Gabrielian – Henry case as the propaganda ploy: It clearly conveys the pro-Ukrainian and pro-Azerbaijani messages and sentiments on one hand, and the anti-Russian and anti-Armenian ones on another. This points to the original authors of this soap-operatic, trans-phobic drama. How witting or unwitting were their FBI partners? That’s the question. INVESTIGATE THE INVESTIGATORS!August 29, 2023 WAS THE FBI USED BY THE FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SERVICES OF AZERBAIJAN AND UKRAINE TO PROMOTE THEIR OWN AGENDAS IN THE GABRIELIAN – HENRY CASE?!August 29, 2023 Anna Gabrielian and Jamie Lee Henry Story: FBI entrapment and the Counterintelligence issuesAugust 27, 2023 Reading Putin’s mind: “It is your own Cook’s Corner, and your own FBI bikers gang who stole the election 2016 from Hillary and handed it to #Trump, for just $1.3M (A lot of bang for the buck, you can’t beat it!): Kallstrom, McGonigal, and other #FBI heroes. My cook is out now, and he was not good anyway; more gas than substance, the true “Crossfire Hurricane” actor. Trump will not drag me to prison with him! I never really believed that it will work out. I just wanted to try! I plead innocent!”August 24, 2023 #MyOpinion #FBI: This is the clue: #JimKallstrom saw himself as the #FBIDirector. And he saw the #TrumpPresidency as the step to it.August 22, 2023 Michael Novakhov: My Opinion: The WeinerGate should be a part of the RICO charges against Trump and his circle. This story behind the October Surprise 2016 appears to be the central and direct part of the Trumpian criminal conspiracy.August 21, 2023 My Opinion: The WeinerGate should be a part of the RICO charges against Trump and his circle. This story behind the October Surprise 2016 appears to be the central and direct factor of the Trumpian criminal conspiracy. #WeinerGate should be considered as the Federal or NYState #RICO charges against #Trump, and they should be included in SC Jack Smith’s mandate and the focus of attention. The FBI itself(!), namely and still hypothetically at this point, McGonigal, late Kallstrom, his very interesting organization of the retired #FBI agents, and the related persons and entities should be very carefully investigated. This is HISTORY, and on the higher scale than the Watergate: “the evidence that a deliberate plot was behind the exposure of Hillary Clinton’s emails on Anthony Weiner’s computer — an act that may have put Donald Trump in the White House.” Exclusive: How Trump Backers Weaponized Anthony Weiner to Defeat Clinton https://thenewsandtimes.blogspot.com/2023/08/exclusive-how-trump-backers-weaponized.htmlAugust 20, 2023 Is Charles McGonigal’s guilty plea a cover-up for the October Surprise 2016?August 9, 2023 My Opinion: Charles McGonigal will plead guilty to corruption charges: illegally working for Russian oligarch Deripaska. Was it done to avoid the investigation of the October Surprise 2016 and the questioning about it in a public trial? His guilty plea will only fan the interest in this subject further: What were the McGonigal’s and Kallstrom’s roles in the Election 2016 and the October Surprise 2016? Is this a cover-up? Should the Independent Counsel be appointed to investigate the October Surprise 2016?August 9, 2023 “FBI: “Riva did it! Cleopatra did it! It was their Gamble and their Landmark Phony-Maloney-Baloney! Putin did it! We are innocent” M.N.: “Until proven guilty”. | FBI Ordered to Find Out Which Agency Disobeyed White House in Secret Deal, Finds Out It Was Itself …”August 3, 2023 FBI – #FBI: My Opinion: Investigate the US internet hosting companies, fully or partially Foreign Owned (often Chinese owned), their roles in the cybercrimes, and their attempts to control the FREE SPEECH in this country by creating and sharing the “black lists” of the “undesirable” for them BLOGGERS! This is a very serious issue!August 2, 2023 The blind and disoriented FBI is the major security threat to America! FBI and online gaming – Google Search April 16, 2023July 31, 2023 My Opinion: Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn, NY is plagued with mental health and drug addiction problems due to the social isolation, oppression, and indoctrination. Orthodox Judaism as the creation of Abwehr; Orthodox Jews and money laundering for the New Abwehr and Russian mob: “Orthodox Judaism” as a sect was created by the German Military Intelligence for the money laundering and espionage purposes after WW1 …July 27, 2023 My Opinion: The FBI “ruins people’s lives” routinely, as the result of their predatory vicious stupidity and as the matter of their policies and institutional culture …July 25, 2023 The Sick Society: Destroy and dismantle the FBI as the trade, as the occupation, as the social class, and as the hereditary caste that they became. The FBI is the direct and imminent threat to America! INVESTIGATE THE INVESTIGATORS!!!May 22, 2023 The Psychoanalysis of Intelligence Operations and the Psychohistory of Abwehr: The case of Anthony Weiner, the October Surprise 2016, and the Diagnostic Signs of the New Abwehr Political Intelligence OperationsMay 20, 2023 My Opinion: Adolf Eichmann was a Jew, and the New Abwehr’s ScapegoatMay 20, 2023 My #Opinion: On the Counterintelligence Investigations of Donald Trump and his circles | Why the Durham Report Matters to Democracy – WSJ Opinion | After Years of Political Hype, the Durham Inquiry Failed to Deliver – NYTimesMay 17, 2023 #FBI, My Opinion – #Opinion: Obama’s FBI: Obama was his own FBI Chief, he controlled its leadership tightly. Is it because he inherently did not trust the system in general, and the FBI in particular? Something went wrong. Analyze this, in depth.May 17, 2023 #FBI FBI: Was the exam performed for the signs of emails been PLANTED? What are the results? Let the best INDEPENDENT (not affiliated with the FBI) forensic cyber specialists examine it again. Forensic analysis of Abedin Weiner laptopMay 16, 2023 The News And Times Information Network – Blogs By Michael Novakhov – thenewsandtimes.blogspot.com
(NewsNation) — A teenager died and two people were wounded after being shot during a Friday night high school football game in Oklahoma, authorities said Saturday.
The 16-year-old boy died of a wound suffered in the shooting during the third quarter of the Friday night game between Choctaw High School and Del City High School in Choctaw, on the eastern outskirts of Oklahoma City, according to a statement by Choctaw Police Chief Kelly Marshall.
The boy was not a student of either school, according to Marshall, who did not release the names of any of the victims.
Marshall did not announce any arrests but said that a person of interest was being sought.
“It is believed an argument started between at least two males which led to the shooting,” Marshall said. “Two guns and eight rounds were recovered at the scene.”
Marshall did not immediately return a phone call for additional comment.
Marshall said a 42-year-old man was hospitalized in stable condition with a gunshot wound to the chest and a “young female” was treated and released for a wound to her thigh. Marshall said two other females suffered broken bones while fleeing the scene.
