“When
Trump expressed a desire to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, he
immediately flipped when he learned that the Pentagon disapproved of
that action.“…We need to know why. Is it threat of death? US is the
greatest force for evil in the world today. Representative government
has been overthrown and its taxpayers enslaved. As in Communist countries, US elections are for show.
7/12/2018, “The Deep State’s Absorption of Donald Trump,” Future of Freedom Foundation, by Jacob G. Hornberger
“The dust-up over NATO confirms, once again, that President Trump, unfortunately, has been absorbed by the same deep state whose
existence he sometimes laments. After questioning here in the United
States the usefulness of NATO, Trump traveled to a NATO meeting in
Europe, where he flipped and declared his firm commitment to this Cold War anachronism, declaring publicly, “I believe in NATO” and publicly expressing his sentiment that NATO is “very unified, very strong, no problem.”Let’s face the discomforting truth: Trump’s administration is just another four years of Bush-Obama.
Afghanistan? U.S. troops are still there, killing and dying. Like Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, Trump keeps them there [at US taxpayer expense].
Iraq? U.S. troops are still there, killing and dying. Like Bush and Obama, Trump keeps them there.
Syria? U.S. troops are still there, killing and dying. Like Bush and Obama, Trump keeps them there. In
fact, when Trump expressed a desire to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria,
he immediately flipped when he learned that the Pentagon disapproved of
that action.
North Korea? U.S. troops are still there, almost 70 years
after the deep state butted into the conflict by ignoring the
constitutionally required congressional declaration of war.
Like Bush and Obama, Trump keeps them there and, until recently, has
even threatened to rain nuclear fire and fury on North Koreans through
U.S. nuclear bombers.
War on terrorism? U.S. forces continue assassinating people. Like Bush and Obama, Trump keeps them assassinating.
The U.S. embargo on Cuba? Like Bush and Obama, Trump keeps it in existence.
U.S. military bases in foreign countries? Like Bush and Obama, Trump keeps them there.
The U.S. military-industrial complex? Like Bush and Obama, Trump keeps it there and expands it.
Why,
Trump even flipped when the CIA put pressure on him to extend the time
for secrecy with respect to the CIA’s 55-year-old records relating to the JFK assassination.
Although Trump had announced all the way up to the day before the
October deadline set by law that he intended to release the records, he buckled on the day of deadline, acceding to what the CIA wanted.
And
NATO? What has Trump accomplished in Europe? All that he has done is
pressure NATO members to plunder and loot their citizens through higher
taxation to help pay for NATO’s exorbitant expenses. Big deal. How is that helpful?
Does anyone really think that that is going to result in a reduction of
expenditures for the Pentagon, the CIA, and the NSA? If so, I’ve got a
nice bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you.
What is going on here? It all confirms what Tuft University law professor Michael Glennon sets forth in his book National Security and Double Government. The ones who are in charge are the Pentagon, the CIA, and the NSA — i.e., the national-security establishment, or what people are now calling the “deep state.” The national-security branch of the federal government permits the other three branches to maintain the veneer of being in control but it’s only a veneer. When
it comes to critical points of policy, like the continued existence of
NATO, the other three branches, including the executive branch, are expected to defer to the national-security branch, and they do.
Consider NATO, the organization that the U.S. deep state
brought into existence to fight it’s Cold War against the U.S.
government’s World War II partner and ally, the Soviet Union. From the very beginning, its Cold War mission was to protect Europe from a Soviet invasion.
But the Cold War ended more than 25 years ago. So, why did this Cold War dinosaur remain in existence? It remained in existence because the U.S. deep state decreed that it would remain in existence.
In fact, let’s not forget that as the Cold War was ending, U.S. officials promised the Soviets that in return for the Soviet Union’s dismantling of its Cold War-era Warsaw Pact, the United States would reciprocate by dismantling NATO.
It was not to be. That’s because the U.S. deep state — i.e., the Pentagon, the CIA, and the NSA — decided that keeping NATO was more important than keeping a promise made to the communists of the former Soviet Union.
Even
as Soviet forces were withdrawing from Germany, Eastern Europe, and the
Baltics, the U.S. deep state had NATO moving east, absorbing the former
members of the Warsaw Pact and, consequently, moving U.S. missiles,
bases, and forces closer and closer to Russia, all the while acting innocent and playing like they were oblivious to the response that would inevitably come from Russia. [US elites believe Russia belongs to them: “In
the years following the end of the Soviet Union, the idea that Russia
was “ours to lose” gained wide currency in American foreign policy
circles.”...In the 1990s US elites plundered Russia and destroyed its middle class. Why don’t US elites assume they own Communist China?]
When U.S. officials incited a coup in Ukraine, it was with the aim of installing a pro-U.S. regime into power and absorbing Ukraine into NATO,
which would then enable the U.S. government, through NATO, to come into
the country and install bases and missiles on the Ukraine-Russia
border. And it would all be “legal.” Equally important, so
would be the Ukraine regime’s decision to evict Russia from its longtime
military base at Sevastopol in Crimea.
U.S. officials knew that Russia would never permit that to happen. After all, what would be the response of the U.S. government if suddenly Mexico decided to take over San Diego, California,
citing the undeniable fact that the U.S. government intentionally
provoked the Mexican War in order to steal the northern half of Mexico?
We all know what the response would be.
The U.S. government would never
permit that to happen, come hell or high water.
The
real issue is that U.S. officials knew that NATO’s threat to absorb
Ukraine would cause Russia to take over Crimea, come hell or high water,
even if illegal, to ensure continued control over its longtime military base.
NATO’s move was cunningly brilliant. Once
Russia reacted in the predictable way, it was portrayed, once again, as
it was during the Cold War, as an international aggressor that was hell-bent on conquering Europe, the United States, and the world. The only difference was that during the Cold War it was the “godless Soviet communists” who were coming to get us.
This time it was the “Putin’s autocratic Russia” coming to get us. A distinction without a difference.
But here’s the thing: the renewed Cold War environment
ensured that the deep state — i.e., the Pentagon, the CIA, and the NSA —
would continue to remain in high cotton notwithstanding the end of the Cold War, with
ever-increasing budgets for them and their ever-growing army of [US
taxpayer funded] contractors, subcontractors, and military bureaucrats.
It’s worth mentioning, as an aside, that it was the
Cold War itself that was used to justify the conversion of the U.S.
government from a limited-government republic to a national-security
state. At the time of the conversion, U.S. officials said that if the Cold War ever ended, we could have our limited-government republic back. But when the Cold War ended, they didn’t give us our republic back. The deep state would not permit that to happen.
Unfortunately,
that wasn’t all that the U.S. deep state had NATO doing. Expanding on
its post-Cold War policy of U.S. interventionism in the Middle East, the
deep state had NATO perform a regime-change operation in Libya, which,
along with the U.S. deep state’s invasion of Iraq and Syria, helped
inflame the death, destruction, and chaos in the Middle East even more. All that, of course, ensured an ongoing threat of terrorist retaliation, which deep state officials have used to further guarantee ever-increasing budgets, power, and destruction of liberty and privacy among the American people.
When the U.S. Constitution called the federal government into existence, the idea was that the president could not wage war without a congressional declaration of war. Yet notice how the deep state has circumvented that constitutional provision with NATO.
All they have to do is admit new members into NATO, such as Montenegro
and Latvia, and they are able to automatically guarantee U.S. entry into
a war to defend that nation, the Constitution be damned.
Our American ancestors warned us against the power of big, permanent military establishments. So did Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Truman. Unfortunately, their warnings were ignored, and the United States is now saddled with the most powerful and destructive military-intelligence establishments in history. The deep state’s absorption of Donald Trump is just one more confirmation of what our ancestors and Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Truman were warning us against.”
...............
Saturday, July 28, 2018
Fact check: The Hill, Washington Examiner, and CNN removed, replaced, or added content to FBI Director Wray’s statement that to date Russia has not targeted US “election infrastructure.” Meaning Russia didn’t “hack our election” in 2016
Following are examples of three media outlets changing a statement made by FBI Director Wray on 7/18/18. The outlets are The Hill, Washington Examiner, and CNN:
FBI Director Wray at 7/18/18 Aspen Institute said Russia hasn’t yet broken into US election infrastructure. (Definition of “election infrastructure,“ posted below).
