Thread by @kazweida

This #SundayMorning we're digging into a name you may not know—Semion Mogilevich. He's one of the biggest spiders in a web of organized crime that underpins Putin's administration.

A web of oligarchs with deep pockets & close ties to Donald Trump.
rantt.com/russian-oligar…

(2) One of the things that was apparent from Mueller's report was that while there may not have been specifics about criminal activity, the body of evidence was irrefutable. Both Trump and his team had prolonged and frequent contact with Russian interests.
businessinsider.com/trump-campaign…

(3) It is vital that you understand that in Russia, there isn't a delineation between the mafia & the government or the oligarchs & Russian business interests. They're the same people with the same goals. And they work in the shadows leveraging their wealth for political gain.

(4) People much smarter than I have traced the seeds of Trump's sudden recovery from bankruptcy in the 90s back to an infusion of cash from Russia. Whether he's a patsy for oligarchs laundering money or is an enthusiastic participant is harder to decipher.
rantt.com/compromised-by…

(5) Trump properties are havens for Russian oligarchs & organized crime to launder money through real estate. It's impossible to believe Trump isn't aware of this. After all, the family narrowly escaped being indicted alongside Felix Sater over Trump Soho.
time.com/5558620/felix-…

(6) It's these ties that will probably result in years of dogged pursuit by AGs in various states after Trump leaves office. I'd bet it's exactly why Trump is so eager to hold onto the Presidency. By doing so, he & his family avoid indictment.
For now.
vox.com/world/2018/9/1…

(7) If you believe Trump "looked the other way" while laundering money for the Russian mafia, Trump's focus on Bruce Ohr makes sense. Ohr spearheaded the FBI's investigation into Russian crime syndicates & tried to get Deripaska to turn on Mogilevich.

theatlantic.com/politics/archi…

(8) In fact, when you accept the mountain of evidence that Trump businesses have been doing the Russian's dirty laundry for decades, lots of Trump's actions seem like another facet of his unending quest to obstruct justice and avoid prosecution.

nytimes.com/2018/08/27/us/…

(9) Trump's administration is squirming to duck every subpoena, but the one they are fighting the hardest is Trump's tax returns. We can all guess why that is.

Like every crime boss, it'll be the IRS (and his accountant) that gets Trump in the end.

nytimes.com/interactive/20…

(10) Thanks for tagging along and reading my #SundayMorning thread, suggestion courtesy of @stevendupler . Tune in next week when we do another deep dive into the headlines.

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