Oleg’s Story: Yes, The Russians Were Involved in The 2016 Election…


In the past several days a name has resurfaced, only this time with some more attention than in prior reports.  The name is Oleg Deripaska, a Russian billionaire who is likely much more of a central figure than previously explained.

Byron York recently outlined new documents showing the communication between Trump Dossier author Christopher Steele and DOJ official Bruce Ohr.  Within the early 2016 discussions, Chris Steele appeared to be advocating to Bruce Ohr on behalf of Oleg Deripaska who was banned from travel into the U.S. by the State Department.

(Byron York) Emails in 2016 between former British spy Christopher Steele and Justice Department official Bruce Ohr suggest Steele was deeply concerned about the legal status of a Putin-linked Russian oligarch, and at times seemed to be advocating on the oligarch’s behalf, in the same time period Steele worked on collecting the Russia-related allegations against Donald Trump that came to be known as the Trump dossier. The emails show Steele and Ohr were in frequent contact, that they intermingled talk about Steele’s research and the oligarch’s affairs, and that Glenn Simpson, head of the dirt-digging group Fusion GPS that hired Steele to compile the dossier, was also part of the ongoing conversation. (more)

I strongly urge you to read the York article because I’m going to expand on the Deripaska angle from the context of the reader understanding it.

From the emails it appears Steele and Ohr were discussing Deripaska during a period of February to May (ish) of 2016.  This is important context moving forward because this was the period during the presidential primary candidacy of Donald Trump as the GOP nominee was solidified; Trump won.   This is also the period when we know that “contractors” with the FBI were doing unauthorized searches of the NSA and FBI database for opposition research…. this connects to Fusion GPS.

In essence, Christopher Steele was interested in getting Oleg Deripaska a new VISA to enter the U.S.  Steele was very persistent on this endeavor and was soliciting Bruce Ohr for any assistance.  This also sets up a quid-pro-quo probability where the DOJ/FBI agrees to remove travel restrictions on Deripaska in exchange for cooperation on ‘other matters’.

Now we skip ahead a little bit to where Deripaska gained an entry visa, and one of Oleg Deripaska’s lawyers and lobbyists Adam Waldman was representing his interests in the U.S. to politicians and officials.  In May of 2018, John Solomon was contacted by Adam Waldman with a story about how the FBI contacted Deripaska for help in their Trump Russia investigation in September of 2016.

Keep in mind, this is Waldman contacting Solomon with a story.

Waldman told Solomon a story about how his client Oleg Deripaska was approached by the FBI in September of 2016 and asked for help with information about Paul Manafort and by extension Donald Trump.  Within the backstory for the FBI and Deripaska was a prior connection between Robert Mueller and Deripaska in 2009.

Again, as you read the recap, remember this is Waldman contacting Solomon.  Article Link Here – and my summary below:

♦In 2009 the FBI, then headed by Robert Mueller, requested the assistance of Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska in an operation to retrieve former FBI officer and CIA resource Robert Levinson who was captured in Iran two years earlier.  The agent assigned to engage Deripaska was Andrew McCabe; the primary FBI need was financing and operational support.  Deripaska spent around $25 million and would have succeeded except the U.S. State Department, then headed by Hillary Clinton, backed out.

♦In September of 2016 Andrew McCabe is now Deputy Director of the FBI, when two FBI agents approached Deripaska in New York – again asking for his help.  This time the FBI request was for Deripaska to outline Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort as a tool of the Kremlin.  Deripaska once hired Manafort as a political adviser and invested money with him in a business venture that went bad. Deripaska sued Manafort, alleging he stole money. However, according to the article, despite Deripaska’s disposition toward Manafort he viewed the request as absurd.  He laughed the FBI away, telling them: “You are trying to create something out of nothing.”

This story, as told from the perspective of Adam Waldman -Deripaska’s lawyer/lobbyist- is important because it highlights a connection between Robert Mueller and Oleg Deripaska; a connection Mueller and the DOJ/FBI never revealed on their own.

I wrote about the ramifications of the Solomon Story HERE.  Again, hopefully most will review; because there’s a larger story now visible with the new communication between Christopher Steele and Bruce Ohr.