Wray’s actual words: Wray: “We haven’t yet seen an effort to target specific election infrastructure at this time.”…(Remarks leading up to Wray’s “election infrastructure” reference begin at 8:54 on 7/18/18 Aspen Institute video)
7/27/18 article from The Hill changes Wray’s statement but still puts quote marks around it. The Hill has removed one word, the word “at” which in this case makes a big difference. Instead of Wray’s “at this time,” we see The Hill’s “this time:"
The Hill’s altered version: Wray: “We haven’t seen yet an effort to target specific election infrastructure this time.“…(3rd parag. from end of article)
Wray’s actual words: Wray: “We haven’t yet seen an effort to target specific election infrastructure at this time.”…
The Hill’s phrase “this time” implies there had been “another” time, in this case, 2016 and the multi-billion dollar Russiagate industry. Wray simply says “at this time” he hasn’t yet seen Russian efforts. “At this time” meaning, “to this point in time,” “to this date,” or “up to this point in time.” Meaning Russia “hacking” so far hasn’t happened. Russia didn’t “hack” our election. Mr. Wray certainly knew the world was hanging on every word he said. He broke the news in a way that wouldn’t crash the stock market, that would be ignored by most people, but would be there for the record.
A Washington Examiner 7/18/18 article took a step similar to The Hill’s in “quoting” Wray’s statement. As The Hill did, they removed the word “at” and kept the quote marks around their altered version of Wray’s statement. Washington Examiner went further than The Hill and made an additional change. They removed the word “yet” and replaced it with “quite”:
Washington Examiner’s altered version of Wray’s statement in quotes, 7/18/18: Wray: “We haven’t quite seen an effort to target specific infrastructure this time.”…
Wray actually said: “We haven’t yet seen an effort to target specific election infrastructure at this time.”…
…………..
CNN was in such a panic about Wray’s statement that it felt compelled to invent additional content about “Russians” to protect the Russiagate industry of which it’s a part. CNN’s version adds “as they did in 2016,” “they” meaning “the Russians.” CNN also removes the word “yet,” and the phrase “at this time,” from Wray’s 7/18/18 statement. CNN’s presents Wray’s alleged statement as part of their narrative, ie, they didn’t put quotes around it:
CNN altered version: “Wray said that the intelligence community has not observed an effort by Russia to target specific election infrastructure as they did in 2016.”
Wray’s actual statement: “We haven’t yet seen an effort to target specific election infrastructure at this time.”…
Wray did not say “as they did in 2016” or anything like it. Mr. Wray said no Russian efforts had yet taken place against US infrastructure. Meaning, no efforts took place before 2016 and none have taken place to date since 2016. Meaning, Russia “hacking our election” never happened. The multi-billion dollar Russiagate industry is technically out of business.
Sources:
7/27/18, “Trump huddles with top officials on election security,” The Hill, Morgan Chalfont
7/18/18, “FBI chief Christopher Wray: Russia still engaging in ‘malign influence’ election meddling,” Washington Examiner, Naomi Lim
7/18/18, “Trump’s FBI Director says Russia continues to target the US –to this day,” from CNN’s David Shortell
(These must be examples of the “free and fair press” you hear about. They’re “free” to make up whatever they think is “fair” to them.)
………………..
Definition of “election infrastructure,“ per former DHS Chairman Jeh Johnson:
“By “election infrastructure,” we mean storage facilities, polling places, and centralized vote tabulations locations used to support the election process, and information and communications technology to include voter registration databases, voting machines, and other systems to manage the election process and report and display results on behalf of state and local governments.”
………………….
Added: Setting and context: Wray remarks above begin at approximately 8:54 on 7/18/18 Aspen Institute video. FBI Director Christopher Wray at Aspen Institute was asked by NBC’s Lester Holt about alleged Russian meddling in US elections. Mr. Wray’s reply made a point of differentiating activities that might be termed “meddling.” He separated US election infrastructure from general propaganda Russia and others have been known to use for the purpose of being divisive. Of the former, election infrastructure, Mr. Wray said, “we haven’t yet seen” Russian efforts to target US election infrastructure [definition of “election infrastructure“ posted above]. On the latter group of activities, not involving election infrastructure, Wray says Russia did attempt to create divisiveness in the past and will continue to do so. Remarks leading up to “election infrastructure” reference begin at 8:54 on 7/18/18 Aspen Institute video. Again, Wray’s actual words from the video: Wray: “We haven’t yet seen an effort to target specific election infrastructure at this time.”…
……………
FBI Director Wray at 7/18/18 Aspen Institute said Russia hasn’t yet broken into US election infrastructure. (Definition of “election infrastructure,“ posted below).
Wray’s actual words: Wray: “We haven’t yet seen an effort to target specific election infrastructure at this time.”…(Remarks leading up to Wray’s “election infrastructure” reference begin at 8:54 on 7/18/18 Aspen Institute video)
7/27/18 article from The Hill changes Wray’s statement but still puts quote marks around it. The Hill has removed one word, the word “at” which in this case makes a big difference. Instead of Wray’s “at this time,” we see The Hill’s “this time:"
The Hill’s altered version: Wray: “We haven’t seen yet an effort to target specific election infrastructure this time.“…(3rd parag. from end of article)
Wray’s actual words: Wray: “We haven’t yet seen an effort to target specific election infrastructure at this time.”…
The Hill’s phrase “this time” implies there had been “another” time, in this case, 2016 and the multi-billion dollar Russiagate industry. Wray simply says “at this time” he hasn’t yet seen Russian efforts. “At this time” meaning, “to this point in time,” “to this date,” or “up to this point in time.” Meaning Russia “hacking” so far hasn’t happened. Russia didn’t “hack” our election. Mr. Wray certainly knew the world was hanging on every word he said. He broke the news in a way that wouldn’t crash the stock market, that would be ignored by most people, but would be there for the record.
A Washington Examiner 7/18/18 article took a step similar to The Hill’s in “quoting” Wray’s statement. As The Hill did, they removed the word “at” and kept the quote marks around their altered version of Wray’s statement. Washington Examiner went further than The Hill and made an additional change. They removed the word “yet” and replaced it with “quite”:
Washington Examiner’s altered version of Wray’s statement in quotes, 7/18/18: Wray: “We haven’t quite seen an effort to target specific infrastructure this time.”…
Wray actually said: “We haven’t yet seen an effort to target specific election infrastructure at this time.”…
…………..
CNN was in such a panic about Wray’s statement that it felt compelled to invent additional content about “Russians” to protect the Russiagate industry of which it’s a part. CNN’s version adds “as they did in 2016,” “they” meaning “the Russians.” CNN also removes the word “yet,” and the phrase “at this time,” from Wray’s 7/18/18 statement. CNN’s presents Wray’s alleged statement as part of their narrative, ie, they didn’t put quotes around it:
CNN altered version: “Wray said that the intelligence community has not observed an effort by Russia to target specific election infrastructure as they did in 2016.”
Wray’s actual statement: “We haven’t yet seen an effort to target specific election infrastructure at this time.”…
Wray did not say “as they did in 2016” or anything like it. Mr. Wray said no Russian efforts had yet taken place against US infrastructure. Meaning, no efforts took place before 2016 and none have taken place to date since 2016. Meaning, Russia “hacking our election” never happened. The multi-billion dollar Russiagate industry is technically out of business.
Sources:
7/27/18, “Trump huddles with top officials on election security,” The Hill, Morgan Chalfont
7/18/18, “FBI chief Christopher Wray: Russia still engaging in ‘malign influence’ election meddling,” Washington Examiner, Naomi Lim
7/18/18, “Trump’s FBI Director says Russia continues to target the US –to this day,” from CNN’s David Shortell
(These must be examples of the “free and fair press” you hear about. They’re “free” to make up whatever they think is “fair” to them.)
………………..
