I've updated the Trump/Russia/Qatar timeline with the news of the week. @DonaldJTrumpJr had a no-good, very bad week. Said a Spanish prosecutor with wiretaps of Trump Jr. and Putin oligarch Torshin, "'Trump's son should be concerned.' 1/ shugerblog.com/2018/05/14/rus…
2/ "FBI has obtained wiretaps by Spanish police of Alexander Torshin [Putin ally] who has forged close ties with U.S. lawmakers and the @NRA that led to a meeting with @DonaldJTrumpJr during the gun lobby’s annual convention in May 2016." yahoo.com/news/trumps-so…
3/ More bad news for @DonaldJTrumpJr: Setting up meeting with Russians at Trump Tower, he made 2 calls to a blocked number. It hasn't been revealed, but the phone company has these records. Mueller can subpoena them. Bad news for @realDonaldTrump, too? cnn.com/2018/05/17/pol…
4/ @DonaldJTrumpJr appears to have given false statement to Congress (a felony under 18 USC 1001) covering up a 2d Trump Tower meeting with Nader (emissary of Saudi and UAE) and Zamel: nytimes.com/aponline/2018/…
5/ Erik Prince is also facing felony false statement for the same meeting. And reports show more damning links between Michael Cohen, Vekselberg, and shady sanctions proposals. talkingpointsmemo.com/prime-beta/put…
6/ Nader and David Broidy had their own bad news, too. Nader is reportedly cooperating with Mueller, and that’s a big deal. Broidy may need to cut a deal, too. apnews.com/a3521859cf8d4c…
7/ Michael Cohen’s business partner/mentor Gene Freidman cut a very good deal with prosecutors, and agreed to cooperate w/fed and state prosecutors. He had been facing decades behind bars. What info did he offer to get just probation? mobile.nytimes.com/2018/05/22/nyr…
8/ Manafort’s former son-in-law Yohai also made a plea deal this week to cooperate with prosecutors. cnn.com/2018/05/17/pol…
9/ @haaretzcom, the NY Times of Israel, wrote this very helpful explainer, linking Qatar, UAE, and Israelis in the Trump/Russia scandal. One significant twist over the past month is the Netanyahu/Israeli connection to this story. haaretz.com/us-news/.premi…
10/ I posted this last week about Brookfield, the firm in talks to buy 666 5th from Kushner, & its ties to UAE and Qatar. Remember Steele Dossier? Russia sold Rosneft to Qatar. Qatar keeps popping up in links channeling money to Trump/Kushner. Quid/quo? shugerblog.com/2018/05/21/bro…
11/ @emptywheel observes from recently released Senate testimony: on Dec. 1, '16, there seems to have been a coordinated effort by Kushner, Flynn, and @DonaldJTrumpJr's pals from June 6 meeting (Goldstone/Kaveladze) to set up secret contacts with Russians.
12/ @PaulForVirginia, former fed prosecutor, has put together this timeline and charts on Russia/@NRA contacts starting in 2012, as background to Torshin/@DonaldJTrumpJr contacts in 2016. Torshin a member of FSB, i.e., the KGB. Now that's a #spygate.
