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Bill Browder's prepared statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee - must read
- Thread starter Windu
- Start date
I cant imagine Putin hasnt been buttering up Trump working on repeal of that act. Russia is slowly expanding borders and war mongering and they will use that as a chip in thos repeal.
Putin seems intelligent enough to know how to play Trump to get what he wants. I'm sure he is great at stroking Trump's ego.
He doesn't need to repeal it. Trump can exempt people from it with his presidential powers. That act puts people on a international list that closes their bank accounts. Banks won't risk dealing with people on the list. Russia launder dirty money from a lot of nations. Being on that list cripples oligarchs and Putin himself.
The committee said they are working on removing that ability. But we will see.
They spent about 3 hours together at the G20 summit...probably more time than Trump spent with any other world leader. Putin knows enough to know that Trump is a narcissist. No other world leader (I'm sure) wanted to give Trump the time of day at that summit, so Putin cozied up to him to make him feel special. Make him feel special, and he'll be more willing to do what you want. It really is like dealing with a toddler.
"...will he become my new best friend?" <-- Actual real fucking quote from 2013.
sir_kevith
Member
What's up with this Glenn Simpson guy?
Is he basically "Pay me and I'll find out what you want or I'll find a way to make what I find what you want?"
I see on Wikipedia he worked for Newt Gingrich so I imagine there's some craziness.
Is he basically "Pay me and I'll find out what you want or I'll find a way to make what I find what you want?"
I see on Wikipedia he worked for Newt Gingrich so I imagine there's some craziness.
sir_kevith
Member
Yeah, I think it's important to realize that he was basically the impetus for the Magnitsky act so he's as much of an authority as you can get. I recommend watching the actual questioning because there's so much meat to it and the questions are all very fair and balanced. It's almost like it took place in a different dimension where there is a bi-partisan effort to get to the bottom of this. He was prepared to answer everything and didn't stumble once and it all felt very natural.
WrenchNinja
Member
I'm still trying to process all of this. This is terrifying.
I think the major newspapers are tying this in neatly into whatever bombshell story they got for Friday afternoon surprise or the Sunday morning papers
skullmuffins
Banned
I haven't had a chance to watch the testimony yet but the prepared statement wasn't that revelatory. Probably because I've been following the Russia story pretty closely, and most or all of what he talks about has been covered in other reporting, though not all in one place.
The point Sen. Whitehouse made during the bit of the testimony linked in here, though, is an important piece of the puzzle. Obviously Putin wanted sanctions removed, but there was always the question of how Trump could help with that when the Magnistky Act is a law. Well, if the president can just unilaterally remove names from the list of sanctioned individuals, he could cripple the Act to Putin's benefit all by himself.
The point Sen. Whitehouse made during the bit of the testimony linked in here, though, is an important piece of the puzzle. Obviously Putin wanted sanctions removed, but there was always the question of how Trump could help with that when the Magnistky Act is a law. Well, if the president can just unilaterally remove names from the list of sanctioned individuals, he could cripple the Act to Putin's benefit all by himself.
A lot of this was already known. Red Notice was published in the beginning of 2015.
Highly recommend Red Notice for further back story. You quickly realize that without Bowder's resources and resolve we wouldn't have the proof and the Magnitsky act would not exist.
Ardenyal
Member
Yeah it's pretty weird how well the white house distraction is working.
BrassDragon
Member
I agree it's nothing especially shocking but the two bolded points will be important going forward. It's hard to get people interested in Red Notice and the various exposés of oligarch money laundering operations but this testimony boils it down nicely.
It's sobering stuff and Browder deserves recognition for his heroic effort to honor Sergej Leonidovitsj Magnitsky. Their enemies are powerful and don't mess around.
One thing I don't understand in all this... if the oligarchs and Putin himself see the West as the safe place for their money, why are they so interested in destabilizing the US? Is there a sweet spot somewhere between "render the US inert geopolitically" and "rely on US laws to keep our money from being stolen?" The GOP leans more toward kleptocracy than the Dems - isn't that what Putin wants to avoid?
Another thought: could this all be as simple as Putin truly being the world's richest man, and Trump wanting to get in on that action? Do some favors for Putin as US president, get half a billion in kickbacks later? Trump IS that one-dimensional.
Another thought: could this all be as simple as Putin truly being the world's richest man, and Trump wanting to get in on that action? Do some favors for Putin as US president, get half a billion in kickbacks later? Trump IS that one-dimensional.
Sho_Nuff82
Member
A corrupt US government that looks the other way on shady business dealings, tax dodging, money laundering, and outright strong arm tactics makes it easier for billionaire thugs to make money. Let's be honest, the status quo in the US is local and foreign billionaires stashing their funds in real estate and other ventures, Putin wants a return to that status quo for those he feels are being unfairly impugned by the Magnitsky act.
A weaker US government allows Russia to create more favorable business and security transactions with the rest of the globe.
The Russians want the individual sanctions lifted against the big sharks. Putin can maintain control of the oligarchs, and subsequently the government, only for as long as he can guarantee the easy flow of illicit capital to and from Russia. Destabilizing the West by helping Trump, LePen, etc. gets him closer to gutting the Magnitsky Act.
