Konstantin Kilimnik | |
|---|---|
| Константин Килимник (Russian) Костянтин Килимник (Ukrainian) | |
| Born | 27 April 1970 Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Citizenship | Ukraine Russia[1] Soviet Union |
| Occupation | Political consultant |
| Known for | Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections |
Konstantin Viktorovich Kilimnik (Russian: Константин Викторович Килимник; Ukrainian: Костянтин Вікторович Килимник, romanized: Kostiantyn Viktorovych Kylymnyk; born 27 April 1970) is a Russian–Ukrainian[1] political consultant. In the United States, he became a person of interest in multiple investigations regarding Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, particularly due to his ties with Paul Manafort, an American political consultant, who was a campaign chairman for Donald Trump.
Kilimnik was reported by CNN, The New York Times and The Atlantic to be "Person A" listed in court documents filed by the Special Counsel against Manafort. He is also believed to be Person A in court documents filed in the criminal indictment of Alex van der Zwaan.[1][2] The April 2019 Mueller Report concluded Kilimnik was connected to Russian intelligence agencies, while the August 2020 final report on 2016 election interference from the Senate Intelligence Committee characterized him as a "Russian intelligence officer".[3] In 2017, Kilimnik said he had no connection to Russian or any other intelligence service.[4] Kilimnik was indicted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's grand jury on 8 June 2018 on charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice by attempting to tamper with a witness on behalf of Manafort.[5][6]
United States intelligence community analysis released in March 2021 accused Kilimnik of being one of the proxies of Russian intelligence who promoted and laundered misleading or unsubstantiated narratives about Joe Biden to US media organizations, US officials, and prominent US individuals, including some close to former President Trump and his administration" to benefit the 2020 Trump presidential campaign.[7][8] In April 2021, the US Treasury Department sanctioned Kilimnik for providing Russian intelligence with "sensitive information on polling and campaign strategy" provided to him by Manafort from the Trump campaign, and for making the unjustified claim that Ukraine, rather than Russia, had interfered in the 2016 election.[9][10]
- ^ a b c Bertrand, Natasha (30 March 2018). "The Shadowy Operative at the Center of the Russia Scandal". The Atlantic. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
- ^ Mazzetti, Mark (28 March 2018). "Trump Aide Spoke During Campaign to Associate Tied to Russian Intelligence". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ Mazzetti, Mark (4 November 2020) [18 August 2020]. "G.O.P.-Led Senate Panel Details Ties Between 2016 Trump Campaign and Russia". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ^ Polantz, Katelyn; Perez, Evan (29 March 2018). "Source: Mueller pushed for Gates' help on collusion". CNN. Atlanta, Georgia.
- ^ Gerstein, Josh (8 June 2018). "Mueller hits Manafort with new indictment for alleged obstruction of justice". Politico.
- ^ Mueller, Robert S. (8 June 2018). "Case 1:17-cr-00201-ABJ Document 318". United States Department of Justice.
- ^ Zachary Cohen, Marshall Cohen and Katelyn Polantz (16 March 2021). "US intelligence report says Russia used Trump allies to influence 2020 election with goal of 'denigrating' Biden". CNN.
- ^ Shesgreen, Deirdre. "Russia, Iran aimed to sway 2020 election through covert campaigns, US intelligence reports". USA Today.
- ^ Mangan, Dan (15 April 2021). "Trump campaign chief Manafort's associate Kilimnik gave Russia 2016 election strategy, polling, U.S. says". CNBC.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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