Hrmm:
On Aug. 3 of last year, just as the US presidential election was entering its final, heated phase, the Russian foreign ministry sent nearly $30,000 to its embassy in Washington. The wire transfer, which came from a Kremlin-backed Russian bank, landed in one of the embassy’s Citibank accounts and contained a remarkable memo line: “to finance election campaign of 2016.”
That wire transfer is one of more than 60 now being scrutinized by the FBI and other federal agencies investigating Russian involvement in the US election. The transactions, which moved through Citibank accounts and totaled more than $380,000, each came from the Russian foreign ministry and most contained a memo line referencing the financing of the 2016 election.
The money wound up at Russian embassies in almost 60 countries from Afghanistan to Nigeria between Aug. 3 and Sept. 20, 2016. It is not clear how the funds were used. At least one transaction that came into the US originated with VTB Bank, a financial institution that is majority-owned by the Kremlin.
I’ll let the smarts figure this all out but if any of that money got into the hands of people associated with the Trump campaign we get real close to the dreaded “c” word, and I don’t mean cuck.
Baud
Someone in an earlier thread suggested that this might be for the Russian elections in 2016, to help with expat voting. But I think that was based on the notion that Putin wouldn’t be stupid enough to write that memo line on his wire transfers.
ETA: Don, Jr., on the other hand….
rikyrah
Uh huh
Uh huh ???
different-church-lady
The FYNYT asks a stupid question:
Because it fucks up their narrative that HILLARY WAS THE WORST CANDIDATE THAT EVER CANDIDATED!!1! SATSQ.
TenguPhule
If conspiracy against the United States is a crime, who among the Republicans is not guilty of it?
Corner Stone
“Cocteau” ?
Planetpundit
More like the “T” word and I don’t mean “talented”.
TenguPhule
@different-church-lady: You sound shrill. //
Baud
@different-church-lady: What was the garbage paper’s answer to that question?
Corner Stone
I am not sure what to make of this as it is so widespread. The total amount of money is relatively small, but with these cheap, garbage-ass bumblefucks there’s just no telling.
different-church-lady
@Baud: I didn’t want to give them the click. It’s on the front page now if you’ve got the stomach — I don’t.
Corner Stone
@Planetpundit:
“Triskaidekaphobia” ?
Yarrow
Washington Post questions the Buzzfeed article. Could be classic Russian deza.
Roger Moore
@different-church-lady:
Also, too, they don’t want to see the connection between Russia and Tad Devine, because that might spoil their belief that Saint Bernie is the cleanest guy in the history of politics.
Baud
@Corner Stone: Two away from being an awesome comment.
danielx
@TenguPhule:
And she’s in excellent company, although it’s more or less a dead blog at the moment.
Baud
@different-church-lady: Nope.
@Roger Moore: Russian interference is the only rigging of the primary I’m interested in.
Corner Stone
@Baud: Time waits for no asshole commenter.
schrodingers_cat
@Yarrow: I just clicked that link, what is wrong with Putin’s face? It looks weird.
Yarrow
@different-church-lady: @Roger Moore: Speaking of the Senator from VT, this tweet from Evan McMullin caught my eye:
That’s a pretty definitive statement about St. Bernard.
danielx
@TenguPhule:
One of my personal fave posts, by someone near and dear to our hearts:
Miskatonic University Bulletin: Fall 2009
Mnemosyne
@different-church-lady:
Don’t forget, the Russians have been feeding them propaganda for almost two years now. They actually think that a channel called “Russia Today” is giving them an unbiased look at American politics.
geg6
@Yarrow:
Whoa. That’s some quality shade throwing by the ex-CIA guy.
different-church-lady
@Yarrow: We’re sure they’re well-meaning?
Yarrow
@schrodingers_cat: He’s making a classic Trump face.
Mnemosyne
@Yarrow:
Constipated?
Baud
@different-church-lady: Are we sure they’re Americans?
Jeffro
@Yarrow: again, I’m still shocked that eighty different versions of Trumpov’s taxes haven’t dropped…then again, just like the release of Hillz’ emails when the Access Hollywood tape dropped, maybe they’re just waiting for when his tax returns really do come out…
Corner Stone
@Yarrow: He also has a butthole mouth?
Yarrow
@geg6: It sure is. That’s why it caught my eye. First really definitive statement like that about him from someone who is in a position to know that I’ve seen.
@different-church-lady: No. But he doesn’t want to insult people and have them end up not hearing what he’s saying.
