Tag: Russia

Newspapers Across the Country Decry Trump Siding with Russia Over U.S.

Yesterday, Donald Trump made clear that his loyalties lie with Vladimir Putin rather than with U.S. intelligence agencies and the American people. Just days after 12 high-ranking Russian intelligence officers were indicted for their attack on American democracy, Trump stood next to Putin and refused to call on Russia not to attack us again. Today, newspapers across the country are decrying Trump’s shameful display of cowardice and capitulation.

Here’s a look at some of the headlines Americans across the country woke up to this morning on the front pages of their local newspapers:

Trump associate Roger Stone reveals new contact with Russian national during 2016 campaign

The following article by Manuel Roig-Franzia and Rosalind Helderman was psoted on the Washington Post website June 17, 2018:

MIAMI — One day in late May 2016, Roger Stone — the political dark sorcerer and longtime confidant of Donald Trump — slipped into his Jaguar and headed out to meet a man with a “Make America Great Again” hat and a viscous Russian accent.

The man, who called himself Henry Greenberg, offered damaging information about Hillary Clinton, Trump’s presumptive Democratic opponent in the upcoming presidential election, according to Stone, who spoke about the previously unreported incident in interviews with The Washington Post. Greenberg, who did not reveal the information he claimed to possess, wanted Trump to pay $2 million for the political dirt, Stone said. Continue reading “Trump associate Roger Stone reveals new contact with Russian national during 2016 campaign”

Leading Brexit Campaigner Apparently Passed Documents on U.S. Probe into George Cottrell to the Russians

The following article by Nico Hines was posted on the Daily Beast website June 16, 2018:

A top Brexit campaigner, who met repeatedly with Russian officials, appeared to share details of the indictment of George Cottrell, a dark web operator working for the campaign.

Credit: Elizabeth Brockway, The Daily Beast

LONDON—One of the Brexit campaign chiefs appeared to pass documents detailing an American law enforcement investigation to a Russian official, according to a cache of leaked emails.

The papers, which detailed a probe into dark web money laundering, were apparently shared with the Russian embassy in London by Leave.EU executive Andy Wigmore. They concerned the arrest of Brexit financier George Cottrell, who was seized at an airport on the way home from the Republican convention in 2016 where Donald Trump had just been nominated as the presidential candidate. Continue reading “Leading Brexit Campaigner Apparently Passed Documents on U.S. Probe into George Cottrell to the Russians”

‘Dictator envy’: Trump’s praise of Kim Jong Un widens his embrace of totalitarian leaders

The following article by Philip Rucker was posted on the Washington Post website June 15, 2018:

President Trump’s praise Friday for Kim Jong Un’s authoritarian rule in North Korea — and his apparent envy that people there “sit up at attention” when the 35-year-old dictator speaks — marked an escalation of the American president’s open embrace of totalitarian leaders around the world.

Reflecting on his impressions of Kim following their Singapore summit, Trump told Fox News: “He’s the head of a country, and I mean he’s the strong head. Don’t let anyone think anything different. He speaks, and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same.” Continue reading “‘Dictator envy’: Trump’s praise of Kim Jong Un widens his embrace of totalitarian leaders”

Trump calls for Russia to be reinstated to G-7, threatens allies on trade

The following article by Damian Paletta, Anne Gearan and John Wagner was posted on the Washington Post website June 8, 2018:

On his way to the G-7 summit in Canada on June 8, President Trump called for Russia to be reinstated to the group of economic leaders. (Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

CHARLEVOIX, Quebec — President Trump called for Russia to be readmitted to the Group of Seven industrial nations Friday, reaching out to an adversary as he further scrambled an international summit that has showcased a rift between the United States and its closest allies.

Russia was expelled four years ago after it annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region, and it has since angered U.S. lawmakers and foreign powers over interference in the U.S. presidential election, among other actions. But Trump broke with most other G-7 leaders during the first day of their annual summit with his call to bring back Russia. Continue reading “Trump calls for Russia to be reinstated to G-7, threatens allies on trade”

Russia favored Trump in 2016, Senate panel says, breaking with House GOP

The following article by Karoun Demirjian was posted on the Washington Post website May 16, 2018:

The Washington Post examines how, more than a year into his presidency, Trump continues to reject evidence that Russia supported his run for the White House. (Dalton Bennett, Thomas LeGro, John Parks, Jesse Mesner-Hage/The Washington Post)

The Senate Intelligence Committee has determined the U.S. intelligence community was correct in assessing Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the aim of helping then-candidate Donald Trump, contradicting findings House Republicans reached last month.

“We see no reason to dispute the [intelligence community’s] conclusions,” the committee’s chairman, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), said Wednesday in a joint statement with its vice chair, Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), who added: “Our staff concluded that the … conclusions were accurate and on point. The Russian effort was extensive, sophisticated, and ordered by President Putin himself for the purpose of helping Donald Trump and hurting Hillary Clinton.” Continue reading “Russia favored Trump in 2016, Senate panel says, breaking with House GOP”

The Cybersecurity 202: The Facebook ad dump shows the true sophistication of Russia’s influence operation

The following article by Derek Hawkins was posted on the Washington Post website May 11, 2018:

Facebook ads linked to Russia’s election interference efforts are displayed during a House Intelligence Committee hearing in November 2017. Credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

The massive trove of Facebook ads House Intelligence Committee Democrats released Tuesday provides a stunning look into the true sophistication of the Russian government’s digital operations during the presidential election.

We’ve already heard a lot from the U.S. intelligence community about the hacking operation Russian intelligence services carried out against Democratic party computer networks to influence the election in favor of then-candidate Donald Trump.

But this is the first time we have a swath of empirical and visual evidence of Russia’s disinformation campaign, in the form of more than 3,000 incredibly specific and inflammatory ads purchased by an Internet troll farm sponsored by the Kremlin. Continue reading “The Cybersecurity 202: The Facebook ad dump shows the true sophistication of Russia’s influence operation”

Once Again Trump’s Policy Benefits Russian Interests, Not Ours

The following article by Joe Conason was posted on the National Memo website May 9, 2018:

Russian President Putin (L) speaks with his Iranian counterpart Rouhani Credit:.Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik/Kremlin via Reuters/File Photo

The likelihood that Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal for principled or pragmatic reasons is vanishingly small, since he seems to know very little about the agreement. His own defense secretary, who understands the deal very well, advised him that it continues to serve our national security interests. Many observers suspect Trump is merely acting out his neurotic anger against Barack Obama.

However petty Trump’s personal motivations may be, the grave consequences of his action are clear. By breaking an agreement so recently signed by the United States, he will further diminish American credibility on the international stage. By rejecting the entreaties of our European allies — and threatening sanctions against European companies — he will further strain those vital relationships. And by violating the terms of a disarmament plan negotiated with a rogue state, he will weaken any nuclear deal he may eventually reach with the North Korean regime. Continue reading “Once Again Trump’s Policy Benefits Russian Interests, Not Ours”

How money flowed through Michael Cohen’s multi-purpose shell company

The following article by Philip Bump was posted on the Washington Post website May 8, 2018:

When Stormy Daniels’s lawyer tweeted out bank records for President Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen, a whole new web of connections was unfurled. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

To keep news of a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels quiet, President Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen created a limited liability company in Delaware called Essential Consultants. Cohen said that he paid $130,000 of his own money into a bank account associated with the company and, from that account, transferred the money to Daniels’s attorney at the time, Keith Davidson.

The bank account, it seems, was a little busier than just that. Continue reading “How money flowed through Michael Cohen’s multi-purpose shell company”