Category: Daily Check-In

Daily Check-In 06/11/2018

The weekend to Monday, June 11th.

 

THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION

The Observer and Sunday Times of London obtained the some 40,000 emails sent by millionaire businessman Arron Banks, the chief financial backer of U.K. Independence Party leader Nigel Farage’s Leave.EU campaign, and Andy Wigmore, Leave.EU’s director of communications.

The emails show show that Banks had previously undisclosed meetings with Russia’s U.K. ambassador (which were set up by an alleged Russian spy), and had made a previously undisclosed visit to Moscow at the peak of the Brexit campaign. Banks and Wigmore were also offered, at one point, a business deal involving several Russian goldmines that could have been worth a fortune for the men, according to the documents. There is a Trump connection, as the Sunday Times reports that Banks admitted that, months after the Brexit referendum, “he handed over phone numbers for members of Trump’s transition team to Russian officials” — though it’s not yet clear whose info he handed over, or what became of it.

WHY SHOULD MUELLER CARE?

Nigel Farage is already believed to be a “person of interest” to Mueller’s team, and his links to Banks could excite some interest in the businessman by the special counsel, especially the relationship with Yakovenko.

One of Banks’ meetings with Yakovenko took place on August 19, 201[6] — the day Steve Bannon became Trump’s campaign manager and just days before Banks, Wigmore and Farage traveled to Mississippi for a Trump rally, where Farage was introduced to the crowd as “Mr. Brexit.”

The fact that Banks was in Trump Tower with Wigmore and Farage just days after Trump’s surprise victory could also raise suspicion, especially given that Banks met with his Russian contacts on his return to the U.K. after that trip.

While a lot of attention has been given to Banks passing at least one phone number of the Trump transition team to the Russians, given that Mueller’s investigation is probing deep ties between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin it is unclear why Banks would have to pass on such small details.

Why would Banks pass on the transition teams digits to the Russians?  Think of this from the Intelligence or Mafia perspective.

Every player has a specific job, with specific duties.  The low-level guy doesn’t need to know what the boss knows.  They don’t need to know what the other guy next to them is doing, they only need to know their part.

From the IC perspective, getting these numbers gives the Russians both another backchannel connection, as well as kompromat.

From the Mafioso point of view, this shows Trump’s team that Banks thinks the Russians are goodfellas.  They’re people with a joint interest.

WASHINGTON 

Several prominent Russians, some in President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle or high in the Russian Orthodox Church, now have been identified as having contact with National Rifle Association officials during the 2016 U.S. election campaign, according to photographs and an NRA source.

The contacts have emerged amid a deepening Justice Department investigation into whether Russian banker and lifetime NRA member Alexander Torshin illegally channeled money through the gun rights group to add financial firepower to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential bid.

Other influential Russians who met with NRA representatives during the campaign include Dmitry Rogozin, who until last month served as a deputy prime minister overseeing Russia’s defense industry, and Sergei Rudov, head of one of Russia’s largest philanthropies, the St. Basil the Great Charitable Foundation. The foundation was launched by an ultra-nationalist ally of Russian President Putin.

The Russians talked and dined with NRA representatives, mainly in Moscow, as U.S. presidential candidates vied for the White House. Now U.S. investigators want to know if relationships between the Russian leaders and the nation’s largest gun rights group went beyond vodka toasts and gun factory tours, evolving into another facet of the Kremlin’s broad election-interference operation.

Wow, even MORE Russian contacts by the NRA! Daily Check-In 01/18/2018 was where I mentioned one of these meetings in Moscow.

Designated Entities and Individuals

Today’s action includes the designation of five Russian entities and three Russian individuals pursuant to E.O. 13694, as amended, as well as a concurrent designation pursuant to Section 224 of CAATSA.

Digital Security was designated pursuant to E.O. 13694, as amended, for providing material and technological support to the FSB.  As of 2015, Digital Security worked on a project that would increase Russia’s offensive cyber capabilities for the Russian Intelligence Services, to include the FSB.

ERPScan was designated pursuant to E.O. 13694, as amended, for being owned or controlled by Digital Security.  As of August 2016, ERPScan was a subsidiary of Digital Security.

