Trump Jr. and the Russian lawyer: “there’s something very unusual about this whole thing”
When it comes to the Russians and the Clintons, nothing is ever as it seems.
If there’s anything I learned from studying about and in the Soviet Union during college, it was that things were never as they seemed.
There always seemed to be a manipulation and deception, whether for a specific purpose or just because they could. Kind of like the Clintons.
Which leads me to the Donald Trump, Jr. meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. My initial thoughts were in my post, Trump Jr. emails show amateurishness, but not “collusion” or illegality.
It may be that the simplest explanation holds: This was a pitch by Veselnitskaya to lobby against the Magnitsky Act, and the promise of “official documents and information” showing that Hillary Clinton had improper collusion with Russia was just a ruse to get her in the door. Trump Jr. was happy to take the meeting for the same reason that Democratic operatives were happy to work with the Ukrainians — getting oppo research on your opponent is one of the things campaigns do. That foreign governments were involved didn’t seem to matter to either campaign, though the Clinton campaign was more savvy in keeping a distance of deniability.
Another simple theory is that this was a Russian espionage operation, an attempt to penetrate the Trump campaign, sound it out on collusion, maybe even collude. Jonathan Turley notes that this “simple” espionage theory makes no sense:
Let me try to sum up this theory.
The Russians decide to reveal their super secret clandestine effort to secure the presidency for Donald Trump. So they put together a high-ranking, high-visibility meeting at Trump Tower without knowing who would be at the meeting. They also allow a creepy publicist to send an email discussing the grand conspiracy. They then do a Charlie Brown football moment and do not actually disclose the promised incriminating evidence against Hillary Clinton. Does that track with any cognizable Russian intelligence operation? What possible advantage is there in revealing their operation, promising intel, and then not actually sharing anything of value? The Russians are not perfect but they are not morons. If this was Russian operation, we truly have over-estimated our opposition.
Russians do not usually set up meetings at places like Trump Tower with an unknown number of persons to discuss secret operations. Setting up such a meeting would give others leverage against the Russians by disclosing their operation. Russians are not known to hand over leveraging information, particularly for nothing in return. Spies are by their nature control nuts.
As more information has dribbled out, I’m becoming suspicious that all is not what it seems. I don’t pretend to have the answers to what really is going on, but a few developments have stirred questions.
The Hill reported, Exclusive: DOJ let Russian lawyer into US before she met with Trump team:
The Russian lawyer who penetrated Donald Trump’s inner circle was initially cleared into the United States by the Justice Department under “extraordinary circumstances” before she embarked on a lobbying campaign last year that ensnared the president’s eldest son, members of Congress, journalists and State Department officials, according to court and Justice Department documents and interviews.
This revelation means it was the Obama Justice Department that enabled the newest and most intriguing figure in the Russia-Trump investigation to enter the country without a visa.
Later, a series of events between an intermediary for the attorney and the Trump campaign ultimately led to the controversy surrounding Donald Trump Jr.
Yet Veselnitskaya stayed far beyond the time period of her “parole immigration,” ended up at Trump’s doorstep, at congressional hearings, and all about town. Strange.
And as The Observer notes, Veselnitskaya and Hillary Clinton were on the same side of the issue, with a Bill Clinton connection:
In December 2015, The Wall Street Journal reported that Hillary Clinton opposed the Magnitsky Act while serving as secretary of state. Her opposition coincided with Bill Clinton giving a speech in Moscow for Renaissance Capital, a Russian investment bank—for which he was paid $500,000. “Mr. Clinton also received a substantial payout in 2010 from Renaissance Capital, a Russian investment bank whose executives were at risk of being hurt by possible U.S. sanctions tied to a complex and controversial case of alleged corruption in Russia.
Nothing is as it seems.
Just tonight, Loretta Lynch issued a statement through a spokesman that was a very Clintonian denial.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Lynch said the former attorney general “does not have any personal knowledge of Ms. Veselnitskaya’s travel.”
In his remarks in France, Trump appeared to cite a report in The Hill that the Justice Department issued Veselnitskaya a special immigration waiver so that she could defend her client, a Russian firm, in an asset forfeiture case in New York.
The U.S. Attorney’s office in New York told The Hill that it let Veselnitskaya into the country on a grant of immigration parole from October 2015 to early January 2016 after her initial request for a visa had been denied.
