First Member of Chumph Cartel Goes to Jail

With the profligate racism of the Chumph Cartel, I don’t imagine any of them convicted and jailed is going to do too much better than your run of the mill white wing child molester…

Dutch attorney gets 30 days in first sentence for Mueller probe

Alex van der Zwaan had admitted to lying to investigators.

Special counsel Robert Mueller obtained the first sentence in his high-profile investigation Tuesday, as a Dutch attorney who admitted to lying to investigators was ordered into federal custody for 30 days.

Former Skadden Arps associate Alex van der Zwaan, 33, pleaded guilty in February to lying to FBI agents about his contacts with former Trump campaign official Rick Gates and Konstantin Kilimnik, a suspected Russian intelligence operative who worked closely with Gates and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

Lawyers for van der Zwaan had asked U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson to give him a fine and pleaded with the court to let him return to his London home by August, when his wife is due to give birth.

However, the judge said some time in jail was appropriate given his offense and the fact that he is an attorney.

“We’re not talking about a traffic ticket,” she said. “This was lying to a federal officer in the course of a criminal investigation.”

In addition to the 30-day sentence, Jackson also gave van der Zwaan a $20,000 fine and two months of probation, but she said she would permit him to reclaim his passport and leave the country as soon as his month in custody is completed. It’s not immediately clear where or in what type of facility he will serve the 30 days.

Van der Zwaan was drawn into the saga in 2012 as his law firm prepared to release a report commissioned by Manafort and Gates for Ukraine’s Justice Ministry in a bid to defend then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who had jailed one of his most prominent political opponents, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Manafort and Gates’ work on behalf of Yanukovych’s political party has drawn Mueller’s scrutiny. Gates has pleaded guilty to lying to investigators, and Manafort is awaiting trial.

 

Yet Another Chumph Mob Capo Begins to Fink

 

The dominoes continue to fall…

Fellow Money Launderers in better days

Alleged mobster Felix Sater ‘told family he knows he and POTUS are going to prison’

Felix Sater, one of Donald Trump’s shadiest former business partners, is reportedly preparing for prison time — and he says the president will be joining him behind bars.

Sources told The Spectator‘s Paul Wood last year that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s deep dive into Trump’s business practices may be yielding results.

Trump recently made remarks that could point to a money laundering scheme, Wood reported.

“I mean, it’s possible there’s a condo or something, so, you know, I sell a lot of condo units, and somebody from Russia buys a condo, who knows?” the president said.

Sater, who has a long history of legal troubles and is cooperating with law enforcement, was one of the major players responsible for selling Trump’s condos to the Russians.

And according to Wood’s sources, Sater may have already flipped and given prosecutors the evidence they need to make a case against Trump.

For several weeks there have been rumours that Sater is ready to rat again, agreeing to help Mueller. ‘He has told family and friends he knows he and POTUS are going to prison,’ someone talking to Mueller’s investigators informed me.

Sater hinted in an interview earlier this month that he may be cooperating with both Mueller’s investigation and congressional probes of Trump.

“In about the next 30 to 35 days, I will be the most colourful character you have ever talked about,” Sater told New York Magazine. “Unfortunately, I can’t talk about it now, before it happens. And believe me, it ain’t anything as small as whether or not they’re gonna call me to the Senate committee.”

Sater is not the only one rumored confidante to have turned against Trump. An attack on former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort by the National Enquirer — a friendly outlet for the president — suggests that he may have already turned over damaging evidence to authorities.

 

Cleaning the Chumph Scum Off in Panama

The Chumph’s only Hotel in Latin America has removed the Chumph’s name…

The joint has been a magnet for criminal elements and money laundering operations.for the Chumph’s mob and Russian Mafia associates.

 

The Chumph-Russia Cartel Crumbles – Gates to Plead Guilty, Squeal

Yet another of the Chumph Crime Cartel boss, with heavy ties to Putin’s Mob goes down, and will testify against his former co-conspirator, Paul Manafort. Rick Gates if the 5th Chumph cohort to take the lea.

How bad is it for the Chumph Cartel? You know you are in deep, deep isht when they indict your Lawyer too…Along with an “unnamed individual” –

Mueller is not only going to lock up Gates and Manafort…But their lawyers!