Embedi was designated pursuant to E.O. 13694, as amended.  As of May 2017, Embedi was owned or controlled by Digital Security.

Kvant Scientific Research Institute (Kvant) was designated pursuant to E.O. 13694, as amended, and Section 224 of CAATSA for being owned or controlled by the FSB.  In August 2010, the Russian government issued a decree that identified Kvant as a federal state unitary enterprise that would be supervised by the FSB.

Kvant was also designated pursuant to E.O. 13694, as amended, for providing material and technological support to the FSB.  As of August 2015, Kvant was a research institute with extensive ties to the FSB.  Furthermore, as of April 2017, Kvant was the prime contractor on a project for which the FSB was the end user.

Divetechnoservices was designated pursuant to E.O. 13694, as amended, for providing material and technological support to the FSB.  Since 2007, Divetechnoservices has procured a variety of underwater equipment and diving systems for Russian government agencies, to include the FSB.  Further, in 2011, Divetechnoservices was awarded a contract to procure a submersible craft valued at $1.5 million for the FSB.

Aleksandr Lvovich Tribun (Tribun) was designated pursuant to E.O. 13694, as amended, for acting for or on behalf of Divetechnoservices.  As of December 2017, Tribun was Divetechnoservices’ General Director.

Oleg Sergeyevich Chirikov (Chirikov) was designated pursuant to E.O. 13694, as amended, for acting for or on behalf of Divetechnoservices.  As of March 2018, Chirikov was Divetechnoservices’ Program Manager.

Vladimir Yakovlevich Kaganskiy (Kaganskiy) was designated pursuant to E.O. 13694, as amended, for acting for or on behalf of Divetechnoservices.  As of December 2017, Kaganskiy was Divetechnoservices’ owner.  Previously, Kaganskiy also served as Divetechnoservices’ General Director.

 

 

IMMIGRATION

 

G7

 

COLD WAR 2.0

The husband and wife team produced and showed a documentary about Sergei Magnitsky, putting them in Putin’s crosshairs.

 

COHEN

 

OTHER CRIMES COMMITTED BY TRUMP

 

WHITE HOUSE CHAOS

The weakest point in the White House, however, might be Trump himself. The president is reportedly refusing to upgrade his iPhones, issued by White House IT agencies to make them more secure, calling the process “too inconvenient.” As of last month, he hadn’t had them checked by security experts for at least five months. To make matters worse, lawmakers have concerns about fake cell towers around the White House that could eavesdrop on smartphone calls.

 

VOTER PURGE

 

#NEVERAGAIN

As video game creators prepare for E3, the annual gaming trade show and public exhibition, the head of the industry’s trade group is squaring off against the National Rifle Association over that group’s continued suggestion that video game violence is a factor in recent real world school shootings.

…

“We know the NRA makes those arguments,” he said. “We also know they’re going to bear the burden of history. We will continue to be successful with policy makers as the industry continues to grow.”

 

THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE

 

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

The 47 people who were arrested so far in 2018 were approached by undercover officers posing as buyers. They were all charged with felonies. Some were put in diversion programs, according to the news site, while some were convicted. At least one man went to prison. And the amount they were selling can only be described as minuscule at best.

“Almost all of those cases involve a sale of 1-2 grams of marijuana for a total of $10-$20,” Assistant County Public Defender Jess Braverman wrote in a May 31 court document.

 

SAY GOODBYE TO THE ECONOMY

 

GOP

 

ELECTION 2018

 

#METOO

 

FIXING THE INTERNET

 

PROGRESS IS PROGRESS

 

IN OTHER NEWS…

 

RUMOR MILL: FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS EDITION

This is part two of their series, where they interviewed Carter Page.Here’s the link to the Australian Documentary.

Carole, a reporter for The Guardian, live-tweeted a call-in show hosted by Nigel Farage.  Nigel had Aaron Banks call in, who admitted to some “low-level collusion”.  I can’t help but think of that Arrested Development clip.

After that, Carole calls in, and Nigel loses his cool.  Apparently, the two of them have a history.

