Category Political Graft

Mar 24 2022

The Laptop from Hell


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Mar 23, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Ihor Kolomoisky is the Oligarch who funded Zelensky and put him in a position to be president. However, this is the very same Kolomoisky who had a “controlling interest” in Burisma Holdings, that employed Hunter Biden as a board member for a widely reported salary of $50,000 per month. Russian media, quoted in State Department emails, referred to Burisma as “part of Kolomoisky’s financial empire.”

It was the same Kolomoisky who publicly said in 2019 that he REFUSED to cooperate with efforts by President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to get his help in investigating Hunter Biden and Burisma. House Democrats’ impeachment report on Trump also cited the incident in late 2019 as grounds for impeachment.

Emails from 2015, published last year by the New York Post, show a Kolomoisky protege communicated with Hunter Biden about a meeting between the protege and Joe Biden, then vice president under President Barack Obama. Then court filings from 2019 by a private investigatory firm alleged that legally obtained bank records of Hunter Biden show payments to him from the Kolomoisky-owned PrivatBank.

The REAL character of Zelensky is revealed in his actions. As soon as he became President. Volodymyr Zelensky decided to fire Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk and several leading reformers. Ukraine paid a heavy price for the move in capital outflows and soaring borrowing costs. There was talk of Zelensky finally breaking with leading oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, but that never took place.

Kolomoisky’s supporters initially prevented a second reading of the banking bill through “legislative spam”, the proposal of thousands of frivolous amendments. Zelensky used COVID to distract people concerning reforms. There was no major effort to make the IMF-backed reforms. The IMF dropped its effort of the long-term Extended Funding Facility for Ukraine to encourage reform to a new policy of a smaller, short-term Stand-By Arrangement, which is confined to budgetary support. Zelensky could have just fired Honcharuk. But instead, he gradually picked off nearly all the ministers who had reputations as reformers. Everything he promised was never carried out. Instead of solving the Donebass dispute, he promoted joining NATO and deliberately antagonized Putin.

All the promises of reforms wooed the European Union, but there was no substance. There were rising concerns that Zelensky was actually selling out to the very people who had run the country under Yanukovich and many saw this as a confirmation that Zelensky was in hock to Kolomoisky. Zelensky never distanced himself from Kolomoisky. In fact, during the election, Igor Valeriyovych told Igor Oleksiyovych that working for Poroshenko was in vain. Kolomoisky allegedly said to Igor Hryniv: “My boy and my girl will be there in the second round anyway”, referring to Yuliya Tymoshenko and Volodymyr Zelensky. Nevertheless, the Kyiv Post reported the allegations that Kolomoisky was behind the release of a tape of Honcharuk mocking Zelensky’s economic knowledge.

Kolomoisky pushed hard for compensation for the nationalization of PrivatBank – which he co-owned until 2016 when the government took control of it due to the $5.6 billion hole in its balance sheet. But the real economic payback appeared to occur elsewhere, as the government showered debt and delivery favors on the Kolomoisky-controlled Ukrnafta and Centrenergo. The government opened corruption cases but seemed to concentrate on Kolomoisky’s enemies from the National Bank of Ukraine and the interlinked leadership of the Investment Capital of Ukraine, often dubbed “[Petro] Poroshenko’s bank”, after the former president.

Here we have Hunter Biden taking money from Kolomoisky who just so happens to be the backer of Zelensky. Biden then hands Zelensky $13.6 billion in aid to fight off the evil Putin. I seriously doubt that money will go to aid Ukrainians.

The corruption in Ukraine is so bad, it may even rank as the #1 black hole in the entire world. When will the West wake up?

Mar 24 2022

Government ALWAYS Act in their Own Self-Interest


Armstrong Economics Blog/Banking Crisis Re-Posted Mar 23, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Hello Martin,

Hope your doing well, you spoke about keeping some money, outside of banks, do you see sterling paper money being cancelled by the bank of england, as they have already cancelled old £5/£10/£20/£50 and £1 coins, you have to bring them to the bank an exchange for new plastic type paper currency,my question is if you have some set aside do you think they would cancel outright or would they make you declare, if things get sticky, or would you be safer keeping in bank, for there is some insurance scheme up to £75 0r £85k, one named account, not that would effect me in the amounts, can you advise should I maybe bring some US dollars into piggy bank, much obliged, for your help will go towards helping my parents/family extended family circle, I just buried my mother a week ago, so my dad’s a bit all over the place, he has a few £1000’s, has difficulty putting money in banks/post office and questions and restrictions getting money out, they shut the last bank down in November, he lives in a town of 10,000 pop, has to travel to the city, not up to that now, any insight would be gratefully appreciated.he lives in the north of Ireland.
EP

ANSWER: Britain does cancel its currency. That allows the government to take that direction. The difference with the US dollar is that it has never been canceled and it would take an Act of Congress. Trudeau is Canada interestingly passed an Act to give him the authority to cancel paper ,oney. He did cancel the old notes as well.

While the US replaced the $100 bill, the old one is still valid. Since 70% of the US paper dollars reside outside the USA for they are the hedge against various governments, the Democrats would love to cancel the currencies following the same Marxist agenda that cash is EVIL.

In this atmosphere where Biden just reads the teleprompter and there are serious concerns in DC about his mental ability going forward, this means we really do NOT know who is running the show. All I can say is that demands, policies, and tactics are the hallmark of Neocons.  They have achieved their dream of controlling the White House. They have never allowed a day to go by without plotting how to conquer the world.

