Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Russia, Russia, Russia.

Every day it seems there is more news coming out about the Russia investigations than we can all absorb.

That was certainly the case yesterday so I thought I would try to put it altogether in this one post, even already knowing that I will undoubtedly be leaving something out.

First off it appears that there is yet more ties to Russia that Michael Flynn failed to report.

Courtesy of ABC News: 

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn made an unreported trip to the Middle East in 2015 to work on a U.S.-Russian venture in Saudi Arabia before he joined the Trump campaign, possibly having multiple contacts with Saudi officials that he failed to disclose when seeking renewal of his security clearances, according to Democrats who are seeking detailed records of Flynn’s travels. 

“Most troubling of all, we have no record of Gen. Flynn identifying on his security clearance renewal application – or during his interview with security clearance investigators – even a single foreign government he had contact with,” wrote Reps. Elijah Cummings and Eliot Engel, the ranking members of the House Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees, in a letter published on Monday.

I have already lost track of how many unreported contacts this makes between Flynn and the Russians, though I will add that there are now unconfirmed reports that Flynn is already working with the FBI, which if not true yet, will surely be true in the near future.

I mean what other choice does he have at this point?

But wait, there's more.

Courtesy of WaPo: 

In August, as tension mounted over Russia’s role in the U.S. presidential race, Donald Trump’s campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, sat down to dinner with a business associate from Ukraine who once served in the Russian army. 

Konstantin Kilimnik, who learned English at a military school that some experts consider a training ground for Russian spies, had helped run the Ukraine office for Manafort’s international political consulting practice for 10 years. 

At the Grand Havana Room, one of New York City’s most exclusive cigar bars, the longtime acquaintances “talked about bills unpaid by our clients, about [the] overall situation in Ukraine . . . and about the current news,” including the presidential campaign, according to a statement provided by Kilimnik, offering his most detailed account of his interactions with the former Trump adviser. 

Kilimnik, who provided a written statement to The Washington Post through Manafort’s attorney, said the previously unreported dinner was one of two meetings he had with Manafort on visits to the United States during Manafort’s five months working for Trump. The first encounter was in early May 2016, about two weeks before the Trump adviser was elevated to campaign chairman.

Apparently Kilimnik's name appeared on a subpoena sought by federal prosecutors looking into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, and there are accusations that he is also a Russian spy though apparently those have not yet been made by US intelligence.

Yeah, but probably just a coincidence, right?

As for the investigations themselves, well Robert Mueller appears to be taking it very seriously indeed.

Courtesy of Reuters:

A veteran federal prosecutor recruited onto special counsel Robert Mueller's team is known for a skill that may come in handy in the investigation of potential ties between Russia and U.S. President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign team: persuading witnesses to turn on friends, colleagues and superiors. 

Andrew Weissmann, who headed the U.S. Justice Department's criminal fraud section before joining Mueller's team last month, is best known for two assignments - the investigation of now-defunct energy company Enron and organized crime cases in Brooklyn, New York - that depended heavily on gaining witness cooperation.

"Flipping" witnesses is a common, although not always successful, tactic in criminal prosecutions.

Like I said, if Flynn is not singing like a canary yet, he soon will be.

And possibly Manafort as well.

Update: Here we go.

28 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:38 AM

    TREASON TREASON TREASON

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4:26 PM

      Century tradition.
      Follow the money.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous8:40 AM

    Follow the Rubles to Trump Tower

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4:27 PM

      Donald is a sideshow to WHO has been living in USA.
      They got pissy Obama kicked them out. Oligarchs plan is slowly emploding. Boo hoo.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous8:46 AM

    666 Fifth Avenue - Sign of the Beast?
    Follow the Rubles


    NBC NEWS
    JUN 5 2017, 11:47 AM ET

    Was Kushner Seeking a Russian Bailout for Manhattan Building? Congress Will Ask

    A very expensive piece of New York City real estate with an ominous address could be Exhibit A when and if President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and trusted adviser, Jared Kushner, appears before the Congressional committeesprobing Russian meddling in the presidential election.

    One of the questions Kushner is expected to be asked is whether he tried to set up a secret back channel way of communicating with the Russians so he could find somebody in Moscow to take the 41-story tower at 666 Fifth Ave. off his family's hands, two Congressional sources with direct knowledge of the investigation confirmed to NBC News

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous9:00 AM

    Manafort > Jared Kushner's dad > Donald Trump > Russia?

    Bloomberg:
    In Hamptons House, a Link to Manafort and Jared Kushner’s Dad

    ~ Kushner bank issued mortgage to
    ~ Manafort’s wife 15 years ago

    N.Y. is investigating ex-campaign manager’s real estate deals

    Jared Kushner was a junior at Harvard when an enterprising political operative was drawn into his family’s orbit.

    His name: Paul Manafort.

