Casual Observation

11 Comments

1. 

   BooMan on February 21, 2017 at 11:12 pm

   It’s like bad porno.

2. 

   Don Durito on February 21, 2017 at 11:20 pm

   Curiouser and curiouser!

3. 

   Don Durito on February 21, 2017 at 11:49 pm

   In other news, Trump’s lawyer can’t appear to keep his story straight with regard to the Russia-Ukraine “peace plan” mess. Walter Sobchak would have a field day with these bozos.

   • 

     marduk on February 22, 2017 at 7:30 am

     Shut the fuck up donnie.

4. 

   dww44 on February 21, 2017 at 11:55 pm

   I’m not sure about the timing of the story in the linked article, but tonight Rachel Maddow reported that when Firtash left court and exited the elevator at the ground floor he was immediately arrested by police to be extradited to Spain whose request for extradition had also been filed months earlier, but after the original U.S. request.

     Perhaps the Austrian court/judge decided that the possibility of the U.S. Justice Department might not pursue the long standing criminal claims against him might be dropped or greatly lessened?  

5. 

   Oui on February 22, 2017 at 12:41 am

   Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash arrested after extradition ruling | The Guardian |

   Powerful in Ukraine, stranded in Austria for the past three years, and wanted by US authorities on bribery charges, Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash is no stranger to intrigue.

   Today his case took yet another turn as a Vienna court ordered his extradition to the U.S. – and he was taken into custody on a European arrest warrant by Austrian police just hours later.

   The prosecutor’s office said the arrest was not to do with the U.S. warrant, but due to supplementary information received from Spanish authorities, raising the possibility the oligarch may be extradited to Spain rather than the U.S.

   Firtash, who brokered gas deals with the Kremlin over many years, was arrested just weeks after the 2014 Maidan revolution in Ukraine ousted former president Viktor Yanukovych from power. He was released after putting up €125m (£105m) bail, and has been marooned in Vienna ever since.

   In 2015, an Austrian judge refused the extradition request, agreeing with Firtash’s lawyers that the charges were politically motivated. The judge, Christoph Bauer, said in the surprise ruling that the initial extradition request was an attempt to weaken Yanukovych by removing one of his main allies from Ukraine.

   The Guardian saw emails from the FBI to Austrian authorities which appeared to suggest US policy on whether or not to move against Firtash fluctuated depending on the political situation in Ukraine.

   Ooops! WikiLeaks in an embarrashment for Putin in 2008?

   Caught between Russia and the US? The curious case of Ukraine’s Dmytro Firtash | The Guardian – May 2015 |

   A Wikileaks cable recounting a 2008 meeting between Firtash and the US ambassador to Ukraine claimed the businessman had ties with Semion Mogilevich, a notorious mafia don who was until late last year on the FBI’s 10 most wanted list.

   Firtash fiercely disputes the contents of the cable and claims he never said this to the ambassador. “I knew Mogilevich, but so did half of Ukraine. I never had any dealings with him.”

   Firtash’s gas contacts led to the establishment of RosUkrEnergo, a middle-man company that made huge profits while delivering central Asian and Russian gas to Ukraine. A Reuters investigation found Firtash had been extended credit lines of up to $11bn (£7.8bn) by bankers close to Vladimir Putin, which helped him expand his empire.

   The timing of US moves against Firtash align intriguingly with political developments in Ukraine. An initial request to arrest Firtash was sent in late October 2013, just after Yanukovych had met the Russian president in Sochi and suggested he might not sign the EU deal.

   Spain seeks extradition for Ukrainian oligarch linked to senior Tories for alleged money laundering | The Independent |

   A controversial oligarch linked to senior Conservatives and Donald Trump’s former campaign manager is being sought by Spanish authorities over alleged moneylaundering, according to reports.

   Mr Firtash became known in the UK shortly before the revolution in Ukraine, when it emerged that he had connections with senior British parliamentarians including former culture secretary John Whittingdale and Lord Risby through his backing of the British Ukrainian Society, a parliamentary organisation.

