US President Donald Trump&#39;s pick for national security adviser, who was fired for lying to the Vice President about his contact with the Russian ambassador to the US, did not disclose payments from Russia and does not appear to have complied with the law, said the House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz and the ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings, according to <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/25/politics/michael-flynn-house-oversight-committee/" target="_blank">media </a>reports.&nbsp;

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y&#39;all, listen to this. <a href="https://t.co/RsphC3EEeW">pic.twitter.com/RsphC3EEeW</a>
&mdash; deray mckesson (@deray) <a href="https://twitter.com/deray/status/856909551173484544">April 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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This comes after reviewing Michael Flynn&#39;s application for a security clearance.

Chaffetz and Cumming told&nbsp;reporters following a classified committee meeting in which they characterised the documents under review as&nbsp;&quot;extremely troubling&quot;.

Chaffetz said, &quot;I see no data to support the notion that General Flynn complied with the law&quot;, in regards to whether or not Flynn received permission from the State Department or from the Pentagon, or that he disclosed the more than&nbsp;$45,000 he received for making a speech to RT-TV in Russia, the state-funded news network.

This comes after the White House failed&nbsp;to provide documents about Flynn that the panel investigating him had sought, <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/25/politics/michael-flynn-house-oversight-committee/" target="_blank">CNN </a>reports.

Last month it was also revealed that Flynn&#39;s lobbying work which benefitted Turkey netted him $530,000. Flynn&nbsp;was awarded this contract right before Trump selected him to be national security adviser.&nbsp;

Today, <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/25/michael-flynn-turkey-russia-237550" target="_blank">Politico </a>reported, citing court records,&nbsp;that the Turkish man who gave him this&nbsp;contract has business ties to Russia, including a 2009 aviation financing deal he negotiated with Vladimir Putin.&nbsp;

(WION)

'Extremely troubling' is how Jason Chaffetz characterised the documents seen by the classified gathering of the committee

US President Donald Trump's pick for national security adviser, who was fired for lying to the Vice President about his contact with the Russian ambassador to the US, did not disclose payments from Russia and does not appear to have complied with the law, said the House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz and the ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings, according to media reports. y'all, listen to this. pic.twitter.com/RsphC3EEeW — deray mckesson (@deray) April 25, 2017 × This comes after reviewing Michael Flynn's application for a security clearance. Chaffetz and Cumming told reporters following a classified committee meeting in which they characterised the documents under review as "extremely troubling". Chaffetz said, "I see no data to support the notion that General Flynn complied with the law", in regards to whether or not Flynn received permission from the State Department or from the Pentagon, or that he disclosed the more than $45,000 he received for making a speech to RT-TV in Russia, the state-funded news network. This comes after the White House failed to provide documents about Flynn that the panel investigating him had sought, CNN reports. Last month it was also revealed that Flynn's lobbying work which benefitted Turkey netted him $530,000. Flynn was awarded this contract right before Trump selected him to be national security adviser. Today, Politico reported, citing court records, that the Turkish man who gave him this contract has business ties to Russia, including a 2009 aviation financing deal he negotiated with Vladimir Putin. (WION)

'No sign Gen Flynn complied with the law', says House Oversight Panel

Russia wants an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to discuss U.S. missile strikes on Syria, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday, describing the action as &quot;thoughtless&quot;.

The ministry said in a statement that Russia was also suspending a Syrian air safety agreement with the United States, saying:

&quot;This is not the first time the United States has resorted to such a thoughtless step, which merely exacerbates existing problems and threatens global security.&quot;

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<h5>This is not the first time the United States has resorted to such a thoughtless step, which merely exacerbates existing problems and threatens global security</h5>
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Russia has dismissed Western accusations against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad who Washington says was responsible for a chemical gas attack that left scores dead in the Syrian province of Idlib.

The foreign ministry said it was clear that the U.S. missile strikes were prepared before the Idlib incident.&nbsp;

(Reuters)

The Russian foreign ministry described the strikes as 'thoughtless'

Russia wants an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to discuss U.S. missile strikes on Syria, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday, describing the action as "thoughtless". The ministry said in a statement that Russia was also suspending a Syrian air safety agreement with the United States, saying: "This is not the first time the United States has resorted to such a thoughtless step, which merely exacerbates existing problems and threatens global security." This is not the first time the United States has resorted to such a thoughtless step, which merely exacerbates existing problems and threatens global security × Russia has dismissed Western accusations against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad who Washington says was responsible for a chemical gas attack that left scores dead in the Syrian province of Idlib. The foreign ministry said it was clear that the U.S. missile strikes were prepared before the Idlib incident. (Reuters)

Russia calls for emergency UN meeting after US strikes on Syria

After a period of enigmatic statements, US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s approach to the complicated West Asia region&nbsp;has now become totally clear: Deliver more bombs, send more men, fight more wars. This is perfectly in line with&nbsp;President Trump&#39;s need to present himself as capable of resolving all the problems that, according to him, the previous administration left behind.&nbsp;

In the first US military&nbsp;action clearly directed against Syria&rsquo;s President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s forces, the US army attacked the al-Shayrat air base on Thursday night with more than 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles. According to Russian sources, six Syrian fighter jets&nbsp;have been destroyed.&nbsp;

US President Donald Trump said that his decision to clear the attack came because, according to his staff, the recent chemical attack which occurred in&nbsp;Khan Sheikhun was conducted by air forces which took off&nbsp;from al-Shayrat.

The details&nbsp;of this&nbsp;chemical attack, which killed at least 70 people, are&nbsp;still unclear, and while&nbsp;it seems likely to have been carried out by&nbsp;the Syrian Air Force, an investigation is still ongoing. The US-led coalition forces, the UN and several NGOs believe that Assad&rsquo;s Air Force delivered bombs containing chemical agents. Russia has an alternative version, which states&nbsp;that Syrian forces bombed a warehouse where anti-Assad fighters were storing chemical weapons. &nbsp; &nbsp;

The al-Shayrat bombing is just the last action of a US strategy which has been in place since at least a month.

The US military had already scaled up the presence of its elite forces in northern Syria, where the Arab/Kurds Syrian Democratic Forces are now very close to Raqqa, the Islamic State&#39;s capital city.&nbsp;

In Mosul, despite the hundreds of thousands of civilians still living in the western part of the city, the US-led coalition increased the intensity and frequency of its airstrikes. This choice has already had&nbsp;deadly consequences. On March 17,&nbsp;more than one hundred people&nbsp;who were hiding inside some houses were killed.&nbsp;

Many countries supported Trump&rsquo;s increased military action. Right after the missile strike against&nbsp;al-Sharyat, the UK, Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Israel openly backed the US decision. Later on, so did Canada and Jordan. Full support also came from Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, who said in a statement that,&nbsp;&ldquo;He understands efforts to deter further attacks. There is a clear distinction between airstrikes on military targets and the use of chemical weapons against civilians&rdquo;.

The General Command of the Syrian Army characterised the attack as&nbsp;&ldquo;blatant aggression&rdquo;, and said that this action makes the United States a &ldquo;partner&rdquo; of the Islamic State and other terrorist organisations. The Syrian news agency SANA reported that the army command said that the strike &ldquo;sends wrong messages to the terrorist organisations that would embolden them further to use chemical weapons in the future every time they suffer heavy losses in the battlefield&rdquo;.

After an initial silence, the Syrian presidency issued a statement defining the US strike as &ldquo;an unjust and arrogant aggression&rdquo;.

The American attack is a prominent obstacle on the path of a possible positive development of US-Russia relations. Moscow did not appreciate the fact that they were not informed, and has already declared&nbsp;willingness to take the issue to the UN Security Council. (A Pentagon spokesman said Russian troops in the air base were informed, but US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the Russian government itself was not informed prior to the attack.

Russia is the main and major ally of President Assad in the Syrian conflict, and finds itself now forced to find a way to respond to the&nbsp;US decision.&nbsp;

Russian President Vladimir Putin called a meeting of his security council and, according to spokesman Dmitry Peskov, all the participants expressed &ldquo;deep concern at the inevitable negative consequences of these aggressive actions for the joint effort to fight terrorism&rdquo;.&nbsp;

Russian defence ministry spokesman Gen&nbsp;Igor Konashenkow said&nbsp;that his country will continue to support President Assad, and will shortly strengthen Syrian air defences in order to better protect their ally&rsquo;s military infrastructure.&nbsp;

The Russian foreign ministry also declared&nbsp;that from now on&nbsp;they consider the agreement made with the US in order to respectively&nbsp;ensure flight&nbsp;safety during operations in Syria null and void.

It is not only about Russia, but also about US-Iran relations, which are currently very bad. Tehran is sending thousands of militiamen and weapons into Syria to support Assad, and US Secretary of Defence James Mattis has long thought that Iran is the major threat to any peace process in West Asia. During his confirmation hearing, Mattis clearly said that it was time for the US to re-establish the effectiveness of their deterrent power.

The US, and their regional allies - including Turkey - see Iranian involvement in both Iraq and Syria as an expansionist game that the country is playing in order to establish their hegemony in West Asia. On the other hand, this is exactly what Tehran thinks about the US intervention in the region.&nbsp;

This attack also opens a new front for the US which was, at least according to their UN ambassador&nbsp;Nikki Haley, focused only on fighting the Islamic State. Bombing Syrian air forces&nbsp;openly contradicts&nbsp;this line, and also is an open act of war against President Assad, and therefore against Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah and Moscow.

The US has&nbsp;never been neutral in their wars in West Asia, used as a way to secure their presence in a strategic area very close to the world&#39;s major oil resources. They have done it in Iraq, where they have been present since 2003,&nbsp;and it seems they are ready to do it also in Syria.

The US missile&nbsp;strike against the al-Sharyat airbase is neither resolutive nor truly effective in destroying the overall military capability of the Syrian army. It is more of a show of strength, a way to continue to push the specious narrative of the US as the guarantor of international law, a sort of neutral actor fighting against terrorism and for democracy. The now irritated Russia has been playing the same game since&nbsp;deciding&nbsp;to enter the battlefield alongside&nbsp;Assad.

The willingness to again push&nbsp;this old and creaky narrative is creating a further diplomatic impasse, which hinders an already faraway solution to&nbsp;the Syrian conflict.

(WION)

American missiles may have struck Syria, but a message was sent to both Russia and Iran

After a period of enigmatic statements, US President Donald Trump’s approach to the complicated West Asia region has now become totally clear: Deliver more bombs, send more men, fight more wars. This is perfectly in line with President Trump's need to present himself as capable of resolving all the problems that, according to him, the previous administration left behind. In the first US military action clearly directed against Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad's forces, the US army attacked the al-Shayrat air base on Thursday night with more than 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles. According to Russian sources, six Syrian fighter jets have been destroyed. US President Donald Trump said that his decision to clear the attack came because, according to his staff, the recent chemical attack which occurred in Khan Sheikhun was conducted by air forces which took off from al-Shayrat. The details of this chemical attack, which killed at least 70 people, are still unclear, and while it seems likely to have been carried out by the Syrian Air Force, an investigation is still ongoing. The US-led coalition forces, the UN and several NGOs believe that Assad’s Air Force delivered bombs containing chemical agents. Russia has an alternative version, which states that Syrian forces bombed a warehouse where anti-Assad fighters were storing chemical weapons. The al-Shayrat bombing is just the last action of a US strategy which has been in place since at least a month. The US military had already scaled up the presence of its elite forces in northern Syria, where the Arab/Kurds Syrian Democratic Forces are now very close to Raqqa, the Islamic State's capital city. In Mosul, despite the hundreds of thousands of civilians still living in the western part of the city, the US-led coalition increased the intensity and frequency of its airstrikes. This choice has already had deadly consequences. On March 17, more than one hundred people who were hiding inside some houses were killed. Many countries supported Trump’s increased military action. Right after the missile strike against al-Sharyat, the UK, Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Israel openly backed the US decision. Later on, so did Canada and Jordan. Full support also came from Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, who said in a statement that, “He understands efforts to deter further attacks. There is a clear distinction between airstrikes on military targets and the use of chemical weapons against civilians”. The General Command of the Syrian Army characterised the attack as “blatant aggression”, and said that this action makes the United States a “partner” of the Islamic State and other terrorist organisations. The Syrian news agency SANA reported that the army command said that the strike “sends wrong messages to the terrorist organisations that would embolden them further to use chemical weapons in the future every time they suffer heavy losses in the battlefield”. After an initial silence, the Syrian presidency issued a statement defining the US strike as “an unjust and arrogant aggression”. The American attack is a prominent obstacle on the path of a possible positive development of US-Russia relations. Moscow did not appreciate the fact that they were not informed, and has already declared willingness to take the issue to the UN Security Council. (A Pentagon spokesman said Russian troops in the air base were informed, but US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the Russian government itself was not informed prior to the attack. Russia is the main and major ally of President Assad in the Syrian conflict, and finds itself now forced to find a way to respond to the US decision. Russian President Vladimir Putin called a meeting of his security council and, according to spokesman Dmitry Peskov, all the participants expressed “deep concern at the inevitable negative consequences of these aggressive actions for the joint effort to fight terrorism”. Russian defence ministry spokesman Gen Igor Konashenkow said that his country will continue to support President Assad, and will shortly strengthen Syrian air defences in order to better protect their ally’s military infrastructure. The Russian foreign ministry also declared that from now on they consider the agreement made with the US in order to respectively ensure flight safety during operations in Syria null and void. It is not only about Russia, but also about US-Iran relations, which are currently very bad. Tehran is sending thousands of militiamen and weapons into Syria to support Assad, and US Secretary of Defence James Mattis has long thought that Iran is the major threat to any peace process in West Asia. During his confirmation hearing, Mattis clearly said that it was time for the US to re-establish the effectiveness of their deterrent power. The US, and their regional allies - including Turkey - see Iranian involvement in both Iraq and Syria as an expansionist game that the country is playing in order to establish their hegemony in West Asia. On the other hand, this is exactly what Tehran thinks about the US intervention in the region. This attack also opens a new front for the US which was, at least according to their UN ambassador Nikki Haley, focused only on fighting the Islamic State. Bombing Syrian air forces openly contradicts this line, and also is an open act of war against President Assad, and therefore against Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah and Moscow. The US has never been neutral in their wars in West Asia, used as a way to secure their presence in a strategic area very close to the world's major oil resources. They have done it in Iraq, where they have been present since 2003, and it seems they are ready to do it also in Syria. The US missile strike against the al-Sharyat airbase is neither resolutive nor truly effective in destroying the overall military capability of the Syrian army. It is more of a show of strength, a way to continue to push the specious narrative of the US as the guarantor of international law, a sort of neutral actor fighting against terrorism and for democracy. The now irritated Russia has been playing the same game since deciding to enter the battlefield alongside Assad. The willingness to again push this old and creaky narrative is creating a further diplomatic impasse, which hinders an already faraway solution to the Syrian conflict. (WION)

ANALYSIS: Uncovering Trump's Syria policy

US President Donald Trump spoke Monday with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and pledged Washington&#39;s &quot;full support&quot; for Moscow&#39;s response to the deadly attack on the Saint Petersburg metro, the White House said.

Trump expressed his condolences and condemned the attack, which killed 11 people and left dozens wounded. Russian authorities said they were probing an &quot;act of terror.&quot;

&quot;President Trump offered the full support of the United States Government in responding to the attack and bringing those responsible to justice,&quot; the White House said in a statement about the phone call.

&quot;Both President Trump and President Putin agreed that terrorism must be decisively and quickly defeated.&quot;

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the explosion in Saint Petersburg, which comes after the Islamic State group called for attacks on Russia in retribution for its military intervention in Syria fighting against the jihadists.

Earlier Monday at a White House event, Trump described the attack as &quot;a terrible thing.&quot;

Trump&#39;s phone call with Putin comes as the US Congress investigates Russian interference in last year&#39;s presidential election.

American intelligence alleges that Putin directed a campaign to tip the US election in Trump&#39;s favor.

