When Michael McFaul served as U.S. ambassador to Moscow under the Obama administration, he unexpectedly found himself the subject of a concerted Russian propaganda campaign, accused of plotting to overthrow leader Vladimir Putin as well as pedophilia. It was in many ways a sign of the geopolitical times: A U.S. attempt to “reset” ties with Russia was collapsing, and as the face and voice of America in the Russian capital, McFaul was a ready target. McFaul’s two-year tenure as ambassador ended in 2014. But the 54-year-old ex-envoy, now an academic at Stanford University, got a jolting reminder this week that the Russian president hasn’t forgotten him — far from it. At a summit in Helsinki, Finland, with President Trump, Putin floated the idea of inviting U.S. special counsel investigators to Russia for the questioning of a dozen Russian intelligence officials indicted last week as part of the special counsel’s inquiry into Kremlin interference in the 2016 election. Advertisement In return, Putin wanted Russian authorities to be allowed to interrogate a roughly equal number of Americans, including McFaul, for supposed illicit activities. At Monday’s post-summit news conference with Putin at his side, Trump — sounding intrigued rather than indignant — called that an “incredible” offer. The proposal — and Trump seeming to entertain the idea — drew a formal rebuke Thursday from the Senate, which approved a nonbinding resolution, 98 to 0, against allowing Russia to question McFaul or other current and former U.S. officials. The White House had backtracked shortly before the vote, with White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders telling reporters that Trump “disagrees” with the idea of such an investigatory exchange, but believed Putin had extended the proposal in “sincerity.” “I don’t consider it ‘sincerity’ to falsely accuse U.S. government officials of being criminals,” McFaul tweeted in response. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo had been blunter about the prospects of any such handover, telling reporters earlier Thursday: “That’s not going to happen.” But to a wide array of lawmakers, former diplomats, fellow academics and much of the U.S. foreign policy establishment, Trump’s initial response to Putin’s proposal — “incredible” — was the right word, for all the wrong reasons. As details of the Helsinki tete-a-tete emerged this week, social media lighted up with expressions of solidarity for McFaul — and consternation that an American president would not immediately shut down the idea of giving over a onetime ambassador for questioning. McFaul, a Montana native educated at Stanford and Oxford, was known during his Russia days as an online pioneer among the diplomatic corps, writing an ambassadorial blog and engaging in exchanges with ordinary Russians. As the week’s contretemps unfolded, he went on Twitter to express his shock and disbelief. Advertisement “When Trump says Russia is no longer targeting America, that’s not how this American feels,” McFaul wrote. “Putin is most certainly targeting and intimidating me. And I’m an American.” He also decried what he called the “moral equivalency” being posited by Putin between the special counsel investigation and Russia’s desire to summon him and figures like U.S.-born British financier William Browder for questioning. Browder has been a thorn in Putin’s side, leading a worldwide drive to expose corruption in Russia and impose sanctions to punish oligarchs and others. Interviewed on the BBC, Browder said Thursday’s White House announcement was a relief, but questioned why it had taken so long. “President Trump should have immediately rejected it,” he said. Advertisement The outcry over McFaul and the others sought by Putin echoed a larger dispute over Trump’s acceptance — later partially walked back — of the Russian leader’s word over that of the U.S. intelligence community, which has reignited critics’ suspicions that Putin has some hold over the U.S. president. As in that controversy, the White House position on McFaul and the other Americans sought by Putin for questioning changed with the passing days. On Wednesday, as Sanders said Trump’s team was consulting over Putin’s request, prominent supporters rallied to the support of the ex-ambassador. “Beyond outrageous,” tweeted former national security advisor Susan Rice. Hillary Clinton, who as secretary of State was McFaul’s boss, called him “a patriot who has spent his career standing up for America.” Advertisement Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright objected as well. “Merely entertaining this idea betrays our diplomats,” she tweeted. From across the political aisle, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) declared on Twitter that “under no circumstances” should such questioning be allowed. With the hashtag #ProtectMcFaul trending on Twitter, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) championed the nonbinding Senate resolution opposing making Americans — including former diplomats, civil servants, law enforcement officials, members of the armed forces or political appointees — available to Russian investigators. “No President should have the power to gift-wrap American citizens, let alone former Ambassadors, to our known adversaries,” Schumer tweeted before the unanimous vote. Advertisement Since returning to the United States, McFaul has remained a visible and vocal critic of Putin, singling out human rights abuses and authoritarian behavior. But he has lamented the failure of attempts to reengage Moscow, noting that he had helped write President Obama’s 2009 speech declaring that a strong and prosperous Russia was in the U.S. interest. In a new book, “From Cold War to Hot Peace,” McFaul described the vitriol directed at him during his Moscow tenure as relations with Washington deteriorated, with propagandists photoshopping him into pictures, splicing his speeches to distort