It is likely that Oleg’s 2016 entry into the U.S. was facilitated as part of a quid-pro-quo; either agreed in advance, or, more likely, planned by the DOJ/FBI for later use in their 2016 Trump operation; as evidenced in the September 2016 FBI request.  Regardless of the planning aspect, billionaire Deripaska is connected to Chris Steele, a source for Chris Steele, and likely even the employer of Chris Steele.

The FBI used Oleg Deripaska (source), and Oleg Deripaska used the FBI (visa).

Here’s where it gets interesting….

In that May article John Solomon reports that Deripaska wanted to testify to congress last year (2017), without any immunity request, but was rebuked. Who blocked his testimony?

In 2017 Oleg Deripaska was represented in the U.S. by Adam Waldman.  Mr. Waldman was also representing Christopher Steele, the author of the Dossier.  Waldman was the liaison Senator Mark Warner (Senate Intelligence Committee Vice-Chairman) was using to try and set up a secret meeting with Christopher Steele. {Text Messages}

As you can see from the text messages (more here), the House Intelligence Committee wanted to interview Deripaska.  However, based on their ongoing contact and relationship Deripaska’s lawyer, Adam Waldman, asks Senate Intelligence Committee Vice-Chair Mark Warner for feedback.

Oleg Deripaska was blocked from testifying to congress.  Now, it was obviously not from the HPSCI (Nunes Committee), but rather by the Senate Intel Committee, via Vice-Chair Senator Mark Warner.  Oh yes, THAT Senator Mark Warner again.

Now, think about this….  Yes, with Oleg Deripaska in the picture there was indeed Russian meddling in the 2016 election; only, it wasn’t the type of meddling currently being sold.  The FBI/DOJ were using Russian Deripaska to frame their Russian conspiracy narrative. It is almost a certainty that Deripaska was one of Chris Steeles sources for the dossier.

Now, put yourself in Deripaska’s shoes and think about what happens AFTER candidate Donald Trump surprisingly wins the election.

All of a sudden Deripaska the asset becomes a risk to the corrupt Scheme Team (DOJ/FBI et al); especially as the DOJ/FBI then execute the “insurance policy” effort against Donald Trump…. and eventually enlist Robert Mueller.

It is entirely possible for a Russian to be blackmailing someone, but it ain’t Trump vulnerable to blackmail; it’s the conspiracy crew within the DOJ and FBI.  Deripaska now has blackmail material on Comey, McCabe and crew.

After the 2017 (first year) failure of the “insurance policy” it now seems more likely President Trump will outlive the soft coup.  In May 2018, Oleg tells Waldman to call John Solomon and tell him the story from a perspective favorable to Deripaska.

As the story is told, in 2017 Oleg was more than willing to testify to congress… likely laughing the entire time…  but the corrupt participants within congress damned sure couldn’t let Deripaska testify.  Enter corrupt SSCI Vice-Chairman Mark Warner:

Um, we’ve got a problem here Mark…

The Russians (Deripaska) really do have leverage and blackmail… but it ain’t over Trump. Oleg has blackmail on Comey, McCabe and conspiracy crew.  Oleg Deripaska must be kept away from congress and away from exposing the scheme.

Guess who else must be controlled and/or kept away from congress?

Julian Assange.

Assange has evidence the Russians didn’t hack the DNC.

Between Deripaska’s first-hand knowledge of the DOJ/FBI work on both the Dossier and the DOJ/FBI intention for his use as a witness; and Julian Assange’s first-hand knowledge of who actually took the DNC email communication;… well, the entire Russian narrative could explode in their faces.

Control is needed.

You can almost hear the corrupt U.S. intelligence officials calling their U.K. GCHQ partners in Britain and yelling at them to do something, anything, and for the love of God, shut down Assange’s access to the internet STAT…. Yeah, funny that.

Now, who moves into position to control Julian Assange?

Well, well, well…. Lookie here?  Who dat? Apparently the SSCI wants to interview WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, in a closed session.  Signed by none-other than our corrupt-o-crats Richard Burr and Mark Warner.  Yeah, funny that.

Lest anyone need a reminder…. “The most corrupt part of congress is the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI). The SSCI is the center of the deepest part of the Deep State swamp. The SSCI never, ever, E.V.E.R… does anything that does not protect and advance the self-interest of the corrupt Washington DC professional political class.”

Now do we see why the SSCI is the center of protecting the entire fraudulent apparatus?

It’s somewhat humorous to look at this fiasco from the perspective of Oleg Deripaska.  He must be having a lot of laughs with his Ruskie friends about these stupid Americans and how the intelligence apparatus of the United States of America is controlled by corrupt politicians trying to save themselves and the corrupt institutions.

The Russians, notorious for sewing discord, are being used as a shield from sunlight upon actions taken by U.S. own intelligence officers: James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Loretta Lynch, Sally Yates, John Brennan, James Clapper etc.

Lastly, Senator Tom Cotton actually asked FBI Director Christopher Wray if Oleg Deripaska was employing Christopher Steele.  Wray said he couldn’t answer.  WATCH:

Chairman Goodlatte Prepares Subpoenas For DOJ/FBI ‘Steele Dossier’ Conspiracy Group…


According to a report in The Hill, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte is preparing to issue subpoenas and appearance requests for current and former members of the FBI and DOJ teams who were engaged in constructing, and advancing, the Clinton-Steele dossier.

WASHINGTON – […] Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) is preparing subpoenas for Justice Department official Bruce Ohr, his wife Nellie Ohr and Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson, according to two congressional sources familiar with the matter.

The subpoenas will also go after other current and former FBI and DOJ officials including Jim Baker, Sally Moyer, Jonathan Moffa and George Toscas, the sources said.

Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores told The Hill that Goodlatte has been in touch with the DOJ about seeking testimonies from these officials.

A Republican House Judiciary Committee aide confirmed to The Hill they plan to seek such interviews: “We plan to interview the people below in the coming weeks and we will issue subpoenas to compel their attendance if necessary.”

Goodlatte could issue the orders as early as this week as part of his panel’s joint investigation with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which is examining FBI and DOJ decision-making during the 2016 presidential election. (Read More)

Joe diGenova Discusses Ongoing Possibilities in Congressional Investigation into Spygate and FISA Abuse…


Joe diGenova appears on Newsmax TV with Howie Carr to discuss the current drip of document leaks surrounding Bruce Ohr (DOJ), Glenn Simpson (Fusion GPS), Christopher Steele and Oleg Derispaska; additionally, the likelihood of more FISA declassification which will lay bare the larger FBI/DOJ conspiracy.

.

Seemingly being avoided by MSM:

Attkisson: “What Would The Intelligence Community ‘Insurance Policy’ Look Like?”…


Sharyl Attkisson has a great article written at The Hill today –SEE HERE–  Within the outline Attkisson ponders what exactly would an FBI/DOJ/IC “insurance policy” look like, and she smartly connects Lawfare Blog Benjamin Wittes October 2016 writing also about needing an “insurance policy” against the possibility of a Donald Trump victory.

Not accidentally, DOJ lawyer Lisa Page and FBI Agent Peter Strzok also followed their fellow ideologues at Lawfare Blog and discussed plans and opinions amid their released text messages…. Also not accidentally, fired FBI General Counsel James Baker went to work for Lawfare after leaving the FBI.  Benjamin Wittes was a close friend of FBI Director James Comey.

For those who have researched the issues deeply, the connection between the DOJ/FBI “insurance policy” conspiracy group on the inside of government; and the Robert Mueller/Benjamin Wittes “insurance policy” group on the outside of government, has been clear for a long time.  However, Attkisson is the first mainstream person to write about it and connect the proverbial dots.

READ ATTKISSON ARTICLE HERE

More Communication Between Chris Steele and Bruce Ohr is “Leaked”?….


There’s something about the construct of these releases that just doesn’t pass the proverbial sniff test.  John Solomon –SEE HERE–  Sara Carter –SEE HERE– and Byron York –SEE HERE– each writing articles from what appears to be the same sourcing and reference framework; however, each being very opaque in describing their sourcing and context.

The transparent lack of providing the sourcing context (who is providing the information/documents and why are they providing it), for their seemingly coordinated articles has the historic hallmark of controlled narrative distribution.  I’ll come back to that….  for now, let’s look at the Solomon release where he provides the documents to support his authorship.  Go read it HERE.

The key takeaway within the 2017 communication between Bruce Ohr and Chris Steele, seemingly glossed over amid the granular presentation, is that Christopher Steele viewed Special Counsel Robert Mueller as part of the “small group team.”   The fact that Steele viewed Mueller as an extension of the Strzok, Comey, Page and McCabe objective is a rather big deal, yet generally not given much attention.

You can call it a soft-coup, or you can call it politicization of the DOJ and FBI, but the end result is the same – the intentional effort to manipulate, influence, and ultimately subvert an election for the presidency of the United States.  ~SD

Here are the documents as provided to, and released by, John Solomon:

Again, the key takeaway here is that Christopher Steele viewed Robert Mueller and the team as allies in an ideological quest…. and throughout 2017 DOJ Bruce Ohr did nothing to dissuade Steele from holding that opinion.  Ergo, Robert Mueller is part of the Deep State coup attempt.

Overlay on this timeline the internal interviews (within the DOJ/FBI) with Bruce Ohr who was participating in the communication as outlined in the FD-302 release:

Senator Chuck Grassley letter to Rod Rosenstein (Page 5, footnote #5) outlines the FBI interviews of twice demoted DOJ Deputy Bruce Ohr:

Ohr FD-302 12/19/16 (interview date 11/22/16);
Ohr FD-302 12/19/16 (interview date 12/05/16);
Ohr FD-302 12/19/16 (interview date 12/12/16);
Ohr FD-302 12/27/16 (interview date 12/20/16);
Ohr FD-302 01/27/17 (interview date 01/27/17);
Ohr FD-302 01/31/17 (interview date 01/23/17);
Ohr FD-302 01/27/17 (interview date 01/25/17);
Ohr FD-302 02/08/17 (interview date 02/06/17);
Ohr FD-302 02/15/17 (interview date 02/14/17);
Ohr FD-302 05/10/17 (interview date 05/08/17);
Ohr FD-302 05/12/17 (interview date 05/12/17);
Ohr FD-302 05/16/17 (interview date 05/15/17).

Also worth overlaying is the communication between lobbyist Adam Waldman as Waldman was working as a go-between for contact between Chris Steele and Vice-Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Senator Mark Warner:

https://www.scribd.com/embeds/371101285/content?start_page=1&view_mode=&access_key=key-pMEa6x5I0qt6SU7fudq7

.

That’s the raw data.  CTH is trying to avoid selling a specific narrative, because it appears John Solomon, Sara Carter and Byron York are doing exactly that.  Something isn’t OK here… my spidey senses are setting off alarm bells.

Who is giving these documents to John Solomon?   Why are they giving these documents to John Solomon?  What is the purpose of giving these documents to John Solomon?

EXAMPLE:  […]  The exchange – one of several in which Steele proposed a return to the Russia probe – has captured the attention of investigators in Congress and the Department of Justice (DOJ). Some of them told me they are stunned that a top Rosenstein aide would even consider restoring Steele to the case, and with good reason.  […] in a private letter to Congress, shown to me, Rosenstein declared he was unaware of Ohr’s activities with Steele. Ohr was “not assigned to the Russia investigation and he was not in the chain of command,” Rosenstein wrote. “Any involvement Mr. Ohr had in this matter was without my knowledge.”

There is a motive to leaking this information to John Solomon.

Who are the “investigators” within congress AND the DOJ that are so willing to give documents to Solomon to support his reporting?

My own cynical review takes me back to the recent release of the FISA application and the mysterious unredacted date (3/17/17) that allowed us to connect-the-dots and see how the Senate Intelligence Committee had the original, full and unredacted FISA application… which was transparently leaked by James Wolfe…. and yet no-one caught it or reported on it… and the media were/are hiding their knowledge therein…. and Wolfe was never charged by the DOJ with leaking it.

Essentially, what the sum total of all of this tells me is: the battle of White Hats -vs- Black Hats, inside the institutions of the DOJ/FBI, continues.

There is a specific intent on covering-up the severity of the corruption within the DOJ and FBI; and there is some entity…. some small and obscure -yet motivated- entity… within the institution; that is trying to head-off the cover-up.

This is all happening while congress is out-of-session for August.  So, who is the controlling entity here delivering these leaks?

Are they leaks?… or are they “controlled releases”?

Why only Solomon, Carter and York?

Sorry, but I have more questions than answers and my own intellectual trust meter is pegged in the red; as CTH anticipates a likelihood this is the traditional chaff and countermeasures approach to the Deep Swamp cover-up.

If there wasn’t a cover-up in the works, there would be no need to hide the James Wolfe leak of the highly classified FISA application…. and he would be under indictment for it.

 

Rudy Giuliani: Robert Mueller is Now Implicated in Collusion and Soft Coup Attempt….


Interesting.  As previously said: the biggest takeaway from the documents today, showing the 2017 communication between Christopher Steele and Bruce Ohr, is the fact that Steele viewed Robert Mueller as part of the soft coup team.

In this interview Rudy Giuliani goes further than ever before in calling out the nature of the DOJ/FBI investigation; and specifically outlining the Robert Mueller team as part of the larger conspiracy group to take-down President Donald Trump.

According to Giuliani this information/evidence will surface over the next year to year-and-a-half, and will lead to a fundamental change in the institutions of the Department of Justice and FBI.

.

You can call it a soft coup, or you can call it politicization of the DOJ and FBI, but the end result is the same – the intentional effort to manipulate, influence, and ultimately subvert an election for the presidency of the United States.  ~SD

China to Support Syria Along with Russia Against USA


COMMENT: Mr. Armstrong; You said that China would eventually send troops to the Middle East and join with Russia in Syria. China just openly told that to the newspapers. Your contacts behind the curtail are quite amazing.

BH

 REPLY: Qi Qianjin was appointed the ambassador to Syria back in 2016. You are correct, on August 1st, 2018, the Chinese ambassador to Damascus, Qi Qianjin, told pro-government Syrian newspaper Al Watan that the Chinese military was ready to join Idlib in the upcoming military operation. This has been widely reported in the Middle East. China has NEVER been engaged in war sending its troops outside of its claimed territory. It is important to understand that China has always been invaded and hence that was the very reason behind constructing the Chinese Wall – to keep other out.

Qianjin confirmed that China was entering a positive military cooperation with Syria in the region under counter-terrorism. It is Syria who is fighting against the ISIS terrorists. The witch-hunt against Russia by those in Congress has been setting the stage for world war led by the Democrats. This really has to stop and the mid-term elections will see the Democrats out to take the Congress at all costs and they have become the part of anti-Russia. Socialists always want to conquer the world and force others to comply with their demands. 

It may have been Khrushchev who boasted that Communism would defeat Capitalism when he said “We will bury you“, but today this is rapidly becoming the slogan of the Democrats for the upcoming Mid-Term Elections.

It is simply the nature of socialism to suppress others. That is its central proposition. China is by no means a socialist state any longer. The United States military and intelligence establishment refuse to surrender their philosophies of us v them. War has changed. There is no longer a thirst to conquer the world and occupy it. Both Russia and China abandoned Marxism. We are left fighting that philosophy in the West both in the United States and in Europe. It is the battle cry of the Democrats and it will be the main focus come November. You will think the USA is Marxist.

There is no need for war today. But without demonizing Russia and China, then the military establishment is no longer needed. Why is NATO necessary if Russia no longer desires to bury capitalism? Most people refuse to acknowledge that Ukraine was the origin of Russia. Kiev was the capital of the Rus. They were conquered and destroyed by the Mongols. All that stands in Kiev is the Golden Gate of the original capital of the Rus (Russia). After the decline of the Mongols, then the Rus reestablished their capital at Moscow. The Eastern half of Ukraine speaks Russian, not Ukrainian as is the case in Crimea. To solve the crisis, Russia should allow an election that is run by the UN and you will see that Russian speaking people will prefer to be part of Russia, not Ukraine. Stalin killed millions of Ukrainians and there will always be that resentment. Part of the revolution was driven by the fact that Yanukovich was really Russian and could not speak proper Ukrainian. That was at the center of the people rising up to overthrow him – not the CIA who then came in to manipulate who would follow him, but not to begin the revolution.

It is the military and intelligence establishment that want war. It is the very reason for their existence. They have succeeded in confronting China and they keep waking up at night because of their dream of glory. It should not be surprising that China is entering the Middle East

Highly Suspect – Corrupt Senate Intelligence Committee Wants To Interview Julian Assange Behind Closed Doors…


The most corrupt part of congress is the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI).  The SSCI is the center of the deepest part of the Deep State swamp.

The SSCI never, ever,  E.V.E.R… does anything that does not protect and advance the self-interest of the corrupt Washington DC professional political class.

Apparently the SSCI wants to interview WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, in a closed session.

WASHINGTON— The Senate Intelligence Committee wants to interview WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as part of its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

That’s according to WikiLeaks, which tweeted Wednesday that a letter was delivered to Assange in London seeking a “closed interview” with committee staff at a “mutually agreeable time and location.”

The website said its legal team is “considering the offer but the conditions must conform to a high ethical standard.”  The Intelligence Committee declined to comment.

Assange has long figured into the Russia investigations due to WikiLeaks’ role in releasing hacked emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016.

A Justice Department indictment of 12 Russians last month said an unnamed organization, believed to be WikiLeaks, had received hacked Democratic emails from a person linked to Russian intelligence.  (read more)

You could slowly drive rail-road spikes through my knee-caps and I still would never concede that that SSCI has a “good” motive here.  It’s impossible.

The severity of the corruption within the Senate Intelligence Committee is the one constant in an ever changing universe.  Every action they take is for their own interests. Most of that action is illegal (see the recent James Wolfe indictment); and all of their conduct is severely unethical (see the secret messages between Vice-chair Mark Warner and Christopher Steele).

Remember, this is the committee who said no-one in congress is ever allowed to question the integrity of the intelligence committee:

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is the only institution more corrupt than the Obama DOJ/FBI and White House.   Compared to the SSCI Valerie Jarrett is angelic.

These are severely corrupt people.

So,…. that said….

….What’s the angle here?

Another Example: “Criminal prosecution of the Special Agent was declined” – Now, What’s for Lunch?…


From the Boston Marathon bombing investigation through the San Bernardino terrorist attack; passing the Garland, Texas cartoon terror shooting; and continuing through Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub; and then through the Parkland shooting and into Las Vegas -via the Mandalay Bay- we always knew something was wrong with the apparatus, the institutional apparatus, of the FBI… but it wasn’t until 2017 with James Comey, Andrew McCabe and the transparently corrupt Clinton exoneration and candidate Trump set-up scheme that we fully grasped the scale and scope of the corruption.

It is disconcerting to accept that the institution of the FBI is corrupt, soup-to-nuts, including every aforementioned field office and participant therein. But reality doesn’t care about feelings; it just keeps staring us in the face until we accept it:

[LINK]

So the FBI agent took bribes from a source; protected the “illegal business” of the source; withheld information from state law enforcement; lied to the local police department; then lied (“lacked candor”) to the FBI Inspection Division, and lied to the OIG….. and then we get the taxpayer kicker: “criminal prosecution of the Special Agent was declined.”

Talking heads always approach criticism of the FBI with a co-dependent and enabling qualifier: “we’re not talking about the field agents”, they say. Um, no; that’s nonsense. If the institution is corrupt, then every entity within it is corrupt – until such time as the corruption is removed.  Today is another case-in-point example.

We’re not actually responsible for eliminating corruption; we’re here to monitor the corruption.  Now, what’s for lunch?…

The 3rd Film on the Magnitsky Affair


 

 

There is also a third film produced which ties Browder, Safra, Magnitsky, and Berezovksy all together and there have been critics of this as well. Something is very strange why this affair ever rose to the level of passing the Magnitsky Act. This appears to be a false flag to demonize Putin and thereby all Russians to justify war. As I have said before it makes no sense whatsoever that John McCain and Congress defend Bill Browder who resigned his American citizenship or care about an accountant who is Russian and dies in a Russian prison when the treatment of American prisoners is no better?

The intensity is trying to pretend Magnitsjy was a whistleblower is really absurd given the connection of Edmond Safra, Republic National Bank, Hermitage Capital, HSBC, money laundering at Bank of New York which the CNN had confirmed was stolen IMF money before they change the story to be the ransom for a Russian businessman without ever saying who could have wired that much cash, to begin with. I fear this is indeed the seed of justifying war with Russia in the Middle East