Louise was one of the first reporters to break the NRA accepting and laundering money for the Russians.  This story is a week old, but I just saw it on Twitter.

 

That’s it for today.  If I don’t see you tomorrow, it’s because I couldn’t focus after going to the vet.  If I do, it’s because I needed to distract myself.

One of my cats is severely ill. She has a large, cancerous growth on her paw which has caused her pain, discomfort, and caused her to lose about 10 pounds.  She was a REALLY fat cat before the cancer.  A few months ago, we were given a prognosis of a few weeks to a month.

We decided to make her as comfortable as possible, but that’s no longer an option.  As a last resort, we asked the vet for an estimate on amputating the paw.  It was around $2,500.  That’s a lot of money for a 12 year old cat that lost half her body weight in a few months.

Earlier today I scheduled an appointment to have her put to sleep Tuesday night.

 

Thank you, and have a good one.

 

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur

 

Daily Check-In 06/08/2018

Friday, June 8th.

 

THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION:  KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK INDICTED

Konstanin Kilimnik, one of Paul Manafort’s most trusted advisers, was indicted earlier today on an superseding indictment against Manafort.

Kilimnik, a “former” member of Russia’s GRU, was charged along with Paul on the following charges:

  • Conspiracy Against the United States
  • Conspiracy to Launder Money
  • Unregistered Agent of a Foreign Principal
  • False and Misleading FARA Statements
  • False Statements
  • Obstruction of Justice
  • Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice

Kilimnik is currently in Russia after Ukraine dropped their investigation into Manafort’s crimes as part of a quid pro quo for missiles from the Trump Administration (Daily Check-In 05/23/2018 and Daily Check-In 05/02/2018).  However, if “Kostya from the GRU” ever tries to leave Russia for a vacation, he might have to get a connecting flight at Leavenworth.

Another major aspect of this move is that it makes a pardon of Manafort either a moot point or so beyond the pale that Trump would be removed from office by the end of the week.  Kilimnik is now a co-defendant in the case.  A pardon on one defendant doesn’t end the case.  If anything, it opens the other co-defendant up to greater legal liability.  Mueller continues the investigation against Kilimnik.  If Trump were to pardon a member of Russian Intelligence who actively attacked the United States, that might finally be a bridge too far for Republicans.

Then again, Manafort accepting a pardon would also ruin his life, too.  As I’ve discussed before in GTKYG-Pardon Limitations, a pardon only works on federal criminal penalties, not civil or state criminal charges.  Notice how the indictment includes asset forfeiture?  That’s right.  If Manafort accepts a pardon, then the government can come after him in a civil case and take his shit.  Then, as he’s left bankrupt, Virginia will come after him for criminal tax evasion.

So, let’s welcome Konstantin Kilimnik to The Indicted.

 

PDF of the Indictments

 

JOURNALIST LEAK INVESTIGATION

 

COHEN

Keith Davidson is now suing Michael Cohen.  During the back and forth on Twitter, Avenatti mentioned that Davidson’s stuff was raided on the same day that Cohen was raided.  I’m not sure if that was a typo, weird phrasing, or the truth.  We’ll wait and see.

Striking a note for transparency, a federal judge ruled on Friday that President Trump and his longtime personal lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, cannot proceed in total secrecy as they weigh in on the final stages of a laborious review of a huge trove of materials seized from Mr. Cohen during a series of raids by the authorities in April.

…

On Wednesday, the president’s lawyers, writing on behalf of him and Mr. Cohen, asked Judge Wood for permission to file their objections under seal directly to her, keeping them from the eyes of both the public and the prosecutors handling the case.

Within a day, the prosecutors responded with a more limited proposal, arguing that while Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen did not have to disclose the contents of the files they felt were privileged, there was “no reason why the government and the public should be deprived of access” to the legal analysis that led to their decisions.

In her one-paragraph ruling on Friday, Judge Wood sided with the prosecutors, saying that the Trump and Cohen legal teams had to submit their objections to the special master’s findings publicly “except for those portions that divulge ‘the substance of the contested documents.’”

A group of news organizations, including The New York Times, had written in support of the government’s position, claiming that the “public has a right to know” what categories of files Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen were trying to keep secret, if not precisely what was in them.