Marshall said seven Choctaw police officers were at the game at the time, including five hired by the Choctaw School District as security and two who had happened to stop at the game.
Two off-duty Del City officers were also at the game with the Del City team for security and one of them fired his weapon, according to Del City Police Chief Loyd Berger.
Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a statement Saturday that he and his wife, Sarah, “are heartbroken over the news of the senseless violence at Choctaw High School.”
“My office is in contact with the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety and Choctaw law enforcement and we’re monitoring the situation,” Stitt said.
Moscow has accused Ukraine of a drone attack aimed at assassinating President Vladimir V. Putin, without providing evidence. Kyiv has strenuously denied involvement.
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Russia accused Ukraine of attacking the Kremlin complex in Moscow with two drones on Wednesday. Ukraine has denied any involvement in the attack.Credit…Reuters
May 4, 2023, 9:46 a.m. ET
One day after the Kremlin accused Ukraine of deploying two drones to assassinate President Vladimir V. Putin, there were still deep questions about an episode that is adding to tensions ahead of an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine vehemently denied any involvement in an attack on the Kremlin, which would be an audacious strike on the fortresslike complex in the heart of Russia’s capital. He accused Moscow of orchestrating the explosions to stir up public support ahead of “a large-scale terrorist provocation.”
Here’s what we know so far about the episode and its aftermath.
Video
Footage verified by The New York Times shows what appears to be a drone exploding above the Kremlin. About 15 minutes later, what appears to be a second drone explodes.CreditCredit…Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters
Videos verified by The New York Times showed two explosions 15 minutes apart above the Kremlin, shortly before 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The blasts appeared to be caused by drones.
One explosion caused a brief fire, although it was unclear whether the drones exploded as planned or were shot down. It was not possible to determine from where they would have been launched.
About twelve hours after the explosions, the Kremlin issued a rare statement saying that it had foiled an “attempt on the life of the president,” who was not in the Kremlin at the time. The Kremlin houses the Russian Senate and an apartment where Mr. Putin occasionally stays, among other offices.
There were no casualties or serious damage, the Kremlin said.
Both sides have blamed the other for the explosions.
In its unusually lengthy statement, the Russian Ministry of Defense declared on Wednesday that it reserved the right to take “retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit.” The statement did not include any evidence of Ukrainian involvement.
Ukrainian government and military intelligence officials, who typically follow a policy of deliberate ambiguity about strikes on Russian territory, have said directly that they had no role in any strike against the Kremlin. They have accused Russia of manufacturing the incident to justify increased attacks on Ukraine or to drum up public support for its war.
Dmitri S. Peskov, the spokesman for President Vladimir V. Putin, claimed without evidence on Thursday that the United States bore responsibility because it “dictated” Ukrainian strikes inside Russia. White House spokesman John F. Kirby immediately rejected the accusation, saying of the incident: “Whatever it was, it didn’t involve us.”
Russia’s claims have left U.S. intelligence officials circling around slim facts to determine what happened and why Moscow might risk embarrassment by giving so much attention to what amounts to another security failure amid its well-publicized military struggles in Ukraine.
“We simply don’t know,” Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said on Wednesday, adding: “I would take anything coming out of the Kremlin with a very large shaker of salt.”
A makeshift memorial on the site of an explosion in Dolyna, in eastern Ukraine, on Tuesday.Credit…Finbarr O’Reilly for The New York Times
The incident could serve as a pretext for Mr. Putin to escalate the war somehow, possibly by striking government buildings in Kyiv or trying again to decapitate the Ukrainian government.
Kremlin officials have hinted repeatedly at the possibility of using nuclear weapons, and war hawks have pushed for another draft to increase troop numbers.
On Thursday, Ukrainian air defenses shot down a volley of Russian drones and missiles launched at Kyiv and Odesa, in the latest of a series of strikes against cities and town in recent days. In Odesa, the Ukrainian military published images suggesting some drones bore handwritten messages reading “For Moscow” and “For the Kremlin.”
Tensions are particularly high as Kyiv prepares a counteroffensive to retake territory in eastern and southern Ukraine that was seized by Russia. Ukrainian forces are readying tens of thousands of soldiers and escalating strikes on Russian targets, including in occupied Crimea. And on Tuesday, Russia will commemorate Victory Day, a major holiday marking the Soviet triumph in World War II.
Even with the brutality of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has ratcheted up violence in response to major attacks on Russian-controlled territory. Last fall after an explosion that damaged a key bridge between Russia and Crimea, Moscow initiated a campaign of airstrikes against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure that cut off heat and electricity to millions of Ukrainians as temperatures plummeted.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. Archive photo
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MINSK, April 10 – RIA Novosti. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that Minsk needs guarantees from Moscow to protect the republic as its own territory in the event of external aggression.
Lukashenka is holding a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Minsk on Monday to discuss the issue of ensuring security in the Union State. Shoigu arrived in the Belarusian capital in the development of recent agreements between the heads of the two states.
Russia and Belarus will update approaches to security guarantees
“In general, it sounded at the talks (of the presidents of Belarus and Russia – ed.) in such a way that in the event of aggression against Belarus, the Russian Federation will protect Belarus as its own territory. These are the kind we need (guarantees – ed.) security,” Sputnik quotes Lukashenka Belarus.
The Belarusian president explained that he raised the topic of security during a conversation with Vladimir Putin .
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“I raised this issue in negotiations with the President of Russia. He absolutely supported me in all areas. And, he says, we need to revise all our treaties and agreements – Belarus and Russia – to see what normative legal act of an interstate nature needs to be adopted now in order to ensure the complete security of Belarus,” Lukashenka added.
He stated that Western countries do not fulfill the agreements on security guarantees that were given under the Budapest Memorandum in exchange for the withdrawal of nuclear weapons from the republic.
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“Somewhere after 1994, the famous Budapest Memorandum, where all Western powers and Russia swore to provide full security to Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Belarus. Naturally, you know that Western states have trampled on all these treaties, agreements and statements and there is no security,” – Lukashenka noted.
He drew attention to the fact that at that time “economic security was also meant.” “Well, what kind of economic security if they impose sanctions against us, Russia?!” Lukashenka stressed.
NewsWorld Belarusian President Lukashenko meets Russia’s defence minister -BelTA
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Monday met Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu for an unannounced meeting in the Belarusian capital Minsk, Belarusian state-owned news agency BelTA reported.
It cited a Telegram channel linked to Lukashenko’s office.
Belarusian President Lukashenko said in the meeting that Belarus needs guarantees that Russia will defend Belarus as its own territory in the case of aggression, BelTA reported.
“Leaving after the last talks with (Russian President) Vladimir Vladimirovich (Putin), we agreed that you (Shoygu) and experts would come to Belarus, and we would sit down with you and discuss the security issues of Belarus. You know, I have already raised this issue at the Supreme State Council. But before that, we discussed this issue with Vladimir Vladimirovich,” Lukashenko said during the meeting, according to state news agency Belta.
