Ever since Erik Prince was asked about it by Congress, I've been troubled by the fact that he's in the international aluminum business as Deripaska is, but at great pains to say he's in bauxite (where aluminum comes from). And he admitted having talked aluminum in the Seychelles.
2/ I'm not saying that I see the precise connections yet, just that there are patterns. Trump has done weird things with U.S. sanctions on Russian aluminum, And both Prince and Deripaska are in aluminum, and both men (along with Broidy) seem to have mining interests in Africa.
3/ In the Seychelles, Prince discussed aluminum and sanctions with Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. Deripaska—who basically *is* Russian aluminum—was Manafort's conduit to the Kremlin, and said in 2007 he sees no distinction between himself and the state.
4/ According to a January 2018 NBC report, Trump thinks Manafort could help sink him if he flips. Now Manafort has inexplicably scuttled his generous plea deal. Doesn't that make you think Prince and Dmitriev were acting as sanctions go-betweens for Trump/Manafort and Deripaska?
5/ I guess what I'm wondering is, is it possible Prince was not just illegally negotiating U.S. foreign policy in the Seychelles in January 2017, but more specifically ensuring that the Russians would not blow the lid on Manafort's campaign collusion if they got sanctions relief?
6/ Prince may or may not know Oleg Deripaska well, though he certainly might, but he nevertheless would be a reasonable envoy to send to the Seychelles not just because he was a shadow national security adviser for Trump during the campaign but because he's an aluminum expert.
7/ If there's one continent we never hear discussed as part of the Trump-Russia probe, it's Africa. I'm increasingly finding that odd, given Trump pal MBS is recruiting child soldiers from Sudan and Trump pals Prince and Broidy are in the African mining—and mercenary—businesses.
8/ Obviously the Seychelles is off the Eastern coast of Africa, but I'm wondering if African mercenaries and mining rights have been on the table in talks between Trump, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Saudi ally UAE—whose Crown Prince met with Prince in the Seychelles—for a long time.
9/ The Saudis/Emiratis are fighting in Yemen with the aid of African mercenaries, and the UAE's Crown Prince met an expert in African/other mercenaries—Prince—in the Seychelles. Trump pal Broidy lobbied Trump on Saudi energy needs and runs a mercenary outfit. Is it a coincidence?
10/ I guess I'm just saying that the big story today in TIME about Boyarkin, aluminum, Africa, Manafort, and Deripaska deepens my sense that Prince and Broidy are two of the primary villains in the Trump-Russia probe, Nader has sold out both, and Africa is part of the story. /end
PS/ That would be *George* Nader, the convicted pedophile who is now cooperating with Robert Mueller and met repeatedly with Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, Steve Bannon, MBZ, Prince, Michael Flynn, and possibly Donald Trump himself, including in the White House and Trump Tower.
