Feds Apparently Have Flipped Witness Against Michael Flynn

Yeah they got him, squealing away in a Federal hideout.

Did the Feds Flip Turkish Businessman Reza Zarrab—and Could He Bring Down Michael Flynn?

Reza Zarrab, whose trial for allegedly cheating U.S. sanctions is scheduled to begin in days, was secretly removed from a federal prison and may be working with prosecutors.

A man who may be part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of alleged misdoings by President Donald Trump’s campaign and administration was secretly removed from a federal prison this month.

Mueller is reportedly looking at a December meeting blocks from Trump Tower where Michael Flynn—shortly before Trump became president and named him national security adviser—was reportedly offered upward of $15 million if he could help Turkey win the extradition of cleric Fethullah Gülen as well as the release of gold trader Reza Zarrab.

Now it appears Zarrab, whose trial for allegedly cheating U.S. sanctions by facilitating gold-for-gas deals between Turkey and Iran is scheduled to begin in just days, may be working with federal prosecutors.

Last month, lawyers for his co-defendant, bank manager Mehmet Atilla, remarked sardonically in court filings that Zarrab, the man at the root of the charges facing their client, had all but vanished, and it seemed “likely that Mr. Atilla will be the only defendant appearing at trial.”

The Bureau of Prisons website shows that Zarrab was released from BOP custody on Nov. 8. He had been held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, a federal administrative prison near the Southern District of New York courthouse, before then.

Zarrab has not filed any court documents in the last month. His attorney, Benjamin Brafman, told The Daily Beast he would not be at the final pre-trial conference on Thursday. Flynn’s lawyer did not return a request for comment Wednesday evening.

“All I can tell you is that he is in federal custody,” Nick Biase, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, told The Daily Beast.

 

Flynn’s Under Investigation for Attempted Kidnapping!

Just when you thought the Chumph ring of senior deplorables and scumbags couldn’t get any worse…

This investigation includes Flynn II

Special counsel probing whether Michael Flynn was part of alleged plot to kidnap cleric for Turkey – report

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly probing whether former White House National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was involved in an alleged scheme to essentially kidnap a Turkish Muslim cleric living in Pennsylvania and transport him to Turkey.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Flynn and his son, Michael Flynn Jr. stood to be paid up to $15 million for delivering Fethullah Gulen to the Erdogan administration. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blames Gulen for the attempted coup against him last year and has been pushing the U.S. to extradite him.  Gulen has denied the accusation.

• Who is Fethullah Gulen?

According to the WSJ, FBI agents have spoken to at least four people about a meeting in December — after the presidential election — in which Flynn and representatives of the Turkish government discussed removing Gulen, allegedly by private jet, to the Turkish prison island of Imrali.

The Journal also reported that there is no indication, however, that there was any money was exchanged regarding this plan. Apart from this, while Flynn was a top adviser to the Trump campaign, his firm, the Flynn Intel Group Inc. was paid $530,000 for lobbying for a Dutch company owned by a Turkish businessman, work that Flynn acknowledged could help the interests of the Turkish government. He made the disclosure in March, months after he had been ousted from the White House, in paperwork filed with the Justice Department that identified him as a foreign agent.

On Election Day, Flynn wrote an opinion piece in The Hill,  in which he accused Gulen of being a “radical Islamist” and a potential terrorist.

“Gülen’s vast global network has all the right markings to fit the description of a dangerous sleeper terror network,” Flynn wrote. “From Turkey’s point of view, Washington is harboring Turkey’s Osama bin Laden.” He also criticized the Obama administration for keeping Erdogan at arm’s length, given that “Turkey is really our strongest ally against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), as well as a source of stability in the region.”

The Wall Street Journal also reported that in the discussions concerning Gulen, Flynn was ready to push for the extradition of Gulen from within the White House.

The reclusive Gulen has lived in the Poconos in a gated retreat for the last 17 years. His movement has founded charter schools throughout the U.S. He has never visited any of them and is never seen in public. Instead, he addresses his followers online.

Mueller has been investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, as well as any collusion between Trump associates and Russia.

 

More Evidence of Flynn’s Treason and How He Was Paid By the Russians Through Turkey

The Chumph’s boy Flynn offered up testimony in exchange for not being prosecuted…He thought he could offer a deal and testify only on his own terms, and pick and choose what he disclosed.

The Government, and Congress shot down that ploy…Quickly.

Apparently Flynn didn’t know how much the Government had on his ass.

He is not looking at “11 Years in Twelveworth”…

He is looking at half the next century in a hole in the ground out west with no windows. If he dies before the sentence is up – They may just bury him in the Deseret in a cell to serve out the rest of his term.

He is gonna squeal! Or serve some really long hard time.

Ditto for the other Chumph co-conspirators.

And there isn’t a damn thing the Republican co-conspirators in Congress can do about it…Which is why Chaffetz jumped ship. At some point they are going to get around the Republican traitors who tried to derail the investigation.

In Russia, almost all roads in major business lead to the Putin Cartel. An international criminal Cartel which controls not only the organized crime, but oil, natural gas, and other industries.So Flynn ultimately was on Putin’s payroll, as was Carter Page, and Paul Manafort….And Putin’s Bitch.

Ain’t nobody giving a fired (Flynn had been tossed out of the Military) and disgraced US General $600,000…To do anything legal.

The only real question left is…Did they get Sessions too?

Flynn’s Turkish lobbying linked to Russia

The former national security adviser’s client had business dealings in Russia and worked with an executive in Russian oil companies on Turkish lobbying projects.

The Turkish man who gave Mike Flynn a $600,000 lobbying deal just before President Donald Trump picked him to be national security adviser has business ties to Russia, including a 2009 aviation financing deal negotiated with Vladimir Putin, according to court records.

The man, Ekim Alptekin, has in recent years helped to coordinate Turkish lobbying in Washington with Dmitri “David” Zaikin, a Soviet-born former executive in Russian energy and mining companies who also has had dealings with Putin’s government, according to three people with direct knowledge of the activities.

This unusual arrangement, in which Alptekin and Zaikin have helped steer Turkish lobbying through various groups since at least 2015, raises questions about both the agenda of the two men and the source of the funds used to pay the lobbyists.

Although Turkey is a NATO ally, its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has grown increasingly authoritarian and friendly with Putin. And the hiring of Flynn by Alptekin came at a time when Flynn was working for Trump’s campaign and Putin’s government was under investigation for interfering with the U.S. election.

Flynn’s lawyer, Robert Kelner, declined to comment. In a filing with the Justice Department, Flynn said he relied on assurances from Alptekin that he was not directly or indirectly funded by a foreign government. But shifting explanations and a web of business ties raise questions about the arrangement.

Flynn has offered evolving accounts of his lobbying work for Alptekin. In September, Flynn reported his client as a Dutch shell company owned by Alptekin. After being forced to leave the White House — reportedly because he lied to Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations during the transition with the Russian ambassador — Flynn filed new paperwork in March acknowledging that his lobbying work “principally benefitted” the Turkish government.

The revelation of Russian business ties to the man who hired Flynn — which has not been previously reported — threatens to complicate the White House’s struggle to escape the shadow of the FBI investigation into whether members of the Trump campaign coordinated with Russian agents.

Flynn has been a focus for concerns about Russian ties to both the Trump campaign, for which he was a key adviser and surrogate, and the Trump administration, in which, as national security adviser, he had access to the most sensitive state secrets.

He also has a history of failing to disclose ties to Russia. His original White House ethics disclosure failed to include payments from Kremlin propaganda network RT and two other Russian companies. The RT payment was for a paid speech Flynn gave at a Moscow gala where he sat at the same table as Putin.

A White House spokesman declined to comment.

Zaikin declined to be interviewed but said in an email that he wasn’t involved in Flynn’s lobbying and doesn’t know Alptekin.

Alptekin, in an interview, said he hired Flynn with his own money and did not coordinate any lobbying for the Turkish government. He also denied knowing Zaikin.

But Alptekin acknowledged that he has attended events and met with leaders of the Turkish Heritage Organization, a Washington-based group of Turkish-Americans loyal to Erdogan. The organization was started when Zaikin asked a Washington-based international political consultant named John Moreira to help set it up, Moreira told POLITICO.

Asked why Zaikin — who is not Turkish and has no apparent ties to Turkey — would be organizing a Turkish heritage organization, Moreira said he thought Zaikin had Turkish friends and business associates.

“I don’t know who David was working for. He just asked me to do this,” Moreira said.

Moreira said he was paid to help manage the heritage organization but would not say by whom…

 

Turkey Shoots Down Russian Plane

A Turk F-16 shot down a Russian Su-27 Fighter-Bomber over the Turkey border with Syria this morning. Both Russian pilots are reported to have ejected safely. Turkey is a member of NATO, which means that if there is a conflict with Russia, the US will be under treaty obligation to help defend Turkey. Putin has directed his military to play Cold War type games against NATO countries, including flying Backfire Bombers within a mile of a US Carrier Group, and invading the airspace of Norway, the UK, and Sweden. In flying warplanes over Turkey, he pick the wrong guys to mess with, as the Turks have always been absolute about protecting their country. Whether this means a return to the Cold War or not remains to be seen. It may also have been done intentionally to curb Putin’s aggression.

Turkey Shoots Down Russian Warplane Near Border With Syria

NATO member Turkey shot down a Russian warplane after it violated the country’s airspace near the Syrian border on Tuesday, officials said.

The Russian aircraft was warned 10 times in five minutes before being fired upon, according to the Turkish air force.

The incident — the first time a NATO member’s military has downed a Russian or Soviet military aircraft since the 1950s, according to Reuters — risked worsening tensions between Moscow and the West.

Within hours, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the incident a “stab in the back by terrorist helpers.”

“Do they want to have NATO serve ISIS? I understand that every state has regional interests, and we respect that, but we would never tolerate crime like today’s,” he told journalists on state television.

NATO said it would hold an extraordinary meeting later Tuesday to discuss the incident at the request of Turkish officials.

Syrian fighters on the ground and Turkish sources told NBC News that the Russian jet’s pilots ejected and landed in north of Latakia, Syria. That area is controlled by rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad. Russia has an air base in Latakia which is used to launch bombing raids targeting Assad’s foes — including ISIS.

Footage from Turkish Haberturk TV showed a warplane going down in flames in a wooded area with a long plume of smoke trailing behind it. Russian and Syrian regime helicopters were later seen searching the area where the jet went down, a rebel commander who goes by the name Abu Faiz told NBC News.

The head of the Turkish military briefed President Tayyip Erdogan on the incident, while Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu ordered consultations with NATO, the United Nations and related countries, Reuters reported citing their respective offices.

According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, there are 69 warplanes based in Latakia. Russian planes have run thousands of bombing raids in Syria since Sept. 30 when the Kremlin announced it would start targeting ISIS.

However, U.S. officials say many of the strikes appear to be hitting areas where ISIS doesn’t have a presence.

Putin ordered his air force to step-up bombings after a passenger plane crashed in Egypt’s Sinai on Oct. 31, killing all 224 on board. On Thursday, ISIS claimed it brought down the Metrojet plane with an improvised bomb.

 

 

Another War in the Middle East?

Syria seems determined to play the ” let’s declare war on a foreign somebody and the folks at home will come together” card.

It probably is not a real good idea to be shooting at the Turkish military. Not only because Turkey still has an army which has the ability to kick ass and take names…

But going to war with Turkey brings in the NATO Alliance – including the US, which includes at least 6 countries which could lay Syria to waste without breaking a sweat.

Maybe they should pick a fight with another neighbor?

A Turkish Air Force F4E Phantom similar to the one shot down by Syrian forces.

Turkey says Syria fired at second Turkish plane on Monday

Turkey said on Monday Syrian forces had fired towards a Turkish military transport plane involved in a search for an F-4 reconnaissance jet shot down by Syria last week, but the second aircraft was not brought down.

The disclosure of the second incident came on the eve of a NATO crisis meeting that Turkey summoned to address the shooting down of its F-4 jet, which Ankara has described as an unprovoked attack in international airspace.

Despite deep frustration among many NATO countries over the conflict in Syria, where the opposition says President Bashar Assad’s crackdown on an increasingly armed popular uprising has killed 14,000 people, it’s highly unlikely the military alliance will take armed action against the Arab state.

The unarmed RF-4E reconnaissance jet was shot down a mile (1.6 kilometres) inside international airspace on Friday, and two Turkish pilots are still missing, the Turkish government says.

Syria has officially acknowledged shooting down the F-4 phantom jet after it violated its airspace, but insists it only identified it as a Turkish fighter after the fact.

“What happened was an accident and not an assault as some like to say,” Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi told the Al-Watan pro-government daily on Sunday.

“Turkish Jet, which was downed by Syrian forces, had violated Syrian airspace.” the Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Maqdissi said Monday.
He added that Syria “could take positive steps if the Turkish government takes similar steps.”

Syrian FM spokesman also indicated “The rescue efforts are underway with the coordination of all sides. We found the wreckage of the jet and Turkey was informed about it.”

But Turkey said that the incident would “not go unpunished” but it did not intend to go to war over it.

 

Kobe Endorsement Deal Goes Sour

Kobe Turkish Airline Deal No a Slam Dunk!

Under the category – “It seemed to be a good deal at the time”, LA Laker star Kobe Bryant is taking heat from the Armenian community over his endorsement deal for Turkish Airways. A short history lesson on why Armenians don’t like Turks later in the post.

This is significant (to Kobe’s deal) because LA is home to the largest Armenian community in the United States.

Betcha Reggie Bush won’t make this mistake.

Armenians denounce Kobe Bryant deal with Turkish Airlines

The business deal looked fairly straightforward. Last week, American basketball star Kobe Bryant agreed to become the new celebrity face of Turkish Airlines, a growing international carrier.

Though he has admitted to never having visited Turkey, the Los Angeles Lakers guard said in a news release that “Turkey is a country rich in natural beauty and thousands of years of cultural history, and I’m proud to partner with Turkish Airlines to bring that majesty to people around the world.”

Within days, however, Bryant’s decision was being denounced by Armenian groups in North America and in Los Angeles, which is the hometown not only of the Lakers, but also of the largest ethnic Armenian community outside of Armenia.

“Turkish Deal Will Make Kobe the Face of Oppression and Injustice” and “Kobe Bryant’s Direct Flight to Inhumanity,” announced the website of the Armenian Youth Federation.

Armenian diaspora groups in North America have launched a media and Internet campaign urging Bryant to drop his Turkish Airlines deal…

Here is a bit of that history…

 

No Pardon for the Delicious

This bad boy did not receive a presidential pardon…

Happy Thanksgiving All!

To my International visitors from countries which don’t celebrate this…Here’s the deal.