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People have to be careful with Iran. They are a real stickler about sovereign borders. That is how Americans end up in Iranian jails while hiking the trails. They put a foot in Iran and they are arrested. I am fairly sure the last time the USA Air Force lost a drone to Iran, it was near the Afghanistan border. Oops, it went a little too far, just checking out the Taliban. Sure. June 19, 2019
June 19, 2019 By Jackie Northam Editor's note: This story contains graphic details of the actions leading up to Jamal Khashoggi's death. A special U.N. investigator (click here) says Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman should be investigated in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi because there is "credible evidence" that he and other senior officials in the kingdom were responsible. Agnes Callamard, the special rapporteur for the U.N.'s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, conducted a five-month investigation into Khashoggi's death last fall at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Herresulting report, released Wednesday, found that "Khashoggi has been the victim of a deliberate, premeditated execution, an extrajudicial killing for which the state of Saudi Arabia is responsible under international human rights law." Callamard's report says the mission to "execute Khashoggi" required significant coordination, resources and finances. It adds that every expert consulted for the report found it "inconceivable that an operation of this scale could be implemented without the Crown Prince being aware, at a minimum, that some sort of mission of a criminal nature, directed at Mr. Khashoggi, was being launched."... Something at the time of the murder is that Donald Trump, Jr. was promoting the idea that Jamal Khashoggi deserved to die because he was affiliated with jihadists. Why would a president's son do that? The UN investigator may want to ask him about that. October 13, 2018 By Sophie Tatum and Nicole Gaouette Donald Trump Jr. retweeted (click here) an unsubstantiated claim on Friday insinuating missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is a terrorism sympathizer -- a move that comes as the administration of his father, President Donald Trump, faces pressure on how to respond to the journalist's disappearance....
That type of concern belongs in a police file and investigation, not death in a Saudi Arabian embassy. If find Donald Trump, Jr.'s behavior very strange. Why was he trying to justify the death? President Erdogan is also stating the recent death of Mohammad Morsi (click here) was a murder and not a heart attack. I don't know how he knows that or why he believes that, but, there was a report about that as well.
C. The IRA (Internet Research Agency) Targets U.S. Elections 1. The IRA Ramps Up U.S. Operations As Early As 2014 The IRA's US operations sought to influence public opinion through online media and forums. By the spring of 2014, the IRA began to consolidate U.S. operations within a single general department, known internally as the "Translator" (written in Russian in report) department.' What impresses me about the work of the Special Counsel in this section of the report is the detail of which the WORK CRAFT of the Russians became obvious. There are no minor details that were unimportant to the Special Counsel. It speaks to Robert Mueller's vast personal knowledge of these networks and how they work in the USA. He was the best choice for this job. Absolutely. Americans are such suckers for money. Money even has power in the USA Supreme Court. That is scary to me. The Russian operation was picking and choosing primary outcomes as well. 43. By 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators used their fictitious online personas to
interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election. They engaged in operations primarily intended
to communicate derogatory information about Hillary Clinton, to denigrate other candidates such
as Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, and to support Bernie Sanders and then-candidate Donald Trump. Harm to Ongoing Matter IRA subdivided the Translator Department into different responsibilities, ranging from operations on different social media platforms to analytics to graphics and IT. Ya know, if Facebook really wants to understand how to end the foreign invasion into elections they should ask Russia for its analysis of Facebook as a platform for covert ops. To understand many of the footnotes in this report, the evidence to the report needs to be available. I believe some was turned over to the US House, but, the entirety of the evidence is still locked away in a place controlled by the DOJ. It will take a FOIA demand to get at that information some time in the future. 29Investigative Technique See SM-2230634,
serials 131 & 204. It appears to me and I may have stated this before, the SM documents and their "series #" are internal documents in the evidence file. The initials S.M. can be found in other language of the FBI. Example below: Special Agent S.M. (click here) worked on an organized crime squad in the New York Division and was a member of the SWAT team when the attacks occurred on the World Trade Center That is what leads me to believe this is an internal language understood within the agency. 30 See SM-2230634, serial 156 31 Internet Research Agency Indictment (click here), The indictment of the Russians is damning. They were causing a great deal of issues for Americans unwittingly going about their lives, but, it also clearly illustrates Russian contacts with the Trump Campaign. 6. Defendant ORGANIZATION had a strategic goal to sow discord in the U.S. political
system, including the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Defendants posted derogatory information
about a number of candidates, and by early to mid-2016, Defendants’ operations included
supporting the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald J. Trump (“Trump Campaign”) and
disparaging Hillary Clinton. Defendants made various expenditures to carry out those activities,
including buying political advertisements on social media in the names of U.S. persons and
entities. Defendants also staged political rallies inside the United States, and while posing as U.S.
