Hi Greg. Excellent report as usual. I've never seen the video you included. But that video shows who's who of Russian politics.
At 0:03 is Vladislav Surkov, who held a variety of posts in the Russian government and most recently was Putin's personal adviser. He was instrumental in the events in Ukraine since late 2013 (the Maidan, the Revolution of Dignity), including Russian invasion of the Eastern Ukraine and the establishment of the so-called "People's Republics" on DPR and LPR in Donetsk (my hometown) and Lugansk respectively. In my opinion, he's a war criminal, just like Putin and his Defence chief Shoigu, responsible for death and suffering of thousands of Ukrainian citizens.
I might be mistaken, but the guy in the orange vest next to Putin, looks very similar to Igor Girkin aka Igor Strelkov, a GRU officer, who was the commander of the "little green men" in Crimea during the annexation of 2014 as well the first "Minister of Defence" of DPR. Another war criminal, who is personally responsible for torture and execution of Ukrainian citizens in the Donbass region in 2014. Not to mention his involvement with the downing of the MH-17.
The guy at the computer is Dmitry Kozak, former Deputy Prime Minister until 2020 and now is de-facto in charge of the DPR and LPR as well as Crimea.
There are other well known politicians around them, including another scumbag Anatoly Chubais, who's been around Russian politics since the Yeltsin times.
“Why would Sessions do such a thing? . . . Was he that hard up for coin?”
Whenever you’re trying to get to the bottom of why someone unexpectedly turns to the Dark Side, you have to ask at least 2 questions. You already asked one of them:
(1) Bribery
(2) Blackmail
(1) Government employees are working stiffs. I don’t know how much an FBI Director makes, for the little time that he’s (maybe eventually she’s) in office, but it’s still not a ton of money, probably just enough to get by. Don’t expect every government employee to refuse temptation like being offered millions of dollars. Money is like water to a drug dealer or successful criminal.
(2) Is there a threat in play: a threat to expose personal secrets which would cause legal or financial or reputational harm; a threat to harm, either that person or someone near and dear to that person.
(3) The Dark Side doesn’t play by the same rules that we do. I’m sure they have other methods of persuasion not covered by (1) and (2).
Hi Greg. Excellent report as usual. I've never seen the video you included. But that video shows who's who of Russian politics.
At 0:03 is Vladislav Surkov, who held a variety of posts in the Russian government and most recently was Putin's personal adviser. He was instrumental in the events in Ukraine since late 2013 (the Maidan, the Revolution of Dignity), including Russian invasion of the Eastern Ukraine and the establishment of the so-called "People's Republics" on DPR and LPR in Donetsk (my hometown) and Lugansk respectively. In my opinion, he's a war criminal, just like Putin and his Defence chief Shoigu, responsible for death and suffering of thousands of Ukrainian citizens.
I might be mistaken, but the guy in the orange vest next to Putin, looks very similar to Igor Girkin aka Igor Strelkov, a GRU officer, who was the commander of the "little green men" in Crimea during the annexation of 2014 as well the first "Minister of Defence" of DPR. Another war criminal, who is personally responsible for torture and execution of Ukrainian citizens in the Donbass region in 2014. Not to mention his involvement with the downing of the MH-17.
The guy at the computer is Dmitry Kozak, former Deputy Prime Minister until 2020 and now is de-facto in charge of the DPR and LPR as well as Crimea.
There are other well known politicians around them, including another scumbag Anatoly Chubais, who's been around Russian politics since the Yeltsin times.
“Why would Sessions do such a thing? . . . Was he that hard up for coin?”
Whenever you’re trying to get to the bottom of why someone unexpectedly turns to the Dark Side, you have to ask at least 2 questions. You already asked one of them:
(1) Bribery
(2) Blackmail
(1) Government employees are working stiffs. I don’t know how much an FBI Director makes, for the little time that he’s (maybe eventually she’s) in office, but it’s still not a ton of money, probably just enough to get by. Don’t expect every government employee to refuse temptation like being offered millions of dollars. Money is like water to a drug dealer or successful criminal.
(2) Is there a threat in play: a threat to expose personal secrets which would cause legal or financial or reputational harm; a threat to harm, either that person or someone near and dear to that person.
(3) The Dark Side doesn’t play by the same rules that we do. I’m sure they have other methods of persuasion not covered by (1) and (2).
Complex and complicated and chilling. My take.