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Senate Report findings on Trump-Alfa Bank 2016 server connection:
Russia’s largest private bank contacting Trump Org server was “not covert communications,” but Senate can’t explain it. Lots redacted.
Contact began weeks after Deutsche Bank refused Trump a loan for first time.
Russia’s largest private bank contacting Trump Org server was “not covert communications,” but Senate can’t explain it. Lots redacted.
Contact began weeks after Deutsche Bank refused Trump a loan for first time.
Key to note: only 2 other entities were contacting the Trump server:
1. Spectrum Health (company connected to Erik Prince)
2. Heartland Payment Systems, a payment processing firm. Heartland is owned by same conglomerate that owns Alfa Bank’s credit card unit.
1. Spectrum Health (company connected to Erik Prince)
2. Heartland Payment Systems, a payment processing firm. Heartland is owned by same conglomerate that owns Alfa Bank’s credit card unit.
What always struck me here is that the lookups were one-way. Two servers at Russia’s largest private bank were looking up a little known Trump Org server in the middle of the 2016 campaign. But the Trump Org never looked up Alfa Bank.
What kind of technology exchange is one-way?
What kind of technology exchange is one-way?
This all started in May 2016. Just 6 weeks earlier, Deutsche Bank declined to loan Trump money for the first time—ever. His banker, Rosemary Vrablic, appealed it up to Frankfurt, but executives rejected it. Reasons are unclear, but Trump got denied cash. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/02/business/trump-deutsche-bank.html
By Aug, NYT heard about contact and asked Alfa Bank—not connected to Trump—about server. Blanket denial.
Suddenly the Trump server went offline without anyone alerting Trump. As this piece puts it, “the knee was hit in Moscow, the leg kicked in New York.” https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/10/15/was-there-a-connection-between-a-russian-bank-and-the-trump-campaign
Suddenly the Trump server went offline without anyone alerting Trump. As this piece puts it, “the knee was hit in Moscow, the leg kicked in New York.” https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/10/15/was-there-a-connection-between-a-russian-bank-and-the-trump-campaign
Another tidbit: one year before the server lookups began, Heartland Payment Systems started processing cryptocurrency payments.
Cryptocurrency holders can set up computer servers to receive payments, and use payment processors like Heartland to convert cryptocurrency to cash.
Cryptocurrency holders can set up computer servers to receive payments, and use payment processors like Heartland to convert cryptocurrency to cash.
Senate says lookups were NOT communications, but does not say more. Redactions suggest perhaps FBI investigation continues.
My take: Mueller already documented cryptocurrency use by GRU in 2016. This one-way contact started weeks after Trump’s Deutsche Bank well ran dry....
My take: Mueller already documented cryptocurrency use by GRU in 2016. This one-way contact started weeks after Trump’s Deutsche Bank well ran dry....