Getting closer to nailing the Chumph…Every single day.

 

The Real Meaning of MAGA

 

Chumph Treason – Another One Agrees to Testify in Plea Deal

This one is interesting in that while on the surface it looks unrelated – it could explain not only how the Russians were able to mask their identities to American social media…

But how Russian money was laundered into the Trump Campaign. As well as to buy other Republicans.

This criminal stole bank account numbers by using real American’s information to set up new accounts, and then sold these new accounts to the Russians as a method to launder money, hide teir identities, and to channel dirty money into campaign coffers.

This guy squealing may have some far reaching consequences. The only way I see this guy gets a deal, is if he can bring down some BIG FISH.

The other important thing about today’s indictments – is it backs everything the Intelligence Agencies have been saying sine before the corrupted election.

Read: Robert Mueller also reached a plea deal with a California man in Russia probe

Richard Pinedo has agreed to cooperate with Mueller.

Special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s office announced Friday it had reached a plea deal with a California man who committed identity fraud as part of the ongoing Russia probe. The deal was announced the same day as the blockbuster indictments of a dozen Russian nationals and three Russia-affiliated groups alleging interference with the 2016 presidential election.

The charges against Richard Pinedo of Santa Paula, California, state that he sold bank account numbers created using the stolen identities of US citizens to people or entities outside of the United States. The Russian groups indicted by Mueller used social media posts, online ads, and rallies in the US to create propaganda efforts “primarily intended to communicate derogatory information about Hillary Clinton, to denigrate other candidates such as Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, and to support Bernie Sanders and then-candidate Donald Trump,” according to Mueller’s other indictment released Friday. Pinedo’s charges appear related to that activity.

As part of his plea deal, Pinedo has agreed to cooperate with Mueller’s investigation.

While the precise implications of Pinedo’s plea agreement were not immediately clear, the federal grand jury indictment against the Russians notably alleged that they had used the stolen identities of US citizens as part of their election interference campaign.

 

 

Mueller Announces Multiple Indictments Against Russians

Whoops! There goes that leg out from under the rickety Chumph table.

Now, the next step is actually to arrest these guys. If any of them are not in Russia, they may be arrested in any US ally country, or country with which the US has extradition agreement, The US may also seize any properties and bank accounts held outside of Russia – which may be even more devastating.

Of course, Putin will refuse to turn them over.

Special counsel issues indictment against 13 Russian nationals over 2016 election interference

Special counsel Robert Mueller has indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities for allegedly meddling in the 2016 presidential election, charging them with conspiracy to defraud the United States, the Department of Justice has announced.

In addition, three defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and five defendants with aggravated identity theft.

Mueller has been investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election as well as any connections between Russia and Trump campaign associates.

Beginning as early as 2014, the Russian organization Internet Research Agency began operations to interfere with the US political system, including the 2016 elections, according to the indictment, which was released by Mueller’s office Friday.

The defendants allegedly posed as US persons, created false US personas, and operated social media pages and groups designed to attract US audiences, the indictment reads.

The Internet Research Agency had a “strategic goal to sow discord in the US political system” including the election, according to the indictment.

Russians posted “derogatory information about a number of candidates,” and by mid-2016 they supported Trump and disparaged Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. They bought ads and communicated with “unwitting” people tied to Trump campaign and others to coordinate political activities.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will announce the multiple indictments against Russian nationals and entities Friday afternoon, according to a Justice Department source.

 

Another Chumph Lackey Agrees to Talk – Gates Squeals

Another Chumph insider takes the deal….

Think Gates need to do a bit better than just squealing on Manafort. So I would have to believe this deal includes the dirt on the Chumph traitor.

Especially since this comes at a time when additional charges are being filed.

