4.11.17 - FBI obtained FISA warrant to monitor former Trump adviser Carter Page - WP | Russian Spies' Go-To Tactics For Entangling People: Bribery And Blackmail | Commentary: Why the Trump-Russia investigation may continue for years - Reuters

Commentary: Why the Trump-Russia investigation may continue for years

Russian Spies' Go-To Tactics For Entangling People: Bribery And Blackmail

Tuesday April 11th, 2017 at 2:32 PM

1 Share

As congressional and FBI investigators in Washington explore potential ties between President Trump's 2016 campaign and Russian intelligence services' meddling in the election, they're searching for one particular clue: money.

Loans, payments, sweetheart deals or other transactions are a tried and tested way that Russia's spy agencies get access to or control over people who interest them.

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, told NPR that evidence of such entanglements are one thing his panel is looking for.

"It may be that they work on energy deals or maybe they work on financial investments, but they try to get their financial hooks into parties of interest ... and so there's a question here whether those same tactics were used with respect to the Trump organization," he said.

William Browder, the CEO of Hermitage Capital Management, knows Russia's methods well. At one time, his company was one of the biggest foreign investors in Russia. Browder is one of the leading experts in fighting Russian corruption and is now blacklisted by Moscow; he says Russia is always on the lookout for people who can be compromised.

"The Russians are looking for people that they think are important in the West, important in political, business and economic circles. ...They target people they think are going to be useful to them one way or the other," he says.

And the flow of rubles into euros or dollars goes beyond the purchase of access, influence or information for spy agencies.

Stephen Blank, a Russian expert at the American Foreign Policy Council, says some people might be useful in providing a way for Russians to park their own money.

"Nobody really trusts the Russian banking system or the political system — for that, money gets laundered abroad," he says.

Russians who don't want to deposit cash in their home banks often make big investments in foreign countries that are safe, Blank says — a prime example of that, he says, is real estate in New York or Florida.

Because of the behind-the-scenes connections between Russia's organized crime, intelligence agencies and government leaders, it's sometimes not clear which one is acting.

Browder says Kremlin leaders often want to gain political influence outside of Russia. They'll cast a wide net and wait patiently until the time is right to exploit someone, he says.

"The two primary ways in which they recruit people is either through bribery or blackmail. ... They find ways of threatening people through compromising information," he says.

Anders Aslund, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a leading specialist on economic policy in Russia, says there are any number of methods to compromise people. It could be sex. Or sweetheart deals — awarding huge contracts with the help of loans from state-run banks such as VneshEconomBank, a government-owned development bank that has been under U.S. sanctions for three years.

"It gives big loans. For example, $50 billion for the Sochi Olympics. ... And the chairman, the CEO of the bank is always a KGB general," he says.

The old KGB is gone, but the bank's current CEO, Sergey Gorkov, graduated from the training academy of a successor agency, the FSB. He was was appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, met with Gorkov in December during the presidential transition.

Although VneshEconomBank was subject to U.S. sanctions after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Gorkov himself was not and faced no restrictions about traveling to New York City.

Aslund believes the meeting sends out all the wrong signals.

"Sergey Gorkov could only have two issues to discuss with Jared Kushner: One is to end the sanctions against the VneshEconomBank. The other is financing of Jared Kushner," Aslund says.

The White House says Kushner was acting as a Trump adviser — not as a private real estate developer — during the meeting with Gorkov. But he has agreed to be questioned by the Senate intelligence committee as the investigations into possible collusion with Russia continues.

Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit <a href="http://www.npr.org/" rel="nofollow">http://www.npr.org/</a>.

