What is the "secret" they are holding so close?

[kentuck]

Last edited Thu Jun 15, 2017, 07:31 AM - Edit history (1)

How did Donald Trump come to meet General Michael Flynn? Who introduced them?

It is true that General Flynn sat next to Vladimir Putin at an event for Russia Today television in Moscow. Also, he had received over a half-million dollars contract with Turkey - some had reported that it was paid by Russia?

Of course, we know that Rex Tillerson, present Secretary of State, was previous CEO of Exxon, which was working with Putin to explore the oil fields in the North Sea area. It was a huge discovery.

And there was Paul Manafort, Carter Page, Michael Cohen, Jeff Sessions, and others, all with some sort of Russian connection. For some reason, they were all recruited to work for Donald Trump?

Why?

Why did they choose to keep their Russian relationship so quiet and close to their vest? They were even willing to lie about it under oath, as did Sessions. Were they ordered to keep it "secret" by Donald Trump? Was that a requirement in order to work for him?

The "secret" that no one seems to know the truth about is why Donald Trump has such an affinity for Russia and Putin?? Even those that work for him, and speak with the Russians thru back channels, probably do not know the full truth about what Donald's goal is with Russia?

It should be obvious by now that Donald's "secret" is about money. The money trail goes thru Russia in some manner or other, probably keeping his "investments" afloat. The Presidency is just a venue to make more money for Donald Trump.

That is most likely the "secret" that has generated so much silence and cover-up. It is about money, plain and simple.

[malaise]

1. Great post

Off to the greatest - truth will out

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Oil and money

From the time of Sydney Riley, oil interests have worked to overcome geopolitical boundaries.
Armand Hammer oil CEO traveled freely between Moscow and the US through most of the Cold War.
Oil and money are universal lubricants.

[watoos]

3. Why do they keep saying

that the Steele dossier has been totally debunked when that is a lie? The Steele dossier predicted the change in the GOP platform regarding arms support for Ukraine.

Most interesting to me in the dossier is the report about Putin giving Trump a piece of Rosneft in return for lifting sanctions. I have always said follow the money is the best way to nail Trump, and Kushner as well.

Mueller's team is well equipped to go down the money trail.

[lastlib]

18. I think they have 19.5 billion reasons to keep it secret.

Rosneft sold $19.5 billion of its stock in December to a Caymans shell corporation, hiding the identities of the real buyers. I have little doubt myself that the real beneficiaries of that deal are tRump cohorts, profiting off the eventual lifting of sanctions.

[kentuck]

21. My gut tells me you are very close.

There's a lot of money in that Russian oil company.

[nikibatts]

4. BINGO!!

[yardwork]

5. Billions in oil money. Russia "annexed" Crimea to get the port.

Russia wants to build an oil pipeline through Crimea to the port. The sanctions that Obama imposed are preventing that. Putin has bought the White House and Congress and installed Republicans who are in on the deal.

Trump, Pence, Sessions, Mitch McConnell and most of the rest of Trump's cabinet and Republican leadership are in on the deal.

I'm not sure about Ryan. He may just be along for the ride.

[NCjack]

30. It's the deal of the century, and Pres. Obama stopped it in its tracks. Wonder why

#45 hates Pres. Obama so much? Because #45 gets a big commission if he gets American sanctions lifted so the deal goes forward.

Thank you Pres. Obama for NOT accepting a Russian bribe and making #45's bribe difficult to deliver.

[DownriverDem]

6. Yep

"Follow the money" is where the investigation needs to go.

[babylonsister]

7. Everything dt does has to do with money.

Making it, borrowing it, spending it. Once we all accept that, I think it'll be a quick unraveling for the feds. 'Follow the money' isn't just an empty phrase.

[ginnyinWI]

23. money and power--

which in his world amounts to the same thing.

[mgardener]

8. Tax returns

Would tell some, but not all of the story.

He does not see our country.
He sees business opportunities for himself, his family and his business associates.
Any fool that thinks he cares about them because of 'jobs' is delusional. He is a taker and always has been

[Cosmocat]

10. The next time he does anything for someone

Not named Trump will literally be the first.

This has been plainly obvious for his entire life.

Really highlights how much the conservative media complex has sucked the soul out of this country that 1/3 of us actually votes for him and another 1/3 basically could not be bothered to vote against him.

[Skittles]

11. correct

What does it say about so many Americans that they were so easily fooled?