Report: Former Trump Adviser Rick Gates Finalizing Plea Deal With Mueller

Rick Gates, one of a handful of former advisers to Donald Trump indicted amid the ongoing Russia probe, is reportedly finalizing a plea deal with investigators. Citing sources close to the investigation, CNN reports that Gates has been in talks with special counsel Robert Mueller’s team about a potential plea deal for about a month. During that time, he reportedly provided prosecutors with information, though it’s unclear whether it concerned Trump’s campaign or financial dealings not connected to the White House. The news comes as investigators are reportedly preparing new charges against Gates and his longtime business partner, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Both Manafort and Gates pleaded not guilty to financial crimes in late October. Gates’ potential plea deal is expected to turn the tide of the Russia investigation and put more pressure on Manafort to cooperate. The White House has shrugged off Gates’ negotiations with investigators, however. “If Gates cooperates against Manafort that’s nothing to us,” a White House official was quoted as saying by CNN. Gates would be the third known former Trump aide cooperating in Mueller’s investigation. Former Trump aides George Papadopoulos and Michael Flynn have also reportedly made plea deals after pleading guilty to lying to the FBI.

 

Central Park 5 Member Lambastes the Chumph’s Hypocrisy

Let’s see – the false allegations against 5 black kids in the Central Park rape case were so “conclusive” the the Chumph took out a full page ad in the Times…

But the wife beating allegations and Court Orders based on evidence of such against several of his white wing thugs are just “baseless allegations”…

 

Chumph Military Parade Farce

Chump’s special “Grab ’em by the…” Brigade

The Chumph wants a parade, copying his Massa Putin and inspiration Hitler.

As far a getting those 68 ton Abrams tanks down Pennsylvania Avenue – it ain’t happening.  Red Square was paved specially and designed to accommodate heavy things like tanks. Pennsylvania Avenue wasn’t. Liable to wind up with one of the behemoths on top of a underground METRO train.

Trump’s ‘marching orders’ to the Pentagon: Plan a grand military parade

President Trump’s vision of soldiers marching and tanks rolling down the boulevards of Washington is moving closer to reality in the Pentagon and White House, where officials say they have begun to plan a grand military parade later this year showcasing the might of America’s armed forces.

Trump has long mused publicly and privately about wanting such a parade, but a Jan. 18 meeting between Trump and top generals in the Pentagon’s tank — a room reserved for top-secret discussions — marked a tipping point, according to two officials briefed on the planning.

Surrounded by the military’s highest-ranking officials, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., Trump’s seemingly abstract desire for a parade was suddenly heard as a presidential directive, the officials said.

“The marching orders were: I want a parade like the one in France,” said a military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the planning discussions are supposed to remain confidential. “This is being worked at the highest levels of the military.”

Shows of military strength are not typical in the United States — and they don’t come cheap. The cost of shipping Abrams tanks and high-tech hardware to Washington could run in the millions, and military officials said it was unclear how they would pay for it.

A White House official familiar with the planning described the discussions as “brainstorming” and said nothing was settled. “Right now, there’s really no meat on the bones,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal discussions.

 

 

Chumph’s State of the Eunuch Speech

Looks like the Chumph may have had a pair…At least before Melania found out about his affair with Stormy Daniels….

Not sure came up with the idea for Democrats to wear black. Stupid idea. If they were going to dress in protest they should have worn a color visible on TV…like Red. That way regardless of how the camera panned the crowd you would have seen them sitting out the cheering of the Chumph’s cheesy lines.

Trump’s State of the Union: 18 WTF Moments

From naming rights to “chain migration,” the most startling moments of the president’s address

Donald Trump delivered his first State of the Union address on Tuesday night. In a divisive speech dressed up with language of unity, the president highlighted a stock market that has “smashed one record after another”; the GOP’s corporate giveaway – “the biggest tax cuts and reform in American history”; and his still-vague plans to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure. Relentlessly highlighting lurking dangers, Trump bashed America’s immigrants and terrorists and North Korea with equal vigor. The speech stretched the truth – so far that the Politifact fact-check website actually crashed.

The address was delivered in a charged House chambers: Many representatives and senators dressed in all black to support the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. Invited guests included dozens impacted by president Trump’s immigration policies, including Dreamers whose legal protections Trump revoked, refugees from “shithole” countries like El Salvador – whose temporary protected status Trump revoked – and family members of hardworking undocumented immigrants seized by Trump’s deportation force, ICE, in a crackdown that was supposed to target only “bad hombres.”

Marital tension was also on display. Melania Trump attended and clapped, unsmiling, as her husband arrived. (Given the WWE-ification of our politics, it was perhaps a bit surprising that neither Stormy Daniels, the porn star and alleged Trump paramour, nor Michael Wolff, chronicler of White House dysfunction in Fire and Fury, scored an invite.)

