5:42 PM 10/24/2019 - "Much of the discourse around Trump’s ties to Russia and the Mueller investigation was misguided..."

5:42 PM 10/24/2019

"Much of the discourse around Trump’s ties to Russia and the Mueller investigation was misguided — seeking a smoking gun, or a backroom deal, that would reveal a secret plot between Trump and Putin to bring the unlikely candidate to power, when in fact much of that wooing was done out in the open. Two years into his presidency, Trump’s character and governing style was fully revealed — transactional, narcissistic, power-hungry, obsessed with vengeance. That is the type of person whom Firtash, the ultimate power broker and a man who grew wealthy managing the interests of some of the most powerful people in the world, knows how to deal with." 





Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠
SPECIAL REPORT-Putin's allies channelled billions to Ukraine oligarch
The Dark Heart Of The Impeachment Investigation Is A Powerful Oligarch — With Close Ties To Vladimir Putin
William Taylor's testimony is credible and critical
Nato, Russia, Turkey, West - Google Search
Nato, Russia, Turkey, West - Google Search
1:27 PM 10/24/2019 » Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠: United States of America v. Rudolph W. Giuliani
Trump–Ukraine scandal - Google Search


Check out C-SPAN’s Impeachment Inquiry Page: https://www.c-span.org/impeachment | 
Post Link | C-SPAN has launched a new web page, c-span.org/impeachment, devoted to Congress’ impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. The goal is to provide one-stop shopping for all of C-SPAN’s coverage of the inquiry, including the latest Hill tweets, various news conferences and hearings, and the Trump Administration’s response. 
» Saved Stories – None: C-SPAN Launches Impeachment Coverage Page
22/10/19 07:34 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
C-SPAN has launched a new web page, c-span.org/ impeachment , devoted to Congress’ impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. The goal … Saved Stories – None
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» Saved Stories - None: Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election — that's a fact, not a conspiracy theory - Washington Examiner
23/10/19 16:25 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election — that's a fact, not a conspiracy theory    Washington Examiner Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: Ukraine Knew Trump Was Freezing Aid Over Biden, New York Times Reports
23/10/19 16:24 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
The report would blow a hole in Trump's claims there couldn't have been a quid pro quo arrangement. Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: Stricter laws are needed to benefit the country, not the politicians - The Altamont Enterprise
23/10/19 16:23 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Stricter laws are needed to benefit the country, not the politicians    The Altamont Enterprise Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: "Elections 2016 Investigation" - Google News: Pentagon’s Ukraine expert resumes impeachment testimony after Republican protest causes 5-hour delay - The Washington Post
23/10/19 16:22 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Pentagon’s Ukraine expert resumes impeachment testimony after Republican protest causes 5-hour delay    The Washington Post "Elections 2016 Investigation" - Google News Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: Most voters: Obama WH illegally tried to bump Trump - OneNewsNow
23/10/19 16:22 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Most voters: Obama WH illegally tried to bump Trump    OneNewsNow Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: The Trump-Ukraine Scandal: More than a Quid Pro Quo, It's Extortion
23/10/19 16:22 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
The Trump -Ukraine Scandal: More than a Quid Pro Quo, It's Extortion ... that despite Trump's fondness for Vladimir Putin , the United States remained a ... Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: The Trump Impeachment Inquiry: Latest Updates - The New York Times
23/10/19 16:21 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
The Trump Impeachment Inquiry: Latest Updates    The New York Times Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: DOJ Confronts Chinese Infiltration With String of Spy Arrests - The Epoch Times
23/10/19 16:21 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
October 23, 2019 FBI News Review at 16 Hours DOJ Confronts Chinese Infiltration With String of Spy Arrests - The Epoch Times Most voters: Obama WH illegally tried to bump Trump - OneNewsNow David Harsanyi, American Hero, Heads To Nationa...
» Saved Stories - None: Live updates: Cooper testimony begins after five-hour delay caused by House Republicans barging into secure room - The Washington Post
23/10/19 16:21 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Live updates: Cooper testimony begins after five-hour delay caused by House Republicans barging into secure room    The Washington Post Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: "trump russian money" - Google News: FirstFT: Today’s top stories - Financial Times
23/10/19 16:20 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
FirstFT: Today’s top stories    Financial Times "trump russian money" - Google News Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: FoxNewsChannel's YouTube Videos: Live: Trump makes an official statement on Syria
23/10/19 15:56 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
From: FoxNewsChannel Duration: 00:00 Expected live at 11 a.m. ET: President Trump touts 'big success' on Turkey-Syria border ahead of official announcement on conflict. #FoxNews FOX News operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business ...
» Saved Stories - None: Kamala Harris and 2 other senators are trying to use FOIA to get Trump-Ukraine info - Axios
23/10/19 15:54 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Kamala Harris and 2 other senators are trying to use FOIA to get Trump-Ukraine info    Axios Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: "crime and terror" - Google News: Israeli-Arab Who Aided Terror Cell that Killed 2 Druze Cops on Temple Mount Gets 16 Years - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com
23/10/19 15:54 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Israeli-Arab Who Aided Terror Cell that Killed 2 Druze Cops on Temple Mount Gets 16 Years    The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com "crime and terror" - Google News Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: Biden gains widest lead in 2020 race in months amid Trump's smears – live - The Guardian
23/10/19 15:54 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Biden gains widest lead in 2020 race in months amid Trump's smears – live    The Guardian Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: "organized crime and Russian intelligence" - Google News: Czech Republic Uncovered Russian Cyber Warfare Ring — Intel Chief - The Moscow Times
23/10/19 06:34 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Czech Republic Uncovered Russian Cyber Warfare Ring — Intel Chief    The Moscow Times "organized crime and Russian intelligence" - Google News Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: John Lithgow’s Rudy Giuliani Impression Is Just Wild
23/10/19 06:33 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
"I’m not falling into that proof trap." Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: Rudy Giuliani's Role in Trump's Impeachment Recalls Past
23/10/19 06:32 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Michael_Novakhov shared this story from The Atlantic. Signed in as Michael_Novakhov Share this story on NewsBlur Shared stories are on their way... Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: "social media in trump campaign" - Google News: Tulsi Gabbard and Hillary Clinton's 'Russian asset' spat resurfaces problematic assertions - NBC News
23/10/19 06:32 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Tulsi Gabbard and Hillary Clinton's 'Russian asset' spat resurfaces problematic assertions    NBC News "social media in trump campaign" - Google News Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: "Russian Intelligence services and international organized crime" - Google News: Iran welcomes any steps that secure stability in Syria - TV - Yahoo News
23/10/19 06:31 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Iran welcomes any steps that secure stability in Syria - TV    Yahoo News "Russian Intelligence services and international organized crime" - Google News Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: Biden, '98: Clinton Impeachment 'Lynching'
23/10/19 06:31 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Nathan McDermott, Andrew Kaczynski , CNN Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Tuesday denounced President Donald Trump's comparison of the ongoing impeachment inquiry to a Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: Appeals court to hear showdown over Trump taxes
23/10/19 06:30 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Vance's prosecutors are investigating whether Trump or his company broke any state laws when they reimbursed former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen  ... Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: NPR News: 10-23-2019 5AM ET
23/10/19 06:30 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
NPR News: 10-23-2019 5AM ET Download audio: https://play.podtrac.com/npr-500005/edge1.pod.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/newscasts/2019/10/23/newscast050815.mp3?awCollectionId=500005&awEpisodeId=772567324&orgId=1&d=300&p=500005...
» Saved Stories - None: Who Are Lev Parnas And Igor Fruman? - NPR
23/10/19 06:29 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Who Are Lev Parnas And Igor Fruman?    NPR Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: Rachel Maddow Has A Dire Warning For ‘Everybody Involved With Rudy Giuliani’
23/10/19 06:29 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
The MSNBC host says the future isn't looking bright for those linked to the Ukraine scheme. Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: Ukraine Envoy: Trump Tied Military Aid, Probes
23/10/19 06:13 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Michael D. Shear ,  Nicholas Fandos , NYT Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: Justice Department Distances Itself From Giuliani
23/10/19 04:29 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Michael_Novakhov shared this story . The Justice Department distanced itself on Sunday from Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump’s personal lawyer, declaring that department officials would not have met with Mr. Giuliani to discuss one o...
» Saved Stories - None: Anderson Cooper: Donald Trump’s Fate May Have Been Sealed On Tuesday
23/10/19 04:28 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
The CNN host explained why it "may turn out to be one of the most consequential days" of Trump's presidency. Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: CBSNewsOnline's YouTube Videos: Facebook says it's increasing transparency after backlash over political ads
22/10/19 16:44 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
From: CBSNewsOnline Duration: 04:22 Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the company is increasing transparency about ads after Facebook received backlash for allowing political ads with false claims. CNET senior producer Dan Patterson join...
» Saved Stories - None: "putin won US 2016 election" - Google News: Trump Floated Replacing Mulvaney With Kellyanne Conway or Steven Mnuchin: Report - The Daily Beast
22/10/19 16:44 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Trump Floated Replacing Mulvaney With Kellyanne Conway or Steven Mnuchin: Report    The Daily Beast "putin won US 2016 election" - Google News Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: MSNBC Panel Very Worried Over Investigation Into Origin of Russia Probe
22/10/19 16:43 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Wendy Sherman, this investigation seems to be looking into whether Ukraine and others started the Mueller investigation , whether the FBI and the CIA ... Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: "cambridge analytica" - Google News: Trump Is Tracking Your Phone - The New York Times
22/10/19 16:43 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Trump Is Tracking Your Phone    The New York Times "cambridge analytica" - Google News Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: NPR News: 10-22-2019 3PM ET
22/10/19 16:43 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
NPR News: 10-22-2019 3PM ET Download audio: https://play.podtrac.com/npr-500005/edge1.pod.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/newscasts/2019/10/22/newscast150809.mp3?awCollectionId=500005&awEpisodeId=772321214&orgId=1&d=300&p=500005...
» Saved Stories - None: U.S. Diplomat Urged Ukraine President to Convince Trump He Would Probe Corruption, 2016 Election - The Wall Street Journal
22/10/19 16:42 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
U.S. Diplomat Urged Ukraine President to Convince Trump He Would Probe Corruption, 2016 Election    The Wall Street Journal Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: Trump floats Kellyanne Conway as chief of staff - Washington Examiner
22/10/19 16:42 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Trump floats Kellyanne Conway as chief of staff    Washington Examiner Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: Anonymous Trump official who wrote New York Times op-ed has a book coming out - CNN
22/10/19 16:42 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Anonymous Trump official who wrote New York Times op-ed has a book coming out    CNN Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: 47 attorneys general back antitrust probe into Facebook - Star Tribune
22/10/19 16:41 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
47 attorneys general back antitrust probe into Facebook    Star Tribune Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: "israel and germany" - Google News: The Kurds, Trump and forgotten Jewish history - Arutz Sheva
22/10/19 16:41 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
The Kurds, Trump and forgotten Jewish history    Arutz Sheva "israel and germany" - Google News Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: "Trump" - Google News: Live updates: Taylor’s testimony on alleged Ukraine quid pro quo called ‘damning,’ as firestorm continues over Trump’s lynching tweet - The Washington Post
22/10/19 16:40 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Live updates: Taylor’s testimony on alleged Ukraine quid pro quo called ‘damning,’ as firestorm continues over Trump’s lynching tweet    The Washington Post "Trump" - Google News Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: "cambridge analytica" - Google News: After Losing Key Support, Is Facebook's Libra Dead in the Water? - Motley Fool
22/10/19 16:40 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
After Losing Key Support, Is Facebook's Libra Dead in the Water?    Motley Fool "cambridge analytica" - Google News Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: James Stewart offers vivid account, from the Clinton and Trump FBI investigations to the Mueller report - Harvard Gazette
22/10/19 16:40 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
James Stewart offers vivid account, from the Clinton and Trump FBI investigations to the Mueller report    Harvard Gazette Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: "Donald Trump" - Google News: I was told Trump wanted quid pro quo deal, Ukraine ambassador reportedly testifies – live - The Guardian
22/10/19 16:39 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
I was told Trump wanted quid pro quo deal, Ukraine ambassador reportedly testifies – live    The Guardian "Donald Trump" - Google News Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: "trump narcissist" - Google News: LETTER: Trump's presedency is a 'three ring circus,' but it's not entertaining - SouthCoastToday.com
22/10/19 16:39 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
LETTER: Trump's presedency is a 'three ring circus,' but it's not entertaining    SouthCoastToday.com "trump narcissist" - Google News Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: MidweekPolitics's YouTube Videos: Crazed, Desperate Trump Calls Constitution "Phony"
22/10/19 16:38 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
From: MidweekPolitics Duration: 05:59 --A crazed and desperate Donald Trump has been reduced to calling the Constitution's Emoluments Clause "phony" due to his regular violation of the clause https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/the-pres...
» Saved Stories - None: Media Trying to Discredit Durham, Horowitz Investigations Before Findings are Even Known - Accuracy In Media
22/10/19 16:38 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Media Trying to Discredit Durham, Horowitz Investigations Before Findings are Even Known    Accuracy In Media Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: Durham scrutinizing four key figures in Trump-Russia investigation - Washington Examiner
22/10/19 16:32 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Durham scrutinizing four key figures in Trump-Russia investigation    Washington Examiner Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: Volker pressed Zelensky to convince Trump he would launch investigations before call: Report | TheHill - The Hill
22/10/19 16:18 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
Volker pressed Zelensky to convince Trump he would launch investigations before call: Report | TheHill    The Hill Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: The Trump Impeachment Inquiry: Latest Updates - The New York Times
22/10/19 11:28 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
The Trump Impeachment Inquiry: Latest Updates    The New York Times Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: "israel and germany" - Google News: German defense minister proposes security zone for north Syria - Israel Hayom
22/10/19 11:27 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
German defense minister proposes security zone for north Syria    Israel Hayom "israel and germany" - Google News Saved Stories - None
» Saved Stories - None: ABC News's YouTube Videos: Top US diplomat to testify in impeachment inquiry
22/10/19 11:15 from Saved Stories from Michael_Novakhov (1 sites)
From: ABC News Duration: 02:49 President Trump is also increasing his efforts to get his own party in line, telling Fox News’ Sean Hannity, “I think the Republicans should get tougher.” ABC News's YouTube Videos Saved Stories - None
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Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠
SPECIAL REPORT-Putin's allies channelled billions to Ukraine oligarch
The Dark Heart Of The Impeachment Investigation Is A Powerful Oligarch — With Close Ties To Vladimir Putin
William Taylor's testimony is credible and critical
Nato, Russia, Turkey, West - Google Search
Nato, Russia, Turkey, West - Google Search
1:27 PM 10/24/2019 » Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠: United States of America v. Rudolph W. Giuliani
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Trump–Ukraine scandal - Google Search
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 _____________________________________________
Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠
SPECIAL REPORT-Putin's allies channelled billions to Ukraine oligarch