The really sad part is that literally the entire modern West is complicit in allowing the Russians to funnel illict money into real estate in every country. When the US housing market bottomed in 2008, the Russians spent more than $1 billion in high priced real estate in New York, Florida, California, etc. That number doesn't include money spent in Paris, London, etc.
Wolfgunblood Garopa
Member
He's a hero. One person making an incredible difference against all odds.
An important perspective to this story is how many Americans are clueless when it comes to Putin and Russia. We have a president who campaigned on being friendly with Russia and how great Putin is. Putin, a murdering dictator who steals from his country, imprisons and assassinates anyone who attempts to seek justice, and sends his goons all over the world to blackmail and bribe anyone and everyone he can to get what he wants. Russia is a mafia state, and this president is telling the American people how great that is and how we should 'get along'. We have Russian agents all over the US acting with impunity while terrorizing our diplomats in Russia, and this president thinks Putin is his ally.
Browder said something poignant yesterday- that if we don't do something to stop the Russian government from using America as a safe haven for their criminal enterprise, we will become just like Russia. Given that many rightwingers exhibit Russian values more than American values, and this president is amoral and corrupt just like a Russian oligarch... we're on that path.
Lightning_Roller
Banned
Oh you know, the usual stuff. Bribe folks, amass small armies and cause discord and unrest in the world. Like I said, usual stuff.
Dubbedinenglish
Banned
Buy your own legacy
The problem is that leaders in Europe are probably not aware of Browder (but they know that Russia is a kleptocracy though).
If you hear about human rights and Russia, what you think about is stuff like Chechnya NOT in Russia itself like that.
Still no excuse but less damaging, also people didn't look to much into Putin's wealth before the panama papers.
On top of that there's this suspcion that the US can leverage this unilateral blacklisting as a strongarm tactic in negociation which is why they think it should be done in a more international manner than just the US doing its own thing.
This is my take on it from a French's perspective, I highly doubt that current French president has any love for Putin's Russia for example so the response from his government cannot be taken as a simple folding for gas game like Germany seems to be playing.
Build the largest statue of yourself in the world.
Acerac
Banned
Use it to acquire more money.
Whatever you want to do to the guy with $199 billion.
Messofanego
Banned
The C-SPAN hearing is a great watch.
WOW. No wonder the Russians can assassinate and torture so many people.
This Magnitsky case is perfect material for a political thriller. That torture stuff is horrifying, then the propaganda theatre to convince American journalists that nothing bad happened and the witch hunt against Bill Browder is intense stuff.
There are approximately ten thousand officials in Russia working for Putin who are given instructions to kill, torture, kidnap, extort money from people, and seize their property. Before the Magnitsky Act, Putin could guarantee them impunity and this system of illegal wealth accumulation worked smoothly. However, after the passage of the Magnitsky Act, Putin's guarantee disappeared. The Magnitsky Act created real consequences outside of Russia and this created a real problem for Putin and his system of kleptocracy.
WOW. No wonder the Russians can assassinate and torture so many people.
This Magnitsky case is perfect material for a political thriller. That torture stuff is horrifying, then the propaganda theatre to convince American journalists that nothing bad happened and the witch hunt against Bill Browder is intense stuff.
BrassDragon
Member
It's not a wrong assessment (see the response to Crimea and the downing of flight MH17, active measures against EU elections aren't even addressed publicly.)
Europe is not directly confronting the Russian bear but they have been using their soft power to get something akin to the Arab spring going in former Soviet states, with disastrous consequences for places like Georgia and Ukraine. Not only did Putin go on the literal offensive in response, it actually worsened the lot of the citizens caught in the middle.
Ever since that backfire, it seems like the EU has been scrambling for a new strategy vis a vis Russia, with huge distractions on the economic and immigration fronts. Lack of US leadership and credibility isn't helping the cause either.
He's a state level crook that apparently extorts the richest of his country and directly steals tax payments. He's basically beyond a bond villian.
at the very least, from what has been revealed recently, he has about $200 billion in assets tho i imagine not a lot of that is liquid at the moment
BrassDragon
Member
At least 40 billion USD by estimating his known shares in state businesses. Thing is, there are strong indications he is taking a huge percentage of profits from all the oligarchs he 'allows' to prosper in his realm. The laundering of that unknown volume of kickbacks is the whole point of Browder's crusade.
Build yourself a 1 billion dollar palace protected by its own personal military.
http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/blog/more-on-putins-secret-palace
John Rabbit
Banned
I have to imagine part of the reason this isn't blowing up bigger (other than healthcare) is because it's such a massive download of information that press outlets are having to comb through it to decide what to cover first and how.
It really is a story more ripe for a dedicated show such as Maddow than the CNN soundbyte drama fests for sure.
How About No
Member
And then hide $200 billion inside it
There's always money in the banana stand.
Even if you trying to do a good job on focusing on multiple things that ARE important.
How can you even parse this and that piece of news?
KernelPanic
Member
Stay in power to get more money and power.
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