<thread> Why this photo is such a big deal.

Politico: Ukraine pol allegedly sent Kremlin-backed disinformation on Biden to Senators.

Sen. Ron Johnson's spokesperson says Johnson “never received nor would we ever collect information from this individual or individuals like him.”

2. The photo is of Andrii Telizhenko with Sen. Johnson posted to Telizhenko's FB account on July 11, 2019.

Who is Telizhenko?

NYT: FBI warned Sen. Johnson of the Bureau's concern that Telizhenko is "a conduit for Russian disinformation about the Bidens" https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/20/us/politics/congress-disinformation-biden-russia-ukraine.html

3. In 2019, Telizhenko told Washington Post "he met with Johnson (Wis.) for at least 30 minutes on Capitol Hill and with Senate staff for five additional hours...said discussions focused in part on 'the DNC issue.'"

( @eliseviebeck @DDaltonBennett report) https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sen-johnson-ally-of-trump-and-ukraine-surfaces-in-crucial-episodes-in-the-saga/2019/10/28/40b9e44c-f684-11e9-8cf0-4cc99f74d127_story.html

4. Politico's story is centered on Telizhenko's reported collaborator Andrii Derkach—the Ukrainian pol who allegedly passed on Kremlin-backed disinformation packets about Biden to the Senators.

(reporting by @NatashaBertrand @AndrewDesiderio @kyledcheney) https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/23/democrats-letters-to-trump-allies-are-foreign-plot-to-damage-biden-380217