Michael_Novakhov shared this story .

(This is part of Reuters ‘Comrade Capitalism’ series)
By Stephen Grey, Tom Bergin, Sevgil Musaieva and Roman Anin
MOSCOW/KIEV, Nov 26 (Reuters) - In Russia, powerful friends helped him make a fortune. In the United States, officials want him extradited and put behind bars. In Austria, where he is currently free on bail of $155 million, authorities have yet to decide what to do with him.
He is Dmitry Firtash, a former fireman and soldier. In little more than a decade, the Ukrainian went from obscurity to wealth and renown, largely by buying gas from Russia and selling it in his home country. His success was built on remarkable sweetheart deals brokered by associates of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, at immense cost to Russian taxpayers, a Reuters investigation shows.
Russian government records reviewed for this article reveal for the first time the terms of recent deals between Firtash and Russia’s Gazprom, a giant gas company majority owned by the state.
According to Russian customs documents detailing the trades, Gazprom sold more than 20 billion cubic metres of gas well below market prices to Firtash over the past four years - about four times more than the Russian government has publicly acknowledged. The price Firtash paid was so low, Reuters calculates, that companies he controlled made more than $3 billion on the arrangement.
Over the same time period, other documents show, bankers close to Putin granted Firtash credit lines of up to $11 billion. That credit helped Firtash, who backed pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovich’s successful 2010 bid to become Ukraine’s president, to buy a dominant position in the country’s chemical and fertiliser industry and expand his influence.
The Firtash story is more than one man’s grab for riches. It demonstrates how Putin uses Russian state assets to create streams of cash for political allies, and how he exported this model to Ukraine in an attempt to dominate his neighbour, which he sees as vital to Russia’s strategic interests. With the help of Firtash, Yanukovich won power and went on to rule Ukraine for four years. The relationship had great geopolitical value for Putin: Yanukovich ended up steering the nation of more than 44 million away from the West’s orbit and towards Moscow’s until he was overthrown in February.
“Firtash has always been an intermediary,” said Viktor Chumak, chairman of the anti-corruption committee in the previous Ukrainian parliament. “He is a political person representing Russia’s interests in Ukraine.”
A spokesman for Putin rejected claims that Firtash acted on behalf of Russia. “Firtash is an independent businessman and he pursues his own interests, I don’t believe he represents anyone else’s interests,” said Dmitry Peskov.
The findings are the latest in a Reuters examination of how elites favoured by the Kremlin profit from the state in the Putin era. In the wild years after the fall of the Soviet Union, state assets were seized or bought cheaply by the well connected. Today, resources and cash flows from public enterprises are diverted to private individuals with links to Putin, whether in Russia or abroad.
Putin’s system of comrade capitalism has had huge costs for the ordinary people of Russia: By granting special cheap deals to Firtash, Gazprom missed out on about $2 billion in revenue it could have made by selling that gas at market prices, according to European gas price data collected by Reuters. Four industry analysts said that Gazprom could have sold the gas at substantially higher prices to other customers in Europe.
At the same time, the citizens of both Russia and Ukraine have seen unelected oligarchs wield political influence.
Firtash, whose main company, Group DF, describes him as one of Ukraine’s leading entrepreneurs and philanthropists, was arrested in Austria on March 12 at the request of U.S. authorities. The Americans accuse him of bribery over a business deal in India unrelated to events examined in this article. Firtash denies those allegations and is currently free on bail.
Firtash imported the cheap Russian gas through a Cypriot company of which he is sole director, and a Swiss one set up by Group DF. He and Group DF declined to answer questions about those two companies and their gas dealings. A spokesman said Firtash was not available to discuss his business operations, and that Group DF did not wish to comment on “any of the questions you put forth.”
The Kremlin spokesman Peskov said Putin has met Firtash but that they are not close acquaintances. He said Russia supplied gas at “lower prices” to Ukraine because Yanukovich had asked for it and Russia wanted to help Ukraine’s petrochemical industry. Peskov said the deals were arranged through Firtash because “the Ukrainian government asked for it to be that way.”
Yanukovich, who fled to Russia in February after mass demonstrations against his government, could not be reached for comment.

THE MIDDLEMAN

From the moment he first became Russia’s president, Putin moved to take control of his country’s most valuable resource: natural gas. After assuming power in 2000, he replaced the management of Gazprom, put trusted allies in charge, and ensured the Russian state controlled more than half the shares.
The corporate behemoth now supplies about a third of Europe’s gas, generating vital revenue for Russia and giving Putin a powerful economic lever. “Gazprom is very much a tool of Russian foreign policy,” says Rem Korteweg, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform. Every major deal that Gazprom signs is approved by Putin, people in the energy industry say.
Putin’s spokesman rejected such assertions: Gazprom, he said, “is a commercial, public company, which has international shareholders. It acts in the interests of its shareholders, which also include the Russian state.”
In normal times, Gazprom’s second biggest customer in Europe is Ukraine; Russian gas was piped directly across the border between the two countries until Russia cut off supplies earlier this year.
In the 2000s, though, Gazprom decided to sell gas not directly to Ukraine’s state gas company Naftogaz, but to intermediaries - in particular Firtash, an international gas dealer who had risen from humble origins.
Firtash grew up in west Ukraine, where his father worked in education and his mother in a sugar factory, according to an account Firtash gave during a meeting with the U.S. ambassador in Kiev in 2008. Both his parents disdained communism and lacked the contacts needed to get their son into university, he said.
He joined the army in 1986, then trained to be a fireman. When the Soviet Union collapsed, leading to Ukraine’s independence in 1991, Firtash found himself having to make a living in an uncertain world, according to his account to the ambassador. With his first wife, he set up a business in west Ukraine shipping canned goods to Uzbekistan, according to local media reports researched by the U.S. embassy.
A U.S. diplomatic cable, which summarised Firtash’s discussion with the ambassador, drily noted: “Due to his commodities business, (Firtash) became acquainted with several powerful business figures from the former Soviet Union.”
According to the cable, Firtash told the U.S. ambassador he had been forced to deal with suspected criminals because at that time it was impossible to do business in Ukraine cleanly. He said he had needed and received permission from a man named Semion Mogilevich to establish various businesses. Mogilevich, an alleged boss of organised crime in eastern Europe, is wanted by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation for an alleged multi-million-dollar fraud in the 1990s involving a company headquartered in the United States. He was indicted in 2003, and described by the FBI in 2009 as having an “extensive international criminal network.”
Firtash has repeatedly denied having any close relationship with Mogilevich. Mogilevich could not be contacted for comment. He has previously denied any wrongdoing or any connection to the gas trade in Ukraine.
By 2002, a company called Eural Trans Gas, registered in Hungary, was transporting gas from Turkmenistan through Russia to Ukraine. Its ownership was unclear, but Firtash represented it. In July 2004, a new company, RosUkrEnergo, became the intermediary for gas deals between Russia and Ukraine. The owners of RUE were unknown at first, but it later emerged that nearly all of the company was owned by Firtash and Gazprom.
RUE bought gas cheaply and sold it on at a higher price in Ukraine and Europe. This arrangement guaranteed profits for RUE and was hugely controversial among Ukrainians who saw RUE as an unnecessary intermediary. Another U.S. diplomatic cable, from March 2009, described RUE as a “cash cow” and a “serious source of ... political patronage.” In a website posting, RUE said that in 2007 it sold nearly $10 billion worth of gas and had net income of $795 million.
After Yulia Tymoshenko, herself a former gas trader, became prime minister of Ukraine in 2008, she reacted to public anger about the gas trade and moved to cut Firtash and RUE out of the business. She struck her own gas deal with Putin in 2009.
By that time, Firtash was rich. In the country’s 2010 presidential election, Firtash, by his own admission, aided the pro-Russian Yanukovich. A U.S. diplomatic cable described Firtash as a “major financial backer” of Yanukovich.
“Firtash supported Yanukovich in various ways,” said Vadym Karasiov, an aide to Viktor Yuschenko, Ukraine’s president from 2005 to 2010, in an interview. Karasiov said the mogul used his influence in the media to promote Yanukovich. In April 2010, in the aftermath of the election, Karasiov told the Kiev Post: “Without Dmitry Firtash there wouldn’t have been a (Yanukovich) victory.”
With Yanukovich president, Tymoshenko stepped down as prime minister. Business associates of Firtash were appointed to influential positions in the new administration. He had allies in the corridors of power, and ambitious plans to expand his business empire and get back into the gas trade. His friends in Russia were happy to help him.

