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Saturday 24 February 2018

Farage Ukraine Money Trouble

The possibility of three UK nationals being indicted as part of the Trump-Russia investigation, as I discussed yesterday, may come so close to former UKIP Oberscheissenführer Nigel “Thirsty” Farage that he ends up getting nicked. But how he might be linked to all the others being charged by special counsel Rober Mueller was not immediately clear. It is now, and the key man is Paul Manafort.
Squeaky illegal bung finger up the bum time

As the BBC has reported, “Ex-Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort secretly paid unnamed former senior European politicians to lobby for Ukraine's previous pro-Russia government, a new indictment filed by special counsel Robert Mueller says … Mr Manafort paid over €2m ($2.5m; £1.8m) to the ex-politicians, including a former European chancellor, it says”. So what were these alleged bungs for?

His alleged payments to former senior European politicians were made in 2012 and 2013, the new indictment says … The alleged paid lobbying was part of Mr Manafort's work for the Ukrainian government, a pro-Russian party, the Party of Regions, and its leader Viktor Yanukovych, who was president between 2010 and 2014, the indictment says … Mr Manafort's work for Ukrainian pro-Russian political parties is said to have continued after Mr Yanukovych was overthrown and fled to Russia in 2014”.
But where does Farage fit in? James Lamond had a clue: “Rick Gates admitted to lying about a meeting between Manafort & a U.S. congressman. Turns out Dana Rohrabacher, had a meeting with Manafort scheduled for that day”. Rohrabacher, otherwise known as “Putin’s favourite Congressman”, is a pal of Nigel Farage.

Indeed, the Observer’s Carole Cadwalladr caught Rohrabacher posting a photo of himself and Mr Thirsty on a fishing trip together. The image has since been deleted - but not by Ms Cadwalladr. Nor has all the characteristically loud and persistent pro-Russia lobbying by Farage - after the alleged Manafort payments were made.
In 2014, as the Guardian reported, “Nigel Farage intensified his attack on the EU's ‘vanity’ foreign policy on Thursday as he accused Brussels of poking the ‘Russian bear with a stick’ over Ukraine”. He also claimed the EU “has encouraged brave young men and women in western Ukraine to rebel to the point of toppling a legitimate president”.

Later, Farage, who resents anything he sees as interference from outside in UK affairs, went to the Netherlands to, er, interfere in their affairs and urge a no vote in their Ukraine referendum. And the Telegraph put it thus: “The West must stop opposing Vladimir Putin’s incursion into Ukraine and join forces with the Russian leader in the fight against Islamic extremists, Nigel Farage has said”. All since Manafort made his alleged bungs.
And the last link in the chain will be the one that clinches it - so we need to know one thing. Was Nigel Farage a recipient of the alleged Manafort largesse? Because if he is, he’s toast. He had all the connections, made all the right noises at the right times, and rocked up in all the right places. He’s got some of those questions to answer.

Of course, someone close to Mueller may already have answered them.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Putin's favourite Congressman"?

I thought they were all bought and paid for by the NRA? In which case, Putin's doing a lousy job "interfering" in Yank elections.

The lying comedy gets funnier with each propaganda fuck up.

nparker said...

Yes, joking about the NRA's influence after another school gun massacre is just so hilarious, Anonymous 17:21. So much 'funnier.' Perhaps think before... typing.

Jonathan said...

Thirsty will by now be getting twitchy about a possible indicment and possible extradition.

I will happily take Thirsty to Heathrow for his flight to DC.

Anonymous said...

So, Tim, is Putin in on this one or not?

Or is it the NRA?

Or the CIA?

Or the FBI?

Or the Pentagon?

Or Dearlove and MI5/MI6?

Or Ben Bradley "MP"?

Or even the Ecuadorian embassy and Julian Assange?

Can The Android Marred Show help?

After all, it seems the "mighty" US Congress is either utterly powerless or completely incapable or bribed into inaction by the NRA.

nparker said...

Anonymous 10:23, if you have a problem with Tim's reporting, just go ahead and say so. Don't tiptoe around it passive-aggressively.

Anonymous said...

Whispers going around that Farage and Co gracing the US with their presence is starting to annoy Trump.

Must be the association with the spousal abuse brigade. Something that is getting too close to Trump for comfort.


Peas in a pod.