L/A
A former Soviet intelligence officer has alleged that Donald Trump was recruited by the KGB in 1987 and given the codename “Krasnov.”
Alnur Mussayev, 71, a former Kazakh intelligence chief, made the explosive claim in a Facebook post on Thursday. He claimed that he served in the 6th Directorate of the KGB in Moscow, which was responsible for counter-intelligence support within the economy. One of its key objectives, he claimed, was “recruiting businessmen from capitalist countries.”
The allegation revives claims which Trump has denounced as “the Russia hoax,” and which dogged his first term in the White House.
Mussayev wrote that in 1987 “our directorate recruited Donald Trump, a 40-year-old American businessman, under the pseudonym Krasnov.”
He reiterated that the department specialized in recruiting spies and intelligence sources from the West, asserting once again that Trump had been brought into the fold.
“I hope I’ll survive a third assassination attempt,” he said in a comment below his post.
He made another shocking allegation in another comment, saying: “Today, the personal file of resident ‘Krasnov’ has been removed from the FSB. It is being privately managed by one of Putin’s close associates.”
A co-defendent of Rakhat Aliyev, former head of the Kazakh secret service KNB, Alnur Mussayev sits in the dock before his trial in Vienna April 14, 2015. A Vienna court on Tuesday started a trial on the 2007 murder of two Kazakh bankers with the main suspect - the Kazakh president's former son-in-law Rakhat Aliyev turned political foe - absent as he reportedly committed suicide a few weeks earlier. Mussayev and Vadim Koshlyak are accused of crimes including murder and rape. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader Heinz-Peter Bader/REUTERS
Mussayev’s allegations add to ongoing speculation about Trump’s connections to Russia. Trump’s first visit to Moscow as a real estate developer in 1987 drew intense scrutiny and speculation that the trip was arranged by the KGB for dubious reasons.
According to Politico, in 1985, the KGB updated a secret personality questionnaire distributed among the agency, advising case officers what to look for in a successful recruitment operation.
The document instructed agents to target “prominent figures in the West” with the goal of drawing them “into some form of collaboration with us… as an agent, or confidential or special or unofficial contact.”
Trump has denied any improper ties to Moscow or collusion with President Vladimir Putin.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House and Russia’s Foreign Ministry for comment.
U.S. officials have also expressed concerns about Trump’s relationship with Putin.
Anthony Scaramucci who briefly served as Trump’s White House communications director in 2017, said during an episode of “The Rest Is Politics: US” podcast with co-host Katty Kay on Friday that he thinks there is a mysterious “hold” on the president.
Scaramucci did not elaborate on what he believes that “hold” might be, adding only: “I don’t know why it’s like this. [H.R.] McMaster couldn’t figure it out, [James] Mattis couldn’t figure it out, [John] Kelly couldn’t figure it out.”
About the Author:
a Distinction in MA Newspaper Journalism from City, University of London and a 2:1 in BA Russian
language from Queen Mary, University of London. She has worked as a news reporter and features
writer with a variety of publications such as The Times, London Evening Standard, Grazia UK, and
the Daily Express.
Isabel was awarded the 2019 Hugh Cudlipp Award (London Press Club) after
publishing an undercover investigation in The Times. She was also the 2018 winner of the Eric
Robbins Prize for journalism, which recognises outstanding reporting, demonstrating professionalism
and initiative. It was awarded by Lionel Barber at the 2018 James Cameron Memorial Lecture.
A former Soviet intelligence officer has alleged that Donald Trump was recruited by the KGB in 1987 and given the codename “Krasnov.”
Alnur Mussayev, 71, a former Kazakh intelligence chief, made the explosive claim in a Facebook post on Thursday. He claimed that he served in the 6th Directorate of the KGB in Moscow, which was responsible for counter-intelligence support within the economy. One of its key objectives, he claimed, was “recruiting businessmen from capitalist countries.”
The allegation revives claims which Trump has denounced as “the Russia hoax,” and which dogged his first term in the White House.
Mussayev wrote that in 1987 “our directorate recruited Donald Trump, a 40-year-old American businessman, under the pseudonym Krasnov.”
He reiterated that the department specialized in recruiting spies and intelligence sources from the West, asserting once again that Trump had been brought into the fold.
“I hope I’ll survive a third assassination attempt,” he said in a comment below his post.
He made another shocking allegation in another comment, saying: “Today, the personal file of resident ‘Krasnov’ has been removed from the FSB. It is being privately managed by one of Putin’s close associates.”
A co-defendent of Rakhat Aliyev, former head of the Kazakh secret service KNB, Alnur Mussayev sits in the dock before his trial in Vienna April 14, 2015. A Vienna court on Tuesday started a trial on the 2007 murder of two Kazakh bankers with the main suspect - the Kazakh president's former son-in-law Rakhat Aliyev turned political foe - absent as he reportedly committed suicide a few weeks earlier. Mussayev and Vadim Koshlyak are accused of crimes including murder and rape. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader Heinz-Peter Bader/REUTERS
Mussayev’s allegations add to ongoing speculation about Trump’s connections to Russia. Trump’s first visit to Moscow as a real estate developer in 1987 drew intense scrutiny and speculation that the trip was arranged by the KGB for dubious reasons.
According to Politico, in 1985, the KGB updated a secret personality questionnaire distributed among the agency, advising case officers what to look for in a successful recruitment operation.
The document instructed agents to target “prominent figures in the West” with the goal of drawing them “into some form of collaboration with us… as an agent, or confidential or special or unofficial contact.”
Trump has denied any improper ties to Moscow or collusion with President Vladimir Putin.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House and Russia’s Foreign Ministry for comment.
U.S. officials have also expressed concerns about Trump’s relationship with Putin.
Anthony Scaramucci who briefly served as Trump’s White House communications director in 2017, said during an episode of “The Rest Is Politics: US” podcast with co-host Katty Kay on Friday that he thinks there is a mysterious “hold” on the president.
Scaramucci did not elaborate on what he believes that “hold” might be, adding only: “I don’t know why it’s like this. [H.R.] McMaster couldn’t figure it out, [James] Mattis couldn’t figure it out, [John] Kelly couldn’t figure it out.”
About the Author:
About
Isabel is an award-winning journalist and currently a news reporter with Newsweek. She holdsa Distinction in MA Newspaper Journalism from City, University of London and a 2:1 in BA Russian
language from Queen Mary, University of London. She has worked as a news reporter and features
writer with a variety of publications such as The Times, London Evening Standard, Grazia UK, and
the Daily Express.
Isabel was awarded the 2019 Hugh Cudlipp Award (London Press Club) after
publishing an undercover investigation in The Times. She was also the 2018 winner of the Eric
Robbins Prize for journalism, which recognises outstanding reporting, demonstrating professionalism
and initiative. It was awarded by Lionel Barber at the 2018 James Cameron Memorial Lecture.