Definition of “election infrastructure,“ per former DHS Chairman Jeh Johnson:
“By “election infrastructure,” we mean storage facilities, polling places, and centralized vote tabulations locations used to support the election process, and information and communications technology to include voter registration databases, voting machines, and other systems to manage the election process and report and display results on behalf of state and local governments.”
………………….
Added: Setting and context: Wray remarks above begin at approximately 8:54 on 7/18/18 Aspen Institute video. FBI Director Christopher Wray at Aspen Institute was asked by NBC’s Lester Holt about alleged Russian meddling in US elections. Mr. Wray’s reply made a point of differentiating activities that might be termed “meddling.” He separated US election infrastructure from general propaganda Russia and others have been known to use for the purpose of being divisive. Of the former, election infrastructure, Mr. Wray said, “we haven’t yet seen” Russian efforts to target US election infrastructure [definition of “election infrastructure“ posted above]. On the latter group of activities, not involving election infrastructure, Wray says Russia did attempt to create divisiveness in the past and will continue to do so. Remarks leading up to “election infrastructure” reference begin at 8:54 on 7/18/18 Aspen Institute video. Again, Wray’s actual words from the video: Wray: “We haven’t yet seen an effort to target specific election infrastructure at this time.”…
……………
Friday, July 27, 2018
Trump not in control of Pentagon. Deep State including US Senate is full steam ahead with US taxpayer funded Endless Unwinnable Wars, especially endless war at Ukraine border-Editorial, Strategic Culture Foundation…(Deep State’s #1 target is US taxpayers which it must enslave to pay for Endless Unwinnable Wars)
US elites believe Russia belongs to them: “In the years following the end of the Soviet Union, the idea that Russia was “ours to lose” gained wide currency in American foreign policy circles.”...May 2018, “The Cold War Culture War,” James Carden, American Affairs Journal. Accordingly, with Yeltsin’s cooperation US elites viciously plundered Russia’s wealth and destroyed its middle class in the 1990s. The US proudly engineered Yeltsin’s 1996 re-election. In 2018 US elites seek to regain control there by forcing US taxpayers to bomb Russia and execute Putin. May 14, 1998, “The Harvard Boys Do Russia,“ The Nation, Janine R. Wedel
…………………
7/27/18, “Pentagon’s $200m Aid To Ukraine Is Slap To Trump,” Editorial, Strategic Culture Foundation
“Only days after President Donald Trump’s successful summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, the Pentagon this week announced that it was sending $200 million in military aid to the Kiev regime.
The new package of military aid is said to be for boosting the “command and control” readiness of the Ukraine Armed Forces (UAF). It follows the supply earlier this year, in March, of $47 million-worth of “lethal” armaments in the form of US-made Javelin anti-tank missiles.
The UAF on the orders of President Poroshenko and the regime in Kiev have been waging a war against pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine for nearly four years, since the Kiev regime came to power in a CIA-backed coup d’état. [US elites’ years long efforts to violently conquer Ukraine, “the biggest prize.”]
Russia deplored the latest US military subvention to Ukraine, saying it clearly shows that Washington is an “accomplice” to the conflict, not a mediator for a peaceful resolution. The latest $200m aid disbursement brings the total American military support to the Kiev regime to $1 billion since the bloody coup in 2014.
Senator Rob Portman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee hailed the Pentagon aid with stridently bellicose rhetoric. Portman said, with typically appalling American ignorance, it sends a “clear message that America stands with the Ukrainian people in their struggle against Russian aggression”. As if the people of Eastern Ukraine aren’t Ukrainian.
On the face of it, the Pentagon is pointedly undermining President Trump and what he appeared to agree with President Putin in their landmark summit in Helsinki on July 16. The two leaders stated then that they agreed to cooperate on finding a political solution to the Ukraine conflict: meaning a renewed endorsement of the Minsk Peace Accord, which Russia had overseen with the European powers of Germany and France under the so-called Normandy format back in 2015.
By ratcheting up its military support to the Kiev regime, the Pentagon is evidently egging on Poroshenko and his UAF to ignore the Minsk accord and to seek a military solution, not a political solution.
That inevitably means more emboldened aggression towards the breakaway self-declared republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. The war in Ukraine is set to become even hotter than it already is. The Pentagon is effectively giving a green light to more deadly conflict on Russia’s Western border.
This has to be placed in the wider context of the relentless buildup of US-led NATO forces along the entire Russian Western flank. This week, Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reiterated serious concerns that NATO was escalating more offensive capability, and that Russia must make appropriate defensive preparations.
What we are seeing since the Trump-Putin summit is a determined rearguard move by forces within the US political-military establishment to sabotage the American president’s attempted rapprochement with Moscow. Immediately following the summit, the US establishment and its dutiful corporate news media embarked on a full-scale campaign to undercut Trump, labelling him a “traitor” and denouncing him for capitulating to an “enemy state”.
The US media rhetoric, post-Helsinki, has been nothing short of hysterical Russophobia.
The move by the Pentagon to boost the Kiev regime’s military is part of that countervailing effort by deep US political-military forces to prevent any normalization with Russia. President Putin indeed warned of these malign US forces last week during an address to his diplomatic corps in Moscow only days after Helsinki.
Another corollary of this sinister countervailing influence was seen in Syria this week. US military commanders said they had no intention of cooperating with Russian counterparts in enabling the resettlement of refugees to Syria from neighboring countries. Again, the proposal for military-to-military cooperation on the return of Syrian refugees was something that Trump had agreed to with Putin in Helsinki.
The summit in Helsinki was a welcome sign of long-overdue dialogue and commitment to partnership between the American president and his Russian counterpart.
Unfortunately, subsequent signals from Washington do not augur well for substantial follow-up to what was agreed in Helsinki.
President Trump is evidently not the master of his American house. It is impossible to discern a reliable American policy. The president seems to say one thing, while other factions within the American ruling class have other, nefarious agendas.
The problem for Russia is that President Trump, in spite of his personal cordial inclinations, is not the arbiter of American policy nor, ultimately, US power for that matter. The American deep state and its strategic planners seem to have a hellbent antagonism towards Russia. That thesis is corroborated with several strategic policy documents that have been published under the Trump administration, which provocatively define Russia, as well as China, as a global enemy standing in the way of dubious American hegemonic ambitions.
In short, American imperialism is not a negotiating philosophy. It does not know nor wants to know the meaning of multilateralism. American power is predicated on domination, with zero tolerance of any independence shown by others. Russia in particular.
Aiding and abetting a deranged, anti-Russian regime in Kiev which exalts Nazi partisans from the Second World War is a sobering indication of Washington’s real and sinister agenda towards Moscow.
Donald J Trump may have been an agreeable summit attendee in Helsinki. But the property-tycoon-turned-president is not the real deal.”
……………………….
Added: “The Western agenda for Russia, a superpower-turned economic and military weakling, a subservient client state“
3/20/2008, “Why the West loved Yeltsin and hates Putin,“ thehindu.com, Vladimir Radyuhin
“One reason why Yeltsin was the West’s darling — while Mr. Putin is the target of virulent attacks — was that his policies perfectly suited the Western agenda for Russia, a superpower-turned economic and military weakling, a subservient client state
and a source of cheap energy and minerals. By contrast, Russia’s
resurgence under Mr. Putin is seen as upsetting the global balance of
power and threatening the U.S. unipolar model….
In Russia, Yeltsin is associated with plunging the country into chaos, reducing a majority of Russians to abject poverty and awarding the country’s oil, gas and other mineral riches to a handful of rapacious oligarchs, who plundered Russia and played Kremlin power brokers. The West lauded him as the “father of Russian democracy” who buried communism. Yeltsin remained “Friend Boris” to the West even after he sent tanks to blast his political opponents from Parliament in 1993. In Russia, he faced impeachment charges for this and other “crimes against the nation.”…
………………………………….
Comment: Trump administration foreign policy actions are the exact opposite of those candidate Trump said he’d carry out, ie, no more intervention in foreign military endeavors, and in the specific case of Russia, detente. There are only two possibilities. Either Trump the candidate lied, believed the exact opposite of what he campaigned on. Or, under threat of death to himself or family members, he has allowed the US taxpayer funded Endless Unwinnable War Industry to run the country. Either way, the 2016 election has been nullified, the US has been overthrown and is no longer a democracy.
