Cocktails & Popcorn: DOJ Busts A Russian Republican Party In Detroit - Mariia Butina, Saul Anuzis & Michigan GOP Child Welfare Fraud

Welcome to Michigan.

Please make sure to fasten your seat belts because we are about to have the largest Cocktails* & Popcorn event in the history of this nation, right here, in Detroit.

I told you I had international intentions for Detroit because I was born here, and I am the original source.

Saul and the Michigan GOP crew have been rather naughty.

I wonder if this is anything to do with the trafficking of tiny humans in Michigan, no, no, no, I may not limit myself to such an exclusive governmental jurisdiction, I must include the entire U.S. and international child welfare NGOs along with their "corporate parents" who just so happen to be privatized Public Private Partnerships of Corporate Shape Shifters investing in those complex financial real estate fraud schemes, including having to deal with those pesky children's trust funds.

Smooches!

Russian National Charged in Conspiracy to Act as an Agent of the Russian Federation Within the United States

 WASHINGTON – A criminal complaint was unsealed today in the District of Columbia charging a Russian national with conspiracy to act as an agent of the Russian Federation within the United States without prior notification to the Attorney General.

The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu, and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.        

Mariia Butina, 29, a Russian citizen residing in Washington D.C., was arrested on July 15, 2018, in Washington, D.C., and made her initial appearance this afternoon before Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She was ordered held pending a hearing set for July 18, 2018.        

According to the affidavit in support of the complaint, from as early as 2015 and continuing through at least February 2017, Butina worked at the direction of a high-level official in the Russian government who was previously a member of the legislature of the Russian Federation and later became a top official at the Russian Central Bank.  This Russian official was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control in April 2018.        

The court filings detail the Russian official’s and Butina’s efforts for Butina to act as an agent of Russia inside the United States by developing relationships with U.S. persons and infiltrating organizations having influence in American politics, for the purpose of advancing the interests of the Russian Federation. The filings also describe certain actions taken by Butina to further this effort during multiple visits from Russia and, later, when she entered and resided in the United States on a student visa. The filings allege that she undertook her activities without officially disclosing the fact that she was acting as an agent of Russian government, as required by law.        

The charges in criminal complaints are merely allegations and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The maximum penalty for conspiracy is five years.  The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes.  If convicted of any offense, a defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.        

The investigation into this matter was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

DOJ Russian Espionage Indictment of Butina Mariia - Affidavit - July 2018 by Beverly Tran on Scribd

DOJ Russian Espionage Complaint of Butina Mariia - Complaint - July 2018 by Beverly Tran on Scribd

* Cocktails do not always have to contain alcohol, so the party will be kid friendly.  Gotta invite the children.  Children are our most precious treasures, you know.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

All Hail The Whistleblowers: Mariia Butina Gets 18 Months In A SCIF

Kalashnikov is not just for guns in Detroit

I believe Mariia is going to be a whistleblower.

She knows lots of stuff.

Did you know prisons are great Secured Compartmented Information Facilities?

#freemariabutina

RUSSIAN NATIONAL MARIA BUTINA SENTENCED TO 9 MORE MONTHS IN PRISON

Russian national Maria Butina was sentenced to 18 months in prison Friday after pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge Dec. 13.

She’ll get credit for nine months already served, reported The Hill.

The Justice Department recommended an 18-month prison sentence for Butina April 19. Prosecutors claim she helped the Russian government by reporting back to Moscow on political figures in the U.S.

Butina has been in jail since her arrest in July. Her attorneys asked that she receive time served ahead of the sentencing, reported ABC News. She will likely be deported to Russia when she is released from prison.

(RELATED: A Christian Businesswoman Says She Has Been Wrongly Imprisoned In Kuwait Since 2018)

Butina’s story has attracted media attention for prosecutors’ spy novel-esque claims. Federal prosecutors walked back accusations in September that Butina offered “sex in exchange for a position within a special interest organization.” However, Butina admitted that she worked on behalf of the Russian government from 2015 through 2017 under the direction of a Russian government official identified as Alexander Torshin.

“Butina’s work involved building a rolodex of and information about powerful people who had, or were likely to get, access to and influence over the next presidential administration,” prosecutors said in a filing earlier in April. “Butina’s reports back to the Russian Official on the people she was meeting have all the hallmarks of spotting-and-assessing reports.”