grassroots entities and U.S. persons, and without revealing their Russian identities and
ORGANIZATION affiliation, solicited and compensated real U.S. persons to promote or disparage
candidates. Got that? Americans were having contact with Russian agents that paid them to disparage Hillary Clinton. None of the Americans involved with this solicitation by Russians knew they were a target of espionage. There were probably a good number of Americans solicited. And this is where the elections of the USA are strongly tainted by foreign influence. There is not one political campaign in the USA that has the capacity to influence elections within the media, social or otherwise, as a sovereign country such as Russia.It is why whoever vacated the indictment against these people is a traitor to the sovereign USA. There is no excuse for it and it is a hostile act against the people of the USa. Some Defendants, posing as U.S. persons and without revealing their Russian
association, communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump Campaign and
with other political activists to seek to coordinate political activities. r 12 b; see also 5/26/16 Facebook Messages, ID 1479936895656747 (United Muslims of America) & These are all internal reference numbers in the evidence file. Of course, Facebook has this information as well, but, a FOIA would have to go to Facebook to find out exactly the information at this ID number. Further, from the indictment: Beginning in or around June 2014, the ORGANIZATION obscured
its conduct by operating through a number of Russian entities, including Internet Research LLC, MediaSintez LLC, GlavSet LLC, MixInfo LLC, Azimut LLC, and NovInfo LLC These are six LLCs which were operating under the auspices of Russia. In the way they use the infrastructure of the USA, it is all too easy to realize Russia uses terrorist thinking to invade the USA and achieve their own goal. Anyone seeking to dismiss the severity of this attack is an enemy of the people of the USA. (10) c. The ORGANIZATION sought, in part, to conduct what it called “information
warfare against the United States of America” through fictitious U.S. personas on
social media platforms and other Internet-based media It is a war. A significant amount of the war is conducted in cyberspace. Individuals that seek to undermine the rule of law in conducting the prosecution of these Russias is a treasonist. By July of 2016, there were 80 Russian organization employees ASSIGNED to these efforts to spread distrust of the candidates and the political system itself. One of the reasons people state they voted for Trump and may continue to vote for Trump is because they feel the system is untrustworthy. They aren't listening to valid concerns of the USA, they are listening to Russian propaganda. The USA is a magnificent democracy that was established out of a war to end the domination of a foreign power. It is a crime to realize Americans allow a foreign power to influence the way they see their democracy. CONCORD MANAGEMENT AND CONSULTING LLC (Конкорд
Менеджмент и Консалтинг) and CONCORD CATERING These are more Russian companies DESIGNED to carry out important aspects of the operation. These companies are held separate from the others in the indictment because they are the funding for the operations in the USA. ...monthly budget for
Project Lakhta submitted to CONCORD exceeded 73 million Russian rubles (over
1,250,000 U.S. dollars), including approximately one million rubles in bonus
payments.... ..distributed
monies to the ORGANIZATION through approximately fourteen bank accounts... Account Names: Glavnaya Liniya LLC, Merkuriy LLC, Obshchepit LLC, Potentsial LLC, RSP LLC, ASP LLC, MTTs
LLC, Kompleksservis LLC, SPb Kulinariya LLC, Almira LLC, Pishchevik LLC, Galant LLC, Rayteks LLC, and Standart LLC. These are shell accounts. The 80 Russian agents were solely supported by these operations. 12. Defendant YEVGENIY VIKTOROVICH PRIGOZHIN (The Chef) (Пригожин Евгений
Викторович) is a Russian national who controlled CONCORD. a. PRIGOZHIN approved and supported the ORGANIZATION’s operations, and
Defendants and their co-conspirators were aware of PRIGOZHIN’s role. Hubris. The Russians were laughing at the ease at which they were able to enlist Americans into their plots. b. For example, on or about May 29, 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators,
through an ORGANIZATION-controlled social media account, arranged for a real
U.S. person to stand in front of the White House in the District of Columbia under
false pretenses to hold a sign that read “Happy 55th Birthday Dear Boss.”