...................
…………………
7/27/18, “Pentagon’s $200m Aid To Ukraine Is Slap To Trump,” Editorial, Strategic Culture Foundation
“Only days after President Donald Trump’s successful summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, the Pentagon this week announced that it was sending $200 million in military aid to the Kiev regime.
The new package of military aid is said to be for boosting the “command and control” readiness of the Ukraine Armed Forces (UAF). It follows the supply earlier this year, in March, of $47 million-worth of “lethal” armaments in the form of US-made Javelin anti-tank missiles.
The UAF on the orders of President Poroshenko and the regime in Kiev have been waging a war against pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine for nearly four years, since the Kiev regime came to power in a CIA-backed coup d’état. [US elites’ years long efforts to violently conquer Ukraine, “the biggest prize.”]
Russia deplored the latest US military subvention to Ukraine, saying it clearly shows that Washington is an “accomplice” to the conflict, not a mediator for a peaceful resolution. The latest $200m aid disbursement brings the total American military support to the Kiev regime to $1 billion since the bloody coup in 2014.
Senator Rob Portman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee hailed the Pentagon aid with stridently bellicose rhetoric. Portman said, with typically appalling American ignorance, it sends a “clear message that America stands with the Ukrainian people in their struggle against Russian aggression”. As if the people of Eastern Ukraine aren’t Ukrainian.
On the face of it, the Pentagon is pointedly undermining President Trump and what he appeared to agree with President Putin in their landmark summit in Helsinki on July 16. The two leaders stated then that they agreed to cooperate on finding a political solution to the Ukraine conflict: meaning a renewed endorsement of the Minsk Peace Accord, which Russia had overseen with the European powers of Germany and France under the so-called Normandy format back in 2015.
By ratcheting up its military support to the Kiev regime, the Pentagon is evidently egging on Poroshenko and his UAF to ignore the Minsk accord and to seek a military solution, not a political solution.
That inevitably means more emboldened aggression towards the breakaway self-declared republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. The war in Ukraine is set to become even hotter than it already is. The Pentagon is effectively giving a green light to more deadly conflict on Russia’s Western border.
This has to be placed in the wider context of the relentless buildup of US-led NATO forces along the entire Russian Western flank. This week, Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reiterated serious concerns that NATO was escalating more offensive capability, and that Russia must make appropriate defensive preparations.
What we are seeing since the Trump-Putin summit is a determined rearguard move by forces within the US political-military establishment to sabotage the American president’s attempted rapprochement with Moscow. Immediately following the summit, the US establishment and its dutiful corporate news media embarked on a full-scale campaign to undercut Trump, labelling him a “traitor” and denouncing him for capitulating to an “enemy state”.
The US media rhetoric, post-Helsinki, has been nothing short of hysterical Russophobia.
The move by the Pentagon to boost the Kiev regime’s military is part of that countervailing effort by deep US political-military forces to prevent any normalization with Russia. President Putin indeed warned of these malign US forces last week during an address to his diplomatic corps in Moscow only days after Helsinki.
Another corollary of this sinister countervailing influence was seen in Syria this week. US military commanders said they had no intention of cooperating with Russian counterparts in enabling the resettlement of refugees to Syria from neighboring countries. Again, the proposal for military-to-military cooperation on the return of Syrian refugees was something that Trump had agreed to with Putin in Helsinki.
The summit in Helsinki was a welcome sign of long-overdue dialogue and commitment to partnership between the American president and his Russian counterpart.
Unfortunately, subsequent signals from Washington do not augur well for substantial follow-up to what was agreed in Helsinki.
President Trump is evidently not the master of his American house. It is impossible to discern a reliable American policy. The president seems to say one thing, while other factions within the American ruling class have other, nefarious agendas.
The problem for Russia is that President Trump, in spite of his personal cordial inclinations, is not the arbiter of American policy nor, ultimately, US power for that matter. The American deep state and its strategic planners seem to have a hellbent antagonism towards Russia. That thesis is corroborated with several strategic policy documents that have been published under the Trump administration, which provocatively define Russia, as well as China, as a global enemy standing in the way of dubious American hegemonic ambitions.
In short, American imperialism is not a negotiating philosophy. It does not know nor wants to know the meaning of multilateralism. American power is predicated on domination, with zero tolerance of any independence shown by others. Russia in particular.
Aiding and abetting a deranged, anti-Russian regime in Kiev which exalts Nazi partisans from the Second World War is a sobering indication of Washington’s real and sinister agenda towards Moscow.
Donald J Trump may have been an agreeable summit attendee in Helsinki. But the property-tycoon-turned-president is not the real deal.”
……………………….
Added: “The Western agenda for Russia, a superpower-turned economic and military weakling, a subservient client state“
3/20/2008, “Why the West loved Yeltsin and hates Putin,“ thehindu.com, Vladimir Radyuhin
 |
| 7/15/1996 cover |
In Russia, Yeltsin is associated with plunging the country into chaos, reducing a majority of Russians to abject poverty and awarding the country’s oil, gas and other mineral riches to a handful of rapacious oligarchs, who plundered Russia and played Kremlin power brokers. The West lauded him as the “father of Russian democracy” who buried communism. Yeltsin remained “Friend Boris” to the West even after he sent tanks to blast his political opponents from Parliament in 1993. In Russia, he faced impeachment charges for this and other “crimes against the nation.”…
………………………………….
Comment: Trump administration foreign policy actions are the exact opposite of those candidate Trump said he’d carry out, ie, no more intervention in foreign military endeavors, and in the specific case of Russia, detente. There are only two possibilities. Either Trump the candidate lied, believed the exact opposite of what he campaigned on. Or, under threat of death to himself or family members, he has allowed the US taxpayer funded Endless Unwinnable War Industry to run the country. Either way, the 2016 election has been nullified, the US has been overthrown and is no longer a democracy.
...................
Fact Check: FBI Director Wray made clear that to date Russia has not targeted US “election infrastructure.” Meaning Russia didn’t “hack our election.” CNN and Washington Examiner materially changed FBI Director Wray’s 7/18/18 words
7/18/18, FBI Director Christopher Wray at Aspen Institute was asked by NBC’s Lester Holt about alleged Russian meddling in US elections.
Mr. Wray’s reply made a point of separating activities that might be
termed “meddling.” He separated US election infrastructure from general
propaganda Russia and others have been known to use for the purpose of being divisive. Of
the former, election infrastructure, Mr. Wray said, “we haven’t yet
seen” Russian efforts to target US election infrastructure [exact definition of “election infrastructure“
posted below]. On the latter group of activities, not involving
election infrastructure, Wray says Russia did attempt to create
divisiveness in the past and will continue to do so. Remarks leading up to “election infrastructure” reference begin at 8:54 on 7/18/18 Aspen Institute video. Posted below are: definition of “election infrastructure,” CNN’s altered version of Wray’s statement, and Washington Examiner's altered version of Wray’s statement:
Wray’s actual words from the video:
Wray: “We haven’t yet seen an effort to target specific election infrastructure at this time.”…
………………….
Definition of “election infrastructure,“ per former DHS Chairman Jeh Johnson:
“By “election infrastructure,” we mean storage facilities, polling places, and centralized vote tabulations locations used to support the election process, and information and communications technology to include voter registration databases, voting machines, and other systems to manage the election process and report and display results on behalf of state and local governments.”
……………..
CNN’s altered version of Wray’s statement, 7/18/18:
“Wray said that the intelligence community has not observed an effort by Russia to target specific election infrastructure as they did in 2016.”
Wray’s actual statement: “We haven’t yet seen an effort to target specific election infrastructure at this time.”…
Wray did not say “as they did in 2016.” CNN materially changed the statement. Mr. Wray said no Russian efforts had yet taken place against US infrastructure. Meaning, no efforts took place before 2016 and none have taken place to date since 2016. Meaning, Russia “hacking our election” never happened. The multi-billion dollar Russiagate industry is technically out of business.
