Must Watch – Mark Houck Recounts the Story of His Fight Against Evil Enterprise and the DOJ


Posted originally on the CTH on January 31, 2023 | Sundance

In his own words, Mark Houck appears with Steve Bannon to describe the events that led to him being arrested by the FBI and fighting a legal battle with the DOJ.  An incredible story of valiance against evil enterprise. {Direct Rumble LinkWATCH:

Part II Below

Australian Aid Worker/Mercenary in Ukraine Gives Different Account of War, Russian Success Against Western Alliance and Chinese Assistance


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on January 30, 2023 | Sundance

Several people have sent this video interview requesting opinion.  The video reflects an interview between two Australians.  The interviewer is a podcaster the person being interviewed explains his background on the ground in Ukraine as “officially” an “aid worker,” however, what he describes is more like a mercenary.

The interview is rather lengthy and starts at 02:13 with a question about what is happening in Bakhmut in the Eastern Ukraine fighting battlefield.  The unknown Australian merc in the interview describes the Russians overwhelming the Ukraine forces in most battles.  The Ukrainian military units have made several strategic mistakes that have played into the hands of the more capable Russian forces.

The main Russian element being described is the Wagner group who are well known to be brutal and strategic special force fighters.  The interview is from a pro-Ukraine, pro-western alliance perspective.  However, in the bigger picture the Ukraine military units are being ground down by attrition, despite the massive amount of aid being delivered by NATO allies.  The description is a rather brutal assessment of the devastation created by horrific modern warfare.  WATCH:

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Summary: Ukraine not winning. Wagner PMC/Russian tactics and technology vs. Ukraine. Chinese tech advisors helping Russians. Non-existant Medi-vac. Western Military Aid Stolen 60% off the top 40% sold on black market. Russian Artillery Domination. Ukrainian Officers Incompetence. Ukrainian Soldiers Lack Basic Equipment.

Adam Schiff Predicts Political Operatives in U.S. Intelligence Community Will Not Assist House Intelligence Committee, or House Subcommittee on Federal Govt Weaponization


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on January 25, 2023 | Sundance 

While these remarks are cast against the backdrop of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy refusing to seat Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA) on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), the larger point within his remarks about the intelligence community need to be emphasized.  {Direct Rumble Link}

While claiming McCarthy has no right to stop himself or Swalwell from participating in the 118th Congress HPSCI, Schiff claims the larger intelligence community will no longer share information about national security matters with the committee if he is not present.  Essentially, without Schiff in attendance to politicize the intelligence information, the larger intelligence community will not cooperate.

Additionally, and somewhat in direct alignment with CTH predictions about the House Subcommittee on the Weaponization of Government, Schiff declares the intelligence agencies of the United States government will not cooperate with the subcommittee.  Again, as the argument is made, if democrats are not positioned to defend the Deep State, the Deep State will not cooperate.  WATCH:

Watermelon head, Adam Schiff play the victim card.

Nothing within these remarks should come as a surprise to CTH readers; however, the open hostility within the prediction by Adam Schiff should serve as a stark underline for the challenge the House subcommittee will face.

Why do Neocons Want War with Russia?


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Jan 24, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Lindsey Graham is the twin brother of John McCain. I had asked John McCain once why he hated Russia so much. He never responded with any reason. It was always the same nonsense he always spread before Putin and after. It has baffled me as to what the difference is between Germany and Russia. We do not belittle Germany or hate its people solely because of Hitler. When it comes to Russia, it does not matter who is president, nothing ever changes. Graham said:

“If Putin gets away with this, there goes Taiwan. If Putin’s successful in Ukraine and isn’t prosecuted under international law, everything we’ve said since WWII becomes a joke. He will continue beyond Ukraine.” 

Lindsey Graham is an outright neocon who will say anything to achieve his dream – the destruction of Russia even though it is not communist. There is absolutely ZERO evidence since the fall of the USSR that anyone has sought to conquer Europe. Both Hitler and Napoleon were seeking to re-establish the old Roman Empire and rule over all of Europe. Both attempted to take Egypt to relive the glory of Rome. Some say to fulfill the prophecy that the end will come when the Holy Roman Empire Rises for that will be the time when we die. Don’t worry, Putin does not aspire to that dream. I’m not so sure about the American Neocons.

To even say if Putin wins in Ukraine, “there goes Taiwan” is an absolutely delusional statement. If anything, China would be better off taking Taiwan as the US foolishly keeps sending military arms to Ukraine. The US has already transferred thousands of artillery shells from a military weapons stockpile in Israel to Ukraine. They did the same sending weapons from South Korea to Ukraine. It was reported back in March of 2022 that planes take off almost daily from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware filled with Javelins, Stingers, howitzers, and everything else they can fit. Likewise, Germany began the same in February 2022.