public remarks and even accusing him of pedophilia. McFaul doesn’t expect to be back in Russia any time soon; he has been denied a visa and been told he’s banned. But he said he took heart from Thursday’s Senate vote. “Bipartisanship is not dead yet,” he tweeted. A political science professor and senior fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, McFaul said that in coming days, he planned to head to his native state as part of a book tour. Advertisement “In case you are in Montana this weekend, come hear me speak about my new book,” he tweeted, also citing “maybe a few other items in the news lately!” Staff writer King reported from Washington and special correspondent Ayres from Moscow. laura.king@latimes.com Twitter: @laurakingLAT<doc-sep>"While organizations in the United States received the largest share of attacks, targeted victims span at least 24 countries. At least a quarter of the targeted organizations were involved in international development, humanitarian, and human rights work. Nobelium, originating from Russia, is the same actor behind the attacks on SolarWinds customers in 2020. These attacks appear to be a continuation of multiple efforts by Nobelium to target government agencies involved in foreign policy as part of intelligence gathering efforts," Microsoft explained. Microsoft believes the attacks are notable for three reasons. "First, when coupled with the attack on SolarWinds, it's clear that part of Nobelium's playbook is to gain access to trusted technology providers and infect their customers. By piggybacking on software updates and now mass email providers, Nobelium increases the chances of collateral damage in espionage operations and undermines trust in the technology ecosystem," Microsoft argued. "Second, perhaps unsurprisingly, Nobelium's activities and that of similar actors tend to track with issues of concern to the country from which they are operating. This time Nobelium targeted many humanitarian and human rights organizations. At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Russian actor Strontium targeted healthcare organizations involved in vaccines. In 2019, Strontium targeted sporting and anti-doping organizations. And we've previously disclosed activity by Strontium and other actors targeting major elections in the U.S. and elsewhere," Microsoft explained. "This is yet another example of how cyberattacks have become the tool of choice for a growing number of nation-states to accomplish a wide variety of political objectives, with the focus of these attacks by Nobelium on human rights and humanitarian organizations." "Third, nation-state cyberattacks aren't slowing. We need clear rules governing nation-state conduct in cyberspace and clear expectations of the consequences for violation of those rules. We must continue to rally around progress made by the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace, and more widely adopt the recommendations of the Cybersecurity Tech Accord, and the CyberPeace Institute. But, we need to do more. Microsoft will continue to work with willing governments and the private sector to advance the cause of digital peace," Microsoft vowed.<doc-sep>Russian prosecutors have named the former US ambassador in Moscow as a person of interest in an investigation – and Michael McFaul appears to be quite unnerved. He seems to think Russian President Vladimir Putin is after him. McFaul, who served as US envoy to Russia during Barack Obama’s presidency, proudly claims to be Putin’s personal foe. But now he is apparently pretty spooked about the possibility that the Russian leader took a personal interest in him and spoke about him with US President Donald Trump in Helsinki. As ambassador, I came to Russia to revamp relations but ended up #Putin's personal foe. What happened? Read FROM COLD WAR TO #HOTPEACE to find out! https://t.co/rxksoWaph4 — Michael McFaul (@McFaul) May 8, 2018 Of course, Russia gave McFaul some reason to stand up and take notice, naming him as a person of interest in its probe against financier-turned-anti-Russia crusader Bill Browder. A businessman who ran a lucrative hedge fund in Russia, Browder became an avid critic of the Kremlin. He says his years of lobbying against Russia were motivated by the death of a friend in a Russian prison. I really hope Trump did not agree with this "great deal" with Putin in Helsinki: "Russia wants to question Christopher Steele, Michael McFaul, top politicians for aiding Bill Browder" — RT World News https://t.co/Tv1q6pBNUF — Michael McFaul (@McFaul) July 18, 2018 Moscow says he donned his human rights cape to insulate himself from prosecution in Russia for tax evasion and other white-collar crimes. “The Russian government is becoming crazier and crazier,” McFaul tweeted as he shared a report about the Russian statement. Many tweets from McFaul’s latest barrage are dedicated to a possible secret deal between Trump and Putin, which would see him arrested and handed over to Russia. Exactly. Putin feels that he has an ally in @realDonaldTrump in going after me & the other US government officials on that list. President Trump could clear that up in one tweet or statement. https://t.co/utNAkKx5bG — Michael McFaul (@McFaul) July 18, 2018 McFaul called the new Russian statement “intimidation” and said even Joseph Stalin didn’t try to get former US officials arrested. It's most certainly a tactic of intimidation. As @Billbrowder knows better than anyone, Putin goes after his critics with a vengeance. But is is also a matter of US government policy. Waiting for Trump administration to step up and speak forcefully in defense of all USG officials https://t.co/oNj96ArwkT — Michael McFaul (@McFaul) July 18, 2018 Even during the Stalin era, the Soviet government never had the audacity to try to arrest US government officials. Think about that. — Michael McFaul (@McFaul) July 18, 2018 He has rallied some support to prevent a possible