A🧵on Ryan Girdusky (banned by CNN for racist remark inciting violence) and financial links to Leonard Leo

In 2022 a nonprofit closely linked to Leo called The Concord Fund gave $270K to Girdusky's nonprofit and Leo's Marble Trust paid $888K to a firm run by Girdusky's relatives In 2022 the Concord Fund (formerly JCN) run by Ann Corkery gave $270,000 to Ryan Girdusky's 1776 Education Project. Ann & husband Neil are tied closely to Leonard Leo. Neil is CFO of Leo's for profit CRC Advisors which The Concord Fund has paid over $20mil
projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/org…

NEW: Elon Musk’s pro-Trump America PAC has spent $144 million and over 40% went to Phil Cox - I analyzed FEC filings and found that $61.7 million was paid to firms linked to former GOP and DeSantis operative Phil Cox, who helps run America PAC, my latest:
newstracs.com/musks-america-… America PAC received $140 million and Musk funded $118.5 million

Betsy DeVos, Trump’s former Secretary of Education and sister of Blackwater founder Erik Prince, donated $250,000 and with 6 members of the DeVos family provided $2 million to Musk’s PAC

newstracs.com/musks-america-…

Today @RepRaskin & @RonWyden urge DOJ to appoint special counsel to investigate FARA violations by Jared Kushner

Kushner Acted as a Shadow Diplomat & Political Adviser to Crown Prince MBS Who Directed Billions in Saudi $ to Kushner-Owned Affinity Partners
oversightdemocrats.house.gov/news/press-rel… Here's 8pg letter from @RepRaskin & @RonWyden to AG Merrick Garland urging DOJ to appoint a Special Counsel to investigate possible violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (“FARA”) by Trump’s son-in-law and former senior WH adviser, Jared Kushner
oversightdemocrats.house.gov/sites/evo-subs…

The WSJ reported Elon Musk gave $50 million to a Stephen Miller-linked nonprofit in 2022 & they spent $90mil on media contractors. Did some of Musk's $ loop back to buy ads on X?

A look at the network of Miller, Musk & former DeSantis advisors, my latest
newstracs.com/the-wsj-report… Musk funneled $50 million to Stephen Miller’s nonprofit through Building America’s Future, which is linked to former Ron DeSantis campaign advisors Generra Peck & Phil Cox, who both now run Elon Musk’s America PAC, which is paying vendors run by Phil Cox

newstracs.com/the-wsj-report…

Jared and Ivanka are using political ties and $ from Gulf states to develop luxury resorts in Albania. Kushner (who is informally advising the Trump campaign) is planning a $1bil development & negotiating with foreign leaders such as Albanian PM Edi Rama.

wsj.com/real-estate/ja… After leaving the WH on a yachting trip in Albania Jared & Ivanka were romanced by a former military island and envisioned it as a perfect destination for a luxury hotel

The land is environmentally protected but a new law allows 'ultraluxury' hotels only

wsj.com/real-estate/ja…

Elon Musk Gave Tens of Millions to Republican Causes Far Earlier Than Previously Known

Musk gave $50mil+ to Stephen Miller-linked org Citizens for Sanity in 2022 and $10mil to DeSantis's presidential bid, by @DanaMattioli @joe_palazzolo @khadeeja_safdar

wsj.com/politics/polic… In fall 2022 Musk spent $50+ million on Stephen Miller linked Citizens for Sanity to fund ad campaigns in battleground states before the midterm elections - attacking Democrats on issues such as medical care for transgender children and illegal immigration
wsj.com/politics/polic…

Ex-Trump advisers help to grow pro-Russia website that spreads misinformation

George Papadopoulos, his wife Simona Mangiante and others are editorial board directors of Intelligencer, a growing source of news in rightwing circles, by @MattBernardini7

theguardian.com/us-news/2024/s… Fascinating article


Adding related item

Four Intelligencer editorial board members - George Papadopoulos, Simona Mangiante, Olga Ravasi and Igor Lopatonok - launched Christian Orthodox Coalition Inc nonprofit with Onisim Dorneanu
theguardian.com/us-news/2024/s…
opencorporates.com/companies/us_f…

Behind the Trump Crypto Project Is a Self-Described ‘Dirtbag of the Internet’

‘If you do this right, who f---ing cares if it goes to zero,’ Chase Herro once said of crypto.

