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On emptywheel's Continued Obsession with Oligarch Real Estate Seizures

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emptywheel
One of the most interesting things about the Vladimir Voronchenko indictment, in which he was charged for conspiring to help Viktor Vekselberg dodge sanctions, is that he was charged alone.
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The Other Albanian Stuff

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Rayne
It seems rather odd that two different stories related to Rudy Giuliani happened to involve Albania given its size.
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Jeff Gerth's Undisclosed Dissemination of Russian Intelligence Product

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emptywheel
Jeff Gerth spends 23,000 words lecturing other journalists they need to be more transparent. But he doesn't reveal that one of the key pieces of evidence in his narrative that Hillary pushed a "conspiracy theory" that "there was a secret alliance" between Trump and Russia was a Russian intelligence product, a product the reliability of which not even spooks managed by John Ratcliffe would authenticate.
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The Blind Spots of CJR's "Russiagate" [sic] Narrative

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emptywheel
Jeff Gerth claimed to assess NYT and WaPo's reporting on the Russian investigation. And they they proceeded to ignore over 20 Pulitzer Prize-winning stories about Russia.
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CJR's Error at Word 18

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emptywheel
In CJR's 23,000 word narrative criticizing reporting on the Russian investigation, Jeff Gerth committed the first of many errors at word 18.

The 98 Luftballoons

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bmaz
Alrighty then, as TV news is still consumed by the Chinese balloon thing, I need to get a couple of things in. Did the US shoot it down when over Cheney's sparse area of the country? Nope. Nor before that. Let it wander all the way to The Atlantic.…

Wag the Dirigible

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emptywheel
An open thread to talk the stupidest Chinese spying balloon take.

The Rise Of Cities In Eurasia

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Ed Walker
The earliest large settlements didn't have monarchs.

James Comer's Dick Pics Hearing Just Became an Alleged Stolen Laptop Hearing

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emptywheel
By sending letters to virtually all channels via which the "Hunter Biden" "laptop" was disseminated, his lawyer Abbe Lowell has changed the significance of the hearing that James Comer has scheduled about it next week.

DOJ Charges James Gordon Meek with Transporting Child Sexual Assault Material

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emptywheel
An arrest affidavit describes that James Gordon Meek's home was searched in April 2022 in conjunction with a CSAM investigation.
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DOJ Has Spent Five Months Trying to Access Scott Perry's Phone

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emptywheel
In addition to all the difficulties created by the 25 subjects or witnesses in the January 6 investigation, DOJ has been fighting for five months to access Scott Perry's phone.
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A Close Rudy Giuliani Associate Alerted FBI's Assistant Director to Charles McGonigal's Alleged Albanian Graft

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emptywheel
A key potential witness against Charles McGonigal stayed in Rudy Giuliani's guest room as the investigation against the former Special Agent in Charge developed.
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Billy B and Johnny D Drank Whiskey before the Special Counsel Appointment

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emptywheel
The timing of when John Durham killed the Italian-predicated tip into Trump's finances may dictate whether we learn more about it in his report.

The Trump-Biden-Pence Documents Story Is Not (Yet) about Overclassification

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emptywheel
There is, to date, not any evidence that the Bush-Biden-Pence document story is about overclassification. Rather, it's about the way that Presidents and Vice Presidents go from being immune from laws on classification to being subject to them in an instant, all while packing up boxes to leave.
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More on Brandon Straka's So-Called Cooperation

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emptywheel
Comparing Brandon Straka's unsealed cooperation memos to his January 6 Committee interview still leaves big questions about why DOJ gave him a sweetheart misdemeanor plea deal.
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About Your Pence Special Counsel Complaint: On the Missing Coverage of Section 600.2(b)

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emptywheel
Merrick Garland didn't appoint a Special Counsel right away to investigate the classified documents found at President Biden's office and home. He appointed John Lausch to conduct an initial assessment.
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"Why Did Mike Pence Wait So Long to Reveal His Stash of Classified Documents?"

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emptywheel
This table should provide journalists a handy guide of details they need to know before chasing classified documents discovered in a former Constitutional officer's home.
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No, Charles McGonigal Likely Isn't Responsible for that Part of the Russian Investigation You Hate

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emptywheel
There are a number of key FBI investigations, including some in which Oleg Deripaska had tangential interest, on which Charles McGonigal would have had complete visibility. They're not the ones left, right, and frothers are most concerned about though.
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Former FBI SAC Charles McGonigal Indicted for Crimes Spanning from 2017 to 2021

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emptywheel
The former FBI Assistant Direct of Counterintelligence in New York , Charles McGonigal, just got busted in DC and NY for the kinds of crimes he used to investigate.
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When Your Lawyer is Acting Like H.R. Haldeman, It's Time to Get a New Lawyer

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Peterr
Cassidy Hutchinson is too young to have lived through Watergate, but she clearly recognized how the Nixon lawyers worked.