……………..
Washington Examiner’s altered version of Wray’s statement in quotes, 7/18/18:
Wray: “We haven’t quite seen an effort to target specific infrastructure this time, but certainly other efforts, which I call malign influence operations, are very active.”…
Wray actually said: “We haven’t yet seen an effort to target specific election infrastructure at this time.”…
Washington Examiner viciously changed Wray’s statement and took the extra step of placing quote marks around the altered statement. The word “yet” was removed and replaced by the word “quite.” The word “yet” meant that no Russian cyber intrusions to US elections had ever been found to date. For Wray’s phrase “at this time,” Washington Examiner removed the word “at.” This created a new phrase, “this time,” implying there had been another time, in this case, 2016. This must be an example of the “free press” they keep talking about.
……………………..
Three sources, all 7/18/18: Aspen Institute video, begin at 8 min 54 sec; CNN article, Washington Examiner article:
“The Aspen Institute, Streamed live on Jul 18, 2018″
…………………….
Washington Examiner article including incorrect Wray quote:
7/18/18, “FBI chief Christopher Wray: Russia still engaging in ‘malign influence’ election meddling,” Washington Examiner, Naomi Lim
“FBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday Russia is still trying to meddle in U.S. elections and dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invitation to form a joint task force to probe Kremlin-linked interference ahead of the 2016 election.
“The intelligence community’s assessment has not changed,” Wray said during an interview at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado. “My view has not changed, which is that Russia attempted to interfere with the last election and that it continues to engage in malign influence operations to this day.”
“We haven’t quite seen an effort to target specific infrastructure this time, but certainly other efforts, which I call malign influence operations, are very active, and we could just be a moment away from it going to the next level,” he continued.”…
[Ed. note: Wray’s actual statement includes the words “yet” and “at”: “We haven’t yet seen an effort to target specific election infrastructure at this time.”…]
(continuing): “”To me, it’s a threat we need to take very seriously and respond to with fierce determination and focus.”
Putin’s offer regarding a collaborative approach to the investigation into 2016 was “not high on our list of investigative techniques,” Wray said.
Wray added that he had a “professional” relationship with President Trump and referenced his strong “spine” when asked whether he had threatened to resign over congressional demands for information.
“I am a low-key, understated guy, but that should not be mistaken for what my spine is made of,” he said. “I’ll leave it at that.””
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/fbi-director-christopher-wray-russia-still-engaging-in-malaign-influence-election-interference
....................
Wray’s actual words from the video:
Wray: “We haven’t yet seen an effort to target specific election infrastructure at this time.”…
………………….
Definition of “election infrastructure,“ per former DHS Chairman Jeh Johnson:
“By “election infrastructure,” we mean storage facilities, polling places, and centralized vote tabulations locations used to support the election process, and information and communications technology to include voter registration databases, voting machines, and other systems to manage the election process and report and display results on behalf of state and local governments.”
……………..
CNN’s altered version of Wray’s statement, 7/18/18:
“Wray said that the intelligence community has not observed an effort by Russia to target specific election infrastructure as they did in 2016.”
Wray’s actual statement: “We haven’t yet seen an effort to target specific election infrastructure at this time.”…
Wray did not say “as they did in 2016.” CNN materially changed the statement. Mr. Wray said no Russian efforts had yet taken place against US infrastructure. Meaning, no efforts took place before 2016 and none have taken place to date since 2016. Meaning, Russia “hacking our election” never happened. The multi-billion dollar Russiagate industry is technically out of business.
……………..
Washington Examiner’s altered version of Wray’s statement in quotes, 7/18/18:
Wray: “We haven’t quite seen an effort to target specific infrastructure this time, but certainly other efforts, which I call malign influence operations, are very active.”…
Wray actually said: “We haven’t yet seen an effort to target specific election infrastructure at this time.”…
Washington Examiner viciously changed Wray’s statement and took the extra step of placing quote marks around the altered statement. The word “yet” was removed and replaced by the word “quite.” The word “yet” meant that no Russian cyber intrusions to US elections had ever been found to date. For Wray’s phrase “at this time,” Washington Examiner removed the word “at.” This created a new phrase, “this time,” implying there had been another time, in this case, 2016. This must be an example of the “free press” they keep talking about.
……………………..
Three sources, all 7/18/18: Aspen Institute video, begin at 8 min 54 sec; CNN article, Washington Examiner article:
“The Aspen Institute, Streamed live on Jul 18, 2018″
…………..
“FBI Director [Christopher Wray] describes the
Bureau’s role in national security generally and cyberterrorism and
counterintelligence specifically. Christopher Wray, Director, FBI. Moderator: Lester Holt, Anchor, NBC Nightly News,” Join at 8 min., 54 seconds:
Wray: “The intelligence community’s assessment has not changed, my view has not changed, which is that Russia attempted to interfere in the last election. And that it continues to engage in malign influence operations to this day.”
Lester Holt: Aimed at our political system?
Wray: Aimed at sowing discord and divisiveness in this country. We haven’t yet seen an effort to target specific election infrastructure at this time.”…
Wray: “The intelligence community’s assessment has not changed, my view has not changed, which is that Russia attempted to interfere in the last election. And that it continues to engage in malign influence operations to this day.”
Lester Holt: Aimed at our political system?
Wray: Aimed at sowing discord and divisiveness in this country. We haven’t yet seen an effort to target specific election infrastructure at this time.”…
………………………
CNN article excerpt:
7/18/18, “Trump’s FBI Director says Russia continues to target the US –to this day,” from CNN’s David Shortell“FBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday that Russia “continues to engage in malign influence operations to this day.”...Wray said that the intelligence community has not observed an effort by Russia to target specific election infrastructure as they did in 2016, but “we could just be a moment away from it going to the next level.””
CNN article excerpt:
7/18/18, “Trump’s FBI Director says Russia continues to target the US –to this day,” from CNN’s David Shortell“FBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday that Russia “continues to engage in malign influence operations to this day.”...Wray said that the intelligence community has not observed an effort by Russia to target specific election infrastructure as they did in 2016, but “we could just be a moment away from it going to the next level.””
Washington Examiner article including incorrect Wray quote:
7/18/18, “FBI chief Christopher Wray: Russia still engaging in ‘malign influence’ election meddling,” Washington Examiner, Naomi Lim
“FBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday Russia is still trying to meddle in U.S. elections and dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invitation to form a joint task force to probe Kremlin-linked interference ahead of the 2016 election.
“The intelligence community’s assessment has not changed,” Wray said during an interview at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado. “My view has not changed, which is that Russia attempted to interfere with the last election and that it continues to engage in malign influence operations to this day.”
“We haven’t quite seen an effort to target specific infrastructure this time, but certainly other efforts, which I call malign influence operations, are very active, and we could just be a moment away from it going to the next level,” he continued.”…
[Ed. note: Wray’s actual statement includes the words “yet” and “at”: “We haven’t yet seen an effort to target specific election infrastructure at this time.”…]
(continuing): “”To me, it’s a threat we need to take very seriously and respond to with fierce determination and focus.”
Putin’s offer regarding a collaborative approach to the investigation into 2016 was “not high on our list of investigative techniques,” Wray said.
Wray added that he had a “professional” relationship with President Trump and referenced his strong “spine” when asked whether he had threatened to resign over congressional demands for information.
“I am a low-key, understated guy, but that should not be mistaken for what my spine is made of,” he said. “I’ll leave it at that.””
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/fbi-director-christopher-wray-russia-still-engaging-in-malaign-influence-election-interference
....................
Thursday, July 26, 2018
Bill Browder, darling of the US war party, oligarch who profited in US plunder of Russia in 1990s, adored by US Senate, able to suppress free speech in US and Europe, is key to restart of US taxpayer funded Cold War with Russia-Philip Giraldi, unz.com
"That the U.S. media and Congress appear to be entranced by Browder and dismissive of Moscow’s charges against him is symptomatic of just how far the Russia-phobia in the West has robbed people of their ability to see what is right in front of them."