arrest on an order from Trump. And he stressed that he is in no way an associate of Browder. Hey WH press Corps, can you confirm tomorrow with @PressSec that Putin discussed me personally in his one on one with Trump? Did he suggest that I was part of some alleged money laundering scheme? And did Trump push back on this completely invented , whacko idea? — Michael McFaul (@McFaul) July 18, 2018 Thanks for your advice, https://t.co/Sm8bHX6Avq — Michael McFaul (@McFaul) July 18, 2018 I am not an "associate" of Bill Browder. I am the former US ambassador to Russia. Putin is seeking to arrest a former Ambassador. Please understand how outrageous this act is, discussed no less between our two presidents https://t.co/A1pPQZr9dJ — Michael McFaul (@McFaul) July 18, 2018 But McFaul is getting ahead of himself here, as prosecutors didn’t say anything about arresting him, only that they would like him to answer some questions about Browder. The frantic tweeting does, however, betray some degree of nervousness. The ex-ambassador is, in fact, not entirely detached from the businessman. In 2017 when Browder - a British citizen - was briefly denied a US visa due to an outstanding arrest warrant issued by Russia, he called on Trump and the State Department to “fix this.” He later called on Russia to be expelled from Interpol over the arrest of Browder in Spain. Like this story? Share it with a friend!<doc-sep>
WASHINGTON — As members of Congress weighed a measure Thursday criticizing President Donald Trump for considering a Russian request to interrogate former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, the White House again released a statement saying the president did not hold a position he had appeared to embrace. After the White House statement, the Senate unanimously approved in a 98-0 vote a nonbinding resolution Thursday offered by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., that said the U.S. should refuse to make any former diplomat available to Russian investigators who say that official may have interfered in their country's domestic affairs. McFaul reacted quickly. "98-0. Bipartisanship is not dead yet in the US Senate. Thank you all for your support," he tweeted following the vote. “This body must agree on the importance of protecting our ambassadors. We should pass it today —not wait, not show any equivocation,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Thursday. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters at her weekly press conference Thursday that the suggestion of handing over McFaul is “outrageous.” “That the president would even entertain the idea of subjecting our diplomats to Putin’s thuggery — that is an abuse of power,” he said. Trump said Monday during his joint news conference in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin that he was intrigued by the idea. "What he did is an incredible offer," said Trump. "He offered to have the people working on the case come and work with their investigators with respect to the 12 people. I think that’s an incredible offer." White House press secretary Sarah Sanders indicated to reporters at the Wednesday briefing that Trump was still weighing the idea of having McFaul and Bill Browder, a London-based financier and Putin critic, questioned by Russia, as had been discussed in a private conversation between Trump and Putin at their summit in Helsinki on Monday. “There was some conversation about it, but there wasn't a commitment made on behalf of the United States. And the president will work with his team, and we'll let you know if there's an announcement on that front,” she said. Ahead of the Senate vote Thursday on resolution, Sanders issued a follow-up statement backtracking on what she had said a day earlier about Trump's position. "It is a proposal that was made in sincerity by President Putin, but President Trump disagrees with it. Hopefully President Putin will have the 12 identified Russians come to the United States to prove their innocence or guilt," she said. McFaul reacted skeptically to the new White House statement. "I don’t consider it 'sincerity' to falsely accuse US government officials of being criminals," he tweeted shortly after its release. McFaul was critical of Putin and the Russian government when he served as ambassador. His name reportedly appeared on a list of Americans who Russia could have access to if Trump went along with Putin’s offer to allow special counsel Robert Mueller to interview the 12 Russians indicted last week for allegedly interfering with the 2016 U.S. presidential election. "It later then came out in the Russian press that they had a list, and I was at the top of that list," McFaul said on MSNBC Thursday morning. "Shocking. This is classic what-aboutism by the Russians. 'You have this indictment, right? Well, we have this indictment of these people.' Tit for tat." Ahead of the White House's statement, Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said that the administration's failure to reject the possibility of McFaul being questioned was “unbelievable” and yet another reason Congress needed to learn what was discussed during the leaders’ private meeting. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters that the administration's even considering the idea of letting Russian agents question U.S. diplomats was "naive" and "absurd." And in an interview on MSNBC Thursday, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., called the prospect “ridiculous.” “It's another sign that this president is very happy making himself a client of Vladimir Putin,” Murphy said. Hillary Clinton, who served as secretary of state while McFaul served as ambassador in Moscow, tweeted Thursday that McFaul is a “patriot who has spent his career standing up for America. To see the White House even hesitate to defend a diplomat is deeply troubling.” McFaul is now an international affairs analyst for NBC News and MSNBC.