Defendants and their co-conspirators informed the real U.S. person that the sign was for someone who “is a leader here and our boss . . . our funder.” PRIGOZHIN’s
Russian passport identifies his date of birth as June 1, 1961. You have to realize Russians are going to set up money laundering enterprise anywhere they can. The exchange rate between the Russian currency and that of the rest of the world is very poor. So, any business that can be established regardless of the type of business, even a sports team, will be an exercise in money laundering to benefit Russia. Russians carry out businesses that are LLCs, which seems to be the preference of Russian operations, that will bring USA dollars to the operation rather than Russian Rubles. All the better, especially since oligarchs were very happy to carry out long term business interests for Russia. They obviously didn't expect to be caught or if caught they believed they would have influence that allowed them a longer stay at their business practice. I guess they didn't count on Robert S. Mueller. The indictment names all the Russians and their role in carrying the operations. 18. Defendant MARIA ANATOLYEVNA BOVDA (Бовда Мария Анатольевна) A/K/A
MARIA ANATOLYEVNA BELYAEVA (“M. BOVDA”) worked for the ORGANIZATION from
at least in or around November 2013 to at least in or around October 2014. M. BOVDA served as
the head of the translator project, among other positions. Ms. Bovda began her work in 2013 before the launch of the organization in 2014. Makes sense. The organization was worthless if they weren't able to understand the people they sought to influence. Evidently, Ms. Bovda's work was attracting help. I can't help but believe Aslanov had a special relationship with Putin. KGB maybe. 20. Defendant DZHEYKHUN NASIMI OGLY ASLANOV (Асланов Джейхун Насими
Оглы) A/K/A JAYHOON ASLANOV A/K/A JAY ASLANOV joined the ORGANIZATION by at
least in or around September 2014. ASLANOV served as head of the translator project and
oversaw many of the operations targeting the 2016 U.S. presidential election. ASLANOV was
also listed as the general director of Azimut LLC, an entity used to move funds from CONCORD
to the ORGANIZATION. These guys weren't technicians taking orders. They were agents with the capacity to cripple social media to serve it's own purpose. They didn't specialize in code, so much as human behavior. They had computer skills, but, that wasn't their first expertise. 21. Defendant VADIM VLADIMIROVICH PODKOPAEV (Подкопаев Вадим
Владимирович) joined the ORGANIZATION by at least in or around June 2014. PODKOPAEV
served as an analyst on the translator project and was responsible for conducting U.S.-focused
research and drafting social media content for the ORGANIZATION. There are the people that directed the activity of others. Vacating this indictment releases them to do more of the same. 23. Defendant IRINA VIKTOROVNA KAVERZINA (Каверзина Ирина Викторовна) joined
the ORGANIZATION by at least in or around October 2014. KAVERZINA served on the
translator project and operated multiple U.S. personas that she used to post, monitor, and update
social media content for the ORGANIZATION. Vladimir did what some Americans do, several identities. Funny, though, many times such multiple identities aren't kept straight by their users. Evidently, Vladimir didn't have that problem. No abandoned identities to shed when lovers are shed. 24. Defendant VLADIMIR VENKOV (Венков Владимир) joined the ORGANIZATION by
at least in or around March 2015. VENKOV served on the translator project and operated multiple U.S. personas, which he used to post, monitor, and update social media content for the
ORGANIZATION. They were in the USA for personal reasons. Sure. The Russian lead into their assault began in 2013 and seems to have peaked in preparation in 2014. After establishing their METHODS they had more than two years to attack Americans and effect their ideas. 30. c. Only KRYLOVA and BOGACHEVA received visas, and from approximately June
4, 2014 through June 26, 2014, KRYLOVA and BOGACHEVA traveled in and
around the United States, including stops in Nevada, California, New Mexico,
Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Louisiana, Texas, and New York to gather
intelligence. After the trip, KRYLOVA and BURCHIK exchanged an intelligence
report regarding the trip. d. Another co-conspirator who worked for the ORGANIZATION traveled to Atlanta,
Georgia from approximately November 26, 2014 through November 30, 2014.