According to Belta, Lukashenko underlined that the West does not fulfill its obligations under the Budapest Memorandum which envisioned the provision of security assurances to Belarus in exchange for Minsk’s relinquishment of nuclear weapons.
“Western states trampled on all these treaties, agreements and statements, and there is No security. I meant economic security as well. Well, what kind of economic security is there if they impose sanctions against us,” he said.
The Budapest Memorandum was signed by Ukraine, Russia, the UK, and the US on Dec. 3, 1994 to provide Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan with security assurances in connection with their accession to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Lukashenko also said that he raised the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin during talks in Moscow, in response to which Putin supported him and said they need to revise all treaties and agreements between Moscow and Minsk to see what kind of interstate acts they can take in ensuring “the complete security of Belarus.”
“In general, it was said at the talks that in case of aggression against Belarus, the Russian Federation protects Belarus as its own territory. We need such (security) guarantees … We need full security guarantees from our brotherly Russia,” the Belarusian president added.
Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, said that Ukraine allegedly wants to continue the war that Russia started against it, and fears that the war may continue “to either the last Ukrainian, or the last Pole, or the last mercenary.”
Source: Lukashenko at a meeting with Shoigu, Belarusian state agency BelTA
Quote from Lukashenko: “I am not going to scare anyone here. Neither are you. Everybody is already overly scared today. If they want our region to live peacefully, without looking at those across the ocean, both Russia and Belarus are ready for this.
If they want to fight to either the last Ukrainian, or the last Pole, or the last mercenary, well, this is their right to do so. However, neither I nor our special services see that they are ready for full-fledged negotiations and for any reasonable agreement. In our view, they want to continue the war. Well, then the special operation will not stop. You probably know it better than me.
We met today to exchange opinions. Belarusians will do everything they must according to our agreement. No doubt about it.”
Details: Lukashenko also noted that both Russian and Belarusian officers train the military personnel of the two countries.
“I think the Belarusian Defence Minister has already briefed you on the situation in Belarus, on the training and combat coordination of Belarusian and Russian units deployed in Belarus. I should say we have approached this matter very seriously. Both your officers and ours train Belarusian and Russian soldiers, so that, if necessary, our defenders of the Union State could repel any aggression. Here I am talking about everything we need including medical kits, uniforms and weapons. There are no divisions: we are a single group of forces, a single army. We are getting ready today. Everybody knows about it. We are not hiding it. In today’s world it is impossible to hide such things.” the self-proclaimed President of Belarus said.
At the same time, he assures that neither Russia nor Belarus allegedly want war, although the Russian Federation, with the support of Belarus, has been waging a full-scale war in Ukraine since 24 February.
Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
WSJ journalist Evan Gershkovich, anti-Wagner, was arrested. “Voencor” (“Military”) blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, pro-Wagner, killed elegantly, the Oscar award ceremony style.
Was Vladlen Tatarsky liquidated by the GRU to control the information war and as a response to his calls to kill the Russian generals? – Google Search | #GRU – “Many people could have wanted to kill Vladlen Tatarsky, the pro-war Russian blogger who died in a bomb blast
There is a general, strategic aspect in the #Tatarsky‘s murder and the arrest of #Gershkovich. The sick, historically vengeful, compensatory “drive to privatize” now reached the #RussianMilitary, underperforming in #Ukraine …
My Opinion: The strange (or not so strange) “symmetric dichotomy”: WSJ journalist Evan Gershkovich, anti-Wagner, arrested. “Voencor” (“Military”) blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, pro-Wagner, killed elegantly, the Oscar award ceremony style. My #Opinion: The duality and the elegant… twitter.com/i/web/status/164…
Was Vladlen Tatarsky liquidated by the GRU to control the information war and as a response to his calls to kill the Russian generals? – Google Search | #GRU – “Many people could have wanted to kill Vladlen Tatarsky, the pro-war Russian blogger who died in a bomb blast in a St… twitter.com/i/web/status/164…
President Emmanuel Macron of France and Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, arrived in China on Wednesday with the aim of restarting business and political ties, despite U.S. pressure to isolate Beijing. nyti.ms/3nNu2vy
Власти РФ могут использовать убийство “военкора” Татарского для подавления остатков политической оппозиции и команды Навального, “четко приравняв любые оппозиционные действия, высказывания и даже мысли к терроризму”, считает колумнист DW Иван Преображенскийp.dw.com/p/4Pg4o?maca=rus-tc…
“You still have time to run” – a combative President #Zelensky throws down the gauntlet to Russian troops, soon to be hit by Ukraine’s Spring #offensivekyivpost.com/post/15402
Amidst efforts to recover from mass expulsions of Russian spies in Europe, Putin’s SVR and GRU spy agencies are aggressively rebuilding human espionage networks, eyeing military aid to Ukraine. #Russia#espionage#Ukrainepolitico.eu/article/russia-s…
posted on Apr 04 2023 20:01:45 UTC by Michael NovakhovviaTweets by @mikenov
#Opinion: Was Vladlen Tatarsky liquidated by the GRU to control the information war and as a response to his calls to kill the Russian generals? | “Many people could have wanted to kill Vladlen Tatarsky, the pro-war Russian blogger who died in a bomb blast in a St Petersburg… twitter.com/i/web/status/164…
posted on Apr 04 2023 10:51:15 UTC by Michael NovakhovviaTweets by @mikenov
GRU #GRU “Many people could have wanted to kill Vladlen Tatarsky, the pro-war Russian blogger who died in a bomb blast in a St Petersburg cafe on Sunday.” Killed Russian blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was a soft target for his many enemies | Russia | The Guardian… twitter.com/i/web/status/164…
Подробные показания Дарьи Треповой опубликовала “Фонтанка”. По данным издания, девушка выполняла задания неизвестного “активиста”, который за это обещал помочь ей “перебраться в Киев”. О бомбе в статуэтке Трепова, по ее словам, “догадывалась”. Сейчас ее доставили на суд в Москву
The fight for the industrial city of #Bakhmut has become the longest and bloodiest battle of Russia’s year-long assault on Ukraine, but up to 5,000 civilians remain in the city. kyivpost.com/post/15330
No, it’s not a new film based on an Agatha Christie novel, but it might well be. The recent assassination of a notorious Russian milblogger is rife with vicious intrigue.
Deadly political intrigue is rapidly building inside of a Russia that is increasingly burning out of control on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s watch. This past Sunday, in a St. Petersburg café purportedly owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin, pro-war Russian propagandist Vladlen Tatarsky was assassinated when a statuette he was gifted exploded. Prigozhin, meanwhile, in his capacity as head of the Wagner Group, was 1,000 miles away from the scene of the crime, lifting a flag over the Central Administration building in Bakhmut, Ukraine, declaring victory.