Just this past week, the US military warned Biden that Is the U.S. Running Out of Weapons to even send to Ukraine. The EU foreign policy chief  also warned that “the military stocks of most [EU] member states has been, I wouldn’t say exhausted, but depleted in a high proportion, because we have been providing a lot of capacity to the Ukrainians.”

While the US aid to Ukraine came in at $113 billion far greater than Russia’s budget of 65.9 billion, it is double the military budgets of both France and Germany. It is approaching 50% of the annual budget of China. Just looking at the military spending, Russia has not been preparing to invade Europe. This is absolutely an absurd argument.

John McCain has never changed his view of Russia regardless of who is at the helm. Politico called him the “American antagonist of Russia.” It was McCain who kept pushing NATO Eastward up to the border of Russia all on his claims that if the West does not expand NATO, then Russia will. He proclaimed that those in power did not want to restore the “Soviet Union, but the Russian empire.” There was NEVER a single move that Russia ever made to imply that theory was remotely correct post-1991 and the fall of the USSR.

Lindsey Graham is carrying the banner of hatred for all Russians. It does not matter if Russia overthrows Putin, he dies, or retires. He will still hate Russia and want an all-out war to destroy Russia wiping it off the map once and for all.

The Russian people like Europeans and Americans, do not want war. Like everyone else they just want to enjoy life and take care of their families. It is always the leaders who create all the wars. We are just the dirt beneath their feet – the great unwashed who are always expendable because there are too many of us anyway.

This hatred of Russia is a strategic psychological tactic to sell the idea of war to the common people so they are willing to die for something they think is noble. Not much different from the young arab terrorists who are told this is a holy war and God will reward them if they blow themselves up. The leaders there too will never blow themselves up either.

So why do people like Lindsey Graham just hate Russians and wants war at all cost? It is hard to say. We do not hate Germans today because of Hitler. So why do we hate Russians because of Stalin? One thing is for sure, this hatred of Russia is exhausting our own conventional military supplies so while we cheer claiming Ukraine is winning, we will not be in a position to defend even ourselves if China and North Korea, as well as Iran, decide to join the party.

Former FBI Counterintelligence Lead Officer Who Investigated Trump-Russia Collusion, Arrested for Colluding with Russia


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on January 23, 2023 | Sundance

There is A LOT going on inside this story, and the pair of indictments only scratch the surface.

[WaPo – New York Times – ABC News]

According to the DOJ, “A former Special Agent in Charge of the FBI New York Counterintelligence Division [Charles F. McGonigal, 54, of New York City] and a former Soviet and Russian diplomat [Sergey Shestakov, 69, of Morris, Connecticut] were arrested Saturday on criminal charges related to their alleged violating and conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and conspiring to commit money laundering and money laundering.

Interestingly, there are two sets of indictments.  The first is in New York related to the U.S. sanctions against Russia, specifically Oleg Deripaska  [SEE HERE].  The second is in DC related to money laundering, payments from Deripaska [SEE HERE].  The New York case is related to post retirement activity in 2021.  The DC case is related to activity when Charles F McGonigal was taking money from Russians, and apparently others, while simultaneously investigating Donald Trump, “from August 2017 and continuing through and beyond his retirement from the FBI in September 2018.”

It would appear, Main Justice in DC is concerned about the timeline and are structuring the money laundering prosecution to keep tight control in Washington DC, for the period when McGonical was a special agent in charge.   However, given the backstory of the players involved, and known 2021 FARA filings that hit on the organizations involved, the FBI and DOJ have known about this issue for quite some time, at least 18 months prior to the indictments today.

These indictments are a rabbit hole that runs sideways from the Trump-Russia collusion nonsense and includes the use of “contractors” in 2021 that McGonigal had to know from his time in the FBI counterintelligence operations.

Charles McGonigal was the operational lead who kickstarted the Trump Crossfire Hurricane investigation in 2016 (a false construct) per testimony by Jonathan Moffa [pg, 32/33], and was also the lead official in charge of the investigation into the DNC email leak (WikiLeaks), claimed by the U.S. government to have stemmed from Russian hackers (another false construct).

Following his work in the DC bureau of the FBI, McGonigal was moved to be Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division in New York.  He retired Sept ’18 from New York.

From the DOJ (New York Case):

“In 2021, McGonigal and Shestakov conspired to provide services to Deripaska, in violation of U.S. sanctions imposed on Deripaska in 2018. Specifically, following their negotiations with an agent of Deripaska [likely, Yevgenyi Fokin], McGonigal and Shestakov agreed to and did investigate a rival Russian oligarch in return for concealed payments from Deripaska.

As part of their negotiations with Deripaska’s agent, McGonigal, Shestakov and the agent attempted to conceal Deripaska’s involvement by, among other means, not directly naming Deripaska in electronic communications, using shell companies as counterparties in the contract that outlined the services to be performed, using a forged signature on that contract and using the same shell companies to send and receive payment from Deripaska.