    It was 2002, and, back then, few might have imagined that the two men’s worlds would intersect one day in the figure of Donald Trump...

    But the Kushners and the Manaforts, it turns out, go way back -- at least when it comes to two of New York’s great obsessions: money and real estate.

    Kushner, of course, is now the son-in-law and confidant of President Trump. Manafort is a big-time Republican strategist and Trump’s former campaign manager. Both have been pulled into the vortex of questions surrounding the administration and Russia.

    But 15 years ago, when Trump was still running casinos, Manafort’s wife, Kathleen, received a mortgage on a 10-bedroom home in the Hamptons on Long Island. The $150,000 loan was made by NorCrown Bank, in Livingston, New Jersey, whose chairman was Kushner’s father, Charles, the patriarch of the family real estate empire and, at the time, a Democratic powerbroker in New Jersey....

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous9:04 AM

    Scrawny pencil-necked little dweeb Sessions also, too!! I bet he will sing like a canary, to avoid a long prison sentence. I think Pence would "pray" then say his Lord and Savior wants him to tell the truth. (Avoid prison also, too) I think once this gets into high gear, they will fall like bowling pins trying to get their story out first, for lighter sentences.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous9:15 AM

    Mueller just added a Russian-speaking former Supreme Court clerk to his special counsel team

    Elizabeth Prelogar, an assistant to the solicitor general, is working with deputy solicitor general Michael Dreeben in his part-time role in Mueller’s legal team, according to lawyers familiar with the assignment. The participation of Dreeben, the Justice Department’s top criminal law expert, was widely seen as a sign that Mueller was investigating possible criminal violations by President Donald Trump or others.

    She has impressive credentials, especially when it comes to Russian relations:

    Prelogar, a former law clerk to Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan, is a Harvard Law School graduate and formerly worked in private practice at Hogan Lovells. Her involvement in the Russia probe has not previously been reported.

    Prelogar also appears to be fluent in Russian. As an Emory College undergraduate, she majored in English and Russian. After graduating from Emory she was a Fulbright scholar in Russia. When she was a 1L at Harvard Law in 2006, she won an Overseas Press Club scholarship to study Russian media and censorship.

    Mueller also recently added Andrew Weissmann, known for his ability to flip witnesses, as he did with the Enron prosecution.

    https://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/6/20/1673392/-Mueller-just-added-a-Russian-speaking-former-Supreme-Court-clerk-to-his-special-counsel-team

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous9:16 AM

    Trump's nominee for FBI director scrubbed Russia connection from his law firm bio

    https://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/6/20/1673364/-Trump-s-nominee-for-FBI-director-scrubbed-Russia-connection-from-his-law-firm-bio

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous9:16 AM

    Continued
    (Manafort > Jared Kushner's dad > Donald Trump > $16,000,000 Stephen Calk, a Trump economic adviser > Barrack, now a close Trump associate)
    (Russia?)


    Bloomberg continued:
    In Hamptons House, a Link to Manafort and Jared Kushner’s Dad

    ....$9.5 Million Loan

    More recently, the Manaforts and an affiliated LLC borrowed $16 million from Federal Savings Bank, a Chicago-based lender run by Stephen Calk, a Trump economic adviser. The bulk of the borrowing was a $9.5 million loan secured by the Hamptons house and other assets. Trump named Calk to his campaign’s economic advisory council while Manafort was campaign manager.

    The NorCrown mortgage was paid off in July 2004, within days of Kathleen Manafort obtaining another mortgage. This one, records show, was the one provided by Barrack, now a close Trump associate....

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous9:17 AM

    Of the issues on which Americans evaluated President Trump for this poll, they give the president his most negative marks on his handling of the Russia matter -- just 28 percent approve, while 63 percent disapprove.

    More Americans say their opinion of Mr. Trump has grown worse, not better, because of his handling of the Russia investigations

    http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trumps-handling-of-russia-investigations-weighs-on-approval-ratings/

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous9:20 AM

    Why Trump Doesn’t Need Fox News Anymore

    Donald Trump has effectively replaced Fox News as the center of information for Republicans.

    http://www.thedailybeast.com/why-trump-doesnt-need-fox-news-anymore

    https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/6/20/1673217/-Hyperbole-be-damned-Is-Trump-literally-killing-Fox-News

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous9:43 AM

    The New York Times, however, published a story that reveals a series of gifts given to Donald Trump from the Russian government throughout 2016. It took a little time for the Times to uncover these gifts, however, because while these gifts are indeed tied to Trump’s business dealings in Russia, they are not tied to brick and mortar “Trump-Tower”-type buildings. They are tied to intellectual property.

    http://theproudliberal.org/new-york-times-russia-gave-trump-four-yuge-gifts-on-election-night/

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous9:45 AM

    ‘President’ Trump Hurls Childish Insult at TIME Reporter: “I’m President and You’re Not”

    http://theproudliberal.org/president-trump-hurls-childish-insult-at-time-reporter-im-president-and-youre-not/

    AP Election Shocker: Trump’s National Campaign Chair Was Paid $10 Million to ‘Benefit Putin Government’

    http://theproudliberal.org/ap-election-shocker-trumps-national-campaign-chair-was-paid-10-million-to-benefit-putin-government/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:13 AM

      Jesus Christ! The corruption in the White House is being reported as getting worse every day!