Court records show that when Veselnitskaya sought permission to extend her stay, the U.S. attorney at the hearing told the judge that the special visa the Russian lawyer received was part of a “discretionary act that the statute allows the attorney general to do in extraordinary circumstances.”
The U.S. attorney described the grant of parole immigration as extremely rare.
There also are reported links between Veselnitskaya and Fusion GPS, the firm the produced the mostly (if not entirely) discredited salacious “dossier” on Trump and was doing oppo research against Trump. The Daily Caller reports:
Glenn Simpson, founder of Fusion GPS, also joined the Russian lawyer and “worked with her on a legal case for years,” according to The Washington Post.
Fusion GPS is the firm that reportedly commissioned a phony “dossier” authored by former British spy Christopher Steele that alleged salacious and largely erroneous charges about President Donald Trump.
Most news organizations reject the dossier as dubious at best, but it eventually was published by BuzzFeed 10 days before Trump was inaugurated.
Christopher Cooper, the founder and CEO of Potomac Square Group, also joined Veselnitskaya. His company does campaign work for foreign principles and foreign governments including the governments of Azerbaijan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, UAE, and Nigeria as well as Russia. The company’s clients have included Democratic California Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic presidential hopeful Vermont Gov. Howard Dean.
Potomac Square also partnered with Dean’s campaign manger Joe Trippi on behalf of the families of radical Islamic terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay.
https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/885560806041047040
I appeared earlier today on Newsmax TV with Bill Tucker, and we talked about the Trump Jr. meeting. I expressed my concerns:
“I don’t think we need to go full conspiracy theory, but there’s something very unusual about this whole thing. There’s something that is very odd about this woman coming in on, I think they called it a visa amnesty or parole, or something like that. A very special category that I think had to be approved at the higher, or highest, levels of the Department of Justice. And she overstays the visa, and no one notices?
Something’s very strange here. And then she arranges a meeting with the inner circle, or through somebody the inner circle of the Trump campaign. Something is just not sitting right here. And then it turns out that she may have some connection to oppo researchers for the Clinton campaign or the Democrats who were trying to get dirt on Trump. Something just doesn’t seem right here, and I think it’s worth asking a lot of questions because this doesn’t just happen.
Somebody with her connections doesn’t just happen to show up at the doorstep of the campaign of one of the two major parties, who just secured enough delegates to win the nomination. It’s just very, very strange, and given her background and given what DOJ knew about her, something’s not adding up here.”
Note: Bill Tucker mentioned the co-founder of Fusion GPS testifying next week before the Senate. After our program, it was reported that appearance was canceled.
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Comments
My bet’s on either an orchestrated setup of Jr., the conductor being the Clinton campaign &/or its satellites, or this was just one of apparently many efforts directed at getting the Magnitsky Act repealed via any pathway that they could pry open. It’s hard to imagine any other explanations, none that begin to make any sense anyway.
The only ‘news’ buried in all this, at least to this simple citizen, is that Jr. declined to be of help, not that he agreed to the meeting.
The obvious tell is that CNN has quit talking about it. Nuff said.
The AP’s not done, though:
https://apnews.com/dceed1008d8f45afb314aca65797762a/Russian-American-lobbyist-says-he-was-in-Trump-son's-meeting
After all, it’s Friday night.
It was a set up to link Trump with Russians .Everyone asked what prompted the June 2016 Fisa Application that was denied, now we know .
Fusion GPS ,IMHO either set this up on their own or in conjunction with Hillary .
This is possible, but could have also occurred after the fact. IMO a much simpler explanation is that the Russians contacted both campaigns to express their support and talk about how bad the other guy/lady is. Support is not collusion of course, because no crime was ever committed.
Indict hillary clinton already.
What is taking so long??
What’s taking so long is that her former BFF, Trump, doesn’t want her indicted, so she won’t be.
That, and the fact that if she has to be tried in DC she’s almost certain of an acquittal no matter what the charge or how strong the evidence, and this would vindicate her, so what would be the point of indicting her?
Trials have consequences. Hillary would have a hung jury. There would be a change of venue.
Discovery and such would be interesting.
At the very least, many people should lose their security clearances. Fo mishandling, if for nothing else.
Where do you get this stuff? I seriously doubt that Trump really cares if HRC is indicted for anything. He is really pretty apolitical. His goal is to strengthen this nation economically and through foreign policy. He doesn’t really care about politicians or their positions and ideals, except as they affect his goals. HRC’s influence is all but gone. The Clinton Foundation has closed its doors. And Trump has no interest in actively pursuing her because she can neither harm nor help his agenda. If the FBI decides to do its job and presents a prima facia case of criminal behavior, then it will be up to the DOJ to file charges.