(AFP)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Trump expressed his condolences and condemned the attack, which killed 11 people and left dozens wounded

US President Donald Trump spoke Monday with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and pledged Washington's "full support" for Moscow's response to the deadly attack on the Saint Petersburg metro, the White House said. Trump expressed his condolences and condemned the attack, which killed 11 people and left dozens wounded. Russian authorities said they were probing an "act of terror." "President Trump offered the full support of the United States Government in responding to the attack and bringing those responsible to justice," the White House said in a statement about the phone call. "Both President Trump and President Putin agreed that terrorism must be decisively and quickly defeated." There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the explosion in Saint Petersburg, which comes after the Islamic State group called for attacks on Russia in retribution for its military intervention in Syria fighting against the jihadists. Earlier Monday at a White House event, Trump described the attack as "a terrible thing." Trump's phone call with Putin comes as the US Congress investigates Russian interference in last year's presidential election. American intelligence alleges that Putin directed a campaign to tip the US election in Trump's favor. (AFP)

Trump pledges 'full support' to Putin over St Petersburg metro attack

WikiLeaks on Tuesday published what it said were thousands of pages of internal CIA discussions about hacking techniques used over several years, renewing concerns about the security of consumer electronics and embarrassing the&nbsp;US&nbsp;intelligence agency.

The discussion transcripts showed that CIA hackers could get into Apple Inc&nbsp;iPhones, Google Inc&nbsp;Android devices and other gadgets in order to capture text and voice messages before they were encrypted with sophisticated software.

Cyber security experts disagreed about the extent of the fallout from the data dump, but said a lot would depend on whether WikiLeaks followed through on a threat to publish the actual hacking tools that could do damage.

Reuters could not immediately verify the contents of the published documents, but several contractors and private cyber security experts said the materials, dated between 2013 and 2016, appeared to be legitimate.

&nbsp;

Recent US-Russia context

This comes at a time when President Donald Trump is in a battle with the US spy agencies, who he has likened to &quot;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/15/john-brennan-trump-nazi-germany-russia" target="_blank">Nazi Germany</a>&quot;,&nbsp;who are investigating him for ties to Russia. Trump has claimed, without citing any evidence, that he was wiretapped in Trump Tower before the election.&nbsp;

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Like to remind that I&#39;ve been calling out Wikileaks as a Kremlin front since mid-2013. Took epic shit for speaking truth. Believe me now?
&mdash; John Schindler (@20committee) <a href="https://twitter.com/20committee/status/839143945871441920">March 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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US&nbsp;intelligence agencies have said that WikiLeaks has ties to Russia&#39;s security services. During the 2016 US&nbsp;presidential campaign, WikiLeaks published internal emails of top Democratic Party officials, which the agencies said were hacked by Moscow as part of a coordinated influence campaign to help Republican Donald Trump win the presidency.

WikiLeaks has denied ties to Russian spy agencies.

Trump praised WikiLeaks during the campaign, often citing hacked emails it published to bolster his attacks on Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton.

WikiLeaks&#39; dump about the CIA was released&nbsp;the same day&nbsp;it came to light that <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/trump-personally-met-with-russian-ambassador-during-campaign-cc59ae305032#.l38j375zb" target="_blank">Donald Trump</a> himself met with the Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, on April 27, before a major foreign policy Speech. Trump has repeatedly&nbsp;claimed that neither he nor anyone on his campaign had contact with Russian officials.&nbsp;Four other members of his administration talked to Russian officials.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Back to the hack

A longtime intelligence contractor with expertise in US&nbsp;hacking tools told Reuters the documents included correct &quot;cover&quot; terms describing active cyber programs.

Among the most noteworthy WikiLeaks claims is that the Central Intelligence Agency, in partnership with other US&nbsp;and foreign agencies, has been able to bypass the encryption on popular messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal.

The files did not indicate the actual encryption of Signal or other secure messaging apps had been compromised.

The information in what WikiLeaks said were 7,818 web pages with 943 attachments appears to represent the latest breach in recent years of classified material from US&nbsp;intelligence agencies.

Security experts differed over how much the disclosures could damage US&nbsp;cyber espionage. Many said that, while harmful, they do not compare to former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden&#39;s revelations in 2013 of mass NSA data collection.

&quot;This is a big dump about extremely sophisticated tools that can be used to target individual user devices...I haven&rsquo;t yet come across the mass exploiting of mobile devices,&quot; said Tarah Wheeler, senior director of engineering and principal security advocate for Symantec.

Stuart McClure, CEO of Cylance, an Irvine, California, cyber security firm, said that one of the most significant disclosures shows how CIA hackers cover their tracks by leaving electronic trails suggesting they are from Russia, China and Iran rather than the United States.

Other revelations show how the CIA took advantage of vulnerabilities that are known, if not widely publicised.

In one case, the documents say, US&nbsp;and British personnel, under a program known as Weeping Angel, developed ways to take over a Samsung smart television, making it appear it was off when in fact it was recording conversations in the room.

The CIA and White House declined comment. &quot;We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents,&quot; CIA spokesman Jonathan Liu said in a statement.

Google declined to comment on the purported hacking of its Android platform, but said it was investigating the matter.

Snowden on Twitter said the files amount to the first public evidence that the US&nbsp;government secretly buys software to exploit technology, referring to a table published by WikiLeaks that appeared to list various Apple iOS flaws purchased by the CIA and other intelligence agencies.

Apple Inc&nbsp;did not respond to a request for comment.

The documents refer to means for accessing phones directly in order to catch messages before they are protected by end-to-end encryption tools like Signal.

Signal inventor Moxie Marlinspike said he took that as &quot;confirmation that what we&rsquo;re doing is working&quot;. Signal and the like are &quot;pushing intelligence agencies from a world of undetectable mass surveillance to a world where they have to use expensive, high-risk, extremely targeted attacks&quot;.

&nbsp;

CIA cyber programs

The CIA in recent years underwent a restructuring to focus more on cyber warfare to keep pace with the increasing digital sophistication of foreign adversaries. The spy agency is prohibited by law from collecting intelligence that details domestic activities of Americans and is generally restricted in how it may gather any US&nbsp;data for counterintelligence purposes.

The documents published Tuesday appeared to supply specific details to what has been long-known in the abstract: US&nbsp;intelligence agencies, like their allies and adversaries, are constantly working to discover and exploit flaws in any manner of technology products.

Unlike the Snowden leaks, which revealed the NSA was secretly collecting details of telephone calls by ordinary Americans, the new WikiLeaks material did not appear to contain material that would fundamentally change what is publicly known about cyber espionage.

WikiLeaks, led by Julian Assange, said its publication of the documents on the hacking tools was the first in a series of releases drawing from a data set that includes several hundred million lines of code and includes the CIA&#39;s &quot;entire hacking capacity&quot;.

The documents only include snippets of computer code, not the full programs that would be needed to conduct cyber exploits.

WikiLeaks said it was refraining from disclosing usable code from CIA&#39;s cyber arsenal &quot;until a consensus emerges on the technical and political nature of the CIA&rsquo;s program and how such &lsquo;weapons&rsquo; should be analysed, disarmed and published&quot;.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

WikiLeaks said on Tuesday that the documents showed that the CIA hoarded serious security vulnerabilities rather than share them with the public, as called for under a process established by President Barack Obama.

Rob Knake, a former official who dealt with the issue under Obama, said he had not seen evidence in what was published to support that conclusion.

The process &quot;is not a policy of unilateral disarmament in cyberspace. The mere fact that the CIA may have exploited zero-day [previously undisclosed] vulnerabilities should not surprise anyone,&quot; said Knake, now at the Council on Foreign Relations.

US&nbsp;officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they did not know where WikiLeaks might have obtained the material.

In a press release, the group said, &quot;The archive appears to have been circulated among former US&nbsp;government hackers and contractors in an unauthorised manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive&quot;.

US&nbsp;intelligence agencies have suffered a series of security breaches, including Snowden&#39;s.

In 2010, US&nbsp;military intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning provided more than 700,000 documents, videos, diplomatic cables and battlefield accounts to Wikileaks.

Last month, former NSA contractor Harold Thomas Martin was indicted on charges of taking highly sensitive government materials over a course of 20 years, storing the secrets in his home.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

This WikiLeaks dump embarrasses US intelligence at a time Trump is at war with them. Some US intel think WikiLeaks is a Russian front

WikiLeaks on Tuesday published what it said were thousands of pages of internal CIA discussions about hacking techniques used over several years, renewing concerns about the security of consumer electronics and embarrassing the US intelligence agency. The discussion transcripts showed that CIA hackers could get into Apple Inc iPhones, Google Inc Android devices and other gadgets in order to capture text and voice messages before they were encrypted with sophisticated software. Cyber security experts disagreed about the extent of the fallout from the data dump, but said a lot would depend on whether WikiLeaks followed through on a threat to publish the actual hacking tools that could do damage. Reuters could not immediately verify the contents of the published documents, but several contractors and private cyber security experts said the materials, dated between 2013 and 2016, appeared to be legitimate. Recent US-Russia context This comes at a time when President Donald Trump is in a battle with the US spy agencies, who he has likened to "Nazi Germany", who are investigating him for ties to Russia. Trump has claimed, without citing any evidence, that he was wiretapped in Trump Tower before the election. Like to remind that I've been calling out Wikileaks as a Kremlin front since mid-2013. Took epic shit for speaking truth. Believe me now? — John Schindler (@20committee) March 7, 2017 × US intelligence agencies have said that WikiLeaks has ties to Russia's security services. During the 2016 US presidential campaign, WikiLeaks published internal emails of top Democratic Party officials, which the agencies said were hacked by Moscow as part of a coordinated influence campaign to help Republican Donald Trump win the presidency. WikiLeaks has denied ties to Russian spy agencies. Trump praised WikiLeaks during the campaign, often citing hacked emails it published to bolster his attacks on Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton. WikiLeaks' dump about the CIA was released the same day it came to light that Donald Trump himself met with the Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, on April 27, before a major foreign policy Speech. Trump has repeatedly claimed that neither he nor anyone on his campaign had contact with Russian officials. Four other members of his administration talked to Russian officials. Back to the hack A longtime intelligence contractor with expertise in US hacking tools told Reuters the documents included correct "cover" terms describing active cyber programs. Among the most noteworthy WikiLeaks claims is that the Central Intelligence Agency, in partnership with other US and foreign agencies, has been able to bypass the encryption on popular messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal. The files did not indicate the actual encryption of Signal or other secure messaging apps had been compromised. The information in what WikiLeaks said were 7,818 web pages with 943 attachments appears to represent the latest breach in recent years of classified material from US intelligence agencies. Security experts differed over how much the disclosures could damage US cyber espionage. Many said that, while harmful, they do not compare to former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden's revelations in 2013 of mass NSA data collection. "This is a big dump about extremely sophisticated tools that can be used to target individual user devices...I haven’t yet come across the mass exploiting of mobile devices," said Tarah Wheeler, senior director of engineering and principal security advocate for Symantec. Stuart McClure, CEO of Cylance, an Irvine, California, cyber security firm, said that one of the most significant disclosures shows how CIA hackers cover their tracks by leaving electronic trails suggesting they are from Russia, China and Iran rather than the United States. Other revelations show how the CIA took advantage of vulnerabilities that are known, if not widely publicised. In one case, the documents say, US and British personnel, under a program known as Weeping Angel, developed ways to take over a Samsung smart television, making it appear it was off when in fact it was recording conversations in the room. The CIA and White House declined comment. "We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents," CIA spokesman Jonathan Liu said in a statement. Google declined to comment on the purported hacking of its Android platform, but said it was investigating the matter. Snowden on Twitter said the files amount to the first public evidence that the US government secretly buys software to exploit technology, referring to a table published by WikiLeaks that appeared to list various Apple iOS flaws purchased by the CIA and other intelligence agencies. Apple Inc did not respond to a request for comment. The documents refer to means for accessing phones directly in order to catch messages before they are protected by end-to-end encryption tools like Signal. Signal inventor Moxie Marlinspike said he took that as "confirmation that what we’re doing is working". Signal and the like are "pushing intelligence agencies from a world of undetectable mass surveillance to a world where they have to use expensive, high-risk, extremely targeted attacks". CIA cyber programs The CIA in recent years underwent a restructuring to focus more on cyber warfare to keep pace with the increasing digital sophistication of foreign adversaries. The spy agency is prohibited by law from collecting intelligence that details domestic activities of Americans and is generally restricted in how it may gather any US data for counterintelligence purposes. The documents published Tuesday appeared to supply specific details to what has been long-known in the abstract: US intelligence agencies, like their allies and adversaries, are constantly working to discover and exploit flaws in any manner of technology products. Unlike the Snowden leaks, which revealed the NSA was secretly collecting details of telephone calls by ordinary Americans, the new WikiLeaks material did not appear to contain material that would fundamentally change what is publicly known about cyber espionage. WikiLeaks, led by Julian Assange, said its publication of the documents on the hacking tools was the first in a series of releases drawing from a data set that includes several hundred million lines of code and includes the CIA's "entire hacking capacity". The documents only include snippets of computer code, not the full programs that would be needed to conduct cyber exploits. WikiLeaks said it was refraining from disclosing usable code from CIA's cyber arsenal "until a consensus emerges on the technical and political nature of the CIA’s program and how such ‘weapons’ should be analysed, disarmed and published". WikiLeaks said on Tuesday that the documents showed that the CIA hoarded serious security vulnerabilities rather than share them with the public, as called for under a process established by President Barack Obama. Rob Knake, a former official who dealt with the issue under Obama, said he had not seen evidence in what was published to support that conclusion. The process "is not a policy of unilateral disarmament in cyberspace. The mere fact that the CIA may have exploited zero-day [previously undisclosed] vulnerabilities should not surprise anyone," said Knake, now at the Council on Foreign Relations. US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they did not know where WikiLeaks might have obtained the material. In a press release, the group said, "The archive appears to have been circulated among former US government hackers and contractors in an unauthorised manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive". US intelligence agencies have suffered a series of security breaches, including Snowden's. In 2010, US military intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning provided more than 700,000 documents, videos, diplomatic cables and battlefield accounts to Wikileaks. Last month, former NSA contractor Harold Thomas Martin was indicted on charges of taking highly sensitive government materials over a course of 20 years, storing the secrets in his home. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

WikiLeaks says it releases files proving CIA can spy on all iPhones, Androids

Trump was not the only one&nbsp;to have a Twitter meltdown this weekend.

Trump loyalist and former top adviser Roger Stone claimed on Twitter that he had a&nbsp;back channel to&nbsp;work with Julian Assange at Wikileaks&nbsp;to spread damaging leaked Clinton emails.

US intelligence has unanimously said that Russia interfered in the US election in what it called a &quot;multifaceted campaign&quot; of&nbsp;&quot;cyber espionage&quot;, and that&nbsp;Clinton&#39;s emails were obtained&nbsp;by Russian hackers.

Stone&#39;s claim that he worked with Assange&nbsp;to&nbsp;spread Clinton&#39;s emails comes&nbsp;amid growing reports of Trump staffers meeting&nbsp;with Russian officials, then&nbsp;lying about it.

Here is the screengrabbed Tweet that Stone deleted.

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Here&#39;s the screengrab of Roger Stone admitting the Trump campaign colluded with Asange and Wikileaks (I know, real stunner) <a href="https://t.co/TcBrMrSTig">pic.twitter.com/TcBrMrSTig</a>
&mdash; Kriston Capps (@kristoncapps) <a href="https://twitter.com/kristoncapps/status/838259900627156992">March 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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But he responded to the claim that he did any wrongdoing.&nbsp;

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Attention MSM Losers!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LeftistSpasm?src=hash">#LeftistSpasm</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FakeNews?src=hash">#FakeNews</a> <a href="https://t.co/iKTT5buhlq">pic.twitter.com/iKTT5buhlq</a>
&mdash; Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerJStoneJr/status/838487222454272002">March 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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While the tone of Stone&#39;s&nbsp;Tweet is defiant, claiming he didn&#39;t hide anything, actually there is video footage of Stone from 2016&nbsp;saying, contrary to the claim in his deleted Tweet, that he did have direct communication&nbsp;with Assange.

