However, the first thing I want to point out is that this is, indeed, about DoJ and, therefore, Bill Barr. The indictment was returned by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia, but the prosecutors handling the case do NOT work for the US Attorney for the District of Columbia--they're attached to the Public Integrity Section of DoJ's Criminal Division. That means, IMO, that this case is going places.
With that firmly in mind, read this, from News Thud (h/t, again, to TGP):
Bill Barr just dropped the hammer on the hypocritical Democrats and this wound will take years to heal.
Bill Barr just broke up a massive scheme to illegally funnel foreign money into darn near every Democratic political candidate and organization.
The list of the Dem organizations taking this illegal money is astounding – almost every Dem state organization and many super PAC’s including the big one Priorities USA.
All of the leading names in the Democratic party took in this money including Adam Schiff and Ted Lieu, Jon Tester, Cory Booker, Hillary Clinton, etc.
A real rogues gallery if ever there was.
To add insult to Adam Schiff’s injury, one of those charged is George Nader a key witness in the Mueller investigation.
Nader is a convicted child molester. Nader works as a straw man for the middle east sheiks and it is clear now he was to influence certain members of Trump’s team as well as the entire Democratic party establishment.
Can anyone count the number of times I've reminded people of Barr's past statements that Hillary Clinton's shenanigans were more worthy of investigation than the Russia Hoax nonsense. He was saying that before he was ever even nominated to be AG. And now he's following up.
Have we ever seen an AG like this before?
Reminder: This is about foreign money. Here's a link to TGP's earlier blog on Nader: Mueller Star Witness George Nader Indicted on Child Sex Charges Now Reportedly Involved in Funneling Millions Illegally to Hillary Campaign in 2016.
Any questions about the many reasons that have got Dem knickers totally in a knot?
Wanna bet that the FBI has done some interesting telecom investigation in this case?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
California CEO and Seven Others Charged in Multi-Million Dollar Conduit Campaign Contribution Case
Earlier today, an indictment was unsealed against the CEO of an online payment processing company, and seven others, charging them with conspiring to make and conceal conduit and excessive campaign contributions, and related offenses, during the U.S. presidential election in 2016 and thereafter.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Assistant Director in Charge Timothy R. Slater of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement.
A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia indicted Ahmad “Andy” Khawaja, 48, of Los Angeles, California, on Nov. 7, 2019, along with George Nader, Roy Boulos, Rudy Dekermenjian, Mohammad “Moe” Diab, Rani El-Saadi, Stevan Hill and Thayne Whipple. The 53 count indictment charges Khawaja with two counts of conspiracy, three counts of making conduit contributions, three counts of causing excessive contributions, 13 counts of making false statements, 13 counts of causing false records to be filed, and one count of obstruction of a federal grand jury investigation. Nader is charged with conspiring with Khawaja to make conduit campaign contributions, and related offenses. Boulos, Dekermenjian, Diab, El-Saadi, Hill, and Whipple are charged with conspiring with Khawaja and each other to make conduit campaign contributions and conceal excessive contributions, and related offenses.
According to the indictment, from March 2016 through January 2017, Khawaja conspired with Nader to conceal the source of more than $3.5 million in campaign contributions, directed to political committees associated with a candidate for President of the United States in the 2016 election. [Hint: They're not talking about Donald J. Trump!] By design, these contributions appeared to be in the names of Khawaja, his wife, and his company. In reality, they allegedly were funded by Nader. Khawaja and Nader allegedly made these contributions in an effort to gain influence with high-level political figures, including the candidate. As Khawaja and Nader arranged these payments, Nader allegedly reported to an official from a foreign government about his efforts to gain influence.
The indictment also alleges that, from March 2016 through 2018, Khawaja conspired with Boulos, Dekermenjian, Diab, El-Saadi, Hill, and Whipple to conceal Khawaja’s excessive contributions, which totaled more than $1.8 million, to various political committees. Among other things, these contributions allegedly allowed Khawaja to host a private fundraiser for a presidential candidate in 2016 and a private fundraising dinner for an elected official in 2018.
The indictment further alleges that, from June 2019 through July 2019, Khawaja obstructed a grand jury investigation of this matter in the District of Columbia. Knowing that a witness had been called to testify before the grand jury, Khawaja allegedly provided that witness with false information about Nader and his connection to Khawaja’s company. Boulos, Diab, Hill, and Whipple also are charged with obstructing the grand jury’s investigation by lying to the FBI.
Currently, Nader is in federal custody on other charges.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. It merely alleges that crimes have been committed. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office is investigating the case and Deputy Chief John D. Keller and Trial Attorneys James C. Mann and Michael J. Romano of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the case.
You can see a list of all the donations here. It's about as long as my arm, and it's all Dems.