Tatarsky, whose real name is Maxim Fomin, who was killed in the April 2 bomb blast in a cafe, is seen among flowers at a makeshift memorial by the explosion site in Saint Petersburg on April 3, 2023.OLGA MALTSEVA / AFP
Like an Agatha Christie mystery novel, the Russian red herrings are dropping fast and furious as to who murdered Tatarsky and why. Prigozhin, because of his ownership of the café, is one suspect; and he certainly is an individual desiring, if not plotting, to be Putin’s king. For now, however, the Kremlin’s preferred prime suspects are imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) movement.
In support of that theory, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs identified Darya Trepova as a suspect and in a released interrogation video clip, the woman appears to admit bringing what was later estimated to be one pound of explosive TNT hidden in a statuette into Prigozhin’s café. Russia’s Anti-Terrorism Committee also claimed Trepova is an “active supporter” of FBK.
Darya Trepova, charged with terrorism over the April 2 bomb blast in a cafe in Saint Petersburg that killed military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky (real name Maxim Fomin), is escorted inside the Basmanny district court for her remand hearing in Moscow on April 4, 2023.Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
In addition to multiple suspects, notwithstanding the fact that Ukraine could be one as well, there is no shortage of motives either. St. Petersburg, after all, is in the heart of what we previously described as Putin’s “Murder Inc.” One motive could be Putin sending a loud message to Prigozhin to back off. The Wagner Group leader recently hinted that he could be a candidate to take over once Putin is gone.
This comes on top of Prigozhin’s increasingly vitriolic war of words with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu over his handling of the war. For now, there is a mutual need for each other between Putin and Prigozhin, especially in Bakhmut and Wagner Group operations in Africa. However, the love between “Putin’s chef” and Putin is long since gone. Short of killing Prigozhin, this may have been Putin’s Godfather-like way of putting a horse’s head in his bed as a final warning.
Putin is also continuing to feel the domestic heat over his faltering “special military operation” in Ukraine as Russian casualties mount. To that end, while Navalny thus far has been a useful domestic pawn to demonstrate to the Russian public that he is fully in control, Putin might have decided the opposition leader’s usefulness to him is coming to an end. If so, it is possible the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) orchestrated the hit on Tatarsky to set Navalny and other members of the FBK on murder charges, thereby eliminating threats to Putin if they result in death sentences.
Then there are the pro-war Russian military correspondents and milbloggers to consider – of which Tatarsky was one. Being “pro-war” in Russia is not necessarily the same as being “pro-Putin.” As Russian media expert and prolific Daily Beast writer Julia Davis noted last October, “Military correspondents and bloggers reportedly being investigated: Igor Strelkov (Girkin), Semyon Pegov (WarGonzo), Yuri Podolyaka, Vladlen Tatarsky, Sergey Mardan, Igor Dimitriev, Kristina Potupchik, as well as authors of Grey Zone and Rybar.”
Putin, via the FSB, may have just sent all of them a bloody message by killing Tatarsky to get fully onboard with his management of the war. Initially, as Killian Bayer Riga aptly speculated in DW, Putin’s use of Russian war bloggers likely were a “part of a political ploy” for the Russian president to politically deflect criticism of the Kremlin’s military setbacks in Ukraine onto an underperforming Russian Defense Ministry. Now, however, given Russia is facing an imminent Ukrainian spring counteroffensive in the Donbas and/or Crimea that could prove politically humiliating to Putin, Tatarsky’s assassination might have been a forewarning not to criticize the Russian president over any future setbacks.
There are two other possibilities. It could be a combination of one or two of the above, or it could well be Ukraine was behind it so as to foment a domestic divide inside of Russia. The brutal murder of close Putin ally Alexander Dugin’s daughter, Darya Dugina, in Moscow remains unsolved and Russian propagandists, including Margarita Simonyan, the head of state-controlled RT, were quick to blame Kyiv. Ukraine, in light of Russian war crimes in Bucha and elsewhere, as well as the kidnapping of Ukrainian children, certainly could have been motivated to take out the pro-Putin “ultranationalist.”
Whoever murdered Tatarsky is likely to remain as Winston Churchill famously said: “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” Putin, however, one way or the other, is central to the plot. If Christie were writing this as a modern-day crime novel, she would have likely entitled it “Murder at Café Putin.”
The views expressed in this opinion article are the authors’ and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.
Copyright 2023. Mark C. Toth and Jonathan E. Sweet. All rights reserved.
Mark Toth is a retired economist and entrepreneur who has worked in banking, insurance, publishing, and global commerce. He is a former board member of the World Trade Center, St. Louis, and has lived in U.S. diplomatic and military communities around the world, including London, Tel Aviv, Augsburg, and Nagoya. Follow him on Twitter @MCTothSTL.
Jonathan Sweet, a retired Army colonel, served 30 years as a military intelligence officer. His background includes tours of duty with the 101st Airborne Division and the Intelligence and Security Command. He led the U.S. European Command Intelligence Engagement Division from 2012-14, working with NATO partners in the Black Sea and Baltics. Follow him on Twitter @JESweet2022.
For years Evan Gershkovich shone a light on Russia’s oppressive descent. He has now become a victim of it himself. Last week the Wall Street Journal correspondent, formerly of the Moscow Times, was captured and detained by Russia’s security service on bogus espionage charges. He could face up to 20 years in prison. His arrest is a cowardly act: it marks Moscow’s first detention of a foreign journalist since its invasion of Ukraine and the first time it has put a US reporter behind bars on spying charges since the cold war. With Russian-language media already stifled, the detainment of a prominent foreign journalist is a chilling signal that Putin is now setting out to cow international news organisations.
Gershkovich was reporting extensively in Russia, telling the story of the country at a time of war with detail and insight. After he was captured, the Federal Security Service, the KGB’s successor agency, claimed that the reporter “was collecting information constituting a state secret about one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex” in the interests of the US government. The WSJ vehemently deny the allegations. Gershkovich was simply doing his job as a journalist. He was fully accredited by Russia’s foreign ministry, granting him an official green light to report in the country, but this too was ignored.
Russia had a track record of stifling the free press even before its invasion of Ukraine. But since the war began, the risks to reporters have risen significantly. In March 2022 it enacted laws imposing strict censorship on the conflict, essentially making most reporting on it a criminal act. Hundreds of Russian reporters have fled the country, and numerous independent Russian outlets have been shut down. Many news organisations have pulled their reporters from the country, especially if they are Russian nationals, out of concern for their safety. Gershkovich’s arrest has pressured other reporters to leave; the danger is that it will increasingly turn Russia into a black box at a time when the world needs to understand what’s happening there.