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Listen to &quot;long time Trump advisor&quot; Roger Stone here... sure seems to know what Assange (Russia) had in store: <a href="https://t.co/EclA0jpXIU">pic.twitter.com/EclA0jpXIU</a>
&mdash; justin kanew (@justin_kanew) <a href="https://twitter.com/justin_kanew/status/838485426050641920">March 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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At issue in the investigation into Trump-Russia, conducted by six different US intelligence agencies,&nbsp;is whether anyone in Trump&#39;s campaign actively worked with the Russians against their Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Colluding with a foreign and hostile government to sabotage a national election is illegal.

<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/14/politics/donald-trump-aides-russians-campaign/index.html" target="_blank">CNN </a>reported that Trump staffers were in &quot;constant touch&quot; with Russian officials during the election campaign. The subject of these talks has not been disclosed publicly.

Officials emphasised that it is not unusual for campaign staff and representatives of foreign governments to communicate, but that these communications stood out for their frequency, and for the level of Trump advisers involved.

&nbsp;

Vulgar abuse

Yesterday, Roger Stone also abused&nbsp;the same&nbsp;female&nbsp;citizen journalist, calling her a &quot;stupid, ignorant, ugly bitch&quot; in a now-deleted Tweet.

Harry Potter author JK Rowling denounced the attack in a screen grab:

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This man is an advisor to the leader of the free world. This guy, right here. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/rogerstone?src=hash">#rogerstone</a> <a href="https://t.co/brxqZAfw09">pic.twitter.com/brxqZAfw09</a>
&mdash; J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) <a href="https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/838294536170389504">March 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Stone also abused Republican strategist Ana Navarro, calling her&nbsp;&quot;fat and stupid&quot;.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Deflection&nbsp;

Stone&#39;s Twitter meltdown&nbsp;comes as Trump&#39;s campaign is trying hard to deflect attention from their various connections to Russia.

US Attorney General and Trump loyalist Jeff Sessions just recused himself from the investigation into Trump-Russia after it became known that he met with the Russian ambassador twice, and lied about it under oath.

Before that, Trump&#39;s pick to head national security Michael Flynn resigned after it became known that he too met the Russian ambassador and lied about it.&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s son-in-law <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/jared-kushner-donald-trump-russia-ambassador-sergey-kislyak-meeting-michael-flynn-white-house-jeff-a7609166.html" target="_blank">Jared Kushner</a>, who is a White House adviser,&nbsp;met&nbsp;the Russian ambassador in Trump Tower. No cameras&nbsp;captured Kislyak entering the building, suggesting he was ushered in a <a href="http://www.politicususa.com/2017/03/03/trump-white-house-downplay-failure-reveal-russian-ambassadors-smuggled-visit-trump-tower.html" target="_blank">back door.</a>&nbsp;A White House spokesman denied this was a secret meeting.

Paul Manafort and Trump&#39;s long-time&nbsp;lawyer Michael Cohen also met with Russian officials and failed to disclose it.

&nbsp;

This weekend former Republican adviser <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-russia-republican-pro-putin-ukraine-stance-rnc-ambassador-kislyak-meeting-a7610621.html" target="_blank">JD Gordon</a>&nbsp;claimed that&nbsp;a pro-Russia change in language to the GOP platform came after&nbsp;the Republican convention in Cleveland of July 2016, and was especially ordered to align with Trump&#39;s own personal views. Gordon claimed he and Carter Page, then a Trump adviser who resigned amid his connections to Russia, also <a href="http://www.vox.com/world/2017/3/3/14789354/russian-ambassador-trump-sergey-kislyak" target="_blank">met </a>Kislyak.

The July convention in Cleveland&nbsp;took place shortly after Sessions met the Russian ambassador. In 2015, Sessions was staunchly anti-Russia. Sessions&nbsp;pro-Russia views seem to have set in&nbsp;after meeting Kislyak.

US intelligence also says that the Russian ambassador, Sergei Kislyak&nbsp;is also Russia&#39;s top spy and spy-recruiter in Washington. The Kremlin has officially <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/02/politics/russia-kislyak-spy-claim-sessions/" target="_blank">denied </a>this claim.

(WION)

Roger Stone's meltdown came as US intelligence investigates Russia's interference in the US election and Trump's connections to Russia

Trump was not the only one to have a Twitter meltdown this weekend. Trump loyalist and former top adviser Roger Stone claimed on Twitter that he had a back channel to work with Julian Assange at Wikileaks to spread damaging leaked Clinton emails. US intelligence has unanimously said that Russia interfered in the US election in what it called a "multifaceted campaign" of "cyber espionage", and that Clinton's emails were obtained by Russian hackers. Stone's claim that he worked with Assange to spread Clinton's emails comes amid growing reports of Trump staffers meeting with Russian officials, then lying about it. Here is the screengrabbed Tweet that Stone deleted. Here's the screengrab of Roger Stone admitting the Trump campaign colluded with Asange and Wikileaks (I know, real stunner) pic.twitter.com/TcBrMrSTig — Kriston Capps (@kristoncapps) March 5, 2017 × But he responded to the claim that he did any wrongdoing. Attention MSM Losers!#LeftistSpasm#FakeNews pic.twitter.com/iKTT5buhlq — Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) March 5, 2017 × While the tone of Stone's Tweet is defiant, claiming he didn't hide anything, actually there is video footage of Stone from 2016 saying, contrary to the claim in his deleted Tweet, that he did have direct communication with Assange. Listen to "long time Trump advisor" Roger Stone here... sure seems to know what Assange (Russia) had in store: pic.twitter.com/EclA0jpXIU — justin kanew (@justin_kanew) March 5, 2017 × At issue in the investigation into Trump-Russia, conducted by six different US intelligence agencies, is whether anyone in Trump's campaign actively worked with the Russians against their Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Colluding with a foreign and hostile government to sabotage a national election is illegal. CNN reported that Trump staffers were in "constant touch" with Russian officials during the election campaign. The subject of these talks has not been disclosed publicly. Officials emphasised that it is not unusual for campaign staff and representatives of foreign governments to communicate, but that these communications stood out for their frequency, and for the level of Trump advisers involved. Vulgar abuse Yesterday, Roger Stone also abused the same female citizen journalist, calling her a "stupid, ignorant, ugly bitch" in a now-deleted Tweet. Harry Potter author JK Rowling denounced the attack in a screen grab: This man is an advisor to the leader of the free world. This guy, right here. #rogerstone pic.twitter.com/brxqZAfw09 — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) March 5, 2017 × Stone also abused Republican strategist Ana Navarro, calling her "fat and stupid". Deflection Stone's Twitter meltdown comes as Trump's campaign is trying hard to deflect attention from their various connections to Russia. US Attorney General and Trump loyalist Jeff Sessions just recused himself from the investigation into Trump-Russia after it became known that he met with the Russian ambassador twice, and lied about it under oath. Before that, Trump's pick to head national security Michael Flynn resigned after it became known that he too met the Russian ambassador and lied about it. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is a White House adviser, met the Russian ambassador in Trump Tower. No cameras captured Kislyak entering the building, suggesting he was ushered in a back door. A White House spokesman denied this was a secret meeting. Paul Manafort and Trump's long-time lawyer Michael Cohen also met with Russian officials and failed to disclose it. This weekend former Republican adviser JD Gordon claimed that a pro-Russia change in language to the GOP platform came after the Republican convention in Cleveland of July 2016, and was especially ordered to align with Trump's own personal views. Gordon claimed he and Carter Page, then a Trump adviser who resigned amid his connections to Russia, also met Kislyak. The July convention in Cleveland took place shortly after Sessions met the Russian ambassador. In 2015, Sessions was staunchly anti-Russia. Sessions pro-Russia views seem to have set in after meeting Kislyak. US intelligence also says that the Russian ambassador, Sergei Kislyak is also Russia's top spy and spy-recruiter in Washington. The Kremlin has officially denied this claim. (WION)

Trump ally says he worked with Assange pre-election to spread Clinton emails in abusive Twitter tirade

&nbsp;

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A day after Washington Post revealed that US Attorney General Jeff Sessions had spoken to russian ambassador on two separate occasions. Sessions says he would recuse himself from the federal (WION)
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Richard Painter, President George W Bush&#39;s top ethics lawyer, told&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bush-ethics-lawyer-painter-jeff-sessions-perjury-resign-2017-3" target="_blank">Business Insider</a>&nbsp;that he believes US Attorney General Jeff Sessions must resign.

While Painter said it was &quot;debateable&quot; whether or not Sessions perjured himself during his senate confirmation hearing, there is a real possibility that Russia has enough material over him for blackmail, and while &quot;we have no way of knowing if we&#39;re in that situation,&nbsp;he said the possibility was&nbsp;&quot;just way too high a risk&quot;.

Painter said: &quot;The thing with Sessions is that the Russians almost certainly have a recording of these conversations or detailed notes about the conversations...And so, they&#39;ve got something over Sessions. Sessions will be asked what was said in these conversations. And if that doesn&#39;t match what the Russians have in their records...then they&#39;ve got him, and they have this over him for the rest of his term. We have no way of knowing if we&#39;re in that situation, but it&#39;s just way to high a risk.&quot;

&nbsp;

During his confirmation hearing, Sessions told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he had no contact with Russian officials during the campaign. He was asked by Al Franken, the Democratic Senator, what he would do if he learned that someone from the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of the campaign.

Sessions responded, &quot;Senator Franken, I&#39;m not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians, and I&#39;m unable to comment on it.&quot;

After the&nbsp;Washington Post responded that actually Sessions&nbsp;had two conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in September 2016--while the then-senator was&nbsp;advising&nbsp;Donald Trump&#39;s presidential campaign and at the height of what&nbsp;US intelligence agencies are <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/03/02/sessions-s-contact-the-russian-ambassador-a-spy-or-not-a-spy.html" target="_blank">united </a>in saying was a concerted Russian cyber espionage campaign&nbsp;to influence the outcome of the US election--pressure mounted for Sessions to recuse himself from any&nbsp;investigation into Trump&#39;s connection with Russia, and even to resign.

Sessions has since announced that he will <a href="http://US Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday recused himself from any investigations into the alleged Russian interference in 2016 US presidential elections." target="_blank">recuse </a>himself from any such investigation.&nbsp;The investigation into Russia&#39;s connection seeks to determine just how Russia influenced the 2016 presidential election, and Donald Trump&#39;s ties to Russia in general.&nbsp;

Democrats and even some Republicans had called for an indepedent investigator, rather than Sessions.

Trump dismissed the increasing pressure against Sessions, calling it a &quot;witch hunt&quot;.

&nbsp;

So far <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trumps-connection-to-russia-doesnt-end-with-flynn-12478" target="_blank">three&nbsp;people</a> from Trump&#39;s camp have resigned or have been fired once their connection to Russia came to light,&nbsp;including&nbsp;former campaign manager Paul Manafort, former adviser Carter Page, and Trump&#39;s choice to lead national security Michael Flynn.

Donald Trump <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/758071952498159616" target="_blank">tweeted </a>in July 26, 2016: &quot;For the record, I have ZERO investments in Russia.&quot;

President Trump&#39;s son, Donald Jr,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/donald-trump-administration/2017/01/eric-trump-organization-deals-russia-233360" target="_blank">told </a>a real estate conference in 2008:&nbsp;&quot;Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets...We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.&quot;

Here is then-Trump adviser Paul&nbsp;Manafort in July of 2016, denying that Trump has any financial connections to Russia:

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MUST WATCH: Paul Manafort doesn&#39;t sound very convincing here. 
 
Interview was July 27, 2016 <a href="https://t.co/N46Y2DOAJX">pic.twitter.com/N46Y2DOAJX</a>
&mdash; Yashar (@yashar) <a href="https://twitter.com/yashar/status/837184121600356352">March 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/02/politics/russia-kislyak-spy-claim-sessions/" target="_blank">CNN </a>reported that US intelligence believes that the Russian ambassador Sergey Kisylak--who met several people associated with&nbsp;Trump&#39;s camp including:&nbsp;Michael&nbsp;Flynn and&nbsp;Jeff Sessions, and also&nbsp;former&nbsp;adviser <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/carter-page-russian-ambassador-meeting-235626" target="_blank">Carter Page </a>and <a href="http://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-jared-kushner-met-with-russian-1488499538-htmlstory.html" target="_blank">Trump&#39;s son-in-law Jarred Kushner</a>-- is considered to be one of Russia&#39;s top spies and spy-recruiters in Washington. Russia has denied this is true.

Meanwhile, The Indepedent reports that&nbsp;Christopher Steele, the former British MI6 spy who compiled the infamous dossier alleging&nbsp;Russia has blackmail material over Donald Trump, has been approached about testifying in front of the US Senate Intelligence Commitee&#39;s investigation into Trump&#39;s alleged links with Russia.

Trump has dismissed Steele&#39;s allegations, and called him a &quot;failed spy&quot;.

In the past Donald Trump has&nbsp;denied having any connection to&nbsp;Vladimir Putin repeatedly, but&nbsp;has also bragged about his personal relationship with the Russian President.

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en">
Does Donald Trump have a relationship with Vladimir Putin? Allow him to tell you. 
 
Watch this, via <a href="https://twitter.com/MSNBC">@MSNBC</a>. <a href="https://t.co/FN9ZIHRbi3">pic.twitter.com/FN9ZIHRbi3</a>
&mdash; Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/BraddJaffy/status/837141504451837952">March 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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(WION)

President Bush's ethics officer said Sessions must step down. While unsure if he's been blackmailed, he said it's 'way too big a risk'

A day after Washington Post revealed that US Attorney General Jeff Sessions had spoken to russian ambassador on two separate occasions. Sessions says he would recuse himself from the federal (WION) × Richard Painter, President George W Bush's top ethics lawyer, told Business Insider that he believes US Attorney General Jeff Sessions must resign. While Painter said it was "debateable" whether or not Sessions perjured himself during his senate confirmation hearing, there is a real possibility that Russia has enough material over him for blackmail, and while "we have no way of knowing if we're in that situation, he said the possibility was "just way too high a risk". Painter said: "The thing with Sessions is that the Russians almost certainly have a recording of these conversations or detailed notes about the conversations...And so, they've got something over Sessions. Sessions will be asked what was said in these conversations. And if that doesn't match what the Russians have in their records...then they've got him, and they have this over him for the rest of his term. We have no way of knowing if we're in that situation, but it's just way to high a risk." During his confirmation hearing, Sessions told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he had no contact with Russian officials during the campaign. He was asked by Al Franken, the Democratic Senator, what he would do if he learned that someone from the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of the campaign. Sessions responded, "Senator Franken, I'm not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians, and I'm unable to comment on it." After the Washington Post responded that actually Sessions had two conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in September 2016--while the then-senator was advising Donald Trump's presidential campaign and at the height of what US intelligence agencies are united in saying was a concerted Russian cyber espionage campaign to influence the outcome of the US election--pressure mounted for Sessions to recuse himself from any investigation into Trump's connection with Russia, and even to resign. Sessions has since announced that he will recuse himself from any such investigation. The investigation into Russia's connection seeks to determine just how Russia influenced the 2016 presidential election, and Donald Trump's ties to Russia in general. Democrats and even some Republicans had called for an indepedent investigator, rather than Sessions. Trump dismissed the increasing pressure against Sessions, calling it a "witch hunt". So far three people from Trump's camp have resigned or have been fired once their connection to Russia came to light, including former campaign manager Paul Manafort, former adviser Carter Page, and Trump's choice to lead national security Michael Flynn. Donald Trump tweeted in July 26, 2016: "For the record, I have ZERO investments in Russia." President Trump's son, Donald Jr, told a real estate conference in 2008: "Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets...We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia." Here is then-Trump adviser Paul Manafort in July of 2016, denying that Trump has any financial connections to Russia: MUST WATCH: Paul Manafort doesn't sound very convincing here. Interview was July 27, 2016 pic.twitter.com/N46Y2DOAJX — Yashar (@yashar) March 2, 2017 × CNN reported that US intelligence believes that the Russian ambassador Sergey Kisylak--who met several people associated with Trump's camp including: Michael Flynn and Jeff Sessions, and also former adviser Carter Page and Trump's son-in-law Jarred Kushner-- is considered to be one of Russia's top spies and spy-recruiters in Washington. Russia has denied this is true. Meanwhile, The Indepedent reports that Christopher Steele, the former British MI6 spy who compiled the infamous dossier alleging Russia has blackmail material over Donald Trump, has been approached about testifying in front of the US Senate Intelligence Commitee's investigation into Trump's alleged links with Russia. Trump has dismissed Steele's allegations, and called him a "failed spy". In the past Donald Trump has denied having any connection to Vladimir Putin repeatedly, but has also bragged about his personal relationship with the Russian President. Does Donald Trump have a relationship with Vladimir Putin? Allow him to tell you. Watch this, via @MSNBC. pic.twitter.com/FN9ZIHRbi3 — Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) March 2, 2017 (WION)

Trump-Russia: Sessions may be blackmailed by Kremlin, says former White House chief ethics officer

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions came under fire late Wednesday after the Washington Post reported he met twice last year with Russia&#39;s ambassador to Washington, seemingly contradicting statements he made in Senate confirmation hearings in January.

