Michael Flynn's associate arrested over lobbying for Turkey | The "German Hypothesis" of the "Operation Trump" is supported by the latest developments around Flynn and Manafort - Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠
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M.N.: It seems to me, on the basis of the reports, that both the major lines of the Mueller's Inquiry merge on Germany and point to the involvement of her official and unofficial, or semi-official Intelligence structures:
Manafort - Yanukovich - Ukraine -
Flynn - Erdogan - Turkey -
The network of the various Europe based political organisations, NGO-s, structures, alliances, and fronts -
>>> Germany.
This supports the "German Hypothesis" of the "Operation Trump" which was presented earlier.
Michael Novakhov
12.17.18
Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠  | ||
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| German foreign minister: Leaving EU means leaving EU | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 12:54:46 -0500
BERLIN (Reuters) - The draft Brexit agreement between Britain and the EU is a fair basis for an orderly departure from the bloc and there cannot be any cherrypicking when it comes to the benefits of being an EU member, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Thursday.
"We must do everything to avoid a hard Brexit. But what remains clear is that exiting means exiting - there can't be any cherrypicking. With the compromise on the table, the EU has already accommodated Britain. This is a fair basis for an orderly exit," Maas said on Twitter.
(Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Michelle Martin)
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| Bijan Rafiekian - Google Search | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 12:52:20 -0500
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| Bijan Rafiekian - Google Search | ||
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| Bijan Rafiekian - Google Search | ||
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| Bijan Rafiekian - Google Search | ||
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| Bijan Rafiekian - Google Search | ||
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| Bijan Rafiekian - Google Search | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 12:48:29 -0500
Bijan Rafiekian: Michael Flynn's former business partner charged over ...
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Bijan Rafiekian (BEE'-zhan ra-FEE'-kee-in), who also goes by the name Bijan Kian, made an initial appearance Monday in federal court in ...
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Bijan Rafiekian, who served as a director and vice chairman of Flynn ... The case, which alleges that Rafiekian sought to conceal the Turkish ...
Michael Flynn's associates charged with illegally lobbying for Turkey
International-Washington Times-1 hour ago | ||
| Michael Flynn's ex-business partner charged in Turkish lobbying effort | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 12:47:49 -0500
Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen speaks July 17, 2016, to members of the media at his compound in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania.(Photo: Chris Post, AP)
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn's one-time business partner and another associate have been charged in an illegal lobbying effort aimed at winning Turkey's extradition of a cleric living in the U.S.
Bijan Rafiekian, who served as a director and vice chairman of Flynn Intel Group, appeared in a Virginia federal court Monday where he was accused of failing to register as an agent for Turkey. Kamil Alptekin, a Turkish-Dutch citizen living in Instanbul, also was charged in the scheme in which he allegedly served as a secret conduit for the Turkish government.
The case, which alleges that Rafiekian and Alptekin sought to conceal the Turkish government's role in the effort to extradite Fethullah Gulen, was brought by federal prosecutors in Virginia, not Russia special counsel Robert Mueller.
Gulen, living in Pennsylvania, was accused by Turkey in 2016 in a failed coup attempt, prompting the government to seek the cleric's return from exile in the U.S.
Flynn, who was not specifically named in the court documents Monday, is set to be sentenced Tuesday by Mueller's team in a separate case in which the retired three-star Army general pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI related to his communications with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
Mueller's team has recommended that Flynn serve no prison time because of his substantial cooperation in the ongoing Russia inquiry and his assistance in two other inquiries, which likely includes the case against Rafiekian and Alptekin.
Although Flynn was not charged in the Virginia case, he and his company were central to the Gulen extradition scheme, which was secretly funded by the Turkish government and involved payments totaling $600,000 to Flynn's company, prosecutors alleged.
Among their efforts to advance the project, according to court documents, Flynn, Rafiekian and Alptekin attended a Sept. 19, 2016, meeting with two Turkish government officials to discuss the project and "efforts to convince the U.S. government to extradite (Gulen) to Turkey."
Throughout the 21-page charging document Flynn is referred to as "Person A."
Prosecutors asserted that Alptekin disguised the Turkish government's role in the project by posing as Flynn's client and operator of a Dutch company through which payments from Turkey were funneled to the Virginia company headed by Flynn.
Under the alleged agreement, Alptekin's company in the Netherlands was to receive 20 percent in kickbacks from Flynn's company.
Rafiekian is charged with conspiracy in addition to serving as an undeclared agent of the government of Turkey. If convicted, he faces a maximum prison term of 15 years.
Alptekin, meanwhile, is charged with conspiracy, illegal lobbying for Turkey and four counts of making false statements to the FBI.
If convicted on all charges, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
More: Michael Flynn re-emerges as major witness in Robert Mueller's inquiry – and at least two others
President Trump’s former national security adviser Mike Flynn pleaded guilty on Friday to lying to FBI agents about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador, and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. -- Jack Gruber, USA TODAY
President Trump's former national security adviser Mike Flynn pleaded guilty on Friday to lying to FBI agents about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador, and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.Jack Gruber, USA TODAY
Former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, center, arrives at federal court in Washington, Dec. 1, 2017. Court documents show Flynn, an early and vocal supporter on the campaign trail of President Donald Trump whose business dealings and foreign interactions made him a central focus of Mueller's investigation, will admit to lying about his conversations with Russia's ambassador to the United States during the transition period before Trump's inauguration.Susan Walsh, AP
People protest outside as Gen. Michael Flynn, former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, arrives at Federal Court Dec. 1, 2017 in Washington, DC. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, AFP/Getty Images
Journalists line the sidewalk to photograph Michael Flynn, former national security advisor to President Donald Trump, as he arrives for his plea hearing at the Prettyman Federal Courthouse Dec. 1, 2017 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images
Michael Flynn, former national security advisor to President Donald Trump, arrives for his plea hearing at the Prettyman Federal Courthouse Dec. 1, 2017 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images
Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn (R) arrives at the at the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, DC, Dec. 2017. Others are not identified. Flynn is expected to plead guilty to lying to the FBI on two conversations with the Russian ambassador during the presidential transition in 2016. MICHAEL REYNOLDS, EPA-EFE
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Mike Flynn charged with lying to FBI, heads to Federal Court
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| Michael Flynn associate arrested over lobbying for Turkey | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 12:45:42 -0500
Rona Ramon remembered for touching lives of nation, devotion to family’s memory
Politicians across the spectrum are mourning Rona Ramon.
