EAllusion wrote:Markk - Does it bother you even a little that Trump was working in the middle of a campaign to secure a large private business deal with a hostile foreign power while using his political power to push a much softer foreign policy stance towards that hostile foreign power and lying about his relationship with them to the public? Forget whatever "collusion" is in your mind. Does that bother you?
Xenophon wrote:To your last line (emphasis mine). I'm finding that most that can't see, at a minimum, inappropriate behavior by Trump and Company with regards to Russia tend to imagine that there will be something akin to a tape of Trump saying to Putin "Hey buddy, lets collude". I see this repeated in Markk's request for a "single piece of evidence". I'm not quite sure how to break through to people like that who can't seem to connect the dots, even when they are numbered for them. They take each new indictment as if it is some fresh new day, wholly unconnected to all of the other indictments. Each new lie as if there haven't been an innumerable amount prior, often contradicting other lies that are still being peddled.EAllusion wrote:I'll make it more direct. Butina helped set up a system to launder money from Russian organized crime with Putin's backing to the GOP's benefit in general and Trump specifically. At the same time, Trump has pushed hard for foreign policy decisions that provide significant benefit to Russia in general and the specific source of those funds in particular. Saying you can't prove there was a handshake quid pro quo deal kinda misses the point.
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly referred to as the RICO Act or simply RICO, is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. The RICO Act focuses specifically on racketeering and allows the leaders of a syndicate to be tried for the crimes they ordered others to do or assisted them in doing, closing a perceived loophole that allowed a person who instructed someone else to, for example, murder, to be exempt from the trial because they did not actually commit the crime personally.[1]
In the course of this investigation, the FBI has employed a variety of lawful investigative methods, including the acquisition of Rule 41 search warrants of two premises, which included authorization to search electronic devices. One of those searches included a laptop computer belonging to MARIIA BUTINA, a/k/a "Maria Butina" ("BUTINA''), (hereinafter "BUTINA's Laptop") and an iPhone belonging to BUTINA (hereinafter ''BUTINA's iPhone").
(c) Persons or Property Subject to Search or Seizure. A warrant may be issued for any of the following:
(1) evidence of a crime;
(2) contraband, fruits of crime, or other items illegally possessed;
(3) property designed for use, intended for use, or used in committing a crime; or
(4) a person to be arrested or a person who is unlawfully restrained.
July 16, 2018 Justice Department charges and arrests Maria Butina for conspiracy to act as an agent of the Russian Federation.
MS. SPEIER: Okay. What is the interest of Russia with the National Rifle Association?
MR. SIMPSON: I think that most of what we have found is pretty much out there now. You know, it's been said by others, but, you know, what eventually - it appears the Russians, you know, infiltrated the NRA And there is more than one explanation for why. But I would say broadly speaking, it appears that the Russian operation was designed to infiltrate conservative organizations. And they targeted various conservative organizations, religious and otherwise, and they seem to have made a very concerted effort to get in with the NRA. And so there is a Russian banker-slash-Duma member-slash-Mafia leader named Alexander Torshin who is a life member of the NRA. And we spent a lot of time investigating Mr. Torshin. And he is well known to Spanish law enforcement for money laundering activity, and you have probably seen the press articles. And I think the Spanish files on him should be available to you.And he, as you know, was supposed to have a meeting with President Trump after the inauguration. And somebody noticed that there had been some stories about him that weren't pretty good. So he is one of the more important figures, but, you know, another woman with whom he was working, Maria Butina, also was a big Trump fan in Russia, and then suddenly showed up here and started hanging around the Trump transition after the election and rented an apartment and enrolled herself at AU, which I assume gets you a visa.
MS. SPEIER: You said there were other conservative groups. Are there other conservative groups in the United States that they have infiltrated to your knowledge?
MR. SIMPSON: I think there's been -we have done some research on some religious groups having relationships w ith the Russians, having, developing, and pursuing relationships with various religious groups. The names of them escape my mind. But there has been a lot of that. And then there has been the independence movements, California independence, Texas independence. You know, it's a big operation.
Maksutov wrote:He's still waiting for a Smocking Gun.
Doctor CamNC4Me wrote:The first thing someone like Markk ought to do is actually download the affidavit and read it, because to have any sort of situational awareness on the topic you need to get informed. Here's the affidavit:
https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-relea ... 6/download
If you then bother to ctrl+F 'Butina' you'll see 96 hits come up. After clicking on the down arrow a mere three times you come to this:In the course of this investigation, the FBI has employed a variety of lawful investigative methods, including the acquisition of Rule 41 search warrants of two premises, which included authorization to search electronic devices. One of those searches included a laptop computer belonging to MARIIA BUTINA, a/k/a "Maria Butina" ("BUTINA''), (hereinafter "BUTINA's Laptop") and an iPhone belonging to BUTINA (hereinafter ''BUTINA's iPhone").
