Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley wrote to then-acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper earlier this month seeking details about contracts the Defense Department’s Office of Net Assessment had with Stefan Halper, a former Republican operative and White House aide who became a foreign policy academic with close ties to both American and British intelligence. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Halper had discussions with at least three Trump campaign members: foreign policy aides George Papadopoulos and Carter Page as well as Trump campaign co-chairman Sam Clovis. The New York Times reported in April that the Justice Department inspector general was looking into his actions to see if he exceeded the scope of his assignment. Grassley’s letter, which cited concerns about whether the defense contracts “were used to support potential partisan political or other improper or wasteful activities,” set a July 25 deadline. And while the Defense Department responded to the Iowa Republican’s demand, Grassley’s office said the department’s response was inadequate.

We know and have reported that Halper was also involved with and had discussions with a fourth Trump campaign associate and that was General Michael Flynn, the war hero and President Trump’s National Security Advisor. Halper set up Flynn in December 2015. He invited Flynn to London to an event and Halper seated the General right next to Russian President Vladimir Putin. This was then used by the Deep State to tie candidate Trump to the Russians.

At that meal in London in 2015 there were two individuals who spied on General Flynn. Maltese professor Joseph Mifsud was also in attendance. The Obama Deep State was already spying on candidate Trump in late 2015 as we first reported in June 2018.

Now it’s being reported by Italian media that US Attorney Durham took his third trip to Italy related to his investigation into the Deep State’s 2015-16 actions –