The revelation cast a fresh cloud over President Donald Trump&#39;s administration -- which has repeatedly denied any suspected ties between members of his election team and Russia -- which US intelligence says interfered in the 2016 campaign against Hillary Clinton.

The White House quickly labelled the report an attack by partisan Democrats, confirming the meetings but arguing Sessions did nothing wrong.

In a statement, Sessions said: &quot;I never met with any Russian officials to discuss issues of the campaign. I have no idea what this allegation is about. It is false.&quot;

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<h5>The White House admits the meetings happened but claims Sessions did nothing wrong</h5>
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But with US intelligence agencies, the Department of Justice, and four Congressional committees examining the Russia scandal, Democrats demanded that Sessions -- the Trump administration&#39;s top law enforcement official -- recuse himself from investigations, and for Congress to name an independent special investigator to oversee a broad probe.

&quot;Given AG Sessions&#39; false statements about contacts with Russian officials, we need a special counsel to investigate Trump associates&#39; ties to Russia,&quot; said Democrat Senator Ron Wyden, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The Washington Post reported late Wednesday that Sessions -- formerly a senator who advised Trump&#39;s campaign on foreign policy and other issues -- met Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in July and September, just as accusations of Russian interference in the election were mounting.&nbsp;

Sessions, however, told his confirmation hearing at the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 10 that he did not know of contacts between Trump campaign members and Russia.&nbsp;

&quot;I did not have communications with the Russians,&quot; he said under oath.

&nbsp;

Calls to resign

Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the Senate, called for Sessions to step down. &quot;After lying under oath to Congress about his own communications with the Russian, the attorney general must resign,&quot; she said.

Democrat Elijah Cummings of the House of Representative&#39;s Oversight Committee echoed that call in a statement. &quot;When Senator Sessions testified under oath that &#39;I did not have communications with the Russians,&#39; his statement was demonstrably false, yet he let it stand for weeks,&quot; Cummings said. &quot;Attorney General Sessions should resign immediately, and there is no longer any question that we need a truly independent commission to investigate this issue.&quot;

A White House official dubbed the latest report an &quot;attack&quot;.

&quot;This is the latest attack against the Trump administration by partisan Democrats,&quot; the official said.

&quot;Sessions met with the ambassador in an official capacity as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is entirely consistent with his testimony.&quot;

Sessions was confirmed as attorney general on February 8, moving in place to oversee Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation probes into the alleged communications between Trump campaign officials and Moscow.

&nbsp;

Interference

The New York Times reported two weeks ago, citing US intelligence sources, that three campaign staff -- including campaign chief Paul Manafort -- had communicated with Russian intelligence officers.

The White House also labeled that report &quot;false&quot; and has accused Democrats, the media and the intelligence community of a political effort to undermine the Trump administration.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trumps-connection-to-russia-doesnt-end-with-flynn-12478">Three people</a> have resigned from Trump&#39;s administration, also including&nbsp;his election campaign, amid revelations of their connections to&nbsp;Russia. The most recent was Michael&nbsp;Flynn, Trump&#39;s pick to head&nbsp;national security, who resigned after it became public knowledge that he spoke to the Russian ambassador about US sanctions against Russia, then lied about it. During the 2016 election, Manafort resigned, as mentioned above. And so did another Trump aide, <a href="http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/09/the-mystery-of-trumps-man-in-moscow-214283" target="_blank">Carter Page</a>, after his connections to Russia came to light.

The Washington Post report emerged as Democrats had begun warning the White House and Republican lawmakers against trying to shut down any investigations of alleged Russian interference.

The warnings came after Trump&#39;s staff sought to enlist the FBI, reportedly the CIA and two Republicans who head committees leading the Russia investigations, to knock down media reports on the alleged links.

US intelligence chiefs announced in December that they had concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin was behind a hacking and misinformation campaign to hurt Clinton and boost Trump&#39;s chances to win the November 8 presidential election.

But they have not made their evidence public, and the Kremlin denies it.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

The Washington Post reported that the Attorney General met with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in July & September

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions came under fire late Wednesday after the Washington Post reported he met twice last year with Russia's ambassador to Washington, seemingly contradicting statements he made in Senate confirmation hearings in January. The revelation cast a fresh cloud over President Donald Trump's administration -- which has repeatedly denied any suspected ties between members of his election team and Russia -- which US intelligence says interfered in the 2016 campaign against Hillary Clinton. The White House quickly labelled the report an attack by partisan Democrats, confirming the meetings but arguing Sessions did nothing wrong. In a statement, Sessions said: "I never met with any Russian officials to discuss issues of the campaign. I have no idea what this allegation is about. It is false." The White House admits the meetings happened but claims Sessions did nothing wrong × But with US intelligence agencies, the Department of Justice, and four Congressional committees examining the Russia scandal, Democrats demanded that Sessions -- the Trump administration's top law enforcement official -- recuse himself from investigations, and for Congress to name an independent special investigator to oversee a broad probe. "Given AG Sessions' false statements about contacts with Russian officials, we need a special counsel to investigate Trump associates' ties to Russia," said Democrat Senator Ron Wyden, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Washington Post reported late Wednesday that Sessions -- formerly a senator who advised Trump's campaign on foreign policy and other issues -- met Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in July and September, just as accusations of Russian interference in the election were mounting. Sessions, however, told his confirmation hearing at the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 10 that he did not know of contacts between Trump campaign members and Russia. "I did not have communications with the Russians," he said under oath. Calls to resign Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the Senate, called for Sessions to step down. "After lying under oath to Congress about his own communications with the Russian, the attorney general must resign," she said. Democrat Elijah Cummings of the House of Representative's Oversight Committee echoed that call in a statement. "When Senator Sessions testified under oath that 'I did not have communications with the Russians,' his statement was demonstrably false, yet he let it stand for weeks," Cummings said. "Attorney General Sessions should resign immediately, and there is no longer any question that we need a truly independent commission to investigate this issue." A White House official dubbed the latest report an "attack". "This is the latest attack against the Trump administration by partisan Democrats," the official said. "Sessions met with the ambassador in an official capacity as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is entirely consistent with his testimony." Sessions was confirmed as attorney general on February 8, moving in place to oversee Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation probes into the alleged communications between Trump campaign officials and Moscow. Interference The New York Times reported two weeks ago, citing US intelligence sources, that three campaign staff -- including campaign chief Paul Manafort -- had communicated with Russian intelligence officers. The White House also labeled that report "false" and has accused Democrats, the media and the intelligence community of a political effort to undermine the Trump administration. Three people have resigned from Trump's administration, also including his election campaign, amid revelations of their connections to Russia. The most recent was Michael Flynn, Trump's pick to head national security, who resigned after it became public knowledge that he spoke to the Russian ambassador about US sanctions against Russia, then lied about it. During the 2016 election, Manafort resigned, as mentioned above. And so did another Trump aide, Carter Page, after his connections to Russia came to light. The Washington Post report emerged as Democrats had begun warning the White House and Republican lawmakers against trying to shut down any investigations of alleged Russian interference. The warnings came after Trump's staff sought to enlist the FBI, reportedly the CIA and two Republicans who head committees leading the Russia investigations, to knock down media reports on the alleged links. US intelligence chiefs announced in December that they had concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin was behind a hacking and misinformation campaign to hurt Clinton and boost Trump's chances to win the November 8 presidential election. But they have not made their evidence public, and the Kremlin denies it. (WION with inputs from AFP)

US: Jeff Sessions under fire after report he too met with Russian ambassador

Jeff Sessions, while still a US&nbsp;senator, spoke twice last year with Russia&#39;s ambassador, encounters he did not disclose when asked during his confirmation hearing to become attorney general about possible contacts between Donald Trump&#39;s campaign and Russian officials, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing Justice Department officials.

One of the meetings was a private conversation between Sessions and Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak that took place in September in the senator&#39;s office, at the height of what US intelligence officials say was a Russian cyber campaign to upend the US&nbsp;presidential race, the Post reported.

The previously undisclosed discussions could fuel new congressional calls for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Russia&#39;s alleged role in the 2016 presidential election, the Post said.

Trump&#39;s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was fired last month after he discussed US&nbsp;sanctions on Russia with Kislyak before Trump took office and misled Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations.

As attorney general, Sessions oversees the Justice Department, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which have been leading investigations into Russian meddling and any links to Trump&#39;s associates. Sessions has so far resisted calls to recuse himself.

When Sessions spoke with Kislyak in July and September, he was a senior member of the influential Senate Armed Services Committee as well as one of Trump&rsquo;s top foreign policy advisers, according to the Post.

Sessions played a prominent role supporting Trump after formally joining the campaign in February 2016.

At his January 10 Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, Sessions was asked by Democratic Senator Al Franken what he would do if he learned of any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of the 2016 campaign, the Post reported.

&quot;I&rsquo;m not aware of any of those activities,&quot; Sessions responded, according to the Post. He added: &quot;I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians.&quot;

Officials said Sessions did not consider the conversations relevant to the lawmakers&rsquo; questions and did not remember in detail what he discussed with Kislyak, according to the Post.

&quot;There was absolutely nothing misleading about his answer,&quot; Sarah Isgur Flores, Sessions&#39; spokeswoman, told the Post. 
The Department of Justice and the White House did not respond immediately to requests by Reuters for comment.

Justice officials said Sessions met with Kislyak on September 8 in his capacity as a member of the armed services panel rather than in his role as a Trump campaign surrogate, the Post reported.

&quot;He was asked during the hearing about communications between Russia and the Trump campaign - not about meetings he took as a senator and a member of the Armed Services Committee,&quot; Flores told the Post.

(Reuters)

Justice officials said he met the?Russian Ambassador?as a member of the armed services panel rather than as ?a Trump campaign surrogate

Jeff Sessions, while still a US senator, spoke twice last year with Russia's ambassador, encounters he did not disclose when asked during his confirmation hearing to become attorney general about possible contacts between Donald Trump's campaign and Russian officials, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing Justice Department officials. One of the meetings was a private conversation between Sessions and Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak that took place in September in the senator's office, at the height of what US intelligence officials say was a Russian cyber campaign to upend the US presidential race, the Post reported. The previously undisclosed discussions could fuel new congressional calls for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Russia's alleged role in the 2016 presidential election, the Post said. Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was fired last month after he discussed US sanctions on Russia with Kislyak before Trump took office and misled Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations. As attorney general, Sessions oversees the Justice Department, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which have been leading investigations into Russian meddling and any links to Trump's associates. Sessions has so far resisted calls to recuse himself. When Sessions spoke with Kislyak in July and September, he was a senior member of the influential Senate Armed Services Committee as well as one of Trump’s top foreign policy advisers, according to the Post. Sessions played a prominent role supporting Trump after formally joining the campaign in February 2016. At his January 10 Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, Sessions was asked by Democratic Senator Al Franken what he would do if he learned of any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of the 2016 campaign, the Post reported. "I’m not aware of any of those activities," Sessions responded, according to the Post. He added: "I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians." Officials said Sessions did not consider the conversations relevant to the lawmakers’ questions and did not remember in detail what he discussed with Kislyak, according to the Post. "There was absolutely nothing misleading about his answer," Sarah Isgur Flores, Sessions' spokeswoman, told the Post. The Department of Justice and the White House did not respond immediately to requests by Reuters for comment. Justice officials said Sessions met with Kislyak on September 8 in his capacity as a member of the armed services panel rather than in his role as a Trump campaign surrogate, the Post reported. "He was asked during the hearing about communications between Russia and the Trump campaign - not about meetings he took as a senator and a member of the Armed Services Committee," Flores told the Post. (Reuters)

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions did not disclose Russia contacts:  Washington Post

What exactly does it mean&nbsp;that Trump&#39;s pick to head&nbsp;national security, Michael Flynn, resigned only 24 days&nbsp;into his tenure amid the revelation that he discussed US sanctions against Russia with the Russian ambassador, then lied about it&nbsp;not just to the general public but to America&#39;s&nbsp;Vice President?&nbsp;

Russia interfered with the US election to benefit Trump,&nbsp;and the New York Times just reported that&nbsp;Trump&#39;s team was in contact with Russian officials for at least a year before the election. Did Trump himself collude with Russia directly?

This is not confirmed, but the optics are bad&nbsp;and Trump is desperately trying to switch focus.

Who knew what, and when, and what their legal obligation was is important. Trump knew &quot;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/14/democrats-russia-trump-investigation-michael-flynn" target="_blank">for weeks</a>&quot;&nbsp;that Flynn misled the White House about&nbsp;Russia, and only acted on it after&nbsp;this knowledge entered the public domain. Why not act sooner?

This story is far from over,&nbsp;and there are already&nbsp;signs of major fissures.

US intelligence

The Wall Street Journal reported that the US intelligence agencies are not disclosing all they know to the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/spies-keep-intelligence-from-donald-trump-1487209351" target="_blank">president </a>because they don&#39;t trust him.&nbsp;The White House responded:&nbsp;&quot;There is nothing that leads us to believe that this is an accurate account of what is actually happening&quot;. But how could the White House possibly know what they aren&#39;t being told? Either US intelligence&nbsp;isn&#39;t telling the president all&nbsp;they know (likely), or they are lying and going public about concealing information from the president in a way&nbsp;that amounts to taunting the president (unlikely). Something is going on.

After all, Flynn is the third person from Trump&#39;s team&nbsp;to resign amid being connected to Russia. Earlier this summer, Paul Manafort was quietly pushed aside after it came to light that he lobbied for Putin-ally and&nbsp;pro-Ukraine lobbyist, Viktor Yanukovych. <a href="http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/09/the-mystery-of-trumps-man-in-moscow-214283" target="_blank">Carter Page</a> was sacked after his connections to Russia became known. Trump has&nbsp;surrounded himself with&nbsp;people linked to&nbsp;Russia (Tillerson, Secretary of State, awarded the Order of Friendship by Putin himself, is a standout).&nbsp;But Flynn was the&nbsp;national security adviser.

There is a reason the final and most important chapter of Sun Tzu&#39;s Art of War is about the special role of spies, the army&#39;s most important function. &quot;Upon them depends an army&#39;s ability to move.&quot; Every decision must be grounded in the best knowledge of all circumstances;&nbsp;That it&#39;s bad&nbsp;to have&nbsp;the head of America&#39;s national security controlled by the leader of Russia should be agreed upon by Democras and Republicans. &nbsp;

Yet Repulicans are keeping mostly quiet, preferring to remain in long-sought for power than expose their president for his&nbsp;Russia connection. US intelligence appears to be making the stand&nbsp;Republicans won&#39;t.

But putting faith in US&nbsp;intelligence services to tell the truth is highly&nbsp;dangerous&nbsp;for the simple reason that they&nbsp;lie frequently, as it&#39;s inevitable when a main part of your job is performing&nbsp;covert operations. The relationship&nbsp;between US&nbsp;intelligence agencies&nbsp;and Donald Trump is not easy to decipher. While it seems like a war on the surface, there is much unknown. The spy agencies by definition are privy to much deeper knowledge than the public.