Opposition leader Tzipi Livni calls her “an exceptional personage who touched us all in the deepest way, during the most difficult times, personally and nationally.”
Science and Space Minister Ofir Akunis writes of the time he approached Ramon to ask permission to name a scholarship after her son Assaf. “The tears in her eyes then are forever attached to my heart.”
Israel Katz, who interacted with Ramon in developing a new airport named for her husband and son in his role as transportation minister, says “nobody was ever happier” than her on hearing the news.
Rona Ramon, left and Israel Katz at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Timna International Airport in the south of Israel. (Yossi Zeliger/ Flash90)
“Soon we will dedicate Ramon Airport and Rona will be there with us and with Ilan and Assaf and friends,” he says.
Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, who was close with Ramon, says “the leadership program she created, and her impressive works will be with us for many years.”
Avi Gabbay, head of the Zionist Union party, hails Ramon as an “inspirational woman with incredible mental strength, who out of her private grief and anguish chose life and illuminated the path for the young generation in Israel.”
Former defense minister and Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Liberman calls Ramon “a woman of valor. She leaves a legacy of variegated work educating the next generation on values of excellence and love.”
Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett says, “So much love, Zionism and devotion came from this woman and this family. Rona will be missed by everyone. Her legacy is optimism and giving.”
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| michael flynn, turkey, israel, germany - Google Search | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 12:44:52 -0500
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Former Trump adviser Flynn asks for probation in Mueller probe ... security adviser Michael Flynnrequested on Tuesday a sentence of a year's probation .... Suspicious optics said to have exposed Israeli raid in Gaza ... considers a terrorist group, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.
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| Turkish official says President Trump 'working on' extraditing wanted cleric Gulen - AOL | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 11:00:05 -0500
Turkish official says President Trump 'working on' extraditing wanted cleric Gulen AOL
President Donald Trump has said that the U.S. is working on extraditing a Muslim cleric accused of orchestrating a failed Turkish coup, an official said.
View full coverage on Google News | ||
| Report to Senate: Russia Used Every Major Social Media Platform to Help Trump Win - VOA News | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:59:52 -0500
Report to Senate: Russia Used Every Major Social Media Platform to Help Trump Win VOA News
Russia used every major social media platform to target voters with misinformation to try to get Donald Trump elected president, according to a new report that ...
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| US prosecutors probe suspected Gulf donations to Trump: Report - Middle East Eye | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:57:18 -0500
US prosecutors probe suspected Gulf donations to Trump: Report Middle East Eye
Prosecutors investigating whether Saudi, Emirati and Qatari money was funnelled illegally to Trump groups.
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| Mueller’s phase two will reportedly focus on Mideast | House Democratic freshmen don’t want to serve on finance panel - MarketWatch | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:56:53 -0500
Mueller’s phase two will reportedly focus on Mideast | House Democratic freshmen don’t want to serve on finance panel MarketWatch
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office is preparing to reveal to the public a different side of his investigation after focusing on Russia, the Daily Beast reports.
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| Mueller Mulls Middle East Meddling: Reason Roundup - Hit & Run : Reason.com - Reason | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:56:39 -0500
Mueller Mulls Middle East Meddling: Reason Roundup - Hit & Run : Reason.com Reason
Middle Eastern influence on U.S. politics and inauguration spending under investigation. "Yes, Democrats are right to feel good this week," writes New York ...
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| Report to Senate: Russia Used Every Major Social Media Platform to Help Trump Win - ວີໂອເອ-ລາວ (VOA) | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:55:35 -0500
Report to Senate: Russia Used Every Major Social Media Platform to Help Trump Win ວີໂອເອ-ລາວ (VOA)
A draft report prepared for the U.S. Senate, and seen by the Washington Post, says Russia used every major social media platform to target voters with ...
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| ANALYSIS: Erdogan once again proves he's a threat to world peace - Arutz Sheva | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:55:07 -0500
ANALYSIS: Erdogan once again proves he's a threat to world peace Arutz Sheva
Turkish President Recep Erdogan continuing to undermine US allies in the Middle East, promote his own Islamist agenda.
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| Mueller Has Been Looking At Middle Eastern Nations' Influence On US Politics - TPM | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:54:50 -0500
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| Robert Mueller’s Israel problem - Conservative Review | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:54:16 -0500
As the Mueller probe drags along into year two of its supposed investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, a disturbing pattern has emerged. The special counsel has become obsessed with the state of Israel. | ||
| Week Ahead: John Kelly's Departure, Mueller Probe, Kushner And Saudi Arabia - WBUR | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:54:06 -0500
Week Ahead: John Kelly's Departure, Mueller Probe, Kushner And Saudi Arabia WBUR
We'll kick off the week with a look at what's to come in Washington and around the globe. Top reporters open their notebooks.