Every news organisation knows the dangers of sending reporters into repressive states and war zones. Yet it is the purpose of the profession to take calculated risks to unveil truths and hold authority to account. Autocrats are threatened by that. Accusing journalists of being malicious foreign actors is a well-worn strategy of authoritarian states, from Iran to China, to suppress dissent and foment fear. Putin is taking a leaf out of that playbook and turning Russia into a pariah state.
The Russian president does not want the truth to be told. His invasion of Ukraine has not gone to plan. Ordinary Russians are suffering, and hundreds of thousands have already fled the country. The FSB is confiscating the passports of senior officials in paranoia over possible defections too. Putin wants to control the narrative of his failing war. Indeed, the last article Gershkovich wrote before his arrest was about the crushing impact of the conflict and sanctions on the Russian economy. His capture also has the look of a hostage operation for some high-value trade down the line with the US.
The journalist’s arrest in Russia comes as free press is being squeezed around the world. An annual prison census from the Committee to Protect Journalists, an American advocacy group that promotes press freedom and safety, finds that over 360 reporters were jailed last year, a record high. His case highlights the vital work journalists do in an increasingly hostile world for reporters, as some even in liberal democracies tend to forget. Journalism is not a crime. Like all other journalists unlawfully held, Gershkovich must be released with haste.
posted at 08:00:27 UTC (updated on Wed Apr 05, 2023 09:01)viaReuters
2023-04-05T07:51:40Z
French President Emmanuel Macron landed in China on Wednesday shortly ahead of EU chief Ursula von der Leyen as the two European leaders seek to smooth ties with a key economic partner while broaching thorny issues like Ukraine and trade risks.
Macron on his first trip to China since 2019, spoke to US President Joe Biden before the visit about trying to engage Chinese President Xi Jinping on hastening the end of the war in Ukraine started by Beijing’s close ally Russia.
Von der Leyen has not travelled to China since becoming European Commission president more than three years ago, with China’s strict pandemic controls forcing all diplomatic meetings online.
In that time, Europe’s relations with China soured, first due to a stalled investment pact in 2021 and then Beijing’s refusal to condemn Russia over Ukraine.
However, some analysts said ostentatious deal-signing would appear opportunistic at a time of growing distrust of China in the United States and its Western allies over issues ranging from Taiwan to its cosy ties with Moscow.
“It’s not the time to announce business deals or big new investments,” said Noah Barkin, an analyst with Rhodium Group. “It would essentially be a vote of confidence in the Chinese economy and send the message that France is not on board with the U.S. approach.”
Von der Leyen has said the EU must “de-risk” ties with Beijing, including limiting Chinese access to sensitive technology and reducing reliance for key inputs such as critical minerals, as well as batteries, solar panels and other clean tech products.
Macron invited von der Leyen on the trip as a way to project European unity, after French officials criticised German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for going to China on his own late last year.
Macron has pushed the EU to be more robust in trade relations with China and is broadly supportive of von der Leyen’s stance, the French president’s advisers said, but he has publicly refrained from using strong anti-China rhetoric, Beijing being prone to bilateral retaliatory measures.
Beyond trade, both have said they want to persuade China to use its influence over Russia to bring peace in Ukraine, or at least prevent Beijing from directly supporting its ally.
“Both have not only business in mind but also Ukraine,” Joerg Wuttke, president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, said of Macron and von der Leyen.
“I’m sure it’s not going to be an easy visit.”
China this year proposed a 12-point peace plan for the Ukraine crisis, which called on both sides to agree to a gradual de-escalation leading to a comprehensive ceasefire.
But the plan was largely dismissed by the West due to China’s refusal to condemn Russia, and the U.S. and NATO then said China was considering sending arms to Russia, claims which Beijing has denied.
Suspicion of China’s motives only deepened after President Xi Jinping flew to Moscow for meetings with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin last month.
Macron has said he is also keen to stress to Xi, who he will meet alongside von der Leyen on Thursday, that Europe will not accept China providing arms to Russia.
“Considering China’s proximity with Russia, it’s obvious it is one of the few countries, if not the only one, which could have a game-changing effect on the conflict, in one way or another,” one of Macron’s advisers said ahead of the trip.
In a meeting with Xi in Beijing last week, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he had encouraged the Chinese leader to talk to the Ukrainian leadership and learn first-hand about their peace formula.
Macron and von der Leyen are expected to echo the message that Xi should talk to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
After brokering a surprise detente between Iran and Saudi Arabia last month, China has been eager to present itself as a peacemaker and an alternative to the United States, which it says is fanning flames by sending weapons to Ukraine.
The talks with European leaders come amid high tension with the U.S. over issues ranging from Taiwan to bans on semiconductor exports, and China is eager that Europe does not follow what it sees as a U.S-led effort to contain its rise.
Taking aim at von der Leyen’s comments last week on the risks of trade with China, the state-run Chinese nationalist mouthpiece Global Times warned on Monday that Europe would suffer from any attempt to cut economic ties with Beijing.
“The EU is in a difficult struggle as it is under great pressure from the U.S. to adjust its economic relations with China. China and EU decoupling will only serve U.S. interests, but make both China and Europe suffer,” it said.
But aside from some hard talk on Ukraine and trade tension, the trip will serve up some lighter opportunities to demonstrate what Macron’s adviser said was an attempt to “reset” diplomatic and economic relations with China.
On Friday, Xi will accompany Macron on a trip to the southern port of Guangzhou, where the first French ship reached Chinese shores in the 17th century and where France opened its first consulate.
After meeting students there, Macron will attend a dinner and tea ceremony with the Chinese leader who also has sentimental attachment to the city as his late father, Xi Zhongxun, worked there as provincial first secretary.
“We believe that this has very large symbolic significance and suggests that (France) is ready to relaunch cooperation with China,” said Henry Huiyao Wang, president of the Centre for China and Globalisation, a Beijing-based think tank.
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French President Emmanuel Macron arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/Pool
Chinese military officers stand in formation ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport, in Beijing, China, April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/Pool
Chinese officials prepare ahead of President Emmanuel Macron’s arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport, in Beijing, China, April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/Pool
Chinese officials prepare ahead of President Emmanuel Macron’s arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport, in Beijing, China, April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/Pool
Chinese officials prepare ahead of President Emmanuel Macron’s arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport, in Beijing, China, April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/Pool
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and France’s President Emmanuel Macron attend the European leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium February 9, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
French President Emmanuel Macron talks with European Commission president-elect Ursula Von der Leyen as she leaves at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, October 14, 2019. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
В России арестовали на 2 месяца Дарью Трепову. Ее подозревают в причастности к убийству пропагандиста Владлена Татарского 2 апреля в Санкт-Петербурге. Полный текст новости
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife arrived in Poland Wednesday for a state visit that is meant as a gesture of thanks to the neighboring nation for its crucial support in Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion.