Kushner to Chaves to Cohen.  That’s the route the money took.

One of the most obvious and blatant examples of money laundering involving Michael Cohen came when he flipped a series of 4 condos in New York, nearly tripling the purchase cost.  Well, turns out it’s even more obvious than we knew.

That example had Herbert Chaves selling properties to Jared Kushner, and using the money from Kushner to purchase properties from Cohen for 3 times market value.  That’s textbook Money Laundering.

 

G7

At this point, it’s no longer a question of Trump being a traitor to the United States of America, but how much of this is him willingly destroying America’s place in the world, and how much of this is his fear that Putin will release the kompromat he has on him.

By the way, it’s a lot worse than hookers peeing on each other.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

COLD WAR 2.0

 

#NEVERAGAIN

 

PRUITT

 

WHITE HOUSE CHAOS

 

FIXING THE INTERNET

 

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

 

PUERTO RICO

 

THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE

 

PROGRESS IS PROGRESS

 

GOP:  THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD

 

IN OTHER NEWS…

Earlier this morning, the news broke that Anthony Bourdain, award winning chef and television host that was one of the few Americans on TV showing that the world isn’t scary but exciting and thrilling, died of an apparent suicide.

His is the second celebrity suicide of the week.  Fashion Designer Kate Spade was found dead on Wednesday.  I didn’t cover that story because, until Wednesday, I’d never heard of Kate Spade.  I just googled her, and I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around a $400 purse.  Maybe it’s a ten year or fifteen year purse.  Like with a great pair of shoes. Sure, the sticker price is $200, but they’re built to last a decade, and will be cheaper than owning 10 pairs of shoes from the discount rack at Payless, Walmart, or Target.

I had no connection to Kate Spade.  Anthony Bourdain was different.  He was an inspirational asshole.  He tried new things, went interesting places, and met great people along the way.  Every place he went, no matter what it looked like in the news, Anthony made it look warm and inviting.  He made the craziest food look delicious, and showed that the greatest way to destroy ignorance and bigotry was to get out and see the world.

Anthony Bourdain had possibly the greatest job in the world.  He was paid a lot of money to visit cool places, meet cool people, try new things, and eat and drink like a baller.  Yet, even through all of this, he still suffered from depression.

I know a little something about depression.  I was diagnosed with it many years ago, and I fight against it every day.  Some days are better than others, but it is a constant struggle to not give in.  One day, I expect it to beat me for good.  My battle is to make sure that today is not that day.

Here’s a BuzzFeed article on calling the Suicide Prevention Line. If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 or text 741-741.

 

RUMOR MILL

 

 

 

 

That’s it for today.  I’m going to try to get something up this weekend, but I have a lot of things to do in the real world.  I will do my best to write, and I don’t plan on watching any Mister Rogers.

Kostya from the GRU has been indicted.  That’s 20 people indicted so far.  One of them has already served their prison sentence and been deported from the country.  Two of them are preparing for sentencing.  Two others are still cooperating.

Things are going to ramp up over the next week.  June 15th is Paul Manafort’s hearing for witness tampering, and if he doesn’t strike a deal before that, he’s going to prison.  The same day, Cohen’s team has to finish up with their review of the evidence in his case.  Next week could easily end with Trump’s former campaign manager in prison and his fixer indicted.

If Manafort isn’t in prison, it’s probably because he’s working on a deal.  That might be worse for Trump and Pence.

Keep your heads up, people.  We’re in a war against tyranny. This isn’t going to be won overnight.

 

Thank you, and have a good one.

 

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daily Check-In 06/07/2018

Thursday, June 7th.

 

THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION

The Justice Department plans to brief senior lawmakers next week with additional details and documents about how the FBI investigated whether Trump campaign advisers had suspicious ties to Russia — a concession to Republican demands for more information about the politically charged probe.

…

A senior Justice Department official said the briefing will allow lawmakers “to review certain supporting documents that were made available during the prior briefing.” Officials “are prepared to brief members on certain questions specifically raised by the speaker and other members. The department and FBI will also provide the documents that were available for review but not inspected by the members at the previous briefing, along with some additional material,’’ the official said.