[DefenseLawyer]

9. Trump lives on credit

When one goes bankrupt multiple times traditional sources of credit dry up. One must seek out "creative" sources of financing, like say, organized crime- Perhaps the guys from Russia that have been laundering money through your casinos and your overpriced condos for years. Of course arrangements like this are more of a "lifetime commitment" than a simple loan, but hey, it keeps the barge afloat.

[BumRushDaShow]

13. THIS

He and his son-in-law are in hock up the wazoo.

[annabanana]

27. yeah, most likely.. Have heard that RICO may be involved

in the investigation.
(You have to treat criminal enterprises like mobs after all)

[american_ideals]

12. At first money, then became about hurting America

It started by being about money.
But many more crimes were committed along the way. Now the Russians are friends to the administration (see Lavrov/Kisylak white house meeting) and most of America are enemies.

[kentuck]

14. That is why so many are determined to get to the bottom of it.

Do not conspire with the Russians to impact our lives and not expect the people to speak up.

[Butterflylady]

15. It's about money alright.

Call me crazy, but I think Trump had to swear alligence to the communist party. Maybe we should be calling him Commrade Trump.

[ewagner]

16. You're right...

It's the money....

Trump owes his soul to Russian Oligarchs...they bailed him out and they continue to do so...

great post...

[Vinca]

17. It has to be money related. How Flynn got involved is a mystery.

After Trump's bankruptcies and the 2008 crash, he went begging. American banks weren't interested in donating to his family. I imagine Russian money is keeping the crime family afloat. But Flynn's just weird. It's like the conspiracy theories took over and he lost all rational thought.

[kentuck]

20. I think the fact that he was the former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency...

...may have played a part? He knew a lot of "intelligence".

Until Obama fired him...

[ResistantAmerican17]

19. Donald "Tiny Hands" Drumph is terrified

That the world will discover that he is debt-ridden grifter. The father of corrupt, morally bankrupt children who embody his immoral sense of entitlement. And a complete and total imbecile.

[ginnyinWI]

24. what I like best about this is that Mueller can get those tax records. nt

[ResistantAmerican17]

26. Drumph will soil himself if those tax records come out

You can bluster and bluff your way with minions and acolytes but the IRS can make your life hell on earth! I hope with all my being that those returns come out!!!

[ResistantAmerican17]

22. Oh, I forgot

History's darkest stain on the office of the Presidency! Yes, I delight in his misery and I hope he and his brood are destroyed by his antics.

[Rene]

25. and what was Jill Stein doing at that same dinner table

Did she receive Russian monies for messing with our election?

[kentuck]

28. We would have to assume that she was paid by RT, just like Flynn?

Right?

But what would they have paid her for? Perhaps she only had to promise to stay in the race until the very end? Thereby taking away enough votes from Clinton to maybe affect a state or two, here or there??

[chimpymustgo]

38. And Stein's phony "recount" just helped to "authenticate" the stolen election. There's no way Trump

and all these Rethug Senators won the election. We have GOT to establish an HONEST, verifiable voting system.

More reporting needs to be done on the money flowing into the the Rethugs' and Stein's coffers. Scott Dworkin has done a bit on it. They are ALL swimming in Russian money and are walking in LOCKSTEP. NO defections on ANY matters.

[dawnie51]

29. Dump had never met Tillerson.....

prior to this debacle. I would bet he had never met 90 percent of the people he is now surrounded by. Had no clue as to who they are or what they are up to. But here they all are, sitting at the throne of power. Who put them there? As for how all this was accomplished, don't forget, Ms. Ivanka and her Putin loving bestie, posing for pics in Europe. Not hard to communicate when the whole family is involved and scurrying all over the world

[alarimer]

31. I think you are right about the money.

Venality explains it all. These people are not ideological in the same sense that Bush or Cheney were. I'm not sure any of them really care about what's in the best interests of the country, only what they stand to gain.

[ginnyinWI]

34. Money is their only god.

It's the way they measure success or failure, and nothing and nobody else matters. It's why we have heartless corporations who pollute and suck the life out of the rest of the world.

I notice that when one of these Republicans goes out of office, they always go work for some corporation. Democrats out of office generally go work in institutions of higher learning. It's money v.s. people.

[bresue]

32. It is crazy and bizarre Dump's actions to hide this secret....

and his minions....

[lambchopp59]

33. Hyperbolic obfuscatory propaganda storm on all RW media... hmm... precisely.

Add in the daily tweetstorms, aside from the suspiciously timed silence during the Comey testimony, continuously overloading the public with information no matter how banal the details. Subtract all that, "tear down The Wall" and the Donnie is left in diapers giggling with baby Melania and Kelly Anne turned sudden silence followed by "nuuuu-thing (to see here)" when the FBI hints at "Kids? What are you doing?"
Donnie's grin has never been so big at self-congratulatory interludes, his obfuscation game never so hyperactive than just after his nightmares haunt him...
Fellow altruistic liberals, have you shaken your head daily, getting headaches from the sheer number of facepalms since November?: Qualifier:
I'm going to make a bit of sexist observation here so I'm going to make it clear to anyone who wants to "report" this that I'm projecting what I've felt all along about the real Donald Trump an exercise into jumping into the depraved persona that this jagoff seems to project so, all caps for a moment DON'T READ THIS TO THE KIDS:
Handwringing p^ssyhound has consistently utilized his born to wealth status to satisfy his attention cravings, no matter how depraved. T-Daddy gave him plenty to start the illusion of "rich", really, really rich." Having an ego stroked beyond the pale has produced how many power and influence hungry a narcissist madman before?
No matter the bankruptcies, Donnie's always been beholden to someone, didn't matter whom. Ripped off dozens of Americans without shame. Any without the means to fight at high level litigious battles, screwed. With every shady deal, with every contractor left unpaid and with his connections?
Of course its about cash. Dough. Sick with greed to the extent that there is no socially conscious line left uncrossed to keep himself in the limelight. This 2016 was the "no such thing as bad publicity" proof election. Blatant greed married to the most draconian anti-distributive liberalism, short term monetary gain-isms by the bucketful, in a futile attempt to get the debt monkey off his back... All to end up with a bigger monkey. Every time.
Damn poor timing for a nutjob to go postal, handing this illusory hyperbolic propaganda storm ammunition.

[wiggs]

35. that's why obstruction is just symptom of the disease. The disease is what needs investigation. nt

[Moral Compass]

36. Excellent post

My theory is that without Russia providing ongoing operating capital Trump was essentially broke. The run for the Presidency was a ploy to keep the machine in motion so the bills wouldn't come due.

The Russians offered to keep the money flowing given the campaign. Even though his margins from all these premium properties were razor thin if there were any profits at all.

Take Doral for example. Trump buys it, sink millions into a "renovation" of the golf and the club. The Doral tournament which is what made the club standout in an area choked high end golf club stayed for one year after the renovation/redesign and then cut Donald loose. There were two reasons: the PGA doesn't share the stage and ; the tournament pros hated the new Doral. The PGA moved the tournament to Mexico City. I would love to see the books for that single property. Would bet it isn't pretty.

Trump's businesses are, in the aggregate, very complicated--by design.

They are also very real estate and brand heavy. Of the two, the more liquid is the brand. Real estate can seem very impressive, but the value depends on many variables that cannot be controlled. The one thing that is controllable is purchase price. We know Mar a Lago was a great buy, but what about the others? And when you look at the cost of all the improvements at any of his properties (the ones that Trump International actually own) when you add up the costs of improvements and the ongoing operating costs how in the black is Trump?

Since we cannot see his books or tax returns we can only speculate. My theory is that he is close to insolvent and may have made a devil's deal with the Russians.

That would explain defending Putin, ongoing meetings with Russians by his staff, declaring NATO to be obsolete during the campaign, his hiring of Manafort and then Flynn... The list is alarmingly long.

Most of it makes sense only if you view it from the context of someone that is in massive debt to the Russian oligarchs. Then it starts to snap into place.

It is terrifying too. If my theory is correct then Trump will do almost anything to avoid having the full bill come due. That includes selling America to Russia.

[Pluvious]

37. Was is not Paul Manafort who engineered the selection of our VP ?

If so, perhaps they've prepared a backup plan for if/when all the Russian money machinations become exposed...

[chimpymustgo]

39. Yes, indeed. Manafort is the tie that binds. And they've gone to great lengths to try to keep Pence

"appear" clean.

[kentuck]

40. He did just get a lawyer.

I wonder if Mueller has spoken with General Michael Flynn??

[chimpymustgo]

41. A lawyer who's close to Comey...who's close to Mueller...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/06/16/pences-lawyer-is-the-godfather-of-comeys-daughter-thats-the-swamp-for-you/?utm_term=.ead9c38e7407

-edit-

For three years, Cullen worked at a Richmond law firm with a central figure of the Russia investigation: FBI Director James B. Comey, who was just fired by Pence’s boss, President Trump.

And not only is Cullen his “close associate,” as news reports described, but he is also the godfather of one of Comey’s daughters.

“So swampy,” one Twitter user said. “What a tangled web we weave …” tweeted another.

-edit-

Hmmmmm....