All Things Trump: Is it over yet?

[Tero]

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They are going to pray!

[laklak]

*prey*

[L'Emmerdeur]

Report on a whistleblower claim regarding how at least some of Trump's multi-million dollar loans from Deutsche Bank were guaranteed:

'Trump Deutsche Bank Loans Underwritten By Russian State-Owned Bank, Whistleblower Told FBI'

Deutsche Bank’s loans to Donald Trump were underwritten by Russian state-owned VTB Bank, according to the whistleblower whose collection of thousands of bank documents and internal communications have captured the recent attention of federal investigators.

Val Broeksmit acquired the emails and files of his late father, Deutsche Bank executive William S. Broeksmit, after Broeksmit tragically took his own life in 2014.

Val informed the FBI in late 2019 about his knowledge of VTB’s underwriting of Trump’s loans, information he attributed to a network of sources connected to the bank he cultivated over the past five-plus years.

Underwriting is the process where financial institutions assess the ability of potential customers to fulfill their obligations. Underwriters have access to “credit and financial information, as well as the state of the [property],” according to US News, though underwriters can sometimes be unknown to the person seeking the loan.

Forensic News is not confirming the underlying claim that VTB underwrote Trump’s loans from Deutsche Bank.

Forensic News can, however, confirm that at least some of Trump’s loans were issued by a bank subsidiary with business ties to VTB. That subsidiary owed more than $48 million to VTB in 2013 and documents suggest the subsidiary continued doing business with VTB even after the bank was sanctioned in 2014.

[L'Emmerdeur]

Reuters report on background of the fatal strike on Solemani.

'Inside the plot by Iran’s Soleimani to attack U.S. forces in Iraq'

In mid-October, Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani met with his Iraqi Shi’ite militia allies at a villa on the banks of the Tigris River, looking across at the U.S. embassy complex in Baghdad.

The Revolutionary Guards commander instructed his top ally in Iraq, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and other powerful militia leaders to step up attacks on U.S. targets in the country using sophisticated new weapons provided by Iran, two militia commanders and two security sources briefed on the gathering told Reuters.

The strategy session, which has not been previously reported, came as mass protests against Iran’s growing influence in Iraq were gaining momentum, putting the Islamic Republic in an unwelcome spotlight. Soleimani’s plans to attack U.S. forces aimed to provoke a military response that would redirect that rising anger toward the United States, according to the sources briefed on the gathering, Iraqi Shi’ite politicians and government officials close to Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi.

Soleimani’s efforts ended up provoking the U.S. attack on Friday that killed him and Muhandis, marking a major escalation of tensions between the United States and Iran. The two men died in air strikes on their convoy at a Baghdad airport as they headed to the capital, dealing a major blow to the Islamic Republic and the Iraqi paramilitary groups it supports.

[Tero]

Bush's nation building is falling apart.

[Tero]

[Sean Hayden]

Reuters report on background of the fatal strike on Solemani.

'Inside the plot by Iran’s Soleimani to attack U.S. forces in Iraq'

In mid-October, Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani met with his Iraqi Shi’ite militia allies at a villa on the banks of the Tigris River, looking across at the U.S. embassy complex in Baghdad.

The Revolutionary Guards commander instructed his top ally in Iraq, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and other powerful militia leaders to step up attacks on U.S. targets in the country using sophisticated new weapons provided by Iran, two militia commanders and two security sources briefed on the gathering told Reuters.

The strategy session, which has not been previously reported, came as mass protests against Iran’s growing influence in Iraq were gaining momentum, putting the Islamic Republic in an unwelcome spotlight. Soleimani’s plans to attack U.S. forces aimed to provoke a military response that would redirect that rising anger toward the United States, according to the sources briefed on the gathering, Iraqi Shi’ite politicians and government officials close to Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi.

Soleimani’s efforts ended up provoking the U.S. attack on Friday that killed him and Muhandis, marking a major escalation of tensions between the United States and Iran. The two men died in air strikes on their convoy at a Baghdad airport as they headed to the capital, dealing a major blow to the Islamic Republic and the Iraqi paramilitary groups it supports.

Was that intended to provide a rationale for the assassination? Did it make sense to you?

[Tero]

[Brian Peacock]

Maybe this all ends peacefully, but the chance of someone making a bad decision and things going wrong just went up significantly, and of course the Iranians will extract their revenge on their own terms.

Aye, the Saudis must be very nervous at the moment.

[L'Emmerdeur]

Reuters report on background of the fatal strike on Solemani.

'Inside the plot by Iran’s Soleimani to attack U.S. forces in Iraq'

In mid-October, Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani met with his Iraqi Shi’ite militia allies at a villa on the banks of the Tigris River, looking across at the U.S. embassy complex in Baghdad.

The Revolutionary Guards commander instructed his top ally in Iraq, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and other powerful militia leaders to step up attacks on U.S. targets in the country using sophisticated new weapons provided by Iran, two militia commanders and two security sources briefed on the gathering told Reuters.

The strategy session, which has not been previously reported, came as mass protests against Iran’s growing influence in Iraq were gaining momentum, putting the Islamic Republic in an unwelcome spotlight. Soleimani’s plans to attack U.S. forces aimed to provoke a military response that would redirect that rising anger toward the United States, according to the sources briefed on the gathering, Iraqi Shi’ite politicians and government officials close to Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi.

Soleimani’s efforts ended up provoking the U.S. attack on Friday that killed him and Muhandis, marking a major escalation of tensions between the United States and Iran. The two men died in air strikes on their convoy at a Baghdad airport as they headed to the capital, dealing a major blow to the Islamic Republic and the Iraqi paramilitary groups it supports.

Was that intended to provide a rationale for the assassination? Did it make sense to you?

Yes, it appears to be part of the post-action rationalisation. As far as I'm concerned none of the attempts at rationalisation we've seen approach an acceptable justification for the action. The killing of Solemani sets a precedent that is almost certain to haunt the US into the future, and in the shorter term will very likely bring a genuine shitstorm in its wake. The actual rationale, if you can call it that, appears to be the gratification of Trump's egoism and desire to create a tough guy image. Half-smart Idiot neo-cons in the US have been slavering over a major confrontation with Iran (dreams of 'regime change') for decades, and in Trump they found a stooge they have been able to manipulate to advance their agenda.

[Joe]

Maybe this all ends peacefully, but the chance of someone making a bad decision and things going wrong just went up significantly, and of course the Iranians will extract their revenge on their own terms.

Aye, the Saudis must be very nervous at the moment.

Yeah, I would be were I standing in their shoes. They've had their decades long fears about the vulnerability of their oil infrastructure dramatically confirmed, and now Trump has raised the level of regional tension significantly.

[L'Emmerdeur]

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That map brings to mind something that's quite possibly nothing more than speculation on coincidence: Somebody has noticed a private Russian jet that arrived at the Fort Lauderdale airport (not far from Mar-a-lago) on the third of January. That jet is known to be used by Herman Gref, CEO of Sberbank, the largest bank in Russia (and of course, a member of Putin's oligarchy).

[Tero]

Long flight for a motgage payment collection. Maybe the steak and ice cream with Trump is worth it?

[L'Emmerdeur]

Just wanted a change from the dacha on the Black Sea, maybe.

By the bye, threatening to attack sites important to Iranian culture sounds remarkably like contemplating engaging in terrorism to me.

[JimC]

Just wanted a change from the dacha on the Black Sea, maybe.

By the bye, threatening to attack sites important to Iranian culture sounds remarkably like contemplating engaging in terrorism to me.

Baedeker raids...