May 12, 2018: A Swamp Filled with Russians

 

5/12/18: When it comes to draining the swamp the Trump administration may not be any worse than previous administrations. It’s definitely no better. And there seems to be a predisposition to help Russian individuals and entities whenever possible. 

CNN reports: 

A former senior campaign and transition aide to President Donald Trump recently inked a deal to help a Russian oligarch’s conglomerate shed sanctions the Trump administration slapped on them last month.

 

Bryan Lanza, who is in regular contact with White House officials, is lobbying on behalf of the chairman of EN+ Group, an energy and aluminum firm presently controlled by Oleg Deripaska…a billionaire who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and was the target of US sanctions imposed last month.

 

(Around the 5:30 mark in the clip, above, Lanza insists the Trump campaign had no contacts with Russians – and says U.S. intelligence agrees with that assessment. He’s either lying, or out of the loop entirely. Don Jr., Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort, Rick Gates and Roger Stone had already had serious contacts – they just hadn’t had to fess up in court yet.)

New alligators swimming in the swamp would include people like Corey Lewandowski, Trump's first campaign manager. He started his own Washington consulting business following the election. “Trump doesn’t make a decision without checking with me,” he has told clients who thirst for access. Brian Ballard, Trump’s longtime Florida fundraiser, has also come to town, as has Susie Wiles, who led his campaign in that state. 

And – we have more Russians! 

Former New York Republican Rep. John Sweeney has made more than $200,000 lobbying on behalf of a European pipeline venture owned by Gazprom, the state-controlled Russian natural gas company, according to federal lobbying disclosures. The New York Republican previously worked on Trump’s campaign and assisted with administration hires during the presidential transition.

 

The swampiest creature of all would be Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. New documents show he began selling his services to the highest bidders almost as soon as Trump finished swearing to uphold the Constitution. Within 24 hours, AT & T had agreed to pay him at least $200,000, in hopes he could smooth a path to an $85 billion merger with Time-Warner. The Swiss pharmaceutical giant, Novartis, did Cohen better, forking out $1.2 million in return for his aid. Other companies chipped in various sums, bringing the haul to $4.4 million. 

By now, of course, we all know that no story about the Trump administration seems complete unless you sprinkle in some Russians. Cohen took $500,000 from a company called Columbus Nova and other entities controlled by Viktor Vekselberg, a close friend of Vladimir Putin. 

Drain that swamp.

BLOGGER’S NOTE (7/7/21): For an in-depth look at how some of these characters go about their business – selling access to foreigners to the U.S. government – and profiting handsomely, see: “Rudy Giuliani is Being Scrutinized for Foreign Lobbying,” by Open Secrets.