Category: Kremlin-gate

The Trump-Russian Collusion Timeline

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The Trump-Russian Collusion Timeline

D. S. Mitchell

centers on 12 dates. The Sept-Oct 2018 issue of Mother Jones magazine draws a painful conclusion; the Russian Investigation Is NO hoax.  So, if you have clung to the belief that a president of the United States would never betray his country to win an election,  you better check out the timeline Mother Jones has drawn of the Trump campaign activities & Trump speeches and collusion, is the only conclusion.

June 15/2016: As reports surfaced of the Democratic National Committee hacks, Trump & Team issued the following: “We believe it was the DNC that did the “hacking” as a way to distract from the many issues facing their deeply flawed candidate.”

June/16/2018: Donald Trump, Jr and three Trump campaign officials, including Paul Manafort, meet with a Russian attorney with known ties to the Kremlin to discuss, offered “dirt” on Hillary.

7/27/2016: Trump makes his now famous plea to Putin, “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.” A recent disclosure in a Mueller indictment, reveals that Russian Intelligence first targeted a key Hillary Clinton email provider, “on  or about” the same date.

9/7 & 8/2016: Obama officials alleged publicly that the Russians were likely behind the DNC hack. The Trump response came on Kremlin backed RT no less, during an interview, “I think maybe the Democrats are putting that out. Who knows, but I think it’s pretty unlikely.”

9/26/2016: During the first presidential debate, candidate Trump said, “I don’t think anybody knows it was Russia…it could also be China. It could also be lots of other people. It also could be somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds, okay?”

10/9/2016: During the second debate when Clinton accuses Trump of benefiting from Russian interference his response was to deflect, “She doesn’t know if it’s the Russians doing the hacking. Maybe there is no hacking.”

12/9/2016: Trump’s transition team attacks CIA’s published conclusion that Russia had interfered in the 2016 elections to help Trump.  According to Trump, “These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.”

12/31/2016: Trump announces, “I also know things that other people don’t know, and so they cannot be sure of the situation.”

1/13/2017: Trump posts  to Twitter, “Russia says nothing exists.”

9/22/2017:  Facebook’s announcement that Russian operatives had purchased ads on their platform, drew the following response, a “hoax”.

11/12/2017:  After a private meeting with Putin, Trump says, “He said he absolutely did not meddle in our elections. He did not do what they are saying. I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it.”

7/16/2018: In Helsinki, Putin & Trump take the stage together and Trump sides with Putin over US Intel agencies. “They said they think it’s Russia. I have President Putin. He just said it’s not Russia. I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be.”

“As emails stolen from the DNC and HRC were disseminated by WikiLeaks and Russian intelligence,” something soon became clear, “These actors weren’t just snooping; they were weaponizing what they found, using a noxious brew of fake news, astroturfed social-media posts, and bots.”

For the entire article, written by Pema Levy and AJ Vicens pick up a copy of Mother Jones at the news stand or subscribe for home delivery. I get mine delivered.

Please, support THE BLUE WAVE PROJECT, Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley’s action group raising money for progressive candidates nationwide.

 

FBI Raids Paul Manafort Home

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FBI Raids Paul Manafort Home

D. S. Mitchell

Nearly two weeks after the event, news was finally leaked by the Washington Post, that in the early morning hours of July 25, 2017, former Trump campaign chairman, Paul Manafort’s home in Alexandria, Virginia was raided by FBI investigators. Reports indicate boxes of documents were removed from the home.

The raid came within hours of Manafort speaking to investigators for the Senate Intelligence Committee, at which time he answered questions and provided notes from several meetings, including the controversial June 9, 2016 meeting between Russian “government attorney” and several other people with known Russian connections and members of the Trump 2016 Presidential election team, including the Trump campaigns big names, Kushner, Manafort and Don, Jr.

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Scratching My Head

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Scratching My Head

D. S. Mitchell

Calamity politics’ mission is to share political opinions and comments on the urgent news of the day.  Our goal is to empower and connect people with a forward looking progressive agenda. I admit I often use the blog to release my own pent up emotions. It isn’t a crime, but it should at least be acknowledged.  Furthermore, I want it understood that I am a fervent  anti-Trump voice  and supporter of the Resistance. That said, today I am going to disrespect DonaldJ. Trump Jr. What the hell? Is this guy so attention starved that he wanted to bring a bunch of Russian tricksters and propagandists into the 2016 Presidential campaign to smear Hillary Clinton and impress Daddy? Is he so greedy for power that he would sell out the most sacred element of our Democracy, our vote, to a foreign power? Is he so stupid he needs help because he can’t tie his own shoe laces? Is he so used to operating outside the law that calling the FBI to report the intent of a foreign government to interfere in the US election didn’t even occur to him or the other attendees at this recently uncovered meeting. This whole story that is emerging about Donald, jr, and the lady Russian lawyer has me and most of the world scratching our heads.