-

3:29 PM 4/11/2017

1. Trump from mikenova (130 sites)
michael flynn - Google News: April 11, 2017 in Opinion // The Michael Flynn investigation: Immunity in exchange for answers - Minaret
Minaret April 11, 2017 in Opinion // The Michael Flynn investigation: Immunity in exchange for answers Minaret Michael T. Flynn is the former national security advisor to President Donald J. Trump. As of March 30, Flynn offered to be interviewed by the House and Senate on the Trump Administration's ties to Russia, according to The Wall Street Journal. In ... michael flynn - Google News
trump authoritarianism - Google News: What Is a Nativist? - The Atlantic
The Atlantic What Is a Nativist? The Atlantic To understand the ideas shaping the Trump administration, the political scientist Cas Mudde once told me, you have to understand populism,authoritarianism, and nativism, because Donald Trump fires on all three cylinders. I've previously explored the ... trump authoritarianism - Google News
trump russian ties - Google News: Right-Wing Media Attempt To Absolve Trump Of Alleged Russia Ties After Strike On Syrian Regime Airbase - Media Matters for America
Media Matters for America Right-Wing Media Attempt To Absolve Trump Of Alleged Russia Ties After Strike On Syrian Regime Airbase Media Matters for America Right-wing media are dismissing possible ties between President DonaldTrump and his associates and Russian officials after he ordered U.S. warships to launch a cruise missile strike on a Syrian airbase after a chemical weapons attack killed dozens of ... and more » trump russian ties - Google News
Anthony Weiner - Google News: All eyes on Kansas in first congressional election of Trump era - Yahoo News
Yahoo News All eyes on Kansas in first congressional election of Trump era Yahoo News We always remind people about Anthony Weiner's seat going Republican in a special election. Kansas is also going through a wrenching political period after a Republican experiment with massive income tax cuts led to budgetary shortfalls, which are ... Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Ted Cruz wade into Kansas special election in final weeksKansas City Star all 196 news articles » Anthony Weiner - Google News
former FBI agents power influence - Google News: Woman sues ex-prosecutor accused of trading sex for leniency - KRON4.com
KRON4.com Woman sues ex-prosecutor accused of trading sex for leniency KRON4.com FILE - In this April 20, 2016, file photo, Harry Morel, a former district attorney for St. Charles Parish, La., arrives with his attorney Ralph Capitelli, right, at federal court in New Orleans. Morel, accused of extorting sexual favors from more than ... former FBI agents power influence - Google News
Donald Trump: Signatories to climate change agreement in dispute over financing
Chinas negotiator says developed countries have not met their commitments Donald Trump
organized crime and intelligence - Google News: Russian Spies' Go-To Tactics For Entangling People: Bribery and Blackmail - New Hampshire Public Radio
Russian Spies' Go-To Tactics For Entangling People: Bribery and Blackmail New Hampshire Public Radio Because of the behind-the-scenes connections between Russia's organized crime, intelligence agencies and government leaders, it's sometimes not clear which one is acting. Browder says Kremlin leaders often want to gain political influence outside of ... and more » organized crime and intelligence - Google News
Russian Intelligence services and organized crime - Google News: Russian Spies' Go-To Tactics For Entangling People: Bribery and Blackmail - KUOW News and Information
Russian Spies' Go-To Tactics For Entangling People: Bribery and Blackmail KUOW News and Information Because of the behind-the-scenes connections between Russia's organized crime, intelligence agencies and government leaders, it's sometimes not clear which one is acting. Browder says Kremlin leaders often want to gain political influence outside of ... and more » Russian Intelligence services and organized crime - Google News
Russian Intelligence services - Google News: Russian Spies' Go-To Tactics For Entangling People: Bribery and Blackmail - KUOW News and Information
Russian Spies' Go-To Tactics For Entangling People: Bribery and Blackmail KUOW News and Information As congressional and FBI investigators in Washington explore potential ties between President Trump's 2016 campaign and Russian intelligence services' meddling in the election, they're searching for one particular clue: money. Loans, payments ... and more » Russian Intelligence services - Google News
russian organized crime in us - Google News: Russian Spies' Go-To Tactics For Entangling People: Bribery and Blackmail - KUOW News and Information
Russian Spies' Go-To Tactics For Entangling People: Bribery and Blackmail KUOW News and Information Because of the behind-the-scenes connections between Russia's organized crime, intelligence agencies and government leaders, it's sometimes not clear which one is acting. Browder says Kremlin leaders often want to gain political influence ... Or ... and more » russian organized crime in us - Google News
Trump's and Putin's connections with organized crime - Google News: Russian Spies' Go-To Tactics For Entangling People: Bribery and Blackmail - KUOW News and Information
KUOW News and Information Russian Spies' Go-To Tactics For Entangling People: Bribery and Blackmail KUOW News and Information As congressional and FBI investigators in Washington explore potential ties between President Trump's 2016 campaign and Russian intelligence services' meddling in the election, they're searching for one particular clue: money. Loans, payments ... and more » Trump's and Putin's connections with organized crime - Google News
Trump, Putin and organized crime - Google News: Russian Spies' Go-To Tactics For Entangling People: Bribery and Blackmail - KUOW News and Information