The speech was vintage Teleprompter Trump – underscoring the president’s occasional ability to read soberly from a script, without lapsing into his more familiar insulting outbursts or simian dominance displays. But despite the presentable topspin, weird and unscripted moments flashed through.

Here are the 18 WTF moments from Trump’s first State of the Union.

1. WTF, I thought it was his second State of the Union.
Yes, we all remember the president’s first address to a joint session of Congress in February 2017. Trump turned the widow of a fallen Navy SEAL into a political prop – prompting CNN’s Van Jones to gush: “He became President of the United States in that moment, period.” But for reasons – dull, pedantic reasons – a new president’s first speech to Congress is not recognized as a State of the Union. That makes Trump’s 2018 address SOTU numero uno.

2. It was also America’s first ever “State of the Uniom”
From the president who brought you the imaginary African nation of “Nambia,” and the exacting White House staff that misspelled the name of the British Prime minister, the “opiod crisis,” and the Nordic country, “Normway,” the Trump administration offered members of congress official tickets to his “State of the Uniom” address. The typo prompted Democrat Rep. Raul Grijalva to tweet: “Just received my ticket for the State of the Union. Looks like @BetsyDeVosEd was in charge of spell checking.” The Arizona Democrat referred to Trump’s Secretary of “Educatuon,” whose official Twitter feed once misspelled the name of black intellectual “W.E.B. DeBois” before tweeting “our deepest apologizes.”

3. …and the first ever SOTU with naming rights.
On the Monday before the speech, the president’s reelection campaign rolled out a gimmick to sell naming rights to the State of the Union. Donors could pay to see their names float luminously over the “Official Donald J. Trump for President livestream” of the State of the Union. The sales pitch read: “This is a movement. It’s not about just one of us. It’s about ALL of us. Which is why your name deserves to be displayed during Tuesday night’s speech” – all for the low, low donation of $35.

4. When Trump claimed Obama’s job creation as his own.
In his speech, Trump wanted to boast about his impact on the economy. Trouble is, the American economy created only 2.1 million jobs in Trump’s first year, a slowdown from 2016. To come up with what Trump called “tremendous numbers,” he co-opted the last months of Obama’s jobs record to declare: “Since the election, we have created 2.4 million new jobs.”

5. When Trump skipped California in his prayer for recovery.
Highlighting his commitment to survivors of America’s myriad climate disasters in 2017, Trump was supposed to reassure “everyone still recovering in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, California and everywhere else – we are with you, we love you, and we will pull through together.” But in his speech, Trump skipped over California – the state where voters deprived him of a win the the popular vote.

6. When Trump gave only a glancing mention to Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico – where Americans still lack electricity, where recovery hasn’t been fully funded by congress and where FEMA just announced it would stop delivering food and water – received a single mention in the State of the Union. Did you miss it? (Hint: reread WTF #5)

7. When Trump tried to pull one over on Black America.
Taking credit for job growth for black Americans that began under Obama (and has continued under Trump) the 45th president triumphantly declared: “African-American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded.” The cameras then cut to black lawmakers. If looks could kill, Mike Pence would now be president.

8. When Trump said “Qweed” and “Scorge.”
Teleprompted Trump is an adventure – in particular when it takes the president out of his typically fourth-grade vocabulary. Trump’s speech presented him with the words “creed” and “scourge” – both of which escaped his lips as though he’d never said them out loud before.

9. When Trump called for an end to “chain migration.”
Adopting the language of white nationalists, Trump called for an end to “chain migration,” which he described as allowing “a single immigrant [to] bring in virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives.” The leader of the Republican Party – for generations the party of “family values” – is calling for an end to the long-standing American policy of “family reunification,” which allows new citizens to sponsor only their immediate family members to immigrate to the United States. Today, the president’s Slovenian in-laws – the grandparents of his son – are likely in country by virtue of this law. Family reunification is also far from the easy process Trump describes. The immigration backlog means it now often takes a quarter century or more for a new citizen to get a green card for, say, her sister in Mexico.

10. When Trump demagogued immigrants.
Not once mentioning the DACA program that he has suspended, or the 800,000 hardworking young Dreamers he’s placed in limbo, Trump spent much of his speech trashing immigrants, more broadly, as people who don’t “contribute to our society” or “love and respect our country.”