THE LOANS

Tucked away in Nicosia, Cyprus, a bundle of tattered papers wrapped in string records Russian credit agreements made to Firtash companies. The documents, reviewed by Reuters, detail a series of financing deals worth billions of dollars.
The deals were arranged by a Russian lender called Gazprombank. Despite its name, the bank is not controlled by Gazprom, which holds only a minority stake. It is a separate business, overseen by people linked to Putin. They include Yuri Kovalchuk, a banker who until March 2014 controlled an investment firm that manages a majority stake in Gazprombank.
In a statement, Gazprombank said: “We do not receive any instructions from the Kremlin ... The strategy of the bank is developed by its management board and approved by the board of directors. No other influence is possible.”
Asked whether Putin had any role in issuing the loans to Firtash companies, Kremlin spokesman Peskov said: “Putin, as president, does not have anything to do with this.”
Gazprombank began lending money to Firtash companies soon after Yanukovich took power in Ukraine in February 2010.
In June that year, Firtash established a company called Ostchem Investments in Cyprus. A month later, Gazprombank registered a credit line to the company of $815 million, according to the Cyprus documents. In September, Ostchem Investments bought a 90 percent stake in the Stirol fertiliser plant in Ukraine. It was perfect synergy: Firtash knew the gas business, and natural gas is a major feedstock for making fertiliser.
Further loans and deals with Firtash companies followed.
Reuters found that by March 2011, Gazprombank had registered credit lines of up to $11.15 billion to Firtash companies. The companies may not have borrowed that whole sum, but the documents indicate that loans up to that amount were available, according to Cyprus lawyers.
In the space of seven months in 2011 alone, Firtash acquired control of two more fertiliser plants in Ukraine, Severodonetsk Azot and Rivne Azot. He also bought the Nika Tera sea port, through which fertiliser and other dry bulk goods are shipped. He acquired a lender called Nadra Bank and invested in the titanium processing industry.
Such was his expansion that Firtash became the fifth largest fertiliser producer in Europe. Being a large employer brought not just potential profits but also political clout, he boasted. “We have relations with MPs,” Firtash told Die Presse in Austria in May. “We are big employers in the regions that they represent. Entire cities live on our factories. Election candidates seek our support.”
When asked in 2011 where the money came from to pay for his acquisitions, Firtash was coy. At a press conference called to announce his purchase of the Severdonetsk plant, he declined to name his major lenders. “It’s a secret,” he told Ukrainian journalists.
But a Gazprombank manager told Reuters that the Russian bank had led a consortium of lenders which in 2011 agreed to lend about $7 billion to Firtash. The official said Gazprombank itself lent Firtash $2.2 billion, and that Firtash still owed the bank $2.08 billion. The official declined to name other lenders in the consortium.
A $2.2 billion loan was a big commitment for Gazprombank: It amounted to nearly a quarter of the bank’s total capital, the maximum loan allowed by Russian banking rules for any single client or group. Based on regulatory filings, the loan facility made Firtash the biggest single borrower from Gazprombank.
Reuters was unable to establish exactly how much in total the Gazprombank consortium lent to Firtash companies.
In a statement, Gazprombank said that “the aggregate amount of loans disbursed to Ostchem Group” was “several times lower” than $11 billion. “And all capital requirements and limitations of the Central Bank of Russia in respect of loans granted have always been complied with by Gazprombank, including loans to Ostchem Group,” the statement said.
The bank declined to give any further details, saying it had to protect client confidentiality. The central bank had no comment.

GAS PROFITS

Firtash now had money, political connections and businesses that relied on large supplies of gas. What he needed next was fuel.
In January 2011, Firtash signed an unpublished agreement, seen by Reuters, with Gazprom to buy gas through a company called Ostchem Holding in Cyprus, where he is the sole director listed.
The gas deal was later extended to include sales to Ostchem Gas Trading AG in Switzerland. It was also agreed by Naftogaz, Ukraine’s state-owned gas firm, where Yanukovich had installed new senior management. Firtash needed Naftogaz’s sign-off because it controlled pipelines delivering gas and, until that point, had an exclusive deal to import gas from Gazprom.
Naftogaz’s decision to agree to the deal was an odd one. Not only did it mean Naftogaz would surrender its monopoly on Russian gas imports, but the deal could also potentially damage the state firm. Naftogaz had previously agreed with Gazprom to pay for a set amount of gas whether it could sell it in Ukraine or not. Firtash’s deal could leave the Ukrainian state firm buying gas it would struggle to sell.
Firtash’s return to importing gas became public knowledge after Yanukovich’s election victory. But the price he paid Moscow, and how much cheap gas he bought, remained unclear. An Ostchem spokesman told Reuters the price was “confidential information.”
Russian customs records seen by Reuters show that in 2012, Moscow sold the gas to Firtash for $230 per 1,000 cubic metres (the standard unit used in gas sales). In 2013 the average cost was $267 per unit. Those prices were at least one-third less than those paid by Ukraine’s Naftogaz.
Ukrainian customs documents and corporate filings show that Firtash’s Ostchem companies in Cyprus and Switzerland resold the gas to his chemical plants in Ukraine for $430 per unit. The prices and volumes suggest that the two offshore Ostchem companies made an operating profit of approximately $3.7 billion in two years.
Naftogaz’s current management is highly critical of the way in which Gazprom favoured Firtash’s companies. Aliona Osmolovska, chief of press relations, said: “These special deals for Ostchem were not in the interest of Ukraine.”
The real loser in the deal, though, was Gazprom. The arrangement, which Putin described during a press conference as having been made with the “input of the Russian leadership,” meant Russia sold its gas to Firtash for at least $100 per unit less than it could have made in Western Europe, according to Emily Stromquist, head of Russian energy analysis at Eurasia Group, a political risk research firm.
In addition, the profits from the subsequent resale of the gas were all reaped offshore by companies that did not benefit the Russian taxpayer. Those profits in 2012 and 2013 would have meant an additional $2 billion for Gazprom, whose ultimate majority owners are Russia’s citizens.
Gazprom declined to comment on its sales to Firtash’s companies.
Putin’s spokesman Peskov said Naftogaz agreed to Firtash receiving gas at low prices because the deal was intended to help Ukraine’s petrochemical industry. Asked why the gas was sold to companies in Cyprus and Switzerland, Peskov said: “Putin doesn’t need to approve this action. These operations are technical and were made by Gazprom according to the structures which are always used by its Ukrainian partners.”
Neither of the two Firtash companies that bought gas from Russia publishes accounts. Firtash declined to comment on the firms or their results.

UNEASY STANDOFF

The new government in Ukraine alleges that Yanukovich had allowed corruption to flourish and stolen millions of dollars. In the longer term, the new government says it wants to forge closer ties with the European Union and reduce its dependence on Russian gas.
In June, Moscow cut off supplies of gas to Kiev, claiming that it was owed billions of dollars by Ukraine’s state-owned Naftogaz. Late last month, the two countries struck a deal allowing supplies to resume, but the agreement runs only until March. Firtash retains large stocks of gas but has not imported new supplies since Yanukovich was ousted.
Firtash remains in Austria awaiting the outcome of extradition hearings. According to a U.S. indictment unsealed in April, he is suspected of a scheme to bribe Indian government officials to procure titanium. Two U.S. government officials said the American investigation into Firtash is continuing; they declined to give further details.
The Ukrainian oligarch has said the allegations are “without foundation” and has accused Washington of acting for “purely political reasons.” He has hired an all-star legal defence team. It includes Lanny Davis, who helped President Bill Clinton weather a series of White House scandals in the 1990s.
In his time of trouble Firtash has not been deserted by the Russians. Since his arrest he has received another loan in order to pay his bail: $155 million from Vasily Anisimov, the billionaire who heads the Russian Judo Federation, the governing body in Russia of Putin’s beloved sport.
“I have known Mr. Firtash for a number of years, though he is neither my friend nor business partner,” Anisimov told Reuters in an email. “I confirm that I loaned 125 million euros to him. This was a purely business transaction.” (Additional reporting by Michele Kambas in Cyprus, Elizabeth Piper and Jason Bush in Moscow, Oleksandr Akymenko and Pavel Polityuk in Kiev, Jack Stubbs in London, Warren Strobel in Washington and Michele Martin in Berlin; Edited by Richard Woods and Michael Williams)
The Dark Heart Of The Impeachment Investigation Is A Powerful Oligarch — With Close Ties To Vladimir Putin

Michael_Novakhov shared this story .