Speculation is endlessly tempting, but caution here&nbsp;is prudent. Remember,&nbsp;FBI director James Comey&nbsp;days before the US election announced that he was reopening the investigation into Clinton&#39;s emails, despite being aware at the time of the Steele dossier. Many things determined the outcome of the election, but this huge last minute swung had an large and undeniable role.&nbsp;Why did the FBI announce one and not the other?&nbsp;

Trump put into perspective by ex-CIA

While it&#39;s wise to refrain from speculating about&nbsp;what is by definition secret,&nbsp;the tongue lashings coming from the US intelligence community are&nbsp;anything&nbsp;but subtle. Glenn Carle, a 23-year veteran of the CIA, expressed in no uncertain terms what a threat Trump poses&nbsp;in an&nbsp;<a href="http://www.vox.com/conversations/2017/2/15/14623636/donald-trump-michael-flynn-russia-putin-cia-white-house">interview </a>with Vox conducted amid&nbsp;the news&nbsp;that General Flynn had resigned:

&quot;We are facing the gravest threat to our institutions and our government since 1861, since the country broke in half. This is a graver crisis than Watergate, which was about corruption, not the usurpation of our laws and our checks and balances. It&#39;s graver than World War II, when Hitler never actually threatened our institutions or occupation of Washington...We&#39;re dealing with a man in Trump who doesn&#39;t accept a fact-based reality, who only acts for his own self-aggrandizement, and who views any action that does not serve him as a threat that must be destroyed. And, on top of that, his team&nbsp;appears&nbsp;to have been colluding with Russian intelligence services.&quot;

Notice his use of the word&nbsp;appears. Without a smoking gun linking Trump to Putin, that&#39;s all it is.&nbsp;

There is no smoking gun, but looking for one when there is so much around isn&#39;t unreasonable

Trump has repeatedly denied knowing Putin, but in video has claimed he does have a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn1ZK2kcfQ8" target="_blank">relationship </a>with Putin.

Judge Sally Yates warned Trump that Flynn was vulnerable to Russian blackmail, and he fired her.&nbsp;Granted she also objected to the notoious Muslim ban, but perhaps he fired her for multiple reasons.

The notorious and unverified dossier compiled by former MI6 agent Christopher Steele&nbsp;alleging that Russia possesses&nbsp;embarassing blackmail material over Trump remains unverified, but it is part of an ongoing investigation. More, CNN&nbsp;published a report&nbsp;claiming that some aspects&nbsp;from the dossier&nbsp;have&nbsp;been <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/10/politics/russia-dossier-update/" target="_blank">corroborated</a>. To be sure,&nbsp;some of what&#39;s in the dossier has been disproven, but if certain things in it are true, and are proven to be true, then the conversation becomes about treason and impeachment.

Trump has called the leaked documents &quot;illegal&quot;, as if Trump&nbsp;didn&#39;t spend months using his unprecedented publicity machine&nbsp;to tell the world about leaks&nbsp;from Hillary Clinton&#39;s emails. Trump once, apparently,&nbsp;thought leaks were&nbsp;so fair game that he encouraged Russia to hack Clinton&#39;s email&nbsp;in the middle of a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNa2B5zHfbQ" target="_blank">presidential debate</a>.&nbsp;

Why oppose leaks now? Because&nbsp;Flynn didn&#39;t resign until leaks emerged. Given the&nbsp;sheer volume of connections between Russia and Trump, and an intelligence community who likely&nbsp;knows what is going on (about many things) and does not seem thrilled with the president, Trump&nbsp;going to fierce lengths to discredit leaks by emphasising their illegality&nbsp;makes sense. Leaks are working against him, now.

There are signs&nbsp;there may be more leaks yet. It&#39;s awfully hard to believe Trump&#39;s connection to Russia ends now that Flynn has been removed.&nbsp;

(WION)

&nbsp;

Trump's head of national security lied about discussing US sanctions with the Russian ambassador and resigned, but Putin still looms

What exactly does it mean that Trump's pick to head national security, Michael Flynn, resigned only 24 days into his tenure amid the revelation that he discussed US sanctions against Russia with the Russian ambassador, then lied about it not just to the general public but to America's Vice President? Russia interfered with the US election to benefit Trump, and the New York Times just reported that Trump's team was in contact with Russian officials for at least a year before the election. Did Trump himself collude with Russia directly? This is not confirmed, but the optics are bad and Trump is desperately trying to switch focus. Who knew what, and when, and what their legal obligation was is important. Trump knew "for weeks" that Flynn misled the White House about Russia, and only acted on it after this knowledge entered the public domain. Why not act sooner? This story is far from over, and there are already signs of major fissures. US intelligence The Wall Street Journal reported that the US intelligence agencies are not disclosing all they know to the president because they don't trust him. The White House responded: "There is nothing that leads us to believe that this is an accurate account of what is actually happening". But how could the White House possibly know what they aren't being told? Either US intelligence isn't telling the president all they know (likely), or they are lying and going public about concealing information from the president in a way that amounts to taunting the president (unlikely). Something is going on. After all, Flynn is the third person from Trump's team to resign amid being connected to Russia. Earlier this summer, Paul Manafort was quietly pushed aside after it came to light that he lobbied for Putin-ally and pro-Ukraine lobbyist, Viktor Yanukovych. Carter Page was sacked after his connections to Russia became known. Trump has surrounded himself with people linked to Russia (Tillerson, Secretary of State, awarded the Order of Friendship by Putin himself, is a standout). But Flynn was the national security adviser. There is a reason the final and most important chapter of Sun Tzu's Art of War is about the special role of spies, the army's most important function. "Upon them depends an army's ability to move." Every decision must be grounded in the best knowledge of all circumstances; That it's bad to have the head of America's national security controlled by the leader of Russia should be agreed upon by Democras and Republicans. Yet Repulicans are keeping mostly quiet, preferring to remain in long-sought for power than expose their president for his Russia connection. US intelligence appears to be making the stand Republicans won't. But putting faith in US intelligence services to tell the truth is highly dangerous for the simple reason that they lie frequently, as it's inevitable when a main part of your job is performing covert operations. The relationship between US intelligence agencies and Donald Trump is not easy to decipher. While it seems like a war on the surface, there is much unknown. The spy agencies by definition are privy to much deeper knowledge than the public. Speculation is endlessly tempting, but caution here is prudent. Remember, FBI director James Comey days before the US election announced that he was reopening the investigation into Clinton's emails, despite being aware at the time of the Steele dossier. Many things determined the outcome of the election, but this huge last minute swung had an large and undeniable role. Why did the FBI announce one and not the other? Trump put into perspective by ex-CIA While it's wise to refrain from speculating about what is by definition secret, the tongue lashings coming from the US intelligence community are anything but subtle. Glenn Carle, a 23-year veteran of the CIA, expressed in no uncertain terms what a threat Trump poses in an interview with Vox conducted amid the news that General Flynn had resigned: "We are facing the gravest threat to our institutions and our government since 1861, since the country broke in half. This is a graver crisis than Watergate, which was about corruption, not the usurpation of our laws and our checks and balances. It's graver than World War II, when Hitler never actually threatened our institutions or occupation of Washington...We're dealing with a man in Trump who doesn't accept a fact-based reality, who only acts for his own self-aggrandizement, and who views any action that does not serve him as a threat that must be destroyed. And, on top of that, his team appears to have been colluding with Russian intelligence services." Notice his use of the word appears. Without a smoking gun linking Trump to Putin, that's all it is. There is no smoking gun, but looking for one when there is so much around isn't unreasonable Trump has repeatedly denied knowing Putin, but in video has claimed he does have a relationship with Putin. Judge Sally Yates warned Trump that Flynn was vulnerable to Russian blackmail, and he fired her. Granted she also objected to the notoious Muslim ban, but perhaps he fired her for multiple reasons. The notorious and unverified dossier compiled by former MI6 agent Christopher Steele alleging that Russia possesses embarassing blackmail material over Trump remains unverified, but it is part of an ongoing investigation. More, CNN published a report claiming that some aspects from the dossier have been corroborated. To be sure, some of what's in the dossier has been disproven, but if certain things in it are true, and are proven to be true, then the conversation becomes about treason and impeachment. Trump has called the leaked documents "illegal", as if Trump didn't spend months using his unprecedented publicity machine to tell the world about leaks from Hillary Clinton's emails. Trump once, apparently, thought leaks were so fair game that he encouraged Russia to hack Clinton's email in the middle of a presidential debate. Why oppose leaks now? Because Flynn didn't resign until leaks emerged. Given the sheer volume of connections between Russia and Trump, and an intelligence community who likely knows what is going on (about many things) and does not seem thrilled with the president, Trump going to fierce lengths to discredit leaks by emphasising their illegality makes sense. Leaks are working against him, now. There are signs there may be more leaks yet. It's awfully hard to believe Trump's connection to Russia ends now that Flynn has been removed. (WION)

Trump's connection to Russia doesn't end with Flynn

Three Turkish soldiers were &quot;accidentally&quot; killed and 11 wounded on Thursday when a Russian air strike targeting jihadists in Syria hit a building where the troops were deployed, the Turkish army said.

With Moscow and Ankara cooperating ever more closely on Syria, President Vladimir Putin quickly reached out to Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to express condolences and promise better future coordination.

The Russian plane had been seeking to hit targets of Islamic State (IS) jihadists but &quot;by accident three of our heroic soldiers were martyred when a building was bombed where our units were,&quot; the Turkish army said in a statement.

It said that of the 11 injured, one was badly wounded.

Putin contacted Erdogan to express his &quot;sadness and condolences,&quot; it added.

&quot;Russian officials have said that the incident was an accident,&quot; the army said, adding an investigation is being carried out by both sides.

In Moscow, the Kremlin said Putin had offered Erdogan his condolences and that the leaders had &quot;agreed to enhance military coordination&quot; in the fight against IS in Syria.

It said the incident took place in the flashpoint IS-held town of Al-Bab where both countries have been conducting air strikes.&nbsp;

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian strike took place on Thursday morning due to a &quot;lack of agreement of coordinates during strikes by the Russian air force.&quot;

Fight for Al-Bab

Both sides appeared keen to move on from the incident, as was the case when an off-duty Turkish policeman shot dead&nbsp;Russia&#39;s ambassador to Ankara Andrei Karlov on December 19 in a crime that shocked both countries.

Then, Ankara allowed Russian investigators to work in Turkey and also gave the slain ambassador the honour of a ceremony on the tarmac of Ankara airport before his corpse was airlifted back to&nbsp;Russia.

The Russian defence ministry said Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar had in a call &quot;agreed on closer coordination of joint actions&quot;.

Turkey had on August 24 began an unprecedented campaign inside Syria against IS and Kurdish militia which initially made rapid progress but has become mired in a deadly fight for the IS held town of Al-Bab since December.

The incident came with new CIA chief Mike Pompeo in Ankara for talks with Turkish officials on issues including Syria, on his first foreign visit since the inauguration of US President Donald Trump.

The fight for Al-Bab has been by far the bloodiest yet of Turkey&#39;s incursion inside Syria but the authorities have vowed to press on until its capture despite a mounting casualty toll.

Before Thursday&#39;s casualties were reported, the Dogan news agency said 66 Turkish soldiers have now been killed in the Syria operation since it began in August, mostly in attacks by IS.

Revival in ties

Turkey and&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;have been on sharply opposing sides in the Syria conflict, with Moscow supporting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad but Ankara pushing for his ouster as the key to peace.

Relations reached a dangerous low in November 2015 when Turkish warplanes shot down a Russian fighter jet over the Syrian border.

But a normalisation deal was reached over the summer and the two sides have been working ever more closely over the Syrian conflict.

They secured a deal to evacuate Syrians from Aleppo after the city was retaken by Assad backed by his Russian allies.

The two sides have since backed a process in the Kazakh capital Astana to search for peace to end the almost six-year civil war in Syria.

And Russian jets have on occasion carried out air strikes in Al-Bab in support of the operation.

Separate operations by Turkey and Assad&#39;s forces, backed by Moscow, has trapped the jihadists inside Al-Bab which has been besieged since Monday when Syrian forces cut off a road leading into the town.

There has been concerns of the risk of accidental contact in the busy skies above Syria although these have usually surrounded Turkey and Syrian regime forces.

Erdogan&#39;s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Wednesday Turkey had been coordinating with&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;to avoid any risk of contact with the Syrian regime forces.

(AFP)

President Vladimir Putin quickly reached out to Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to promise better future coordination

Three Turkish soldiers were "accidentally" killed and 11 wounded on Thursday when a Russian air strike targeting jihadists in Syria hit a building where the troops were deployed, the Turkish army said. With Moscow and Ankara cooperating ever more closely on Syria, President Vladimir Putin quickly reached out to Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to express condolences and promise better future coordination. The Russian plane had been seeking to hit targets of Islamic State (IS) jihadists but "by accident three of our heroic soldiers were martyred when a building was bombed where our units were," the Turkish army said in a statement. It said that of the 11 injured, one was badly wounded. Putin contacted Erdogan to express his "sadness and condolences," it added. "Russian officials have said that the incident was an accident," the army said, adding an investigation is being carried out by both sides. In Moscow, the Kremlin said Putin had offered Erdogan his condolences and that the leaders had "agreed to enhance military coordination" in the fight against IS in Syria. It said the incident took place in the flashpoint IS-held town of Al-Bab where both countries have been conducting air strikes. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian strike took place on Thursday morning due to a "lack of agreement of coordinates during strikes by the Russian air force." Fight for Al-Bab Both sides appeared keen to move on from the incident, as was the case when an off-duty Turkish policeman shot dead Russia's ambassador to Ankara Andrei Karlov on December 19 in a crime that shocked both countries. Then, Ankara allowed Russian investigators to work in Turkey and also gave the slain ambassador the honour of a ceremony on the tarmac of Ankara airport before his corpse was airlifted back to Russia. The Russian defence ministry said Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar had in a call "agreed on closer coordination of joint actions". Turkey had on August 24 began an unprecedented campaign inside Syria against IS and Kurdish militia which initially made rapid progress but has become mired in a deadly fight for the IS held town of Al-Bab since December. The incident came with new CIA chief Mike Pompeo in Ankara for talks with Turkish officials on issues including Syria, on his first foreign visit since the inauguration of US President Donald Trump. The fight for Al-Bab has been by far the bloodiest yet of Turkey's incursion inside Syria but the authorities have vowed to press on until its capture despite a mounting casualty toll. Before Thursday's casualties were reported, the Dogan news agency said 66 Turkish soldiers have now been killed in the Syria operation since it began in August, mostly in attacks by IS. Revival in ties Turkey and Russia have been on sharply opposing sides in the Syria conflict, with Moscow supporting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad but Ankara pushing for his ouster as the key to peace. Relations reached a dangerous low in November 2015 when Turkish warplanes shot down a Russian fighter jet over the Syrian border. But a normalisation deal was reached over the summer and the two sides have been working ever more closely over the Syrian conflict. They secured a deal to evacuate Syrians from Aleppo after the city was retaken by Assad backed by his Russian allies. The two sides have since backed a process in the Kazakh capital Astana to search for peace to end the almost six-year civil war in Syria. And Russian jets have on occasion carried out air strikes in Al-Bab in support of the operation. Separate operations by Turkey and Assad's forces, backed by Moscow, has trapped the jihadists inside Al-Bab which has been besieged since Monday when Syrian forces cut off a road leading into the town. There has been concerns of the risk of accidental contact in the busy skies above Syria although these have usually surrounded Turkey and Syrian regime forces. Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Wednesday Turkey had been coordinating with Russia to avoid any risk of contact with the Syrian regime forces. (AFP)

Three Turkish soldiers 'accidentally' killed by Russian air strikes

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not been invited to this year&#39;s Group of Seven summit of world leaders, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on Thursday, scotching rumours of a possible last-minute invite.

&quot;To be clear, the Italian G7 presidency has not sent any invitation to Putin to participate at the G7 in Taormina,&quot; Gentiloni said, referring to a summit scheduled for May in Sicily of the leaders of major Western industrialised leaders.

&quot;At this moment in time, (an invitation for Russia) doesn&#39;t seem to me to be at all realistic,&quot; Gentiloni said during a news conference with his British counterpart Theresa May. He added that it was important to continue dialogue with Moscow.