The people who do not want HRC indicted are past and present members of Congress, on both sides of the aisle, as well as members of former administrations, all of whom benefited from the activities of the Clintons. These benefits are embarrassing, at best, and possibly criminal, at worst. DC is all about selling influence.
because she can neither harm nor help his agenda
I wouldn’t say that. Outright criminality in high places is one of America’s most dire challenges.
Anything Trump accomplishes will be ephemeral, and easily undone once the usual professional corruptocrats—of either party—get control of the Executive again. These criminals must become targets; the comfortable system which protects them from investigation—let alone prosecution—for their crimes, great or small, places them (usually) above the law and allows them to thrive, milking the Republic for their own enrichment, in perpetuity. “Draining the swamp” might be the most important thing President Trump could do; even just showing that even a small portion of it can be drained would revolutionize American politics.
Mac45: The Clinton Foundation has closed its doors.
That is incorrect. The Clinton Global Initiative, a gathering of world philanthropists, ended, but the Clinton Foundation continues work on various charitable programs, including partnering with the Gates Foundation to provide life-saving HIV treatment to millions of people.
Mac45: If the FBI decides to do its job and presents a prima facia case of criminal behavior, then it will be up to the DOJ to file charges.
The FBI already investigated and found no prosecutable crime.
Millions. Really.
OK.
Please return to the world of reality! Check that money laundering Clinton Foundation to see how much of those donations actually go to ANY charity purpose. AT last count, it indicated that most charities run something like 75/25, i.e., 75% to actual causes, and 25% to running the charity. The Clinton Crime Family Foundation turns those numbers around, only to an worse degree – 10-12% outlay to 85-90% costs, a.k.a. Clinton expenditures!
Her server is where the mishandling occurred. The trial would be in Chappaqua, New York.
Before Hillary Clinton can be indicted, there needs to be an actual investigation — unless you think that the one Lynch and Comey oversaw last year was good enough to stand up in court. In order to get that, you need a head of the FBI who isn’t Comey or McCabe. Enter: Christopher Wray, who will be confirmed to be the new FBI head in the next couple of weeks.
If Trump actually intends to pursue Hillary Clinton’s crimes, things will start happening (slowly) once Wray is confirmed.
Honestly, I suspect Trump had no intention of pursuing Hillary Clinton. But after the last six months of witch hunts — and now going after his kids? Yeah. I think he’s going to pull the trigger on this one. What’s the down side? That someone on CNN will call him Hitler again?
Who leaked the e-mail to the NYT? Seems to me there’s only 3 choices. DJT Jr, the Goldstone guy, or someone who “hacked” or “surveilled maybe?” DJT or Goldstone.
Not Goldstone, but the person who set this whole thing up by asking Aras to ask Emin to ask Goldstone to ask Trump to meet this lawyer. We’ll never find out who this person is, but he knew the substance of Goldstone’s email to Trump because he made it up in the first place. Sure, there may have been some broken telephone along the way, such as Goldstone’s use of the term “Crown Prosecutor”, but that’s why the NYT’s source summarized the email rather than reading it — he didn’t have it to read.
Akin to my thoughts. Problem being, we have no Sherlock types in our vaunted gubment that would be chomping at the bit to follow that “paper trail!”
Has anyone explained yet why the Russians would consider switching from the Clinton RICO Operation that they had outright bought with their “donations” to the Clinton RICO Foundation, to ANY other politician?
Say what one may about the Clintons, when they sell themselves, they stay bought. Switching to ANYONE else would be too risky.
Because Trump might win.
But the entire Dem “collusion” fantasy rests on the assumption that Russia would want Trump to win, and therefore was willing to give him helpful information, or even do something more proactive (the mysterious “hacking”) to throw the election to the Republicans.
If any Russians wanted Hillary to win, it would be self-defeating for them to help Trump. And if they began to suspect that Trump would win, there’d be nothing to gain by helping him do so.
Seems many are giving the Russians and Putin too much credit for their acumen. I rather proffer that like the Dems and radical left, Putin was fairly well sure HRC was a shu-in and would become the first woman president he would need to deal with. Why not start defaming and demeaning that perceived opponent as early as possible? Then again, maybe that was a thought sparked by a failing synapse?