If you were wondering how Vladimir Putin’s “mafia state” was involved in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, look no further than the Ukrainian oligarch wanted by the US.
Dmytro Firtash is usually described as a Ukrainian oligarch with admitted ties to organized crime, but he is much more than that. He has direct ties to Russia, and to President Vladimir Putin in particular, and those have only grown since he was arrested five years ago, awaiting extradition to the United States.
Now Firtash is at the nexus of Trump and Rudy Giuliani’s effort to undermine the president’s enemies — and behind Firtash is a whole lot of Russian money and cover.
The events that spawned the impeachment inquiry have shown how Trump uses his perch in the White House to serve personal goals (in this case pressuring the new Ukrainian president to investigate the 2016 election and events related to the upcoming one in 2020). Giuliani’s shadow investigation to serve those goals intersected perfectly with the interests of people with personal grievances in Ukraine, and with Ukrainian Americans in the US long used to hustling to make a quick buck.
Firtash understands those dynamics as well as anyone. He had long been in the sights of US investigators when he was indicted in 2013, charged with leading an international scheme to bribe Indian officials to win the rights to a mining project there and then sell the goods to a US company, reportedly Boeing. But those details, for the purposes of the impeachment inquiry and for understanding Firtash’s role in the world, don’t actually matter. It’s like getting Al Capone on charges of tax evasion.
Firtash was arrested in Austria in 2014, and has been fighting extradition to the US ever since. He swiftly posted 125 million euros ($140 million) in bail and promised not to leave the country. The bail was the highest ever paid in Austria — and he got the funds to cover it via a loan from Russian billionaire Vasily Anisimov, who made his money in metals before switching to property development. Anisimov owns the luxury grounds on which a number of wealthy, well-connected Russian men have built their homes, including Putin’s childhood friend, billionaire Arkady Rotenberg. Anisimov also heads Russia’s Judo Federation — Putin often awards his associates plum spots on Russia’s sports leagues, and judo is his favorite of them all. Anisimov told Reuters, in a massive investigation into Firtash’s Russia ties, that the loan “was a purely business transaction.”
Why the interest from Russia? As one former US official who closely followed Firtash’s case put it: “He knows where all the bodies are buried.”
Firtash built himself up to become a key player in the tug-of-war between Russia and Ukraine. In a State Department cable written in 2008 and publicized in a dump by WikiLeaks, then-ambassador Bill Taylor — who would go on to give explosive testimony in the impeachment inquiry this week — wrote up a meeting with Firtash and said, “he acknowledged ties to Russian organized crime figure Seymon Mogilevich, stating he needed Mogilevich’s approval to get into business in the first place.” Mogilevich, one of Russia’s most powerful organized crime figures and listed as most wanted by the FBI, lives freely in Moscow, under cover of the Kremlin.
When people talk about Russia being a “mafia state,” this is sort of what they mean — if the mob ran wild in the post-Soviet 1990s, in Putin’s era it has been co-opted, and some of its tactics absorbed and deployed by the state. Subsequent court documents filed in the US called Firtash and his associate Andras Knopp — now also living freely in Moscow — ”two upper-echelon associates of Russian organized crime.”
Firtash built much of his wealth and power through RosUkrEnergo, a needless intermediary that inserted itself into the gas trade between Russia and Ukraine. That trade served two purposes for Russia: It fed massive corruption, likely enriching Putin personally, and it was a key tool that Russia would deploy to try to bully Ukraine into doing what the Kremlin wanted.
“This RosUkrEnergo scheme is really as close as you get to Putin himself,” the former US official said. ”It was this massive diversion of gas revenues through this scheme to, on the one hand, Putin's private accounts or those associated with his beneficiaries, and then the pro-Russian Party of Regions on the other hand, not to mention Firtash's own pocket. It all goes back to Putin, and that's why I think he knows where the bodies are buried. This is one of the most audacious frauds probably in Russian history, it's just a cash cow that keeps channeling money back into Putin's pockets but also helps support the whole pro-Putin political architecture in Ukraine.” Firtash has repeatedly denied all accusations against him.
“He’s a power broker with close links to the Kremlin, who used to be the proxy to one of the most dangerous criminals in the world, who is interested to keep Ukraine closer to Russia,” said Daria Kaleniuk, the head of the Anti-Corruption Action Centre, a leading NGO in Kyiv. “The people whom he represents — those people in the Kremlin — are very much trying to block his extradition to the US, as he’s still needed as a proxy to manage some important assets.” Among those is a plant in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that Russia seized in 2014. “In order to operate such a plant in Crimea, you need the blessing and cover of Russians and the Kremlin,” Kaleniuk said.
The flood of impeachment news has swirled around Firtash from the beginning, starting with Giuliani and his merry cast of Ukrainian and Ukrainian American characters. It was an affidavit for his case, written by fired prosecutor Viktor Shokin and published by John Solomon in the Hill, that fed Giuliani’s conspiracy theory that the Ukrainian had been fired for investigating Joe Biden’s son. Then, it emerged that the oligarch fired his longtime lawyer Lanny Davis, because he represented Trump’s (now remorseful) former lawyer Michael Cohen, and replaced him with two lawyers close to the president and Giuliani, Joe diGenova and Victoria Toensing. That hire, according to the Washington Post, was suggested by Giuliani associate Lev Parnas, who has pleaded not guilty to four counts of campaign finance violations. Parnas, a key player in Giuliani’s drive to get information on Democrats from Ukrainian officials, was working for Firtash’s legal team as a translator, a fact that seems to go unremarked upon, although it makes little sense that a man who spent enormous amounts of money and energy working his way into US political circles and private jets, and ran dozens of businesses in his lifetime, would take work as a translator.
A spokesperson for Firtash’s legal team declined to comment on how Firtash and Parnas met — though he said it happened in June, one month before diGenova and Toensing signed on. Parnas, and Giuliani associate Igor Fruman, who also pleaded not guilty, were en route to Vienna when they were arrested. DiGenova told the Wall Street Journal at the time that it was unconnected to Firtash’s case; CNN reported Wednesday that the two men were telling people they were heading there to set up an interview for Sean Hannity with Shokin. To cap it all off, Firtash this summer also hired Mark Corallo, who acted as spokesperson for Trump’s private defense team during the Mueller investigation.
Meanwhile, Parnas and Fruman were pushing for leadership changes at the Ukrainian gas company Naftogaz, to which Firtash still owes a massive debt. Outgoing Energy Secretary Rick Perry was pushing for a leadership shake-up there as well.
These connections make sense when you consider Firtash’s, and the Kremlin’s, ultimate goal — to prevent his extradition to the US, and some retention of his wealth and power. Some former US officials and agents who spoke to BuzzFeed News believe the US would likely seek to mine Firtash for information about Putin. There are constant rumors of a plea bargain. But Firtash reportedly rejected an approach to cooperate with the Mueller investigation.
“I think Firtash would rather spend decades in an American prison than give up dirt on Putin because I think if he did, that would be the end of him and he knows it,” one former official said. (On top of that, the US has a history of jailing high-profile Russian targets, like arms dealer Viktor Bout, who refuse to spill.)
Much of the discourse around Trump’s ties to Russia and the Mueller investigation was misguided — seeking a smoking gun, or a backroom deal, that would reveal a secret plot between Trump and Putin to bring the unlikely candidate to power, when in fact much of that wooing was done out in the open. Two years into his presidency, Trump’s character and governing style was fully revealed — transactional, narcissistic, power-hungry, obsessed with vengeance. That is the type of person whom Firtash, the ultimate power broker and a man who grew wealthy managing the interests of some of the most powerful people in the world, knows how to deal with.
“What the Ukrainians are better than the American at is connecting the dots, because Americans say, look, for me to connect the dots, I need a call from that guy to that guy. It doesn't work that way,” a second former US official said. “It's all very behind the scenes, very few written communications, a lot of phone calls, a lot of get on a plane and fly out for a 20 minute meeting and fly back home. Come to Vienna, we'll have dinner, things like that,” the former official said. “You have to think like they do and not like we do.”
William Taylor's testimony is credible and critical

Michael_Novakhov shared this story from Star Tribune.

Editorial563735252
Diplomat revealed what Trump is willing to do while putting his interests above the nation's. 
By Editorial Board Star Tribune
October 24, 2019 — 11:39am
Kirk D. McKoy • Los Angeles Times • TNS
The astonishing testimony of William B. Taylor, this country’s top diplomat to Ukraine, shows the depths to which the administration of President Donald Trump has sunk in its efforts to put the president’s personal interests above those of this nation.
Taylor’s 15 pages of testimony, given in closed session to the U.S. House impeachment inquiry committee, lays out in meticulous detail how Taylor came to the queasy but inescapable conclusion that his official mission was at odds with a second, unofficial — and arguably more powerful — group led by Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, who holds no position within the federal government.
It sounds an alarm that should be heeded by every American, for it directly ties Trump to a quid pro quo that put his own re-election interests above national security concerns.
Taylor, who served as President George W. Bush’s ambassador to Ukraine, is intimately familiar with its strategic importance. U.S. foreign policy goals have been well served by aiding Ukrainian security as that nation fights a yearslong battle against Russian aggression.
Taylor, it should be noted, has unassailable credentials that should render him immune to the standard Republican character attacks against anyone who opposes Trump. He has a lifetime of service to his country, starting as a top-of-his-class West Point cadet who commanded a company in the 101st Airbone Division in Vietnam, won a Bronze Star, worked in NATO and the State Department, and served under Republican and Democratic administrations in hot spots around the world.
When he was asked by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to return to Ukraine as its chief of mission, the lead official for a diplomatic mission abroad, he did not yet know that Giuliani’s forces would undercut him at every turn in their effort to enlist a foreign government in Trump’s re-election push.
Since its forced annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia has continued to attempt its encroachment of Ukraine, which has depended heavily on U.S. aid in its efforts to fend off Russian aggression and maintain its independence. Imagine Taylor’s horror when he learned that newly elected President Volodymyr Zelensky, seeking an alliance with Trump, instead was subjected to a different kind of aggression — pressure to “investigate” Trump’s top political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden.
Taylor’s testimony goes further, revealing that he was told that Zelensky would have to publicly commit to such action because Trump wanted to put him “in a public box.” Hanging in the balance was $391 million of desperately needed security assistance, with congressional authorization that expired at the end of September. As Ukrainians fought and died to preserve their country, Taylor said he was told the country would have to “pay up” before Trump would “sign the check.”
This kind of behavior is unacceptable, and Trump’s obsession with re-election over this nation’s strategic interests is dangerous. It’s time for Republican lawmakers to search their conscience. Taylor is no stooge or unwitting pawn. He’s a tough, principled public servant who was rightly appalled at what he saw and now is laying it out clearly for others. That takes considerable courage in the face of an administration that demands personal fealty to its leader and wreaks vengeance on those who refuse.
On Wednesday, the president’s lawyers argued in court that Trump is above the law while in office no matter what he does, even if he should, in words the president once used, shoot someone on Fifth Avenue. That same day, a band of House Republicans forced their way into the closed impeachment inquiry committee, in a stunt that violated House rules and delayed testimony for five hours.
With such goings-on, it is more important than ever for Americans to be reminded that among us exist individuals of principle who serve this nation’s best interests, believe in its values, guard its reputation and call out wrongdoing when it jeopardizes the country they love. William Taylor is one of those leaders, and his warning call deserves to be heeded.
This time, don’t rely on brief video clips or even newspaper accounts. Read the testimony for yourself (tinyurl.com/TaylorTestimony).
More From Opinion


Signed in as Michael_Novakhov
Share this story on NewsBlur
William Taylor's testimony is credible and critical
Editorial563735252
Diplomat revealed what Trump is willing to do while putting his interests above the nation's. 
By Editorial Board Star Tribune
October 24, 2019 — 11:39am
The astonishing testimony of William B. Taylor, this country’s top diplomat to Ukraine, shows the depths to which the administration of President Donald Trump has sunk in its efforts to put the president’s personal interests above those of this nation.
Taylor’s 15 pages of testimony, given in closed session to the U.S. House impeachment inquiry committee, lays out in meticulous detail how Taylor came to the queasy but inescapable conclusion that his official mission was at odds with a second, unofficial — and arguably more powerful — group led by Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, who holds no position within the federal government.
It sounds an alarm that should be heeded by every American, for it directly ties Trump to a quid pro quo that put his own re-election interests above national security concerns.
Taylor, who served as President George W. Bush’s ambassador to Ukraine, is intimately familiar with its strategic importance. U.S. foreign policy goals have been well served by aiding Ukrainian security as that nation fights a yearslong battle against Russian aggression.
Taylor, it should be noted, has unassailable credentials that should render him immune to the standard Republican character attacks against anyone who opposes Trump. He has a lifetime of service to his country, starting as a top-of-his-class West Point cadet who commanded a company in the 101st Airbone Division in Vietnam, won a Bronze Star, worked in NATO and the State Department, and served under Republican and Democratic administrations in hot spots around the world.
When he was asked by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to return to Ukraine as its chief of mission, the lead official for a diplomatic mission abroad, he did not yet know that Giuliani’s forces would undercut him at every turn in their effort to enlist a foreign government in Trump’s re-election push.
Since its forced annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia has continued to attempt its encroachment of Ukraine, which has depended heavily on U.S. aid in its efforts to fend off Russian aggression and maintain its independence. Imagine Taylor’s horror when he learned that newly elected President Volodymyr Zelensky, seeking an alliance with Trump, instead was subjected to a different kind of aggression — pressure to “investigate” Trump’s top political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden.
Taylor’s testimony goes further, revealing that he was told that Zelensky would have to publicly commit to such action because Trump wanted to put him “in a public box.” Hanging in the balance was $391 million of desperately needed security assistance, with congressional authorization that expired at the end of September. As Ukrainians fought and died to preserve their country, Taylor said he was told the country would have to “pay up” before Trump would “sign the check.”
This kind of behavior is unacceptable, and Trump’s obsession with re-election over this nation’s strategic interests is dangerous. It’s time for Republican lawmakers to search their conscience. Taylor is no stooge or unwitting pawn. He’s a tough, principled public servant who was rightly appalled at what he saw and now is laying it out clearly for others. That takes considerable courage in the face of an administration that demands personal fealty to its leader and wreaks vengeance on those who refuse.
On Wednesday, the president’s lawyers argued in court that Trump is above the law while in office no matter what he does, even if he should, in words the president once used, shoot someone on Fifth Avenue. That same day, a band of House Republicans forced their way into the closed impeachment inquiry committee, in a stunt that violated House rules and delayed testimony for five hours.
With such goings-on, it is more important than ever for Americans to be reminded that among us exist individuals of principle who serve this nation’s best interests, believe in its values, guard its reputation and call out wrongdoing when it jeopardizes the country they love. William Taylor is one of those leaders, and his warning call deserves to be heeded.
This time, don’t rely on brief video clips or even newspaper accounts. Read the testimony for yourself (tinyurl.com/TaylorTestimony).
More From Opinion


Signed in as Michael_Novakhov
Share this story on NewsBlur

Shared stories are on their way...