There has been speculation Russia is detaining a U.S. citizen as leverage because of Butina’s case. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has denied that Paul Whelan is being held for a possible prisoner swap, reported The Associated Press.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

How Come The Kremlin Will Not Represent Mariia Butina?

Well, this is quite interesting.

If Maria was actually working for the Russian Federation as an official employee/agent, then that would mean the Kremlin would provide her with legal representation.

But they did not because she came in on a student VISA.

Or, was she an employee of a private corporation, or one of those Public Private Partnerships, considering the fact that these Quasi-Governmental Organizations (that do not incorporate) started in Russia, while going to school, if she was in school.

So, this means she was not engaged in espionage and is not an agent of a foreign government, unless that foreign government is another nation state other than Russia.

More than likely, it is just a bank.

Maybe it would be a conflict of interest if the Kremlin provided her legal counsel, if the same political infiltration schemes were used in Russian political organizations.

But, hey, what do I know?

I know the Kremlin is advocating for her human rights as a citizen of Russia and letting the world know the state of our prison system.

Perhaps, the Michigan GOP or the NRA can start a legal defense fund for her.

#FreeMariaButina

Maria Butina: Judge appoints another lawyer to advise Russian national in conspiracy case

WASHINGTON – A federal judge appointed an additional lawyer on Thursday to advise Maria Butina, a Russian national charged with conspiracy and acting as the agent of a foreign government.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan appointed public defender A.J. Kramer as an advisory counsel to Butina without further explanation. The move came after Chutkan held a phone conference with Butina's defense lawyers, Robert Driscoll and Alfred Carry, and assistant U.S. attorneys Erik Kenreson and Thomas Saunders.

Butina has until Dec. 10 to argue why the transcript of the phone conference shouldn't be made public.

Chutkan scheduled a hearing Dec. 19 to get an update about the case. But on Wednesday, Chutkan scheduled the phone conference Thursday.

The U.S. attorney's office declined comment and defense lawyers didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Chutkan earlier placed a gag order on both the federal prosecutors and the defense team that prevents them from speaking publicly about the case.

Prosecutors and defense lawyers had agreed Nov. 28 that "they remain optimistic about a pretrial resolution of this matter," meaning that a trial might not be necessary.

Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy in Washington issued a statement Thursday calling for Butina's immediate release and calling the case a "blatant outrage."

View image on Twitter

Russia in USA 

✔@RusEmbUSA

#FreeMariaButina
We will continue demanding the release of Maria, victim of the blatant outrage. Meanwhile, we have heard numerous statements by #US officials as regards the detained Ukrainian sailors. No such measures have been imposed on any of them
 http://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/-/asset_publisher/cKNonkJE02Bw/content/id/3430111 …

62

12:37 AM - Dec 6, 2018

Twitter Ads info and privacy

The case against Butina was filed by the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia and is unrelated to Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing inquiry into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Butina, who entered the U.S. in 2016 on a student visa, has been jailed as a flight risk without bond in Alexandria, Virginia, since her arrest in July. She has been held for months in solitary confinement, which keeps her in "a steel door cage the size of a parking space" for 22 hours each day, according to one of her court filings. She asked Chutkan to allow her into the jail's general population, but was rejected.

Butina is accused of engaging in a years-long campaign as a covert agent for the Kremlin in an attempt to "advance the interests of her home country."

She is accused of infiltrating multiple political organizations, including the National Rifle Association, to gain influence for Russia.

In the original charging documents filed in July, prosecutors claimed that Butina worked at the direction of "a high-level official in the Russian government who was previously a member of the legislature of the Russian Federation and later became a top official at the Russian Central Bank."

The official, whose description matches Alexander Torshin, had been sanctioned by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control in April 2018 and is prohibited from traveling to the U.S.

The pair identified political organizations and politically connected individuals who they could "exploit," the indictment said. She has been active with the NRA in recent years and is credited for creating a Russian version of the gun-rights organization, which officials have pointed to as a way for her to gain contacts and supporters.

A March report issued by Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee referred to the public reporting about Butina and Torshin, claiming that Butina "sought to facilitate meetings with Trump campaign officials and between President Putin and candidate Trump during the election."

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Maria Butina Is Deported But Paul Whelan Is Not

No one speaks upon Michigan.

