press before the election. |
| Last reviewed | 2026-11-03 |
| Further reading: books on Technology & Internet | |
In 2016, researchers noticed internet traffic between servers tied to the Trump Organization and Russia's Alfa Bank. Some suggested it was a covert backchannel. The idea spread in the press and online.
The FBI and the Senate Intelligence Committee did not find evidence of a hidden channel. The claim is unsupported. A later court case about the tip did not decide whether the server story was true.
What the evidence shows
[edit]- FBI inquiry. Sussmann's tip led to a four-month FBI inquiry. Both companies denied the claim, and the FBI found no improper cyber links.
- Senate committee. Mother Jones quotes the 2020 Senate Intelligence Committee report as not finding that the DNS activity reflected substantive or covert communications. Mueller never mentioned the server links.
- Sussmann trial. A jury acquitted Sussmann of lying to the FBI about who he was representing. The judge barred prosecutors from discussing the accuracy of the Alfa Bank data. The verdict was about his statement to the FBI, not about the server data.
- Described as debunked. CBS News described the data as now-debunked. Mother Jones reported the server issue had no evident effect on the Russia investigation, which was already under way.
Why it matters
[edit]The server story appeared days before the 2016 election, and some outlets and politicians promoted it before it had been checked. The later legal fight over Sussmann's meeting with the FBI kept the topic in the news, often with each side claiming vindication. Official reviews found no evidence of a hidden channel.
Sources
[edit]- CNN, "Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann found not guilty of lying to FBI, in blow to Durham investigation," May 31, 2022 Link
- CBS News, "Attorney with ties to 2016 Clinton campaign acquitted in first Durham special counsel trial," May 2022 Link
- Mother Jones, "Trump's 'Russia Hoax' Narrative Just Took a Big Blow," May 2022 Link
- Yahoo News, "Durham Grand Jury Indicts Clinton-Linked Attorney Involved in Russia Probe," September 2021 Link