Shared stories are on their way...


Signed in as Michael_Novakhov
Share this story on NewsBlur
William Taylor's testimony is credible and critical
Editorial563735252
Diplomat revealed what Trump is willing to do while putting his interests above the nation's. 
By Editorial Board Star Tribune
October 24, 2019 — 11:39am
The astonishing testimony of William B. Taylor, this country’s top diplomat to Ukraine, shows the depths to which the administration of President Donald Trump has sunk in its efforts to put the president’s personal interests above those of this nation.
Taylor’s 15 pages of testimony, given in closed session to the U.S. House impeachment inquiry committee, lays out in meticulous detail how Taylor came to the queasy but inescapable conclusion that his official mission was at odds with a second, unofficial — and arguably more powerful — group led by Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, who holds no position within the federal government.
It sounds an alarm that should be heeded by every American, for it directly ties Trump to a quid pro quo that put his own re-election interests above national security concerns.
Taylor, who served as President George W. Bush’s ambassador to Ukraine, is intimately familiar with its strategic importance. U.S. foreign policy goals have been well served by aiding Ukrainian security as that nation fights a yearslong battle against Russian aggression.
Taylor, it should be noted, has unassailable credentials that should render him immune to the standard Republican character attacks against anyone who opposes Trump. He has a lifetime of service to his country, starting as a top-of-his-class West Point cadet who commanded a company in the 101st Airbone Division in Vietnam, won a Bronze Star, worked in NATO and the State Department, and served under Republican and Democratic administrations in hot spots around the world.
When he was asked by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to return to Ukraine as its chief of mission, the lead official for a diplomatic mission abroad, he did not yet know that Giuliani’s forces would undercut him at every turn in their effort to enlist a foreign government in Trump’s re-election push.
Since its forced annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia has continued to attempt its encroachment of Ukraine, which has depended heavily on U.S. aid in its efforts to fend off Russian aggression and maintain its independence. Imagine Taylor’s horror when he learned that newly elected President Volodymyr Zelensky, seeking an alliance with Trump, instead was subjected to a different kind of aggression — pressure to “investigate” Trump’s top political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden.
Taylor’s testimony goes further, revealing that he was told that Zelensky would have to publicly commit to such action because Trump wanted to put him “in a public box.” Hanging in the balance was $391 million of desperately needed security assistance, with congressional authorization that expired at the end of September. As Ukrainians fought and died to preserve their country, Taylor said he was told the country would have to “pay up” before Trump would “sign the check.”
This kind of behavior is unacceptable, and Trump’s obsession with re-election over this nation’s strategic interests is dangerous. It’s time for Republican lawmakers to search their conscience. Taylor is no stooge or unwitting pawn. He’s a tough, principled public servant who was rightly appalled at what he saw and now is laying it out clearly for others. That takes considerable courage in the face of an administration that demands personal fealty to its leader and wreaks vengeance on those who refuse.
On Wednesday, the president’s lawyers argued in court that Trump is above the law while in office no matter what he does, even if he should, in words the president once used, shoot someone on Fifth Avenue. That same day, a band of House Republicans forced their way into the closed impeachment inquiry committee, in a stunt that violated House rules and delayed testimony for five hours.
With such goings-on, it is more important than ever for Americans to be reminded that among us exist individuals of principle who serve this nation’s best interests, believe in its values, guard its reputation and call out wrongdoing when it jeopardizes the country they love. William Taylor is one of those leaders, and his warning call deserves to be heeded.
This time, don’t rely on brief video clips or even newspaper accounts. Read the testimony for yourself (tinyurl.com/TaylorTestimony).
More From Opinion


Signed in as Michael_Novakhov
Share this story on NewsBlur
William Taylor's testimony is credible and critical
Editorial563735252
Diplomat revealed what Trump is willing to do while putting his interests above the nation's. 
By Editorial Board Star Tribune
October 24, 2019 — 11:39am
The astonishing testimony of William B. Taylor, this country’s top diplomat to Ukraine, shows the depths to which the administration of President Donald Trump has sunk in its efforts to put the president’s personal interests above those of this nation.
Taylor’s 15 pages of testimony, given in closed session to the U.S. House impeachment inquiry committee, lays out in meticulous detail how Taylor came to the queasy but inescapable conclusion that his official mission was at odds with a second, unofficial — and arguably more powerful — group led by Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, who holds no position within the federal government.
It sounds an alarm that should be heeded by every American, for it directly ties Trump to a quid pro quo that put his own re-election interests above national security concerns.
Taylor, who served as President George W. Bush’s ambassador to Ukraine, is intimately familiar with its strategic importance. U.S. foreign policy goals have been well served by aiding Ukrainian security as that nation fights a yearslong battle against Russian aggression.
Taylor, it should be noted, has unassailable credentials that should render him immune to the standard Republican character attacks against anyone who opposes Trump. He has a lifetime of service to his country, starting as a top-of-his-class West Point cadet who commanded a company in the 101st Airbone Division in Vietnam, won a Bronze Star, worked in NATO and the State Department, and served under Republican and Democratic administrations in hot spots around the world.
When he was asked by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to return to Ukraine as its chief of mission, the lead official for a diplomatic mission abroad, he did not yet know that Giuliani’s forces would undercut him at every turn in their effort to enlist a foreign government in Trump’s re-election push.
Since its forced annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia has continued to attempt its encroachment of Ukraine, which has depended heavily on U.S. aid in its efforts to fend off Russian aggression and maintain its independence. Imagine Taylor’s horror when he learned that newly elected President Volodymyr Zelensky, seeking an alliance with Trump, instead was subjected to a different kind of aggression — pressure to “investigate” Trump’s top political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden.
Taylor’s testimony goes further, revealing that he was told that Zelensky would have to publicly commit to such action because Trump wanted to put him “in a public box.” Hanging in the balance was $391 million of desperately needed security assistance, with congressional authorization that expired at the end of September. As Ukrainians fought and died to preserve their country, Taylor said he was told the country would have to “pay up” before Trump would “sign the check.”
This kind of behavior is unacceptable, and Trump’s obsession with re-election over this nation’s strategic interests is dangerous. It’s time for Republican lawmakers to search their conscience. Taylor is no stooge or unwitting pawn. He’s a tough, principled public servant who was rightly appalled at what he saw and now is laying it out clearly for others. That takes considerable courage in the face of an administration that demands personal fealty to its leader and wreaks vengeance on those who refuse.
On Wednesday, the president’s lawyers argued in court that Trump is above the law while in office no matter what he does, even if he should, in words the president once used, shoot someone on Fifth Avenue. That same day, a band of House Republicans forced their way into the closed impeachment inquiry committee, in a stunt that violated House rules and delayed testimony for five hours.
With such goings-on, it is more important than ever for Americans to be reminded that among us exist individuals of principle who serve this nation’s best interests, believe in its values, guard its reputation and call out wrongdoing when it jeopardizes the country they love. William Taylor is one of those leaders, and his warning call deserves to be heeded.
This time, don’t rely on brief video clips or even newspaper accounts. Read the testimony for yourself (tinyurl.com/TaylorTestimony).
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1:27 PM 10/24/2019 » Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠: United States of America v. Rudolph W. Giuliani

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» Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠: United States of America v. Rudolph W. Giuliani
24/10/19 10:29 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
Michael_Novakhov shared this story from Just Security. [ Editor’s note: What follows is a sort of thought experiment. What would an indictment of Rudy Giuliani look like based on the current, publicly available evidence of his misconduct...