This is not an exchange.

This is due process.

#FreeMariaButina

Russian agent Butina released from U.S. prison, deported

Mariia Butina

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Convicted Russian agent Maria Butina was released from a Florida prison on Friday after serving most of her 18-month sentence for conspiring to influence U.S. conservative activists and infiltrate a powerful gun rights group, and taken into custody by immigration officials to be deported to her native country.

Convicted Russian agent Maria Butina is accompanied by federal agents after her release from a Florida prison, during her transfer onto a jet bound for Moscow at Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida, U.S. October 25, 2019. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Handout via REUTERS.
Butina, 31, had been scheduled for release from the low-security prison in Tallahassee in early November, but a change in federal law moved up her release date based on credit for good behavior, her attorney Robert Driscoll said.

A prison official confirmed she was released on Friday morning and taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities.

She left Miami International Airport on a direct flight to Moscow at about 6 p.m. (2200 GMT), ICE said in a statement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously expressed “outrage” over Butina’s prison sentence and said she did not carry out any orders from Russian security services.


Butina, a former graduate student at American University in Washington who publicly advocated for gun rights, pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiring to act as a foreign agent and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.

The Siberia native admitted to conspiring with a Russian official and two Americans to infiltrate the National Rifle Association, a group closely aligned with U.S. conservatives and Republican politicians including President Donald Trump, and create unofficial lines of communication to try to shape Washington’s policy toward Moscow.

Her 18-month sentence included nine months she spent incarcerated after her July 2018 arrest.

Butina’s case was separate from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, which detailed numerous contacts between Trump’s campaign and Russia. Her activities occurred during the same period as the contacts investigated by Mueller.


RUSSIAN OFFICIAL
The Russian official with whom Butina conspired was later identified as Alexander Torshin, a deputy governor of Russia’s central bank. He was never charged in the case, but was hit with sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department.

One of the two Americans referenced in her case was conservative political activist Paul Erickson, her boyfriend. Erickson was not charged for his links to Butina, but was indicted on unrelated wire fraud and money laundering charges in South Dakota. The case against Erickson is still pending.

In addition, Overstock.com (OSTK.O) Chief Executive Officer Patrick Byrne resigned in August after confirming a report by Fox News contributor Sara Carter that he also had an intimate relationship with Butina.

Federal prosecutors have said Butina did not engage in “traditional” spy craft, but worked behind the scenes to make inroads in conservative political circles and promote friendlier U.S.-Russian relations. She arranged dinners in Washington and New York and attended events to meet prominent politicians.

Butina in 2015 appeared at a Trump campaign event and asked him a question about whether he wanted better relations with Russia. Trump responded by telling Butina that he would “get along very nicely with Putin.”

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs last year accused the United States of forcing Butina to make a false confession to “absolutely ridiculous charges” of being a Russian agent.

Slideshow (2 Images)
“It’s not clear what she was convicted of or what crime she committed,” Putin said in April. “I think it’s a prime example of ‘saving face.’ They arrested her and put the girl in jail. But there was nothing on her, so in order not to look totally stupid they gave her, fixed her up, with an 18-month sentence to show that she was guilty of something.”

Asked whether Washington now expects Russia to release a former U.S. Marine named Paul Whelan currently being held on accusations of espionage, a State Department spokesperson said, “We continue to urge the Russian government to ensure a fair trial, including a fair and public hearing without undue delay, in accordance with its international legal obligations.”

A Russian court on Thursday ordered Whelan, detained in 2018, held in custody until Dec. 29.

Whelan, who holds American, British, Canadian and Irish passports, has denied the espionage allegations.

Paul Whelan: Russia spy suspect 'more Mr Bean than James Bond'

Media caption'My human rights are being violated and my life threatened'
Ten months after his arrest on espionage charges in Moscow, ex-US marine Paul Whelan has said he is more like naive, fictional buffoon Mr Bean than suave spy James Bond.

Russia says he was caught red-handed with state secrets on electronic files.

A judge extended his pre-trial detention until 29 December.

As the judge delivered his ruling, Mr Whelan defied orders to keep quiet, reading a statement from a cage guarded by an FSB officer in a balaclava.

"Russia says it caught James Bond on a spy mission. In reality, they abducted Mr Bean on holiday," Mr Whelan told the court.