The confirmed 6/9/2016 meeting, was between Trump, jr, Paul Manafort, Jared Kushner and a Russian attorney at Trump Tower and is the first known meeting between members of the Trump inner circle, both family and campaign staffers. The emerging story is grim and depressing when viewed as a family joined together to betray the United States; and in effect, mount a successful coup of the government; aided and abetted by a foreign adversary.

I am not surprised, but as more information is being brought to light my anger keeps mounting. How the fuck off kilter do you have to be to sell your country out? Too fucking immoral  and fucking disgusting to be anywhere close to the White House and the role of President of the United States, in my opinion. Trump must be impeached immediately along with his Vice President, Mike Pence.  OMG my hair is on fire.

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Another Beach Day

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Another Beach Day

D. S. Mitchell

I have been trying to stay calm.  Morning meditation, a 3 mile walk on a misty beach, background acoustic guitar played today while I worked on my *novel.  No cable news.  Just me, and steady controlled breathing.

There are two special elections in the South today.  The South, since the late 1960’s has been  Republican red.  When I was a kid, the Democrats owned the South.  But, strangely enough in reaction to Civil Rights Legislation backed by the Democrats the South moved lock, stock and barrel to the Republican party.

I donated to both Democratic candidates, Archie Parnell in South Carolina, and Jon Ossoff in Georgia. Not much money, because I’m a pensioner, but I felt I had to at least put something in the pot. Not that I expect the Dems to win, but I have hope.

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“Follow The Trail Of Russian Bodies”

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Follow The Trail Of Russian Bodies

D.S. Mitchell

Calamity Politics is a progressive political blog that attempts everyday to provide interesting and topical articles, focused primarily on the U.S. national political scene.  Topics of analysis and commentary are determined by me.  Sometimes I discuss the headlines of the day, sometimes I veer off and talk about things that make me smile and others that make me mad. Today, I am going to reach back in to recent history.  The news of the day, again involves the Russians and possible disclosure by President Trump of highly classified information.  So, I thought it might be good to have a refresher course on Russia’s war against our democratic institutions.  Sources for this article are Del Quentin Wilker, the LA Times, Melissa Ryan Extra Newsfeed, and AP correspondents, Deb Reichmann and Eileen Sullivan, and finally CtrlAltRightDelete.

On March 30, 2017 Clint Watts, terrorism and espionage expert, Robert A. Fox Fellow, Program on the Middle East and Senior Fellow, Program on National Security, appeared before the Senate Intel Committee to discuss the Russian intervention in the 2016 presidential election.  Watts gave the committee and the American public a history lesson into the activities of the Russians, tracing the Kremlin’s efforts to influence our elections as a decades long effort using misinformation to undermine our democracy.

Wilker in his LA Times article declared, “Watts provided a road map to better understand” the shady practices by Moscow. To understand the activities, he urged the Senate and the U.S. government to “follow the money” to figure out “how misinformation websites and social media outlets are being funded.”

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BLACKWATER PRINCE

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Blackwater Prince

D. S. Mitchell

**Digby Parton for Salon, and Jeremy Scahill for Intercept, have provided most of the investigative information for this story.  Calamity Politics, does not have the ability to do investigative journalism, but instead relies on several reporting sources to bring a story to my readers. The comments and analysis are all D.S.M. 

Who Is Erik Prince?

Erik Prince, is the billionaire Navy Seal and one time owner of Blackwater USA, is in the crosshairs today.  Prince owned the renegade mercenary company when they worked in Iraq.  The private military company was plagued with reports of beatings and theft. In 2007 while guarding an allied convoy, Blackwater soldiers opened fire on unarmed Iraqi citizens, including women and children in Nisour Place, Bagdad.  The massacre killed 17 and wounded 20.

Family Ties

The guilty were prosecuted, after several stops and starts,  the Feds convicted one man of murder, he got 30 years.  Four other Blackwater defendants received lesser sentences. The disgraced billionaire sold Blackwater. Since then he has done financial consulting. A couple of interesting facts have emerged recently. First, Prince’s  sister is the newly appointed and controversial Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos.  Second, he is the son of a billionaire far right-wing activist, who spent millions of dollars to push his beliefs legislatively, and as Betsy said, “We expect results, when we give money.”