Trump, Biden, Ukraine Affair – Google Search | Thursday October 24th, 2019 at 12:27 PM
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C-SPAN has launched a new web page, c-span.org/ impeachment , devoted to Congress’ impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. The goal … Saved Stories – None
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» Donald Trump: White House Press Secretary: People Who Don't Like Trump 'Deserve' To Be Called Scum
24/10/19 12:48 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
Stephanie Grisham defended the president's tweet attacking his Republican critics as "human scum." Donald Trump
» The @realDonaldTrump Administration is working diligently to rebuild our nation’s crumbling #infrastructure. This project will revitalize the local railroad infrastructure, enabling the free flow of goods to and from the Southeast #Missouri Regional Port
24/10/19 12:44 from Twitter Search / SecretaryRoss
The @ realDonaldTrump Administration is working diligently to rebuild our nation’s crumbling # infrastructure . This project will revitalize the local railroad infrastructure, enabling the free flow of goods to and from the Southea...
» "wilbur ross" - Google News: Aluminum Association Lauds Bipartisan Letter to Commerce Department: Time for an Aluminum Import Monitoring Program - GlobeNewswire
24/10/19 12:42 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
Aluminum Association Lauds Bipartisan Letter to Commerce Department: Time for an Aluminum Import Monitoring Program    GlobeNewswire "wilbur ross" - Google News
» His voice could shake mountains, stir the most cynical hearts, inspire us to be better.His authority came from the moral force of his life.A sharecropper’s son, born and raised in Baltimore, Elijah Cummings never lost sight of where he wanted his coun
24/10/19 12:36 from Twitter Search / SenSchumer
His voice could shake mountains, stir the most cynical hearts, inspire us to be better. His authority came from the moral force of his life. A sharecropper’s son, born and raised in Baltimore, Elijah Cummings never lost sight of wh...
» Trump Investigations, Middle East, and Israel from Michael_Novakhov (18 sites): "israel and germany" - Google News: Armed with passports, military attachés form Israel's lesser-known line of defense - Israel Hayom
24/10/19 12:29 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
Armed with passports, military attachés form Israel's lesser-known line of defense    Israel Hayom "israel and germany" - Google News Trump Investigations, Middle East, and Israel from Michael_Novakhov (18 sites)
» Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠: Trump, Biden, Ukraine Affair - Google Search
24/10/19 12:27 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
Michael_Novakhov shared this story . 1050 × 549 Collections Get help Send feedback The New York Times [PDF] Trump's Efforts to Push Ukraine Toward a Biden Inquiry: A ... Images may be subject to copyright.   Find out more Image credits R...
» Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠: Trump–Ukraine scandal - Wikipedia
24/10/19 12:24 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
Michael_Novakhov shared this story . The Trump–Ukraine scandal refers to efforts by President Donald Trump to coerce Ukraine and other foreign countries to provide damaging narratives about 2020 Democratic Party presidential candidate Jo...
» Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠: Trump, Biden, Ukraine Affair - Google Search
24/10/19 12:23 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
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» Trump News TV from Michael_Novakhov (12 sites): CNN's YouTube Videos: How Trump jeopardized Ukraine's national security for political gain
24/10/19 12:22 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
From: CNN Duration: 04:40 The United States is Ukraine's most important ally. But if the US doesn't maintain its support, that could leave Ukraine, and other nations, vulnerable to future acts of Russian aggression. CNN's YouTube Videos ...
» Trump News TV from Michael_Novakhov (12 sites): CBSNewsOnline's YouTube Videos: Mark Meadows gives emotional tribute to Elijah Cummings
24/10/19 12:20 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
From: CBSNewsOnline Duration: 02:53 Republican Congressman Mark Meadows expressed how much his friendship across the aisle with the late Elijah Cummings meant to him. Cummings is lying in state in the U.S. Capitol. CBSNewsOnline's YouTub...
» "trump putin" - Google News: Donald Trump Is ‘Owned’ By Vladimir Putin And It’s ‘All About Failed Casinos,’ Claims Former Trump Friend - The Inquisitr
24/10/19 12:19 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
Donald Trump Is ‘Owned’ By Vladimir Putin And It’s ‘All About Failed Casinos,’ Claims Former Trump Friend    The Inquisitr "trump putin" - Google News
» Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠: rudy giuliani - Google Search
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Michael_Novakhov shared this story . 780 × 520 Collections Get help Send feedback <a href="http://slate.com" rel="nofollow">slate.com</a> [PDF] Democrats' impeachment plan might let Rudy Giuliani off the ... Images may be subject to copyright.   Find out more Image credits Related i...
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24/10/19 12:17 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
Michael_Novakhov shared this story from "rudy giuliani" - Google News. Rudy Giuliani Is Reportedly Looking For A Defense Attorney Forbes - 13 hours ago Topline: President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani , is looki...
» Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠: rudy giuliani - Google Search
24/10/19 12:16 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
Michael_Novakhov shared this story . Rudy Giuliani Former Mayor of New York City Description Rudolph William Louis Giuliani is an American politician, attorney, and public speaker who served as the 107th Mayor of New York City from 1994 ...
» Trump News TV from Michael_Novakhov (12 sites): FoxNewsChannel's YouTube Videos: Graham to introduce resolution condemning House's closed-door impeachment inquiry
24/10/19 12:13 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
From: FoxNewsChannel Duration: 08:01 Graham set to introduce a resolution condemning House's closed-door impeachment inquiry. #FoxNews FOX News operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Radio, FOX News Hea...
» Trump News TV from Michael_Novakhov (12 sites): CBSNewsOnline's YouTube Videos: Nancy Pelosi celebrates the life of "North Star" Elijah Cummings
24/10/19 12:08 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
From: CBSNewsOnline Duration: 03:03 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was the first official to speak as longtime Congressman Elijah Cummings lay in state in the U.S. Capitol. She described him as the "North Star" who lived his life for others....
» 1. Trump from Michael_Novakhov (197 sites): "putin and trump" - Google News: U.S. Under Trump Has Lost Its 'Moral Principle' Says Ex-Russian FM - Newsweek
24/10/19 12:06 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
U.S. Under Trump Has Lost Its 'Moral Principle' Says Ex-Russian FM    Newsweek "putin and trump" - Google News 1. Trump from Michael_Novakhov (197 sites)
» Trump Investigations, Middle East, and Israel from Michael_Novakhov (18 sites): "israel and germany" - Google News: Kurds welcome German plan for international force in Syria - The Times of Israel
24/10/19 12:04 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
Kurds welcome German plan for international force in Syria    The Times of Israel "israel and germany" - Google News Trump Investigations, Middle East, and Israel from Michael_Novakhov (18 sites)
» "Next customers: Flynn and Jr." - Google News: Madison County real estate Sept. 17-23 - Madison County Record
24/10/19 12:02 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
Madison County real estate Sept. 17-23    Madison County Record "Next customers: Flynn and Jr." - Google News
» Trump Investigations, Middle East, and Israel from Michael_Novakhov (18 sites): "israel and germany" - Google News: Gantz to meet with heads of Labor-Gesher party on Monday - The Times of Israel
24/10/19 12:00 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
Gantz to meet with heads of Labor-Gesher party on Monday    The Times of Israel "israel and germany" - Google News Trump Investigations, Middle East, and Israel from Michael_Novakhov (18 sites)
» NPR News Now: NPR News: 10-24-2019 12PM ET
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NPR News: 10-24-2019 12PM ET Download audio: <a href="https://play.podtrac.com/npr-500005/edge1.pod.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/newscasts/2019/10/24/newscast120800.mp3?awCollectionId=500005&awEpisodeId=773040285&orgId=1&d=300&p=500005&story=77304028" rel="nofollow">https://play.podtrac.com/npr-500005/edge1.pod.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/newscasts/2019/10/24/newscast120800.mp3?awCollectionId=500005&awEpisodeId=773040285&orgId=1&d=300&p=500005&story=77304028</a>...
» 1. Trump from Michael_Novakhov (197 sites): "trump and putin" - Google News: Trump gave Putin the gift 'credibility' by allowing him to fill the vacuum US left in Syria: Ex-NATO commander - Raw Story
24/10/19 11:55 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
Trump gave Putin the gift 'credibility' by allowing him to fill the vacuum US left in Syria: Ex-NATO commander    Raw Story "trump and putin" - Google News 1. Trump from Michael_Novakhov (197 sites)
» President @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS are hard at work fighting the opioid crisis and supporting those affected by drug addiction.Yesterday, the First Lady visited Capitol Hill to discuss the accomplishments of the first year since the SUPPORT Act was
24/10/19 11:54 from Twitter Search / WhiteHouse
President @ realDonaldTrump and @ FLOTUS are hard at work fighting the opioid crisis and supporting those affected by drug addiction. Yesterday, the First Lady visited Capitol Hill to discuss the accomplishments of the first year since t...
» Trump News TV from Michael_Novakhov (12 sites): PBSNewsHour's YouTube Videos: WATCH: Jim Clyburn pays tribute to Rep. Elijah Cummings during memorial at U.S. Capitol
24/10/19 11:54 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
From: PBSNewsHour Duration: 03:52 Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: <a href="https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG" rel="nofollow">https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG</a> Find more from PBS NewsHour at <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour" rel="nofollow">https://www.pbs.org/newshour</a> Subscribe to our YouTube channel: <a href="https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6" rel="nofollow">https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6</a> Follow us: Face...
» "wilbur ross" - Google News: Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross under investigation for using private emails - Shareblue Media
24/10/19 11:52 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross under investigation for using private emails    Shareblue Media "wilbur ross" - Google News
» Trump News TV from Michael_Novakhov (12 sites): msnbcleanforward's YouTube Videos: Rep. Jackie Speier Calls For Salary Freeze For Non-Cooperative Officials | Morning Joe | MSNBC
24/10/19 11:50 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
From: msnbcleanforward Duration: 09:24 Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., of the Armed Services, Intel and Oversight Committees, discusses Laura Cooper's deposition, Amb. Bill Taylor's hearing and GOP behavior, and why she says Congress shoul...
» Trump News TV from Michael_Novakhov (12 sites): PBSNewsHour's YouTube Videos: WATCH: Karen Bass pays tribute to Rep. Elijah Cummings during memorial at U.S. Capitol
24/10/19 11:50 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
From: PBSNewsHour Duration: 02:25 Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: <a href="https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG" rel="nofollow">https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG</a> Find more from PBS NewsHour at <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour" rel="nofollow">https://www.pbs.org/newshour</a> Subscribe to our YouTube channel: <a href="https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6" rel="nofollow">https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6</a> Follow us: Face...
» "Next customers: Flynn and Jr." - Google News: Rep. Elijah Cummings to Lie In State Ahead of Homegoing on Friday - The Root
24/10/19 11:50 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
Rep. Elijah Cummings to Lie In State Ahead of Homegoing on Friday    The Root "Next customers: Flynn and Jr." - Google News
» Trump News TV from Michael_Novakhov (12 sites): msnbcleanforward's YouTube Videos: Trump Rails Against Bill Taylor; GOP Avoids Questions On Hearing | Morning Joe | MSNBC
24/10/19 11:49 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
From: msnbcleanforward Duration: 07:38 Congressional Republicans on Wednesday avoided questions following Amb. Bill Taylor's explosive testimony. Aired on 10/24/19. » Subscribe to MSNBC: <a href="http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc" rel="nofollow">http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc</a> MSNBC deliver...
» realDonaldTrump on Twitter: I really enjoyed my conversation with General @MazloumAbdi. He appreciates what we have done, and I appreciate what the Kurds have done. Perhaps it is time for the Kurds to start heading to the Oil Region!
24/10/19 11:48 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
I really enjoyed my conversation with General @MazloumAbdi. He appreciates what we have done, and I appreciate what the Kurds have done. Perhaps it is time for the Kurds to start heading to the Oil Region! Posted by realDonaldTrump on Th...
» 1. Trump from Michael_Novakhov (197 sites): "trump and republican party" - Google News: GOP stands by Trump, gingerly, after diplomat's testimony - Salt Lake Tribune
24/10/19 11:48 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
GOP stands by Trump, gingerly, after diplomat's testimony    Salt Lake Tribune "trump and republican party" - Google News 1. Trump from Michael_Novakhov (197 sites)
» Trump News TV from Michael_Novakhov (12 sites): msnbcleanforward's YouTube Videos: GOP Tries To Distract On Ukraine But Evidence Mounts | Morning Joe | MSNBC
24/10/19 11:48 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
From: msnbcleanforward Duration: 07:45 Top Ukrainian officials were told in early August about the delay of $391 million in security assistance, according to new reporting. The Morning Joe panel discusses. Aired on 10/24/19. » Subscribe ...
» 1. Trump from Michael_Novakhov (197 sites): "Elections 2016 Investigation" - Google News: CITIZEN by CNN event: Live updates - CNN
24/10/19 11:47 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
CITIZEN by CNN event: Live updates    CNN "Elections 2016 Investigation" - Google News 1. Trump from Michael_Novakhov (197 sites)
» Trump News TV from Michael_Novakhov (12 sites): msnbcleanforward's YouTube Videos: Joe Biden, Warren Leading 2020 Field In Separate Polling | Morning Joe | MSNBC
24/10/19 11:46 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
From: msnbcleanforward Duration: 08:00 Former VP Joe Biden is maintaining his lead among 2020 Democrats in new polling, and could Trump's attacks on him be helping his numbers? Also, a new Quinnipiac Poll shows Sen. Warren in the lead. T...
» "Mueller's Russia investigation" - Google News: Despite Trump Impeachment Inquiry, Congress Still Supports Ukraine Against Russia - Foreign Policy
24/10/19 11:44 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
Despite Trump Impeachment Inquiry, Congress Still Supports Ukraine Against Russia    Foreign Policy "Mueller's Russia investigation" - Google News
» Trump News TV from Michael_Novakhov (12 sites): PBSNewsHour's YouTube Videos: WATCH: Mark Meadows pays tribute to Rep. Elijah Cummings during memorial at U.S. Capitol
24/10/19 11:44 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
From: PBSNewsHour Duration: 02:55 Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: <a href="https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG" rel="nofollow">https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG</a> Find more from PBS NewsHour at <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour" rel="nofollow">https://www.pbs.org/newshour</a> Subscribe to our YouTube channel: <a href="https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6" rel="nofollow">https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6</a> Follow us: Face...
» Chairman Elijah Cummings believed in the promise of America because he had lived it. He committed his life to ensuring other Americans had many of the same opportunities. Today, we honor his legacy of service. https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1nAKEZDZZzoG
24/10/19 11:44 from Twitter Search / SpeakerPelosi
Chairman Elijah Cummings believed in the promise of America because he had lived it. He committed his life to ensuring other Americans had many of the same opportunities. Today, we honor his legacy of service. <a href="https://twitter.com/i/broad" rel="nofollow">https://twitter.com/i/broad</a>...
» Trump News TV from Michael_Novakhov (12 sites): CBSNewsOnline's YouTube Videos: 2020 Daily Trail Markers: Biden campaigns in Iowa as others rise in polling
24/10/19 11:41 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
From: CBSNewsOnline Duration: 06:02 Former Vice President Joe Biden made a campaign stop in Iowa as polls show other Democrats making inroads in the state. In his speech, Biden touched on health care and President Trump. He also apologiz...
» Trump News TV from Michael_Novakhov (12 sites): PBSNewsHour's YouTube Videos: WATCH: Chuck Schumer pays tribute to Rep. Elijah Cummings during memorial at U.S. Capitol
24/10/19 11:40 from Trump Investigations from Michael_Novakhov (32 sites)
From: PBSNewsHour Duration: 01:59 Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: <a href="https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG" rel="nofollow">https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG</a> Find more from PBS NewsHour at <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour" rel="nofollow">https://www.pbs.org/newshour</a> Subscribe to our YouTube channel: <a href="https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6" rel="nofollow">https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6</a> Follow us: Face...
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2 hours ago - Pompeo Gets Drawn Deeper—Way Deeper—Into the Ukraine Scandal ... Pompeo was on the July 25 call between Trump and Zelensky, the ...
17 hours ago - ... the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine implicated Trump in an abuse-of-power scheme. ... hearing as escalating Ukraine scandal threatens Trump ...
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The Trump–Ukraine scandal refers to efforts by President Donald Trump to coerce Ukraine and other foreign countries to provide damaging narratives about 2020 Democratic Party presidential candidate Joe Biden and about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. Trump enlisted surrogates within and outside his official administration, including his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Attorney General Bill Barr, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney to pressure Ukraine and other foreign governments to cooperate in supporting conspiracy theories concerning American politics.[1][2][3][4][5] Trump blocked payment of a congressionally mandated $400 million military aid package in order to exact quid pro quo cooperation from Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine. A number of contacts were established between the White House and the government of Ukraine, culminating in a July 2019 phone call between Trump and Zelensky.[6][1][2][7] When Trump's activities were revealed in August 2019, the House of Representatives launched an impeachment investigation.[8]
The scandal reached widespread public attention through an August 2019 whistleblower complaint, which raised concerns about Trump encouraging a foreign government to interefere in a U.S. election for the president's personal political benefit.[9][10][11] The Trump White House has corroborated several allegations raised by the whistleblower. A non-verbatim transcript of the Trump–Zelensky call confirmed that Trump requested investigations into Joe Biden, his son Hunter Biden, as well as a debunked conspiracy theory involving a Democratic National Committee server, while repeatedly urging Zelensky to work with Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General Barr on these matters.[12][13] The White House also confirmed that a record of the call had been stored in a highly restricted system.[14][15] The Trump administration's top diplomat to Ukraine, Bill Taylor, testified that U.S. military aid to Ukraine and a Trump–Zelensky White House meeting were "conditioned on the investigations" into the Bidens and alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections.[16] Trump has also publicly urged Ukraine and China to investigate the Bidens.[17]
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Rudy Giuliani Is Reportedly Looking For A Defense Attorney