US elites believed Russia belonged to them: "In the years following the end of the Soviet Union, the idea that Russia was “ours to lose” gained wide currency in American foreign policy circles."...May 2018, “The Cold War Culture War,” James Carden, American Affairs Journal
Magnitsky was actually an accountant, not Browder's "lawyer."...After the fall of the Soviet Union: “The Harvard Boys Do Russia,“ The Nation, Janine R. Wedel, May 14, 1998
................
7/24/18, "Is Bill Browder the Most Dangerous Man in the World?" Philip Giraldi, unz.com
"The darling of the war party needs to answer some questions."
............
"At the press conference following their summit meeting in Helsinki, Russian President Vladimir Putin and American President Donald Trump discussed the possibility of resolving potential criminal cases involving citizens of the two countries by permitting interrogators from Washington and Moscow to participate in joint questioning of the individuals named in indictments prepared by the respective judiciaries. The predictable response by the American nomenklatura was that it was a horrible idea as it would potentially require U.S. officials to answer questions from Russians about their activities.
Putin argued, not unreasonably, that if Washington wants to extradite and talk to any of the twelve recently indicted GRU officers the Justice Department has named then reciprocity is in order for Americans and other identified individuals who are wanted by the Russian authorities for illegal activity while in Russia. And if Russian officials are fair game, so are American officials.
A prime target for such an interrogation would be President Barack Obama’s Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, who was widely criticized while in Moscow for being on an apparent mission to cultivate ties with the Russian political opposition and other “pro-democracy” groups. But McFaul was not specifically identified in the press conference, though Russian prosecutors have asked him to answer questions related to the ongoing investigation of another leading critic, Bill Browder, who was named by Putin during the question and answer session.
Browder is a major hedge fund figure who, inter alia, is an American by birth. He renounced his U.S. citizenship in 1997 in exchange for British citizenship to avoid paying federal taxes on his worldwide income.
Bill Browder is what used to be referred to as an oligarch, having set up shop in 1999 as Hermitage Capital Management Fund, a hedge fund registered in tax havens Guernsey and the Cayman Islands. It focused on “investing” in Russia, taking advantage initially of the loans-for-shares scheme under Russia’s drunkard President Boris Yeltsin, and then continuing to profit greatly during the early years of Vladimir Putin. By 2005 Hermitage was the largest foreign investor in Russia.
............
Yeltsin had won a fraudulent election in 1996 supported by the oligarch-controlled media and by President Bill Clinton, who secured a $20.2 billion IMF loan that enabled him to buy support. Today we would refer to Clinton’s action as “interference in the 1996 election,” but at that time a helpless and bankrupt Russia was not well placed to object to what was being done to it. Yeltsin proved keen to follow oligarchical advice regarding how to strip the former Soviet Union of its vast state-owned assets. Browder’s Hermitage Investments profited hugely from the commodities deals that were struck at that time.
Browder and his apologists portray him as an honest and honorable Western businessman attempting to operate in a corrupt Russian business world. Nevertheless, the loans-for-shares scheme that made him his initial fortune has been correctly characterized as the epitome of corruption by all parties involved, an arrangement whereby foreign investors worked with local oligarchs to strip the former Soviet economy of its assets paying pennies on each dollar of value. Along the way, Browder was reportedly involved in money laundering, making false representations on official documents and bribery.
Browder was eventually charged by the Russian authorities for fraud and tax evasion. He was banned from re-entering Russia in 2005 and began to withdraw his assets from the country, but three companies controlled by Hermitage were eventually seized by the authorities. Browder himself was convicted of tax evasion in absentia in 2013 and sentenced to nine years in prison.
Browder, who refers to himself as Putin’s “public enemy #1,” has notably been able to sell his tale of innocence to leading American politicians like Senators John McCain, Lindsay Graham, Ben Cardin and ex-Senator Joe Lieberman, all of whom are always receptive when criticizing Russia, as well as to a number of European parliamentarians and media outlets.
In the wake of the Helsinki press conference he has, for example, claimed that Putin named him personally because he is a threat to continue to expose the crimes of the mafia that he claims is currently running Russia, but there is, inevitably, another less discussed alternative view of his [Browder's] self-serving narrative.
Central to the tale of what Browder really represents is the Magnitsky Act, which the U.S. Congress passed into law to sanction individual Kremlin officials for their treatment of alleged whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky, arrested and imprisoned in Russia. Browder has sold a narrative which basically says that he and his “lawyer” Sergei Magnitsky uncovered massive tax fraud and, when they attempted to report it, were punished by a corrupt police force and magistracy, which had actually stolen the money. Magnitsky was arrested and died in prison, allegedly murdered by the police to silence him.
The Magnitsky case is of particular importance because both the European Union and the United States have initiated sanctions against the identified Russian officials who were allegedly involved. In the Magnitsky Act, sponsored by Russia-phobic Senator Ben Cardin and signed by President Barack Obama in 2012, the U.S. asserted its willingness to punish foreign governments for human rights abuses. The Act, initially limited to Russia, has now been expanded by virtue of 2016’s Global Magnitsky Act, which enabled U.S. sanctions worldwide.
...................
US elites believed Russia belonged to them: "In the years following the end of the Soviet Union, the idea that Russia was “ours to lose” gained wide currency in American foreign policy circles."...May 2018, “The Cold War Culture War,” James Carden, American Affairs Journal
Magnitsky was actually an accountant, not Browder's "lawyer."...After the fall of the Soviet Union: “The Harvard Boys Do Russia,“ The Nation, Janine R. Wedel, May 14, 1998
................
7/24/18, "Is Bill Browder the Most Dangerous Man in the World?" Philip Giraldi, unz.com
"The darling of the war party needs to answer some questions."
............
 |
| Browder |
Putin argued, not unreasonably, that if Washington wants to extradite and talk to any of the twelve recently indicted GRU officers the Justice Department has named then reciprocity is in order for Americans and other identified individuals who are wanted by the Russian authorities for illegal activity while in Russia. And if Russian officials are fair game, so are American officials.
A prime target for such an interrogation would be President Barack Obama’s Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, who was widely criticized while in Moscow for being on an apparent mission to cultivate ties with the Russian political opposition and other “pro-democracy” groups. But McFaul was not specifically identified in the press conference, though Russian prosecutors have asked him to answer questions related to the ongoing investigation of another leading critic, Bill Browder, who was named by Putin during the question and answer session.
Browder is a major hedge fund figure who, inter alia, is an American by birth. He renounced his U.S. citizenship in 1997 in exchange for British citizenship to avoid paying federal taxes on his worldwide income.
Bill Browder is what used to be referred to as an oligarch, having set up shop in 1999 as Hermitage Capital Management Fund, a hedge fund registered in tax havens Guernsey and the Cayman Islands. It focused on “investing” in Russia, taking advantage initially of the loans-for-shares scheme under Russia’s drunkard President Boris Yeltsin, and then continuing to profit greatly during the early years of Vladimir Putin. By 2005 Hermitage was the largest foreign investor in Russia.
............
|
| 7/15/1996 cover |
Browder and his apologists portray him as an honest and honorable Western businessman attempting to operate in a corrupt Russian business world. Nevertheless, the loans-for-shares scheme that made him his initial fortune has been correctly characterized as the epitome of corruption by all parties involved, an arrangement whereby foreign investors worked with local oligarchs to strip the former Soviet economy of its assets paying pennies on each dollar of value. Along the way, Browder was reportedly involved in money laundering, making false representations on official documents and bribery.
Browder was eventually charged by the Russian authorities for fraud and tax evasion. He was banned from re-entering Russia in 2005 and began to withdraw his assets from the country, but three companies controlled by Hermitage were eventually seized by the authorities. Browder himself was convicted of tax evasion in absentia in 2013 and sentenced to nine years in prison.
Browder, who refers to himself as Putin’s “public enemy #1,” has notably been able to sell his tale of innocence to leading American politicians like Senators John McCain, Lindsay Graham, Ben Cardin and ex-Senator Joe Lieberman, all of whom are always receptive when criticizing Russia, as well as to a number of European parliamentarians and media outlets.