Herro is the dealmaker behind World Liberty Financial, crypto project promoted by Donald Trump & his sons

https://twitter.com/ZekeFaux/status/1834580206557749311

“You can literally sell s--- in a can, wrapped in piss, covered in human skin, for a billion dollars if the story's right, because people will buy it,” Herro said about crypto in a 2018

Herro was introduced to the Trumps by Steve Witkoff and his son Zach
bloomberg.com/news/features/…

Trump's latest shady deal is a crypto project linked to a $2 million DeFi hack and former pick-up artist

A white paper on World Liberty Financial lists 4 people who had worked on Dough Finance which was hacked in July, via @CoinDesk

coindesk.com/business/2024/… The World Liberty Financial team includes "Chief Crypto Advocate" Donald Trump, Eric, Don Jr, and Barron is the project's "DeFi visionary"

Trump friend and property developer Steve Witkoff, his son Zach Witkoff and lawyer Alex Golubitsky are also involved
coindesk.com/business/2024/…

Dimitri and Anastasia Simes charged - for allegedly conspiring to provide services to and launder over $1 million from sanctioned Russian broadcaster Channel One Russia; Anastasi allegedly provided art and antiques to sanctioned oligarch Aleksandr Udodov

justice.gov/opa/pr/tv-pres… 2020 story by @toddprincetv on Udodov

The Armani-Designed NY Condo Where Connected Russians Have Bought Apartments: Aleksandr Udodov, brother-in-law of Russia’s new PM, bought 6 condos at 20 Pine St from Valentin Laskov, casino biz parter of Michael Cohen

https://x.com/WendySiegelman/status/1235331803256324102

Two RT Employees Indicted for Covertly Funding and Directing US Company that Published Thousands of Videos in Furtherance of Russian Interests

Kostiantyn Kalashnikov & Elena Afanasyeva deployed nearly $10mil to publish RT-curated content thru TN company

justice.gov/opa/pr/two-rt-… Treasury Takes Action as Part of US Government Response to Russia’s Foreign Malign Influence Operations

https://x.com/WendySiegelman/status/1831425671962489107

Elon Musk’s Twitter investors have lost billions in value

This recent @faizsays story estimates the $33.5 billion equity stake at the time of the sale would be worth around $9.4 billion today based on an analysis of valuations from X shareholder Fidelity. HT @NFTethics

https://twitter.com/faizsays/status/1830195539364786384

This story estimates that Prince Alwaleed bin Talal (and Kingdom Holding Co.) had an investment of $1.89 billion at time of sale to Musk, and 2024 value is $529.2 million, a loss of -$1.36 billion

My recent story shows loss was likely larger

washingtonpost.com/technology/202…

Interesting update on Christopher Condon CEO of Economic Transformation Technologies/ETT which paid indicted Alexander Smirnov $600,000

@twistopherrobin found Condon/ETT announced several deals w/Kenneth Ekow Andam who fled UT securities violation in 2018
theguardian.com/us-news/2024/m…

https://twitter.com/twistopherrobin/status/1829207265641169390

Story by @JSweetLI on Smirnov, Condon and Trump links

US firm that paid indicted FBI informant tied to Trump associates

Alexander Smirnov was paid $600,000 in 2020 by ETT – the year he allegedly began lying to FBI about Bidens’ role in Ukraine business
theguardian.com/us-news/2024/m…

Trump Media & Technology Group/TMTG announced:
- share repurchase for some execs
- remittance of $2,908,708 plus penalties & interest to IRS & state tax authorities
- board director Don Jr appointed dir/honorary co-chair of Trump Vance 2025 transition team
sec.gov/Archives/edgar…


TMTG announcement also included:
- director Linda McMahon was also appointed as a director and co-chair of Trump Vance 2025 Transition
sec.gov/Archives/edgar…

NEW: public filings show Saudi Prince Alwaleed’s company Kingdom Holdings' $1.9 billion investment in Elon Musk’s X may have fallen to a valuation of $262 million - filings also show Kingdom Holding recently invested $400 million in Musk’s xAI, my latest

newstracs.com/new-details-on… In May 2024 Elon Musk’s xAI announced $6 billion funding round with Prince Alwaleed and Kingdom Holding among the investors, but the amounts invested were not previously reported.