Corner Stone
@Jeffro: I have long wanted to see Trump’s taxes. But not like that anymore. Now there is only one person I want to produce them as evidence. Our good friend Herr Mueller.
[horse blows in the background]
Another Scott
Least surprising thing, ever, IMHO. Of course there was poorly hidden Russian money sloshing around and reaching the GOP.
In other news, Reuters: Coup apparently underway against Mugabe in Zimbabwe…
Cheers,
Scott.
Baud
@Yarrow: He says what we only whisper in quiet rooms.
Yarrow
@Mnemosyne: That’s the one!
@Jeffro: The Trump tax returns that Mueller’s team has will be the definitive ones. Russia can muddy the waters but Mueller has the goods.
@Corner Stone: Looks like it.
Central Planning
@Corner Stone: Too bad that comment wasn’t two more down.
ETA – Ninja’d by Baud. And also, to, for the to/too/two trifecta.
Yarrow
@Baud: You may whisper in quiet rooms. I’ve been saying out loud for months. There’s far too much smoke there for there not to be some kind of fire. I was a bit shocked to see McMullin say it so definitively, though. I don’t know if that comment has really gone viral yet.
Jeffro
@Corner Stone: @Yarrow: great points re: Mueller producing the real returns
Whew
Wheels within wheels…
Adam L Silverman
@Baud: It wasn’t me, but this is the most plausible explanation. Elections for the Duma were held in 2016 and these distributions, provided they occurred before or just after that election, would make sense as providing necessary funding to allow the various Russian embassies and consulates to undertake facilitating voting for Russian nationals living abroad.
Baud
@Adam L Silverman: The WaPo article linked to above says the same thing.
Jeffro
I have a feeling Rachel Maddow is about to drop the hammer on some major disinformation
Adam L Silverman
@Yarrow: @geg6: Remember who McMullin fronts for.
NotMax
Typo. Funds disbursed as morale builder to supply Russian nationals assigned overseas with the blue pill, “erection campaign.”
/RWNJ-Dolt 45-FOX bubble
Baud
@Yarrow: It’ll be ignored. People would rather indulge in fake theories about how evil Hillary stole the nomination.
Baud
@Adam L Silverman: Who does he front for?
quakerinabasement
That’s not very much money. What, exactly, would $30K finance?
Baud
@quakerinabasement:
1370 $27 donations
Adam L Silverman
@Baud: No one ever cites me as a source…
Another Scott
@Adam L Silverman: You’re no fun.
;-p
Cheers,
Scott.
Adam L Silverman
@Baud: Who did he used to work for? And just so we’re clear: I have no issues or problems with who he used to work for.
NotMax
@Adam L. Silverman
May I quote you on that?
Adam L Silverman
@Another Scott: Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
Baud
@Adam L Silverman: How does that relate to his tweet? Do you think he has inside information about Russian interference?
Adam L Silverman
@NotMax: Sure, there’s a first time for everything.
Spanky
@Corner Stone:
Worst stage direction ever.
Yarrow
@Adam L Silverman: He used to work for the CIA. I guess that’s what you mean by “front for.” Or do you mean something else?
Corner Stone
@Adam L Silverman: “Who…does…Number Two..work for?!?”
Corner Stone
@Spanky: It’s from a coming of age story set in Alabama in the 1970’s.
bruceformohio
Vodka never tells, but international wire transfers sing like canaries.
Just follow the money. It lacks opposable thumbs, and doesn’t spend itself.
chris
“
From the NYT so no link.
Jeffro
@Adam L Silverman: does it rhyme with Steep Date?
brucefromohio
Vodka never tells, but international wire transfers sing like canaries.
Just follow the money. It lacks opposable thumbs, and doesn’t spend itself.
Adam L Silverman
@Baud: I don’t know. I’ve known for months that the Sanders campaign itself and Sanders voters were targeted by the Russian active measures campaign. I don’t think that’s a novel conclusion to draw or a particularly hard one to draw either from the open source reporting. It is also important to understand that McMullin was ops, not analytic service. He went out and recruited and managed other assets and/or did clandestine paramilitary operations for a decade. And while there is far more fusion at his former employer since 9-11 of analytics and operations, they are two very different tracks. And I can say as someone who has done both ops and analytic work for the Army and DOD they usually draw from two very different groups of people with very different skillsets. There are very few of us that do both, prefer to do both usually as a hybrid type of work, and to be honest everyone else is never sure what to make of those of us that do.