In the wake of the Helsinki press conference he has, for example, claimed that Putin named him personally because he is a threat to continue to expose the crimes of the mafia that he claims is currently running Russia, but there is, inevitably, another less discussed alternative view of his [Browder's] self-serving narrative.
Central to the tale of what Browder really represents is the Magnitsky Act, which the U.S. Congress passed into law to sanction individual Kremlin officials for their treatment of alleged whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky, arrested and imprisoned in Russia. Browder has sold a narrative which basically says that he and his “lawyer” Sergei Magnitsky uncovered massive tax fraud and, when they attempted to report it, were punished by a corrupt police force and magistracy, which had actually stolen the money. Magnitsky was arrested and died in prison, allegedly murdered by the police to silence him.
The Magnitsky case is of particular importance because both the European Union and the United States have initiated sanctions against the identified Russian officials who were allegedly involved. In the Magnitsky Act, sponsored by Russia-phobic Senator Ben Cardin and signed by President Barack Obama in 2012, the U.S. asserted its willingness to punish foreign governments for human rights abuses. The Act, initially limited to Russia, has now been expanded by virtue of 2016’s Global Magnitsky Act, which enabled U.S. sanctions worldwide.
Russia reacted angrily to the first iteration of the Act, noting that the actions taken by its government internally, notably the operation of its judiciary, were being subjected to outside interference, while other judicial authorities also questioned Washington’s claimed right to respond to criminal acts committed outside the United States.
Moscow reciprocated with sanctions against U.S. officials as well as by increasing pressure on foreign non-governmental pro-democracy groups operating in Russia. Some have referred to the Magnitsky Act as the start of the new Cold War.
The contrary narrative to that provided by Browder concedes that there was indeed a huge fraud related to as much as $230 million in unpaid Russian taxes on an estimated $1.5 billion of income, but that it was not carried out by corrupt officials.
Instead, it was deliberately ordered and engineered by Browder with Magnitsky, who was actually an accountant, personally developing and implementing the scheme, using multiple companies and tax avoidance schemes to carry out the deception.
Magnitsky, who was on cardiac medication, was indeed arrested and convicted, but he, according to his own family, reportedly died due to his heart condition, possibly exacerbated by negligent authorities who failed to medicate him adequately when he became ill.
The two competing Browder narratives have been explored in some detail by a Russian documentary film maker Andrei Nekrasov, an outspoken anti-Putin activist, who was actually initially engaged by Browder to do the film. An affable Browder appears extensively in the beginning describing his career and the events surrounding Magnitsky.
As Nekrasov worked on the documentary, he discovered that the Browder supported narrative was full of contradictions, omissions and fabrication of evidence. By the time he finished, he realized that the more accurate account of what had occurred with Browder and Magnitsky had been that provided by the Russian authorities.
When Nekrasov prepared to air his work “The Magnitsky Act: Behind the Scenes,” he inevitably found himself confronted by billionaire Browder and a battery of lawyers, who together blocked the showing of the film in Europe and the United States. Anyone subsequently attempting to promote the documentary has been immediately confronted with 300 plus pages of supporting documents accompanying a letter threatening a lawsuit if the film were to be shown to the public.
A single viewing of “The Magnitsky Act” in Washington in June 2016 turned into a riot when Browder supporters used tickets given to Congressional staffers to disrupt the proceedings. At a subsequent hearing before Congress, where he was featured as an expert witness on Russian corruption before a fawning Senate Judiciary Committee, Bill Browder suggested that those who had challenged his narrative and arranged the film’s viewing in Washington should be prosecuted under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (FARA), which includes penalties of up to five years in prison.
Because of the pressure from Browder, there has never been a second public showing of “The Magnitsky Act” but it is possible to see it online at this site.
Bill Browder, who benefited enormously from Russian corruption, has expertly repackaged himself as a paragon among businessmen, endearing himself to the Russia-haters in Washington and the media. Curiously, however, he has proven reluctant to testify in cases regarding his own business dealings. He has, for example, repeatedly run away, literally, from attempts to subpoena him so he would have to testify under oath.
When one gets past all of his bluster and posturing, by one significant metric Bill Browder might well be accounted the most dangerous man in the world. Driven by extreme hatred of Putin and of Russia, he personally and his Magnitsky Myth have together done more to launch and sustain a dangerous new Cold War between a nuclear armed United States and a nuclear armed Russia.
Blind to what he has accomplished, he continues to pontificate about how Putin is out to get him when instead he is the crook who quite likely stole $230 million dollars and should be facing the consequences.
That the U.S. media and Congress appear to be entranced by Browder and dismissive of Moscow’s charges against him is symptomatic of just how far the Russia-phobia in the West has robbed people of their ability to see what is right in front of them. To suggest that what is taking place driven by Browder and his friends in high places could well lead to tragedy for all of us would be an understatement."
"Philip M. Giraldi, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Council for the National Interest, a 501(c)3 tax deductible educational foundation that seeks a more interests-based U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Website is www.councilforthenationalinterest.org, address is P.O. Box 2157, Purcellville VA 20134 and its email is inform@cnionline.org
https://player.vimeo.com/video/281295276?app_id=122963
Moscow reciprocated with sanctions against U.S. officials as well as by increasing pressure on foreign non-governmental pro-democracy groups operating in Russia. Some have referred to the Magnitsky Act as the start of the new Cold War.
The contrary narrative to that provided by Browder concedes that there was indeed a huge fraud related to as much as $230 million in unpaid Russian taxes on an estimated $1.5 billion of income, but that it was not carried out by corrupt officials.
Instead, it was deliberately ordered and engineered by Browder with Magnitsky, who was actually an accountant, personally developing and implementing the scheme, using multiple companies and tax avoidance schemes to carry out the deception.
Magnitsky, who was on cardiac medication, was indeed arrested and convicted, but he, according to his own family, reportedly died due to his heart condition, possibly exacerbated by negligent authorities who failed to medicate him adequately when he became ill.
The two competing Browder narratives have been explored in some detail by a Russian documentary film maker Andrei Nekrasov, an outspoken anti-Putin activist, who was actually initially engaged by Browder to do the film. An affable Browder appears extensively in the beginning describing his career and the events surrounding Magnitsky.
As Nekrasov worked on the documentary, he discovered that the Browder supported narrative was full of contradictions, omissions and fabrication of evidence. By the time he finished, he realized that the more accurate account of what had occurred with Browder and Magnitsky had been that provided by the Russian authorities.
When Nekrasov prepared to air his work “The Magnitsky Act: Behind the Scenes,” he inevitably found himself confronted by billionaire Browder and a battery of lawyers, who together blocked the showing of the film in Europe and the United States. Anyone subsequently attempting to promote the documentary has been immediately confronted with 300 plus pages of supporting documents accompanying a letter threatening a lawsuit if the film were to be shown to the public.
A single viewing of “The Magnitsky Act” in Washington in June 2016 turned into a riot when Browder supporters used tickets given to Congressional staffers to disrupt the proceedings. At a subsequent hearing before Congress, where he was featured as an expert witness on Russian corruption before a fawning Senate Judiciary Committee, Bill Browder suggested that those who had challenged his narrative and arranged the film’s viewing in Washington should be prosecuted under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (FARA), which includes penalties of up to five years in prison.
Because of the pressure from Browder, there has never been a second public showing of “The Magnitsky Act” but it is possible to see it online at this site.
Bill Browder, who benefited enormously from Russian corruption, has expertly repackaged himself as a paragon among businessmen, endearing himself to the Russia-haters in Washington and the media. Curiously, however, he has proven reluctant to testify in cases regarding his own business dealings. He has, for example, repeatedly run away, literally, from attempts to subpoena him so he would have to testify under oath.
When one gets past all of his bluster and posturing, by one significant metric Bill Browder might well be accounted the most dangerous man in the world. Driven by extreme hatred of Putin and of Russia, he personally and his Magnitsky Myth have together done more to launch and sustain a dangerous new Cold War between a nuclear armed United States and a nuclear armed Russia.
Blind to what he has accomplished, he continues to pontificate about how Putin is out to get him when instead he is the crook who quite likely stole $230 million dollars and should be facing the consequences.
