March 20, 2017

Fiona Hill - In depth article at the Daily Beast -

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/03/18/one-trump-aide-who-knows-all-about-putin.html

...snip

Fiona Hill, the dual British-American citizen and former national intelligence officer with the U.S. National Intelligence Council, was recently named the White House's senior director for Europe and Russia. She is therefore the most influential Putinologist on a National Security Council that badly needs them.

Fiona Hill co-wrote a book on Putin as well....

She also co-wrote and article for the Brookings Institute - Oct. 6, 2016

https://www.brookings.edu/research/dealing-with-a-simmering-ukraine-russia-conflict/

The February 2015 Minsk II settlement that was to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region has yet to be implemented -

If Russian efforts succeed, and sanctions are lifted without any significant progress having been made in implementing the Minsk II security provisions, Western credibility will be undermined.

The Kremlin will feel emboldened to act in a similar fashion elsewhere in the post-Soviet space. Even without further military interventions, there are a range of other troubling actions Russia could undertake: increased violations of European air and sea space; state-sponsored hacking of European politicians, political parties, and Kremlin critics during the 2017 election cycle; cyberattacks against institutions and critical infrastructure; and the encouragement of political violence by fringe groups in vulnerable states with disaffected minority groups, like the Baltic states.

It will thus be important for the new U.S. administration to maintain parallel support for sanctions and the Minsk II process, in coordination with the EU, to make clear that Russian actions do have a cost.

Additionally, the administration should push back against the Moscow narrative that Kyiv is solely at fault for Minsk’s failed implementation....

Sound familiar....Fiona Hill - The Daily Beast article asks the question - how is she advising drumpf?

March 7, 2017

I hope this story doesn't just fade away..BAKU Trump tower

Towards the end of this story in the NewYorker - you will find Jason Greenblatt's name - he signed the contracts BAKU - he was in charge of due diligence and contracting work - he is now EMPLOYED at the WH as drumpfs (POS) special representative for INTERNATIONAL NEGOTIATIONS - yesiree!!!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141721714

We are paying for all this...

Special thanks to Don Viejo - most important story

March 7, 2017

Jeff Sessions - responds to Senate Judiciary today - digging deeper

...snip...

Attorney General Jeff Sessions sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday to "supplement” testimony given during his confirmation hearings in January, in which he said “I did not have communications with the Russians.”

In fact, Sessions met twice with the Russian ambassador to the United States during the 2016 presidential campaign, despite denying any contact to Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) during his confirmation hearings.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/sessions-letter-judiciary-committee

“I did not mention communications I had had with the Russian Ambassador over the years because the question did not ask about them,” Sessions wrote in it, referring to his response to Franken’s question.

“I do not recall any discussions with the Russian Ambassador, or any other representative of the Russian government, regarding the political campaign on these occasions or any other occasions," he added later.

This letter should be classified under oath - ?????

March 2, 2017

TOP STORY - Huffpo -

For me -the word is NOT recusal - it is resign...

Growing Number Of Republicans Call On Jeff Sessions To Step Aside - still some are tiptoeing around..

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/republicans-jeff-sessions-russia-investigation_us_58b81df3e4b0a8ded67aa723?