A regular visitor to Russia, who made many friends over the years, Paul Whelan was detained at the Metropol hotel in December. He says he was getting ready for a wedding when an old friend turned up unexpectedly. Moments later, security officers burst in and arrested him for receiving state secrets.

Mr Whelan claims the flash drive they found was planted by the friend: an FSB officer he believes betrayed him.

His lawyers, who are now working their way through several thousand pages of the case files - including surveillance material - say they've still seen nothing to prove his guilt.

He has become increasingly defiant at his court appearances, a rare few hours out of his prison cell every three months.

Media captionRussia spy case: Is Paul Whelan a hostage of Russia or a spy?
This time he told the BBC the case against him was "a joke".

"This is just a hostage situation," he said in court.

The American, who also holds British, Irish and Canadian passports, suspects he's a victim of plummeting relations between Russia and the West. Some have speculated that Moscow wants to swap him for a Russian prisoner abroad, though the Foreign Ministry here denies that.

Its spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, insists he was caught red-handed. "We have the facts," she said last week.

At his latest hearing, the ex-Marine requested the prosecutor and judge be replaced for their failure to investigate his claims of ill treatment and a lack of objectivity.

Mr Whelan was guarded in the defendants' cage by a balaclava-clad FSB officer
When the judge refused, as neither are official grounds for recusal, Mr Whelan displayed mock incredulity.

"So if the prosecutor were my sister that would be illegal, but human rights violations are fine?'" he asked.

"What do you think, Alexei? Shall we go for it?" he then joked to the chief investigator, wondering whether to request his removal too.

"It's your right," the FSB officer replied in English, with a smile.

But this high-profile case is a serious matter.

Mr Whelan claimed today he had been assaulted by prison staff. His lawyer, Vladimir Zherebenkov, said later that a guard had been disciplined following a dispute over the American "jumping and singing" during his daily exercise hour.

More serious still, the espionage charge he's facing carries a 20-year prison sentence.

Paul Whelan - innocent wedding guest or spy?
Former US marine alleges set-up in Russia spy case
Ex-marine calls Russia spy case 'political kidnap'
The investigation is now complete and his legal team say there is "lots in their favour" in the files they've been handed: none of his other Russian friends have said he claimed to be a spy or tried to recruit them.

But the lawyers say Mr Whelan is going through the papers himself in such detail, his trial is now unlikely to start before Spring.

Mr Whelan's family insist he was only visiting Russia to attend a friend's wedding
'I said to him, maybe we should get it over and done with this year? Get you home sooner,' Mr Zherebenkov recalled. 'But he wants to read everything, very carefully.'

The team have talked before of possible "misunderstandings" between Mr Whelan and his FSB "friend". They've hinted at jokes, maybe lost in translation. His family confirm that he's well known for his "banter", as displayed recently in court.

That may explain Mr Whelan likening himself to the hapless, but harmless, Mr Bean. It's hard to judge as the case is secret, including details on what data he allegedly sought, who for and how.

But Paul Wheel argues there's nothing to hide. So as he was led out of court in handcuffs, he attempted to break the blackout by flinging a copy of the latest court ruling at me down the corridor. It was scooped up by a Western diplomat. Only, the information it reveals is classified.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Trump Speaks Upon Faith Based Foster Care, Adoption & Modern Day Slavery - Will Media Do The Same?

Trump speaks on Faith Based Adoption.

Trump briefly mentions a legal situation of a Faith Based adoption agency in Michigan.

Trump speaks upon human trafficking around the world.

Trump states that we are going to stop "Modern Day Slavery".

Trump talked about the sanctity of birth over abortion.

Will media talk about this?

Will "The Elected Ones" talk about trafficking tiny humans?

Will DOJ & FBI finally stand up and end modern day slavery?

I believe so.

America’s Christian nationalists have been finding common cause with the Russian government for a while now.

#FreeMarieButina

Does it seem strange that, according to a criminal complaint unsealed on Monday by the Justice Department, a Russian woman stands accused of “acting as an agent of a foreign government” in part because she hoped “to establish a back channel of communication” with American politicians at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington?

It shouldn’t. As Jeff Sharlet, an associate professor of English at Dartmouth, has pointed out, the National Prayer Breakfast has long offered “a backdoor to American power.” And America’s homegrown Christian nationalists have evinced an admiration for Russia’s authoritarian leader that appears to have grown apace with his brutality.