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| COLUMN: Flynn's Cooperation Is Big For Mueller Investigation - Greeneville Sun | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:53:47 -0500
COLUMN: Flynn's Cooperation Is Big For Mueller Investigation Greeneville Sun
It is almost a truism in criminal investigations that those who flip early and help prosecutors build their case against higher-ranking figures are shown greater ...
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| What Michael Flynn's Sentencing Memo Means In Context To Mueller's Investigation - WKNO FM | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:53:14 -0500
What Michael Flynn's Sentencing Memo Means In Context To Mueller's Investigation WKNO FM
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: All this week, we've been looking at the life and legacy of President George Herbert Walker Bush - his legacy both on domestic ...
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| Michael Flynn emerges as a key cooperating witness in the Mueller investigation. - The New Republic | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:53:06 -0500
Michael Flynn emerges as a key cooperating witness in the Mueller investigation. The New Republic
Special Counsel Robert Mueller filed a memo Tuesday recommending leniency towards former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, arguing that he should ...
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| Trump aides caught in web of deception over Russia contacts - The Times of Israel | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:52:49 -0500
Trump aides caught in web of deception over Russia contacts The Times of Israel
Lies to the FBI and to Congress have raised new questions about US president's connections to Moscow.
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| Israeli businessman shoots down spy claims by Papadopoulos in Trump-Russia probe - The Times of Israel | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:52:29 -0500
Israeli businessman shoots down spy claims by Papadopoulos in Trump-Russia probe The Times of Israel
After George Papadopoulos, the first Trump official to plead guilty in Mueller investigation, dragged him into the headlines, businessman Charles Tawil gives his ...
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| Leaders under siege: Trump and Netanyahu battle for their political lives - The Jerusalem Post - Israel News | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:52:16 -0500
Leaders under siege: Trump and Netanyahu battle for their political lives The Jerusalem Post - Israel News
The president and the prime minister have both chosen a strategy that bypasses attorneys and the courts.
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| EXCLUSIVE: UAE-linked witness in Mueller probe met with top Iraqi officials - Middle East Eye | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:45:56 -0500
EXCLUSIVE: UAE-linked witness in Mueller probe met with top Iraqi officials Middle East Eye
George Nader held meetings with president, prime minister and senior Shia leader in recent weeks, sources say, as Gulf states vie for influence.
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| Israeli Intelligence Firm’s Election-Meddling Analysis ... | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:28:33 -0500
Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigators have obtained a presentation prepared by a private intelligence firm that outlines ways in which Donald Trump’s 2016 election was helped by fake ... | ||
| While Working for Trump, Giuliani Courts Business Abroad - The New York Times | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:27:56 -0500
While Working for Trump, Giuliani Courts Business Abroad The New York Times
Ethics experts say Rudolph W. Giuliani risks blurring lines by seeking contracts with foreign governments even as he remains President Trump's personal ...
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| Get Ready for Mueller’s Phase Two: The Middle East Connection | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:26:15 -0500
Mueller also has the jurisdiction to “investigate and prosecute federal crimes committed in the course of, and with intent to interfere with, the special counsel’s investigation, such as ... | ||
| Erdogan is german puppet - Google Search | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:23:04 -0500
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| жопа с ручкой - Google Search | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 09:42:28 -0500
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| Israel demanded Germany cut funding to Jewish Museum in Berlin, report says - Europe | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 08:14:30 -0500
Israel asked German Chancellor Angela Merkel to stop funding the Jewish Museum in Berlin, among other institutions, the German newspaper Die Tageszeitung reported on Thursday.
The reason behind the demand was the museum's exhibition on Jerusalem, which "presents a Muslim-Palestinian perspective of the city," the report said.
In the letter sent directly to the chancellor's bureau and not through the Israeli embassy, Merkel was asked to defund other organizations that it claimed were anti-Israeli.
These included the Berlin International Film Festival, pro-Palestinian Christian organizations, and the Israeli site +972 Magazine, which receives funding from the Heinrich Böll Foundation.
While Die Tageszeitung did not have clear evidence that the letter was sent by Israeli officials, the German government confirmed that there were discussions between the two countries regarding funding of certain organizations, in line with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ongoing policy.
In a response given to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Sunday, the Prime Minister's Office did not deny the request. "The prime minister raised the issue of defunding Palestinian and Israeli groups and non-governmental organizations that depict Israel Defense Forces as war criminals, support Palestinian terrorism and call for boycott of the State of Israel. Israel will continue fighting these organizations," read the statement.
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| German Abwehr puppet Erdogan and Israel - Google Search | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 08:10:54 -0500
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| German Abwehr puppet Erdogan and Israel - Google Search | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 08:09:46 -0500
Black Sun Over Kiev
Dissident Voice-Nov 4, 2018
... 12/12/2018; The Movement to Suppress and Impoverish Critics of Israel is Racist ... that Moscow permitted the reunification of Germany on the condition that .... that fought under the command of Abwehr special operations during the .... with which Washington has been able to implement puppetregimes, ...
Die Kritik am König wächst
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Sind es in Amerika also Koch, Mercer und Co., die eine Marionette an die Macht gebracht haben, so hat die deutsche PR-Gruppierung AfD ...
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| Erdogan again likens Israel to Nazi Germany, says it commits 'cultural genocide' | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 08:08:03 -0500
PARIS, France (AFP) — Groups of defiant “yellow vest” demonstrators faced off with tens of thousands of police around France on Saturday, but the protest movement appeared to have lost momentum on a fifth and decisive weekend.
President Emmanuel Macron, facing the biggest crisis of his presidency, announced a series of concessions on Monday to defuse the explosive “yellow vest” crisis, which swelled up from rural and small-town France last month.