      Trump needs to be impeached much sooner than later. He is bringing nothing but harm to America.

      Fuck him and his ilk. They do NOT represent me (or the majority) in any way!

      Delete
  13. Anonymous9:46 AM

    Trump White House Asked FBI to Cover Up Russia Story, FBI Responded with Force

    ...The FBI replied, HELL NO. “The FBI rejected a recent White House request to publicly knock down media reports about communications between Donald Trump’s associates and Russians known to US intelligence during the 2016 presidential campaign, multiple US officials briefed on the matter tell CNN.”

    Now we get on to the part of every Trump Administration story that lets you know who lied, and what they lied about. According to CNN, FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe met with Reince Priebus about the Russia stories at an aside during another, unrelated meeting at the White House. The White House said this scenario was a lie, and posited that McCabe called Priebus that morning. Later, a White House official confirmed and verified that CNN’s description of events was, in fact, accurate.

    CNN goes on to discuss the situation as it now stands:

    http://theproudliberal.org/trump-white-house-asked-fbi-to-cover-up-russia-story-fbi-responded-with-force/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:35 AM

      Is there a CNN link?

      I appreciate you did include a link but I am hesitant to go to a link I never heard of.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:44 AM

      http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/23/politics/fbi-refused-white-house-request-to-knock-down-recent-trump-russia-stories/index.html

      Delete
  14. Anonymous9:58 AM

    Someone will sing and I am betting the prosecutor and his office are just waiting to try and give the deal to a "big fish", whether that is Flynn or someone even higher the singer will get a sweet deal. Sing or spend life in prison or even a possible death sentence....what would you pick. BTW the punishment for treason is still hanging :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:40 AM

      Trump and Flynn should both be hung for treason - I've been saying this for quite awhile now!

      Neither one of them would be missed by the majority of Americans.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous10:07 AM

    Flynn and his son are liars. I do not know how Flynn can be trusted at all. His history is not good. He should be stripped of his military service career. Treason, Espionage and acting as a traitor is criminal.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous10:10 AM

    I detest Trump! He can not be trusted as far as someone could throw his fat ass!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wasn't Manafort that white tiger that chewed a meat loaf or two off Siegfried and Roy in Las Vegas a few years ago?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous10:42 AM

    Until Donald...

    Newt Gingrich, Hypocrisy Pioneer
    No politician has had a more malignant influence on the United States over the last 30 years.

    http://www.thedailybeast.com/newt-gingrich-hypocrisy-pioneer

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous1:29 PM

      He is one guy that has always made me rebuke him - physically unattractive - obese and ugly in spirit. Check his record throughout the years, Americans. He's a jerk and has always been - typical white, Republican old guy, bad history w/women, etc.!

      Delete
  19. Anonymous10:59 AM

    Democrats believe Michael Flynn could be cooperating with FBI

    By Eugene Scott, CNN 

    Updated 11:55 AM EDT, Tue June 20, 2017

    Story highlights

    ● "All of the signals are suggesting that he's already cooperating with the FBI," Whitehouse said"

    ● Clearly he's been looking for immunity for some time," Warner said

    CNN
    ...."All of the signals are suggesting that he's already cooperating with the FBI and may have been for some time," the Rhode Island lawmaker said on "The Situation Room." "One of the more talkative people in 'Trumpland' has gone absolutely dead silent and that's what prosecutors strongly encourage cooperating witnesses to do."

    During the 2016 presidential campaign, Flynn was one of Trump's more vocal surrogates -- especially when it came to criticizing Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

    "It could be a huge deal, because who knows what Trump has said to him, both during the campaign and during the early days of the presidency," Whitehouse added. "Apparently Trump has been in touch with him after his firing from the White House to tell him to stay strong, which, in some circumstances, could be looked at as manipulation of a witness or obstruction of justice."....
    Read post at CNN

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous3:20 PM

    Treasury Department’s financial crimes unit is giving up Donald Trump’s money laundering records

    http://www.palmerreport.com/category/politics/

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous4:34 PM

    Things are not what they seem.
    Russia and USA colluded long ago.
    Business crashed in USA in 1929.
    Russia money saved the day.
    Start shit with Japan. WWII.
    Business booms & secrets buried.
    Too bad science Trumped business.
    No pun intended. Now full Monty.
    Century secrets will explode.
    Humanity will demand justice.
    How when where is still unknown.

    ReplyDelete

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