Congress let Facebook off the hook as expected.
RUSSIA/РОССИЯ THREAD—ASSANGE CHRGD W/ SPYING—DJT IMPEACHED TWICE-US TREASURY SANCTS KILIMNIK AS RUSSIAN AGNT
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88m3
Fast Money & Foreign Objects
Que?
88m3
Fast Money & Foreign Objects
Hood Critic
The Power Circle
ADevilYouKhow
Rhyme Reason
Wisconsin Democrats sue to force Scott Walker to hold constitutionally required elections
Republicans = threat to democracy
Republicans = threat to democracy
Obama should have escorted Merrick Garland to his seat himself. How does Gorsuch live with himself.
Wargames
One Of The Last Real Ones To Do It
Honestly not just saying "fukk the rules" and seating Garland was Obama's biggest mistake. Republicans are blatant in their disregard for anything that limits their power and here we are....:
:ALERTRED:
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/26/politics/ivanka-trump-south-korea-white-house-tension/index.html
Ivanka Trump's South Korea trip fuels White House tension
Washington (CNN)She's a policy adviser bearing sensitive new details on sanctions to the South Koreans. She's a loyal family member who won't entertain questions about her father's purported infidelities. And she's a US figurehead bearing goodwill at an international sporting event.
But inside the White House, Ivanka Trump's unique stature -- along with that of her husband, Jared Kushner -- is causing tension. Some of their colleagues chafe at the pair's favorable standing, and the boss, chief of staff John Kelly, has worked to instill a military-style hierarchy to the West Wing.
Just as Kushner's struggles to obtain a permanent security clearance have highlighted his unusual position in the administration, Ivanka Trump's visit this week to South Korea -- her highest-profile solo trip yet -- underscored the unavoidable conflict she juggles. Not since she temporarily filled her father's seat at the G20 summit last year in Germany -- stirring external criticism -- has she taken such a high-profile assignment.
The decision to send her to South Korea did not sit well with some senior officials in the West Wing, two people familiar with the situation told CNN. The nuclear threat from North Korea and the tensions already boiling across the Korean Peninsula made any US delegation far more than ceremonial.
Kelly was not initially enthusiastic about her South Korea trip, a person close to President Donald Trump said, largely because the visit to the Korean Peninsula was far more than a typical Olympic closing ceremony.
'The stakes are far higher and more complex'
"This isn't like going to Italy. The stakes are far higher and more complex," a person close to the President said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive subject of the Trump family.
The concerns of Kelly and others about Ms. Trump — who has little experience in government or diplomacy, and hasn't played a role in discussions about North Korea — were aired in private, according to people familiar with the matter. Kelly was advised by those closest to him that it would be a losing battle to oppose Ivanka as the delegation's leader.
White House officials disputed the notion of any tension surrounding Ivanka Trump's trip, saying it had been in the works for several weeks. They said Ms. Trump was not in negotiations with the South Koreans, rather stating administration policy.
"General Kelly and General McMaster were supportive of the trip since the planning process began," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told CNN Monday night. "We all thought it was a great success. Ivanka was a great representative for the administration."
The blurred line between staffer and daughter has long irked Kelly, according to people familiar with the matter, who say his regimented sense of order is tested by the implicit access being a child of the President affords. When he assumed his West Wing role in late July, Kushner and Ms. Trump were initially supportive. The White House went to lengths to insist they would report to Kelly, rather than directly to the President. And over the summer and fall, both were said to admire Kelly and the order he brought to the White House.
Over the past weeks, however, Trump's chief of staff has found himself repeatedly caught between his role as the West Wing's top manager and as the person charged with carrying out the President's will - which, in many cases, means doing what Trump's family wants.
That includes handling the matter of Kushner's security clearance, which is in a state of limbo after Kelly mandated that all aides still working on interim clearances lose access to classified material. The deadline was Friday, but as of Monday, it remained unclear whether Kushner or Ms. Trump had formally been stripped of their interim clearances -- or granted a waiver.
On Friday, Trump told reporters at a news conference that it would be Kelly's decision - and not his - whether Kushner could continue accessing the country's secrets.
