This is pretty wild...
A company owned by a foreign country fought a secret subpoena about “commercial activity”.
Judge rules against them.
Company fails to comply.
Judge hits them with a monetary penalty which increases EACH DAY.
1/
A company owned by a foreign country fought a secret subpoena about “commercial activity”.
Judge rules against them.
Company fails to comply.
Judge hits them with a monetary penalty which increases EACH DAY.
1/
Potential clues:
- “commercial activity” - the subpoena focuses on the business dealings of the target
- complying would violate the owner country’s laws - banking privacy?
- continued non-compliance despite increasing penalties - this ain’t about protecting a customer
2/
- “commercial activity” - the subpoena focuses on the business dealings of the target
- complying would violate the owner country’s laws - banking privacy?
- continued non-compliance despite increasing penalties - this ain’t about protecting a customer
2/
- the subpoena hearing last wk may have been attended by Zainab Ahmad - her expertise: Middle Eastern organized crime, terrorism, money laundering
I dunno. Feels to me like:
1) a wealth fund or bank
2) illicit spending/investment/money laundering
3) foreign state bankrolling it
I dunno. Feels to me like:
1) a wealth fund or bank
2) illicit spending/investment/money laundering
3) foreign state bankrolling it
In theory, it could be any kind of foreign-owned firm. Also possible it’s a tech co. or some other type of business.
Based on what we know re: the timing and Mueller’s lines of inquiry, would seem likely to be a finance arm of a foreign gov on the money trail leading to Trump
4/
Based on what we know re: the timing and Mueller’s lines of inquiry, would seem likely to be a finance arm of a foreign gov on the money trail leading to Trump
4/
Also possible it a Russian bank like VTB or an institution linked to claims in the dossier (like the alleged sale of a stake in Russian petro-biz, Rosneft).
In fact, that’s an interesting possibility.
Who allegedly bought that stake? The Qataris? Gotta go look...
5/
In fact, that’s an interesting possibility.
Who allegedly bought that stake? The Qataris? Gotta go look...
5/
Okay, checked, yup, it was the Qataris.
The Qatari Investment Authority purchased a stake in Rosneft along with a partner (Glencore).
The Rosneft sale was detailed in the Steele dossier.
6/
businessinsider.com/carter-page-tr…
The Qatari Investment Authority purchased a stake in Rosneft along with a partner (Glencore).
The Rosneft sale was detailed in the Steele dossier.
6/
businessinsider.com/carter-page-tr…
Interesting tidbit:
The transaction to sell the Rosneft stake to the Qatari sovereign wealth fund was financed by Russian bank VTB...
...the same bank Kushner met with and the Trump Org was trying to partner with on Trump Moscow.
7/
oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-…
The transaction to sell the Rosneft stake to the Qatari sovereign wealth fund was financed by Russian bank VTB...
...the same bank Kushner met with and the Trump Org was trying to partner with on Trump Moscow.
7/
oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-…
...and if you recall, way back in the Trump Tower meeting, Manafort made some cryptic notes:
133m shares
Loan - not investment
Per OilPrice (see above), what appeared to be a Qatari investment was actually loans from VTB used to buy the stake.
washingtonpost.com/news/politics/…
133m shares
Loan - not investment
Per OilPrice (see above), what appeared to be a Qatari investment was actually loans from VTB used to buy the stake.
washingtonpost.com/news/politics/…
This gets complicated and murky but there was some speculation that the sale of the Rosneft stake to Qatar was some kind of straw transaction.
As in, a large scale way to move a sh**load of money around disguised as a transaction.
As in, a large scale way to move a sh**load of money around disguised as a transaction.
If a state-controlled bank in Country A lends money to a state-controlled investment fund in Country B...
...and then that fund turns around and uses it to “invest” in a state-controlled company in Country A...
...basically, Country A just turned an asset into a loan.
...and then that fund turns around and uses it to “invest” in a state-controlled company in Country A...
...basically, Country A just turned an asset into a loan.
The transaction itself:
1) throws off some serious money that can conveniently be siphoned off to whomever Country A was interested in greasing
2) moves wealth out of Country A and into less scrutinized banking systems
1) throws off some serious money that can conveniently be siphoned off to whomever Country A was interested in greasing
2) moves wealth out of Country A and into less scrutinized banking systems
I’m going down the rabbit hole here but as Deep Throat said about Watergate: follow the money
The last piece of the Trump-Russia-Saudi-Qatari story is the money trail
Who funneled money to the Trump Campaign, the NRA, etc.?
What moves were made to pay off Trump, et al?
The last piece of the Trump-Russia-Saudi-Qatari story is the money trail
Who funneled money to the Trump Campaign, the NRA, etc.?
What moves were made to pay off Trump, et al?
It seems likely the secret subpoena hits on core issues related to what Mueller was working on heavily in mid-summer when this started.
That leads straight to Manafort...
and money laundering and Russia and VTB and Rosneft...
...just like the dossier said.
//
That leads straight to Manafort...
and money laundering and Russia and VTB and Rosneft...
...just like the dossier said.
//
Correction: Jared met with VEB not VTB.
So, scratch #7 above.
Manafort, Rosneft, VTB, Qatar... those are the main players in the Rosneft sale mentioned in the dossier.
(Thx @dcpoll!)
So, scratch #7 above.
Manafort, Rosneft, VTB, Qatar... those are the main players in the Rosneft sale mentioned in the dossier.
(Thx @dcpoll!)
