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@YDanasmithdutra @RYP__ @clearing_fog @carrybeyond @ClimaxPragmatic @myrubypearl @ThomasS4217 https://twitter.com/ChristopherJM/status/1390400471932805120
@YDanasmithdutra @RYP__ @clearing_fog @carrybeyond @ClimaxPragmatic @myrubypearl @ThomasS4217 https://twitter.com/ChristopherJM/status/1390400471932805120
1/The security assistance came as #Giuliani ramped up his campaign to get President Volodymyr #Zelensky’s administration to open investigations that could damage Biden ahead of the 2020 election.
2/And as #ErikPrince pursued a business deal in Ukraine that would grow his personal portfolio and assist the Trump administration in its foreign policy goal of limiting China’s power and influence, according to four sources familiar with his business endeavors.
3/Prince provided #Giuliani with a personal bodyguard by the name of Thomas “ #Doc” Williams, who accompanied the then–personal attorney for Trump everywhere he went on the Eastern European trip, Andriy #Telizhenko told @BuzzFeedNews.
4/ #Telizhenko is one of several Ukrainian operatives who worked with #Giuliani on his Biden campaign and helped arrange his travel to #Kyiv and the Hungarian capital of Budapest with a crew from the right-wing One America News #OAN which was filming a segment for a Biden series.
5/ #Telizhenko was sanctioned by the US in January over attempts to interfere in the 2020 election.
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1232
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1232
6/ #Doc was added by #Prince requested by Andriy #Artemenko, #Telizhenko told @BuzzFeedNews. Artemenko a Ukrainian operative who aided #Giuliani & #OAN in their quest for dirt on Bidens & info to support Republican conspiracy that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in #2016election.
7/ #Telizhenko is now assisting the FBI in its investigation, according to @Politico and two people close to Artemenko who spoke to @BuzzFeedNews. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/29/ukrainian-lawmaker-fbi-giuliani-485011
8/A cropped photo posted to FB by #Telizhenko at the end of #Giuliani’s trip to Kyiv on Dec. 6 shows those 2 men w/Artemenko; press sec, #ChristiannéAllen; another aide; & an #OAN camera operator at Zhuliany airport before the group boarded a private jet to return to the US.
9/But an uncropped photograph, obtained by @BuzzFeedNews, shows 3 other people who were part of the trip: #ChanelRion, #OAN host; Yan Aronov, a business partner of Artemenko; and #Doc Williams, the bodyguard.
10/Artemenko, who also goes by the name Andy Kuchma, & Aronov are both executives of #AirTrans LLC, a part of Frontier Services Group, a company founded and led by #ErikPrince until he resigned last month.
https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/FRONTIER-SERVICES-GROUP-L-6165919/news/Frontier-Services-nbsp-RESIGNATION-OF-EXECUTIVE-DIRECTOR-AND-DEPUTY-CHAIRMAN-32967589/
https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/FRONTIER-SERVICES-GROUP-L-6165919/news/Frontier-Services-nbsp-RESIGNATION-OF-EXECUTIVE-DIRECTOR-AND-DEPUTY-CHAIRMAN-32967589/
11/Reverse image searches conducted by @BuzzFeedNews led to several other photographs of #Doc Williams, further confirming his identity. They led to social media pages that suggest he is a Marine veteran and an active member of a rugby league for retired members of the military.
12/ 2017 press release announcing the addition of #Doc Williams to advisory council of Protection From Abuse, a nonprofit security service, says he had previously served as director of special programs for #Blackwater, private security co-founded by #ErikPrince now known #Academi
13/ Additionally, #Doc Williams’ Twitter account, where he describes himself as a “former adventure tourist” & shares about #Blackwater & #ErikPrince. Williams blocked a @BuzzFeedNews reporter after a request for comment was sent via direct message.
14/ As #Giuliani, the #OAN crew, and the Ukrainian operatives moved around #Kyiv with their private security guard in December 2019, #ErikPrince was apparently looking into a potentially major acquisition in Ukraine.
15/ The 4 sources who spoke to @BuzzFeedNews — Andrew Mac, a Washington, DC–based adviser to #Zelensky; Igor Novikov, a former adviser to the Ukrainian president; & 2 other sources w/knowledge of #ErikPrince’s activities in Ukraine who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
16/ In late 2019 & early 2020, #ErikPrince was looking into purchasing 3 aviation companies: Motor Sich, a privately owned jet & helicopter engine maker, as well as the Kharkiv State Aircraft Manufacturing Company & Antonov, both state-run aircraft producers.
17/All 4 said they believed #ErikPrince’s acquisition of Motor Sich, let alone all 3 co.s, was a far-fetched idea, he was interested enough to make at least 2 visits to the country in 2019 & 2020, meeting w/officials close to #Zelensky. Helping him was bus. assoc, #Artemenko.
18/“I remember him bragging about it in Nov & Dec 2019, in Washington & Budapest & Kyiv— I’m working w/ #ErikPrince, we’re trying to buy Motor Sich, & it’s a big contract,” #Telizhenko recalled #Artemenko telling him. Telizhenko said Artemenko personally brought Prince to Kharkiv.
