Here's how Trump's proposed Moscow project is even dirtier than it looks

[Miles Archer]

Here’s how Trump’s proposed Moscow project is even dirtier than it looks

https://www.salon.com/2018/12/03/heres-how-trumps-proposed-moscow-project-is-even-dirtier-than-it-looks/

But it wasn’t just the overall hush-hush nature of the Moscow Project that poses such a threat to American national security. The true smoking gun at the center of the Trump Tower Moscow prong of the Russia story happens to be a Russian bank known as VTB. Those who haven’t been following the day-to-day developments (hello, Red Hats) might not know that 60 percent of VTB is controlled by the Kremlin.

It turns out that one of Trump’s many shady operatives and hangers-on, Felix Sater, a Russian-born New Yorker with an office in Trump Tower, arranged financing for the Moscow Project. The money was to be put up by VTB, and Trump himself signed a letter of intent to build the skyscraper, complete with a spa facility for Ivanka Trump’s brand and a $50 million penthouse for Putin (priorities, priorities).

VTB’s financing appears to have been locked in around October 2015, while Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, was busily deploying its attack against the Democrats and the forthcoming American elections.

What the nothingburger crowd won’t say out loud is that VTB has been subject to American sanctions since July 2014, after Putin invaded Ukraine and seized Crimea in the wake of the Sochi Olympics. Simply put, it’s illegal for any Americans or American corporations, including the Trump Organization, to do business with VTB and other entities under sanction. Trump, Cohen and Sater did it anyway.

No wonder Trump and his people wanted to keep the deal secret. Sanctions were potentially violated, and Putin appears to have been bribed with a $50 million apartment. If that’s a nothingburger, I’d hate to see what an actual burger looks like.

[mr_lebowski]

1. Didn't Sater already ALSO get hauled before Congress?

I seem to recall him giving interviews afterward on various newsy shows ... rather cavalierly proclaiming total innocence about being involved with Trump in ANY sort of business dealings with Russia anytime even remotely near the election ... let alone as late as June 2016.

Pretty damn convincing liar he was at the time, too, as I recall. Like a stone-cold PRO at BULLSHIT.

Be interesting to see what becomes of him next. If he actually told Congress what he said he said in these follow-up interviews, IOW, he totally bullshitted Congress just like Cohen did (and I strongly suspect the answer to that is a YES)?

Oughta be his time in the barrel pretty quick here.

[CaptYossarian]

10. They should haul Jill Stein before Congress (after January 3rd).

MSNBC showed a picture of Michael Flynn sitting next to Putin at some Moscow function. Stein was also there.

Was she recruited to run and split the "lefty" vote? I'm sure Putin remembered what Nader did to Gore in 2000.

Could this also count as collusion? Al Franken would get the truth out of her. Was his accuser also recruited?

Makes me wonder. The neocons know a lot of slimeballs and have enough cash to pull it off.

[True Blue American]

15. Frankens accuser

Was offered a job on Right Wing radios. Then said Al should not be punished.

After all he did for her I hope she feels ashamed.

[libdem4life]

2. Money laundering is the second easiest felony to charge. Papers and all.

The first is lying. Video and all.

[Achilleaze]

3. republican criminality deserves justice

lock up the republican traitors

[pecosbob]

4. This warrants greater visibility

Not only was he negotiating a deal with the people that were attacking us as a nation, it was with a bank that they knew was sanctioned...hence the even greater need to dispose of Magnitsky.

[Solly Mack]

5. K&R

[TheOther95Percent]

6. Criminal Penalties for Violating sanctions: Up to 20 Years in Jail and $1M in Fines

Sounds like a somethingburger to me.

[Maeve]

7. I've been waiting to hear more about that business with a sanctioned bank

The deal was to be illegally financed. Period.

[libdem4life]

8. This is the one that loops in Ivanka to Mueller's probe.

She was in it up to her eyeballs...her branded spa...saw drawings...her name appears. MBS and Putin can't help The Crime Family out of this one.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

9. toss in his Cuba crime just for good measure

https://www.newsweek.com/2016/10/14/donald-trump-cuban-embargo-castro-violated-florida-504059.html

[MFGsunny]

11. K & R .... bigly

[Mr.Bill]

12. The Trump gang will look back and realize that their biggest mistake

was thinking Cohen's office was a safe zone for documents and data because of attorney-client privilege. Some lawyer Cohen must be if he thought that would work.

[pecosbob]

13. or even running for office at all...WTF was he thinking?

[Mr.Bill]

14. Running wasn't so bad. He had done it before.

The mistake was winning.

[Corgigal]

16. I've been thinking about this issue

for years. Either Trump is broke, or he really believes he's as smart as he proclaims.

If any of his kids had any standing with him, they should have talked him out of it. Then I thought why would the RNC let him be the figurehead of their party? Only thing I can think of, is Russia wanted him to be. Wow, they really can't win anymore if that's the thinking.

[Jarqui]

17. None of the US Banks would deal with Trump

from his 5-6 bankruptcies, etc

Deutsche Bank did deal with him after the US banks dumped him.
But the economy went in the toilet in 2008 and they called their loan.
Rather than paying them, Trump counter-sued Deutsche Bank blaming them in part for the economy going in the toilet (any excuse to hold them off I suppose)

Magically, another part/division of Deutche bank came up with a new loan for Trump and basically paid off his old loan.

VTB (Russian bank) has been reported as laundering money through Deutche bank

I have read suspicion that the magic cure for Trump's shortfall with Deutche bank when the economy went in the toilet was VTB/Russian Oligarch money

Deutsche bank was recently raided due to the Panama papers. Maybe they will learn more from that raid. I have also read media reports that Mueller served Deutsche bank with a subpoena for Trumps banking records. So there are attempts being made to get to the bottom of this.

[dhol82]

18. Wasn't that Justice Kennedy's son who made that loan from Deutsche Bank?

[Jarqui]

20. Not positive. I doubt it. Justin Kennedy left that bank in 2009

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/anthony-kennedy-resignation-trump/

[House of Roberts]

19. Didn't a Louisiana House Rep named Jefferson get caught with $90k in bribe money?

How big a bribe is a $50 million penthouse, compared to that $90k?

[malaise]

21. K & R

Important