Discussion: Relations with Russia

[KRYPTON INC.]

Buzzfeed - Russian Agents Sought Secret US Treasury Records On Clinton Backers During 2016 Campaign
Whistleblowers said the Americans were exchanging messages with unsecure Gmail accounts set up by their Russian counterparts as the US election heated up.

No one is going to believe this but one of the guys in the article that ran afoul of the Putin's Kremlin?

Uh... I actually know him. Daniel Ziff. His family used to be in publishing and then got into venture capitalism among other businesses. He lived at the building I work as a concierge at. I remember him going on trips to Russia in the early 2000's. Then he stopped. One day I asked him why he wasn't going to Russia any more. He told that it was simply too corrupt and dangerous, financially and personally.

To let you know what kind of guy Ziff is, despite being an heir to such a great fortune he used to get up and go to the office to work every day between 5:30am and 6:30am. Could have easily just coasted through life but he put his hours in. But he wasn't a cold guy all about money either. He's from a family worth billions if I recall correctly. And yet when I was early in my job one night I got locked out from the building after I took a trip around the corner to get a cup of coffee. I was worried because I thought I would get fired because now there was nobody at the front desk that could buzz any tenants in that didn't have their keys. I didn't even have my cell on me to call anyone. A tenant did show up and yeah, she didn't have her keys. But she had a cell phone and for whatever reason the only tenant's number I could remember off the top of my head (I had only worked there for a few months) was Ziff's. I call him and tell him my situation. He comes down in his PJ's, bare foot and let's me and the other tenant back in. I thank him profusely and ask if he keeps this to himself since I was worried about getting fired. He tells me to not worry. He was always a funny guy and he treated me well the years he lived in the building. I would see him about every morning going out to his office like clockwork, one of the few rich people that lived here that was up that early doing anything.

I'm a bit blown away to see him referenced in a story connected to the Russian influence campaign.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

New York Times - Veselnitskaya, Russian in Trump Tower Meeting, Is Charged in Case That Shows Kremlin Ties

Mueller believes Manafort fed information to Russian with intel ties - CNNPolitics

New York Times - Manafort Accused of Sharing Trump Polling Data With Russian Associate

Both Mr. Manafort and Rick Gates, the deputy campaign manager [of Donald Trump], transferred the data to Mr. Kilimnik in the spring of 2016 as Mr. Trump clinched the Republican presidential nomination, according to a person knowledgeable about the situation. Most of the data was public, but some of it was developed by a private polling firm working for the campaign, according to the person.

Mr. Manafort asked Mr. Gates to tell Mr. Kilimnik to pass the data to Oleg V. Deripaska, a Russian oligarch who is close to the Kremlin and who has claimed that Mr. Manafort owed him money from a failed business venture, the person said. It is unclear whether Mr. Manafort was acting at the campaign’s behest or independently, trying to gain favor with someone to whom he was deeply in debt.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

The Washington Post - House Democrats demand Treasury explain rollback of sanctions on Russia oligarch

This is one of the guy's Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort was aiding during the campaign with information.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

New York Times - Veselnitskaya, Russian in Trump Tower Meeting, Is Charged in Case That Shows Kremlin Ties

Mueller believes Manafort fed information to Russian with intel ties - CNNPolitics

New York Times - Manafort Accused of Sharing Trump Polling Data With Russian Associate

This is the thing... Why was Manafort looking to hand this polling data over to Derapaska in the first place? Why is the Trump Campaign manager sharing polling information, the prized data of any political campaign, with someone from outside the campaign, that oh yeah, just happens to be a favored oligarch of Putin with ties to Russian intelligence agencies?

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

New York Times - Russian Oligarch and Allies Could Benefit From Sanctions Deal, Document Shows

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

MSNBC - [Special Counsel Robert] Mueller says Russians using his discovery materials in disinformation effort

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

6ABC - Putin orders Russia to develop new missiles after US leaves treaty

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

 

[DJ Kornphlake]

He sounds like a Metal Gear Solid villain.