On Tuesday, Maria Butina, a 29-year-old Russian whose name was spelled Mariia in court papers, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy and acting as an unregistered foreign agent for the Russian Federation. According to the complaint unsealed on Monday, Ms. Butina’s promotional activities for Russian political interests included attending the National Prayer Breakfast twice.

The National Prayer Breakfast was initiated in 1953 by a Methodist minister, Abraham Vereide, who had been leading Congressional prayer groups for a decade. The annual breakfast now attracts close to 4,000 participants and is hosted by members of Congress. But the real force behind the event remains Mr. Vereide’s Fellowship Foundation, also known as “The Family,” whose fundamental mission is to create a ruling consortium of Christ-centered political and community leaders.

“The Family considers #nationalprayerbreakfast a recruiting device,” Mr. Sharlet, who has published two books about the group, tweeted on Monday.

Lobbyists and foreign governments look forward to the event as a way to meet powerful people without, as Mr. Sharlet has reported, having to go through the State Department and normal vetting processes.

“It’s not just the breakfast — The Family organizes a week of de facto lobbying events,” Mr. Sharlet explained on Twitter. “#MariaButina used them to maximize impact.”

On Oct. 5, 2016, with one National Prayer Breakfast under her belt, Ms. Butina direct messaged a Russian official on Twitter: “We made our bet. I am following our game. I will be connecting the people from the prayer breakfast to this group.”

After the election, Ms. Butina informed someone the complaint called “U.S. person number one” that she would be bringing along some “VERY influential” Russians to the breakfast. After the event — which President Trump attended, just as previous presidents have — Ms. Butina emailed one of its organizers to thank him for “the gift” of his “precious time during the National Prayer Breakfast week — and for the very private meeting that followed. A new relationship between two countries always begins better when it begins in faith.”

It also should not be surprising that at least some in the breakfast crowd were positively disposed to the Russian visitors. The bond between America’s Christian nationalists and the Russian government goes back a long way, long before anyone conceived of the possibility of a Trump administration.

Paul Weyrich belongs on any shortlist of the individuals who created the religious right as we know it today. He was a central figure in the founding of numerous conservative organizations, including the Heritage Foundation, ALEC, the Moral Majority and the Council for National Policy. In the 1970s, Mr. Weyrich was one of the strategists who first conceived of outreach to evangelical churches in order to recruit activists to socially conservative causes. He was also among the first to grasp the potential for an alliance with religious conservatives in Russia and Eastern Europe.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Mr. Weyrich made dozens of trips to Russia, eventually becoming a strong supporter of closer relations. By the time of his death in 2008, Mr. Weyrich was writing and speaking frequently in defense of Russia and facilitating visits between American conservatives and Russian political leaders.

Another religious conservative who pursued the Russian connection was Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage. In 2013, Mr. Brown testified before the Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, in support of legislation opposing adoption by gay couples. “What I realized was that there was a great change happening in the former Soviet Union,” Mr. Brown told The Washington Post. “There was a real push to re-instill Christian values in the public square.”

Joining the National Organization for Marriage in the budding alliance were a number of other religious right groups, including the activist groups International Organization of the Family, also directed by Mr. Brown, and Family Watch International, an Arizona-based group that promotes an anti-LGBT and anti-abortion agenda around the world. In 2016, the World Congress of Families, a group that formed in Russia in 1997, held an event in Tbilisi, capital of the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Participants cast President Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the Orthodox Church as defenders of “Christian civilization” against a secular, decadent West.

In the run-up to the 2016 election, the passion for Russian values among America’s religious extremists grew still more ardent. In 2013, Bryan Fischer, then a spokesman for the American Family Association, called Mr. Putin a “lion of Christianity.” In 2014, Franklin Graham — the politically influential evangelist and vocal Trump supporter — defended Mr. Putin for his efforts “to protect his nation’s children from the damaging effects of any gay and lesbian agenda,” even as he lamented that Americans have “abdicated our moral leadership.” In December 2015, Mr. Graham met privately with Mr. Putin for 45 minutes.

