Source: U S Treasury Press Release


December 5, 2019

Washington – Today the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action against Evil Corp, the Russia-based cybercriminal organization responsible for the development and distribution of the Dridex malware. Evil Corp has used the Dridex malware to infect computers and harvest login credentials from hundreds of banks and financial institutions in over 40 countries, causing more than $100 million in theft. This malicious software has caused millions of dollars of damage to U.S. and international financial institutions and their customers. Concurrent with OFAC’s action, the Department of Justice charged two of Evil Corp’s members with criminal violations, and the Department of State announced a reward for information up to $5 million leading to the capture or conviction of Evil Corp’s leader. These U.S. actions were carried out in close coordination with the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA). Additionally, based on information obtained by the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), the Treasury Department’s Office of Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection (OCCIP) released previously unreported indicators of compromise associated with the Dridex malware and its use against the financial services sector.

“Treasury is sanctioning Evil Corp as part of a sweeping action against one of the world’s most prolific cybercriminal organizations. This coordinated action is intended to disrupt the massive phishing campaigns orchestrated by this Russian-based hacker group,” said Steven T. Mnuchin, Secretary of the Treasury. “OFAC’s action is part of a multiyear effort with key NATO allies, including the United Kingdom. Our goal is to shut down Evil Corp, deter the distribution of Dridex, target the “money mule” network used to transfer stolen funds, and ultimately to protect our citizens from the group’s criminal activities.”

Worldwide, cybercrime results in losses that total in the billions of dollars, while in the United States, financial institutions and other businesses remain prime targets for cybercriminals. Today’s action clarifies that, in addition to his involvement in financially motivated cybercrime, the group’s leader, Maksim Yakubets, also provides direct assistance to the Russian government’s malicious cyber efforts, highlighting the Russian government’s enlistment of cybercriminals for its own malicious purposes. Maksim Yakubets is not the first cybercriminal to be tied to the Russian government. In 2017, the Department of Justice indicted two Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers and their criminal conspirators for compromising millions of Yahoo email accounts. The United States Government will not tolerate this type of activity by another government or its proxies and will continue to hold all responsible parties accountable.

Today’s designations and indictments were issued in furtherance of previous international actions targeting Evil Corp in an effort to further disrupt and degrade the group’s ability to operate. In October 2015, the Department of Justice indicted Andrey Ghinkul for spreading the Dridex malware. At that same time, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the NCA disrupted the global infrastructure utilized at the time by Evil Corp. Over the past several years, the NCA and the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police Service have arrested multiple individuals who enabled the activities of Evil Corp, including laundering stolen proceeds acquired through the Dridex malware.

As a result of today’s designations, all property and interests in property of these persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them. Additionally, any entities 50 percent or more owned by one or more designated persons are also blocked. Foreign persons may be subject to secondary sanctions for knowingly facilitating a significant transaction or transactions with these designated persons.

Read more: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm845

Source: Guardian

Students and alumni from Harvard and Yale disrupted the annual football game between the two elite universities on Saturday, occupying the field in New Haven, Connecticut, at half-time and demanding the colleges divest from fossil fuels.

A group of more than 100 protesters planned to stall the high-profile game for as long as possible, probably resulting in their arrests.

. . . "They believe that they can engage with these companies and get them to change their fundamentally extractive business models, which we think comes from a place of naivety amounting to gross negligence," Nora Heaphy, an undergraduate at Yale, said.

"It's absurd to make those kinds of claims. So since then our campaign has moved away from administrative engagement, recognizing that it is often a stalling tactic."


Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/23/harvard-yale-football-game-protest-fossil-fuels

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Right on!


https://twitter.com/Joelsherman1/status/1198318294396215296/photo/

No, Vice President Pence, the American people do not have the transcript of the President's call. You have misspoken.

Pence this morning answering a question about his involvement in the extortion scandal:

"You know, the American people have the transcript of the President's call and . . ."

"And for people who have questions, again, they can look at the transcript."

Reporters have to ask Pence when Trump will release the transcript. They have to ask Trump when he will release the transcript. They have to ask the gutless defenders in Congress and elsewhere when will Trump release the transcript. Then when they play dumb about 'already released', say No, we mean the one hidden away, when will you release the full transcript so "the American people have the transcript"?