Unfortunately, The British pound is called “sterling” meaning it was once one power of sterling silver. Even in 1953, Britain had abandoned silver in its coinage. They struck coins in Cupro-Nickel. So it is hard to do the same as an American can do, hoard the old pre-1965 silver coins. When Roosevelt confiscated gold during 1934, that meant whatever you had on deposit in a bank was taken. He did not go door to door searching for gold coins. So keep that in mind that the banks will do whatever they are ordered to do. They are not on your side. They must be loyal to the state to retain their license.

You may want to look at British sovereigns, which are just under a quarter ounce of gold. Just keep it to the common dates, circulated is fine. You are not looking to be a rare coin collector. At least when Germany was going through its hyperinflation, people were able to hoard foreign currencies as well as tangible assets that included land, art, rare coins and stamps, and even old cars. Anything that is not relying on government and is not in some official storage that the government can seize. For they will also act ALWAYS in their own self interest.

Mar 23 2022

Wall Street Lobbying Groups Battle To Remove Transnational Shipping Restrictions To Protect Chinese Business Interests


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 22, 2022

The 40-year deindustrialization of America, and the subsequent destruction of jobs and the U.S. middle class, did not happen accidentally. It happened as an intentional outcome of selfish multinational business interests chasing profit, combined with the willingness of congress to accept bribes -via lobbying payments- in order to facilitative corporate greed.

The only disruption in the collective economic manipulation was the forced intermission by the American middle class when Donald J. Trump was elected.

President Trump’s tariffs, countervailing duties and protectionist policies against transnational dumping of steel and aluminum into the U.S. marketplace, was a major impediment to the corporate agenda, and it quickly resulted in the biggest economic resurgence in U.S. history.

As a result, people started demanding Congress take a new approach toward Chinese transnational shipping schemes as Beijing attempted to manipulate markets and avoid the Trump-era policies.   A few in Congress assembled legislation that would prevent companies from evading tariffs by rerouting their products through another country (i.e. transnational shipping).  That legislation has triggered the multinational business groups who are now lobbying congress to remove it.

The business groups opposed to the anti-dumping legislation are the same familiar voices who decry tariffs.  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Retail Federation and the usual list of lobbying interests are all lining up once again to demand the U.S. remains a ‘service driven economy’, so they can continue their business models and exploit the U.S. market while profiting from cheap imported goods.

WASHINGTON DC – A coalition of business groups on Tuesday urged lawmakers to strip a bipartisan trade measure out of a China competitiveness bill before it goes to President Biden’s desk.

In a letter to congressional leaders, retail, trade and manufacturing groups announced their opposition to the Eliminating Global Market Distortions to Protect American Jobs Act, a measure to combat unfair trade practices included in the House-passed China bill.

The legislation would overhaul anti-dumping and countervailing duty laws to prevent companies from evading tariffs by rerouting their products through another country. American steelmakers have long complained that Chinese steelmakers use this tactic to dodge duties they’d otherwise be forced to pay.

The business groups on Tuesday warned that the proposal would lead to increased tariffs on an array of products from U.S. allies such as Canadian lumber, Italian pasta and Japanese aluminum. They argued that the bill would “penalize legitimate trade and contribute to the inflationary pressures on American businesses” (read more)

Ah yes, we see again, the oft surfaced defense of the ‘it will cost consumers more‘ argument.  I wonder if anyone still believes their nonsense?

Mar 20 2022

Ukraine & 911


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Aug 7, 2019 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: I have the deepest and highest respect for your work and your sources.If it was not the CIA orchestrating the Ukraine events who could all the Billions Obama and Nuland spent there have been going to and being used for??Nuland stating USA behind regime change on camera. Chevron Oil sign indicative?

UD

ANSWER: The Ukraine Revolution and 911 have a common thread. In both cases, they were instigated by non-CIA type parties. Yanukovich himself inspired the revolution when he passed a bill in parliament with a quick show of hands by his communist loyal MPs contrary to the usual system of electronic voting.

Yanukovich outlawed unauthorized tents in public areas as well as erecting stages or amplifiers in public places. Those who violate the law now face a hefty fine or detention. In addition, he outlawed more than five vehicles in “Automaidan” motorcades which prompted people to display signs I am the 5th car – do not follow.

He then outlawed free speech making it a criminal act to slander any government official, including himself. The penalty was one year of hard labor in prison.

This is what caused the uprising. The Western powers could not have pulled that off. Then Yanukovich brought in Russians for his police from the East and that resulted in the Western Ukrainian police supporting the people.

The US THREATENED the people who were NOT satisfied over the politicians who then stepped up to seize power for they were still part of the same system who claimed to see the light. Without those punitive actions by Yanukovich, the people would not have risen up in such mass. The CIA was not capable of getting Yanukovich to act so irrationally.

In the case of 911, the first World Trade Center bombers drew the twin towers with planes flying into them on the wall of their cell in Manhattan’s MCC.

In both cases, the government did not instigate the events, but they stepped in a used them for political advantage. I really do not care what they may think they did, I was actually advising the people in Ukraine, not the government politicians.

Mar 19 2022

White House Spokesperson Jen Psaki Gets Very Nervous When Questioned About Joe Biden Financial Conflicts of Interest in Russia, Ukraine and China


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 18, 2022 | Sundance 

Joe Biden’s press secretary was questioned today about the Biden family’s well documented dealing with Russian Billionaires, Ukraine officials and Hunter Biden’s deals with China.

The specific question was asking how the White House handles the conflicts of interest when engaging with policy decisions over Russia, Ukraine and China.  White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki nervously attempted to avoid the questions, but her responses shouted guilt. WATCH: