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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsStunning Developments on Trump/Private Black Ops Oppo Targeting Obama Staffers - By Josh Marshall
By Josh Marshall | May 6, 2018 2:14 pm
We have a pretty stunning development about aides to Donald Trump apparently (though they deny it) hiring the same Israeli dirty ops/private intel firm that Harvey Weinstein used to cover up his history to mount an operation against public supporters of the Iran deal.
We start with this story in The Guardian. Its very hedged and key details are not included. But the gist is that aides to Donald Trump hired an Israeli security firm to dig up dirt on two prominent supporters of the Iran nuclear deal. They are Ben Rhodes and Colin Kahl, both Obama administration national security hands who were involved in the negotiation. They both continue to be prominent supporters of it into the Trump era. Last night Link to tweet
" target="_blank">I said that it sounded like Black Cube, the firm that surveilled and ran black ops operations against Harvey Weinsteins accusers on his behalf.
Then overnight Kahl came forward with a story from around the time the firm was reportedly hired in which someone approached his wife about investing in their childrens charter school. You can read the thread here. There was a backstory and details. But it sounded to the Kahls like an intelligence operation not altogether uncommon for people in that line of work to see. So they eventually cut off communication.
Then a short time ago, Laura Rozen confirmed with Kahl that the purported firm which reached out to the Kahls was Reuben Capital Partners. Thats the same name used by Black Cube in the Weinstein operations, first reported in The New Yorker by Ronan Farrow last year.
Black Cube is now vehemently denying it was hired to spy on or run dirty tricks against Rhodes or Kahl. Its not clear to me whether that denial came before or after Rozen uncovered the apparent link between the two cases. The denial seems to be unambiguous. But it is very hard to believe that two separate operations would stumble on the same name for a front operation. Conceivably, two different firms worked in concert with yet another firm that was running this front operation. But thats a very far-fetched hypothetical in contrast to a very straightforward explanations. It was Black Cube working for Weinstein and the Trump aides and theyre simply lying about their involvement.
More soon.
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https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/stunning-developments-on-trump-black-ops
dalton99a
(81,451 posts)Botany
(70,490 posts)... and the legally elected President in order to undercut a legal and solid deal w/Iran and
5 different nations to appease the right wing in Israel, Russia, and the right wing in America
by heightening the chance of war(s), the spread of nuclear weapons, and to deflect his
ongoing problems with the rigging of elections by Russia?
When do we get to treason?
workinclasszero
(28,270 posts)Now the damned republican party will prove once again it's a party of traitors by letting Shitler get away with this outrage.
All this intrigue with Trump and Netanyahu is a prelude to war on Iran.
They are determined to blow up the middle east. Get ready for thousands of troops coming home in body bags and 10 dollar a gallon gas MAGA baby!
triron
(21,999 posts)G_j
(40,366 posts)knows no end.
superpatriotman
(6,247 posts)In these days of gaslighting it's important to stay on your toes!
mountain grammy
(26,619 posts)Itd be unbelievable if it wasnt so believable.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)Sounds like a band.
A band of thugs.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)gademocrat7
(10,654 posts)Criminals every one of them.
OMGWTF
(3,951 posts)Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)Response to DonViejo (Original post)
Scurrilous This message was self-deleted by its author.
Hekate
(90,645 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)S.E. TN Liberal
(508 posts)And even more of the dirty tricks they need to survive.
BobTheSubgenius
(11,563 posts)Maybe more, but I'm choosing not to think more about it tonight, let the meds start working and just turn out the light on today. Literally and figuratively.
So, the two worrying levels. One level is the obvious one - the Dirty Tricks with capital letters. Just an appalling way for an alleged government to behave. A government in an ostensible democracy, at least.
The other level is personal. My "ability", if you can call it that, to be shocked, stunned, surprised, even disgusted is becoming very blunted. As awful as this story is, especially to the people involved, part of my reaction is to shrug and move on..In another year of two of this - God forbid - I probably will do just that.
KY_EnviroGuy
(14,490 posts)tomorrow may be even worse. Sometimes makes me wish I was back on the coast with my 'ole fishing buddy - many afternoons after closing the job down, we would say the hell with all of it, hook up his boat and go fishing. And, little talk in the boat for the whole time.
If only one good thing comes of all this insanity, it is that the public will be far better educated as to just how corrupt our government, many politicians, and our election system really is. It's also better exposing much more on how big corporate and billionaire money is influencing everything in our lives, and to our detriment.
I'm now 70 years old and actually own my grandmother's garden grubbing hoe. Tomorrow I may grub the weeds out of my flower patch - good for the soul and helps me forget tRump.
Hope you get some good rest, brother.......
KY_EnviroGuy
(14,490 posts)...........