The package of tax and minimum wage measures for low-income workers, coupled with bitter winter weather this weekend, appeared to have helped bring calm to the country after more than a month of clashes and disruption.
France was also hit by a fresh deadly terror attack on Tuesday night when a gunman opened fire at a Christmas market in Strasbourg, leading the government to urge people to stay at home to spare the stretched security forces.
“It’s a bit of a failure because the state is stopping us from being able to demonstrate properly,” Marie, a 35-year-old domestic helper, told AFP in Paris after travelling from her home around 50 kilometers south of the capital.
An estimated 66,000 people took to the streets across France, according to figures from the interior ministry at 6:00 p.m. (1700 GMT), half the level of a week ago.
“It’s a bit disappointing. We expected there to be more people, but the movement won’t end,” Francis Nicolas, a 49-year-old laborer, told AFP from a small crowd who gathered in the southeastern city of Lyon.
In Paris, the more than 8,000 police on duty easily outnumbered the 2,200 protesters who were counted on the streets of the capital by local authorities in the early afternoon.
There had been 168 arrests by 6:00 p.m., far down on the roughly 1,000 of last Saturday.
Protesters wearing yellow vests clash with French riot police during a demonstration against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, on December 15, 2018. (Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP)
Tear gas was occasionally fired, but a fraction of the amount was used compared with the weekends of December 8 or December 1 when graffiti was daubed on the Arc de Triomphe in scenes that shocked France.
“The turnout was lower, which was necessary from my point of view,” parliament speaker Richard Ferrand, a close ally of Macron, told the Cnews channel on Saturday evening. “It’s not a time for combat, but debate,” he added.
Minor clashes in the cities of Toulouse, Nantes, and Bordeaux were reported, while protesters snarled traffic on motorways in the south of the country and on the A16 near the port of Calais in the north.
Until this week, a clear majority of French people had backed the protests, which sprung up initially over high taxes before snowballing into a wider opposition to Macron’s pro-business agenda and style of governing.
But two polls published on Tuesday — in the wake of Macron’s concessions — suggested the country was now broadly 50-50 on whether the protests should continue.
In a bid to end the standoff, a visibly contrite Macron announced a package of measures on Monday in a televised address, estimated by economists to cost up to 15 billion euros ($17 billion).
The 40-year-old former investment banker acknowledged widespread animosity towards him and came close to apologizing for a series of verbal gaffes seen as dismissive of the poor or jobless.
He cancelled planned fuel tax hikes for 2019, offered a rise in the minimum wage of 100 euros a month next year, as well as tax relief for many pensioners and tax-free overtime.
Protesters wearing yellow vests stand amid tear gas during a demonstration against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, on December 15, 2018. (Abdul ABEISSA / AFP)
Some senior figures in the “yellow vest” movement, which has no official leaders and dozens of separate demands, had urged protesters to continue to press home their advantage.
“It’s really the time to keep going,” one of them, Eric Drouet, said in a video posted on Facebook. “What Macron did on Monday was a call to carry on because he has started to give ground, which is unusual for him.”
Many protesters appeared to have switched their focus from the core issue of the protests so far — taxes and spending power — to other demands such as the greater use of referendums to decide government policy.
“Last time, we were here for taxes,” a 28-year-old “yellow vest” called Jeremy told AFP as he arrived on the Champs-Elysees in the freezing cold on Saturday morning.
“This is for the institutions: We want more direct democracy,” he said, adding that people needed to “shout to make themselves heard.”
Authorities reported the seventh death linked to the demonstrations in a fatal road accident Friday evening near the France-Belgium border caused by a blockade.
A protester dressed as Santa Claus wears a yellow vest during a demonstration against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes on the Champs-Elysees avenue near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, on December 15, 2018. (Abdul ABEISSA / AFP)
More than 1,400 people have been injured since the protests began on November 17.
Around 69,000 security forces were mobilized across France, down from 89,000 last Saturday when 2,000 people were detained.
On Thursday, government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux had called on protesters to stay at home on what is normally a busy shopping weekend ahead of Christmas.
He was speaking in the wake of the attack on Tuesday in the eastern city of Strasbourg, which left four dead and 12 wounded.
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| Mueller filing: Flynn got in trouble over Israel UN vote and became asset for Russia probe - Haaretz | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 08:02:40 -0500
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| Israel Urges Germany To End Funding To Critics – The Forward | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 07:57:01 -0500
Getty Images
RBG on Capitol Hill.
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The ceremony was cozy formal: Yes there was a color guard and a military band, but the Supreme Court justice brought along her personal trainer, and one of the speakers introduced Ruth Bader Ginsburg as “The Notorious RBG.”
The Department of Homeland Security randomly selected 31 Washington, D.C.-area residents to be sworn in Friday at the National Archives rotunda in a chamber that houses some of the nation’s founding documents, including the Declaration of Independence.
DHS and the Archives didn’t exactly keep it a secret that Ginsburg was the person swearing them into citizenship — media were invited, after all — but many of the residents, from 26 nations, including Israel, gasped in surprise and delight when they found out who would be presiding.
Opening the session by declaring the Archives to be a court for the duration of the proceedings was Bryant Johnson, a District Court staffer who in his spare time is Ginsburg’s trainer. He’s helping her build up strength after she fell and broke three ribs.
It was David Ferriero, the archivist, who welcomed Ginsburg with the “Notorious” sobriquet — one happily embraced by the tough-minded liberal justice. At 85, she has sworn to stick out President Donald Trump’s first term.