The visit is a rare foray for Zelenskyy out of Ukraine since Russia unleased the war in February 2022. While it follows visits to the United States, Britain, France and Belgium, it stands out from the others because it was announced in advance without the secrecy of past visits.
It is also unusual that the president is joined by the first lady, Olena Zelenska. Marcin Przydacz, the head of Polish President Andrzej Duda’s foreign policy office, described it as Zelenskyy’s first visit of this kind since the war began.
He said that Zelenskyy had already crossed the Polish border ahead of a morning meeting with Duda. Zelenskyy will also meet with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in the afternoon, and he is due to meet some of the Ukrainians who have found refuge in Poland.
Warsaw has been a key ally for Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion last year, welcoming large numbers of refugees and becoming a hub for humanitarian aid and weapons to transit into Ukraine.
But Zelenskyy’s visit also comes at a delicate time, with Polish farmers growing increasingly angry because Ukrainian grain that has entered Poland has created a glut, causing prices to fall.
The grain is only meant to be stored and transit through Poland to reach international markets, but farmers in Poland say the grain is instead staying in Poland, taking up space in silos and entering local markets, causing local prices to fall for the farmers. Romanian and Bulgarian farmers say they are facing the same problem.
French President Emmanuel Macron lands in China seeking to ‘reset’ ties with an important economic partner while broaching thorny issues like Ukraine and trade risks.
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife arrived in Poland Wednesday for a state visit that is meant as a gesture of thanks to the neighboring nation for its crucial support in Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion.
The visit is a rare foray for Zelenskyy out of Ukraine since Russia unleased the war in February 2022. While it follows visits to the United States, Britain, France and Belgium, it stands out from the others because it was announced in advance without the secrecy of past visits.
It is also unusual that the president is joined by the first lady, Olena Zelenska. Marcin Przydacz, the head of Polish President Andrzej Duda’s foreign policy office, described it as Zelenskyy’s first visit of this kind since the war began.
He said that Zelenskyy had already crossed the Polish border ahead of a morning meeting with Duda. Zelenskyy will also meet with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in the afternoon, and he is due to meet some of the Ukrainians who have found refuge in Poland.
Warsaw has been a key ally for Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion last year, welcoming large numbers of refugees and becoming a hub for humanitarian aid and weapons to transit into Ukraine.
But Zelenskyy’s visit also comes at a delicate time, with Polish farmers growing increasingly angry because Ukrainian grain that has entered Poland has created a glut, causing prices to fall.
The grain is only meant to be stored and transit through Poland to reach international markets, but farmers in Poland say the grain is instead staying in Poland, taking up space in silos and entering local markets, causing local prices to fall for the farmers. Romanian and Bulgarian farmers say they are facing the same problem.
Former President Donald Trump has arrived to the courthouse in downtown Manhattan to turn himself into law enforcement where he will be taken into custody and placed under arrest to face criminal charges.
Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 criminal counts, including felony charges of falsifying business records, in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday, when he became the first former president in U.S. history to face criminal prosecution.
The charges were handed down by a grand jury convened by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Bragg’s office has been investigating the circumstances surrounding a payment made on Trump’s behalf to an adult film star in 2016 in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair, which Trump has denied.
The arraignment capped a day of spectacle that played out before and during Trump’s surrender at Manhattan Criminal Court. His Secret Service motorcade left Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan for the courthouse shortly after 1 p.m., cutting through New York traffic with a police escort as spectators looked on. When his motorcade arrived, Trump waved to cameras and the gathered crowd before entering the courthouse to turn himself in. He was expected to have his fingerprints taken while in custody, but didn’t have his mug shot taken and wasn’t placed in handcuffs.
More than an hour after arriving, Trump entered the courtroom where a judge was overseeing his arraignment hearing. No video recording was allowed in the courtroom, but a handful of photographers were briefly permitted to take pictures. One photo showed Trump seated at the defense table, flanked by his attorneys. He was in the courtroom for another hour before swiftly departing in his motorcade.
Former President Donald Trump sits at the defense table with his defense team in a Manhattan court on April 4, 2023 in New York City. Seth Wenig / Getty ImagesTrump became the first former president in U.S. history to be charged with a crime, and the case could have serious ramifications for his ongoing bid for the White House as it unfolds over the coming months. He has maintained his innocence and denounced the Manhattan district attorney’s probe as a politically motivated “witch hunt.”
The former president is expected to then be released and return home to Florida, where he is set to deliver remarks to supporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Tuesday evening.
6m ago 60m ago
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records included in the indictment, according to CBS News’ Scott MacFarlane, who was in the courthouse for the arraignment.
Trump left the courtroom shortly before 3:30 p.m. and quickly departed the courthouse in his motorcade.
2:38 PM
Former President Donald Trump makes his way inside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York on April 4, 2023. ED JONES/AFP via Getty ImagesAfter being processed, cameras spotted the former president, free of any handcuffs, somberly making his way into the courtroom where his arraignment is being held. He didn’t speak to reporters gathered in the hallway.
2:14 PM
After being processed, Trump is set to appear in court before Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing his arraignment. At the hearing, a court clerk will read the charges against Trump, at which point the indictment will be unsealed. Trump’s attorneys could ask the judge to pause the proceedings to review the charges. He will then plead not guilty, according to his lawyers.
All of this will play out behind closed doors, since Merchan ruled that no video recordings would be permitted. A handful of still photographers will be allowed to take pictures briefly before the proceedings.
The former president will not be in handcuffs, and he is almost certain to be released at the end of the hearing given the nature of the expected charges. There are currently no plans for Trump to speak until this evening when he is back in Florida, but that could change.
Trump appeared to post on his social media platform Truth Social as he headed downtown to face criminal charges. He left Trump Tower shortly before 1:15 p.m. ET, and posted on Truth Social at 1:22 p.m. He arrived at the courthouse a few minutes later.
“Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse,” the post said. “Seems so SURREAL — WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can’t believe this is happening in America. MAGA!”
1:25 PM
Trump’s motorcade arrived at the courthouse in lower Manhattan, where he is surrendering to authorities for processing. He is due in court at 2:15 p.m. for arraignment, when the charges against him will be unveiled.
News helicopters captured his motorcade cutting through mostly empty New York streets as it made its way to the courthouse, a few miles south of Trump Tower. Cameras spotted Trump getting out of his SUV and waving to the crowd as he went into the building.
Former President Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York City on April 4, 2023. EDUARDO MUNOZ / REUTERSTrump was set to be brought to the seventh floor so he will be read his rights and fingerprinted.
At arraignment, CBS News legal analyst Rikki Klieman noted that Trump’s team might want to pause the proceedings to read the charge or charges against him before entering a plea.
1:10 PM
News cameras spotted Trump leaving Trump Tower and getting into an SUV. His Secret Service motorcade then departed for the courthouse in lower Manhattan, where he will be taken into custody and processed on criminal charges before his first court appearance.
