November 13, 2017

1 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE EXECUTIVE SESSION PERMANENT SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, WASHINGTON, D.C. INTERVIEW OF: RINAT AKHMETSHIN Monday, November 13, 2017 Washington, D.C. The interview in the above matter was held in Room HVC-304, the Capitol, commencing at 9:40 a.m. Present: Representatives Conaway, Ros-Lehtinen, Schiff, Himes, Carson, UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE PROPERTY OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE Quigley, and Swalwell. UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE PROPERTY OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 3 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE Appearances: For the PERMANENT SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE: For RINAT AKHMETSHIN: MICHAEL TREMONTE MICHAEL GIBALDI SHER TREMONTE LLP 90 BROAD STREET 23RD FLOOR NEW YORK, NY 10004 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE PROPERTY OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 4 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE Good morning all. This is an unclassified interview of Rinat Akhmetshin. My apologies if I mispronounced that. Thank you for speaking with us today. For the record, I am here at the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence for the majority. There are also a number of Members and staff present who will introduce themselves as the proceedings get underway. But before we begin I wanted to state a few things for the record. The questioning will be conducted by Members and staff. During the course of this interview Members and staff may ask questions during their allotted time period. Some questions may seem basic, but that is because we need to clearly establish facts and understand the situation. Please do not assume we know any facts you have previously disclosed as part of any other investigation or review. This interview will be conducted at the unclassified level. During the course of this interview we will take any breaks that you desire. We ask that you give complete and fulsome replies to questions based on your best recollection. If a question is unclear or you are uncertain in your answer, please let us know. And if you do not know the answer to a question or cannot remember, simply say so. You are entitled to have counsel present for this interview and I see that you have brought them with you. So at this time, would counsel could please identify themselves for the UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE PROPERTY OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 5 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE record? MR. TREMONTE: Michael Tremonte. MR. GIBALDI: Michael Gibaldi. Thank you. The interview will be transcribed. There is a reporter making a recording of these proceedings so we may easily consult the written compilation of your answers at a later date. Because the reporter cannot record gestures, we ask that you answer all questions verbally. If you forget to do this, you might be reminded to do so. You may also be asked to spell certain terms or unusual phrases. Consistent with the committee's rules of procedure, you and your counsel, upon request, will have a reasonable opportunity to inspect the transcript of this interview in order to determine whether your answers were correctly transcribed. The transcript will remain in the committee's custody. The committee also reserves the right to request your return for additional questions should the need arise. The process for the interview is as follows. The minority will be given 45 minutes to ask questions, after which time the majority will be given 45 minutes to ask questions. Immediately thereafter we will take a 5-minute break should you desire, after which time we will continue in the following fashion. The minority will be given 15 minutes to ask questions and the majority will be given 15 minutes to ask questions thereafter. We will continue in these 15-minute rounds until all questioning is exhausted. These time limits will be strictly adhered to by all sides and time will be kept for each portion of the interview with warnings given at the 5- and 1-minute UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE PROPERTY OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 6 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE mark, respectively. To ensure confidentiality, we ask that do you not discuss the interview with anyone other than your attorney. You are reminded it is unlawful to deliberately provide false information to Members of Congress or staff. Lastly, the record will reflect that you are voluntarily participating in this interview, which will be under oath. Mr. Akhmetshin, if you would raise your right-hand to be sworn. Do you swear or affirm that the testimony you are about to provide is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? [Witness sworn.] And also as a reminder, if you could please make sure your microphone is on with the green light on and speak into it so the reporter can hear what you are saying. Mr. Chairman, over to you for any opening remarks. MR. CONAWAY: Thank you for being here this morning. Andre, are you ready to begin. MR. CARSON: Yes, sir. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Akhmetshin. Give some insight. Explain to us where you grew up and tell us about your time in the Russian military. MR. AKHMETSHIN: Good morning, Members and staff. My name is Rinat Akhmetshin. I was born January 22nd, 1968 in Kazan, Russia, which is a predominantly Muslim region of at that time Soviet Union and I was raised there. My father was in the military so we traveled a little bit around the country, but most of my time I spent there in Kazan. UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE PROPERTY OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 7 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE I graduated from the high school in 1985. And in the same year I enrolled into University of Kazan to study chemistry. After my first year in the university, I was drafted in the Soviet Army -- MR. TREMONTE: I am going to ask you -- so there is a court reporter here who is typing your answers. And because you speak quickly and I can see her face and her facial expressions, she is not having an easy time. So try to slow down a little bit for her benefit, if nothing else. MR. AKHMETSHIN: Yes. Thank you. So after my first year in the university I was drafted in the Soviet Army. The draft was mandatory at that time. And I was assigned to a rather small and obscure part of the Soviet military called Commandant Service, which it has -- there is no equivalent in the U.S. Army, from what I understand, but it's something which kind of provides support to different branches of headquarters. For example, there are people who are secretaries in that service, drivers, people who do guard duty for different parts of the military. So I was assigned to that unit and I served there for 2 years. And I was discharged in, I believe, June 1988. And in September for the same year, I went back to the university and I graduated university degree in physical chemistry in 1992. At the same year, I enrolled in a graduate school, also in physical chemistry. And after year there I decided to continue my studies, chemistry studies, in the United States. And I enrolled in the graduate school here in Washington, D.C., at the Catholic University of America. MR. CARSON: When you served in the Commandant -- MR. AKHMETSHIN: Commandant Services. UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE PROPERTY OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 8 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE MR. CARSON: What were your duties? Did you do personal protection? Were you a driver? MR. AKHMETSHIN: I did a number of things. So I did a lot of guard duty, which not a very fun thing to do. I also for a while I was a courier. So, you know, they give you these big keys with the handcuff, and two soldiers have Kalashnikov, it's like issue gun, and then they tell you, like, to go somewhere. Mostly fraud, like Baltic military district. I did a lot of, like, carrying documents there. I was in support. I did a lot of guarding. I also did, you know, these troop movements. One of the parts of Commandant Service also is to ensure security of troop movements. So I was like really -- actually in the beginning, I was directing traffic. So this -- like, I had this, like, leather coat, helmet, this little stick. MR. CARSON: Did you do advance work? MR. AKHMETSHIN: What do you mean advance, sir? MR. CARSON: Before the troop movement, you would scope out the area, look at potential risks, block off traffic. MR. AKHMETSHIN: Yes, actually. Just to ensure that traffic, like, military troops move with least kind of hindrances so it doesn't hit someone or -- just, yes, both the roads, make sure that they go without stopping. MR. CARSON: Who were your mentors? MR. AKHMETSHIN: Well, there are a number of people, you know, they were very good people who were -- I mean, like, you're on the -- I was a young kid, I was 18. So that's kinds of -- there were many people. MR. CARSON: Anyone in particular? MR. AKHMETSHIN: There are many people. MR. CARSON: Leadership. UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE PROPERTY OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 9 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE MR. AKHMETSHIN: You know, since I was so low in this type food chain, so I really, mostly, like some older fellows, soldiers, some officers. MR. CARSON: Grad school. MR. AKHMETSHIN: Yes, sir. MR. CARSON: You ended at grad school before I took you back. MR. AKHMETSHIN: Correct, sir, yes. I enrolled in graduate school here and professor wanted to have someone in her group which has more experience in the kinetics of reactions, so my Ph.D.

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