“For decades, open borders have allowed drugs and gangs to pour into our most vulnerable communities,” Trump said. “They have allowed millions of low-wage workers to compete for jobs and wages against the poorest Americans. Most tragically, they have caused the loss of many innocent lives.” Trump then spoke of his “sacred duty” to “defend Americans” because “Americans are dreamers, too.”

11. When Trump called his immigration demands a “down the middle compromise.”
Trump’s proposed immigration reforms would cut legal immigration in half. This is a bridge too far even top Republicans, who are calling the plan “bad for the economy.”

12. When Trump praised ICE as “great, great… great, great.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been in the news frequently in recent weeks for moving to deport hard-working immigrant breadwinners, business owners and even doctors from their families and the country they’ve lived in since childhood. Trump heaped praise on ICE agents, calling them: “Great, great people. These are great, great people, who work so hard in the midst of such danger.”

13. When Trump glossed over corporate downsizing and layoffs.
Trump touted businesses that have, in a synchronized PR campaign, offered employees one-time bonuses, in the wake of the GOP’s permanent corporate tax cut, worth trillions of dollars America’s richest businesses. “Three million workers have already gotten tax cut bonuses – many of them thousands of dollars per worker,” Trump said. But Trump glossed over another long list of companies – including Walmart, Kimberly-Clark, Bank of America, Honeywell and Boeing – that have taken the tax cuts as a spur to slash jobs, close stores, hike fees and/or spend, bigly, on stock buybacks or dividend payouts to investors.

14. When Trump tried to sell a $200 billion infrastructure plan as being worth $1.5 trillion.
Trump insisted is is time to “time to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure.” But in twisted language he called on Congress “to produce a bill that generates at least $1.5 trillion for the new infrastructure investment we need.” The odd language is the result of a White House plan for just $200 billion in direct federal funding – which will somehow leveraging state and private funds to drive another $1.3 trillion investment.

15. When Trump claimed victories in wars nobody knew we’d been fighting.
“We have ENDED the war on American Energy” declared Trump, adding: “We are now very proudly an exporter of energy to the world.” Trump failed to note that the four-decade ban on oil exports was lifted by his predecessor, Barack Obama. Elaborating on the alleged armistice, Trump also insisted: “We have ENDED the War on BEAUTIFUL, CLEAN COAL.”

16. When Trump pledged more Gitmo.
Trump appeared to hint a renewed rough treatment for terrorists captured on the battlefield: “Terrorists are not merely criminals,” Trump said. “They are unlawful enemy combatants. And when captured overseas, they should be treated like the terrorists they are.” Trump called on Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to “reexamine our military detention policy and to keep open the detention facilities at Guantánamo Bay.”

17. When Trump extended an olive branch….
Trump is one of the most divisive presidents in modern memory yet at times his speech struck unexpected, unifying chords. “This is our new American moment,” Trump said. “Tonight, I want to talk about what kind of future we are going to have, and what kind of Nation we are going to be. All of us, together, as one team, one people and one American family. We all share the same home, the same heart, the same destiny, and the same great American flag.”

18) …and then beat his opponents with it.
The flag was a warning sign. Trump soon pivoted back to his divisive rhetoric, calling out those who protest injustice and police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem. To do so, Trump highlighted the work of a child named Preston who has been marking the graves on Veterans’ Day with American flags. “Preston’s reverence for those who have served our Nation reminds us why we salute our flag,” Trump said, “why we put our hands on our hearts for the pledge of allegiance,” Trump added – now glaring at the Democratic side of the aisle – “and why we proudly stand for the national anthem.”

 

The Penguin quits! A Republican Try Gowdy to Retire

The Penguin quits!

Trey Gowdy a Tea Party political hack Benghazi freak is resigning.

Guess he finally got to read all the evidence of the Chumph-Russia collusion. This is two in a row quickly resigning from the House Oversight Committee.

Rep. Trey Gowdy abruptly announces retirement from Congress

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) announced his retirement from Congress shortly after some of his Republican colleagues were in a train wreck involving a garbage truck.

The South Carolina Republican abruptly announced Wednesday he will not seek re-election in November but will instead return to the justice system.

