From "This Will Ruin All Our Lives" to "I Will": Paul Cronin, Russia-Gate, and 2018
In 2018, a series of documents addressed a recurring question.
The question was straightforward:
Would Dr. Paul Cronin ultimately come forward regarding information he had previously shared concerning Russian interference in the 2016 election, an alleged Russian money laundering scheme, and related matters?
The contemporaneous record includes text messages, correspondence to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Special Counsel Robert Mueller, a federal lawsuit, and a subsequent promise to testify truthfully.
Viewed together, the documents tell a largely self-contained story.
April 2018: A Request to Come Forward
The chronology begins with allegations later memorialized in Paragraph 143 of Foerster v. Cronin.
The complaint alleged that Dr. Bradley Foerster and his wife, Dr. Myria Petrou, suggested to Dr. Cronin that it may be time to provide information to law enforcement regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election and what the complaint described as a Russian money laundering scheme that Dr. Cronin had previously discussed with Dr. Foerster and Duaa Altaee. The complaint further alleged that Dr. Cronin had previously promised to provide testimony when the time was right.
April 2018: “Please Do Not Proceed”
The complaint referenced a WhatsApp exchange that occurred during the same period.
“We need to discuss this further, please do not proceed.
YOU DO NOT HAVE OUR PERMISSION TO RELEASE ANYTHING INVOLVING AINE OR ME.
We believe this will ruin all our lives and destroy our chances of future cases.”
The significance of the exchange is not that it resolves the underlying allegations. Rather, it confirms that disclosure was actively being discussed and that Dr. Cronin and his wife, Dr. Aine Kelly, strongly opposed proceeding.
May 18, 2018: Letter to Rosenstein and Mueller
Several weeks later, Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou reported information to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Special Counsel Robert Mueller concerning Russian interference in the 2016 election, an alleged Russian money laundering scheme, and related matters.
The correspondence reflected the same issue that had appeared throughout the preceding months: whether Dr. Cronin would ultimately come forward regarding information he had previously shared. The letter stated that he had previously indicated that he would do so under certain circumstances.
The correspondence reproduced below was later submitted as an exhibit in Foerster v. Cronin. The copy shown here was recently released from an FBI file maintained under Dr. Foerster's name and obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
September 2018: Foerster v. Cronin
On September 4, 2018, Dr. Foerster filed Foerster v. Cronin.
The complaint expanded upon events that had unfolded during the preceding months and alleged that information attributed to Dr. Cronin contributed to investigations, search warrants, seizures, and related consequences affecting the Foerster and Petrou families.
Readers interested in the allegations, responses, and procedural history may wish to review:
The present post focuses on a narrower question that appeared repeatedly throughout 2018: whether Dr. Cronin would ultimately come forward regarding information he had previously shared concerning those matters.
October 3, 2018: An Act of Good Faith and Trust
On October 3, 2018, Dr. Foerster voluntarily dismissed Foerster v. Cronin and circulated the dismissal filing with the description:
“An Act of Good Faith and Trust.”
The dismissal occurred before Dr. Cronin's response to the complaint was received and reflected an expectation that he would ultimately come forward regarding the matters that had been discussed throughout the preceding months.
Following the dismissal, Dr. Foerster reiterated that expectation. He wrote:
“I expect you to come forward Paul and testify honestly and truthfully.
As you have said in the past.”
Dr. Cronin responded:
“I will.”
Looking Back
Looking back nearly a decade later, the significance of these documents is not that they resolve the underlying questions concerning Russia-Gate.
Rather, they document a recurring issue that appeared throughout 2018.
The question was straightforward:
Would Dr. Paul Cronin ultimately come forward regarding information he had previously shared?
The contemporaneous record shows requests that he do so, objections to proceeding, correspondence to Rosenstein and Mueller, a federal lawsuit, a voluntary dismissal made in good faith, and a written statement that he would come forward and testify honestly and truthfully.
The documents speak for themselves.
Postscript
Following publication of this chronology, notice of the post was provided to President Trump through the White House contact form.
Related Reporting
- The Institutional Fingerprint of the FBI Russia-Gate File
- May 12, 2026 Joint Status Report Filed After FBI Missed May 4 Production Deadline in “Russia-Gate” FOIA Litigation; New Production Dates Set for May 15 and June 16, 2026
- University of Michigan States No Responsive Documents Exist Regarding Dr. Foerster’s 2018 Psychiatric Peer Review Following Litigated FOIA Appeal
- Bank of Ann Arbor States No Reconciliation Worksheet or Accounting Record Exists For $1.4M Sheriff's Sale Purchase of 630 Geddes Ridge
Brad Foerster, MD PhD
Brad Foerster is a FOIA advocate documenting requests, transparency disputes, and accountability investigations involving public agencies, universities, police oversight, and Russia-Gate related inquiries. His work compiles original documents, timelines, and analysis of public records and institutional responses. Brad is also a board-certified radiologist, author of Town & Gown, and has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles. Brad lives in Potomac, Maryland with his family and is active in the Montgomery County Medical Society and the Takoma Park U.S. & World History Book Club.