"He's going to do what's right for the country," Trump said, looking toward his chief of staff, who was seated nearby. "And I have no doubt he'll make the right decision."
It was evident to most top aides gathered in the East Room what he meant. Trump went to lengths to praise Kushner's work on Middle East peace and made sure to note he wasn't drawing a salary - with the implication that his volunteerism should be rewarded with access to the nation's top secrets.
Kelly's frustration
Meanwhile, Kelly has grown increasingly frustrated with Ivanka Trump since he entered the West Wing last July, people familiar with the situation say. He often feels that she tries to have it both ways, acting as a senior adviser to the president when it suits her and then as his daughter when it doesn't. Kelly has remarked privately that Ivanka is just "playing government," one source said, and has largely brushed aside her agenda, once disregarding her child tax credit as "a pet project."
Another source familiar with the President's thinking says Ivanka's influence on his decision making has been exaggerated. He generally doesn't heed her advice when it comes to serious policy debates, as he didn't when he made the decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord. But she is looked at in the West Wing as one of few people who can soothe the President when he is indignant or angry.
Some staffers have used Ivanka's clout as daughter and adviser to their advantage. She was sent on the road last fall -- often to suburban areas -- to sell her father's tax reform plan. Trump praised her work on the tax issue during a news conference on Friday.
"She was very much involved, as you know, in the child tax credit, and now she's working very much on family leave, things that I don't think would've been in the agreement if it weren't for Ivanka and some of our great senators," Trump said. "But she was very much in the forefront of that."
Blurring lines
Though Ivanka interacts with most White House staff only in a limited manner, there is a healthy amount of resentment toward her in the West Wing, whether it's about the blurring of the lines of her apparel company or the feeling of officials who believe they are more experienced and better suited to handle the high-profile roles she often assumes.
The Olympics episode led to questions about whether she was traveling to Pyeongchang as a senior adviser or as the first daughter, a distinction that several administration officials and people close to the White House say has softened as Trump's administration enters its second year.
Ahead of her trip to South Korea, top White House aides went to lengths to insist that Ms. Trump was leading the delegation as an administration official, not as a member of Trump's family.
In her role as the delegation's leader, Ms. Trump oversaw a US senator, the White House press secretary, the de facto ambassador in Seoul and several members of the US military. She spoke on the delegation's behalf when the group arrived in South Korea, and was the honored guest for dinner at the presidential Blue House in Seoul. The menu for the event included "Korean food designed to be palatable for foreigners," with "Grilled soft tofu with special marinade for Ivanka Trump" and "Kalbi grilled ribs for everyone else," according to a menu released by the South Koreans.
It became clear even as Ivanka Trump and her delegation were arriving in South Korea that her visit would be about more than just winter sports. During talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Ms. Trump provided information about a new round of economic sanctions against North Korea and "discussed the continued effort on the joint maximum pressure campaign against North Korea," according to a senior administration official.
"Ivanka Trump has been briefed on this. She's been part of the team," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said at the White House on Friday. "She had dinner with President Moon. They had a private discussion in advance about this occurring."
Pressed about her security clearance, which like her husband's remains in temporary status, Mnuchin snapped: "Yeah, she has the appropriate access to brief President Moon."
Role as a daughter
Despite the trip's official nature, when Ms. Trump was questioned about accusations of sexual misconduct against the President it was her role as his daughter that she leaned on.
"I think it's a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter, if she believes the accusers of her father, when he's affirmatively stated that there's no truth to it," she told NBC News, the US broadcaster of the Olympic Games. "I don't think that's a question you would ask many other daughters."
Leading a US Olympic delegation is a role often assigned to the first lady. Laura Bush attended the 2006 Games in Italy and Michelle Obama traveled to the 2012 Games in London.
There is no modern day precedent for Ivanka's role, which still makes for awkward moments for the White House. A senior administration official told reporters on a briefing call last week: "Mrs. Trump delivered a personal message to President Moon from President Trump about today's North Korea related sanctions announcement at a small meeting at the Blue House."
Repeatedly, the official described the trip "Mrs. Trump" was taking.
Apparently lost on the official and others in the White House is the fact that Mrs. Trump is technically the first lady, who stayed back in Washington.