“Whatever skills I may have are better utilized in a courtroom than in Congress, and I enjoy our justice system more than our political system,” Gowdy said. “As I look back on my career, it is the jobs that both seek and reward fairness that are most rewarding.”

The 53-year-old Gowdy, a former district attorney and federal prosector, has represented South Carolina’s 4th congressional district since 2011, when he was elected as part of the Tea Party wave.

Gowdy chaired the United States House Select Committee on Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi from 2014 to 2016, and he called for the prosecution of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign.

He has chaired the House Oversight Committee since the abrupt resignation of former GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT).

 

FBI Investigating Second Dossier Backing Chumph’s “Golden Shower”

A second Dossier has emerged, claiming that the Chumph was compromised by the new KGB in a visit to Moscow in 2013.

No word at the moment about what else is in the document collected by British spies.

REVEALED: The FBI is assessing a second Trump-Russia dossier

The FBI is reportedly reviewing a second dossier alleging collusion between President Donald Trump and the Kremlin.

The Guardian reported Monday that the second dossier was written by former journalist and political activist Cody Shearer, and despite being viewed skeptically by media organizations he shared it with prior to the election, the bureau is still investigating its veracity.

The memo was given to the FBI in 2016 by former British spy Christopher Steele, the author of the controversial”golden showers” dossier. The ex-M16 agent gave it to the bureau when they asked him to “provide any documents or evidence that could be useful in its investigation,” multiple sources confirmed to The Guardian.

Steele reportedly told the bureau he couldn’t vouch for the credibility of Shearer’s memo, “but that he was providing a copy because it corresponded with what he had separately heard from his own independent sources.” Shearer cited an unnamed source within the FSB, Russia’s state security service.

The authors of both documents claimed Trump was “compromised” during a 2013 trip to Moscow “that involved lewd acts in a five-star hotel.”

 

Evidence Proving Russian KGB Hacks of Election Emerges Publically

What the folks in the US Intelligence Agencies knew all along about Russia and Trump collusion but never exposed publicly, has been released by the Dutch…Who actually hacked the Russian hackers.

This is just part of the information gathered by US and foreign Intelligence Services on Trump/Putin collusion, and the Russian effort to destabilize the US 2016 election in favor of their boy , the Chumph.

We also know that there are recordings of conversations between Chumph co-conspirators and Russian Intelligence are in the NSA’s hands. While the contents of such recordings are still classified, and as such we don’t know their contents – they are also likely in Mueller’s hands.And thanks to the criminal activity of Nunes, head of the House Investigation Committee in suborning information to protect the Chumph…None of that will be released to Congress.

This revelation comes from a Dutch Newspaper… Here is your “Smoking Gun”

With the release of information by the Dutch, several of the other countries’ Intelligence Services may step forward to release the information they collected.

Dutch agencies provide crucial intel about Russia’s interference in US-elections

Hackers from the Dutch intelligence service AIVD have provided the FBI with crucial information about Russian interference with the American elections. For years, AIVD had access to the infamous Russian hacker group Cozy Bear. That’s what de Volkskrant and Nieuwsuur have uncovered in their investigation.

It’s the summer of 2014. A hacker from the Dutch intelligence agency AIVD has penetrated the computer network of a university building next to the Red Square in Moscow, oblivious to the implications. One year later, from the AIVD headquarters in Zoetermeer, he and his colleagues witness Russian hackers launching an attack on the Democratic Party in the United States. The AIVD hackers had not infiltrated just any building; they were in the computer network of the infamous Russian hacker group Cozy Bear. And unbeknownst to the Russians, they could see everything.

That’s how the AIVD becomes witness to the Russian hackers harassing and penetrating the leaders of the Democratic Party, transferring thousands of emails and documents. It won’t be the last time they alert their American counterparts. And yet, it will be months before the United States realize what this warning means: that with these hacks the Russians have interfered with the American elections. And the AIVD hackers have seen it happening before their very eyes.

The Dutch access provides crucial evidence of the Russian involvement in the hacking of the Democratic Party, according to six American and Dutch sources who are familiar with the material, but wish to remain anonymous. It’s also grounds for the FBI to start an investigation into the influence of the Russian interference on the election race between the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and the Republican candidate Donald Trump.

