Russian firm linked to 'Putin's chef' pleads not guilty in Mueller probe

[pnwmom]

Source: The Hill

A Russian company charged in special counsel Robert Mueller’s sprawling probe into Russian interference in the presidential election pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal charges related to the spreading of divisive content on social media.

A U.S. attorney for the company, Concord Management and Consulting LLC, offered the not guilty plea at an initial appearance and arraignment in federal court in Washington, D.C., before Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey.

The indictment, unveiled in February, alleges that the so-called Internet Research Agency and individuals and entities associated with it knowingly and intentionally conspired with one another “to defraud the United States by impairing, obstructing, and defeating the lawful functions of the government through fraud and deceit for the purpose of interfering with the U.S. political and electoral processes, including the presidential election of 2016.”

It alleges that Concord Management funded the operation of the Internet Research Agency, a Russian troll farm that spread divisive content on social media to U.S. audiences as part of a broader plot to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/386959-russian-firm-linked-to-putins-chef-pleads-not-guilty-in-mueller-probe

[BigmanPigman]

1. If they are found guilty than what happens?

They can't be jailed, fines don't matter and sanctions aren't enforced.

[Leghorn21]

2. Immaculate researcher SpicyFiles downloaded and posted documents, emails and letters

related to this case on Saturday. The documents are from the Pacer (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website.

Here’s just a fraction of Spicy’s post:

In which we find out on April 11, 2018, “counsel entered appearances on behalf of one of the defendants, Concord [Caterting]“ and the Special Counsel discloses:

“...counsel sent broad-ranging requests for information to the government. Counsel sought a bill of particulars, demanding 51 categories of information, including details about online platforms the government has discovered, individuals believed to have been involved in charged and uncharged activity, and names of potential witnesses.”

requested discovery, including of all statements, recordings, or electronic surveillance of Concord officers and employees,

Attachment B, at 1-3, and, as “a predicate” to motions practice, information about more than 70 years of American foreign policy—“each and every instance” from “1945 to present” where the U.S. government “engaged in operations to interfere with elections and political processes in any foreign country,” (emphasis added)

All documents can be seen here:

https://maddogpac.com/blogs/spicy-files/internet-reseach-group-et-al-indictment-updated

The chef’s reps want, among other things,...“information about more than 70 years of American foreign policy...”

Unbelievable. I sure feel bad for Mr. Muller & Co., I don’t think they were expecting any of this -
.....

[pnwmom]

3. Thanks, Leghorn21!

[pnwmom]

4. I don't feel bad for Mueller. I think they'll be ready for this and anything else

that gets thrown at them.

American foreign policy over the last decades is NOT relevant to this case. It's just a PR stunt, designed to appeal to the what-about crowd.

[Leghorn21]

5. Copy, mom - it just felt as if Mueller & Co. were slammed with all these requests for info,

and then last Sat. I think it was, when they requested a delay in order to respond to them, and then the judge said, NOPE, and so the hearing today went ahead as planned...

Hey, I have no understanding of all this, and certainly can see the insanity of requesting 70+ years of foreign policy info!? - I think the judge refusing a delay made me nervous as hell, though -


BUT, I know you know your stuff, and if you say Mr. Muller can deal, I am only too happy to relax and believe what you say here!!

No need to reply to this, and thanks for all the work you do!!!


“A federal judge has rejected special counsel Robert Mueller’s request to delay the first court hearing in a criminal case charging three Russian companies and 13 Russian citizens with using social media and other means to foment strife among Americans in advance of the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

In a brief order Saturday evening, U.S. District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich offered no explanation for her decision to deny a request prosecutors made Friday to put off the scheduled Wednesday arraignment for Concord Management and Consulting, one of the three firms charged in the case.

Snip

On Friday, Mueller’s prosecutors disclosed that Concord’s attorneys, Eric Dubelier and Kate Seikaly, had made a slew of discovery requests demanding nonpublic details about the case and the investigation. Prosecutors also asked a judge to postpone the formal arraignment of Concord Management set for next week.

The prosecution team sought the delay on the grounds that it’s unclear whether Concord Management formally accepted the court summons related to the case. Mueller’s prosecutors also revealed that they tried to deliver the summonses for Concord and IRA through the Russian government, without success.”

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/04/mueller-russia-interference-election-case-delay-570627