The first thing someone like Markk ought to take note of is the "Rule 41" piece. What is that?(c) Persons or Property Subject to Search or Seizure. A warrant may be issued for any of the following:
(1) evidence of a crime;
(2) contraband, fruits of crime, or other items illegally possessed;
(3) property designed for use, intended for use, or used in committing a crime; or
(4) a person to be arrested or a person who is unlawfully restrained.
So. We know the DoJ (or FBI, whatever) views Butina as having committed a crime, and they seized her laptop and iPhone in addition to whatever else they gathered from her apartment. This is a huge problem for Butina, her handler, and by extension GRU if she wasn't careful and if she didn't have an alternate means or location through which to conduct her activities as an unlicensed foreign agent.
Now. As a reminder for someone like Markk, Maria Butina actually plead guilty to "Conspiracy Against the US". This was done in December. Whoa. What does that mean? Conspiracy against the US...
A major development occurred after President Trump defended Russia by denying Russia's role in interfering with the American elections during a joint press conference in Helsinki with President Putin. <- That, right there, was Trump inserting himself in investigation because he denied Russia interfered in the 2016 election. That's abetting collusion. Why would he do that?
Following President Trump's denials of any wrongdoing by the Russians the Justice Department dropped this:July 16, 2018 Justice Department charges and arrests Maria Butina for conspiracy to act as an agent of the Russian Federation.
So. To the affidavit. The affidavit had this interesting nugget confirming that she had a very private line of communication between what is likely GOP leaders and the Kremlin, by using the NRA as a secure conduit for communication. Remember that laptop and iPhone? Yeah. The DoJ isn't just making this up. They're looking through her ____.
On October 4, 2016. Paul Erickson sent an email to an acquaintance. The email covered a number of topics. Within the email, US Person 1 stated, "unrelated to specific presidential campaigns, I've been involved in securing a VERY private line of communication between the Kremlin and key GOP leaders through, of all conduits, the NRA."
US Person 1's wiki:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Erickson_(activist)#Business_and_legal_career
I recommend reading that, Markk.
Now. Butina is a protege of reputed Russian mobster and Putin ally Alexander Torshin. Torshin has extensive ties to the NRA. Why?
We know powerful Russians have close ties to the NRA, set up through Torshin, and are being investigated for funneling millions into the organization. This influx of money from Russia is being investigated by FBI Counterintelligence as the NRA's campaign contributions during this Presidental election doubled previous campaigns. It was at an NRA convention where it was planned that the Trump campaign meet with Torshin, an ally of Vladimir Putin, a reputed mobster and deputy governor of the Russian central bank. Torshin is wanted in Spain in connection to a money laundering operation for a Russian crime syndicate. Torshin reportedly told a Trump campaign adviser that he could arrange a back-channel meeting between President Trump and President Putin. The House Intelligence Committee testimony of Fusion GPS CEO Glen Simpson was released, in it he testifies that Russia had infiltrated the NRA and other conservative groups in America.
November 14, 2017 Pg. 142 - 144 House Intelligence Committee TestimonyMS. SPEIER: Okay. What is the interest of Russia with the National Rifle Association?
MR. SIMPSON: I think that most of what we have found is pretty much out there now. You know, it's been said by others, but, you know, what eventually - it appears the Russians, you know, infiltrated the NRA And there is more than one explanation for why. But I would say broadly speaking, it appears that the Russian operation was designed to infiltrate conservative organizations. And they targeted various conservative organizations, religious and otherwise, and they seem to have made a very concerted effort to get in with the NRA. And so there is a Russian banker-slash-Duma member-slash-Mafia leader named Alexander Torshin who is a life member of the NRA. And we spent a lot of time investigating Mr. Torshin. And he is well known to Spanish law enforcement for money laundering activity, and you have probably seen the press articles. And I think the Spanish files on him should be available to you.And he, as you know, was supposed to have a meeting with President Trump after the inauguration. And somebody noticed that there had been some stories about him that weren't pretty good. So he is one of the more important figures, but, you know, another woman with whom he was working, Maria Butina, also was a big Trump fan in Russia, and then suddenly showed up here and started hanging around the Trump transition after the election and rented an apartment and enrolled herself at AU, which I assume gets you a visa.
MS. SPEIER: You said there were other conservative groups. Are there other conservative groups in the United States that they have infiltrated to your knowledge?
MR. SIMPSON: I think there's been -we have done some research on some religious groups having relationships w ith the Russians, having, developing, and pursuing relationships with various religious groups. The names of them escape my mind. But there has been a lot of that. And then there has been the independence movements, California independence, Texas independence. You know, it's a big operation.
NPR did amazing piece uncovering the depth of Torshin's ties to the NRA. It's a must read. Torshin boasts of his incredibly close ties to NRA executives including being invited by NRA leadership to be an election observer in 2012. A reputed Russian mobster was invited by the NRA to observe the 2012 Federal Election, this is how close his ties to the NRA are. Torshin has used his repeated trips to NRA conventions to cultivate relationships with top NRA officials. And his Twitter account documents that he has personally met with every person who has been president of the NRA since 2012.
These relationships that he cultivated opened another door. Torshin came to the United States in 2012 as an international election observer, and watched as ballots were cast during the Obama-Romney presidential contest in Tennessee. This was possible, he wrote, due to his NRA links.
Following the arrest of Butina, the IRS announced that it would no longer force groups to disclose their donors, this policy will most notably affect political groups like the National Rifle Association, allowing them to hide donations from wealthy Russian oligarchs. Who was behind this push? ____ Mitch McConnell. Luckily the Democrats were able to defeat that in the Senate.
I'm going to chop this up a bit because I know this isn't going to be read, anyway. Plus I have to pee.
- Doc
5. Defendant BUTINA is a Russian citizen who entered the United States in August 2016
on an F-1 Student Visa. Before and after her arrival in the United States, BUTINA served as
Special Assistant to the RUSSIAN OFFICIAL. Conspiring together, BUTINA and the RUSSIAN
OFFICIAL took various overt acts in furtherance of the conspiracy and to effect the illegal purpose
thereof.
6. The RUSSIAN OFFICIAL is a Russian citizen and a high-level official in the Russian
government. The RUSSIAN OFFICIAL was previously a member of the legislature of the Russian
Federation and later became a top official atthe Russian Central Bank. The RUSSIAN OFFICIAL
directed BUTINA's activities in furtherance of the conspiracy.
and (iv) BUTINA's reporting back to Moscow through the RUSSIAN OFFICIAL the results of the various encounters with the U.S. politicians and political candidates.
and" . . . I'm going to sleep. It's 3 am here. I am ready for further orders."
BUTINA suggested a phone call to discuss, and the RUSSIAN OFFICIAL noted that he liked the idea, but was worried that "all our phones are being listened to!" BUTlNA suggested that they talk via WhatsApp.
On November 30, 2016, BUTINA emailed U.S. Person 1 regarding the Russian
delegation to the 2017 National Prayer Breakfast. BUTINA stated that the "[p]eople in the list are
handpicked by [the RUSSIAN OFFICIAL] and me and are VERY influential in Russia. They are
coming to establish a back channel of communication... Let's think if our [U.S. Person 2's first
name] would like to meet with them ... " ( ellipses in original)
"In addition to delegation leader [the RUSSIAN OFFICIAL], the list is populated by important political advisors to Russian President Putin, university presidents, mayors, and substantial private businessmen."
On February 6, 2017, BUTINA emailed a National Prayer Breakfast organizer to
thank him for "the gift ofyou [sic] precious time during the National Prayer Breakfast week - and
for the very private meeting that followed. A new relationship between two countries always
begins better when it begins in faith. Once you have a chance to rest after last week's events, I
have important information for you to further this new relationship. I would appreciate one brief
additional meeting with you to explain these new developments.
A former senator in Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party directed dirty-money flows for mobsters in Moscow before he was named a deputy head of the central bank last year, according to investigators in Spain.
Alexander Torshin instructed members of the Moscow-based Taganskaya crime syndicate how to launder ill-gotten gains through banks and properties in Spain while he was a deputy speaker of the upper house of parliament, the Spanish Civil Guard said in a confidential report, seen by Bloomberg, on a three-year probe that ended in 2013. Torshin denies any wrongdoing and said his ties to the alleged Taganskaya leader in Spain, Alexander Romanov, are purely social. Torshin hasn’t been charged or summoned in relation to the report.
That growth had little to do with dues paid by NRA members, which actually dropped by more than $2 million. Rather, most of the growth was fueled by $31 million in non-dues contributions.