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Topline: President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, is looking for a defense attorney, CNN reported Wednesday, as federal ...
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To Democrats and other Trump critics, the scene would be almost deliciously ironic: Rudy Giuliani, the ex-prosecutor known for perfecting the ...
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The pair raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars and jetted around the world touting their connections to Giuliani and the Trump ...
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Rudy Giuliani
Former Mayor of New York City

Description

Rudolph William Louis Giuliani is an American politician, attorney, and public speaker who served as the 107th Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He currently acts as an attorney to President Donald Trump. Wikipedia
BornMay 28, 1944 (age 75 years), East Flatbush, New York, United States
Height1.76 m
SpouseJudith Giuliani (m. 2003), Donna Hanover (m. 1984–2002), Regina Peruggi (m. 1968–1982)
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National Archives probes Wilbur Ross' use of private email

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The National Archives and Records Administration has launched an investigation into Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross' use of private email ...
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Talks with EU could be an alternative to auto import tariffs ...

CNBC-Oct 23, 2019
... imports next month, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has suggested in an interview with the Financial Times published on Wednesday.
National Archives launches investigation into Wilbur Ross's private email use

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United States of America v. Rudolph W. Giuliani

Michael_Novakhov shared this story from Just Security.

[Editor’s note: What follows is a sort of thought experiment. What would an indictment of Rudy Giuliani look like based on the current, publicly available evidence of his misconduct on matters involving Ukraine? The authors, both former United States Attorneys, drafted such a “mock indictment” of Giuliani in which the President (Individual-1) appears as an alleged co-conspirator). McQuade and Vance’s preface follows.]
While the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel has issued legal opinions that a sitting president cannot be indicted, there is no similar prohibition on indicting a president’s personal lawyer or other potential co-conspirators involved in committing a federal crime. Based on facts already in the public record, we believe that Rudolph Giuliani could be indicted now for conspiracy to interfere with the fair administration of elections, conspiracy to commit bribery, and contempt of Congress. Below is what an indictment of Giuliani might look like if it were drafted today.
It’s important to note that we are, to some degree, speculating here. We are considering charges that could be brought against Giuliani, using publicly available information. Prosecutors obviously don’t do this. They use only evidence that they are confident is correct and that they believe will be admissible in court. And their sense of the evidence will be more nuanced that what is publicly available. Nonetheless, with so much information now available, it is helpful to understand the seriousness of Giuliani’s conduct by seeing how it lines up to the crimes proscribed by the federal criminal code and whether there is evidence of criminality in what Ambassador Bill Taylor called the “irregular channel” for conducting foreign policy in Ukraine that involved Giuliani and others. (Taylor, a former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, currently heads the U.S. embassy in Ukraine as Chief of Mission.)
The three counts we outline represent just the crimes that could be proven by the public record alone. No doubt, if Giuliani is under investigation, prosecutors would want to probe additional potential crimes relating to his role, if any, in the recent campaign finance scheme charged against his associates Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman. It is entirely possible, but not yet clear, that some or all of those counts could be superseded to add Giuliani as a defendant. Prosecutors would also want to consider whether Giuliani was acting as an unregistered foreign agent in violation of the law when, as reported, he asked then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to intervene in the criminal prosecution of Reza Zarrab, a Turkey-based businessman, for money laundering and violation of U.S. sanctions on Iran.
Of course, a grand jury investigation related to the allegations we focus on here could uncover additional aggravating or mitigating facts that would inform potential charges against Giuliani. Prosecutors would likely use grand jury subpoenas and court orders to obtain Giuliani’s bank records and income tax returns to identify his sources of income and movement of money. Prosecutors would also interview individuals with knowledge of Giuliani’s activity, perhaps including some of the same former and current State Department officials who have been testifying before Congress.
In addition, prosecutors could offer cooperation deals to Parnas and Fruman, as well as to their less visible co-defendants David Correia and Andrey Kukushkin. If they were to promise to plead guilty to their crimes and provide truthful and comprehensive information, prosecutors could offer to make that information known to the sentencing judge and recommend a reduction in their sentences. Prosecutors would then work to corroborate the testimony of the cooperators, whose testimony is subject to skepticism because of the benefit they receive in exchange. If their testimony can be supported by the testimony of other witnesses or documents, such as phone or bank records, then they could be used as important narrators to the case that is presented at trial against Giuliani.
Only after the entire investigation of Giuliani is complete would prosecutors decide whether to charge, and if so, which violations to include in an indictment. We do so here without the benefit of facts known only to investigators and protected by grand jury secrecy rules. There could be mitigating facts or defenses that are not publicly known that would cause us to decline to file charges. And, as with any indictment, a defendant is presumed innocent until he is proven guilty at trial beyond a reasonable doubt.
When making charging decisions, prosecutors ask not only whether a crime has been committed, but whether a substantial federal interest would be advanced by filing charges. We believe that the charges contained here represent a substantial federal interest. An individual who conspires to inject foreign interference into a U.S. election attacks the very heart of democracy. Our laws prohibit foreign influence in our elections because our founding fathers believed that only American citizens should decide who holds public office in the United States, and we recognize that foreign governments and their citizens act in their own interests, not ours. Criminal cases are prosecuted for several reasons, including deterring illegal conduct, promoting respect for the rule of law, and protecting public safety. A prosecution here would advance all of these important goals.
A few observations on the charge for contempt of Congress deserve mention.  Giuliani’s refusal to comply with a subpoena for documents, which was issued by the three House Committees conducting the impeachment inquiry, is a criminal offense. In a letter to the Committees, Giuliani stated that he would not comply with the subpoena because it is part of an “unconstitutional, baseless and illegitimate ‘impeachment inquiry.'” Witnesses may challenge the scope of a subpoena as harassing, oppressive or overly broad by filing a motion to quash in court. They may not simply ignore the subpoena and defy Congress’s authority as one of three co-equal branches of government. The Constitution gives the power of impeachment to the House, and allows it to fashion its own rules for handling impeachment. There is no requirement that the full House take a vote before it may begin an impeachment inquiry, and the House has the authority to investigate any matter on which it may act, including impeachment. Giuliani’s conduct violates the federal criminal statute prohibiting witnesses from defying subpoenas issued by Congress or its committees. A subpoenaed witness before Congress can no more ignore a subpoena than can a witness in a federal trial. To permit individuals to selectively ignore such legal processes because they don’t want to comply, no matter who they are and who they represent, is a slippery slope to a lawless society.
However, before a U.S. Attorney may charge a witness with contempt of Congress, the contempt statute requires the completion of certain technical steps. The Committees must report the failure of the witness to comply with the subpoena to the House and the Speaker of the House, who must then certify the statement of facts regarding the failure to comply to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
Two final thoughts about the form of the mock indictment that follows.
If this were an actual indictment, many of the names would be replaced with generic identifiers, such as Candidate-1 or Company-A. The Justice Department requires this practice to protect the reputations of individuals and entities that are not charged with any crimes. A jury is told the identities of these individuals and entities at trial. We have left the names in the indictment, however, for clarity for readers. We refer to President Donald Trump as Individual-1, an unindicted co-conspirator.
At paragraph 2, we describe Giuliani as an agent as well as an attorney for Individual-1 to make it clear that not all of their communications will be protected by the attorney-client privilege. This privilege is limited to communications between a lawyer and client for the purposes of obtaining legal advice, and does not protect communications regarding an ongoing scheme to commit a crime or fraud. Nor does it protect communications that have been divulged to others.
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
*
*
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
v.
RUDOLPH W. GIULIANI,
Defendant
*
*
*
CRIMINAL NO.
(18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 201; 2 U.S.C. § 192)
*
*
*
MOCK INDICTMENT(A THOUGHT EXPERIMENT)
The Grand Jury for the District of Columbia charges:
COMMON ALLEGATIONS
Introduction
1.     The United States of America, through its departments and agencies, regulates the activities of foreign individuals and entities in and affecting the United States in order to prevent, disclose, and counteract improper foreign influence on U.S. elections and on the U.S. political system. The Federal Election Commission is a federal agency that administers the Federal Election Campaign Act (“FECA”). Among other things, the FECA prohibits foreign nationals from making certain expenditures or financial disbursements for the purpose of influencing federal elections, and prohibits any person from soliciting, accepting or receiving a thing of value from a foreign national in connection with a federal, state or local election. 52 U.S.C. § 30121(a)(2).
2.     At all times relevant to this Indictment, Defendant RUDOLPH W. GIULIANI was a private U.S. citizen licensed to practice law in the State of New York. At all times relevant to this indictment, GIUILIANI was serving as a private attorney and agent for Individual-1.
3.     At all times relevant to this Indictment, Individual-1 was a public official, and a declared candidate for the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
Events in Ukraine
4.    Ukraine is an independent foreign nation state that borders Russia and is a former Soviet Republic.
5.    In or around March 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine and purported to annex the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia continued to occupy at all times relevant to this Indictment. The following month, Russian forces invaded the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk and, with support of certain local forces, took control, starting a war that has continued at all times relevant to this Indictment and has killed more than 13,000 people. As a result of the Russian invasions, the United States imposed economic sanctions on Russia, the United Nations refused to recognize the new government in Crimea, and the inter-governmental political forum of industrialized nations known as the Group of 8 (“G-8”) expelled Russia and became known as the “G-7.”
