Thread by @BusterUSMC

1. The Podesta Brothers-ABOVE THE LAW?
Under FARA, ppl who lobby on behalf of foreign govs, ldrs or political parties must file detailed disclosures abt spending & activities w/the Justice Dept. Willful failure to file the forms is a FELONY & can result in up to 5yrs in prison,

2. Tony Podesta is the chairman of the Podesta Group & the brother of John Podesta, Crooked Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign chairman.

3. The probe of Podesta and his Democratic-leaning lobbying firm grew out of Mueller's inquiry into the finances of former @realDonaldTrump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, according to the sources.

4. As Mueller has been tasked with investigating possible collusion between the @realDonaldTrump campaign & Russia.

5. Manafort organized a public relations campaign for a non-profit called the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine (ECMU).

Podesta's company was one of many firms that worked on the campaign, which promoted Ukraine's image in the West.

6. The investigation into Podesta & his company began as more of a fact-finding mission abt the ECMU & Manafort's role in the campaign, but has now morphed into a criminal inquiry into whether the firm violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act, known as FARA.

7. The Podesta Group amended its FARA registration to accurately reflect its work w/ECMU only AFTER the payments were reported by the media.

Manafort's firm also filed a FARA registration AFTER media reports in June disclosed its work in Ukraine from 2012 through 2014.

8. A spokeswoman said the Podesta Group’s original filing was submitted after the advice of legal experts because the ECMU "had certified that it was neither funded nor directed by a foreign government or political party."

9. After the media reports, said the spokeswoman, the Podesta Group reached out to FARA regulators who instructed how the firm should file.

10. The ECMU was reportedly backed by the Party of Regions, the pro-Russian & oligarch-funded Ukrainian political party for which Manafort worked as a consultant, & which paid his firm millions.

11. Viktor Yanukovych of the Party of Regions, a Manafort client, was president of Ukraine during the ECMU campaign, which ran from 2012 to 2014.

He fled the country in 2014.

12. In a statement, a spokesman for the Podesta Group said the firm "is cooperating fully with the Special Counsel's office & has taken every possible step to provide documentation that confirms timely compliance...

13. "..In all of our client engagements, the Podesta Group conducts due diligence & consults with appropriate legal experts to ensure compliance with disclosure regulations at all times — and we did so in this case."

14. In late August, NBC News reported that Special Counsel Mueller's team sent subpoenas to six firms who were involved in public relations lobbying for ECMU.

15. The subpoenas sought testimony from public relations executives who worked on the campaign organized by Manafort, people directly familiar with the matter told NBC News.

16. One source with knowledge of the investigation said that federal investigators have now met with several former staffers of the various firms involved in the ECMU campaign.

17. Mueller's team is closely examining the lobbying campaign, which ran btwn 2012 & 2014.
Six firms participated in the public relations effort that Manafort coordinated, paid 4by Brussels-based ECMU. The stated goal was 2build support 4 Ukraine's entry into the EU.

18. Two of the firms, Podesta Group & Mercury LLC, worked in Washington w/Manafort partner Rick Gates, according to lobbying disclosure records.

Three other firms worked in Europe.

19. Manafort, whose apartment was raided by FBI agents in July, emerged as a key figure in the Mueller probe became part of a larger investigation into his work 4the Party of Regions, his offshore banking transactions, his tax compliance and his real estate dealings

20. The Associated Press first revealed the pro-Ukraine lobbying campaign in August 2016, while Manafort was still running the @realDonaldTrump campaign.

Manafort left the campaign within days.

21. The report said the ECMU campaign was designed to sway public opinion & included attempts to solicit favorable press coverage in The New York Times & The Wall Street Journal.

22. So The BIG Question For Bob Mueller Is This
Will The Podesta Group aka: Tony & John Podesta
Recieve The Paul Manafort Treatment?
or
Will They Also Get An
🤗"Immunity-Card"
Like ALL the Crooked Hillary's State Dept & Campaign Staff

We Are Watching!👁️👁️
~End