It's not just semantics or technicalities, it's cover-up and normalizing lies and deceit.

Of course, there is much more to the extortion scandal, a great deal more evidence from many sources of a wide conspiracy of pressure and bribery. But don't let them get away with perpetuating false claims about facts to manipulate public opinion, dammit!



(Pence in New Hampshire this morning, questions start at 43:40)
https://www.c-span.org/video/?466163-1/vice-president-pence-files-hampshire-primary-paperwork-president-trump

Geoff Bennett@GeoffRBennett


House investigators have added another witness to the schedule for Thursday, November 7: Jennifer Williams, Special Advisor for Europe and Russia, Office of the Vice President


https://twitter.com/GeoffRBennett/status/1191535705454985216


Dum Da-Dum Dum

Mitt Romney operates a secret Twitter account where he defends himself against critics and slams Trump's policies

Mitt Romney admitted that he operates a secret Twitter account where he slams President Donald Trump's policies and defends himself against critics.

Slate's Ashley Feinberg uncovered an account which operated under the handle @qaws9876, and went by the name Pierre Delecto. The account, which has since been made private, joined Twitter in July 2011, one month after Romney announced his presidential campaign.

According to screenshots of the account provided by Slate, Delecto's Twitter activity involved defending Romney against critics, slamming Trump's policies including his decision to withdraw US troops from Syria, and liking dozens of tweets from official Mitt Romney pages.

Romney, one of few Republicans in Congress who has openly criticized Trump, admitted that he operates a "lurker" account on Twitter to The Atlantic's McKay Coppins in a profile published by the outlet on Sunday.

https://www.businessinsider.com/mitt-romney-pierre-delecto-secret-twitter-account-2019-10


https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/10/mitt-romney-has-a-secret-twitter-account-and-it-sure-looks-like-its-this-one.html

Friday, October 18, 2019

Why Can't A Democrat Be More Like A Republican?

Every Never Trumper blissfully pretending the Republican party isn't what it is:

Democrats are irrational, that's all there is to that!
There heads are full of cotton, hay, and rags!
They're nothing but exasperating, irritating
Vacillating, calculating, agitating
Maddening and infuriating hags!

Republicans are so honest, so thoroughly square;
Eternally noble, historic'ly fair;
Who, when you win, will always give your back a pat
Well, why can't a Democrat be like that?
Why does ev'ryone do what the others do?
Can't a Democrat learn to use her head?
Why do they do ev'rything their mothers do?
Why don't they grow up- well, like their father instead?
Why can't a Democrat take after a Republican?
Republicans are so pleasant, so easy to please;
Whenever you are with them, you're always at ease

by Atrios at 12:23


https://www.eschatonblog.com/2019/10/why-cant-democrat-be-more-like.html


( with h/t to My Fair Lady )

https://twitter.com/Rob_Malley/status/1183051838389673985


https://twitter.com/wendyrsherman/status/1183054600204619776

Source: CNN



Subpoenas issued in impeachment inquiry following blocking of ambassador deposition

By Jeremy Herb, Katelyn Polantz and Manu Raju, CNN

Updated 6:35 PM ET, Tue October 8, 2019

(CNN)House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff on Tuesday called the State Department's blocking testimony of a key witness "strong evidence of obstruction" of Democrats' impeachment investigation, and the move prompted House Democrats to issue a subpoena in response.

The State Department on Tuesday directed US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland not to testify before Congress, scrambling Democrats' impeachment investigation and raising questions about whether they will be able to obtain testimony from other witnesses. But Schiff's sharp response to Sondland's absence is a sign of the escalating impeachment fight between the White House and Democrats.

"The failure to produce this witness, the failure to produce these documents, we consider yet additional strong evidence of obstruction of the constitutional functions of Congress," Schiff told reporters.
In addition to blocking Sondland's testimony, Schiff said the ambassador indicated he had text messages or emails on a personal device provided to the State Department that State was withholding from Congress.

The subpoena issued Tuesday evening demanded Sondland turn over documents by Monday, October 14, and appear for a deposition on Wednesday, October 16.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/08/politics/gordon-sondland-house-impeachment/index.html

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The tempo, she is picking up.