Following the trip, the co-conspirator provided POLOZOV a summary of his trip’s
itinerary and expenses. Purple states: ...posing online as U.S. persons, communicated
with a real U.S. person affiliated with a Texas-based grassroots organization. During the exchange,
Defendants and their co-conspirators learned from the real U.S. person that they should focus their
activities on “purple states like Colorado, Virginia & Florida.”... ...Specialists were directed to create “political intensity through supporting radical groups, users
dissatisfied with [the] social and economic situation and oppositional social movements.”... ...a range of issues, including: -immigration (with group names including
“Secured Borders”); -the Black Lives Matter movement (with group names including
“Blacktivist”); -religion (with group names including “United Muslims of America” and “Army of
Jesus”); and -certain geographic regions within the United States (with group names including
“South United” and “Heart of Texas”). By 2016, the size of many ORGANIZATION-controlled
groups had grown to hundreds of thousands of online followers.... ...spending thousands of U.S. dollars every month (online ads)... The organization became so emboldened by their success preying on unwitting Americans they decided their influence was best suited by creating their own accounts. ...controlled the Twitter account “Tennessee GOP,” which used the
handle @TEN_GOP. The @TEN_GOP account falsely claimed to be controlled by a U.S. state
political party. Over time, the @TEN_GOP account attracted more than 100,000 online followers...conspirators tracked the performance of content they posted over social media... They wanted their own statistics to their success to tell The Chef all about it. He, in turn, would talk to Putin and Putin, in turn, would make social appearances on western media to deny any such activity. Putin made his appearances in media after the DISCOVERY of the hacked emails. Vlad. It was all unilateral, you Bozo. This is what Americans call "A no brainer." The Chef was feeling no pain and went for the gold. 39. To hide their Russian identities and ORGANIZATION affiliation, Defendants and their coconspirators—particularly POLOZOV and the ORGANIZATION’s IT department—purchased
space on computer servers located inside the United States in order to set up virtual private
networks (“VPNs”). It was all too easy. ...controlled hundreds of web-based
email accounts hosted by U.S. email providers under false names so as to appear to be U.S. persons
and groups. Identity theft besides: 41. In or around 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators also used, possessed, and
transferred, without lawful authority, the social security numbers and dates of birth of real U.S.
persons without those persons’ knowledge or consent.... After the Chef convinced Putin he was really on to something they wanted more. Identity theft is not easy to accomplish. A sovereign authority could carry this out with ease if it invested enough understanding to online banks of information. ...Using these means of identification,
Defendants and their co-conspirators opened accounts at PayPal, a digital payment service
provider; created false means of identification, including fake driver’s licenses; and posted on
ORGANIZATION-controlled social media accounts using the identities of these U.S. victims.