Her very appearance may be seen as the mildest of rebukes to an administration that has placed unprecedented strictures on immigration. Ginsburg in a 10-minute speech after the swearing-in told the new Americans that her grandparents and father were immigrants.
She spoke of the United States as just starting its journey to the “perfect union” the founders envisioned, recounting the blights of slavery, bigotry and sex discrimination, but also emphasized the country’s promise.
“What is the difference between a bookkeeper in New York’s garment district and a Supreme Court justice?” she asked. “One generation.”
Above all, Ginsburg urged her fellow Americans, vote.
“You could play a vital part, first and foremost, voting in elections,” she said.
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| Get Ready for Mueller's Phase Two: The Middle East Connection - The Daily Beast | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 07:51:31 -0500
Get Ready for Mueller's Phase Two: The Middle East Connection The Daily Beast
The 'Russia investigation' is set to go global. In court filings due to drop in 2019, prosecutors will unveil Middle Eastern countries' attempts to influence U.S. ...
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| Mueller Investigation of Russian Oligarch Sinks Israeli Predictive Analytics Company - CTech | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 07:50:24 -0500
Mueller Investigation of Russian Oligarch Sinks Israeli Predictive Analytics Company CTech
Russian Oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, once a benefactor of the recently defunct predictive analytics company Fifth Dimension Holdings Ltd., has become a burden ...
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| Mueller Investigation part 2 - Middle East, Red Mafia, and Abwehr 2 Connections - Google Search | ||
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| Get Ready for Mueller’s Phase Two: The Middle East Connection | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 07:15:18 -0500
Hussein Ibish, senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute, said it is unclear if Mueller’s team will unveil nefarious foreign activity beyond what normally occurs in Washington.
“Many of these characters involved are somewhat unsavory,” he added. “But governments deal with all kinds of people all the time. It might be possible to question the wisdom of some of these connections, but not really possible to impugn the right of a government to deal with shadowy dealers in influence and access.”
Still, the Special Counsel’s Office has taken a keen interest this year in practices that were once considered business-as-usual in Washington. Republican operative Sam Patten pleaded guilty to the rarer-than-rare charge of “causing foreign money to be paid to the 2016-17 Presidential Inaugural Committee.” Former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Flynn were both charged with not disclosing parts of their businesses under the Foreign Agents Registration Act—the first indictments of this nature in more than half a century.
It’s unclear exactly how, if at all, this side of Mueller’s probe overlaps with his mandate from the Department of Justice to investigate links and coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump campaign.
Mueller also has the jurisdiction to “investigate and prosecute federal crimes committed in the course of, and with intent to interfere with, the special counsel’s investigation, such as perjury, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence, and intimidation of witnesses,” according to the code.
“For something like this to happen, Mueller would have needed to get approval from [Deputy Attorney General Rod] Rosenstein for this,” Litman said. “It’s not really in the original grant of jurisdiction and it appears then that he made his case to Rosenstein some time ago and that Rosenstein agreed.”
Mueller’s office has been investigating several meetings attended by George Nader, a Lebanese-American businessman and emissary to the UAE. Nader helped arrange the now-infamous meeting between Trump associate and Blackwater founder Erik Prince and Kirill Dmitriev, the head of one of Russia’s sovereign wealth funds—and he also acted somewhat as a go-between with representatives from Gulf state governments, at least one well-connected Israeli, and the Trump team.
Although Nader has been cooperating with the Special Counsel’s Office since March, it is still unclear what evidence he has offered prosecutors during interviews.
In one August 2016 meeting, first reported by The New York Times and later confirmed by The Daily Beast, Nader told the room that the crown princes of both Saudi Arabia and the UAE were eager to help Trump win the election. Also ready to lend his services was Joel Zamel, a self-styled Mark Zuckerberg of the national-security world with deep ties to Israeli intelligence. Zamel had already been in close contact with the Trump team because one of his companies, Psy Group, had drawn up a plan to use social-media manipulation to help Trump clinch the Republican nomination. The company sent former senior campaign aide Rick Gates that proposal.
But the connections between Trumpworld and Psy Group in 2016 were more extensive than previously reported, as The Daily Beast noted in November. Former employees said there were at least two other individuals who reached out to the firm during the campaign, both representing themselves as members of Trump’s inner circle.
Over the past year, Mueller’s team has interviewed a host of employees from Psy Group because of its connection to the Trump camp. Several former employees said the firm never went forward with its plan to help Trump, but others disputed that claim.
Zamel, through his lawyer, has also said publicly that he cooperated with the Special Counsel’s Office. His lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment for this story. The Special Counsel’s Office declined to comment. Nader’s lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Zamel remained close to the Trump team throughout the election and into the transition. Part of the reason? He had an easy in. He had been introduced to Nader years earlier by John Hannah, a former aide to Dick Cheney who now works as a senior counselor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a right-leaning think tank. Hannah has also been in the sights of the Special Counsel’s Office.
Zamel popped back into the mix in the transition period after the election and further offered services, this time for crafting a plan for regime change in Iran. The Daily Beast was the first to report the meeting, which included Nader, Flynn, and a Saudi general, Ahmed al-Assiri. During this time, Nader was also promoting a plan to carry out economic sabotage against Tehran. The meeting appears to be part of Saudi and Emirati efforts to lobby the incoming Trump administration against Qatar and Iran, their top regional competitors. The New York Times reported this year that Nader worked with Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy to urge the White House to take an aggressive stance against the two countries.
Mueller has also probed Nader’s role in the January 2017 Seychelles meeting between Prince and Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. In his House testimony, Prince said the meeting was a chance encounter and the two met to talk about trade and mineral wealth. But prosecutors this year received evidence that showed the meeting was premeditated. Communications reviewed by The Daily Beast reflect that narrative.
A memo shows the two spoke about a range of topics, including peace between Ukraine and Russia, military operations in Syria, investment in the Midwest, and nuclear weapons. Although RDIF is under U.S. sanctions, it was and is still legal for U.S. individuals to meet with Dmitriev, and, in some circumstances, do business with the fund.
Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee are hoping to take another shot at questioningPrince next year—part of the new Congress’ effort to investigate the Trump administration. Prince told The Daily Beast this summer that he was cooperating with the Special Counsel’s Office, but it is not clear to what extent. His previous lawyer, Victoria Toensing, is no longer representing him.
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| Mueller Dropping Russia Probe, Says Trump Working For Israel And Saudis - Iranian | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 06:43:40 -0500
Mueller Dropping Russia Probe, Says Trump Working For Israel And Saudis Iranian
The Mueller Russia probe, according to mainstream media sources, Daily Beast, BBC, Vanity Fair, UK Independent, Mother Jones, al Jazeera, the UK Guardian ...
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| Mueller Investigation and Israel - Google Search | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 06:39:29 -0500
Mueller Filing: Flynn Got in Trouble Over Israel UN Vote and Became ...
Haaretz-Dec 5, 2018
They also made him a prime target of Mueller's investigation. While telling lies to the FBI can often lead to jail time, Mueller is now asking the ...
Legal clouds over Trump grow as Mueller probe circles 'Individual-1'
The Times of Israel-Dec 8, 2018
Jared Kushner Faces New Scrutiny On Israel After Mueller Lets Flynn ...
International-Forward-Dec 5, 2018
Mueller seeks no prison time for former national security adviser ...
Opinion-Washington Post-Dec 4, 2018 Israelgate? As Russia probe runs dry, Mueller may turn to Middle East ...
RT-Dec 14, 2018
Special counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly preparing to shift the focus of the interminable Russiagate investigation to the Middle East, ... the possibility of filing charges pertaining to election meddling by Israeli, Emirati, and ...
Get Ready for Mueller's Phase Two: The Middle East Connection
Daily Beast-Dec 13, 2018
In other words, the “Russia investigation” is set to go global. ... Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Israel, according to people familiar with the probe.
Russia probe expands to the Middle East: Robert Mueller reportedly ...
International-Salon-Dec 13, 2018  A Complete Guide to All 17 (Known) Trump and Russia Investigations
WIRED-1 hour ago
Potentially the biggest unseen aspect of Mueller's investigation is his ... Saudi Arabia, and Israel, which were eager to help the campaign and, ...
At a reported cost of $25 million, Mueller probe has paid for itself
International-ThinkProgress-Dec 15, 2018 | ||
| Mueller Investigation of Russian Oligarch Sinks Israeli Predictive Analytics Company | ||
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 06:16:18 -0500
Russian Oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, once a benefactor of the recently defunct predictive analytics company Fifth Dimension Holdings Ltd., has become a burden. So much so, that Vekselberg’s run-ins with the U.S. government had brought on the top brass-clad company’s eventual shutdown. The Tel Aviv-based company, chaired by the Israeli military’s former Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, has recently let all its employees go, selling off its technology to stops losses from accumulating.
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Vekselberg is a businessman and the owner of Moscow-based asset management company Renova Group. His personal wealth is valued at $14 billion. Through his U.S.-based investment fund, CNTP, Vekselberg had invested in Fifth Dimension, leading a $12 million funding round in the company in 2015.
Founded in 2014, Fifth Dimension developed predictive policing and threat assessment technologies for governments and financial institutions. The company, which employed over 100 people at its peak, has raised a few tens of millions of dollars since it was founded. Gantz joined the company in 2015, to be followed by the former deputy head of the Mossad Ram Ben-Barak, the company’s president for the last two years.
On Saturday, Ben-Barak told Calcalist that the company was pivoting. “We sold our products, and we did let all employees go, but everything was done in an orderly fashion and without drama,” he said. “We had problems with investors and decided to change direction.”
In the months following Vekselberg’s investigation by Mueller’s team, Fifth Dimension negotiated the sale of its IP with several companies, the company said in a statement Saturday. In July, the company let go dozens of employees “as part of a reorganization process.” In November, Calcalist reported that Fifth Dimension is in early-stage talks regarding an acquisition by Israeli spyware firm NSO Group. The deal eventually fell through, the person familiar with the matter said.
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As a former chief of staff of the Israeli military, Gantz is considered a potential political force in Israel. A poll released Sunday by the Israeli Midgam polling agency showed that Gantz is steadily gaining popularity among the Israeli public, with those surveyed awarding him 16 seats in the parliament, the second highest number after current ruling party Likud, which receives 28. A June survey gave Gantz 13 seats. Gantz has of yet refrained from announcing concrete plans to run in Israel's upcomng elections.
Fifth Dimension is not the first Israeli company with ties to the investigation carried out by Mueller and his team. Several employees of now-defunct Israeli intelligence firm Psy-Group, registered as Invop Ltd., had been questioned by Mueller’s team. According to documents filed in Israeli and Canadian courts, the company allegedly operated fake social avatars that it created to engage with, and influence, its targeted audiences, and attempted to put into circulation news stories that would benefit its customers. In February, Psy-Group laid off all of its employees citing “two critical business ventures that proved unsuccessful” that left the company strapped for cash.
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| Ex-FBI Assistant Director: Comey is a shame to the FBI, will not reply key questions on Clinton e mail scandal | ||
Sun, 16 Dec 2018 07:50:55 -0500
The appearance of fired and disgraced FBI Director James Comey before two congressional committees Friday is a reminder of his brief but profoundly disappointing tenure leading the FBI – the outstanding law enforcement agency where I served for 24 years.
Unfortunately, members of the House Judiciary Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee were unable to get satisfactory answers from Comey regarding his illegal actions and violations of longstanding FBI and Justice Department regulations and procedures.
The chairmen of the two committees released a 235-page transcript Saturday of their interview with Comey.
According to a statement issued by the office of Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., Comey said “I don’t remember” 71 times, “I don’t know” 166 times, and “I don’t recall” eight times during his interview.
Comey flat-out refused to answer some questions dealing with the investigation now led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
“To the extent, I recall facts developed during our investigation of Russian interference and the potential connection of Americans, I think that’s a question that the FBI doesn’t want me answering,” Comey said in response to a question.
Comey’s record of lawbreaking and violations dealt with prosecution judgments, media leaks, the theft of government records and the conduct of objective investigations.
It’s a tragedy in that Comey and his former inner circle – the now infamous troika of fired FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, fired FBI agent Peter Strzok and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page – have attempted to cloak themselves in the FBI’s rich tradition of fidelity, bravery, and integrity.
In reality, these four former FBI officials have done more to hinder the daily work of the 35,000 selfless and hardworking men and women of the FBI than anyone in the storied agency’s history.
As a proud veteran of the FBI, it pains me to hear from friends, associates and colleagues who now question the FBI’s impartiality and motives in conducting sensitive investigations.
Unfortunately, no one can blame people for being skeptical of the FBI in light of the excruciating, Trump-hating texts during the 2016 presidential election campaign between Strzok and Page (who were engaged in an extramarital affair at the time), and following Comey’s well-publicized anti-Trump comments.
The former FBI director has written a book, given numerous media interviews, and used social media to bash President Trump, and urged Americans to “vote Democrat” before the midterm elections in November.
On top of this, there have been stark revelations in the Justice Department inspector general’s reports concerning former Deputy Director McCabe’s lies and leaks under the direct tutelage of Comey, who tried to make his own lies and leaks seem virtuous.
When FBI agents hit the street to conduct an investigation – and especially when trying to persuade people to provide needed information – their greatest asset is the respect and credibility of the FBI as an institution and the reputation of FBI agents for fairness and impartiality.
Juries that base their verdicts on FBI evidence and testimony trust that the scales were not tipped by the personal biases or political considerations of FBI agents and officials.
Unfortunately, the actions of Comey and his inner circle caused too many Americans to question the core values of the FBI as an institution.
It is out of total respect for the finest law enforcement and intelligence organization in the world and outstanding professionals that many former FBI executives – including me – have broken tradition and publicly criticized Comey and his troika for their misconduct, which can’t be disputed.
First, as the Justice Department inspector general found, Comey was insubordinate and violated department rules in playing the role of investigator, prosecutor, and judge in publicly exonerating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in her email scandal.
Clinton – who used a private email account and server rather than the State Department email system she was required to use – was the subject of one of the most sensitive FBI investigations in history when she was running for president.
It is fundamental to our justice system that investigators do not also play the role of prosecutor. Yet instead of reporting the findings of the FBI investigation of Clinton to then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch so Lynch could decide what action to take, Comey staged a news conference to announce that he had concluded Clinton should not be prosecuted.
If I had pulled the same stunt when I was head of FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division under then-Deputy Attorney General Comey, I would have – and should have – been suspended and fired. So much for the value of fidelity.
Second, Comey illegally removed his notes and memos describing details of his meetings with President Trump that were conducted as part of his official duties as FBI director. These records belonged to the FBI – not Comey.
Comey then indirectly leaked his memos and notes to the media by laundering them through a university professor. If the FBI director acts as if he is not subject to the well-established rules of the Justice Department and is above the law, it is easy to understand why his deputy director felt justified in doing the same.
In fact, leaking stolen FBI documents is illegal – regardless of how virtuous you view your actions. Scratch the integrity core value.
Third, the extensive personal and political bias that prevailed within Comey’s inner circle is beyond unacceptable. Strozk and Page’s texts denouncing then-presidential candidate Trump speak for themselves.
It is amazing that neither Comey nor McCabe saw any problems with McCabe personally initiating and supervising the investigation of whether the Trump campaign and Russia worked together to get Trump elected president.
McCabe should have recused himself from any involvement in the “Russia collusion” investigation because his wife was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the state Senate in Virginia when she accepted over $1 million in political campaign donations. The donations were bundled together by Clinton loyalist and then-Virginia Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
McCabe was also known to freely and openly express his disdain for Trump in meetings with other FBI executives.
Fourth, under Comey’s leadership, his inner circle used an unreliable opposition research “dossier” financed in part by Hillary Clinton’s campaign when she was running for president against Trump in 2016. The dossier was used to support a series of electronic surveillance warrants under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to intercept communications of Trump campaign operatives.
Had the FISA judge been informed of the true origins of the information it is highly unlikely that the judge would have issued the requisite orders. The Justice Department inspector general is investigating this alleged abuse of FISA and his findings will be far more credible that any partisan congressional committee.
Fourth, Comey’s courage failed him when it was most needed. When Attorney General Lynch instructed him to refer to the Clinton investigation as a “matter” and severely restricted the scope of the Clinton email and Clinton Foundation investigations, Comey went along.
When President Trump allegedly demanded Comey’s loyalty and asked for leniency for former White House National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, Comey scurried back to the office and prepared memos. Clearly, Comey placed his job security over pushing back forcefully on the use of the FBI to achieve political ends. Scratch the bravery element.