Baud
@chris:
Unless they, you know, participated in it, in which case… awkward.
Adam L Silverman
@Yarrow: I can neither confirm nor deny…//
My impression has always been that McMullin is a catspaw.
Baud
@Adam L Silverman:
Stick them on a near-top 10000 blog and forget about them?
Ken
@Spanky: I’m rather fond of “Exit, pursued by a bear”.
Adam L Silverman
@Jeffro: The US doesn’t actually have one of those. No matter how loudly Bannon and Breitbart and Sean Hannity and Dim Jim and the other usual suspects scream and yell about it.
Adam L Silverman
@Baud: Pretty much. Consulting sucks. And the sequester needs to be nuked from orbit.
rikyrah
@Jeffro:
???
Adam L Silverman
This is going to get very, very ugly:
Yarrow
@Adam L Silverman: Who’s using him?
chris
@Baud: Agreed. But for the rank and file hard-ass leftists the guy makes some good points. Too bad it’s in the FTNYT Opinion section where they won’t read it.
Adam L Silverman
@Yarrow: I think his funding most likely comes from wealthy members of the Church of Latter Day Saints. I think he’s a catspaw for the IC.
Another Scott
@Adam L Silverman: GovExec – Ryan has a plan…:
tl;dr – The present CR expires December 8. Ryan can’t pass a budget with GOP votes and doesn’t want to compromise with the Democrats. But if a CR extends into 2018 then OMB will have to sequester money from the DoD and everything else.
Genius!
:-/
Cheers,
Scott.
brucefromohio
@chris: Found this to be more compelling, even if it is a bit of a rehash.
Schlemazel
@Adam L Silverman:
My guess is the mix is about 50/50 D & R. The Rs will get re-elected & the Ds shamed into retirement
eemom
@different-church-lady:
A high school classmate of my former acquaintance (yes dearie, on FB) is one of the worst Bernie dead enders you could ever have the misfortune of encountering. A woman, mind you, and an M.D., her 24/7 Hillary-hate-spew in 2016 was unrivaled by the most misogynistic of Bros.
Naturally she also adored Assange, and was not only an unabashed apologist for the rape allegations in Sweden, she actually e-mail me to gloat when the charges were dropped.
She also professes to be TOTALLY against Dump.
So you can imagine how sweet it was yesterday when the report of Assange sucking up to and aggressively seeking favors from Little Dump came out. Nor was I above returning the gloat-mail. ?
Regnad Kcin
@Ken: Exeunt FTW
Corner Stone
@Jeffro:
Did she ever actually go anywhere with that opening block? Fascinating details on the IBM Selectric.
different-church-lady
@eemom:
I shall respectfully decline my opportunity. ;-)
Spanky
@Ken: That, in fact, is my all-time favorite.
D58826
@Jeffro: yep she is.
Jeffro
@Adam L Silverman: I’m trying to get “IC” to rhyme with “Steep Date” and I just can’t make it work…
brucefromohio
@eemom: eww. sorry.
Yarrow
@Adam L Silverman: Yes, definitely LDS funds him. My impression is he’s not really “former” CIA.
MomSense
@Baud:
CIA
MomSense
@Baud:
Yes
chris
@brucefromohio: Indeed. I like the Guardian piece better but he needed to fit the NYT template and add some new stuff since the original was written.
mike in dc
As far as I can tell, “evidence” in the mind of Republican/righties = Trump on tape or someone flipping on him and fingering him for involvement. In the latter case there will be holdouts who think the informants only flipped to stay out of jail, and are just making it up. There will be another faction who accept the evidence and respond with “yeah, so what? We got rid of Hillary so it’s all good.” The quid pro quo will be glossed over in their minds.
Honus
@different-church-lady: also, Bernie is implicated. Putin hates Hillary so much he helped Bernie too.
Jeffro
@D58826: Oh ok…can’t wait to see what my RWNJ friends and relatives think about KGB associates guarding the US Embassy…
…or Tillerson not staffing/actively gutting the State Department (closing down the department in charge of sanctions, I hear)…
…or Trumpov’s latest, that it’s time to move on to a “time of healing” between us and Russia…
…and on…
…and on…
On the one hand, I’m glad we can see HYDRA trying to take over S.H.I.E.L.D. in real time. On the other hand, it’s depressing to see HYDRA trying to take over S.H.I.E.L.D. in real time, mostly with the assistance of a significant portion of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Jeffro
@Honus: Don’t leave Jill out of this!