(Reuters)

Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Thursday dismissed rumours of a possible last-minute invite

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not been invited to this year's Group of Seven summit of world leaders, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on Thursday, scotching rumours of a possible last-minute invite. "To be clear, the Italian G7 presidency has not sent any invitation to Putin to participate at the G7 in Taormina," Gentiloni said, referring to a summit scheduled for May in Sicily of the leaders of major Western industrialised leaders. "At this moment in time, (an invitation for Russia) doesn't seem to me to be at all realistic," Gentiloni said during a news conference with his British counterpart Theresa May. He added that it was important to continue dialogue with Moscow. (Reuters)

Russian President Putin not invited to G7 summit: Italy

For a man who&nbsp;brags about his wealth&nbsp;Donald Trump has gone to great lengths to keep his financial&nbsp;status an absolute secret. Every presidential candidate for the last 40 years has published their tax returns. Trump has refused, over and over, and he and his team have repeatedly&nbsp;<a href="http://www.vox.com/2017/1/22/14351062/kellyanne-conway-trump-tax-returns">lied </a>about the reason for doing so (<a href="https://www.rawstory.com/2016/08/watch-eric-trump-flail-wildly-as-he-tries-to-explain-why-his-dad-wont-release-tax-returns/" target="_blank">his son Erik said, essentially, releasing his tax returns was inadvisable because it would&nbsp;subject them&nbsp;to public scrutiny</a>).

Donald Trump asked&nbsp;a foreign government to hack into an American politicians private emails&nbsp;on live TV&nbsp;before&nbsp;millions of people during the presidential debate, but publish one page of his&nbsp;tax return&nbsp;he threatens to sue.&nbsp;When nearly forced to prove his wealth, Trump has repeatedly declined.

While Trump did publish a&nbsp;financial disclosure form, required by law,<a href="http://thepoliticus.com/content/bombshell-trump-lied-his-financial-disclosures-has-massive-debt"> he made an immense lie</a>: The document reveals that companies he owns are $300&nbsp;million in debt, but actually a&nbsp;New York Times investigation&nbsp;determined that in reality this figure is more than twice as large, at $650 million. He is beholden&nbsp;to a wide range of financial backers, including ones he has criticised publicly.&nbsp;

Who funds Donald Trump, and what does this mean?

&nbsp;

A brief look at his Deutsche Bank history

To understand Trump, follow the money. This is inherently difficult, because Trump goes to enormous&nbsp;lengths to keep his money secret&nbsp;despite projecting&nbsp;the image of a&nbsp;self-made billionaire&nbsp;enriched&nbsp;by savvy&nbsp;deal-making.&nbsp;Really, his father was a New York real estate tycoon, handy when starting out, and for more than a&nbsp;decade Donald received money for&nbsp;putting his name on stuff <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveolenski/2015/11/24/donald-trumps-real-secret-to-riches-create-a-brand-and-license-it/#3fef3d0e26e7">other people produce</a>.

But what we do know about&nbsp;his finance&nbsp;tells us important something, and puts into sharp relief the importance of what we do not know.

American banks stopped lending money to Donald Trump in the late 1980s and early &#39;90s, around the time he declared $900 million in losses as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/12/nyregion/donald-trump-atlantic-city.html" target="_blank">Trump casino-related businesses kept&nbsp;going bankrupt.</a> American banks considered him a major liability.

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<h5>On December 23, a few weeks before Trump was to enter the White House,&nbsp;Deutsche Bank settled,&nbsp;managing&nbsp;to cut&nbsp;the threatened $14 billion penalty roughly in half to&nbsp;$7.2 billion. Just yesterday, Deutsche Bank was fined another $690 million for its role in a &ldquo;mirror trade&quot;&nbsp;scam that laundered&nbsp;$10 billion, illegally moving the money outside of Russia.</h5>
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<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=On December 23, a few weeks before Trump was to enter the White House,?Deutsche Bank settled,?managing?to cut?the threatened $14 billion penalty roughly in half to?$7.2 billion. 


Just yesterday, Deutsche Bank was fined another $690 million for its role in a ?mirror trade?scam that laundered?$10 billion, illegally moving the money outside of Russia." target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
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He was funded by Russian oligarchs, billionaires nearly overnight after seising for their own private wealth&nbsp;the state assets of the newly-collapsed former Soviet Union.&nbsp;The German Deutsche Bank also stepped in.

Last March,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-donald-trump-needs-a-loan-he-chooses-deutsche-bank-1458379806">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported that, just since 1998, Deutsche Bank has &ldquo;led or participated in loans of at least $2.5 billion to companies affiliated with Trump,&rdquo; not including one billion in loan commitments to Trump-related businesses.

Trump&nbsp;got into a large fight with Deutsche Bank when the US housing bubble burst in 2009.&nbsp;Trump tried to avoid paying back a&nbsp;$334&nbsp;million loan, saying the subprime mortgage crash constituted a &ldquo;force majeure&rdquo;, an unforeseeable catastrophe, like an act of god. He even attacked the bank,&nbsp;saying their lending practices played a role in the collapse--he sued them&nbsp;for $3 billion in damages. The bank sued him back, saying he issued&nbsp;a personal guarantee that he&#39;d pay $40 million in case his company couldn&#39;t pay them back. They were forced to negotiate.&nbsp;They settled, but the bank was soured on Donald Trump. &quot;He was a persona non grata after that,&quot; said a banker who worked on the deal, the Wall Street Journal reports.

This matters, because right now&nbsp;Donald Trump still owes the private arm of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-22/deutsche-bank-s-reworking-a-big-trump-loan-as-inauguration-nears" target="_blank">Deutsche Bank roughly $300 million.</a>&nbsp;And Deutsche Bank has had major problems lately.

From a November 9 Wall Street Journal post: &quot;Right now Deutsche Bank is facing a host of tricky issues in the US, including the threatened $14 billion penalty over mortgage-bond investigations that would seriously damage the bank&#39;s capital base. There is also a probe related to equity trades for wealthy clients in Russia, a country Mr Trump appears friendly towards. The bank [Deutsche Bank]&nbsp;declined to comment.&quot;

On December 23, a few weeks before Trump&nbsp;entered the White House,&nbsp;Deutsche Bank settled,&nbsp;managing&nbsp;to cut&nbsp;the threatened $14 billion penalty roughly in half to&nbsp;$7.2 billion.

Just <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/deutsche-bank-fined-about-630-million-over-alleged-10-billion-russia-money-laundering-scam-11930">yesterday</a>, Deutsche Bank was fined another $690 million for its role in a &ldquo;mirror trade&quot;&nbsp;scam that laundered&nbsp;$10 billion, illegally moving this&nbsp;money outside of Russia.

&nbsp;

Early, still releveant cause for&nbsp;fear

Regarding the settlement, perhaps the outgoing Obama administration wanted to get what they could while they could,&nbsp;fearing that a Trump administration would be more amenable to forgive Deutsche Bank, for something else in return.

Given that we know Trump was funded for years by<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/1/9/1618540/-Was-Donald-Trump-bailed-out-of-bankruptcy-by-Russia-crime-bosses">&nbsp;Putin-approved oligarchs</a>, that his bank of choice is also connected in a major way to Russian money laundering stands out.&nbsp;

It&#39;s speculation, but the lack of concrete facts here is&nbsp;Trump&#39;s fault: &nbsp;The onus is on him&nbsp;to clear this up, which he could overnight.&nbsp;But given both his&nbsp;scandalous refusal to publish finance&nbsp;records his predecessors&nbsp;considered par for the course,&nbsp;and&nbsp;his absolute refusal to divest from his private business empire while serving in public office, nobody should expect sudden&nbsp;transparency.

The former CEO of oil giant ExxonMobil&nbsp;Rex Tillerson, just confirmed as&nbsp;US Secretary of State, worried observers because he opposed sanctions against Russia after Russia annexed Crimea, sanctions that were stopping his company from making at least<a href="https://www.rt.com/business/363131-exxon-lost-billion-russia-sanctions/" target="_blank"> one billion dollars</a>.&nbsp;

Experts believed&nbsp;Trump remaining in charge of a <a href="https://www.wired.com/2017/01/kim-albrecht-trump-data-viz/?mbid=social_twitter#slide-3" target="_blank">vast international business empire </a>put him in&nbsp;gross violation of the &quot;emoluments clause&quot; in the US constitution the very second he took office, and Russia&#39;s&nbsp;actions since have only validated fears.

&nbsp;

Recent reasons&nbsp;to worry: Trump and Igor Sechin CEO of&nbsp;Rosneft, Russia&#39;s state oil company

The notorious unverified dossier (adjudged serious enough that US intelligence briefed both then-President Obama and Trump&nbsp;on it)&nbsp;alleging&nbsp;Russia had recorded enough material on Trump to &quot;compromise&quot;, or blackmail, him also contained perhaps <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/carter-page-trump-russia-igor-sechin-dossier-2017-1">an even more important allegation</a>:&nbsp;Igor Sechin, CEO of Rosneft, Russia&#39;s state oil company, offered Trump-ally Carter Page a 19 per cent stake in the $130-billion&nbsp;company in exchange for lifting US sanctions against Russia.

Page was an early Trump adviser, who &quot;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/carter-page-trump-russia-igor-sechin-dossier-2017-1">took a leave of absence</a>&quot; after his trip to Russia came to light. The Trump campaign denied it ever worked with him, Business Insider reports.

Regarding Russian sanctions, Trump said: If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody&#39;s doing some really great things?&quot;

Just l<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-rosneft-privatisation-insight-idUSKBN1582OH">ast week, in &quot;one of its largest privatisations since the 1990s&quot;,&nbsp;Russia sold a 19.5&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;stake in Rosneft, and&nbsp;because of the&nbsp;highly&nbsp;opaque structure of the deal&nbsp;nobody knows who bought it</a>. Some commentators have&nbsp;noticed that the&nbsp;19.5 per cent&nbsp;sale looks like the 19 per cent alluded to in the unverified dossier, plus a brokerage fee.&nbsp;

A&nbsp;few days ago, the Kremlin escalated its attack on Ukraine with apparent confidence&nbsp;that the US president would not object.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Independence?

When Trump-appointed regulators deal&nbsp;with Deutsche Bank, will they&nbsp;advance&nbsp;the interests of the United States or the Trump Organization? Ditto for Trump and Russia.&nbsp;

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Must-read <a href="https://twitter.com/washingtonpost">@washingtonpost</a>: &quot;Trump is sworn in, rockets fall on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ukraine?src=hash">#Ukraine</a>&quot; <a href="https://t.co/GT8UeDoey0">https://t.co/GT8UeDoey0</a>
&mdash; John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenJohnMcCain/status/826787097407344640">February 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Donald Trump&nbsp;campaigned on being an indepedently wealthy candidate unbeholden to&nbsp;interests. But he is keeping very large and important secrets. Just as he once was considered by&nbsp;Deutsche Bank, if he were to disclose what is really going on, many current&nbsp;supporters would likely change their mind&nbsp;and also consider Trump&nbsp;a&nbsp;&quot;persona non grata&quot;.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(WION)

Trump has received funding from Russia, which is now amping up war in Ukraine, and Deutsche Bank, guilty lately of major financial crimes

For a man who brags about his wealth Donald Trump has gone to great lengths to keep his financial status an absolute secret. Every presidential candidate for the last 40 years has published their tax returns. Trump has refused, over and over, and he and his team have repeatedly lied about the reason for doing so (his son Erik said, essentially, releasing his tax returns was inadvisable because it would subject them to public scrutiny). Donald Trump asked a foreign government to hack into an American politicians private emails on live TV before millions of people during the presidential debate, but publish one page of his tax return he threatens to sue. When nearly forced to prove his wealth, Trump has repeatedly declined. While Trump did publish a financial disclosure form, required by law, he made an immense lie: The document reveals that companies he owns are $300 million in debt, but actually a New York Times investigation determined that in reality this figure is more than twice as large, at $650 million. He is beholden to a wide range of financial backers, including ones he has criticised publicly. Who funds Donald Trump, and what does this mean? A brief look at his Deutsche Bank history To understand Trump, follow the money. This is inherently difficult, because Trump goes to enormous lengths to keep his money secret despite projecting the image of a self-made billionaire enriched by savvy deal-making. Really, his father was a New York real estate tycoon, handy when starting out, and for more than a decade Donald received money for putting his name on stuff other people produce. But what we do know about his finance tells us important something, and puts into sharp relief the importance of what we do not know. American banks stopped lending money to Donald Trump in the late 1980s and early '90s, around the time he declared $900 million in losses as Trump casino-related businesses kept going bankrupt. American banks considered him a major liability. On December 23, a few weeks before Trump was to enter the White House, Deutsche Bank settled, managing to cut the threatened $14 billion penalty roughly in half to $7.2 billion. Just yesterday, Deutsche Bank was fined another $690 million for its role in a “mirror trade" scam that laundered $10 billion, illegally moving the money outside of Russia. × He was funded by Russian oligarchs, billionaires nearly overnight after seising for their own private wealth the state assets of the newly-collapsed former Soviet Union. The German Deutsche Bank also stepped in. Last March, The Wall Street Journal reported that, just since 1998, Deutsche Bank has “led or participated in loans of at least $2.5 billion to companies affiliated with Trump,” not including one billion in loan commitments to Trump-related businesses. Trump got into a large fight with Deutsche Bank when the US housing bubble burst in 2009. Trump tried to avoid paying back a $334 million loan, saying the subprime mortgage crash constituted a “force majeure”, an unforeseeable catastrophe, like an act of god. He even attacked the bank, saying their lending practices played a role in the collapse--he sued them for $3 billion in damages. The bank sued him back, saying he issued a personal guarantee that he'd pay $40 million in case his company couldn't pay them back. They were forced to negotiate. They settled, but the bank was soured on Donald Trump. "He was a persona non grata after that," said a banker who worked on the deal, the Wall Street Journal reports. This matters, because right now Donald Trump still owes the private arm of Deutsche Bank roughly $300 million. And Deutsche Bank has had major problems lately. From a November 9 Wall Street Journal post: "Right now Deutsche Bank is facing a host of tricky issues in the US, including the threatened $14 billion penalty over mortgage-bond investigations that would seriously damage the bank's capital base. There is also a probe related to equity trades for wealthy clients in Russia, a country Mr Trump appears friendly towards. The bank [Deutsche Bank] declined to comment." On December 23, a few weeks before Trump entered the White House, Deutsche Bank settled, managing to cut the threatened $14 billion penalty roughly in half to $7.2 billion. Just yesterday, Deutsche Bank was fined another $690 million for its role in a “mirror trade" scam that laundered $10 billion, illegally moving this money outside of Russia. Early, still releveant cause for fear Regarding the settlement, perhaps the outgoing Obama administration wanted to get what they could while they could, fearing that a Trump administration would be more amenable to forgive Deutsche Bank, for something else in return. Given that we know Trump was funded for years by Putin-approved oligarchs, that his bank of choice is also connected in a major way to Russian money laundering stands out. It's speculation, but the lack of concrete facts here is Trump's fault: The onus is on him to clear this up, which he could overnight. But given both his scandalous refusal to publish finance records his predecessors considered par for the course, and his absolute refusal to divest from his private business empire while serving in public office, nobody should expect sudden transparency. The former CEO of oil giant ExxonMobil Rex Tillerson, just confirmed as US Secretary of State, worried observers because he opposed sanctions against Russia after Russia annexed Crimea, sanctions that were stopping his company from making at least one billion dollars. Experts believed Trump remaining in charge of a vast international business empire put him in gross violation of the "emoluments clause" in the US constitution the very second he took office, and Russia's actions since have only validated fears. Recent reasons to worry: Trump and Igor Sechin CEO of Rosneft, Russia's state oil company The notorious unverified dossier (adjudged serious enough that US intelligence briefed both then-President Obama and Trump on it) alleging Russia had recorded enough material on Trump to "compromise", or blackmail, him also contained perhaps an even more important allegation: Igor Sechin, CEO of Rosneft, Russia's state oil company, offered Trump-ally Carter Page a 19 per cent stake in the $130-billion company in exchange for lifting US sanctions against Russia. Page was an early Trump adviser, who "took a leave of absence" after his trip to Russia came to light. The Trump campaign denied it ever worked with him, Business Insider reports. Regarding Russian sanctions, Trump said: If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody's doing some really great things?" Just last week, in "one of its largest privatisations since the 1990s", Russia sold a 19.5 per cent stake in Rosneft, and because of the highly opaque structure of the deal nobody knows who bought it. Some commentators have noticed that the 19.5 per cent sale looks like the 19 per cent alluded to in the unverified dossier, plus a brokerage fee. A few days ago, the Kremlin escalated its attack on Ukraine with apparent confidence that the US president would not object. Independence? When Trump-appointed regulators deal with Deutsche Bank, will they advance the interests of the United States or the Trump Organization? Ditto for Trump and Russia. Must-read @washingtonpost: "Trump is sworn in, rockets fall on #Ukraine" https://t.co/GT8UeDoey0 — John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) February 1, 2017 × Donald Trump campaigned on being an indepedently wealthy candidate unbeholden to interests. But he is keeping very large and important secrets. Just as he once was considered by Deutsche Bank, if he were to disclose what is really going on, many current supporters would likely change their mind and also consider Trump a "persona non grata". (WION)

Analysis: Trump, Russia and Deutsche Bank?Links that raise many, many questions

US President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will on Saturday hold their first phone conversation since the American leader&#39;s inauguration, the Kremlin said. &nbsp;

&quot;I can confirm that a telephone conversation is planned. It will be Saturday evening Moscow time,&quot; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Friday.&nbsp;

Peskov said Putin would congratulate Trump on officially becoming president and the two would likely discuss the &quot;state of bilateral ties&quot;.