McGonigal and Shestakov were aware that their actions violated U.S. sanctions because, among other reasons, while serving as SAC, McGonigal received then-classified information that Deripaska would be added to a list of oligarchs considered for sanctions as part of the process that led to the imposition of sanctions against Deripaska. In addition, in 2019, McGonigal and Shestakov worked on behalf of Deripaska in an unsuccessful effort to have the sanctions against Deripaska lifted. In November 2021, when FBI agents questioned Shestakov about the nature of his and McGonigal’s relationship with Deripaska’s agent, Shestakov made false statements in a recorded interview.” (link)

Within the indictment [pdf here, page #12] the methods McGonigal intended to use to assist Oleg Deripaska in the investigation of a competing oligarch:

[Source pdf, page #12]

Now if you were a former FBI counterintelligence special agent and high-level officer within the organization, what subcontractor would you be reaching out to for support and research assistance on behalf of a client?  Occam’s Razor = the same subcontractors you used when you were in office.   Where would those subcontractors be able to look?… likely the same FBI/NSA databases we have been discussing for years.

Now, put your reference thinking cap back on, remember when we were saying back in 2017/’18/’19, that if FBI contractors had this kind of database access as described by the NSA and FISA court, wouldn’t it stand to reason there were also people inside these contracted agencies that would monetize their access to sell information.

Remember that conversation?

Well look at what is outlined above under the auspices of “dark web” files and McGonigal “obtaining funds from Deripaska to purchase” them.

Dark Web” files my ass, these are the files extracted by government contractor access to the FBI and NSA database.  It’s not a leap, heck, it isn’t even a nudge, to see the connection here.  I digress.

Back to the filings, let’s jump to the Money Laundering one in DC (SEE HERE).  The bold name is my suspicion on who the unnamed character is:

[…] Charles F. McGonigal, 54, a former FBI Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office, has been arrested on charges relating to his receipt of $225,000 in cash from an individual who had business interests in Europe and who had been an employee of a foreign intelligence service [Evgeny Fokin], while McGonigal was serving as Special Agent in Charge of FBI counterintelligence efforts in the New York Office. McGonigal retired from the FBI in September of 2018.

According to the nine-count indictment, unsealed today, from August 2017 and continuing through and beyond his retirement from the FBI in September 2018, McGonigal concealed from the FBI the nature of his relationship with a former foreign security officer and businessperson [Fokin] who had ongoing business interests in foreign countries and before foreign governments. 

Specifically, McGonigal requested and received at least $225,000 in cash from [Fokin] and traveled abroad with the individual and met with foreign nationals.  The individual later served as an FBI source in a criminal investigation involving foreign political lobbying over which McGonigal had official supervisory responsibility.  McGonigal is accused of engaging in other conduct in his official capacity as an FBI Special Agent in Charge that he believed would benefit the businessperson financially. (more)

Likely due to his senior official status and close relationship with the DC FBI, the investigation of McGonigal was/is being handled by the Los Angeles office of the FBI.  According to the press release, “the FBI Los Angeles Field Office is investigating the case, with significant assistance provided by the FBI Washington Field Office.”

If you read the indictment pdf here and are curious about the New Jersey businesses and law firm involved, there is an excellent article from 2021 [SEE HERE] about a FARA notice that connects all of these dots together. “On Nov. 29, 2021, Sergey Shestakov, the former Soviet diplomat, registered as a Foreign Agent for Fokin, the alleged former senior Russian intelligence official.” (more)  That FARA filing is likely the construct of the issue that led to the indictments today.

Last point.  Why would the Washington FBI turn on one of their senior FBI officials?

It seems odd, knowing the corruption inside the DOJ and FBI, they would throw a bag over Charles McGonigal.  In normal DC operations they would retain this information as leverage against McGonigal for later use; and/or as an insurance policy against him. Something triggered the FBI and DOJ-NSD to act.

McGonigal did nothing on behalf of Oleg Deripaska, much different than Chris Steele or Adam Waldman did.  Chris Steele was at one time working for Deripaska, and Waldman -a lawyer/lobbyist with deep DC connections- was representing Deripaska’s U.S. interests.

Sure, the sanctions regime against Russia might have changed things, but essentially trying to get sanctions removed wasn’t by itself illegal.  It’s the money exchange where things get into legal trouble.  “Money laundering” only applies if the source or origin of the money is illegal; thus, the action to conceal the origin of the money creates the issue of money laundering and conspiracy therein.

…”In 2021, McGonigal and Shestakov conspired to provide services to Deripaska, in violation of U.S. sanctions imposed on Deripaska in 2018. Specifically, following their negotiations with an agent of Deripaska, McGonigal and Shestakov agreed to and did investigate a rival Russian oligarch in return for concealed payments from Deripaska.”…

The DOJ-NSD, FBI and U.S. government knew this from the FARA registration.