   …
   In the US, it emerged over the summer that he was part of a consortium including former Trump aide Paul Manafort in a major Manhattan property deal.

   Estimates of Mr Firtash’s wealth range from $673m to $5bn. A former meat and used-car salesman, he made his fortune supplying goods to energy-rich Turkmenistan in exchange for gas.

   While he is now believed to reside in Austria, he has a vast home near Harrods in London’s Knightsbridge. Mr Firtash is also a big donor to Cambridge University.

   ○ Revolutionary Tactics: From Georgia to Ukraine? | Legatum | chaired by Anne Applebaum

   ○ Reuters ‘Comrade Capitalism’series   By Stephen Grey, Tom Bergin, Sevgil Musaieva and Roman Anin
   ○ ‘Why Do They Kill Journalists in Ukraine?’ | The Atlantic – July 2016 |

   Posted earlier in my diary …

   ○ US.Gov Vetting Next President for Ukraine, Tymoshenko?

   ○ Firtash can evade prison term if he “sells out” Russian leaders – Gerashchenko | UNIAN News |

6. 

   fjallstrom on February 22, 2017 at 8:35 am

   Given that he is arrested on a Eurpean Arrest Warrant issued by Spain, I would expect him to be extradited to Spain. And in light of that the rest of the article looks like speculation to get a hook to tie this in with Trump.

7. 

   rikyrah on February 22, 2017 at 9:21 am

   ICYMI

   Here is the clip of Maxine Waters on Chris Hayes, calling Dolt45’s people SCUMBAGS.
   Hayes clutched the pearls, and Maxine was like… I.SAID.WHAT.I.SAID.

   LOL

   ……………………….

   ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES 2/21/17
   Rep. Maxine Waters: Trump advisors with Russia ties are ..
   The Democratic congresswoman from California calls the president’s friends and advisors with ties to Russia and oil and gas interests `a bunch of scumbags.’

   • 

     IL JimP on February 22, 2017 at 10:49 am

     Rep. Waters is great, love seeing her on TV

8. 

   rikyrah on February 22, 2017 at 9:25 am

   uh huh
   uh huh

   Yes, Trump’s Aide Really Did Throw “White Power” Sign

   By SemDem  
   Tuesday Feb 21, 2017 · 8:10 PM PST
   2017/02/21 ·

   Take a look at the guy in the picture.  That’s Steve Miller, senior advisor to Donald Trump.  He’s also an avowed racist.  Don’t take my word for it–that’s what his friends and family say.  He hasn’t been quiet about it at all:  he has openly disparaged blacks, Latinos, and Asians throughout his school career, from high school to Duke University, where he palled around with white supremacist leader Richard Spencer.  He continued his racist streak when he interned with Jeff Sessions and now spends his days trying to out-bigot the other white supremacist named Steve in Trump’s White House.  No wonder David Duke adores him.  

   Now look at the picture.  I used a screen grab for the very same shot of Miller that was used in the headlines for The Guardian, New York Daily, and Washington Post just to name a few.   He made headlines that day for defending the Muslim ban by saying Trump’s actions “will not be questioned”!

   ……………………………….

   You might think that’s an odd natural gesture to make. And it is.  What Steve is doing is completely intentional:

   The right hand, on top, is showing just three fingers: “W”.
   His left hand curls to make the “P” formation.  
   WP. White Power.  White nationalists know exactly what that sign means.
   According to the Anti-Defamation League, this is a common white supremacist hand sign “particularly” used in California.   (Stephen Miller is from Santa Monica.)

9. 

   rikyrah on February 22, 2017 at 9:47 am

   Democratic recruiters see new zeal for public service in office
   Rachel Maddow reports on the surge in enthusiasm that Democratic Party officials are seeing while recruiting new candidates for local legislative office, and the energized crowds that members of Congress are encountering in their home districts