Adam L Silverman
@Another Scott: I’ve written about all these possibilities how many times here?
More seriously, they could pass a waiver of the Budget Control Act dba The Sequester. They’ve done it in the past, but it doesn’t actually matter if they do. Every agency and department for hiring purposes acts like the sequester is in place, even when its been waived. And they especially do for contract positions. This has forced incredible compression and made it difficult for more senior folks like me to get positions. For instance, I came across an expert level position advertised that I was a great fit for about two months ago. It required a high school diploma. For an expert level position. Five years ago this would have required a masters degree with a preference for a PhD and paid between GS 13 and GS 15 wages. Now it pays GS 9 wages. I didn’t even bother.
I’ve had at least four job opportunities disappear because of the sequester since 2014.
cmorenc
Only 30K?
Spanky
@Adam L Silverman: I had a job disappear because of the 2014 sequester, and I’m still getting paid 75% what I was for taking a more junior role. But at least it’s a job.
Gin & Tonic
@Spanky:
[blows horse in the background] would be worse.
Adam L Silverman
@Schlemazel: I’m not sure how it will play out. I expect there will also be a generational break on the Democratic side. As in the older, longest serving Democrats will be more likely to have done this. While the younger make Democratic members of both chambers, as in 40s and younger, are less likely to have done this. On the GOP side there will still be a split, but it won’t be as pronounced. I also expect that there will be outings on the GOP side as a result of this.
Major Major Major Major
@Adam L Silverman: yeah that seems like by far the most likely explanation to me too.
Adam L Silverman
@Yarrow: He is. As in he no longer works for them.
Gin & Tonic
@Adam L Silverman: Good thing you’re making the fat stacks posting shit here.
Schlemazel
@Adam L Silverman:
I had not thought of gays being outed. I am against that with one glaring exception, if the official is on record with anti-gay comments or support of bullshit like ‘traditional marriage’ bills then I think they really have it coming. Its hypocritical of me I know but we can’t all be pure saints all the time.
Villago Delenda Est
@Adam L Silverman: The interesting thing about the “deep state” meme is that those who scream about it the most are the ones who are the most obviously manipulated by the Russian deep state.
BruceFromOhio
Eh, it’s all a feint, anyway. Look how much diversion you get for such a small investment!
Nevertheless, follow that money.
Adam L Silverman
@Spanky: I feel your pain. I really do. And I’m sorry you’ve had to go through that.
Adam L Silverman
@Gin & Tonic: I do this for free.
jl
@Jeffro:
” Trumpov’s latest, that it’s time to move on to a “time of healing” between us and Russia…”
One would think that a great mind, a world historical genius and super genius negotiator like Trump would figure out a way to conduct necessary business with Putin, and also let him know that the US investigation into 2016 election meddling had to continue and go where it would go. Maybe I just don’t understand Trump’s devious maneuvers. They look like clueless bumbling and ass kissing. And obstruction of justice and failing to protect and preserve the Constitution. But maybe that is just me.
Adam L Silverman
@Schlemazel: I don’t disagree with you. But there is no way that this is going to be limited to male members of the House and Senate and male members of their staff sexually harassing and/or assaulting only female members of the House and Senate and female members of their staffs. And the odds of male GOP representatives and senators and members of their staffs being closeted is much more likely than on the Democratic side these days. And that’s not even counting unacceptable behavior, either heterosexual or homosexual, in regard to the Congressional pages a la Mark Foley.
Adam L Silverman
@Villago Delenda Est: Yep.
SgrAstar
@Adam L Silverman: Who does McMullin front for?
jl
@Adam L Silverman: Too bad it will get ugly. But Congress asked for it. There is also the little known and disgraceful Congressional protocol for handling complaints, which is about as friendly to those who come forward as the AL GOP.
And I think part of the Congressional harassment training is BS on how interns and staff can avoid being provocative. Which is total BS, unless the young boys and girls are allowed to come to work wearing wet T-shirts and nothing else. But I think they have a stricter dress code than that. No open-toed shoes for the ladies. Not dignified.
Omnes Omnibus
@Adam L Silverman: A likely story.
Villago Delenda Est
@jl: It’s clueless bumbling, and Donald loves some authoritarian strong men very much. He’s a very weak person, actually, and Vlad, Xi, and even Duerte have his number.