But Putin&#39;s spokesman refused to comment on rumours that Trump might already be gearing up to roll back sanctions against Moscow that have helped drive ties to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War. &nbsp;

&quot;This is the first contact by phone since President Trump assumed office so it is hardly likely there will be substantive contact on all issues. Let&#39;s be patient,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

The two leaders already spoke by phone in November following Trump&#39;s election&nbsp;and agreed to &quot;normalise&quot; US-Russia relations, which have suffered notably since the crisis in Ukraine.

Throughout the election campaign, Trump praised Putin and was accused by his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton of being Putin&#39;s &quot;puppet&quot;.

Less than one month before leaving the White House, former president Barack Obama took action against Moscow over what he said was Russian meddling in the US presidential election.

The measures by Obama, who accused Moscow of &quot;efforts to harm US interests&quot;, included the expulsion of 35 alleged intelligence agents and financial sanctions on Russia&#39;s top intelligence agencies.

Trump has pledged to mend ties with Putin&#39;s government&nbsp;and is angered by suggestions that his victory was aided by illegal Russian interference.

(AFP)

'I can confirm that a telephone conversation is planned. It will be Saturday evening Moscow time,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said

US President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will on Saturday hold their first phone conversation since the American leader's inauguration, the Kremlin said. "I can confirm that a telephone conversation is planned. It will be Saturday evening Moscow time," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Friday. Peskov said Putin would congratulate Trump on officially becoming president and the two would likely discuss the "state of bilateral ties". But Putin's spokesman refused to comment on rumours that Trump might already be gearing up to roll back sanctions against Moscow that have helped drive ties to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War. "This is the first contact by phone since President Trump assumed office so it is hardly likely there will be substantive contact on all issues. Let's be patient," he said. The two leaders already spoke by phone in November following Trump's election and agreed to "normalise" US-Russia relations, which have suffered notably since the crisis in Ukraine. Throughout the election campaign, Trump praised Putin and was accused by his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton of being Putin's "puppet". Less than one month before leaving the White House, former president Barack Obama took action against Moscow over what he said was Russian meddling in the US presidential election. The measures by Obama, who accused Moscow of "efforts to harm US interests", included the expulsion of 35 alleged intelligence agents and financial sanctions on Russia's top intelligence agencies. Trump has pledged to mend ties with Putin's government and is angered by suggestions that his victory was aided by illegal Russian interference. (AFP)

Putin and Trump to speak by phone on Saturday: Kremlin

By: Anchal Vohra

Jerusalem is the heart of Israel and Palestine and it beats at the Temple Mount, as Jews call it, or Haram esh-sharif, as Muslims refer to it. A confluence of the three biggest monotheistic religions, this is&nbsp;where Abraham attempted to sacrifice his son Issac before God&#39;s&nbsp;last second intervention. Crusaders turned&nbsp;it into a church. The third-most revered site in Islam, it is here that Allah asked the prophet to look at Kaaba. Hence, jurisdiction over this edifice is a highly sensitive matter. 
&nbsp; 
East Jerusalem is the home of the Dome of the Rock. In possession of the Western part, Israel annexed the East from Jordan in and since then, to keep the peace, Jordan manages Al Aqsa mosque&#39;s affairs through a waqf board. 
&nbsp; 
But now, Donald Trump says he will move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which in effect is America&rsquo;s strongest acknowledgment of Jerusalem being Israel&rsquo;s capital.

To find out what the Palestinians are thinking, I travelled to Ramallah, barely a fifteen&nbsp;minute&nbsp;drive from Jerusalem, but an hour-long wait at the check point.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
A city within a city, the thick cement wall divides Israel from Palestine, and boards warn Israelis from entering the enemy territory. 
Inside, the wall is decorated with&nbsp;grafitti about&nbsp;the Palestinian movement and sketches of the leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation leader, Yasser Arafat.&nbsp;

Jerusalem doesn&#39;t belong to Israel, says Abel Taqz, a member of the Palestinian People&#39;s Party, which played a big role in the first Palestinian intifada. Taqz is furious at Donald Trump for wanting to shift the embassy. He says this would end the peace process and the two-nation solution would lose all meaning. 
&nbsp; 
His room is decorated with revolutionary posters. One of them depicts a tree with long roots. Taqz explains, &quot;This shows our roots are deep.&quot; Taqz&#39;s intention is to let Trump know that Palestinians haven&#39;t forgotten their roots. The threat is a veiled concern. He fears the new American president may bring chaos upon the region. 
&nbsp; 
&quot;If Palestinian people lose hope of a two-state solution...And Israel is not willing to solve the problem and keep building settlements in Palestinian lands, it means there will be no hope for the people. And when people lose hope, anything can happen. Palestinian problem is the core issue of conflict in the Middle East and there is a danger of religious wars in the region. If Donald Trump supports Netanyahu&#39;s plans for a Jewish state, other islamic nations will support an Islamic state in Palestine. This will redirect the whole issue from political to a religious one and this can only result in a violent war, which will affect countries well beyond these two nations&quot;, he said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Of the two parties, Fatah and Hamas, both agree that there will be violence if the US takes this step. But the ruling party, Fatah has a different plan to take on the might of the US. 
&nbsp; 
A party member Amin Shooman says, &quot;In Syria after Russia entered, it ended the war in Aleppo and everything is good now. We hope what happened in Syria, happens in West Bank and Putin stands with the Palestinians and demands from Trump that he doesn&#39;t move the embassy to Jerusalem.&quot;&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Russia has already been trying to bring the two Palestinian factions,&nbsp;Fatah in Ramallah and Hamas in Gaza Strip,&nbsp;together. 
&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Fayez Warda, a Hamas leader who has been arrested several times both by the Israelis and Fatah, says, &ldquo;Our view of Russia is different from America. We look at Russia as a friend and they are holding reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah.&rdquo; 
&nbsp; 
It is evident Russia is being seen as a formidable power in the region. After the Syrian success, the Palestinians want Russia to play a much bigger role in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Palestinian parties want Russia to take on Israel and the US on its behalf. Will Russia give in to the dream of regional hegemony or use this as leverage to crack a deal with the United States for economic purposes?&nbsp;

Trump called Netanyahu within days of taking power and even though he held on to the announcement of moving the embassy, soon after the phone call Israel restarted work on settlements in east Jerusalem.

(WION)

Donald Trump says he will move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, making Hamas and Fatah very angry

By: Anchal Vohra Jerusalem is the heart of Israel and Palestine and it beats at the Temple Mount, as Jews call it, or Haram esh-sharif, as Muslims refer to it. A confluence of the three biggest monotheistic religions, this is where Abraham attempted to sacrifice his son Issac before God's last second intervention. Crusaders turned it into a church. The third-most revered site in Islam, it is here that Allah asked the prophet to look at Kaaba. Hence, jurisdiction over this edifice is a highly sensitive matter. East Jerusalem is the home of the Dome of the Rock. In possession of the Western part, Israel annexed the East from Jordan in and since then, to keep the peace, Jordan manages Al Aqsa mosque's affairs through a waqf board. But now, Donald Trump says he will move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which in effect is America’s strongest acknowledgment of Jerusalem being Israel’s capital. To find out what the Palestinians are thinking, I travelled to Ramallah, barely a fifteen minute drive from Jerusalem, but an hour-long wait at the check point. A city within a city, the thick cement wall divides Israel from Palestine, and boards warn Israelis from entering the enemy territory. Inside, the wall is decorated with grafitti about the Palestinian movement and sketches of the leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation leader, Yasser Arafat. Jerusalem doesn't belong to Israel, says Abel Taqz, a member of the Palestinian People's Party, which played a big role in the first Palestinian intifada. Taqz is furious at Donald Trump for wanting to shift the embassy. He says this would end the peace process and the two-nation solution would lose all meaning. His room is decorated with revolutionary posters. One of them depicts a tree with long roots. Taqz explains, "This shows our roots are deep." Taqz's intention is to let Trump know that Palestinians haven't forgotten their roots. The threat is a veiled concern. He fears the new American president may bring chaos upon the region. "If Palestinian people lose hope of a two-state solution...And Israel is not willing to solve the problem and keep building settlements in Palestinian lands, it means there will be no hope for the people. And when people lose hope, anything can happen. Palestinian problem is the core issue of conflict in the Middle East and there is a danger of religious wars in the region. If Donald Trump supports Netanyahu's plans for a Jewish state, other islamic nations will support an Islamic state in Palestine. This will redirect the whole issue from political to a religious one and this can only result in a violent war, which will affect countries well beyond these two nations", he said. Of the two parties, Fatah and Hamas, both agree that there will be violence if the US takes this step. But the ruling party, Fatah has a different plan to take on the might of the US. A party member Amin Shooman says, "In Syria after Russia entered, it ended the war in Aleppo and everything is good now. We hope what happened in Syria, happens in West Bank and Putin stands with the Palestinians and demands from Trump that he doesn't move the embassy to Jerusalem." Russia has already been trying to bring the two Palestinian factions, Fatah in Ramallah and Hamas in Gaza Strip, together. Fayez Warda, a Hamas leader who has been arrested several times both by the Israelis and Fatah, says, “Our view of Russia is different from America. We look at Russia as a friend and they are holding reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah.” It is evident Russia is being seen as a formidable power in the region. After the Syrian success, the Palestinians want Russia to play a much bigger role in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Palestinian parties want Russia to take on Israel and the US on its behalf. Will Russia give in to the dream of regional hegemony or use this as leverage to crack a deal with the United States for economic purposes? Trump called Netanyahu within days of taking power and even though he held on to the announcement of moving the embassy, soon after the phone call Israel restarted work on settlements in east Jerusalem. (WION)

Ramallah warns of a religious war, rakes up Russia

US President-elect Donald Trump said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that he would keep intact sanctions against Russia &quot;at least for a period of time,&quot; but added he would be open to lifting sanctions if Moscow proves helpful in battling terrorists and reaching other goals important to Washington.

Trump&nbsp;also said he wouldn&#39;t commit to the &quot;One-China&quot; policy until he sees progress from Beijing in its currency and trade practices.

In excerpts published by the Wall Stree Journal, Trump said, &quot;If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody&rsquo;s doing some really great things?&quot;

Trump told the newspaper he is prepared to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin some time after he is sworn in on January 20.

&quot;I understand that they would like to meet, and that&rsquo;s absolutely fine with me,&quot; he said. Asked if he supported the &quot;One-China&quot; policy on Taiwan that has underpinned US relations with Beijing for decades, Trump told the Journal: &quot;Everything is under negotiation including One-China.&quot;

Trump angered the Chinese by taking a congratulatory phone call after his election win from Taiwan&#39;s leader and questioning the &quot;One-China&quot; policy. The United States has acknowledged the Chinese position that there is only One-China and that Taiwan is part of China.

Trump has said in the past he would label China a currency manipulator after he takes office. In the interview, he said he wouldn&rsquo;t take that step on his first day in the White House. &ldquo;I would talk to them first,&quot; he said. &quot;Certainly they are manipulators,&quot; he added. &quot;But I&rsquo;m not looking to do that.&quot;

But he made plain his displeasure with China&rsquo;s currency practices. &quot;Instead of saying, &#39;We&rsquo;re devaluating our currency,&#39; they say, &#39;Oh, our currency is dropping.&#39; It&rsquo;s not dropping. They&rsquo;re doing it on purpose,&quot; he said, according to the Journal.

&quot;Our companies can&rsquo;t compete with them now because our currency is strong and it&rsquo;s killing us,&quot; the Journal quoted Trump as saying.&nbsp;

(Reuters)

'If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody?s doing... really great things?' he said

US President-elect Donald Trump said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that he would keep intact sanctions against Russia "at least for a period of time," but added he would be open to lifting sanctions if Moscow proves helpful in battling terrorists and reaching other goals important to Washington. Trump also said he wouldn't commit to the "One-China" policy until he sees progress from Beijing in its currency and trade practices. In excerpts published by the Wall Stree Journal, Trump said, "If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody’s doing some really great things?" Trump told the newspaper he is prepared to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin some time after he is sworn in on January 20. "I understand that they would like to meet, and that’s absolutely fine with me," he said. Asked if he supported the "One-China" policy on Taiwan that has underpinned US relations with Beijing for decades, Trump told the Journal: "Everything is under negotiation including One-China." Trump angered the Chinese by taking a congratulatory phone call after his election win from Taiwan's leader and questioning the "One-China" policy. The United States has acknowledged the Chinese position that there is only One-China and that Taiwan is part of China. Trump has said in the past he would label China a currency manipulator after he takes office. In the interview, he said he wouldn’t take that step on his first day in the White House. “I would talk to them first," he said. "Certainly they are manipulators," he added. "But I’m not looking to do that." But he made plain his displeasure with China’s currency practices. "Instead of saying, 'We’re devaluating our currency,' they say, 'Oh, our currency is dropping.' It’s not dropping. They’re doing it on purpose," he said, according to the Journal. "Our companies can’t compete with them now because our currency is strong and it’s killing us," the Journal quoted Trump as saying. (Reuters)

Trump open to lifting Russia sanctions if Moscow 'is helpful'

Canada&#39;s new foreign affairs minister Chrystia Freeland has rejected an offer from Russia to lift their travel ban against her, if Canada removes economic sanctions&nbsp;imposed over Russia&#39;s annexation of Crimea, <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/russia-hints-it-could-lift-freeland-ban/article33575833/">the Globe and Mail reports</a>.

Chrystia Freeland, who is of Ukrainian descent and fluent in Russian, was made Canada&#39;s top foreign diplomat as part of a major cabinet shuffle by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Freeland worked in Moscow as a financial journalist, and is a strong supporter of Ukraine.

Canada&#39;s previous Conservative government had blacklisted many Russian officials to punish the country for its Crimea action. Russia then banned Freeland, an opposition leader in Parliament, including several parliament members as part of retaliatory sanctions. After Moscow imposed sanctions on her, Freeland posted on Twitter at the time declaring it &ldquo;an honour to be on Putin&rsquo;s sanction list.&quot;

&ldquo;There is no quid pro quo for aggression and illegal action on their part,&rdquo; Freeland&rsquo;s communications director Joe Pickerill told The Globe and Mail, one of Canada&#39;s largest&nbsp;newspapers.

Russia on its part has been working through various channels in trying to convince&nbsp;foreign governments to waive the sanctions. According to&nbsp;The Globe and Mail, Russian news agency Sputnik quoted an unidentified Russian Foreign Ministry official as saying the Kremlin was open to allowing Freeland to travel to Russia, but only if Canada lifted economic sanctions and travel bans against Russia.

Canada has however decided to stick to its stand. Soon after being sworn in as foreign affairs minister, Freeland told reporters whether she will be able to travel to Russia was not up to her.

&ldquo;That&rsquo;s a question for Moscow,&rdquo; she told reporters. &ldquo;I am a very strong supporter of our government&rsquo;s view that it is important to engage with all countries around the world, very much including Russia.&rdquo;

Freeland&#39;s appointment to the foreign affairs post is being seen as a bold move by the current Trudeau government, given the fact that US President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly praised Putin, is set to take over the presidency on January 20. The incoming US president might remove US sanctions, which would potentially&nbsp;leave Canada in a difficult situation.&nbsp;

However, the Trump administration may&nbsp;maintain sanctions on Russia in the near future, as Trump&rsquo;s nominee for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson said during his Senate confirmation hearing that he would recommend maintaining &quot;status quo&quot; on Russia.