Defendants and their co-conspirators also obtained, and attempted to obtain, false identification
documents to use as proof of identity in connection with maintaining accounts and purchasing
advertisements on social media sites. They wanted US dollars in the worst way. For a country, like Russia, that covets USA dollars and Euros as if they are their own, they don't take the interest in their own country and countrymen and women to grow an economy that is healthy, vibrant and has EARNED the respect of the USA dollar. But, they carry out espionage to take over the USA and weaken the people. Russia, under Putin, was supposed to grow and become highly respected as the Russian presidents before him expected. Instead, Putin is driving Russia into a rouge status and will lose any footing it ever gained. 44. Certain ORGANIZATION-produced materials about the 2016 U.S. presidential election
used election-related hashtags, including: “#Trump2016,” “#TrumpTrain,” “#MAGA,” “#IWontProtectHillary,” and “#Hillary4Prison.” Defendants and their co-conspirators also
established additional online social media accounts dedicated to the 2016 U.S. presidential
election, including the Twitter account “March for Trump” and Facebook accounts “Clinton
FRAUDation” and “Trumpsters United.” So what, they made materials and used #s, right? Americans do that, too. Often they are unsuccessful. Get this. 45. Defendants and their co-conspirators also used false U.S. personas to communicate with
unwitting members, volunteers, and supporters of the Trump Campaign involved in local
community outreach, as well as grassroots groups that supported then-candidate Trump.Those individuals and entities at times distributed the ORGANIZATION’s materials through their own
accounts via retweets, reposts, and similar means. Defendants and their co-conspirators then
monitored the propagation of content through such participants. Low voter turnout is not allowed. Voting is being an American. 46. In or around the latter half of 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators, through their
ORGANIZATION-controlled personas, began to encourage U.S. minority groups not to vote in
the 2016 U.S. presidential election or to vote for a third-party U.S. presidential candidate. "Woke Blacks" vote for Killary. Or if facing the best of "two evils" why vote at all. "Blacktivists" “Choose peace and vote for Jill Stein. Trust
me, it’s not a wasted vote.” "United Muslims of America" - “American Muslims [are] boycotting
elections today, most of the American Muslim voters refuse to vote for Hillary
Clinton because she wants to continue the war on Muslims in the middle east and
voted yes for invading Iraq.” "Stop AI." “Hillary Clinton has already committed
voter fraud during the Democrat Iowa Caucus" Twitter @TEN_GOP - voter fraud were being investigated in North Carolina and on the same account, “#VoterFraud by counting tens of thousands of
ineligible mail in Hillary votes being reported in Broward County, Florida.” They never favored Hillary Clinton as some people claim. They would post what appeared like favorable postings, but, then turn the tables on those that read it. 53. In or around late June 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators used the Facebook group
“United Muslims of America” to promote a rally called “Support Hillary. Save American Muslims”
held on July 9, 2016 in the District of Columbia. Defendants and their co-conspirators recruited a
real U.S. person to hold a sign depicting Clinton and a quote attributed to her stating “I think Sharia
Law will be a powerful new direction of freedom.” Within three weeks, on or about July 26, 2016,
Defendants and their co-conspirators posted on the same Facebook page that Muslim voters were
“between Hillary Clinton and a hard place.” Russians like racism, evidently. The rallies were taking place toward the end of the 2016 election season to garner more participants and march them right into the voting booths. I remember the lines that existed in Florida in 2016. ...group “Being Patriotic,” the Twitter account @March_for_Trump, and other ORGANIZATION
accounts to organize two political rallies in New York. The first rally was called “March for
Trump” and held on June 25, 2016. The second rally was called “Down with Hillary” and held on
July 23, 2016. 55. In or around late July 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators used the Facebook group
“Being Patriotic,” the Twitter account @March_for_Trump, and other false U.S. personas to
organize a series of coordinated rallies in Florida. The rallies were collectively referred to as