‘High confidence’

After Trump’s election in May 2017, this investigation was taken over by special prosecutor Robert Mueller. While it also aims to uncover contacts between Trump’s presidential campaign and the Russian government, the prime objective is bringing to light the Russian interference with the elections. An attempt to undermine the democratic process, and an act that caused tensions between the two superpowers to rise to new heights, bringing about a string of diplomatic acts of revenge.

Three American intelligence services state with ‘high confidence’ that the Kremlin was behind the attack on the Democratic Party. That certainty, sources say, is derived from the AIVD hackers having had access to the office-like space in the center of Moscow for years. This is so exceptional that the directors of the foremost American intelligence services are all too happy to receive the Dutchmen. They provide technical evidence for the attack on the Democratic Party, and it becomes apparent that they know a lot more.

Cozy Bear

It’s somewhat of a ‘fluke’ that the AIVD hackers were able to acquire such useful information in 2014. The team uses a CNA, which stands for Computer Network Attack. These hackers are permitted to perform offensive operations: to penetrate and attack hostile networks. It’s a relatively small team within a larger digital business unit of about 80-100 people. All cyberoperations converge here. Part of the unit is focused on intercepting or managing sources, while another team is dedicated to Computer Network Defence. In turn, this team is part of the Joint Sigint Cyber Unit, a collaborative unit of the AIVD and the Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service MIVD, of about 300 people.

It’s unknown what exact information the hackers acquire about the Russians, but it is clear that it contains a clue as to the whereabouts of one of the most well-known hacker groups in the world: Cozy Bear, also referred to as APT29. Since 2010, this group has attacked governments, energy corporations and telecom companies around the world, including Dutch companies and ministries. Specialists from the best intelligence services, among them the British, the Israelis and the Americans, have been hunting Cozy Bear for years, as have analysts from major cybersecurity companies.

Vital information

The Dutch hacker team spends weeks preparing itself. Then, in the summer of 2014, the attack takes place, most likely before the tragic crash of flight MH17. With some effort and patience, the team manages to penetrate the internal computer network. The AIVD can now trace the Russian hackers’ every step. But that’s not all.

The Cozy Bear hackers are in a space in a university building near the Red Square. The group’s composition varies, usually about ten people are active. The entrance is in a curved hallway. A security camera records who enters and who exits the room. The AIVD hackers manage to gain access to that camera. Not only can the intelligence service now see what the Russians are doing, they can also see who’s doing it. Pictures are taken of every visitor. In Zoetermeer, these pictures are analyzed and compared to known Russian spies. Again, they’ve acquired information that will later prove to be vital.

Rare battle

The Dutch access to the Russian hackers’ network soon pays off. In November, the Russians prepare for an attack on one of their prime targets: the American State Department. By now, they’ve obtained e-mail addresses and the login credentials of several civil servants. They manage to enter the non-classified part of the computer network.

The AIVD and her military counterpart MIVD inform the NSA-liaison at the American embassy in The Hague. He immediately alerts the different American intelligence services.

What follows is a rare battle between the attackers, who are attempting to further infiltrate the State Department, and its defenders, FBI and NSA teams – with clues and intelligence provided by the Dutch. This battle lasts 24 hours, according to American media.

The Russians are extremely aggressive but do not know they’re being spied on. Thanks to the Dutch spies, the NSA and FBI are able to counter the enemy with enormous speed. The Dutch intel is so crucial that the NSA opens a direct line with Zoetermeer, to get the information to the United States as soon as possible.

Back and forth

Using so-called command and control servers, digital command centres, the Russians attempt to establish a connection to the malware in the Department, in order to request and transfer information. The Americans, having been told by the Dutch where the servers are, repeatedly and swiftly cut off access to these servers, followed each time by another attempt by the Russians. It goes back and forth like this for 24 hours. Afterwards, sources tell CNN that this was ‘the worst hack attack ever’ on the American government. The Department has to cut off access to the e-mail system for a whole weekend in order to upgrade the security.

Luckily, the NSA was able to find out the means and tactics of their attackers, deputy director of the NSA Richard Ledgett states at a discussion forum in Aspen in March 2017. ‘So we could see how they were changing their methods. That’s very useful information.’ On the authority of intelligence services, American media write that this was thanks to a ‘western ally’. Eventually, the Americans manage to dispel the Russians from the Department, but not before Russian attackers use their access to send an e-mail to a person in the White House.

Fake e-mail

He thinks he’s received an e-mail from the State Department – the e-mail address is similar – and clicks a link in the message. The link opens a website where the White House employee then enters his login credentials, now obtained by the Russians. And that is how the Russians infiltrate the White House.

They even gain access to the email servers containing the sent and received emails of president Barack Obama, but fail to penetrate the servers that control the message traffic from his personal BlackBerry, which holds state secrets, sources tell The New York Times. They do, however, manage to access e-mail traffic with embassies and diplomats, agendas, notes on policy and legislation. And again, it’s the Dutch intelligence agencies who alert the Americans about this.

Goldmine

Access to Cozy Bear turns out to be a goldmine for the Dutch hackers. For years, it supplies them with valuable intelligence about targets, methods and the interests of the highest ranking officials of the Russian security service. From the pictures taken of visitors, the AIVD deduces that the hacker group is led by Russia’s external intelligence agency SVR.

There’s a reason the AIVD writes in its annual report about 2014 that many Russian government officials, including president Putin, use secret services to obtain information. Recently, the head of the AIVD, Rob Bertholee, said on the Dutch TV program CollegeTour that there is ‘no question’ that the Kremlin is behind the Russian hacking activities.

Unprepared

The Americans were taken completely by surprise by the Russian aggression, says Chris Painter in Washington. For years, Painter was responsible for America’s cyber policy. He resigned last August. ‘We’d never expected that the Russians would do this, attacking our vital infrastructure and undermining our democracy.’

The American intelligence services were unprepared for that, he says. That is one of the reasons the Dutch access is so appreciated. The Americans even sent ‘cake’ and ‘flowers’ to Zoetermeer, sources tell. And not just that. Intelligence is a commodity: it can be traded. In 2016, the heads of the AIVD and MIVD, Rob Bertholee and Pieter Bindt, personally discuss the access to the Russian hacker group with James Clapper, then the highest ranking official of the American intelligence services, and Michael Rogers, head of the NSA.

In return, the Dutch are given knowledge, technology and intelligence. According to one American source, in late 2015, the NSA hackers manage to penetrate the mobile devices of several high ranking Russian intelligence officers. They learn that right before a hacking attack, the Russians search the internet for any news about the oncoming attack. According to the Americans, this indirectly proves that the Russian government is involved in the hacks. Another source says it’s ‘highly likely’ that in return for the intelligence, the Dutch were given access to this specific American information. Whether any intelligence about MH17 was exchanged, is unknown.

 

White House Lawn Jockette Just Stepped Into a World of Trouble

Turns out the official (ex) Lawn Jockette of the Chumph Whites Only House was secretly recording classified conversations.

Makes her not only a target for Mueller… But for criminal prosecution under a variety of laws.

Her next “Reality Show”, may well be from Leavenworth. Suggest the title – “From the White House to the Big House”… Frog Marched out of the Whites Only House and frog marched into Federal Prison!

She also likely added her name to the subpoena list of a ration of ongoing immigration and Civil Rights cases

Omarosa’s nex attire may be the ever fashionable Orange Jumpsuit.

Omarosa secretly taped confidential White House conversations — and now could be a source for Mueller: report

Former reality TV star Omarosa Manigault Newman, who was fired late last yearfrom her job as a Trump aide, reportedly recorded conversations about sensitive issues during her tenure in the White House.

Sources tell the New York Daily News that Omarosa “may have taped confidential West Wing conversations and fears being caught up in special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe.”

According to the publication’s sources, Omarosa has been lawyering up because she expects to soon become a witness in Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

“Everyone knows Omarosa loves to record people and meetings using the voice notes app on her iPhone,” one source explained. “Don’t be surprised if she has secret audio files on everyone in that White House, past and present staffers included.”

The source also claimed that the White House’s recent decision to ban staffers from using their personal smartphones in the White House was because of Omarosa’s habit of recording conversations at all times.

Omarosa has been regularly dropping hints that she could drop bombshells on the Trump administration in the wake of her firing, as she said she had problems with the way the White House handled race-related controversies such as white supremacist riots in Charlottesville, Virginia.