 

[Schlosser85]

That's almost Cate Blanchett's monologue in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

"We will change you, Dr. Jones. We will turn you into us. And the best part? You won't even know it's happening."

 

[CJ]

 

[Aximili86]

Hugely surprising, right?

"Collusion" is a nebulous bull**** non-legal term in this sense anyway. If they had anything substantive they'd have been using the "treason" word from the start.

 

[Donner]

Ah well, there's more than enough to go after Trump for various financial crimes. So many of his administration have already gone down. To any other president, half the crap he's pulled would be impeachable.

 

[Schlosser85]

Also even if there’s not direct evidence tying Trump himself to Russian collusion, it’s hardly a positive reflection on him or his administration that so many of the people around him have already gone down, including his national security adviser, his campaign chairman, and his longtime personal lawyer. That’s hardly a good reflection on the integrity level of this administration or the people that Trump surrounds himself with.

 

[Donner]

I'm amazed that the people around him would have gone through such lengths to protect him from himself. They threw themselves on the blade.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Also even if there’s not direct evidence tying Trump himself to Russian collusion, it’s hardly a positive reflection on him or his administration that so many of the people around him have already gone down, including his national security adviser, his campaign chairman, and his longtime personal lawyer. That’s hardly a good reflection on the integrity level of this administration or the people that Trump surrounds himself with.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

The Daily Beast - Senate Intel Chief Covered for Trump While Russia Attacked 2016 Election

Mark Warner splits with Richard Burr on collusion question - CNNPolitics

CNN - How Team Trump keeps changing its story in the Russia investigation

 

[Sithborg]

Yeah, when Burr is saying that handing over internal polling data to a Russian oligarch isn't collusion, something is up.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

New York Times - Russian General Pitches ‘Information’ Operations as a Form of War

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

New York Times - Tech Firm in Steele Dossier May Have Been Used by Russian Spies

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Russian air force planes land in Venezuela carrying troops: reports | Reuters

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Read the full Mueller report - CNNPolitics

After years of investigating, the Department of Justice released a redacted copy of special counsel Robert Mueller's report Thursday. The report is nearly 400 pages and covers subjects ranging from questions about Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election to whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice.

NBC News - Russian documents reveal desire to sow racial discord — and violence — in the U.S.
The revelations come as U.S. intelligence agencies have warned of probable Russian meddling in the 2020 election.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

BBC News - Four charged with shooting down MH17 plane

For the first time since Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down in July 2014, prosecutors have announced charges against suspects in the case.

Three Russians and a Ukrainian have been charged with transporting a missile into the area and with murdering 298 passengers and crew.

Passenger flight MH17 was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down over conflict-hit Ukraine.

A court case will begin in the Netherlands on 9 March 2020.

International arrest warrants have been issued for the four men.

The Dutch-led joint investigation team (JIT) named the men as Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Oleg Pulatov from Russia, as well as Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko of involvement.

The JIT, which seeks to try the suspects under Dutch law, previously said it had a "long list" of persons of interest and appealed again for witnesses as the investigation continues.

Who are the four suspects?
Igor Girkin (also known as Strelkov) is a former colonel of the FSB - Russia's intelligence service, prosecutors say. He was given the minister of defence title in the rebel-held eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. He is believed to be the highest military officer in the area who was in direct contact with the Russian Federation. In a statement Mr Girkin said: "I can only say that militia did not shoot down the Boeing."

Sergei Dubinskiy (known as Khmuriy), who was employed by Russia's GRU military intelligence agency, was a deputy of Mr Girkin and also in regular contact with Russia, according to prosecutors.

Oleg Pulatov, known as Giurza, is a former soldier of the Spetznaz GRU - the special forces of Russia military intelligence - and was deputy head of the intelligence service in Donetsk, the JIT said.

Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko has no military background but led a combat unit as a commander in Eastern Ukraine, prosecutors said.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

CBS News - Trump tells reporters it's "none of your business" what he tells Putin





The Daily Beast - Trump Jokes to Putin They Should ‘Get Rid’ of Journalists

 

[samsnee]

Yeah, “jokes”