“Florida Goes Trump” and held on August 20, 2016. By 2018, the American voter was becoming savvy to the antics of Russia. From the Tampa Bay Times:
May 21, 2018 By Steve Bousquet The people (click here) who count votes in Florida realize the eyes of the nation will be on them again as millions of people make their choices in the 2018 election. Supervisors of elections from the state's 67 counties will meet this week at a Fort Lauderdale oceanfront resort hotel for three days of brainstorming. They're preparing for a trouble-free midterm election in the nation's premier battleground state, with its long history of close races and nail-biting election nights. Here are five specific issues they will deal with at their annual summer conference.... Putin wanted control of the final outcome. He played both sides against the middle. He was going to ensure Trump supporters remained so and opposition voters were controlled and negated. 57. After the election of Donald Trump in or around November 2016, Defendants and their coconspirators used false U.S. personas to organize and coordinate U.S. political rallies in support of
then president-elect Trump, while simultaneously using other false U.S. personas to organize and
coordinate U.S. political rallies protesting the results of the 2016 U.S. presidential election 58. In order to avoid detection and impede investigation by U.S. authorities of Defendants’
operations, Defendants and their co-conspirators deleted and destroyed data, including emails,
social media accounts, and other evidence of their activities. There is a summary in the indictment called "Overt Acts." This one was especially sad. 70. On or about August 2, 2016, and August 3, 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators,
through the use of a stolen identity of a real U.S. person, T.W., sent emails to certain grassroots
groups located in Florida that stated in part: My name is [T.W.] and I represent a conservative patriot community
named as “Being Patriotic.” . . . So we’re gonna organize a flash
mob across Florida to support Mr. Trump. We clearly understand
that the elections winner will be predestined by purple states. And
we must win Florida. . . . We got a lot of volunteers in ~25 locations
and it’s just the beginning. We’re currently choosing venues for each location and recruiting more activists. This is why we ask you to
spread this info and participate in the flash mob. Wouldn't that be interesting. Putin having the ability to control mobs of Americans programmed like dummies for his own purpose. COUNT TWO (Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Bank Fraud) 86. Paragraphs 1 through 7, 9 through 27, and 29 through 85 of this Indictment are re-alleged
and incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.... There is no way any charge against the Russians should be vacated. it isn't bad enough that Americans were made fools of, this is bank fraud. Even if the antics of the Russian election organization is laughable, this isn't. On page 32 of the indictment, there are initials of real Americans used for the purpose of bank fraud. Plus, the identity theft that allowed Russians to deceive PayPal. What did they care? They were going back to Russia and hide behind Russian borders to prevent prosecution. 92. On or about the dates identified below, Defendants and their co-conspirators obtained and
used the following fraudulent bank account numbers for the purpose of evading PayPal’s security
measures:... COUNTS THREE THROUGH EIGHT (Aggravated Identity Theft) 96. Paragraphs 1 through 7, 9 through 27, and 29 through 85, and 89 through 95 of this
Indictment are re-alleged and incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.... The indictment is 37 pages long and full of all the proper legalese necessary to indict and begin prosecution and signed by Robert S. Mueller. At least the indictment wasn't redacted. I think the indictment is important. It clearly illustrated a foreign power with designs on the USA and it's attempt to control the country through elections. THAT SHOULD BE IMPORTANT TO EVERY AMERICAN. 32 Harm to Ongoing Matter see also SM-2230634, serial 189.
The Special Council Report on page 20 begins with: Harm to Ongoing Matter I will start there later. continued in following entry
This news is too good to pass up. The theologians in the USA need to stand down. The billion dollar investment is out of Boston. June 19, 2019 By Orla McCaffery ...“The Duchenne community (click here) needs novel approaches to treat and cure this devastating disease, and Exonics’ technology has the potential to dramatically improve the lives of Duchenne patients,” Debra Miller, CEO and founder of CureDuchenne, said in a statement....