The briefing will be for the Gang of Eight — the senior Democrat and Republican in the Senate and House, as well as the senior members of each party on their respective intelligence committees.

Fox News host Sean Hannity encouraged witnesses in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe to destroy their personal phones to thwart investigators’ efforts to view any encrypted messages they might have. The conservative TV personality said on his show Wednesday night that witnesses should perhaps “follow Hillary Clinton’s lead” after Mueller reportedly asked witnesses to turn in their phones for examination. The request came after Mueller’s team accusedformer Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort of using encrypted messaging apps to engage in alleged witness tampering. “Delete all your emails and then acid-wash your emails and hard drives on the phones, then take your phones and bash them with a hammer to little itsy-bitsy pieces, use BleachBit, remove the SIM cards and then take the pieces and hand them over to Robert Mueller and say, ‘Hillary Rodham Clinton, this is equal justice under the law,’” Hannity said. He went on to acknowledge this was “bad advice” before repeating it all again step-by-step.

He ghosted after the interview request.  Completely vanished.  Shut down his company, closed the website, the whole nine yards.

An ex-congressman has attracted scrutiny from the Senate Judiciary Committee, as it continues to investigate whether President Donald Trump’s campaign conspired with Moscow to sway the 2016 presidential election.

Curt Weldon, a Republican and former Pennsylvania congressman, lost his re-election campaign more than a decade ago following an FBI probe into his ties to two Russian companies. He has “connections to both Russia and the Trump campaign” that are raising suspicions among senators, a spokeswoman for Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein said. Feinstein is the committee’s ranking member, and wants to interview Weldon, the spokeswoman said.

The reasons for the committee’s interest in Weldon are murky, but his ties to Russia are significant. Members of Congress believe, for example, that Weldon may lead to answers about why the Trump administration sought to lift sanctions on Russia in the aftermath of the 2016 election despite a public statement by intelligence agencies that the Kremlin tried to help Trump win. Weldon may also have information about the role a Russian oligarch may have played in trying to influence the Trump administration—though Weldon denied this when I asked him about it.

WASHINGTON — Federal law enforcement officials secretly seized years’ worth of a New York Times reporter’s phone and email records this year in an investigation of classified information leaks. It was the first known instance of the Justice Department going after a reporter’s data under President Trump.

The seizure — disclosed in a letter to the reporter, Ali Watkins — suggested that prosecutors under the Trump administration will continue the aggressive tactics employed under President Barack Obama.

 

 

IMMIGRATION

 

COHEN

Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon said through a representative on Wednesday that the Treasury Department was not cooperating with his May request for information on Michael Cohen and his dealings with Novartis.

“Treasury refuses to respond to our request, let alone provide key financial documents related to Cohen and Cohen’s business dealings with Novartis. There is no excuse for this kind of stonewalling,” the representative, Rachel McCleery, said. “All other parties are engaging in the Committee’s inquiry.”

 

PUERTO RICO

 

SCOTT PRUITT

Just in case that tweet disappears, here’s a screenshot…

Pruitt Tally

 

ENERGY POLICY WRITTEN BY A COAL BARON

 

THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE

Ralph Peters suggested during a CNN interview on Wednesday night that Russian President Vladimir Putin has “some kind of grip on Trump,” pointing to the US president’s documented affinity toward Putin, and his hesitation to speak critically of the Kremlin.

Peters, who trained in Russian studies, the Russian language, and has experience with Russian intelligence officers, indicated that what he sees in Trump’s behavior are the signs of someone who may be compromised by one of the US’s most formidable enemies.

“For years, I was glad to be associated with Fox. It was a legitimate conservative and libertarian outlet. And a necessary one,” Peters told Cooper. “But with the rise of Donald Trump, Fox did become a destructive propaganda machine. And I don’t do propaganda for anyone.”

Peters went on to say he believes the network in general and “particularly the prime time hosts” are attacking “our constitutional order, the rule of law, the Justice Department, the FBI, Robert Mueller,” and other intelligence agencies. “And they are doing it for ratings and profit,” he added. “And they’re doing it knowingly, and, in my view, doing a great, grave disservice to our country.”

