Tag Archives: Russia

Raw Story reports: Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on Wednesday bluntly shot down any doubts about whether Russia was responsible for the hacking of the Democratic National Committee that was intended to disrupt the 2016 presidential election. “The Russian government, at the direction of Vladimir Putin himself, orchestrated cyber attacks on our nation for the purpose of …

The Hill reports: A bill that slaps new sanctions on Russia, and passed the Senate almost unanimously, has hit a major stumbling block in the House. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) said the legislation has been flagged by the House parliamentarian as a “blue slip” violation, referring to the constitutional requirement that revenue bills originate in the House. “The House obviously …

In a piece that was teased last night by Rachel Maddow, this morning Bloomberg published a report detailing the Trump family’s dealings with a “shadowy” real estate development firm linked to a notorious Russian mobster. An excerpt: One of Bayrock’s principals was a career criminal named Felix Sater who had ties to Russian and American organized crime groups. Before linking …

The Copenhagen Post reports: It seems that aside from producing excellent beer the Danish brewery Mikkeller is in possession of a sense of humour as well. And it’s not afraid to ruffle some feathers for a good cause. In collaboration with the Chinese microbrewery Great Leap Brewing, Mikkeller has come up with a beer that may very well irk certain …

CBS News reports: An armed Russian jet came within five feet of a U.S. reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports. A U.S. official said Tuesday that the Russian aircraft came within five feet of a wing tip for a U.S. RC-135 reconnaissance plane. The Russian jet then passed under the U.S. aircraft …

Via press release from HBO: VICE News has obtained exclusive access to Argun Prison in Chechnya where it is alleged that gay men were rounded up and tortured as part of an unprecedented ‘anti-gay purge’ by Chechnya’s law enforcement. VICE News is the first international news organization to be allowed into the location, capturing images and footage from the now …

The Guardian reports: A Russian law that bans gay “propaganda” encourages homophobia and discrimination, the European court of human rights has ruled, in a sharply worded rebuke to the Kremlin. Three Russian gay rights activists brought the case against the 2013 federal statute, widely known as the “gay propaganda” law, after they were arrested between 2009-12 for protesting against local …

The Moscow Times reports: A religious leader for Russia’s Old Believers has called on Russian men to stop shaving to “protect themselves from homosexuality.” Metropolitan Kornily, Primate of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church (RPSC), said that men with beards were less likely “corrupted” by same-sex relationships. “God set down certain rules. The Lord created everyone with a beard. No …

The New York Times reports: Amid a broadening investigation of Russian contacts with his associates and his own role in trying to stop it, President Trump fired off another angry tweet this past week repeating his assertion that he has no business interests in Russia. But while no Trump Tower graces the Moscow skyline, the Russian authorities recently made sure …

Citing an unnamed source, this afternoon NBC’s Katy Tur reports on Twitter that Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen, he of “says who!” fame, has hired his own attorney to represent him in the ever-expanding Russia investigation. According to Tur, Cohen is now scheduled to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on September 5th. Tur’s source says the delay is due …

ABC News reports: The senior Justice Department official with ultimate authority over the special counsel’s probe of Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 election has privately acknowledged to colleagues that he may have to recuse himself from the matter, which he took charge of only after Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ own recusal, sources tell ABC News. Those private remarks from …

The Washington Examiner reports: President Trump confirmed Friday morning he is under investigation over his decision to fire FBI Director James Comey. “I am being investigated for firing the FBI Director by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director! Witch Hunt,” he said on his Twitter account. News surfaced this week that Trump is being investigated for …

The New York Times reports: Russia’s military said on Friday that it was looking into whether one of its airstrikes in the Syrian desert killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-declared caliph of the Islamic State. In a statement, the Defense Ministry said that the Russian Air Force struck a meeting of Islamic State leaders on May 28 outside Raqqa, Syria, …

CNN reports: Vice President Mike Pence has hired his own lawyer to represent him in the special counsel investigation and congressional inquiries into Russia’s role in the 2016 election. The lawyer, Richard Cullen, is a former Virginia attorney general and a former US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia. Pence interviewed several lawyers before selecting Cullen, who is based …

The Hill reports: President Trump assailed the ongoing probes of Russia’s role in the 2016 election on Friday, blasting Congress and the Justice Department for continuing the investigations despite not presenting “any proof” of collusion between his campaign and the Kremlin. Reports emerged this week that the government’s probe of last year’s election has expanded to included possible obstruction of …

The Independent reports: President Donald Trump has mounted another Twitter attack on former election opponent Hillary Clinton, accusing her of having covert dealing with Russia, destroying her phones with a hammer, and “bleaching” her emails. The tweets come one day after The Washington Post reported that Mr Trump is under investigation for potential obstruction of justice. The Post reports Robert Mueller, …

The Independent reports: Vladimir Putin has joked that the fired FBI director James Comey is welcome to seek asylum in Russia. Speaking in his annual question and answer session in Moscow, the Russian President said it was “very strange” that the FBI official had leaked details of conversations with Donald Trump, and likened his actions to those of NSA whistleblower …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump has “no intention” of firing special prosecutor Robert Mueller, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said late Tuesday night. “While the president has the right to, he has no intention to do so,” Sanders said when asked during a gaggle aboard Air Force One whether Trump will fire Mueller. Sanders’ remarks — which came after …

The Los Angeles Times reports: Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions denied “stonewalling” in his testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee as Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) pressed him on his refusal to answer questions. Sessions declined to elaborate about his conversations with President Trump concerning the handling of the investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election. But “I am not …

The Washington Post reports: Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s testimony has been marked by some heated moments, including tense debates over whether he is “stonewalling” the committee. And then came Sen. Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas. The first-term senator opened by suggesting Democrats on the committee were going down “rabbit trails,” invoked the novels of John le Carré and the James …