Back Door

Erik Prince was with Trump on election night.  Prior to the election, Prince would sneak in the back door of Trump Tower, so as not to be seen by the gaggle of reporters in the lobby. When questioned on the Prince association with the Trump campaign, Sean Spicer, denied there was any involvement between the Blackwater founder and the White House. “If there had been an association,” Spicer said, “it was insignificant.” Despite denials of a close relationship between Prince and Trump it is clear that Prince is giving  intel and defense advice. Prince has been a close associate of Mike Pence. Both have an extreme right-wing “militant theocratic worldview,” Salon reported.

On Intel Radar

“Considering that Trump’s knowledge of world affairs can barely fill a shot glass, seeing Erik Prince among the inner circle of advisors is unnerving,” said an inside source, “he has gone off the rails and has exposed many U.S. citizens to criminal liability.” Prince currently lives in Abi Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.  Prince a shadowy figure is known to be under investigation by the Dept of Justice and several other agencies for suspected money laundering, and attempts to broker military services of foreign governments. Erik Prince is aware and angry over the surveillance. He has complained loudly that his movements are constantly monitored.  Numerous associates have acknowledged that the government has warned them to, “cease doing business with him. He is on the radar of every Intel service in the world.”

Breitbart Interview

In July 2016, Erik Prince was on Steve Bannon’s Breitbart radio program.  At the time Prince pushed ” a kill/capture” program that the U.S. used in Vietnam.  Prince suggest the need for a “Phoenix program”  to deal with Islamic terrorists. He called it an “assassination ring”. More recently, Erik Prince met for two days in the Seychelles with officials from the Russian government as an  “emissary” from the Trump campaign.

Another Russian Connection

Another, Trump-Russian association. I can’t imagine this. I remember hiding under my desk because the Russians were going the kill me with an atomic bomb.  Now, I find out that the Russians are here running our government. I pray that the conspiracy/collusion stories are false, but I doubt it. If there was no collusion, why are all these meetings secret? I want to get to the bottom of the Russian election interference. The stonewalling at the legislative investigative committee level, gives me deep concerns. Partisanship appears to be guiding the congressional investigation. I truthfully believe this association between the Russian government and the Trump campaign could spell the death to our democracy.

Mission

I will continue to write about the headline news of the day, and the urgent political stories that are keeping Americans awake at night. The political drum beat is pounding irritably. I believe the Republic is in great danger and if there was ever a need to raise your voice, now is that time.

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Tentacles of the Kremlin

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Tentacles Of The Kremlin

D. S. Mitchell

An Irritation

I’m here to tell you it is colder than hell here at the beach. But, the U.S. political news scene is hot. Really, really hot. The political shenanigans that went on during the 2016 Presidential campaign are a constant lingering pimple on the ass of the President of the United States. We all know it is weird. I mean, have you ever heard so many Russian names in your whole freaking life? Well, whatever you just answered, I didn’t hear it. Speaking for myself, in 70 plus years I have never heard so many Russian names.

Lobbying For Putin

The tentacles of Putin’s Kremlin are pervasive. It seems Russia has penetrated the highest levels of the U.S. government. Russian interests are actively engaged in U.S. policy.  The Russian government and Russian special interest groups, have spent millions of dollars contracting with American lobbying firms. Their goals are specific. 

Kremlin Motives

First and foremost, the Kremlin wants a softening, of Obama era sanctions. The first round of sanctions came as punishment for Russia’s annexation of Crimea.  Those sanctions were intensified because of Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. elections.  The second target aimed at reducing fracking in the U.S. The fracking process has produced abundant oil supplies. With abundant product has come plunging oil prices. The dip in prices have devastated the Russian economy.  The third major lobbying target has been the financial sanctions. Sberbank and VTB Capital have faced severe cash shortages due to plunging oil prices and the U.S. sanctions.

Web Of Corruption

The FBI and the Justice Department are conducting an investigation into possible links between the corrupt former Ukrainian pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych and former Trump campaign manager, Paul Manafort. In a Hot Air article, John Sexton wrote that the Democratic super lobbying firm, The Podesta Group, LLC is under investigation.  John Podesta was Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager.  John denies recent involvement with the group he helped found.  I don’t know if we  will ever know the full extent of this web of corruption.  It looks like it is world-wide.