6.   In or around April 2014, Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, joined the board of Burisma Holdings, an oil and gas company in Ukraine. Joe Biden is a candidate for president in 2020. Burisma was founded in 2002 by Mykola Zlochevsky, who had served as a cabinet member in the administrations of pro-Russian presidents of Ukraine.
7.   In or around August 2014, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Vitaly Yarema opened an investigation of Zlochevsky on suspicion of “unlawful enrichment.”
8.    On or about October 14, 2014, the Ukrainian parliament passed a law establishing the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (“NABU”) to combat public corruption. NABU was created in part because of the recognized ineffectiveness and corruption of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
9.   In or around February 2015, Viktor Shokin became the Prosecutor General of Ukraine. Throughout late 2015 and early 2016, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, and Vice President Biden were critical of Shokin for failing to pursue corruption investigations, explicitly including investigations of Zlochevsky.
10.   In or around March 2016, Shokin was dismissed as Prosecutor General.
11.   On or about May 12, 2016, Yuriy Lutsenko was appointed Prosecutor General.
12.   In or around September 2016, a court in Kyiv, Ukraine, ordered the case against Zlochevsky closed because no evidence of wrongdoing had been presented.
13.   On or about September 28, 2018, the U.S. Congress passed a spending bill for the Department of Defense that included $250 million in military aid under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative to help Ukraine contain Russian aggression in Crimea and other parts of the sovereign territory of Ukraine.
14.   In or around March 2019, Lutsenko opened investigations into the 2016 presidential election and Burisma.
15.   In or around April 2019, Hunter Biden resigned from the Board of Burisma.
16.   On April 21, 2019, Volodomyr Zelenskyy was elected President of Ukraine.
17.   On April 25, 2019, Joe Biden announced his candidacy for President.
18.   On or about May 18, 2019, Ukraine Prosecutor General Lutsenko said that he had no evidence of wrongdoing by Hunter Biden or Joe Biden, and that neither of the Bidens nor Burisma were the focus of any investigations.
19.   On or about May 20, 2019, U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch was publicly recalled from Ukraine and removed from her post.
20.   On or about June 18, 2019, the Department of Defense announced the $250 million plan “for additional training, equipment, and advisory efforts to build the capacity of Ukraine’s armed forces.”
21.   On or about August 28, 2019, it was reported that another $141 million was included in the military aid package for Ukraine, for a total of $391 million.
22.   On or about September 12, 2019, the military aid funds were released to Ukraine.
COUNT ONE
(Conspiracy to Defraud the United States)
23.   Paragraphs 1 through 22 of this Indictment are re-alleged and incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
24.   From in or around June 2017 to the present, in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, Defendant RUDOLPH W. GIULIANI and Individual-1, together and with others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, knowingly and intentionally conspired to defraud the United States by impairing, obstructing, and defeating the lawful functions of the Federal Election Commission in administering federal requirements that prohibit soliciting, accepting or receiving a thing of value from a foreign national in connection with a federal election.
Object of the Conspiracy
25.   The conspiracy had as its object impairing, obstructing, and defeating the lawful governmental functions of the United States by dishonest means in order to interfere with the U.S. political and electoral process, including the 2020 presidential election.
Manner and Means of the Conspiracy
26.   Starting in or around June 2017, defendant GIULIANI and his co-conspirators began to negotiate with representatives of the Government of Ukraine to obtain a public announcement that it was investigating (a) whether Ukrainians, US officials, and Democrats had conspired to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and (b) whether Burisma had been involved in corruption in connection to the Bidens.
27.   Defendant GIULIANI participated in meetings with representatives of the Government of Ukraine to advance these negotiations.
28   Defendant GIULIANI kept Indvidual-1 informed of his negotiations with representatives of the Government of Ukraine.
Overt Acts
29.   In furtherance of the Conspiracy, and to effect its illegal object, defendant GIULIANI and Individual-1, along with their co-conspirators, committed the following overt acts, as well as those set forth in paragraphs 1 through 28, which are re-alleged and incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.
30.   On or about June 8, 2017, defendant GIULIANI met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Lutsenko in Ukraine.
31.   In or around late 2018, defendant GIULIANI spoke with Shokin via Skype, a videoconferencing application.
32.   In or around late 2018, defendant GIULIANI was introduced to Lutsenko by Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman. GIULIANI spoke with Lutsenko by telephone on several occasions, urging Lutsenko to open an investigation into Biden and Burisma, and inviting him to meet at his office in New York.
33.   In or around January 2019, defendant GIULIANI asked the U.S. Department of State to grant a visa to Shokin to come to the United States.
34.   In or around January 2019, defendant GIULIANI met with Lutsenko in New York multiple timesover a period of two or three days. During those meetings, GIULIANI asked Lutsenko about investigations into Zlochevsky and whether the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, was loyal to President Trump.
35.   In or around January 2019, during a meeting with Lutsenko, defendant GIULIANI telephoned Individual-1 to brief him on what he had learned.
36.   In or around February 2019, defendant GIULIANI, with Parnas, met with Lutsenko in Warsaw, Poland.
37.   On or about March 20, 2019, Individual-1 posted on Twitter a news article about a Ukrainian “plot” to help Hillary Clinton win the 2016 election. GIULIANI tweeted, “Keep your eye on Ukraine.”
38.   On or about April 21, 2019, Individual-1 telephoned Zelenskyy to congratulate him, and urged him to pursue investigations of corruption.
39.   In or around May 2019, GIULIANI planned a trip to Ukraine, and publicly discussed his plans of “meddling in an investigation,” stating that he planned to tell Ukrainian officials “that information will be very, very helpful to my client, and may turn out to be helpful to my government.” GIULIANI canceled the trip after Zelenskyy refused to meet with him.
40.   On May 11, 2019, GIULIANI stated in a cable television news interview that Zelenskyy was “surrounded by, literally, enemies of the president.” He repeated this allegation several times in the interview.
41.   On or about May 18, 2019, defendant GIULIANI posted on Twitter that President Zelenskyy “has surrounded himself with some people that are enemies of Pres. Trump.”
42.   In or around May 2019, defendant GIULIANI, with Parnas and Fruman, met with Ukraine’s Special Anticorruption Prosecutor, Nazar Kholodnytskyy, and a former Ukrainian diplomat, Andriy Telizhenko, in Paris, France.
43.   On May 23, 2019, Individual-1 directed three senior U.S. officials to talk with GIULIANI about Individual-1’s concerns about Ukraine in response to requests for a White House meeting with Zelenskyy.
44.   On or about June 21, 2019, defendant GIULIANI posted on Twitter, “New Pres of Ukraine still silent on investigation of Ukrainian interference in 2016 election and alleged Biden bribery of Pres Poroshenko. Time for leadership and investigate both if you want to purge how Ukraine was abused by Hillary and Obama people.”
45.   In or about early to mid-July 2019, Individual-1 directed a subordinate to hold back approximately $391 million in military aid to Ukraine.
46.   On or about July 19, 2019, defendant GIULIANI spoke by telephone to Andriy Yermak, an aide to Zelenskyy. During the call, they discussed Individual-1’s demands for investigations and Zelenskyy’s desire for a meeting with Individual-1.
47.   On or about July 25, 2019, Individual-1 spoke by telephone to Zelenskyy, telling him that “the United States have been very, very good to Ukraine” but that the relationship has not been “reciprocal.” During the call, Individual-1 asked for investigations into Ukrainian interference into the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the Bidens, and told Zelenskyy several times to coordinate with GIULIANI.
48.   On or about August 2, 2019, defendant GIULIANI met with Yermak in Madrid, Spain, to persuade Ukraine to investigate the Bidens and Ukrainian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
All in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.
COUNT TWO
(Conspiracy to Commit Bribery)
49.   Paragraphs 1 through 48 of this Indictment are re-alleged and incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
50.   From in or around June 2017 to the present, in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, Defendant RUDOLPH W. GIULIANI and Individual-1, a public official, conspired with each other and others known and unknown to the Grand Jury to corruptly seek a thing of value, that is, an agreement by the government of Ukraine to publicly announce that it was investigating certain matters that were favorable to Individual-1’s political campaign, in return for being influenced in the performance of an official act, that is, releasing to Ukraine military aid that had been approved by Congress.
All in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 201(b)(2)(A) and 371.
COUNT THREE
(Contempt of Congress)
51.   On or about October 15, 2019, in the District of Columbia, Defendant RUDOLPH W. GIULIANI, having been summoned by the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the United States House of Representatives, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Oversight and Reform to produce documents pertaining to an impeachment inquiry, willfully made default, in violation of Title 2, United States Code, Section 192.
____________________________
United States Attorney
District of Columbia
A TRUE BILL:
_________________________
Foreperson
Date:
[For further details on the “Events in Ukraine,” as outlined in the mock indictment, see Just Security‘s timeline.]
Photo credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
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Florida Politics (blog)-Oct 3, 2019
Last year, Ted Yoho said “you can bank” on him not running for reelection. ... Thus far, Makki is the only one of the five Republicans running who has shown any ... the same stretch and had more than $930,000 on hand heading into July. ... Donald Trump is coming to Florida to talk about Medicare in “The ...
Palmer: "Trump is working harder to take Pence down than anyone." - Google Search

Michael_Novakhov shared this story .


Image result for Palmer: "Trump is working harder to take Pence down than anyone."
Donald Trump just went out of his way ...
palmerreport.com

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Palmer: "Trump is working harder to take Pence down than anyone." - Google Search

Michael_Novakhov shared this story .

1 hour ago - Since the start of the Ukraine scandal, Donald Trump has periodically stopped and thrown Mike Pence slightly under the bus, before going ...
Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠
SPECIAL REPORT-Putin's allies channelled billions to Ukraine oligarch

Michael_Novakhov shared this story .

(This is part of Reuters ‘Comrade Capitalism’ series)
By Stephen Grey, Tom Bergin, Sevgil Musaieva and Roman Anin
MOSCOW/KIEV, Nov 26 (Reuters) - In Russia, powerful friends helped him make a fortune. In the United States, officials want him extradited and put behind bars. In Austria, where he is currently free on bail of $155 million, authorities have yet to decide what to do with him.
He is Dmitry Firtash, a former fireman and soldier. In little more than a decade, the Ukrainian went from obscurity to wealth and renown, largely by buying gas from Russia and selling it in his home country. His success was built on remarkable sweetheart deals brokered by associates of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, at immense cost to Russian taxpayers, a Reuters investigation shows.

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