Tag: Russiagate

5 things we learned from Sally Yates’s testimony on what the White House knew about Michael Flynn

The following article by Amber Phillips was posted on the Washington Post website May 8, 2017:

On Monday, we learned much more about the moment that brought down Michael Flynn, the national security adviser whom President Trump fired less than a month into the job for misleading Vice President Pence about his conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the United States.

But we were also left with questions about why the White House waited 18 days after finding out Flynn misled them to fire him. Continue reading “5 things we learned from Sally Yates’s testimony on what the White House knew about Michael Flynn”

Trump’s Russia Problems Under Scrutiny Next Week

The following article by Jefferson Morley was posted on the AlterNet website May 4, 2017:

Republican obstructionism has slowed the investigation, but not killed it.

What happened to RussiaGate?

A month ago, the headlines were flowing. National Security Adviser Michael Flynn had been fired for lying about his meeting with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Attorney General Jeff Sessions had to recuse himself because he lied, under oath, about what he knew of the meeting.

The House Intelligence Committee investigation was investigating possible connections between Russian officials and President Trump’s entourage, as well as Trump’s false March 4 Twitter blast claiming that President Obama had wiretapped him. Continue reading “Trump’s Russia Problems Under Scrutiny Next Week”

Trump’s business network reached alleged Russian mobsters

The following article by Drew Dorell was posted on the USA Today website March 28, 2017:

To expand his real estate developments over the years, Donald Trump, his company and partners repeatedly turned to wealthy Russians and oligarchs from former Soviet republics — several allegedly connected to organized crime, according to a USA TODAY review of court cases, government and legal documents and an interview with a former federal prosecutor.

The president and his companies have been linked to at least 10 wealthy former Soviet businessmen with alleged ties to criminal organizations or money laundering.

Among them: Continue reading “Trump’s business network reached alleged Russian mobsters”

House panel’s Russia probe effectively put on hold

The following article by Karoun Bemirjian was posted on the Washington Post website March 28, 2017:

The House Intelligence Committee’s probe of alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, including potential ties between the Trump team and the Kremlin, is effectively on hold, after its chairman said the panel would not interview more witnesses until two intelligence chiefs return to Capitol Hill for a still-unscheduled private briefing.

Committee Chairman Devin Nunes’s declaration Tuesday that “until [FBI Director James B.] Comey comes forward, it’s hard for us to move forward with interviews and depositions” comes as an indefinite stop order on a roster of expected interviews and testimony, from top Trump campaign surrogates to top intelligence and law enforcement officials serving during the election and transition period. Continue reading “House panel’s Russia probe effectively put on hold”

Wilbur Ross Comes to D.C. With an Unexamined History of Russian Connections

The following article by James S. Henry was posted on the DC Report website February 28, 2017:

Trump’s Choice for Commerce Secretary Holds a Top Post With a Mysterious, Russian-Controlled Cyprus Bank

INTRODUCTION

In the midst of the Trump Administration’s many other Russian entanglements,[1] it turns out that  Wilbur J. Ross, Jr., the billionaire American investor who is one of Donald Trump’s closest advisors on trade and economics, has direct financial ties to several leading oligarchs from Russia and the Former Soviet Union or FSU.

The U.S. Senate should thoroughly investigate these ties before it votes on Ross’ nomination to be Commerce Secretary when it returns from recess next week.

Central to this inquiry is the question of Ross’s  role as Vice Chair and a leading investor in the Bank of Cyprus, the largest bank in Cyprus, one of the key offshore havens for illicit Russian finance. Ross has been Vice Chairman of this bank and a  major investor in it since 2014. His fellow bank co-chair evidently was appointed by none other than Vladimir Putin.

The Bank of Cyprus is just one of more than 100 direct and indirect investments that Ross listed on his U.S. Office of Government Ethics financial disclosure form last month. [2] He recently promised to resign as Vice Chairman of the Bank and disinvest from it within the next 90 days if his nomination is approved.[3] Continue reading “Wilbur Ross Comes to D.C. With an Unexamined History of Russian Connections”

Joe Scarborough: Trump’s dangerous lie about Russia

The following commentary by Joe Scarborough was posted on the Washington Post website February 7, 2017:

(Don Emmert/Agence France-Presse; Natalia Kolesnikova/Getty Images)

President Trump’s claim that America is morally on parwith Russia’s corrupt dystopian regime was so historically ignorant that even timid Republicans felt compelled to speak out this week. Perhaps that is because remaining silent in the face of such a morally disorienting claim would make them look like fools. Vladimir Putin is, after all, the same ruthless autocrat who kills journalists and political rivals who cross his path. He is also the same man who called the Soviet Union’s collapse “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.”

The evil empire Putin admires says much about the tyrant our new president defends. Burning with resentments carried over from a fallen empire, Comrade Putin hopes to rebuild the U.S.S.R. one invasion at a time. And while Putin pursues that delusional dream, Trump should be reminded exactly what kind of world his new friend wants to create. Continue reading “Joe Scarborough: Trump’s dangerous lie about Russia”