@DonKnock @dza @88m3 @wire28 @smitty22 @fact @Hood Critic @ExodusNirvana @Blessed Is the Man @dtownreppin214 @JKFrazier @tmonster @BigMoneyGrip @Soymuscle Mike @.r. @Dorian Breh @Dameon Farrow @TheNig @VR Tripper @re'up @Blackfyre_Berserker @Cali_livin
Something is coming:
:smarttrump:
:sadtrump:
:TrumpWelp:
:upsettrump:
:Muellerlmao:
:smarttrump:
:sadtrump:
:TrumpWelp:
:upsettrump:
:Muellerlmao:
Russian millions laundered via UK firms, leaked report says
Denmark’s biggest bank believes cash was funnelled through British companies by people linked to Vladimir Putin’s family and the FSB spy agency
Luke Harding
Mon 26 Feb 2018 13.00 ESTLast modified on Tue 27 Feb 2018 03.07 EST
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The Estonian branch of Denmark’s Danske bank. Photograph: Andras Kralla/Äripäev
A Danish bank accused of money laundering shut down Russian accounts after concluding that they were being used to funnel cash through British companies by members of Vladimir Putin’s family and the FSB spy agency, according to leaked reports.
Danske, Denmark’s biggest bank, closed 20 Russian customer accounts in 2013 following a whistleblower report alleging that its Estonian branch was involved in suspicious and possibly illegal activity.
Last September it emerged that the same branch was at the centre of a secret lobbying operation in which some $2.9bn (£2.2bn) of mostly Azerbaijani money was channelled through opaque British companies.
The latest revelations concern a different group of firms, most registered in London. In summer 2013 Danske bank employees discovered that one of these UK entities, Lantana Trade LLP, had filed “false accounts” to Companies House.
According to the whistleblower report, Lantana told Companies House that it was “dormant”, with only a very limited financial turnover. In fact, Lantana held large deposits and made daily transactions of millions of euros. Lantana’s Danske account – opened in late 2012 – functioned for 11 months.
The ultimate owners of Lantana, and related limited partnerships, were Russians. But their identities were hidden behind a series of offshore management firms based in the Marshall Islands and the Seychelles.
The whistleblower report was obtained by the Danish newspaper Berlingske, and shared with the Guardian and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCRRP). It said the bank had failed to establish who was behind Lantana, adding that “apparently it was discovered that they included the Putin family and the FSB”.
Details were sent to Estonia’s financial intelligence unit and passed to Danske’s top management. Danske only began a full inquiry in 2017. It did not inform either the UK or Companies House.
Danske said on Monday: “We have launched a thorough investigation to get to the bottom of the events at that time in our Estonian branch.” It refused to comment on “specific customers” but said it had “closed down” the “entire portfolio in question” featuring “non-resident” Russians.
The revelations again highlight the use of the lightly regulated British corporate landscape to move large sums of money around, beyond the purview of regulators and tax authorities. In this case the beneficiaries appear to have been figures with Kremlin connections.
Baltic countries are a major entry point into the western financial system for Russian cash. Last week the US Treasury accused Latvia’s third biggest bank of “institutionalised money laundering”. Days later the country’s central bank chief, Ilmārs Rimšēvičs , was arrested following allegations he took a €100,000-plus bribe (paywall).
Rimšēvičs has denied all allegations and has denounced them as a smear campaign.
Danske’s Estonian managers grew concerned following a tip-off from inside Russia. They found that Lantana was closely linked to Promsberbank, a little-known bank in Podolsk, outside Moscow. Promsberbank’s senior managers represented Lantana.
One member of Promsberbank’s board was Igor Putin, the cousin of Russia’s president. A major shareholder was Alexander Grigoriev, a banker who, according to the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), has FSB ties. Another was Alexei Kulikov, who was arrested in 2016 and charged with “large-scale fraud”. Promsberbank collapsed in 2016 when it emerged that 3bn roubles (about £38m) had disappeared.
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Alexei Kulikov was arrested in 2016 and charged with ‘large-scale fraud’. Photograph: Bloomberg via Getty Images
One former Danske employee said the bank’s internal investigation revealed “high-ranking employees” from Promsberbank were behind Lantana. The employee told Berlingske newspaper: “The company and cash flows were controlled by the bank. It wasn’t just rumours. This is valid information.”