Asked by Cooper if the prime-time hosts actually believe their own conspiracy theories about the “deep state,” Peters singled out Trump’s most loyal Fox News servant. “I suspect Sean Hannity really believes it,” he said. “The others are smarter, they know what they’re doing.”

“I want to cry out and say, ‘How can you do this? How can you lie to our country? How can you knowingly attack our Constitution, the bedrock of our system of government, the bedrock of our country?’” Peters said. “And when you go after the Constitution, you best beware, because you are doing a phenomenal, indeed immeasurable damage.”

One thing I truly enjoy from this mess is watching Rudy Giuliani destroy his reputation, his history, and everything he worked for to try to defend Donald Trump.

 

#NEVERAGAIN

 

COLD WAR 2.0

 

WHITE HOUSE CHAOS

 

TRADE AND TARIFFS

 

MORE CABINET CORRUPTION

 

GOP:  THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD

I’m old enough to remember when Republicans argued for Universal Health Care.  Up until 2009, when a black man was elected President and advocated the same thing they’d been asking for for 40 years.

Here’s another take on how bad this is…

 

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

 

NFL

 

PROGRESS IS PROGRESS

 

FIXING THE INTERNET

 

OP-ED AND COLUMNIST PIECES

Retirement?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Between low employment, stagnant wages, student loans, day care, medical expenses, every other bill, 401(k)’s instead of pensions, and near zero percent APR on savings accounts, here’s the Millennial Retirement Plan.

Hope that you eventually find a job.

Change jobs every couple years because it’s the only way to get a pay raise or promotion.

Keep this up until you get old.

Hope that you die swiftly one day so as to not leave your loved ones with gigantic medical bills.

 

RUMOR MILL

I’m not sure I necessarily agree with Eric’s stance on this.  I don’t doubt that there’s some CI work going on involving the NYT, but I don’t see this case being related to it.  This sounds more like a “traditional” investigation into a reporters’s sources.  Then again, I might be missing something here.

 

That’s it for today.  I’m going to be away from the internet for a while tomorrow, so I might not catch as much as usual, but if anything big breaks, I should get it.

I’ve said this before, but at sometime over the next few weeks, I likely will disappear for a couple days.  I’ll tell you why then.

 

Thank you, and have a good one.

 

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daily Check-In 06/06/2018

Wednesday, June 6th.  The 74th anniversary of D-Day.

 

THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION

In November 2015, Ivanka Trump told Cohen to speak with Klokov, according to the four sources. Cohen had at least one phone conversation with the weightlifter, they said. It is not known what the men discussed over the phone, but they exchanged a string of emails that are now being examined by congressional investigators and federal agents probing Russia’s election meddling.

In one of those emails, Klokov told Cohen that he could arrange a meeting between Donald Trump and Putin to help pave the way for the tower. Later, Cohen sent an email refusing that offer and saying that the Trump Organization already had an agreement in place. He said he was cutting off future communication with Klokov. Copying Ivanka Trump, the Russian responded in a final brusque message, in which he questioned Cohen’s authority to make decisions for the Trump Organization. Frustrated by the exchange, Ivanka Trump questioned Cohen’s refusal to continue communicating with Klokov, according to one of the sources.

It looks like Ivanka’s weightlifter friend is either a “Friend of Putin”, or yanking their chain.  If Cohen thought the latter, it looks like Kremlin Barbie didn’t buy his assessment. Cohen is a bullshitting sleaze ball, so judging other bullshitters is in his skillset.  I think she got played, and showed that, once again, the Trump family was desperate to work with Putin and Russia for personal gains, and Putin saw them as a way to help him.

This also establishes that at least 2 of the grown children have ties to “Friends of Putin.”  Plus, Eric bragged about getting a buttload of funding from Russia.

If apps like Signal and WhatsApp are so secure, how can they tell who else in your contact lists has the apps installed?

Not as secure as you’d think.

Konstantin Killimnik, also known as Kostya from the GRU.

Alex Van Der Zwaan is back in the Netherlands.  He’s out of prison, and ICE made sure he was handed over to Dutch authorities.