Here’s how the NYT is spinning this (and the photo at the top of the article is of Nader and President Trump:
ReplyDeleteAn influential political power broker who was a witness named in the Mueller report was among eight people charged with conspiring to conceal the source of excessive contributions to groups supporting Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, the Justice Department announced on Tuesday.
Prosecutors say George Nader, a Lebanese-American businessman who was a cooperating witness in Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, conspired with Ahmad “Andy” Khawaja, the owner of an online payments company, to conceal more than $3.5 million in donations to the groups. The donations let Mr. Khawaja gain access to Mrs. Clinton during the campaign, and he also visited with President Trump in the Oval Office, according to an investigation by The Associated Press last year.
The indictment, unsealed on Tuesday, does not name Mrs. Clinton as the candidate who received the donations. But the indictment refers to a female candidate, and donor records indicate Mr. Khawaja gave Democrats and a political action committee supporting Mrs. Clinton millions of dollars.
Mr. Nader, who has been a frequent visitor to Mr. Trump’s White House, has spent decades working in international diplomacy. He was an informal adviser to the United Arab Emirates’ crown prince, and he was depicted in the Mueller report as a power broker who would connect people associated with the Trump administration to interests in the Middle East and Russia. Mr. Nader frequently met with administration officials, including Stephen K. Bannon and Jared Kushner, and helped steer some White House policies.
More here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/04/us/politics/george-nader-ahmad-khawaja.html
Right. At least they're straightforward about the money going to Clinton. But when it comes to Trump, this looks like just one more dry hole, one among so many.
DeleteIt looks like Trump flipped a Democrat bagman:
ReplyDeleteYahoo's version of this story includes a photo of the indicted bagman Khawaja - in the Oval Office with TRUMP.
Khawaja is indicted but "Khawaja’s whereabouts are unknown."
Yahoo: "Mueller witness bragged about access to Clintons secured with illegal campaign cash, says Justice Department"
Tx. As usual, Trump seems to keep his hands clean. The story attributes influence through Broidy for Tillerson's firing but
Delete1) makes no mention of money and
2) Tillerson was on thin ice with Trump very early on for many reasons.
I wonder, during the Obama administration, did the NYT ever named someone as a frequent visitor to the WH... much less someone with dirty laundry tied to the opposition party...
ReplyDeleteThat's a rhetorical question.
Ya mean like the Rev. Al?
DeleteThis news may support the theory of CTH reader Dutchman, that DJT will clean house, less by direct action vs. D.S. people, than by attacking their real paymasters' laundering etc. routes, see
ReplyDeletehttps://theconservativetreehouse.com/2019/12/08/varying-expectations-for-ig-horowitz-report-the-convenient-application-of-intent/comment-page-4/#comments :
"I am ‘pessimistic’ about perp walks, yet optimistic about the outcome, and don’t feel any ambiguity in that position.
To me, it isn’t about the ‘small group’ facing consequences, it is about the large group, that countenanced and ordered the Coup, that finance the ongoing effort, and the underlieing system; that system, and those at the top must be dismantled and discredited, forever.
And THAT is what I see happening, and why I am optimistic."
I believe it was you and I the other day commenting on that, to the effect: If the Horowitz report falls short of a positive endorsement of FBI actions--which I very much believe it will--then the public will recognize that Trump has been treated unfairly and that the FBI behaved corruptly. Exoneration of criminal liability won't do the trick.
DeleteLast year Trump signed an EO, allowing them to seize assets of persons engaged in trafficking and other crimes. An effective way to stop the money flow.
DeleteHaving a plant in the White House to give intel to your campaign as what Reagan had in Carter's admin is a dirty political trick.
DeleteFaking criminal charges against a political opponent and then continuing it on the same as president culminating in fraudulent impeachment articled is criminal and seditious. Such actors are truly enemies of the state and should face the full consequences of trying a coup.
OK.
DeleteAny thoughts, on Dutchman on DJT's pursuit of the "large group" funding the Coup, and of the whole underlying systemic corruption?
Well, it's a no-brainer that Trump can't simply clean house--most of the people involved have civil service protection.
Delete@TexasDude
Delete"Having a plant in the White House to give intel to your campaign as what Reagan had in Carter's admin is a dirty political trick."
You mean, like planting Stefan Halper in your opponent's campaign?
https://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/07/us/reagan-aides-describe-operation-to-gather-inside-data-on-carter.html
I read Patrick A. Cipillone's letter to Chairman Nadler. What a rhetorical tour-de-force. I wonder if it gave Nadler pause. Maybe he just stated at the letter with that vacuous look of his or maybe he nodded off.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GBLbGEK_So
ReplyDeleteGreat interview of Dershowitz by Levin on the 'Schiff' case for impeachment. I'm increasingly a big Dersh fan for his logic, clarity and honesty.
Really enjoyed it.
Delete