Finally, anyone who questions the appointment of Special Counsel Mueller to conduct an independent investigation of the Russia case can thank Comey and McCabe.
In the words of ex-FBI Assistant Director Kevin Brock, my former colleague: “Comey personally fast-tracked McCabe’s career into the deputy director position. McCabe was not happy that the president fired his boss and that (Deputy Attorney General Rod) Rosenstein provided the ammo.”
Rosenstein was faced with a tough decision. He could leave the Russia investigation in the hands of the angry and hopelessly biased team of Acting FBI Director McCabe, Deputy Assistant Director Strzok and attorney Page. Or, he could appoint a special counsel with integrity and a reputation for impartiality. He wisely chose the latter, appointing Mueller.
From the cradle of the FBI Academy, FBI agents are taught to always maintain the confidentiality of investigations, sources and methods. Keeping a low profile goes with the job, so it’s unusual to see former FBI agents criticize FBI leadership.
Those of us who are speaking out now believe deeply that the agency where we served honorably should never become a tool to promote political agendas.
This separation of law enforcement from politics is what separates America from Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Nor should operatives of the nation’s primary law enforcement and intelligence agency allow themselves to succumb to a temptation to impose their notions of morality on the electorate. That is the slipperiest of slopes.
The American public deserves to know the full scope and extent of the actions and roles of the Comey inner circle in order to prevent future abuses. Let’s hope the ongoing Justice Department inspector general’s investigation will ultimately hold the right people accountable.
It is obvious that toothless and bloviating congressional committees will never get to the truth.
A thousand congressional hearings will never get Comey to admit what we all suspect: his personal hubris and feelings of moral superiority allowed him to believe the normal rules established by the American people through duly enacted laws, regulations and procedures did not apply to him.
We need to draw a clear distinction between the FBI as an institution of 35,000 dedicated professionals and Comey – a brief aberration in the bureau’s distinguished 110-year history.
Comey’s name should be forever removed from the roster of FBI employees who have embraced the core values of the FBI and who have wielded the enormous power of the justice system with impartiality and integrity.
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| Trump Wanted to Order Justice Dept. to Prosecute Comey and Clinton | ||
Sun, 16 Dec 2018 06:47:16 -0500
“When the facts and evidence show a criminal violation has been committed, the individuals involved should not dictate whether the case is prosecuted,” Mr. Whitaker wrote in an op-ed in USA Today in July 2016.
Two weeks after his surprise victory, Mr. Trump backed off. “I don’t want to hurt the Clintons, I really don’t,” Mr. Trump said in an interview with The Times. “She went through a lot and suffered greatly in many different ways, and I am not looking to hurt them at all. The campaign was vicious.”
Nonetheless, he revisited the idea both publicly and privately after taking office. Some of his more vocal supporters stirred his anger, including the Fox News commentator Jeanine Pirro, who has railed repeatedly on her weekly show that the president is being ill served by the Justice Department.
Ms. Pirro told Mr. Trump in the Oval Office last November that the Justice Department should appoint a special counsel to investigate the Uranium One deal, two people briefed on the discussion have said. During that meeting, the White House chief of staff, John F. Kelly, told Ms. Pirro she was inflaming an already vexed president, the people said.
Shortly after, Mr. Sessions wrote to lawmakers, partly at the urging of the president’s allies in the House, to inform them that federal prosecutors in Utah were examining whether to appoint a special counsel to investigate Mrs. Clinton. A spokeswoman for the United States attorney for Utah declined to comment on Tuesday on the status of the investigation.
Mr. Trump once called his distance from law enforcement one of the “saddest” parts of being president.
“I look at what’s happening with the Justice Department,” he said in a radio interview a year ago. “Well, why aren’t they going after Hillary Clinton and her emails and with her, the dossier?” He added: “I am not supposed to be doing the kind of things that I would love to be doing. And I am very frustrated.”
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| CNN's Toobin: Authoritarian Trump's Attempt to Prosecute Clinton, Comey 'Worse' than Watergate | ||
Sun, 16 Dec 2018 06:46:20 -0500
Tuesday on CNN’s “The Situation Room” network legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin reacted to The New York Times’ report that President Donald Trump wanted his 2016 presidential election rival Hillary Clinton and former FBI Director James Comey prosecuted.
Toobin said, “This is what happens in authoritarian countries. The president orders, the leader orders the investigation and prosecution of his political enemies.”
On Trump reportedly calling FBI Director Christopher Wray “weak,” Toobin said, “This is his view of any government official, whether it’s in the FBI or the Justice Department, who doesn’t do his personal bidding. He has absolutely no understanding that the FBI, the Justice Department, the entire U.S. government, works for the taxpayers, works for defending the Constitution. He thinks they are all his personal servants. When they don’t do something he wants to be done, even if there is no legal basis for it, even if it’s a violation of all of our traditions in the legal community, he gets angry.”
He added, “This is so similar to what Richard Nixon was investigated and ultimately articles of impeachment were voted on in the House Judiciary Committee. You know, Richard Nixon used the IRS to investigate his enemies. Richard Nixon used the Federal Trade Commission—I forget, maybe it was federal—whichever regulates television—to investigate The Washington Post, because The Washington Post also owned television stations. I mean, the abuse of governmental authority to investigate and harass political enemies was at the core of the general scandals known as Watergate. What Don McGahn and his colleagues knew is this is worse. Nixon didn’t try to actually prosecute George McGovern or his political enemies. He didn’t use the most powerful force that the Justice Department has, which is criminal investigation and prosecution. If this had gone forward, this would have been worse than what Nixon did during Watergate. But it’s in the same category.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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