Corruption

Rick Gates, a Paul Manafort deputy, hired The Podesta Group, reported HotAir. The FBI is attempting to discover if any U.S. companies and financial system were used to aid illegal activities and corruption by the party of former president Viktor Yanukovych. By reports, The Podesta Group did not register their work as agents for a foreign government as required by law.  Buzzfeed says that PG has lawyered up.  PG was listed on lobbying disclosure forms, however.  The Podesta Group reported receiving $24 million in fees in 2016, mostly from foreign governments.

Money Flying

The Democratic super lobbyist Podesta Group, got $170,000 over 6 months from Sberbank to lobby for lifting sanctions on Russian banks. Records show Sberbank met with State Department officials twice accompanied by a Podesta representative. The PG did not at any time register as an agent of a foreign power during this time. The Podesta Group represented Sberbank and its subsidiaries, Troika Dialog Group.  Interestingly, “Troika Dialog” was related to Klein Ltd, a Cayman Island organization. Klein Ltd is known to have funneled tens of millions of dollars to environmental groups to oppose low-cost fracking in U.S.” said Richard Pollock, Daily Caller.

Democratic Ties

Two other big lobby groups, best known for their Democratic ties have also become entangled with the Russians.  Manatos & Manatos, known backers of Carter and LBJ, represented VTB Capital at the tune of $17,500 monthly to lobby for sanction lifting. VTB and Sberbank are known to have spent at least $700,000 in 2016 to end financial sanctions.

Conclusion

My concern here is of course, that even without meddling in the election, the Kremlin is actively undermining many aspects of our lives.

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Bank Shenanigans

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Bank Shenanigans

D. S. Mitchell

Editor In Chief

As Editor-in-Chief here at Calamity News and Politics, I have a lot of leeway on what I chose to write about. The story today, is again, about Donald Trump. Anybody surprised? This guy is sucking up the world oxygen supply. Scandal, corruption, bank shenanigans, money laundering and conflict of interest. There is literally, no end to it. Trump’s Administration is an alley littered with dirty, back street deals.

Tentacles Of Corruption

The world is watching the dynamics of the drama playing out on the world stage. The entanglements of Mr. Trump and his associates are like tentacles of a giant squid stretching it’s long, slimy arms around the globe. Here’s a few more tidbits on Trump that might be interesting to folks that are trying to connect the dots in the Russian collusion/conspiracy investigation.

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Was It The First Time?

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COMMENT:

Was It The First Time?

D. S. Mitchell

Unsettling

There’s a guy in the White House that may have conspired with an adversarial power to win the 2016 presidential election.  That in itself is terrifying. While I’m thinking about this Russian attack against our most democratic of institutions, I had another thought that was quite unsettling.  What if Trump isn’t their first success?  What if the Russians have had earlier success in our elections?  Could there be victories that we are unaware of?  Seems strange, that the Russians would hit a home run with the first effort.

Putin’s Pocket

Could there be Senators, or Representatives, that are participating in these investigations, or sitting in the House and/or Senate that are in Putin’s pocket?  I’m not big on conspiracy theories, but it seems that it is a real possibility.  Hopefully, this cancer is confined to the White House. However, it is something that we should be thinking about.

Shocked And Amazed

If you are shocked and amazed, you are not alone. I spend almost every day scouring the news comments and editorials for things that I find curious, intriguing, mystifying, bizarre, or just funny, to use for this website. So, don’t make this your only visit, please come back, and stay awhile. Hopefully, I will present something that brings a smile to your face, or a picket sign into your hand.

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The List

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The List

D. S. Mitchell

Heat It Up

Calamity News and Politics, is a progressive blog based on the North Oregon Coast.  Calamity is here to stimulate the political conversation. A little argument is good, if it can clear the air. Some chaos is good, if it helps us re-center. Investigation is good, if it leads to the truth.

Siding Up

There is a an unsavory connection between Putin and Trump. The House Intel Committee began hearings today with some very interesting testimony.  The partisan divide was immediately clear.  To me at least, the Republicans were leading a campaign to ferret out the folks leaking information, while the Democrats were on a mission to uncover a Russian spy network. The questioning hinted heavily of money, sex, cyber hacking, election tampering and sabotage.  My suggestion to the lawmakers is, let it go guys.  For everyone concerned, we need an Independent investigator or a Commission to get to the bottom of the Kremlin-Gate scandal.  As scary as it may be, it is entirely possible that there is a Russian operative in the White House. A Manchurian Candidate.

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