This reminds me of an episode of the Rockford Files about the kills during the making of some B&W movie. The case got so complicated that Rockford hired a logician to go through all the threads.
My best guess: the Clintons were dealing with the Russians, but being the Clintons, they were going to set them up for in deal with the Ukranians. They were pushing the Russians on Republicans so that when the Russian dealings came out, the GOP and Russians would get the blame.
The Russians were setting up both the Clintons and the GOP to blackmail them later.
When Trump won, the Clintons let the deal die ( no way to keep it alive ), but a combination of Clinton and Obama loyalists picked it up and changed it to “Russians were dealing with Trump” axccusations, not realising how much it exposed the Clintons.
This seems to tie together some inexplicable threads but leaves some open. I need to thing about it overnight.
PS: In the end Rockford thought he figured it out, was totally wrong. The truth was revealed by a dying explanation of onw of the participants. Maybe something like that has to happen for us to figure it out.
Sessions who needs to resign is useless. The deputy AG is out for himself and will pass this off to Meuller, who has by law no right to conduct an investigation involving his best friend, has no interest in getting to the bottom of the Clinton scams. Nothing will come of it. Did we ever see an investigation about Lynch meeting Clinton on a plane while his wife was the subject of a criminal investigation? Did anyone go to jail for destroying 30,000 emails? The dems are immune to prosecution, while Trump without any hint of a crime is under numerous investigations.
This is a well organized article. I agree with it. Two points: 1. Putin wanted to create chaos in America by dividing it, thus weakening the country as Russia maneuvers globally. He has succeeded, regardless of who was president. You know he has dirt on HRC/Bill. He thinks he can outwit Trump, because of Trumps inexperience. He is right and he is winning.
2. As a detective for a generation my spidey sense went crazy when reading the suspicious email. It was written to match a narrative (Russians are colluding) long before Podesta put that out as a major reason why Hillary lost.
My theory is what the author suspects. This is another “conspiracy” to destroy Trump. I think the goal was for HRC to win, then use the media and the government to smear and destroy him with these accusations. He could never defend himself. The goal would be to warn any non approved candidate from ever running again.
But Trump won, he has the power and access to the files. This will unravel. He should jail anyone he can. Scorched earth! He should demand all records of any contacts between foreign agents and politicians/officials/bureaucrats be compiled by time/date/content and released on a public website. That way anyone can see how man times Feinstein or McCain or Schumer met with Russians or Chinese etc. Then let that settle in.
They went after his kid. I would burn their playhouse down!
Mostly agree, just would expand on “….he is winning” comment concerning Putin. If you mean winning by causing ‘speed bumps’ and road blocks in the Trump admin, that would be correct, and causing high fives and hand clapping by the brain dead.
“….It was written to match a narrative (Russians are colluding)” That I agree with completely! Ole Sherlock would be chomping at the bit to ‘follow that paper trail.’ How possibly complicit was this ‘friend’ of Don’s in hooking him up, or “setting him up,” with the Russian mol? Ahh, the game’s afoot Watson!
People keep talking about this in context of Russia vs. the US and ignore the personalities involved and the personal animosity. Hillary bad-mouthed Putin and spoke in terms of disputing the validity of his election while she was Sec of State. There has also been tension between Putin and Obama and Clinton over what transpired in Ukraine, the Russian near-abroad. Wikileaks released the transcripts of Victoria Nuland that reflect that the Obama admin was pro-coup against the elected Pres or Premiere of Ukraine favored by Russia.
Putin had an axe to grind against Clinton and Obama, and if the entire relationship between 2008 and 2016 is viewed in its proper context, it is hard to imagine that Putin would ruse restraint and not attempt to mess with Clinton in some ways.
Finally, there is no conclusive, dispositive evidence that Podesta’s email was hacked or that the DNC was hacked by Russians. The release of CIA and NSA materials provides insight that disguising hacks and leaving signs pointing to someone else has become de rigeur in hacking. The fellow at the website TheForensicator.com recently published that the files releases by Guccifer 2.0 appear to have been downloaded locally and leaked to a third party, not hacked. (I do not know the credibility or technical competence of TheForensicator and admit that those things may be open to debate). So it is quite possible that someone within Dem circles was unhappy about the pro-Clinton, anti-Bernie bias and leaked information to inform the public and catalyze change.