Although the religious right’s affection for Mr. Putin appears to center on a shared disgust with “the homosexual agenda” and other so-called family issues, it is impossible to overlook the attraction that the Russian leader’s authoritarian style has for his American admirers. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Mike Pence hailed Mr. Putin as “a stronger leader in his country than Barack Obama has been in this country.”The attraction appears to be mutual — even if it is almost certainly not symmetrical. More than 50 Russians attended the most recent National Prayer Breakfast in February.

At the same time that it has been infiltrating the political system of the United States, the Russian government has sought to cultivate and influence far-right groups in Europe. It turns out that anti-L.G.B.T. politics are an effective tool in mobilizing religious nationalists everywhere, which is in turn an excellent way to destabilize the Western alliance and advance Russia’s geopolitical interests.

Anti-L.G.B.T. politics are in this respect no different from the “gun rights” advocacy that Ms. Butina is accused of using to build a bridge between Russian and American leaders via the National Rifle Association. No serious observer believes that Mr. Putin cares a fig about our Second Amendment (or the rest of the Constitution). For him, America’s fabled gun culture is just a weakness to be exploited for the sake of Russia’s national interest.

Which really ought to give pause to those who imagine that Russia is sincere in its supposed desire to unite with America’s religious conservatives over a putatively shared variety of Christian values. 

Why would anyone assume that Mr. Putin means what he says about spiritual matters?

The religious right thinks that it’s using Mr. Putin to advance its aims. But a far more plausible interpretation is that he is using the religious right — to infiltrate, divide and weaken our country.

http://beverlytran.blogspot.com/search?q=mariia+butina#axzz5egWbwTZU

DOJ Russian Espionage Indic... by on Scribd

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Cocktalis & Popcorn: Does Justin Amash Know Mariia Butina? - He Resigned From House Freedom Caucus

Justin Amash if from Michigan.

Justin Amish knows John Conyers, Jr.

Justin Amash read the Mueller Report that was in the basement of the Rayburn Building, for six weeks, where only a handful of Members took the opportunity to look at it.

Grand Rapids is in his Congressional District, where the DeVos Dynasty was created.

Justin Amash knows about Medicaid Fraud in Child Welfare, Alpha Bank and Spectrum Health.

Justin Amash knows about the Kent County Land Bank.

Justin Amash knows about the Michigan GOP and its relations with the NRA.

Justin Amash knows about SIGTARP.

I am wondering if Justin Amash knows Mariia Butina.

We should definitely ask him in House Judiciary impeachment proceedings.

#FreeMariaButina

REPUBLICAN TRUMP CRITIC JUSTIN AMASH RESIGNS FROM HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS

Michigan Republican Rep. Justin Amash resigned from the House Freedom Caucus Monday, citing his efforts to not be “a further distraction for the group.”

“I have the highest regard for [the caucus], and they’re my close friends,” Amash, who is a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus and the lone Republican of the group to call for impeaching the president, told CNN. “I didn’t want to be a further distraction for the group.”

The libertarian congressman’s decision comes in the wake of a series of tweets last month accusing President Donald Trump of having committed “impeachable offenses.”

“Here are my principal conclusions,” Amash, an outspoken GOP critic of the president, on Twitter last month. “1. Attorney General Barr has deliberately misrepresented Mueller’s report. 2. President Trump has engaged in impeachable conduct. 3. Partisanship has eroded our system of checks and balances. 4. Few members of Congress have read the report.”

Here are my principal conclusions:
1. Attorney General Barr has deliberately misrepresented Mueller’s report.
2. President Trump has engaged in impeachable conduct.
3. Partisanship has eroded our system of checks and balances.
4. Few members of Congress have read the report.

— Justin Amash (@justinamash) May 18, 2019

“Contrary to Barr’s portrayal, Mueller’s report reveals that President Trump engaged in specific actions and a pattern of behavior that meet the threshold for impeachment,” Amash continued.

The Michigan lawmaker’s stand likely alienated him from many of his Republican colleagues. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul called the Mueller Report itself the “antithesis of libertarianism” when discussing Amash’s position. GOP chairwoman Ronna McDaniel accused him of “parroting the Democrats’ talking points on Russia.”

Amash told Freedom Caucus members about his decision at a board meeting Monday night, CNN reported.

“It was a positive meeting. It wasn’t negative,” he told CNN.

CNN reported that Amash “emphasized his decision was voluntary and that he remains on good terms with his colleagues.”