19/ April 2020, #Artemenko was hired by Ukrainian lawmaker #AndriyDerkach, who also helped #Giuliani with his smear campaign against the Bidens and was sanctioned by the US in September for attempting to influence the US election. https://efile.fara.gov/docs/6812-Registration-Statement-20200408-1.pdf
20/ #Artemenko confirmed that agreement in interview w/ @Politico shortly afterward. #Telizhenko & Novikov told #BuzzFeed in exchange for Artemenko’s help in the US, #Derkach was also using the leverage he had in Kyiv to assist Artemenko & #ErikPrince. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/10/ukrainian-giuliani-ally-lobby-trump-administration-179453
21/ #Derkach said he was working “solely within the framework of my powers as a member of parliament of Ukraine—a representative of the people of Ukraine.” He said what he did to aid #ErikPrince was “in accordance w/US laws” & pointed to lobbying agreement w/ #Artemenko 2020.
22/ #ErikPrince’s focus on the latter 2 companies has not been previously reported. The WSJ first reported his interest in Motor Sich in Nov 2019.
Prince told @BuzzFeedNews in Feb 2020 that he was not pursuing the company. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/christopherm51/donald-trump-ukraine-china-motor-sich
Prince told @BuzzFeedNews in Feb 2020 that he was not pursuing the company. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/christopherm51/donald-trump-ukraine-china-motor-sich
23/Late 2019—again in recent months— #ErikPrince was actively pursuing #MotorSich. The source who was aware of Prince’s renewed interest in acquiring the company described the idea as “fanciful,” since #Zelensky signed a decree in Jan imposing sanctions. https://www.president.gov.ua/documents/362021-36425
24/Sanctions on Chinese aviation firm Skyrizon, which has tried to acquire control of #MotorSich by buying stakes from its Ukrainian owners, and Kyiv announced in March that it would nationalize the engine maker. https://www.reuters.com/article/ukraine-defence-idUSL8N2L96BZ
25/If #ErikPrince had a shot at buying the company, all 4 sources said, it was while Trump was POTUS; the co was of great importance to his admin as it tried to keep the advanced engine tech 1st developed by #MotorSich during the Soviet Union away from China.
26/The tussle over the co, the crown jewel of Ukraine’s defense sector, began in 2016, when #Skyrizon attempted to take control, buying 56% of #MotorSich, as it continued to transform & modernize its armed forces to eventually rival the US.
27/ But the deal was frozen by the Security Service of Ukraine on national security grounds in 2018, leading to the current confusing and complex situation.
28/ The Chinese investors behind #Skyrizon have brought a $3.5 billion arbitration case against Ukraine for blocking the sale. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-motor-sich-skyrizon-arbitration-ukraine/31007011.html
29/Trump administration’s campaign to block China from acquiring a controlling stake in Motor Sich began in 2019, and was led by then–national security adviser John Bolton, and Tim Morrison, then a top adviser on Russia and Europe on the White House National Security Council
30/ Visit to Kyiv in Aug that year, 3 Ukrainian officials told BuzzFeed previously Bolton tried to persuade #Zelensky to quash #MotorSich’s purchase. One of the Ukrainian officials described the US interest in the Motor Sich at the time as an “obsession.” https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/christopherm51/donald-trump-ukraine-china-motor-sich
31/Another said pressure to block the China deal came as Trump & #Giuliani were pressing #Zelensky to open politically motivated probe into Bidens, & the US was holding up $391 million of military assistance & $30 million of arms and ammunition for Ukraine. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/christopherm51/ukraine-unaware-aid-holdup-month-after-trump-call
32/ Final approval for six arms deals worth roughly $30 million has been held up for more than a year, and Ukraine has no idea why, four officials told BuzzFeed News. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/christopherm51/ukraine-us-arms-sales
33/ Mac said #ErikPrince failed to acquire the company b/c, in the end, he couldn’t get backing from the US. A 2nd company based in Cali was also being pushed by US officials at the State Dept as a potential & preferred buyer.
34/ #Ukraine isn’t the first foreign locale where the alleged dealings of #Giuliani & #ErikPrince appeared to overlap.
Both men were reported to have attempted back-channel diplomacy w/the regime of Venezuelan leader Nicolás #Maduro during the Trump admin. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/venezuela/article239048113.html
Both men were reported to have attempted back-channel diplomacy w/the regime of Venezuelan leader Nicolás #Maduro during the Trump admin. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/venezuela/article239048113.html
35/In an interview w/McClatchy & @MiamiHerald, Abrams said #Giuliani’s phone conversation w/ #Maduro in 2018 & legal work in 2019 for a wealthy Venezuelan businessman w/ties to Maduro was not an official diplomatic effort approved by the State Department. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article236793383.html
36/ 29Dec2019
How #Giuliani got involved in back-channel talks w/ #Maduro
On one end: Venezuela’s socialist pres, pariah leader whom Trump’s admin seeking to isolate.
On the other: Rudolph W. #Giuliani & then-Rep. #PeteSessions (R-Tex.). https://archive.is/2019.12.30-030045/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-lawyer-and-the-venezuelan-president-how-giuliani-got-involved-in-back-channel-talks-with-maduro/2019/12/29/289dc6aa-235f-11ea-86f3-3b5019d451db_story.html
How #Giuliani got involved in back-channel talks w/ #Maduro
On one end: Venezuela’s socialist pres, pariah leader whom Trump’s admin seeking to isolate.
On the other: Rudolph W. #Giuliani & then-Rep. #PeteSessions (R-Tex.). https://archive.is/2019.12.30-030045/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-lawyer-and-the-venezuelan-president-how-giuliani-got-involved-in-back-channel-talks-with-maduro/2019/12/29/289dc6aa-235f-11ea-86f3-3b5019d451db_story.html
