Maria Butina

Discussion in 'Political Discussions' started by Kizmet, Jul 18, 2018.

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  1. Stanislav

    Stanislav Well-Known Member

    Bottom line: the NRA is compromised by Russian spies. So are the top Republicans in Congress. So is Trump (well, to be on the safe side: freaky number of people in Trump's inner orbit. Including Don Jr.). But somehow none of this is a crisis. Gotcha.



    But Benghazi!!!11111oneone
     
  2. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    So Butina's little "project" was funded by a Russian oligarch named Nicholaev. This guy, by definition, has "close ties" to the Russian Federation (Putin). But here's the fun part. Nicholaev has a college age son in the US. What do you suppose this guy was doing in 2016? If you guessed that he was working for the Trump campaign then stop by the Courtesy Desk and pick up your free
    Make America A Swamp hat.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/russian-billionaire-with-us-investments-backed-alleged-agent-maria-butina-according-to-a-person-familiar-with-her-senate-testimony/2018/07/22/dcaa7f48-8c58-11e8-a345-a1bf7847b375_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.f0ec248a3731
     
  3. heirophant

    heirophant Well-Known Member

    And here's Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA), at the time Chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, whose driver and aide turned out to be a Chinese spy being run by the PRC's Ministry of State Security through the local Chinese consulate in San Francisco. When the FBI alerted her, the Chinese agent was quietly fired and the whole thing hushed up.

    https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/08/01/details-chinese-spy-dianne-feinstein-san-francisco/

    The Chinese consulate is a hotbed of espionage activity, tasked with stealing intellectual property from Silicon Valley tech firms.
     
    Last edited: Aug 4, 2018
  4. heirophant

    heirophant Well-Known Member

    And there's the late Rose Pak, a longtime fixture in SF's Chinese-American community and joined at the hip to SF's Democratic party machine (which has produced some very senior Congressional Democrats). If you wanted to be elected to any sort of public office in SF, you had to go through Rose Pak. She was widely believed to have close ties to the PRC government and allegedly served as an agent of influence on their behalf..

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Pak

    And there's this very interesting story about foreign espionage in Silicon Valley:

    https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/07/27/silicon-valley-spies-china-russia-219071

    "Because of California's economic and political importance, as well as its large, well-established, and influential emigre and Chinese-American communities, the People's Republic places great weight on its intelligence activities here, said multiple former intelligence officials. Indeed, two told me that California is the only U.S. state to which the Ministry of State Security --- China's main foreign intelligence agency --- has had a dedicated unit, focused on political intelligence and influence operations. (China has has a similar unit for Washington.)

    And if California is elevated among Chinese interests, San Francisco is like "nirvana" to the MSS, said one former official, because of the potential to target community leaders and local politicians who may later become mayors, governors or congressmen. Their efforts are becoming increasingly sophisticated...

    ...According to four former intelligence officials, there were widespread concerns that Pak had been co-opted by Chinese intelligence, and was wielding influence over San Francisco politics in ways purposefully beneficial to the Chinese government. Another worry, U.S. officials said, was Pak's role in organizing numerous junkets to China, sometimes led by Pak in person and attended (often multiple times) by many prominent Bay Area politicians... Political junkets are used by Chinese intelligence for surveillance ("every single hotel room is bugged", one former official told me) and collection purposes, as well as for spotting and assessing potential recruits, said former intel officials...."


    There's lots more in the very detailed Politico story. Some of it I've witnessed myself, particularly the efforts of Chinese intelligence to disrupt pro-Tibetan demonstrations when the Olympic torch passed through San Francisco prior to the Beijing Olympics. That was really kind of unprecedented, a hostile foreign intelligence service trying to suppress the exercise of First Amendment rights in a major American city. It was obvious for everyone to see. Counter-demonstrators were bused in, often from hundreds of miles away, and managed by hard looking men with radios.
     
    Last edited: Aug 4, 2018
  5. Stanislav

    Stanislav Well-Known Member

    Yes yes yes. Shockingly, China tries to use the diaspora for it's political ends; who would have thought? This all is even more troubling in light of how China has manipulated last Presidential campaign in favor of the Democratic candidate, who is currently President. Or did they?

    Either someone pays people to spin on this forum, or it is a hobby for some. I know it's probably the latter, I do, it just feels implausible.
     
  6. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  7. Bill Huffman

    Bill Huffman Well-Known Member

    This is very interesting to me. We'll see what happens but I'll guess right now that she agreed in the agreement to discuss US Citizens only. She won't discuss any Russian citizens since, I assume that she wants to return to Russia at some point.

    edit: Just heard reporting that she is cooperating fully! Details following I have to assume.
     
    Last edited: Dec 11, 2018
  8. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  9. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  10. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  11. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  12. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I think she goes home and gets on with her life. I think she will be well-received. She was here doing the Russian government's bidding, got caught, didn't give up anything, did her time, and is now being deported. From the Russian perspective, what's not to like?

    If she felt her life was threatened she could apply for asylum here in the U.S. She would be granted that status temporarily and immediately. It would take a couple of years to fully adjudicate her case. I don't see any signs she's going to do that.
     
  13. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    But I like the version where she becomes a double agent and there's a big shoot-out in the Kremlin with James Bond or someone like that.
    No? Oh well.

    [​IMG]
     
  14. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    When her car turns into a helicopter, sure!
     
  15. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  16. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

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  17. Vonnegut

    Vonnegut Well-Known Member

    Imagine from the Russian perspective, this was an outstanding success story. They had an operative easily integrate themselves closely with numerous high level officials and begin an influence campaign. Chances are always high of being caught, but she did her time and bit her tongue. Imagine she'll continue to be a state media sensation, much like her predecessor.
     
  18. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Wow, you guys are no fun at all! What if she didn't bite her tongue? What if she spilled the beans and is now a double agent? What if she just quietly disappears . . . allegedly living in some dacha near Irkusk, but really she being held in some interrogation cell in the basement of the Kremlin? What if...
    upload_2019-10-30_9-22-46.jpeg
     
    Maniac Craniac likes this.
  19. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Jimmy Conway [to young Henry Hill upon the kid's first arrest]: "Everybody gets pinched. But you did it right. You told 'em nothing and they got nothing...I'm proud of you. You took your first pinch like a man and you learned the two greatest things in life. Never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut." --Goodfellas
     
    Maniac Craniac likes this.
  20. Bill Huffman

    Bill Huffman Well-Known Member

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