That the U.S. media and Congress appear to be entranced by Browder and dismissive of Moscow’s charges against him is symptomatic of just how far the Russia-phobia in the West has robbed people of their ability to see what is right in front of them. To suggest that what is taking place driven by Browder and his friends in high places could well lead to tragedy for all of us would be an understatement."
"Philip M. Giraldi, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Council for the National Interest, a 501(c)3 tax deductible educational foundation that seeks a more interests-based U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Website is www.councilforthenationalinterest.org, address is P.O. Box 2157, Purcellville VA 20134 and its email is inform@cnionline.org
https://player.vimeo.com/video/281295276?app_id=122963
...................
Greek officials suspect arson in deadly fires, 15 fires were started simultaneously in 3 different areas near Athens-ABC News
7/25/18, “Arson suspected in devastating fires in Greece that killed at least 79 people,“ ABC News, Ian Pannell, Bill Hutchinson
Multiple fires in different areas outside the capital of Athens seemed to ignite at once, leading investigators to probe whether they were deliberately set.
“Fifteen fires were started simultaneously on three different fronts in Athens,” government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos told reporters.
He said the Greek government has requested drones from the United States to “detect any suspicious activity.”
The fires exploded Monday afternoon in the forests near the seaside towns outside Athens. Fanned by winds of up to 60 miles per hour and fueled by parched vegetation, flames quickly grew into infernos that swept across the region, leveling homes, trapping victims and prompting thousands of people to flee for their lives.
The death toll climbed to 79 people and nearly 200 were injured, the government fire service said in a report Wednesday.
More than 1,000 homes and 300 vehicles were either destroyed or damaged by the fires, officials said….
A rainstorm overnight and into Wednesday morning in areas ravaged by the fires helped firefighters bring the blazes under control, officials said.
The fires reduced many homes in the resort villages of Mati, Rafina, Neos Voutzas and Kokkino Limanaki to rubble and ash.
Evangelos Bournous, the mayor of Rafina, told reporters that his village “no longer exists.”
Many residents tried to the outrun the rapidly advancing flames either in cars or on foot. Roadways were clogged with charred vehicles that people abandoned or got trapped inside of and died.
In Mati, firefighters recovered the bodies of 26 people, including children, found huddled together in a burned villa, officials said.
On the seaside cliffs in Mati, once green trees and brush were rendered blackened twigs. Many homes in the area were left as charred hulls.
Near one home, the burned carcass of a dog laid near a path leading to the water.”…
...........
Multiple fires in different areas outside the capital of Athens seemed to ignite at once, leading investigators to probe whether they were deliberately set.
“Fifteen fires were started simultaneously on three different fronts in Athens,” government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos told reporters.
He said the Greek government has requested drones from the United States to “detect any suspicious activity.”
The fires exploded Monday afternoon in the forests near the seaside towns outside Athens. Fanned by winds of up to 60 miles per hour and fueled by parched vegetation, flames quickly grew into infernos that swept across the region, leveling homes, trapping victims and prompting thousands of people to flee for their lives.
The death toll climbed to 79 people and nearly 200 were injured, the government fire service said in a report Wednesday.
More than 1,000 homes and 300 vehicles were either destroyed or damaged by the fires, officials said….
A rainstorm overnight and into Wednesday morning in areas ravaged by the fires helped firefighters bring the blazes under control, officials said.
The fires reduced many homes in the resort villages of Mati, Rafina, Neos Voutzas and Kokkino Limanaki to rubble and ash.
Evangelos Bournous, the mayor of Rafina, told reporters that his village “no longer exists.”
Many residents tried to the outrun the rapidly advancing flames either in cars or on foot. Roadways were clogged with charred vehicles that people abandoned or got trapped inside of and died.
In Mati, firefighters recovered the bodies of 26 people, including children, found huddled together in a burned villa, officials said.
On the seaside cliffs in Mati, once green trees and brush were rendered blackened twigs. Many homes in the area were left as charred hulls.
Near one home, the burned carcass of a dog laid near a path leading to the water.”…
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Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Senate Intelligence Committee has no power, is subservient to unelected Intelligence agencies per Senate Intel Committee Chair Sen. Jay Rockefeller in 2007: “Do you think that because I’m Chairman of the Intelligence Committee that I just say I want it, and they give it to me? They control it. All of it. All of the time. I only get, and my committee only gets, what they want to give me”-April 24, 2007
April 2007
4/24/2007, “Amazing Statement Of Congressional Impotence By Senate Intelligence Chairman Jay Rockefeller [D-WVa],” tinyrevolution.com
“Charles Davis, a freelance reporter, briefly interviewed Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) last Wednesday [April 2007].Rockefeller, Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, made this startling statement about how the U.S. government really functions:
DAVIS (Reporter): I wonder if you’ve heard some of these news reports that the Bush administration is backing extremist groups in Pakistan to launch attacks against Iran? Are you familiar with those news reports?
ROCKEFELLER (Sen.): I’ve seen no intelligence that would verify that.
DAVIS: Reports quote administration officials as saying this is going on and it’s being done in a way to avoid oversight of the Intelligence Committee…Is there anything you could do in your position as Chairman of the Intelligence Committee to find answers about this, if it is in fact going on?
ROCKEFELLER: Don’t you understand the way Intelligence works? Do you think that because I’m Chairman of the Intelligence Committee that I just say I want it, and they give it to me? They control it. All of it. All of it. All of the time. I only get, and my committee only gets, what they want to give me….
DAVIS: Well, what do you think about these allegations?
ROCKEFELLER: I’m not—I don’t comment on allegations. I can’t. I can’t afford to.
DAVIS: Okay. Thank you.”
………
Above via 11/2/2015, “A New Biography Traces the Pathology of Allen Dulles and His Appalling Cabal,” The Intercept, Jon Schwarz
“The Devil’s Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America’s Secret Government,” published in Oct. 2015 by Salon founder David Talbot. JFK fired CIA chief Allen Dulles, a holdover from Eisenhower, after the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion.”
……………….
Re: Sen. Jay Rockefeller:
John “Jay” “Rockefeller, a Democrat, was a senator from West Virginia from 1985 to 2014.” He was Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee from 2007 to 2009.
...................
4/24/2007, “Amazing Statement Of Congressional Impotence By Senate Intelligence Chairman Jay Rockefeller [D-WVa],” tinyrevolution.com
“Charles Davis, a freelance reporter, briefly interviewed Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) last Wednesday [April 2007].Rockefeller, Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, made this startling statement about how the U.S. government really functions:
DAVIS (Reporter): I wonder if you’ve heard some of these news reports that the Bush administration is backing extremist groups in Pakistan to launch attacks against Iran? Are you familiar with those news reports?
ROCKEFELLER (Sen.): I’ve seen no intelligence that would verify that.
DAVIS: Reports quote administration officials as saying this is going on and it’s being done in a way to avoid oversight of the Intelligence Committee…Is there anything you could do in your position as Chairman of the Intelligence Committee to find answers about this, if it is in fact going on?
ROCKEFELLER: Don’t you understand the way Intelligence works? Do you think that because I’m Chairman of the Intelligence Committee that I just say I want it, and they give it to me? They control it. All of it. All of it. All of the time. I only get, and my committee only gets, what they want to give me….
DAVIS: Well, what do you think about these allegations?
ROCKEFELLER: I’m not—I don’t comment on allegations. I can’t. I can’t afford to.
DAVIS: Okay. Thank you.”
………
Above via 11/2/2015, “A New Biography Traces the Pathology of Allen Dulles and His Appalling Cabal,” The Intercept, Jon Schwarz
“The Devil’s Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America’s Secret Government,” published in Oct. 2015 by Salon founder David Talbot. JFK fired CIA chief Allen Dulles, a holdover from Eisenhower, after the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion.”
……………….
Re: Sen. Jay Rockefeller:
John “Jay” “Rockefeller, a Democrat, was a senator from West Virginia from 1985 to 2014.” He was Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee from 2007 to 2009.
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About Me
- susan
- I'm the daughter of an Eagle Scout and World War II Air Force pilot born in Brooklyn, finally settling in New Jersey.