Bruce Baldinger, the lawyer who worked with Paul Manafort on several of his alleged money laundering related real estate deals, retained Mark Garfinkle as his personal legal representative.

MAGA:  Make Attorneys Get Attorneys

 

 

CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA AND FACEBOOK

A Cambridge Analytica director apparently visited Julian Assange in February last year and told friends it was to discuss what happened during the US election, the Guardian has learned.

Brittany Kaiser, a director at the firm until earlier this year, also claimed to have channelled cryptocurrency payments and donations to WikiLeaks. This information has been passed to congressional and parliamentary inquiries in the UK and US.

Cambridge Analytica targeted the ads that appeared on social media, and paid Julian Assange in BitCoin with money gained from donations from the Mercers and various Republican politicians and their related PAC’s, like Ted Cruz, Steve Bolton, and Donald Trump.  These payments were for services rendered while Steve Bannon and Kellyanne Conway were on the CA Board of Directors.

If you thought the Cambridge Analytica saga was over with the company’s shut down and filing for bankruptcy, you were definitely wrong. According to The Financial Times, the company’s former CEO Alexander Nix has been accused of stealing $8 million dollars from Cambridge Analytica before its demise.

The theft reportedly occurred after journalists started digging into Cambridge Analytica and Facebook, but before the company shut down for good. Investors want to rebrand and relaunch the firm, but The Financial Times reports that Nix has refused to return the money.

Despite its shutdown, Cambridge Analytica is still facing investigations from the FBI and DOJ about its financial practices, as well as the firm’s misuse of Facebook users’ personal data. The UK is also looking into the firm; Nix is supposed to appear in front of Parliament for a second time today.

Investors who backed a rebranding of Cambridge Analytica are in a stand-off with former chief executive Alexander Nix after he allegedly withdrew more than $8m from the scandal-hit data company shortly before it collapsed.

Several people involved in the dispute told the Financial Times the withdrawal came shortly after Mr Nix learned British media was reporting on allegations about his company’s role in a massive leak of Facebook user data in March. Mr Nix did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

According to these people, the investors are pressing Mr Nix to repay the money to Cambridge Analytica employees and investors.

They said Emerdata, a company set up last year to acquire and rebrand Cambridge Analytica, and a related company, SCL Group, had raised $19m from powerful international investors in January to expand the company’s services and bid for more commercial work.

The money ran out quickly, the people said, because of outstanding bills to advertisers and other suppliers, and because of the alleged withdrawal by Mr Nix. According to some of the people, Mr Nix has indicated that he intends to repay part of the money. One person added that Mr Nix said the withdrawal was made in exchange for unbooked services.

Bankruptcy filings in New York show that Cambridge Analytica received an $8.8m loan from Emerdata before it entered administration, though it is not clear what the loan was intended for. Documents show the debt is classified as an unsecured “non-priority” loan that might not have to be returned.

Now we’re getting to the “Evil Eats Itself” phase of the program.  Alexander Nix either robbed them blind or is the scapegoat.  They’re going to turn on each other to avoid life sentences and death penalties.  Shit’s gonna get crazy.

 

COHEN:  COLLUDING WITH … EVERYONE

The filing in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday alleges that Beverly Hills lawyer Keith Davidson “hatched a plan” and “colluded” with Trump attorney Michael Cohen to get the adult film actress to go on Fox News a few months ago and falsely deny she had an affair with Trump more than a decade ago.

Want to read Cohen’s Text Messages to Keith Davidson? Here’s the PDF

These are damning AF.  They show a pattern of Davidson and Cohen communicating, likely working together, and doing so with the knowledge of other people.  The last text in the document took place while Cohen was briefing the First Lady about what was going on.  Depending on what Cohen told her, she could be a witness, if not a co-conspirator in these actions.

And it’s not like this took place back in 2016.  These texts took place mostly from Daily Check-In 01/17/2018 to Daily Check-In 03/02/2018.  From the time InTouch Magazine announced they were going to release their interview with Stormy Daniels to the day she hired Michael Avenatti and details of her story and the payment process became public knowledge.

