WTF Community

Day 588

General Discussion
#22

This is an UPDATE to my previous post that included a link to Sam Patten’s Plea Agreement. Yes, that was indeed, Patten’s Plea Agreement, but it turns out it’s a rather boring and inconsequential document (at least for avid Manafort trial followers). I apologize to anyone who waded all the way through it (as I did after I posted – I should have read it before :man_shrugging: ). It deals almost exclusively with issues like sentencing guidelines, waivers, etc. The “juicy” document associated with the plea agreement (Statement of the Offense) is below. It’s worth reading!

Important Key to the Document Below:

Mr. Kilimnik was not named in Friday’s charging papers, but is identified as “Foreigner A,” described as a Russian national who formed a company in the United States with Mr. Patten. That company, identified as “Company A” in the court document, is Begemot Ventures International, a company created by the two men in February 2015, according to corporate records filed in Washington.

  • Foreigner B is Sergei Lyovochkin according Bloomberg.

Patten attended one of the inauguration events with the Ukrainian, according to the court filing. The prosecutors’ description of the Ukrainian matches that of Sergei Lyovochkin, a leader of the pro-Russian Opposition Bloc whom prosecutors describe as a prominent oligarch. The party’s website says that Lyovochkin was in Washington on Inauguration Day.

Side Note: This guy Lyovochkin appears to have his fingers in a lot of pies. I imagine we’ll be hearing more about him in days to come. In the meantime, I’m Googling him up and will report back if I find anything interesting.

  • Company A is Begemot Ventures International – see the first bullet.
    .

Happy perusing! :mag_right:

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#23

Another link from Atlantic writer Natasha Bertrand, The Atlantic. So many links and overlapping ‘interests.’

And needless to say Rachel Maddow has been ALL OVER this story tonight.
THE FRIDAY DUMP!

It is not clear why Patten, who already had a consulting firm registered in D.C., decided to open a brand-new company with Kilimnik. Asked whether any of the firm’s clients were in Russia or Ukraine, Patten replied, “It would be poor business to talk about our clients, but I can tell you declaratively that none of the clients have involvement in the particular circus in the U.S. that seems to have become a news industry in and of itself,” an apparent reference to the Russia investigation. He confirmed that the company, which he described as providing “strategic communications advice for clients outside the U.S.,” is still active, but said it has no projects ongoing at this time.

“BVI has only worked for clients outside U.S. in other countries,” Patten said. “As a result of all this, I regret it probably won’t be working for anyone anymore, but you never know. Life can be unpredictable.” Patten said that, “to the best of [his] knowledge,” Kilimnik “was no longer working for Manafort when BVI was formed.” But he acknowledged that Kilimnik and Manafort, who began working together in Kiev in 2005, “remained in touch, as is well-known.” Patten’s work in Ukraine dovetailed with Manafort’s. About eight months after BVI was incorporated, in October 2015, Patten was in Ukraine advising Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko on his reelection campaign. On his website, Patten writes that he “helped steer Mayor Klitschko to reelection in Ukraine’s capital and largest city in one of the toughest anti-government atmospheres in that country’s history.”

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#24

George Papadopoulis’ sentencing memo.

A lot of statements regarding T, Sessions and George’s suggestion that a meeting with T and Putin. (T nodded)

Suggests probation…and not a need for the 30 days that Van der Zwaan got.

See pg 15 -

(George) was the first domino, and many have fallen in line…he was just a small part of a large scale operation. He did tell the Australian diplomat that the Russians had ‘dirt’ on Hillary.

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#25

Yes, that article by Natasha Bertrand in The Atlantic is a real page turner!

And as you said, Rachel Maddow is “all over this.” I know you already watched her show last night, but for anyone who missed it:

Part 1 - Maddow digs into the latest “flip” in the Mueller investigation:

Part 2 - Maddow interviews Natasha Bertrand about how she got so far ahead of the curve on this story. Fascinating! (see @dragonfly9 's link to Bertrand’s investigative report in The Atlantic above).

Part 3 - Maddow wraps with a look at Trump’s super shady Inaugural Committee.

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📝 Must Read Op-Ed and Profiles
#26

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#5

Yeah…I just included these couple of prognostications in case we got a worst case scenario, and T goes unimpeached, or unindicted.

Yup, T has been hating on Sessions now for over a year, and T’s ploy is to get rid of Sessions, now after the mid-terms. He’s petitioning the Senators now.

Reporters are saying that the Friday before Labor Day may be significant. Mueller semi-promised something. Not sure…if there are going to be any indictments…fingers crossed. :crossed_fingers:

Yes, more c**p ahead.

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