KUOW News and Information Russian Spies' Go-To Tactics For Entangling People: Bribery and Blackmail KUOW News and Information As congressional and FBI investigators in Washington explore potential ties between President Trump's 2016 campaign and Russian intelligence services' meddling in the election, they're searching for one particular clue: money. Loans, payments ... and more » Trump, Putin and organized crime - Google News
organized crime and Russian intelligence - Google News: Russian Spies' Go-To Tactics For Entangling People: Bribery And Blackmail - NPR
NPR Russian Spies' Go-To Tactics For Entangling People: Bribery And Blackmail NPR As congressional and FBI investigators in Washington explore potential ties between President Trump's 2016 campaign and Russian intelligenceservices' meddling in the election, they're searching for one particular clue: money. Loans, payments ... and more » organized crime and Russian intelligence - Google News
trump and putin - Google News: Dem rep: What if Trump and Putin coordinated on the Syria strike to cover up their other collusion? An error occurred. - Hot Air
Hot Air Dem rep: What if Trump and Putin coordinated on the Syria strike to cover up their other collusion? An error occurred. Hot Air In which the wag the dog crankery on the left escalates from MSNBC hosts to Democratic congressmen in less than a week. I wonder how far Moulton's prepared to stick with this possibility, though. If Assad gasses more civilians next week and Trump ... 'Where Is Trump Going With This?': Dem Rep Battles Tucker Over Syria StrikeFox News Insider all 8 news articles » trump and putin - Google News
trump under federal investigation - Google News: GAO will investigate Trump transition at Democrats' request - Washington Examiner
Washington Examiner GAO will investigate Trump transition at Democrats' request Washington Examiner ... his behavior during the campaign and after his election raise questions about the use of taxpayer funds during the transition, and about the decisions made during the transition that will affect federal government policies under the Trump ... Elizabeth Warren Just Got A Government Watchdog To Investigate Trump's Conflicts Of InterestPoliticusUSA Trump Conflicts Of Interest: Senator Elizabeth Warren Announces Transition InvestigationInternational Business Times all 12 news articles » trump under federal investigation - Google News
trump and putin - Google News: Trump & Putin must work together to fix Syria crisis, says Corbyn - RT
RT Trump & Putin must work together to fix Syria crisis, says Corbyn RT Putin and Trump have got to get together. They are the superpowers of the world. Vladimir Putin can be forced into all sorts of directions if sufficient political and other pressure is put on him. G7 leaders met in Italy on Tuesday to discuss the ... Trump must engage with Putin over Syria, says Jeremy CorbynThe Guardian Jeremy Corbyn Urges Putin, Trump to Find Common Ground on Syrian SettlementSputnik International all 134 news articles » trump and putin - Google News
putin won US 2016 election - Google News: The Latest: Tillerson meets with US Embassy staff in Moscow - Rapid City Journal
Rapid City Journal The Latest: Tillerson meets with US Embassy staff in Moscow Rapid City Journal US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrives the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the G7 countries in Lucca, Italy, Monday, April 10, 2017. Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized nations are gathering in Lucca for a meeting given ... and more » putin won US 2016 election - Google News
2016 elections and mental health - Google News: Comstock Reports $500000 in Contributions - The Loudoun Tribune
Comstock Reports $500000 in Contributions The Loudoun Tribune Though she was a top target by Democrats in 2016, Comstock campaign political director Ken Nunnenkamp said the Congresswoman has held her seat by relating with her district, her unwavering work ethic and passing meaningful legislation in Congress ... 2016 elections and mental health - Google News
Russian Intelligence services and international organized crime and terrorism - Google News: Trump tracker - VICE News
VICE News Trump tracker VICE News President Donald Trump called a woman who has not been convicted of acrime a likely criminal on Wednesday, declining to provide any evidence despite repeated requests. Trump's comments about President Barack Obama's National Security Adviser ... and more » Russian Intelligence services and international organized crime and terrorism - Google News
Donald Trump - Google News: Opinion: Only one winner will emerge from White House infighting: Donald Trump - MarketWatch
MarketWatch Opinion: Only one winner will emerge from White House infighting: Donald Trump MarketWatch The so-called New Yorker contingent is led by two Goldman Sachs alumni National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn and his sidekick, Dina Powell, who seems to float around in various positions using Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and her ... Donald Trump Doesn't Like It When You Make Fun of His Son-In-LawGQ Magazine If Donald Trump wants to get his war on with Syria, have him send his own kids firstSalon Jared Kushner: Breitbart editors told reporters to 'stop attacking Donald Trump's son-law'The Independent all 171 news articles » Donald Trump - Google News
Anthony Weiner - Google News: Anti-Trump Twitter-Hero Louise Mensch Has #Resisted Her Way Into a Legal Complaint - Yahoo Tech
Yahoo Tech Anti-Trump Twitter-Hero Louise Mensch Has #Resisted Her Way Into a Legal Complaint Yahoo Tech One lengthy blog post, which Mensch caught wind of, alleged that Fairbanks tried to seduce Anthony Weiner in order to orchestrate a situation in which the FBI would seize his phone, leading to the letter James Comey released shortly before the election. and more » Anthony Weiner - Google News

Feed Integration by RSS Dog.

-