The trio were closely connected with another scandal featuring Germany’s Deutsche Bank. Deutsche has admitted that between 2011 and 2015 its Moscow division ran a $10bn (£7bn) “mirror trades” scheme. The scheme allowed VIP Russian clients to transform roubles into dollars, via related corporate entities that “bought” and “sold” identical volumes of stock.
Quick guide
How is money laundered out of Russia?
Kulikov had a Danske account. Several of the entities closed down by Danske in 2013 were involved in Deutsche Bank mirror trading, including Chadborg Trade LLP, based in Potters Bar in Hertfordshire, Cherryfield Management and Financial Bridge. Deutsche Bank – the main lender to Donald Trump – paid $630m in US-UK fines for laundering Russian cash.
Danske’s decision to investigative went down badly in Moscow, where Lantana had a city centre office. A Danske account manager flew to the Russian capital to obtain documents revealing Lantana’s real owners. He left a meeting shaken, reporting that his Russian clients were “furious”, bank sources say.
A few weeks later a meeting was held at Danske’s office in the Estonian capital, Tallinn. Two Russians refused to identify themselves and allegedly told bank staff: “Do you really feel you can walk home safely at night?” They added: “The bank will sink after this.” These threats were reported internally.
L Burke Files, an international financial investigator, said the fact that the same entities were used in different schemes “does not surprise me one bit”. Professional criminals “design or craft” a package to get round compliance checks and then “use it at every bank”, he said.
He described the Lantana case as “very serious”, adding: “The activity in the account was in every way indicative of money laundering. There were many large transactions and all of them done in one or two days. The money didn’t linger. Here is a small branch of a very big bank that has an account moving tens of millions every day.”
The scale of the fraud is unknown. According to Files it could have been between $2.2bn and $3.3bn in total, based on a pattern of $10m-plus being laundered every day.
He added: “This is such an excellent way to move large sums of money that I am sure is still occurring. It is a very difficult trail to follow.”
Grigoriev allegedly masterminded another big league money-laundering scheme dubbed the Global Laundromat. Between 2010 and 2015 at least $20bn was moved out of Moscow into western banks. The money went via Moldova and Latvia. Igor Putin sat on the board of a bank involved in the fraud, the Russian Land Bank or RZB.
Putin declined to comment. In a letter written in 2014, he said: “My personal experience, gained in recent years, proves the truth of the thesis that the Russian banking system should be radically rehabilitated and cleaned of troubled banks headed by people with doubtful reputations.”
Grigoriev and Kulikov are currently in jail. Grigoriev was arrested in 2015, a year after RZB was shut for money-laundering offences. Kulikov was imprisoned in a different matter. In April 2015 Russia’s central bank revoked Promsberbank’s licence. So far Kulikov has not replied to a letter sent to him in prison inviting comment.
The British companies involved in the scam were wound up. Lantana was dissolved in December 2015.
The damning whistleblower report said that Danske had suffered a “near total process failure”. It did not identify Lantana’s true owners or take action over “suspicious payments made just under compliance control limits”. The bank “breached numerous regulatory requirements”, “behaved unethically” and “may have committed a criminal offence”, it said.
Robert Endersby, Danske’s British chief risk officer at the time, who saw the report, declined to comment. Danske said it now had a “very different and stronger control set up in Estonia”. It admitted it should have acted “faster”.
Madis Reimand, the head of Estonia’s financial intelligence unit, would not comment directly on the Lantana group of companies.
He said: “Generally speaking the purpose of such money-laundering schemes is to move funds out of Russia, to get the money into the western financial system, and to do it in a non-transparent and secretive manner.”
@DonKnock @dza @88m3 @wire28 @smitty22 @fact @Hood Critic @ExodusNirvana @Blessed Is the Man @dtownreppin214 @JKFrazier @tmonster @BigMoneyGrip @Soymuscle Mike @.r. @Dorian Breh @Dameon Farrow @TheNig @VR Tripper @re'up @Blackfyre_Berserker @Cali_livin
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