From the outside looking in, the best case scenario for Keith Davidson is disbarment.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

PUERTO RICO

 

COLD WAR 2.0

Dennis Rodman, Sean Hannity, and Sebastian Gorka.  A former basketball player, a fake journalist and real creep, and a fake doctor and real nazi.

The simulation is in QA mode.

 

SCOTT PRUITT AND THE EPA

 

DID PAUL RYAN GROW A SPINE?

I’m still waiting for Paul Ryan to slink away and collapse like the invertebrate he is, but he may have finally reached the No Fucks to Give/Pushed Too Far line.  A lot of people are having their Waylon Smithers moment.

 

WHITE HOUSE CHAOS

NEW YORK (AP) — Members of a group of outside experts required by law to meet twice a year with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau say the group has been dissolved by CFPB head Mick Mulvaney.

It’s the latest pro-industry action by the Trump administration since it took over the bureau seven months ago.

Mulvaney, acting director of the CFPB, told the 25 members of the Consumer Advisory Board on Wednesday morning that they will be replaced and the board will be reconstituted, according to two of the members. These people requested anonymity since the announcement was not official yet.

Under the law that created the CFPB, the CAB is required to meet twice a year, but meetings were repeatedly cancelled since Mulvaney came to CFPB.

 

TRADE AND TARIFFS

 

#NEVERAGAIN

An ‘F’ from the NRA is a badge of honor.  It means you put the lives and safety of children above the profits of gun manufacturers.

 

ELECTION 2018

So many good stories, but here’s the deal with California.  They operate in an Open Primary format.  Everyone from all parties run on the same ballot, but the two top vote getters face each other in the General Election.  What often happens is that the top two finalists are from the same party.  If the Democrats have any chance of taking the House this fall, they needed a contestant in all 53 congressional races in California.

And for the first time in a long time, they have it.  All 53 races have at least 1 Democrat running in November.

 

THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE

 

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

 

IS THIS THE REAL LIFE?  IS THIS JUST FANTASY?

 

GOP: THE “HOW DO YOU FUCK THAT UP?” EDITION

A Georgia Congressman tweeted and deleted a D-Day blunder.

Rep. Drew Ferguson, who is running for reelection in Georgia’s Third District, marked the 74th anniversary of the allied invasion of Normandy with an image of soldiers for Nazi Germany and a tank with the Iron Cross, a symbol of the German military.

The tweet also featured a quote from Harry Truman, who was not yet president on June 6, 1944.

The tweet, from Ferguson’s campaign Twitter page, was posted to his campaign twitter at 9:57 am and deleted within an hour, but not before users spotted it and mocked it online.

“The problem is that it is an amazingly stupid mistake to make, and should have been caught by any kid nearby who has played Call of Duty for more than five minutes,” one Twitter user said.

 

GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD

The draft of Horowitz’s wide-ranging report specifically called out Comey for ignoring objections from the Justice Department when he disclosed in a letter to Congress just days before the 2016 presidential election that FBI agents had reopened the Clinton probe, according to sources. Clinton has said that letter doomed her campaign.

 

OP-ED PIECES

 

RUMOR MILL

 

That’s it for today.  I added a new section today for Op-Ed pieces.  Sometimes I get caught up with all of the different stories, and the opinion pieces get swept up in the net.  I think you deserve transparency in knowing when a story isn’t news, but just an opinion about it or a spin on it.  I admit I won’t always catch it, but I’ll do my best.

Like I’ve said before, we’re in the desperation hour, where a lot of shit flies against the wall, seeing what sticks.  In the next 3-10 days, Paul Manafort will either have been sent to jail and charged with even more crimes, or would be at least in the process of striking a deal with Mueller against Donald Trump and Mike Pence.

Shit, I just realized something.  June 15th.  That’s the deadline for both Cohen’s team to have their privilege review completed, and Paul Manafort’s main hearing date for these witness tampering claims.  That’s also the Friday of the week of the planned Singapore Summit with North Korea.

The next week is gonna be nuts.  Welcome aboard the Crazy Train.

 

Thank you, and have a good one.

 

“Without Journalists, it’s all just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur