RUSSIA 🇷🇺 / РОССИЯ THREAD—ASSANGE CHRGD W/ SPYING—DJT IMPEACHED TWICE-US TREASURY SANCTS KILIMNIK AS RUSSIAN AGENT
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Veselnitskaya’s Trump Tower Coverup Linked to Secret Russian Chemical Weapons Program
Veselnitskaya’s Trump Tower Coverup Linked to Secret Russian Chemical Weapons Program
DARK MONEY
EXCLUSIVE
Yury Martyanov/Getty
Documents obtained by The Daily Beast link the $230 million fraud discussed at the Trump Tower meeting in 2016 to Russia’s black-market weapons of mass destruction program.
Nico Hines
World Editor
Updated Mar. 18, 2021 11:17AM ET / Published Mar. 18, 2021 5:00AM ET
LONDON—A company newly sanctioned by the U.S. over Alexei Navalny’s poisoning attack is tied to the money-laundering network that Natalia Veselnitskaya tried to cover up at the infamous 2016 Trump Tower meeting, according to financial records obtained by The Daily Beast.
Now we know why Vladimir Putin was so desperate to play down the international corruption probes that began when Sergei Magnitsky uncovered a $230 million fraud on the Russian people. For the first time, that dark-money network can be linked to the murderous chemical-weapons program run by Russia’s notorious intelligence services.
After exposing the massive theft of state money, Magnitsky ended up dead in a Russian prison cell. Legislation in his name has been enacted all over the world by governments seeking to clamp down on corruption, including the U.S.’s Magnitsky Act. Despite the interventions of Veselnitskaya—a Russian lawyer who was sent to the U.S. to persuade the Trump campaign to overturn the law—investigations tracing that stolen money continue to expose an international web of bank accounts linked to alleged wrongdoing.
This month, the Biden administration said it was sanctioning a German chemicals company called Riol-Chemie because of its “activities in support of Russia’s weapons of mass destruction programs.”
It was part of the administration’s response to the attempted murder of Putin nemesis Navalny. The anti-corruption campaigner narrowly survived a chemical-weapon attack after a plane carrying him on a long flight home to Moscow was diverted and he was able to receive emergency medical care—first in a Siberian hospital, and then in Germany, where he was airlifted for further treatment.
After waking up from a weeks-long coma, Navalny outwitted a member of the assassination team by impersonating a senior FSB official and tricking his would-be killer into explaining over the phone how the kill squad had rubbed the Novichok nerve agent into the seams of Navalny’s underpants.
President Trump shrugged off the attack, but the Biden team announced sanctions against seven senior Russian officials and 14 other entities involved in chemical and biological weapons production on March 2.
One of the entities singled out by the U.S. government as a cog in Russia’s weapons of mass destruction program was Riol-Chemie. Investigative files compiled by the authorities in Lithuania—and reviewed by The Daily Beast—show that Riol-Chemie received hundreds of thousands of dollars from a British Virgin Islands-registered company accused of laundering some of the stolen money that was uncovered by Magnitsky.
According to sources close to a separate investigation by French authorities, financial records show that two New Zealand-registered companies, which also received funds from the $230 million fraud, wired over $1 million to Riol-Chemie.
Riol-Chemie did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast.
The United States’ formal designation of Riol-Chemie as a sanctioned entity does not give any detail about its role in Russia’s weapons program, but purchase orders and invoices seen by The Daily Beast show that the company received components from a now-defunct American manufacturer called Aeroflex. Records show that Aeroflex, which was then based in New York, took orders for radiation-hardened semiconductors and regulators in 2007. These components are often used to build missiles and satellites.
The orders were to be sent to Riol-Chemie in northern Germany, but records show that the tightly controlled radiation chips were paid for by yet another entity accused of laundering the stolen Russian money. According to the paperwork, the invoice went to Tolbrist Alliance Inc., a shell company listed in the Offshore Leaks Database by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists as being registered to a post-office box in the British Virgin Islands.
According to bank records reviewed by The Daily Beast, Lithuanian authorities discovered that Tolbrist Alliance Inc. had received around $50 million from companies linked to the fraud uncovered by Magnitsky.
This clearly shows why Putin has become unhinged because of the Magnitsky investigation.
— Bill Browder, CEO of Hermitage Capital, which was raided in $230 million fraud.
Financial records show that Tolbrist spent at least $1.5 million at Aeroflex.
Aeroflex, which is no longer trading, was busted by the State Department for hundreds of International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) violations“largely consisting of unauthorized exports.” There is no indication that the company broke the law by delivering the rad-chips to Riol-Chemie—the transactions occurred years before the U.S. government announced that the German company was a secret part of Putin’s illicit arms-smuggling operation.
The repeated links between companies accused of laundering the $230 million and Riol-Chemie may point to a wider, calculated scheme with far-reaching political implications. Money stolen from the Russian people—while the authorities turned a blind eye—was apparently channeled into a black-market weapons program. Whoever directed the dispersal of the stolen funds also played a top-secret role in Russian national security.
“This clearly shows why Putin has become unhinged because of the Magnitsky investigation,” said Bill Browder, who has led the anti-corruption campaign in the name of his former lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky. “Every layer of this onion that is peeled, ever more dirty and dangerous information emerges.”
Previous reports have also claimed that some of the stolen funds ended up in the hands of people connected to Syria’s chemical-weapons program.
The man given the task of shutting down the Magnitsky-inspired investigations that were blooming all over the world was Yury Chaika, one of Putin’s top fixers and Russia’s prosecutor-general up until last year. President Obama signed the anti-corruption Magnitsky Act into law in 2012, and Chaika’s protégée, Veselnitskaya, was sent to make the case against the law at the notorious Trump Tower meeting with Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort in 2016.
Putin brought it up with Trump himself at the Helsinki summit in 2018. The former president listened, nodding along with a litany of distortions about election interference, Crimea, and Browder during a joint press conference.
Veselnitskaya was also part of the legal team defending Prevezon, another of the companies accused of laundering the stolen money, which was under investigation by the Southern District of New York. The case was eventually settled out of court with Prevezon paying $6 million. Veselnitskaya was charged with obstruction of justice for colluding with Chaika’s office in Moscow to doctor evidence submitted to the court.
While Trump-Russia speculation was at its height, Veselnitskaya always insisted that she was not at Trump Tower to try and help sway the election; she was there to put the case against the Magnitsky investigation.
“To summarize, those were not the happiest days of my life,” Veselnitskaya told NBC News amid the backlash surrounding the Trump Tower meeting.
Despite the personal costs, it seems that Putin and his cronies will stop at nothing to stymie the fraud investigations they face. But the U.S. government’s sanctioning of Riol-Chemie may offer an important lesson to the Kremlin: Even dark money can be followed.
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AGAIN. PROVEN RIGHT.
Michael Flynn ignored official warnings about receiving foreign payments
Michael Flynn ignored official warnings about receiving foreign payments
The defense department inspector general has uncovered evidence that Michael Flynn accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from foreign interests and governments, despite repeated warnings by the DoD and the justice department that his conduct might be illegal, the Guardian can reveal.
After the retired general pleaded guilty in 2017 to federal criminal charges that he had lied to the FBI during its investigation of Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election, then-president Donald Trump, Flynn and their supporters claimed that Flynn was the victim of political persecution.
Flynn’s prosecution, they insisted, without evidence, was the result of a vast conspiracy by the FBI and US intelligence agencies to sabotage Trump’s presidential campaign and presidency. Trump pardoned Flynn in the final days of his presidency.
But while pleading guilty in 2017, Flynn also admitted to committing another crime: related to his acceptance of hundreds of thousands of dollars from the government of Turkey without registering with the justice department as an agent of a foreign government, which was required by law.
Now, according to people familiar with the confidential findings of the recently completed IG investigation, the Guardian can reveal Flynn was warned years earlier that his acceptance of foreign money and his not registering as a foreign agent likely would be illegal.
Moreover, Flynn’s conduct occurred while he was a private citizen, long before Trump became president. Taken together, this appears to constitute powerful new evidence discrediting Trump and Flynn’s claims of political persecution by those opposed to Trump’s agenda.
The new disclosures portray how a former military officer, despite his training to obey rules and orders, was instead driven by personal profit to break the law.
The Defense Intelligence Agency first warned Flynn in an 8 October 2014 letter, that his acceptance of foreign money might be a potential violation of federal law, as well as the emoluments clause of the US constitution, which similarly prohibits such foreign payments to government officials.
On 30 November 2016, the justice department separately warned Flynn he might be violating a federal law, known as the Foreign Agents Registration Act, or Fara, in relation to his work as a lobbyist for the Turkish regime of the strongman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The law required Flynn to register with the DoJ as foreign agent and truthfully disclose details of his lobbying work to DoJ as well.
Despite the DIA warning not to take foreign money, Flynn still accepted $45,000 from RT, a Kremlin-controlled media organization described by US intelligence agencies as the “Kremlin’s principal international propaganda outlet”, $22,000 from other Russian interests, and $530,000 to serve as a lobbyist for Turkey. And despite the warning from the justice department, Flynn did not comply with the Fara statute.