On your last paragraph a few questions might be asked to expand the subject. Did the DNC report or file a criminal complaint about the hack? If so what is the case number and who is the agent in charge? Why hasn’t the prime price of evidence “the server” been taken into custody, logged, and examined by the FBI computer forensic laboratory? How is the chain of custody been established? If a crime has not been reported what is it that they are investigating? If they have not examined the server how does anyone know what was taken and by whom? The best the FBI could have is IP addresses and the amounts of data transferred and when.
Feeding into the Clintons’ “nothing is ever as it seems”, here is the latest example of a timely death (“suicide” again) benefiting the Clintons:
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-07-14/republican-operative-behind-confusing-wsj-bombshell-committed-suicide
It has been well-established that the Clinton server “hack” was an inside job, most likely Seth Rich downloading the files by USB drive and handing them to Wikileaks. When the Clinton mafia figured it out, he was murdered. It was reported as a robbery despite nothing being taken from him (wallet, phone, watch….). THAT is the source of any DNC oppo research in circulation. Russia is only a convenient red herring because like everyone else, they are engaged in efforts to influence foreign elections.
But despite proving this over and over again, the Trump/Russian hacking narrative persists with no evidence whatsoever. And so, Peter Smith’s “suicide” would apparently solidify the Russian hacking story. Except that it doesn’t. Just adds to the long fortuitous trail of suspicious deaths behind the Clintons.
So far, no one is picking this up. I hope Hannity uses this to get back on the Seth Rich case soon. The real story is the Clinton/Obama/Bush mafias and how entrenched they are everywhere in our government. It’s where the money flows in and out (see yesterday’s story on the millions corporations are giving to the Obama foundation) and where the dirty, treasonous connections are to be found.
OMG! Another Clinton enemy found dead under suspicious circumstances!
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-07-16/haiti-official-who-exposed-clinton-foundation-found-dead
How much money did the Clintons extort from the Haiti earthquake “rescue” effort? A billion? And contracts for the Rodham family?
Move along. Nothing to see here. So what’s new with the Trump/Russia thing?
Where is Sessions? Mr. Recusal should realize that he has made himself useless. For the good of the administration and the country he needs to step down. He seems afraid of his own shadow and whatever the misdeeds of the previous administration he will take no action.
More fodder for the “nothing is ever as it seems” angle.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-07-14/report-lynch-tapped-manaforts-phone-during-trump-jr-meeting-russian-lawyer
That is how Manafort was “exposed” forcing the Trump campaign to dump him. Unfortunately for Hillary, Manafort had already delivered by securing the electoral delegates won in the early primaries.
And then there is Jared Kushner.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/07/14/jared-kushner-starstruck-goldman-sachs/
Is Jared the main source of WH leaks? His father in-law is POTUS and he is still star-struck by Goldman Sachs? Seriously, Trump needs to get that guy and the rest of the Goldman people out of the WH. It’s not about Ivanka, it’s about Jared and Goldman.
The entire Trump-Russia story is nothing but an attempt by the Dims and their cohorts in the media to deflect and distract attention from the misdeeds they have committed during the reign of their “fuehrer”, one Barry Soetoro.
In addition, they see this as the vehicle that might unseat Trump. That motivates the Republican Never-Trumpers to be their accomplices. (See McCain’s involvement in the “Trump-Dossier”, for example)
As the details of this concocted story emerge, it becomes more and more untenable. Sooner or later it will collapse. When that happens, it will be one giant nail into the coffin of the Dims’ credibility, as a minimum.
It also will be the time for the US Justice Department to start looking at Dim-behavior of the past 8 years in great detail.
We do live in interesting times, no?
“….something’s not adding up here.” No leaping Batfish, Batman! The woman was, supposedly, lobbying for the repeal of the ‘Magitsky Act,’ or sum such. With the Donald Jr. meet, the discussion was about “adopting Russian kids?” The Russian ban on having their children adopted by Americans had little to nothing to do with the “Act.” That adoption ‘ban’ occurred after some ‘American’ had their adopted Russian child die from heat, I think from being left in a car? “The Russians Are Coming” screaming reaching a crescendo, not from the actual meet, is due to the wording of that email referring to ANYTHING Russian! These people HAVE NO LIVES – just BIG mouths. Our vaunted ‘we see, hear, know everything 17 security agencies’ have “not a smidgeon” of info/leaks/phonecons/emails/msgs/et.al over the past YEAR, however, “The Russians Are Still Coming!” Tired is an understatement, and I keep no loaded firearms within reach, for fear of pulling an Elvis and blasting my high$$ TV when hearing another ANYTHING Russian!!