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Cocktails & Popcorn: Michigan Republican Party Crew Leader Saul Anuzis Gets Freaked Out By Russian Spies & Campaign Contributions

"Dude, did you at least where a condom before you
cashed the check?"

UPDATE: Mariia may be a product of international trafficking of tiny humans.  I will be updating.

Dude!

You better call for an emergency Michigan Republican Party Leadership meeting to come up with a plan for damage control.

Let me know what Ronna Romney, Betsy DeVos, John Engler, Rick Snyder, Bill Schuette, Brian Calley and the rest of the Michigan Republican Party crew came up with as a damage control narrative.

I really wish you people would stop stealin' the children, the land and the votes.

I wonder if this has anything to do with those sealed indictments in the Grand Rapids Eastern District Court of Michigan...

Russian National Charged in Conspiracy to Act as an Agent of the Russian Federation Within the United States

Smooches!

Ex-Michigan GOP chairman photographed with accused Russian spy

LANSING — A former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party who was photographed with an accused Russian secret agent said Tuesday he’s met Maria Butina a couple of times but has never had a much of a conversation with her.

Look at this. Former @MIGOP chairman Saul Anuzis hanging out with a Russian spy. It would be great to know how many Russian contacts @GOPChairwoman had when she was running the Trump campaign in Michigan. #TreasonousTrump #TreasonSummit #Russia pic.twitter.com/m4Wz0KRXTf

— Brandon Dillon (@BrandonDillon75) July 16, 2018

A photograph of Saul Anuzis and Butina began circulating on social media Monday after the U.S. Justice Department announced Butina had been arrested and charged with conspiracyto act as an agent of the Russian Federation within the United States without prior notification to the Attorney General.

Anuzis said he remembers the photo being taken in 2016 or 2015 at the FreedomFest, an annual conservative gathering in Las Vegas.

"I met her a couple of times," Anuzis told the Free Press -- once at the FreedomFest and another time during a chance encounter at an airport. "I actually have never had much of a conversation with her, other than being introduced to her."

In the photograph being circulated on social media, Anuzis said he believes he was looking on as Butina was being interviewed by a media outlet. He said he understood she was a Russian proponent of gun rights and the National Rifle Association.

Anuzis said he knows nothing about the criminal accusations against Butina, but he assumes they are legitimate.

Butina, 29, was arrested on the weekend and a criminal complaint against her was unsealed Monday. She is in custody pending a hearing, accused of trying to infiltrate U.S. political groups, including an unnamed gun rights organization, and cultivate relationships with American politicians to establish “back channel” lines of communication to advance Russia’s agenda.

Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Brandon Dillon tweeted the photo Tuesday, saying it showed Anuzis "hanging out with a Russian spy."

Anuzis retweeted the photo, with the message: "Too funny, ah,... those dirty Russians:)"

Anuzis, a political consultant who was chairman of the Michigan Republican Party from 2005 to 2009, served briefly as Michigan chairman of the presidential campaign of Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas before supporting President Donald Trump as the nominee.

Anuzis said he thought Trump's performance Monday at a joint news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin -- at which Trump expressed more confidence in Putin's denials than in U.S. national security determinations that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. election -- "was horrible."

"He missed an important opportunity to call both Putin and the Russians out," Anuzis said.

"I recognize his desire to have good relations and have some kind of dilalogue, but I think he just overplayed his desire to be polite."

The moral of the story is, once again, "Do not be mean to my Sweetie. Period."

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Cocktails & Popcorn: Day 21.3. Was Mariia Butina Born In Severn, MD on Aug 2nd, 1985?

Do we see a product of child welfare?

Dare I say foster care and adoption?

Shall I be so bold as to say we are witnessing the trafficking of tiny humans?

All I know is what I know, and that is to make sure that you have popcorn.

He brought up unequal treatment of espionage by comparing Maria Butina to Imran Awan.

Very, very interesting.



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DOJ: FinCEN, Buzzfeed, Mike Cernovich & Voting Rights

This is about Buzzfeed, Mike Cernovich and the propaganda they spew.