Michael Flynn as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014, the year in which he was warned that his acceptance of foreign money might violate federal law. Photograph: Lauren Victoria Burke/AP
Flynn resigned as DIA director in early August 2014. More than a year later, in December 2015, he accepted the payments from RT. From August 2016 until November of the same year, Flynn worked as an unregistered lobbyist for Turkey – while simultaneously serving as a foreign policy adviser to the Trump presidential campaign. On 18 November 2016, Trump, then the president-elect, named Flynn to be his national security adviser.
Because Flynn ignored the DIA’s warnings that his acceptance of foreign money would violate federal law, the DoD inspector general is currently making the case to the secretary of the army that Flynn be required to turn over to the US Treasury a portion of the proceeds that Flynn received from overseas sources. The IG contends that the payments were illegal under the emoluments clause, as interpreted by executive branch legal opinions, and related federal law.
This remedy would appear to be a civil one rather than criminal.
And as a result of ignoring the DoJ’s advice, the following year, in 2017, Flynn while pleading guilty to federal charges that he lied to the FBI during an investigation of Russia’s intervention in the 2016 presidential election, also admitted that he violated federal law in regards to his lobbying work for Turkey.
In its 8 October 2014 letter to Flynn, the DIA warned: “The Emoluments Clause … as interpreted in Comptroller General opinions, and by the Department of Justice of Office of Legal Counsel, prohibits receipt of consulting fees, gifts, travel expenses, honoraria, or salary by all retired military personnel” from foreign interests. The same letter said such payments would be a violation of federal law.
The emoluments clause of the constitution specifically prohibits any person “holding any Office of Profit or Trust” from accepting “any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or Foreign State”.
Subsequent executive branch legal opinions, and a federal law, prohibited retired military officers from accepting emoluments or compensation from foreign interests because the officers could be called back to active service at any moment, and thus considered to be a person holding an office of public trust.
Retired military officers such as Flynn can receive emoluments or foreign compensation if they first seek approval to do so from Congress, the secretary of state, and in Flynn’s case, as a retired military officer, the secretary of the army. But Flynn did not do so.
Clark Cunningham, a professor at the Georgia State University College of Law, and an expert on emoluments, told the Guardian: “There is little doubt that money received by Flynn to lobby on behalf of the Turkish government or to promote Russian interests would be considered emoluments”.
Flynn himself had originally solicited the ethics advice from the agency. The first sentence of the agency’s letter stated: “This letter responds to your request for a written opinion regarding the ethics restrictions that apply to your retirement from the United States Army.”
In May 2016, the chief of staff to former DIA directors, wrote to Flynn and other former DIA directors, to remind them that despite their retirement, they were still required to report any significant new intelligence information to the agency. Flynn’s acceptance of money from RT, and other Russian interests would surely have been of interest to the DIA, but Flynn withheld this information, documents show.
On 30 November 2016, the justice department in its own letter to Flynn, warned him that they had received information that Flynn “may have engaged in [lobbying] activities on behalf of the Government of Turkey”. DoJ officials then warned Flynn: “If such allegations are true, you may be required to register under the Act.”
A spokesperson for the DoD inspector general said in a statement that they had “closed our investigation” of Flynn on 27 January – having investigated allegations that “Flynn failed to obtain required approval from the Army and the Department of State before receiving any emolument from a foreign government-controlled entity”.
Michael Flynn with President-elect Donald Trump in December 2016, the month his nomination as national security adviser was announced. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
The IG had since “forwarded several administrative matters by memo to the Acting Secretary of the Army for review and appropriate action”.
The spokesperson refused to say whether the inspector general will release a public report on its findings, as the DoD IG and other IGs throughout the government have routinely done in high-profile investigations.
The Washington Post first reported in March that the DoD inspector general had completed his investigation of Flynn. But details as to why the IG reached his findings, such as Flynn was warned before accepting hundreds of thousands from foreign interests might violate the law, have not been previously reported.
A year after being warned that such foreign fees might be illegal, Flynn accepted more than $45,000 to speak at a gala dinner in Moscow, hosted by RT (formerly known as Russia Today), at which he was seated next to Vladimir Putin. Flynn also accepted an additional $23,000 from other Russian interests.
After Trump was elected president, on 6 January 2017, the US intelligence community formally concluded that Russia had engaged in a covert intelligence agency campaign to help elect Trump and defeat Hillary Clinton, and that RT had played a vital role in that effort.
The late congressman Elijah Cummings, of Maryland, then the ranking Democrat on the House oversight and government reform committee, sounded a prescient alarm by pointing out that Trump had “selected as his national security adviser someone who had violated the constitution by accepting tens of thousands of dollars from a global adversary that attacked our democracy”.
Flynn only remained in office for 24 days. He was forced to resign by Trump after he admitted that he had lied to other senior administration officials – and the FBI – about conversations he had with the then Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak.
On 29 December 2016, the outgoing Obama administration had imposed sanctions against Russia for its covert interference in the 2016 presidential election. That same day, Flynn and Kislyak spoke by phone – conversations intercepted by US intelligence agencies. Flynn was overheard counseling Kislayk not to retaliate against the US for the sanctions.
Questioned by the FBI, Flynn denied that he had ever proffered such advice to Kislyak.
On 1 December 2017, Flynn agreed to plead guilty to federal criminal charges, as part of a plea bargain with special counsel Robert Muller, that he had “willingly and knowingly” made “false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements” to the FBI regarding his conversations with Kislyak.
As part of his plea bargain, Flynn also admitted to violating Fara, by not disclosing his work as a lobbyist on behalf of Turkey to the government.
In May 2020, the then attorney general, William Barr, ordered that Flynn’s conviction be vacated. On 25 November 2020, Trump granted Flynn a full pardon.
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FINALLY!!!!
TREASURY TARGETS KNOWN RUSSIAN AGENT KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK
Konstantin Kilimnik (Kilimnik) is a Russian and Ukrainian political consultant and known Russian Intelligence Services agent implementing influence operations on their behalf. During the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign, Kilimnik provided the Russian Intelligence Services with sensitive information on polling and campaign strategy. Additionally, Kilimnik sought to promote the narrative that Ukraine, not Russia, had interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. In 2018, Kilimnik was indicted on charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice regarding unregistered lobbying work. Kilimnik has also sought to assist designated former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych. At Yanukovych’s direction, Kilimnik sought to institute a plan that would return Yanukovych to power in Ukraine.
Kilimnik was designated pursuant to E.O. 13848 for having engaged in foreign interference in the U.S. 2020 presidential election. Kilimnik was also designated pursuant to E.O. 13660 for acting for or on behalf of Yanukovych. Yanukovych, who is currently hiding in exile in Russia, was designated in 2014 pursuant to E.O. 13660 for his role in violating Ukrainian sovereignty.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $250,000 for information leading to the arrest of Kilimnik.
Treasury Escalates Sanctions Against the Russian Government’s Attempts to Influence U.S. Elections | U.S. Department of the Treasury
U.S. says Manafort associate passed sensitive polling data to Russian intelligence
@88m3 @ADevilYouKhow @wire28 @dtownreppin214
@dza @wire28 @BigMoneyGrip @Dameon Farrow @re'up @Blackfyre @NY's #1 Draft Pick @Skyfall @2Quik4UHoes
TREASURY TARGETS KNOWN RUSSIAN AGENT KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK
Konstantin Kilimnik (Kilimnik) is a Russian and Ukrainian political consultant and known Russian Intelligence Services agent implementing influence operations on their behalf. During the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign, Kilimnik provided the Russian Intelligence Services with sensitive information on polling and campaign strategy. Additionally, Kilimnik sought to promote the narrative that Ukraine, not Russia, had interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. In 2018, Kilimnik was indicted on charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice regarding unregistered lobbying work. Kilimnik has also sought to assist designated former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych. At Yanukovych’s direction, Kilimnik sought to institute a plan that would return Yanukovych to power in Ukraine.
Kilimnik was designated pursuant to E.O. 13848 for having engaged in foreign interference in the U.S. 2020 presidential election. Kilimnik was also designated pursuant to E.O. 13660 for acting for or on behalf of Yanukovych. Yanukovych, who is currently hiding in exile in Russia, was designated in 2014 pursuant to E.O. 13660 for his role in violating Ukrainian sovereignty.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $250,000 for information leading to the arrest of Kilimnik.
Treasury Escalates Sanctions Against the Russian Government’s Attempts to Influence U.S. Elections | U.S. Department of the Treasury
U.S. says Manafort associate passed sensitive polling data to Russian intelligence
@88m3 @ADevilYouKhow @wire28 @dtownreppin214
@dza @wire28 @BigMoneyGrip @Dameon Farrow @re'up @Blackfyre @NY's #1 Draft Pick @Skyfall @2Quik4UHoes
i can't believe it... Biden really did it 