12:49 PM
Supporters of former President Donald Trump gather outside of the Manhattan Criminal Court before his arraignment on April 4, 2023, in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesA small park built on a site that was once a swampy, sewage-filled pond is ground zero for the frenzy surrounding Trump’s expected surrender.
Hundreds of onlookers, protesters, journalists and a few attention-seeking politicians swarmed into the confines of Collect Pond Park, which sits across the street from the criminal courthouse where Trump was to be arraigned.
The crowd is small, by the standards of New York City protests, which routinely draw thousands. And fears that unruly mobs might force police to shut down swaths of the city proved to be unfounded, with security measures mostly disappearing within a couple of blocks.
But within the park and the surrounding sidewalks, there was plenty of chaos.
Metal barricades separated Trump supporters from anti-Trump protesters, and police stepped in to break up small skirmishes. Journalists, some of whom had taken turns waiting in line all night to reserve a coveted seat in the courtroom, pressed in on notable figures who appeared.
Whistles and jeers from anti-Trump protesters nearly drowned out remarks by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, who had come to support Trump. But she drew cheers from the pro-Trump contingent before making a fast exit as journalists jostled for position around her.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene walks through the crowd gathered outside the courthouse where former President Donald Trump will arrive for his arraignment on April 4, 2023, in New York City. Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesAlso on hand to support Trump was Rep. George Santos, the besieged Republican congressman facing multiple investigations into lies about his biography that he told while running for office.
“I’m not here for the cameras,” he insisted to reporters. “I want to support the president, just because I think this is unprecedented, and it’s a bad day for democracy.”
12:23 PM 11:50 AM
A view from above looking out onto the Collect Pond Park, west of the courthouse in Manhattan, shows the size of the crowd that has gathered ahead of Trump’s arrival. The group on the north side, at the bottom of the photo, is primarily made up of anti-Trump protesters, who are separated by police barricades from pro-Trump demonstrators on the south side:
Demonstrators gather in Collect Pond Park across the street from the Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. CBS News / Graham Kates
11:18 AM 10:38 AM
Trump is not expected to have his mug shot taken when he is processed later Tuesday, according to two sources familiar with the plans for his arrest. Trump is also not expected to be placed in handcuffs, since he will be surrounded by federal agents and police officers.
— Graham Kates and Jessica Moore
Updated 10:23 AM
A Trump fundraising email with the subject line “My last email before my arrest” mourned the “loss of justice in America” ahead of his surrender.
“As I will be out of commission for the next few hours, I want to take this moment to THANK YOU for all of your support,” the email said. “I was blown away by all of the donations, support, and prayers we have received. It’s sad to see what’s happening — not for myself, but for our country. This is not the America you and I once knew.”
The fundraising email went on to say, “there is no doubt in my mind that we will prevail once again and WIN the White House in 2024,” before asking people to chip in and “please make a contribution peacefully to SAVE AMERICA.”
The email was sent by a joint fundraising committee supporting Trump’s 2024 presidential run. Jason Miller, a top Trump aide, said Monday that the campaign had raised more than $8 million in the four days since news of the indictment broke.
9:46 AM
New York City ramps up security ahead of Trump arraignment 05:14The NYPD has implemented strict security measures around both Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan, where the former president stayed overnight, and the courthouse in lower Manhattan, about four miles south. “Dozens upon dozens” of Secret Service agents will be on hand to protect Trump as he makes his way to the arraignment later in the day, one law enforcement source said.
The area around the courthouse was crowded but mostly calm in the morning, with barricades around the building and a throng of media members camped out across the street. Police on the scene said they expected the crowd to be manageable given the confined nature of the space.
A smattering of Trump supporters were present at a nearby park ahead of a planned protest led by GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene several hours before Trump was due to turn himself in.
Former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said he expects the day “to go off quite well,” noting that a “minimum number” of demonstrations are planned across the city.
“I think both the police and the media will outnumber any demonstrators down there for Mr. Trump or against him,” Bratton told CBS News.
Updated 9:36 AM
The former president’s first court appearance is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. ET. Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw the grand jury’s investigation, is presiding over the arraignment.
In a typical arraignment in New York, the clerk reads the charges aloud, and the defendant enters a plea of guilty or not guilty on each count. No electronics are allowed in the courtroom, but reporters will be on hand to witness the proceedings and relay the charges when they are read.
Trump will likely be released from custody after the hearing.
Merchan oversaw the successful prosecution of two Trump Organization entities that were convicted of tax fraud in December 2022. He is also overseeing an ongoing criminal case against Steve Bannon, Trump’s former White House adviser.
9:05 AM 8:25 AM
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg arrives at the courthouse in lower Manhattan on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Alex Kent/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesManhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will be holding a press conference following Trump’s arraignment, his office announced on Monday night. Bragg arrived at the courthouse Tuesday morning.
The charge or charges against Trump were still sealed on Tuesday morning ahead of the arraignment. The indictment will be unsealed at the arraignment where he will be formally charged.
7:54 AM
Press lined up overnight to access Trump’s arraignment 01:42Since there will be a limited number of journalists allowed in the courtroom, reporters and other members of the news media have been lined up outside the courthouse at 100 Centre St. overnight.
There will be no video cameras allowed in the court, just five still photographers.
Judge Juan Merchan ruled Monday night that video recording of the proceedings would not be allowed. Several media organizations, including CBS News, had petitioned to allow video and photo coverage of Trump’s arraignment, but New York has one of the strictest policies in the country against cameras in the courtroom, according to The Fund for Modern Courts, a nonpartisan nonprofit.
Merchan ruled that five photographers would be allowed in the courtroom to take still photos “for several minutes” before the arraignment begins. After that, “No further photography will be permitted in the courtroom.” Electronic devices, including cellphones and laptops, will also not be permitted.
Cameras will be allowed in the hallways of the courthouse, Merchan ruled.
Trump’s legal team wanted cameras kept out of the courtroom, saying they would “create a circus-like atmosphere,” “raise unique security concerns” and are “inconsistent with President Trump’s presumption of innocence.”
The prospect of Trump being found guilty of a crime has raised an intriguing question about his bid to retake the White House: could he still become president if he’s convicted?
The short answer, from a legal perspective, is yes, according to experts.
While charges against a former president and leading contender for a major party’s presidential nomination are unprecedented, there is nothing in the Constitution that prevents someone who has been charged or convicted from seeking or taking office.
“It’s pretty widely accepted that the list of qualifications in the Constitution is exclusive — that is, Congress or states can’t add qualifications to those listed in the Constitution,” said Derek Muller, a law professor at the University of Iowa, before Trump’s indictment. “It’s something that really doesn’t affect your ability to run as a candidate, to appear on the ballot, or to even win the election.”
A person familiar with the matter told CBS News over the weekend that Trump is being charged with falsifying business records in the first degree, a felony in New York state.