Adam L Silverman
@SgrAstar: My impression is that he’s the IC’s catspaw.
Adam L Silverman
@jl: It is what it is. And what it is is going to be ugly.
Adam L Silverman
@Omnes Omnibus: You can put me under oath and that would still be my answer.
Yarrow
@Adam L Silverman: I know he is. I have the impression he still has contacts there so he’s not completely out of the loop.
manyakitty
@Baud: Whoa.
Omnes Omnibus
@Adam L Silverman: Always stick to your story. Well done.
Adam L Silverman
@Omnes Omnibus: I was never here…
Jeffro
@Adam L Silverman: Oh, absolutely not!
In the meantime, good on him for speaking out and representing a…ahem…certain point of view. Hopefully that ‘point of view’ is doing everything it can on the CI angle and/or supplying Bobby Three Sticks with more info than he knows what to do with.
Frankensteinbeck
@Adam L Silverman:
I think there will be lots of inappropriate messing about on both sides. People with wealth and power use that to get sex. They always have. I expect the varieties that involve forcing clearly unwanted attention will be weighted heavily on the Republican side. Heaven knows we aren’t all angels, but there is a huge philosophical gap on the issue of consent, and that will be reflected in behavior.
Miss Bianca
@Adam L Silverman:
Romney?
Gin & Tonic
@Frankensteinbeck: “Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.” -H. Kissinger.
manyakitty
@Jeffro: Word on the street is that Captain America works for Hydra (in the comix)
manyakitty
@Adam L Silverman: Is he a volunteer now?
Miss Bianca
@Adam L Silverman: W.T.F.??
Congress has a fucking FUND to pay for “settlement of sexual harrassment lawsuits”??
Jeffro
@manyakitty: That’s true, or was for a little while at least. Word is, it didn’t go over so well with the fanboyz…
sukabi
@Mnemosyne: pretty sure that’s the same face I’ve been making since my thyroid surgery…I honestly don’t know how anyone could become addicted to oxy or hydro condone… The phrase “shitting a brick” ain’t wrong.
Adam L Silverman
@manyakitty: You can’t do volunteer work for the Intel Community.
Adam L Silverman
@Miss Bianca: Apparently. Who knew?
manyakitty
@Jeffro: I found it unsettling, and I only know the movies.
manyakitty
@Adam L Silverman: So, not retired, then?
Miss Bianca
@Adam L Silverman: I wonder how that line item gets labelled. And how the funds are appropriated. I mean, what committee gets to be in charge of fucking sexual harrassment lawsuits??
Aw, Jaysus. I can’t even.
Adam L Silverman
@manyakitty: He did 10 years then left the agency. He then went to work as the director of policy for the GOP caucus in the House of Representatives. He isn’t retired because he didn’t work at the agency long enough to retire from it. Even an early retirement. He no longer works for them and he no longer works for the GOP House caucus. And he isn’t doing volunteer work for the intel community.
Omnes Omnibus
@Adam L Silverman:
Ostensibly.
@Miss Bianca:
Either Ethics or House Administration.
Adam L Silverman
@Miss Bianca: There are two committees with “affairs” in their titles.
Amir Khalid
@Miss Bianca:
Strictly speaking, they don’t fuck the lawsuits; they fuck (over) the plaintiffs.
eemom
@Adam L Silverman:
“Are you here for an affair, sir?”
manyakitty
@Adam L Silverman: hmmm
Jeffro
@manyakitty: not in a meaningful sense…
Jeffro
@Adam L Silverman: …that last line is key there…
Just glad to have him out there saying things, although it’s just comments, just sort of general disapproval. Nothing that will actually do much. Other than making it look like that’s all the IC is doing, just tut-tutting and tsk-tsking
Adam L Silverman
@eemom: I’m really flattered, but I seriously doubt I’m your type. In fact I’m pretty sure I’m no one’s type.
eemom
@Adam L Silverman:
Worse yet, I guess I’m too old to be Mrs. R. ?
Another Scott
@Miss Bianca: It’s the Office of Compliance according to TheHill:
https://www.compliance.gov/
FWIW.
Cheers,
Scott.
J R in WV
@Adam L Silverman:
Dude, we all know that all of you work for peanuts and kibble – aka for free. For the entertainment of the Jackal Pack!! And we are grateful for your educational posting!
Thanks!
me
Adam L Silverman
@J R in WV: You’re welcome. I print out comments like these and mail them every month to the company that services my student loans. In lieu of actual payment.//