… And McGonigal was leveraging his FBI knowledge to get investigative searches conducted deep within the NSA/FBI database.   But apparently neither he nor the subcontractors are getting in trouble for that part.  Go figure.

Neil Oliver Interviews Dr. John Campbell About the “Breakdown of Trust” Toward the Medical Establishment Due to COVID-19 Vaccines


Posted originally on the CTH on January 16, 2023 | sundance

Another great albeit lengthy interview for consideration.  U.K. political pundit Neil Oliver interviews Dr. John Campbell amid a “knowing what you know now”.. type outlook and discussion over the current status of the COVID-19 vaccination protocol.

In the arc of his pandemic discussion and evaluation, Dr Campbell is now in facing considerable discomfort as he outlines the “lost trust” in the healthcare industry, as an outcome of manipulated science.  This has been a painful journey for John Campbell as he outlines in the interview.  Dr. Campbell himself took two doses of the mRNA vaccine, based on the professional advice of the industry.  However, as he states in the interview, he can no longer assert his belief in the science that led him to his original decision, and given what he knows now, he would not have taken the vaccine.  WATCH (prompted):

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A conversation following the journey of a pragmatic believer down the path to uncomfortable cynicism.

Ukraine & Fake News


Armstrong Economics Blog/Ukraine Re-Posted Jan 4, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

COMMENT: Marty, I am impressed. Your contacts are unsurpassable. You put out two months ago that Ukraine lost 100,000 soldiers. Some did not believe you. It turns out that was classified information. Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the EU, had released a video and then edited it deleting that very information at the request of Zelensky. All this is to hide the fact that Ukraine has been losing the war as you said. With its armed forces down at least one-third.

Here is the video that is now going around.  You also said that Bucha was another false flag where Ukraine killed Russian Ukrainians and left their bodies on the streets to blame Russia. You said there were videos that NATO had and was hiding. My hat is off to you. You really do have reliable sources.

Pete

REPLY: You have to understand that creating false flags is the #1 occupation of Ukraine. They shot down the Malaysia fight and tried to blame the Russians. They shot a missile into Poland and claimed it was a Russian attack on NATO.

On March 31, 2022, the mayor of Bucha was joyful in announcing that the settlement had been liberated. He does not talk about any corpses on the roads and the terrible destruction of mass graves. It was two days later when suddenly photos and videos of people lying along the road appear and horrendous stories about hundreds of dead being thrown in mass graves. These reports did not surface until two days after the Russians left. The Ukrainians were staging another false flag. Why did the mayor appear joyous and made no mention at first of these atrocities?

It is to the advantage of Zelensky who appears before every parliament he can ask for money. In Italy, he claimed Russians were capturing children and torturing them. That allegation vanished. He says whatever he can to get money. He could have just complied with the Belgrad and Minsk Agreements but he is determined to lead the world into war. The US Pentagon has come out and even said that they CAN NOT independently verify what took place in Bucha. There is no way to verify anything in Bucha and there are videos that show people laying in the street pretending to be dead with no blood and then there are videos showing they get up when the camera passes.

The Ukrainians are out to create World War III. They are desperately trying to get the West to invade Russia and their goal is to utterly destroy Russia and the Russian people who they hate passionately. Look at this propaganda video they used to tell the world Russians killed Ukrainian civilians. In this video, the bodies are people just laying down. You see no blood. , the “corpse” on the right is moving his arm  At the 30th second, look in the rearview mirror. The “corpse” sits up! This is why the Pentagon remains silent. NATO has videos also confirming Bucha was a Ukrainian false flag. The rumor is that when the Ukrainians did enter Bucha, they themselves killed any ethnic Russian Ukrainians there.

All of this propaganda is to enrage the people to call for World War III. Zelensky has even called on NATO to launch nuclear weapons and wipe out Russia . Zelensky will destroy the Ukrainian people with this insanity.  He is lying to the world about the devastation of the losses and is searching for a way to get NATO to invade Russia. He uses this propaganda to gain support worldwide. The US has handed him $113 billion when Russia’s annual military budget is at best $65 billion and Germany’s is $56 billion. The US is spending untold amounts of money for the total destruction of Russia.

The Most Traumatizing Events From 2022!


Awaken With JP Published originally on Rumble on December 31, 2022 

JP’s summary of 2022

Did they Get the Pandemic Idea from the 2010 Simpson’s


Armstrong Economics Blog/Disease Re-Posted Jan 1, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Douglas Macgregor – We have Russia All Wrong


Armstrong Economics Blog/Russia Re-Posted Dec 31, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Douglas Macgregor is a retired U.S. Army colonel and government official, and an author, consultant, and television commentator. He played a significant role on the battlefield in the 1990-91 Gulf War and the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.