The charge stems from alleged hush money paid in 2016 to adult film star Stormy Daniels to buy her silence regarding an affair she claimed to have had with Trump.
In total, there are approximately 30 counts in the indictment, two sources confirmed to CBS News last week.
The son of a Russian governor who was facing extradition to the US on multiple criminal counts escaped house arrest in Italy and returned home, reportedly with the help of Russian secret agents.
Artyom Uss, 40, was arrested in Italy in October on a US warrant seeking his extradition on charges of smuggling US military technology to Russian companies, shipping oil from Venezuela in breach of sanctions, money laundering, and bank fraud.
In December, Uss, the son of the governor of Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region in Siberia, was transferred from jail to house arrest at a compound in Milan, where he remained until March 22, when he fled.
Russian businessman Artyom Uss, 40, has escaped from house arrest in Italy and returned to his native country to avoid being extradited to the US.Handout Uss was indicted last year on charges of selling US technology to a Russian arms firm, violating sanctions, money laundering, and bank fraud. HandoutUss went on the lam just hours after an Italian court approved handing him over to the US to face two of the four charges against him — sanctions violation and bank fraud — carrying a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.
For nearly two weeks, Uss’ whereabouts were unknown, but that changed Tuesday when he informed Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti that he was back home.
Uss claimed he had no choice but to go on the run because the Italian court had “demonstrated its clear political bias” and was likely to “cave in under the US authorities’ pressure.”
The son of a governor, Uss had been ordered to remain under house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor, but on March 22 he escaped, possibly with the help of Russian spies.Handout“In today’s international environment when they play against us ‘without rules,’ my return home, even though it happened in a ‘non-standard’ way, is a victory,” Uss said.
The fugitive kept mum about the specifics of his escape, only saying he had help from “strong and reliable people who were next to me during those dramatic days.”
After removing his GPS ankle monitor, Uss was reportedly taken out of the country on a fake passport, before a private jet whisked him back to Russia.
Uss told a Russian state news agency that he fled Italy because he feared that the country’s judicial system would go along with US prosecutors’ extradition demands. FacebookHis father, Governor Alexander Uss, has confirmed his son’s arrival, telling the news Telegram channel Baza that he has already spoken to him.
“He’s made it to Russia. If he wants to tell others how he made it, he can do it himself,” the elder Uss said.
Former Deputy Chief of Mission to the US embassy in London, Lewis Lukens says “people get tired of hearing Donald Trump complaining about how difficult his life is” and he thinks Trump “will not win” if he becomes a Republican nominee.
Mr Lukens says he will not be surprised if “a gag order” is issued because of how “incendiary” Trump is.
Благодаря своим связям с Владимиром Путиным лидер Чечни Рамзан Кадыров приобрел незаурядную узнаваемость и власть. Однако Кадыров не планирует оставаться с российским диктатором во времена его безденежья. Полный текст новости
Former President Donald Trump denied his father was arrested in 1927 after a Ku Klux Klan riot, and said he had no idea about Fred Trump’s 1976 arrest. Rita Barros/Getty Images and Joe Raedle/Getty Images Trump was arraigned on Tuesday and faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. His…
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Former President Donald Trump has arrived to the courthouse in downtown Manhattan to turn himself into law enforcement where he will be taken into custody and placed under arrest to face criminal charges.
Former president Donald Trump surrendered to authorities in New York on Tuesday afternoon to become the first former U.S. president in history to be arrested on criminal charges.
The former president is expected to be booked by investigators at the courthouse in downtown Manhattan, including having his fingerprints taken. After processing, Trump will likely be taken to a courtroom where the indictment will be unsealed and he will formally face charges. Video cameras were barred from the courtroom, but Trump is expected to address reporters as he enters the courtroom.
Trump will be charged with 34 felony counts for the falsification of business records, veteran investigative journalist Michael Isikoff reported. Sources told Isikoff ahead of the surrender that Trump was not expected to be put in handcuffs, placed in a jail cell, or subjected to a mug shot.
District Attorney Alvin Bragg is expected to address the indictment in a Tuesday afternoon press conference.
“Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform ahead of his surrender just before 1:30 p.m. “Seems so SURREAL — WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can’t believe this is happening in America. MAGA!”
The indictment comes in response to an investigation into Trump’s connection with a hush-money payment made to porn actress Stormy Daniels. Daniels claimed in the final days of the 2016 presidential election that she had previously had a sexual affair with Trump. Trump’s former fixer, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about her claims. The investigation centered on whether Trump falsified internal business records to conceal the reimbursement payments to Cohen as legal expenses.
After the proceedings, the former president is expected to return to Mar-a-Lago, where he plans to address the public this evening.
Acting New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan on Monday evening rejected a request from several news outlets to allow the organizations to broadcast the proceedings. Trump’s lawyers had urged the judge to reject the request, lest the courtroom turn into a “circus-like atmosphere.” The judge chose to allow five pool photographers to take photos at the start of the proceedings “until such time as they are directed to vacate the jury box by court personnel.”
Meanwhile, New York City mayor Eric Adams on Monday warned would-be protesters that disorder and lawlessness over the indictment would not be tolerated.
“Control yourselves. New York City is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger. We are the safest large city in America because we respect the rule of law in New York City,” Adams said. “And although we have no specific threats, people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech, says she’s coming to town. While you in town be on your best behavior. As always, we will not allow violence or vandalism of any kind. And if one is caught participating in any act of violence, they will be arrested and held accountable no matter who you are.”
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters that “there has been no specific, credible threats to our city at this time” related to Trump’s court appearance.
“As the mayor stated, there are no credible or specific threats to New York City at this time,” Sewell said. “New Yorkers may see an increased police presence in parts of the city and should anticipate intermittent road closures over the next few days, particularly in Manhattan. To avoid delays, I to urge everyone to use mass transit when possible.”
“Our job is to facilitate and safeguard the rights of people to express themselves and those going about their daily activities,” the police commissioner said. “But I will remind everyone that violence and destruction are not part of legitimate, lawful expression, and it will never be tolerated in our city.”
Trump has called the indictment “Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history” and warned “this Witch-Hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden.”
“Never before in our Nation’s history has this been done,” Trump said on Thursday. “The Democrats have cheated countless times over the decades, including spying on my campaign, but weaponizing our justice system to punish a political opponent, who just so happens to be a President of the United States and by far the leading Republican candidate for President, has never happened before. Ever.”
Trump adviser Jason Miller said Monday that Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign raised over $8 million in the four days since the indictment was announced.
La caravana del expresidente Donald Trump salió de la Torre Trump rumbo hacia la corte criminal de Manhattan, donde le leerán los cargos criminales presentados por el fiscal de distrito de esa ciudad en el tribunal del juez Juan Merchán. Sus abogados han dicho que el exmandatario planea declararse no culpable.