Tag: Russia

If Only Boss Putin Would Order Trump To End Shutdown

Credit: /Stevo Vasiljevic, Reuters

So the world’s greatest negotiator has taken 800,000 hostages and threatens to shoot himself in the foot unless he gets his wall. Too bad the Democrats can’t subcontract the job of confronting his demands to Vladimir Putin. Faced with the Russian dictator, our bold leader rolls over on his back like a puppy dog.

Furthermore, Trump’s been doing it for years. And lying his big, flabby posterior off about it the whole time. For all intents and purposes, the President of the United States is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the organized crime syndicate otherwise known as the Russian government.

In Moscow, they call them “oligarchs,” fabulously wealthy individuals essentially granted monopoly control over large sectors of the Russian economy in exchange for fealty to Putin. It’s a way of doing business our own would-be strong man has always admired. A coarse blowhard with a taste for golden toilets, Trump fits right in.

View the complete January 23 article by Gene Lyons on the National Memo website here.

Deripaska and Allies Could Benefit From Sanctions Deal, Document Shows

An agreement that the companies controlled by the Russian oligarch Oleg V. Deripaska negotiated with the Trump administration may have been less punitive than advertised. Credit: Sergei Karpukhin, Reuters

WASHINGTON — When the Trump administration announced last month that it was lifting sanctions against a trio of companies controlled by an influential Russian oligarch, it cast the move as tough on Russia and on the oligarch, arguing that he had to make painful concessions to get the sanctions lifted.

But a binding confidential document signed by both sides suggests that the agreement the administration negotiated with the companies controlled by the oligarch, Oleg V. Deripaska, may have been less punitive than advertised.

The deal contains provisions that free him from hundreds of millions of dollars in debt while leaving him and his allies with majority ownership of his most important company, the document shows.

View the complete January 21 article by Kenneth P. Vogel on The New York Times website here.

Russian state TV literally laughs about GOP’s vote to lift sanctions

Credit: J. Scott Applewhite, AP Photo

Republicans gave Russia exactly what it wanted — and Russia’s having a good chuckle about it.

The GOP-controlled Senate rejected legislation this week that would have required the U.S. Treasury Department to keep sanctions on companies linked to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch with close ties to Vladimir Putin.

The move is a major win for Putin, whose economy has been hit hardby U.S.-backed sanctions aimed at punishing Russia for its aggression in Ukraine, its involvement in human rights abuses around the world, and its malicious cyber activities including the 2016 influence operation targeting the U.S. presidential election.

While Democrats had mounted an effort to block Trump’s Treasury Department from lifting sanctions on the Russian companies, Republicans used their majority in the Senate to hand Putin a victory by easing the sanctions.

View the complete January 18 article by Caroline Orr on the ShareBlue.com website here.

GOP senators protect Trump administration’s plan to lift Russian sanctions

Russian metals magnate Oleg Deripaska attends Independence Day celebrations at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador in Moscow in July 2015. Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko, AP

Republican senators Wednesday successfully defended the Trump administration’s plan to lift sanctions on companies controlled by a Vladimir Putin ally — despite the defection of nearly a dozen Republicans who broke ranks to vote with the Democrats.

The Democratic effort to block the relaxation of sanctions on the companies of Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska fell just a few votes shy of the 60 needed to advance the resolution to a final vote, even after attracting the support of eleven Republican senators including Marco Rubio of Florida, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ben Sasse of Nebraska.

The defeat means the Treasury Department is likely to lift the sanctions in the coming days. Treasury, Deripaska and his companies didn’t respond to requests for comment.

View the complete January 16 article by Jeanne Whalen on The Washington Post website here.

It Sure Looks Like Trump Obstructed Justice, Huh

A new report indicates that Trump obstructed justice to cover up interactions between his inner circle and Russia that occurred during the 2016 campaign. This report was based on accounts from multiple witnesses and documents, not on Cohen’s testimony. These are very serious charges and this report must be thoroughly investigated.

OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE: Trump reportedly directed his fixer Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow during the 2016 presidential campaign.

BuzzFeed: “President Donald Trump directed his longtime attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, according to two federal law enforcement officials involved in an investigation of the matter.”

TRUMP RECEIVED PERSONAL UPDATES: Trump received at least ten personal updates from Cohen on the progress of negotiations for a Trump Tower in Moscow and knew Cohen had talked to the Russian government.

BuzzFeed: “On the campaign trail, Trump vehemently denied having any business interests in Russia. But behind the scenes, he was pushing the Moscow project, which he hoped could bring his company profits in excess of $300 million. The two law enforcement sources said he had at least 10 face-to-face meetings with Cohen about the deal during the campaign. … Trump was even made aware that Cohen was speaking to Russian government officials about the deal.”

NOT A CASE OF HE SAID-HE SAID: The special counsel’s office is reportedly relying on multiple witnesses, emails, text messages, and other documents, not just on Cohen’s testimony.

BuzzFeed: “The special counsel’s office learned about Trump’s directive for Cohen to lie to Congress through interviews with multiple witnesses from the Trump Organization and internal company emails, text messages, and a cache of other documents. Cohen then acknowledged those instructions during his interviews with that office.”

MUST BE INVESTIGATED: Like any other interactions Trump has had with witnesses in the Russia investigation, this report must be thoroughly investigated. The special counsel’s office is doing just that, and House Democrats will too.

Washington Post: “Democrats in Congress vowed Friday to aggressively investigate a new report that President Trump personally directed his former attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about the president’s push for a Moscow real estate project ahead of the 2016 election.”

Dems zero in on Trump and Russia

Democrats vowed to introduce tough oversight of President Trump if they won back the House majority, and they are signaling a new aggressiveness to meet their promises.

Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, is slated to testify before Congress publicly next month, an event that promises high drama as lawmakers question him on Trump’s dealings in Russia and his involvement in a scheme to pay off women alleging affairs with him during the 2016 campaign.

Meanwhile, dueling reports have given Democrats momentum in further probing Trump’s actions and his conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

View the complete January 14 article by Morgan Chalfant on The Hill website here.

Manafort developments trigger new ‘collusion’ debate

The revelation that President Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort allegedly shared polling data with a Russian suspected of ties to Kremlin intelligence during the 2016 presidential race has triggered fresh debate about “collusion” in Washington.

Democrats on Capitol Hill see the detail as perhaps the starkest signal yet that the Trump campaign may have coordinated with Moscow to interfere in the election.

But their Republican counterparts, along with the president’s attorney, say that’s not the case.

View the complete January 13 article by Morgan Chalfant on The Hill website here.

RUSSIA REVELATIONS: Trump A Potential Russian Agent & National Security Threat

Here are the latest revelations from this past weekend:

ACTING AS A RUSSIAN AGENT: After President Trump fired FBI Director Jim Comey, the FBI felt it necessary to open a counterintelligence investigation to determine whether Trump was acting as an agent of the Russian government.

New York Times: “In the days after President Trump fired James B. Comey as F.B.I. director, law enforcement officials became so concerned by the president’s behavior that they began investigating whether he had been working on behalf of Russia against American interests, according to former law enforcement officials and others familiar with the investigation.”

NEWLY RELEASED TRANSCRIPTS: Transcripts released today reveal that then-FBI general counsel James Baker said the FBI was contemplating whether Trump was “acting at the behest of” Russia.

CNN: “James Baker, then-FBI general counsel, said the FBI officials were contemplating with regard to Russia whether Trump was ‘acting at the behest of and somehow following directions, somehow executing their will.’” Continue reading “RUSSIA REVELATIONS: Trump A Potential Russian Agent & National Security Threat”

F.B.I. Opened Inquiry Into Whether Trump Was Secretly Working on Behalf of Russia

Breaking Overnight in The New York Times

Credit: Sarah Silbiger, The New York Times

WASHINGTON — In the days after President Trump fired James B. Comey as F.B.I. director, law enforcement officials became so concerned by the president’s behavior that they began investigating whether he had been working on behalf of Russia against American interests, according to former law enforcement officials and others familiar with the investigation.

The inquiry carried explosive implications. Counterintelligence investigators had to consider whether the president’s own actions constituted a possible threat to national security. Agents also sought to determine whether Mr. Trump was knowingly working for Russia or had unwittingly fallen under Moscow’s influence.

The investigation the F.B.I. opened into Mr. Trump also had a criminal aspect, which has long been publicly known: whether his firing of Mr. Comey constituted obstruction of justice.