June 19, 2019 Relatives (click here) of those who died on MH17 attend the unveiling of a monument to victims. International investigators (click here) from the MH17 Joint Investigation Team (JIT) have accused four pro-Russian military intelligence officers of being involved in a missile attack that shot down the MH17. Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy, Oleg Pulatov, and Leonid Kharchenko all worked for the military intelligence agency (GRU) of the separatist Donetsk People's Republic at the time of the attack, investigators said. Girkin, Dubinskiy, and Pulatov are Russian nationals; Kharchenko is Ukrainian.... The GRU is also noted as a Russian operating authority in the Special Counsel report regarding the 2016 elections in the USA. The GRU is an enemy of the American people. Russia has been complicit in all the investigations regarding the downing of this jet. I might add that Russia has operating bases in Syria and can move about the region without detection for the chaos of war and in disguise of the continuous fight against Daesh. Dare I say, it is notable Deutsche Bank has performed an about face in the USA while seeking to hide it's covert banking activity in a "private customer' DIVISION. I think this article spells out the modus operandi of Putin's attempt to upend the free world. There can be no tolerance of Russia as it has become a rouge nation rather than an emerging country the envy of all others. Trump is dead wrong on the track for the USA in relation to Russia. The USA should never embrace Russia as any type of partner, including the fact the USA president "wants to do things with Russia." It is out of the question. 17 July 2017 ...And there is no greater example (click here) of globalised authoritarianism than Putin, and the elites that surround him. According to Judah’s research, the London financial system has become a capital of Russian money laundering. The Financial Services Authority, before its dissolution, estimated that money laundering accounted for 3.6% of British GDP. Property is the primary asset through which offshore companies launder dirty money in London, Judah tells me. Anonymous offshore companies now own more than 37,000 properties in the capital – amounting to more than 2.25 square miles. The National Crime Agency has warned that the scale of money laundering in London constitutes “a strategic threat to the UK’s economy and reputation”. Kremlin elites own our mansions, their children attend our finest schools; they buy our art and football clubs. They pay our lawyers. Russian influence in Britain is greater than at any point during the cold war. And, while Moscow will tolerate perfunctory condemnation of what it does in Ukraine, decisive action is off the table: “Our people own large parts of your capital and its institutions. Mess with us at your peril.” This state of affairs is unacceptable. Britain must push back – and, in fairness, it has been better on this issue than many of its European counterparts. But its efforts are still insufficient. This must change. First, we must reaffirm our commitment to European unity – even during a time of Brexit. Only a united Europe can combat the Kremlin. Second, we must overhaul financial regulations. In this area, Labour has the right policies. We must set up an immediate national enquiry to develop a strategy to combat tax avoidance and kleptocracy. No anonymous companies should be allowed to do business or own assets in Britain. The government must create a public register of all trusts showing their assets and beneficiaries as a matter of urgency. At all times, greater transparency is the goal. These policies alone won’t cure London’s corruption epidemic. But they are a start. Just as we once helped to contain Soviet military power, we must now help to contain Russian financial power. Until this happens there will be no justice for the 298 civilians who died on that tragic day three years ago....
May 21, 2019 Host: Noel King ...PETRAEUS: Well, I'm not concerned (click here) about a direct attack of Iranian forces on U.S. forces, I don't think. I'm much more concerned about miscalculation, misperception - say, undisciplined, trigger-happy Iranian-supported militia elements. This kind of activity, I think, is concerning because you don't know how far it could escalate.... ...PETRAEUS: Well, there certainly are potential flashpoints. The question is, are they likely? Again, I think that the main forces of the Iranian army and even of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps - navy and air forces and army and so forth - these are going to be relatively disciplined. The question is - is there some, again, rogue actor? Is there somebody who is just trigger-happy? It's not clear at all who shot off the rocket the other night from Baghdad, allegedly - purportedly, according to the Iraqi counterterrorist service, it was fired by Khattab Hezbollah, which is an Iranian-supported Shia militia - but just one rocket and so forth. So that would be, I think, the concern. And by the way, I should just note that the leaders of the Iranian-supported Shia militia in Iraq have actually denounced that and have said that "if war is ignited, everyone will burn." That's a quote from Hadi al-Amiri, an old colleague if you will, who is the head of the Shia militia and a former minister of transportation, as well. I know him well. It's very clear that the Iraqi leadership - the president, the prime minister, the speaker and even, again, these leaders of the Shia militia - do not want to see a war between the United States and Iran fought on Iraqi soil.... June 13, 2019 Former CIA Director David Petraeus (click here) has accepted an invitation of a three-year Honorary Professorship in the Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security (ICCS) at the University of Birmingham. This follows two speaking engagements that General Petraeus has made to the Edgbaston campus in recent years. General Petraeus will take up the position immediately in the ICCS. As part of the role, he will share insights from his career with students and researchers through a variety of interactions in Birmingham and virtually. General Petraeus is one of the most prominent and accomplished U.S. military figures of the post-9/11 era. He served over 37 years in uniform and culminated his career with 6 consecutive commands as a general officer, including Command of the Multinational Force-Iraq during the Surge, the United States Central Command, and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. During his time in uniform, he also served in Cold War Europe, Central America, the United States, Haiti, Bosnia, Kuwait, and elsewhere in the greater Middle East and Central Asia....
