I use to get cranky about war profiteering.
This jumps up to a whole bunch of new levels.
I guess it makes it farther to fall and a bigger splat when it comes back down. lol
Patiently waiting for Saturday morn tweet marathon from Bozo to start.
Paul Manafort = Corruption Incarnate
From the TPM article:
A Ukrainian opposition lawmaker who helped uncover off-the-books payments to President Donald Trumpâs former campaign chairman said Saturday that a one-time Austrian chancellor was among the European politicians secretly paid to lobby for Ukraine. [âŠ] Leshchenko also said that former Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer had lobbied for Ukraine when the Russia-friendly Yanukovych was in power.
Salient facts from a source in Malta about some of Herr Gusenbauerâs associates:
Gusenbauer is one of the directors and legal representatives of Novia Management Ltd., a company registered in Malta in 2014 [âŠ] Novia Management is a shareholder of Novia Funds Sicav Plc, a Maltese company that lists among its shareholders Gusenbauerâs former campaign adviser Tal Silberstein, an Israeli entrepreneur who was arrested in August 2017, along with diamond magnate Beny Steinmetz, on charges of money laundering and then released.
Salient facts about Steinmetz from a source in Israel (in part echoing the NYT):
Steinmetz and another associate, strategic consultant Tal Silberstein, are suspected of bribing a foreign official, forging documents, engaging in corporate fraud and breach of trust, and money laundering. [âŠ] In April [2017], the New York Times reported that Raz Steinmetz â Beny Steinmetzâs nephew â is a partner in the Kushner Companies, the family real estate firm that had been run by Jared Kushner.
Youâre quite the sleuth.
What a tangled web âtheyâ weave when first âtheyâ practice to deceive.
Note to self: Do not hire instigator of corruption at the highest levels on multiple continents to be campaign manager.
From a February 22, 2014 article by AndrĂĄs Szigetvari in the Austrian publication Der Standard (translation and summary, for better or worse):
Prominent people close to [Ukrainian] President Yanukovych conduct much of their business in Vienna. [Examples include the millionaire Klyuyev brothers, one of whom directs the Ukrainian Presidential Office while the other is a member of Parliament for Yanukovych.]
Austria is interesting to Ukrainians not only because of the nature of its corporate laws but primarily because it allows its banks a great deal of secrecy. Ukrainian businessmen often use intermediaries in Austria, and the resulting corporate complexities also make it difficult to trace âinvestors.â
A good example is the mysterious Sustainable Ukraine gemeinnĂŒtzige Forschung GmbH.
Until 2012, its managing director was Oleksiy Azarov, the son of Ukraineâs premier. He was succeeded by Austrian lawyer Friedrich Bubla, who is also connected to numerous companies with links to Ukraine. [âŠ] The identities of the actual beneficial owners of the company are shrouded. Documents filed with the government list as owners Specht Böhm Asset Management, a company closely linked to former Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer.
It was billionaire Tom Barrack who negotiated the deal whereby Manafort replaced Lewandowski as Trumpâs campaign chair (or manager, or chair, or manager). It was Kushner who wanted Lewandowski out. Barrack brought in Manafort, who agreed to work for the campaign âwithout being paid.â
One could infer that Trump accepted Manafort out of indifference, or desperation, or some other factor. It was no secret at the time that Manafort had been (was being?) investigated for unsavory work he had done abroad, and for unsavory measures he had taken to hold on to as much of his compensation as possible.
The interwoven rot runs deep. To quote Marge Gunderson âItâd be quite a coincidence if they werenât, ya know, connected!â
I seem to recall myself that at the time, Cruz was badly outmaneuvering the inexperienced Trump team in the delegate selection process, because he anticipated a brokered convention and wanted his people in place for a second and subsequent votes. The Trump people belatedly realized they knew nothing about this, hadnât thought about it at all. So Manafort, who had relevant experience, looked pretty good. And he worked for free, or so they thought.
Well. As they say, âFreedom isnât free.â
Two separate things: convention manager and campaign manager.
Ostensibly to address the concerns youâre talking about, Trump appointed Manafort to be his convention manager in March 2016. Manafort could have stayed in that role, but âŠ
In May, Manafort was appointed campaign chair.
And then in June, with Kushner issuing certain reminders and with an assist from Tom Barrack, Lewandowski was fired and Manafort was appointed campaign manager (and/or chair).
Hmm . . . thereâs this bit from a Politico article regarding Michael Cohenâs European adventures:
Cohenâs passport would not show any record of a visit to Prague if he entered the EU through Italy, traveled to the Czech Republic, and then returned to his point of EU entry. A congressional official said the issue is âstill activeâ for investigators.
Elsewhere in the article, Cohen denies having ever visited Prague. Maybe not Prague . . . but the same would hold true if heâd gone to Vienna, no?
Hereâs the Politico article: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/06/trump-europe-russia-travel-281134
I understand the distinction but thanks anyway. I would hate for you to tire yourself out with all the explainering.
No sweat. Iâm interested in accuracy.
Whatever.
Never hire anyone who will work for free.They are working for others and not for your benefit. We have a whole pack of them in the White House right now and Donald keeps bragging about how this is somehow so great. For him and Russia perhaps but not the American people.
I doubt Trump had any choice to hire Gates Manafort. I suspect Valad instructed him to do so via some oligarch(s).
Not that this clears Fat Donny of responsibility nor Jared but when someone has the vise on your nuts you do what you are told.
Certainly possible. If Manafort flips weâll know a lot more. Or maybe itâll be confirmation usable in court or impeachment hearings, because they sure seem to know a lot already. Seems like if you were on the campaign and used an outdated discount coupon for cat food in June 2016 it can show up in an indictment. That seems to be the ongoing, overarching message.
The violence of European politics sparked both of our World Wars. So Manafort wanted to do likewise? LOCK HIM UP!