Senior FinCen Employee Arrested And Charged With Unlawfully Disclosing SARs

Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards Illegally Photographed SARs and Other Sensitive Government Information and Transmitted Them To Reporter In Connection With Approximately 12 News Articles Over 1-Year Period

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Eric M. Thorson, Inspector General for the Department of Treasury, announced today the filing of a criminal complaint charging NATALIE MAYFLOWER SOURS EDWARDS, a/k/a “Natalie Sours,” a/k/a “Natalie May Edwards,” a/k/a “May Edwards,” who is a Senior Advisor at the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”), with unlawfully disclosing Suspicious Activity Reports (“SARs”) and conspiracy to do the same.  EDWARDS was arrested yesterday and will be presented this afternoon in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards, a senior-level FinCEN employee, allegedly betrayed her position of trust by repeatedly disclosing highly sensitive information contained in Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) to an individual not authorized to receive them.  SARs, which are filed confidentially by banks and other financial institutions to alert law enforcement to potentially illegal transactions, are not public documents, and it is an independent federal crime to disclose them outside of one’s official duties.  We hope today’s charges remind those in positions of trust within government agencies that the unlawful sharing of sensitive documents will not be tolerated and will be met with swift justice by this Office.”

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. said:  “In her position, Edwards was entrusted with sensitive government information.  As we allege here today, Edwards violated that trust when she made several unauthorized disclosures to the media.  Today's action demonstrates that those who fail to protect the integrity of government information will be rightfully held accountable for their behavior.”

Treasury Department Inspector General Eric Thorson said:  “Our criminal investigators have been at the center of this investigation as a core part of our responsibility to detect and prevent threats to the integrity and efficiency of Treasury programs and operations.  We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners and with FinCEN and other Treasury officials, and appreciate their cooperation and support.”

Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Sigal Mandelker said:  “Protecting sensitive information is one of our most critical responsibilities, and it is a role that we take very seriously.  We have fully and proactively supported Treasury’s Office of Inspector General’s investigation of leaks of protected information, and thank them for their hard work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to hold accountable those responsible.”

According to the Complaint filed today in Manhattan federal court:

The mission of FinCEN is to “safeguard the financial system from illicit use and combat money laundering and promote national security through the collection, analysis, and dissemination of financial intelligence and strategic use of financial authorities.”[2]  Among other things, FinCEN manages the collection and maintenance of SARs regarding potentially suspicious financial transactions, which, under the Bank Secrecy Act, U.S. financial institutions and other parties are required by law to generate and deliver to FinCEN.  Under the BSA and its implementing regulations, willful disclosure of a SAR or its contents by government employees or agents except as necessary to fulfill official duties is a felony.

Beginning in approximately October 2017, and lasting until the present, EDWARDS unlawfully disclosed numerous SARs to a reporter (“Reporter-1”), the substance of which were published over the course of approximately 12 articles by a news organization for which Reporter-1 wrote (“News Organization-1”).  The illegally disclosed SARs pertained to, among other things, Paul Manafort, Richard Gates, the Russian Embassy, Mariia Butina, and Prevezon Alexander.  EDWARDS had access to each of the pertinent SARs and saved them – along with thousands of other files containing sensitive government information – to a flash drive provided to her by FinCEN.  She transmitted the SARs to Reporter-1 by means that included taking photographs of them and texting the photographs to Reporter-1 over an encrypted application.  In addition to disseminating SARs to Reporter-1, EDWARDS sent Reporter-1 internal FinCEN emails appearing to relate to SARs or other information protected by the BSA, and FinCEN non-public memoranda, including Investigative Memos and Intelligence Assessments published by the FinCEN Intelligence Division, which contained confidential personal, business, and/or security threat assessments. 

At the time of EDWARDS’s arrest, she was in possession of a flash drive appearing to be the flash drive on which she saved the unlawfully disclosed SARs, and a cellphone containing numerous communications over an encrypted application in which she transmitted SARs and other sensitive government information to Reporter-1.

*                      *                      *

EDWARDS, 40, of Quinton, Virginia, is charged with one count of unauthorized disclosures of suspicious activity reports and one count of conspiracy to make unauthorized disclosures of suspicious activity reports, both of which carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison.  The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencings of the defendants would be determined by the judge.

Mr. Berman praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Treasury Department, and the Treasury Department’s Office of Inspector General.  He also thanked the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia for its assistance with the investigation.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly J. Ravener and Daniel C. Richenthal are in charge of the prosecution.

Natalie Edwards Complaint o... by on Scribd

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