I found the June 2024 Kingdom Holding filing that shows $400 mil invested.
newstracs.com/new-details-on…

The recent unsealing of list of X owners includes Joe Lonsdale's 8VC

Some are now saying that since the sons of 2 Russian oligarchs work at 8VC that means their fathers Petr Aven and Vadim Moshkovich are X owners. There's no evidence that fathers (or sons) have ownership in X.

https://twitter.com/WendySiegelman/status/1825963618271379773

Here's the latest reporting from @SilvermanJacob who successfully filed a motion in civil case called Anoke v. Twitter to unseal a list of X’s shareholders with help from lawyers at @rcfp

jacobsilverman.com/p/we-got-a-jud…

Gery Shalon was arrested in 2015 for hacking JPMorgan. He flipped and became a star cooperator for the FBI. New evidence suggests while helping FBI he ran Tradologic and a massive fraud empire in Europe, by @SimonaWeinglass @MichaelRileyDC @JasonLeopold

bloomberg.com/news/features/… After Gery Shalon was arrested in 2015 for a an infamous hack of JPMorgan and then flipped - he informed on Russian hacker Peter Levashov who ran the Kelihos botnet used by cyber criminals

https://x.com/WendySiegelman/status/969077497571762176

This is a wild story unfolding

Martin Shkreli - who was convicted of securities fraud, spent 6 years in jail, and fined $70 million - claims that he and Barron Trump are responsible for a mysterious Trump-branded meme cryptocurrency called Trump Coin

newrepublic.com/post/182900/ma… Trump Coin was registered on the Solana blockchain platform this past week with the DJT symbol

Data analytics firm Arkham Intelligence offered $150,000 to whoever discovered who was behind the asset

@ZachXBT posted this thread identifying Mrtin Shkreli

https://x.com/zachxbt/status/1803240784436797871

Former Trump associate Felix Sater tells NY jury he wasn’t bothered by ‘dirty’ money

Sater is accused of helping a Kazakh man Ilyas Khrapunov launder money through US real estate including Trump SoHo condos. Sater allegedly made millions in the process.

gazettextra.com/news/nation_wo… Felix Sater on Tuesday told a federal jury in Manhattan that he knowingly lied when he helped the wealthy Kazakh, Ilyas Khrapunov, conceal his role in the lucrative deals to dodge a worldwide freezing order that tied up his family’s assets.

gazettextra.com/news/nation_wo…

How large Trump PACs are spending money

Red Curve Solutions run by PAC treasurer Bradley Crate and Campaign Inbox co-founded by an ex-Cambridge Analytica exec each received $17+ million from Trump PACs

My analysis of Trump PAC spending 2023 to Apr 2024

newstracs.com/how-the-larges… How large Trump PACs are spending

I analyzed thousands of payments made by 6 large PACs supporting Trump and identified recipients paid over $1 million from 2023 to April 2024

More than half the payments went to other PACs, to the RNC, or for legal work

newstracs.com/how-the-larges…

Omeed Malik fundraises for Trump and invests in ‘patriotic’ ‘anti-woke’ businesses including one with Cambridge Analytica funder Rebekah Mercer that funded Tucker Carlson

My latest on Malik, who was once known as a democrat, and his right wing businesses:
newstracs.com/trump-donor-om… In April Omeed Malik dined with Trump, Rebekah & Robert Mercer and co-chaired a Trump fundraiser

Malik, Rebekah Mercer and Christopher Buskirk launched 1789 Capital and lead a $15 million seed round for Tucker Carlson and Neil Patel’s new media company
newstracs.com/trump-donor-om…