But&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-senator-mccain-has-concerns-about-tillerson-nomination-10714">Tillerson has raised alarm</a> bells among Democrats and Republicans for his various ties to Russia, including being CEO of ExxonMobil while the company found billions of dollars worth of oil in northern Russia, and personally being awarded the &quot;Order of Friendship&quot; award by none other than Vladimir Putin.&nbsp;

Trump himself has praised Putin for months, even after&nbsp;allegations released only yesterday that the Kremlin has &quot;compromised&quot; Trump by gaining personal and financial information over him.&nbsp;

In a press conference after the explosive story broke,&nbsp;<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/11/politics/donald-trump-press-conference-highlights/">Trump conceded for the first time</a> that he believes it was&nbsp;Russia who hacked the Democrats&#39; computers ahead of the election. However,&nbsp;Putin, he said, &quot;should not be doing it. He won&#39;t be doing it. Russia will have much greater respect for our country when I am leading it than when other people have led it&quot;.

On October 19, during a&nbsp;Presidential debate on live television, Donald Trump explicitly&nbsp;encouraged&nbsp;the Russians to hack his rival, Hillary Clinton.

&quot;Russia, if you&#39;re listening, I hope you&#39;re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing&quot;, he said, referencing Clinton&#39;s email.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gNa2B5zHfbQ" width="560"></iframe>

(WION)

'There is no quid pro quo for aggression and illegal action on their part' Freeland's office said about Russia annexing Crimea

Canada's new foreign affairs minister Chrystia Freeland has rejected an offer from Russia to lift their travel ban against her, if Canada removes economic sanctions imposed over Russia's annexation of Crimea, the Globe and Mail reports. Chrystia Freeland, who is of Ukrainian descent and fluent in Russian, was made Canada's top foreign diplomat as part of a major cabinet shuffle by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Freeland worked in Moscow as a financial journalist, and is a strong supporter of Ukraine. Canada's previous Conservative government had blacklisted many Russian officials to punish the country for its Crimea action. Russia then banned Freeland, an opposition leader in Parliament, including several parliament members as part of retaliatory sanctions. After Moscow imposed sanctions on her, Freeland posted on Twitter at the time declaring it “an honour to be on Putin’s sanction list." “There is no quid pro quo for aggression and illegal action on their part,” Freeland’s communications director Joe Pickerill told The Globe and Mail, one of Canada's largest newspapers. Russia on its part has been working through various channels in trying to convince foreign governments to waive the sanctions. According to The Globe and Mail, Russian news agency Sputnik quoted an unidentified Russian Foreign Ministry official as saying the Kremlin was open to allowing Freeland to travel to Russia, but only if Canada lifted economic sanctions and travel bans against Russia. Canada has however decided to stick to its stand. Soon after being sworn in as foreign affairs minister, Freeland told reporters whether she will be able to travel to Russia was not up to her. “That’s a question for Moscow,” she told reporters. “I am a very strong supporter of our government’s view that it is important to engage with all countries around the world, very much including Russia.” Freeland's appointment to the foreign affairs post is being seen as a bold move by the current Trudeau government, given the fact that US President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly praised Putin, is set to take over the presidency on January 20. The incoming US president might remove US sanctions, which would potentially leave Canada in a difficult situation. However, the Trump administration may maintain sanctions on Russia in the near future, as Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson said during his Senate confirmation hearing that he would recommend maintaining "status quo" on Russia. But Tillerson has raised alarm bells among Democrats and Republicans for his various ties to Russia, including being CEO of ExxonMobil while the company found billions of dollars worth of oil in northern Russia, and personally being awarded the "Order of Friendship" award by none other than Vladimir Putin. Trump himself has praised Putin for months, even after allegations released only yesterday that the Kremlin has "compromised" Trump by gaining personal and financial information over him. In a press conference after the explosive story broke, Trump conceded for the first time that he believes it was Russia who hacked the Democrats' computers ahead of the election. However, Putin, he said, "should not be doing it. He won't be doing it. Russia will have much greater respect for our country when I am leading it than when other people have led it". On October 19, during a Presidential debate on live television, Donald Trump explicitly encouraged the Russians to hack his rival, Hillary Clinton. "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing", he said, referencing Clinton's email. (WION)

Canada's new foreign minister refuses Russia's offer to lift travel ban

President-elect Donald Trump accepts the US&nbsp;intelligence community&#39;s conclusion that Russia engaged in cyber attacks during the US&nbsp;presidential election and may take action in response, his incoming chief of staff said on Sunday.

Reince Priebus said Trump believed Russia was behind the intrusions into the Democratic Party organizations, although Priebus did not clarify whether the president-elect agreed that the hacks were directed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

&quot;He accepts the fact that this particular case was entities in Russia, so that&#39;s not the issue,&quot; Priebus said on &quot;Fox News Sunday&quot;.

It was the first acknowledgment from a senior member of the Republican president-elect&#39;s team that Trump had accepted that Russia directed the hacking and subsequent disclosure of Democratic emails during the 2016 presidential election.

Trump had rebuffed allegations that Russia was behind the hacks or was trying to help him win, saying the intrusions could have been carried out by China or a 400-pound hacker on his bed.

With less than two weeks until his January&nbsp;20 inauguration, Trump has come under increasing pressure from fellow Republicans to accept intelligence community findings on Russian hacking and other attempts by Moscow to influence the November&nbsp;8 election. A crucial test of Republican support for Trump comes this week with the first confirmation hearings for his Cabinet picks.

A US&nbsp;intelligence report last week said Putin directed a sophisticated influence campaign including cyber attacks to denigrate Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and support Trump.

The report, commissioned by Democratic President Barack Obama in December, concluded vote tallies were not affected by Russian interference, but did not assess whether it influenced the outcome of the vote in other ways.

&nbsp;

&#39;Action may be taken&#39;

After receiving a briefing on Friday from leaders of the US&nbsp;intelligence agencies, Trump did not refer specifically to Russia&#39;s role in the presidential campaign.

In a statement, he acknowledged that &quot;Russia, China, other countries, outside groups and people are consistently trying to break through the cyber infrastructure of our governmental institutions, businesses and organizations including the Democrat(ic) National Committee&quot;.

Trump spokesman Sean Spicer told Reuters the president-elect&#39;s conclusions remained the same and that Priebus&#39; comments were in line with Friday&#39;s statement.

Priebus&rsquo; wording did not appear to foreshadow the dramatic reversal of Trump&rsquo;s apparent Russia policy that experts say would be required to deter further cyber attacks.

&ldquo;It will take a lot more than what we heard on television today to make Putin cool it,&rdquo; the expert added. &ldquo;In fact, there may not be anything that can deter Putin from pursuing a course he&rsquo;s bet his future and Russia&rsquo;s on,&rdquo; said a US&nbsp;intelligence expert on Russia, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss domestic political positions.

The expert added that Putin&#39;s &quot;multifaceted campaign of cyber attacks and espionage, propaganda, financial leverage, fake news and traditional espionage&quot; had expanded in the United States since the election, &quot;and it will be a shock if it does not escalate in France, Germany and elsewhere this year.&quot;

Priebus, the former Republican National Committee chairman Trump tapped as White House chief of staff, said Trump planned to order the intelligence community to make recommendations as to what should be done. &quot;Action may be taken,&quot; he said, adding there was nothing wrong with trying to have a good relationship with Russia and other countries.

Two senior Republican senators urged Trump to punish Russia in response to US&nbsp;intelligence agencies&#39; conclusion that Putin personally directed efforts aimed at influencing the election.

Appearing on NBC&#39;s &quot;Meet the Press,&quot; Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain said evidence was conclusive that Putin sought to influence the election - a point that Trump has refuted.

&quot;In a couple weeks, Donald Trump will be the defender of the free world and democracy,&quot; Graham said. &quot;You should let everybody know in America, Republicans and Democrats, that you&#39;re going to make Russia pay a price for trying to interfere.&quot;

On Saturday, Trump wrote on Twitter that having a better relationship with Russia was a &quot;good thing&quot;.

US&nbsp;Representative Devin Nunes, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said three US&nbsp;presidents had tried and failed to be friends with Putin.

&quot;I&rsquo;m just not sure it&rsquo;s possible,&quot; Nunes said on the &quot;Fox News Sunday&quot; program. &quot;I&rsquo;ve cautioned his administration to be careful with Putin, as he remains a bad actor.&quot;

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed it was not unusual for a new president to want to get along with the Russians. He added on CBS, however, that the Russians remained a &quot;big adversary, and they demonstrated it by trying to mess around in our election&quot;.

Obama, who himself tried to &quot;reset&quot; relations with Russia after he took office in 2009, told NBC he did not think he had underestimated the Russian president.

&quot;But I think that I underestimated the degree to which, in this new information age, it is possible for misinformation for cyber hacking and so forth to have an impact on our open societies, our open systems, to insinuate themselves into our democratic practices in ways that I think are accelerating,&quot; he said in an interview with &quot;Meet the Press&quot; broadcast on Sunday.

(Reuters)

Two aides claim he accepts US intel, but after his CIA briefing Trump did not single out Putin and still wants good relations with Russia

President-elect Donald Trump accepts the US intelligence community's conclusion that Russia engaged in cyber attacks during the US presidential election and may take action in response, his incoming chief of staff said on Sunday. Reince Priebus said Trump believed Russia was behind the intrusions into the Democratic Party organizations, although Priebus did not clarify whether the president-elect agreed that the hacks were directed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. "He accepts the fact that this particular case was entities in Russia, so that's not the issue," Priebus said on "Fox News Sunday". It was the first acknowledgment from a senior member of the Republican president-elect's team that Trump had accepted that Russia directed the hacking and subsequent disclosure of Democratic emails during the 2016 presidential election. Trump had rebuffed allegations that Russia was behind the hacks or was trying to help him win, saying the intrusions could have been carried out by China or a 400-pound hacker on his bed. With less than two weeks until his January 20 inauguration, Trump has come under increasing pressure from fellow Republicans to accept intelligence community findings on Russian hacking and other attempts by Moscow to influence the November 8 election. A crucial test of Republican support for Trump comes this week with the first confirmation hearings for his Cabinet picks. A US intelligence report last week said Putin directed a sophisticated influence campaign including cyber attacks to denigrate Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and support Trump. The report, commissioned by Democratic President Barack Obama in December, concluded vote tallies were not affected by Russian interference, but did not assess whether it influenced the outcome of the vote in other ways. 'Action may be taken' After receiving a briefing on Friday from leaders of the US intelligence agencies, Trump did not refer specifically to Russia's role in the presidential campaign. In a statement, he acknowledged that "Russia, China, other countries, outside groups and people are consistently trying to break through the cyber infrastructure of our governmental institutions, businesses and organizations including the Democrat(ic) National Committee". Trump spokesman Sean Spicer told Reuters the president-elect's conclusions remained the same and that Priebus' comments were in line with Friday's statement. Priebus’ wording did not appear to foreshadow the dramatic reversal of Trump’s apparent Russia policy that experts say would be required to deter further cyber attacks. “It will take a lot more than what we heard on television today to make Putin cool it,” the expert added. “In fact, there may not be anything that can deter Putin from pursuing a course he’s bet his future and Russia’s on,” said a US intelligence expert on Russia, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss domestic political positions. The expert added that Putin's "multifaceted campaign of cyber attacks and espionage, propaganda, financial leverage, fake news and traditional espionage" had expanded in the United States since the election, "and it will be a shock if it does not escalate in France, Germany and elsewhere this year." Priebus, the former Republican National Committee chairman Trump tapped as White House chief of staff, said Trump planned to order the intelligence community to make recommendations as to what should be done. "Action may be taken," he said, adding there was nothing wrong with trying to have a good relationship with Russia and other countries. Two senior Republican senators urged Trump to punish Russia in response to US intelligence agencies' conclusion that Putin personally directed efforts aimed at influencing the election. Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain said evidence was conclusive that Putin sought to influence the election - a point that Trump has refuted. "In a couple weeks, Donald Trump will be the defender of the free world and democracy," Graham said. "You should let everybody know in America, Republicans and Democrats, that you're going to make Russia pay a price for trying to interfere." On Saturday, Trump wrote on Twitter that having a better relationship with Russia was a "good thing". US Representative Devin Nunes, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said three US presidents had tried and failed to be friends with Putin. "I’m just not sure it’s possible," Nunes said on the "Fox News Sunday" program. "I’ve cautioned his administration to be careful with Putin, as he remains a bad actor." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed it was not unusual for a new president to want to get along with the Russians. He added on CBS, however, that the Russians remained a "big adversary, and they demonstrated it by trying to mess around in our election". Obama, who himself tried to "reset" relations with Russia after he took office in 2009, told NBC he did not think he had underestimated the Russian president. "But I think that I underestimated the degree to which, in this new information age, it is possible for misinformation for cyber hacking and so forth to have an impact on our open societies, our open systems, to insinuate themselves into our democratic practices in ways that I think are accelerating," he said in an interview with "Meet the Press" broadcast on Sunday. (Reuters)

Trump team admits but downplays Russian election interference: 'Action may be taken'

Russia is ready to become a &quot;new reliable partner&quot; of the Philippines to supply the traditional US&nbsp;ally with sophisticated weapons, Russia&#39;s ambassador said on Wednesday.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has thrown the future of Philippine-US&nbsp;relations into question with angry outbursts against the former colonial power and some scaling back of military ties while taking steps to boost ties with China and Russia.

Illustrating the transformation of Philippine foreign relations since Duterte took office in June, two Russian warships are on four-day visit to Manila this week, the first official navy-to-navy contact between the two countries.

Russian Ambassador Igor Anatolyevich Khovaev took the opportunity to hold a news conference on board the anti-submarine vessel Admiral Tributs. He said he understood that the Philippines was intent on diversifying its foreign partners.

&quot;It&#39;s not a choice between these partners and those ones. Diversification means preserving and keeping old traditional partners and getting new ones,&quot; he said.

&quot;We don&#39;t interfere with your relations with your traditional partners, and your traditional partners should respect the interest of the Philippines and Russia.&quot;

The Russian navy visit comes less than a month after Duterte sent his foreign and defence ministers to Moscow to discuss arms deals after a US&nbsp;senator said he would block the sale of 26,000 assault rifles to the Philippines, due to concern about a rising death toll in a &quot;war on drugs&quot; launched by Duterte.

Khovaev said Russia had a range of weapons to offer.

&quot;We are ready to supply small arms and light weapons, some aeroplanes, helicopters, submarines and many, many other weapons. Sophisticated weapons. Not the second-hand ones,&quot; Khovaev said.

He said it was too early to talk about the scope of military cooperation but, in a clear reference to the United States, said old allies should not worry.

Earlier, a US Senator said Washington will stop selling the Philippines guns as Duterte's 'drug war' that has killed thousands continues

Russia is ready to become a "new reliable partner" of the Philippines to supply the traditional US ally with sophisticated weapons, Russia's ambassador said on Wednesday. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has thrown the future of Philippine-US relations into question with angry outbursts against the former colonial power and some scaling back of military ties while taking steps to boost ties with China and Russia. Illustrating the transformation of Philippine foreign relations since Duterte took office in June, two Russian warships are on four-day visit to Manila this week, the first official navy-to-navy contact between the two countries. Russian Ambassador Igor Anatolyevich Khovaev took the opportunity to hold a news conference on board the anti-submarine vessel Admiral Tributs. He said he understood that the Philippines was intent on diversifying its foreign partners. "It's not a choice between these partners and those ones. Diversification means preserving and keeping old traditional partners and getting new ones," he said. "We don't interfere with your relations with your traditional partners, and your traditional partners should respect the interest of the Philippines and Russia." The Russian navy visit comes less than a month after Duterte sent his foreign and defence ministers to Moscow to discuss arms deals after a US senator said he would block the sale of 26,000 assault rifles to the Philippines, due to concern about a rising death toll in a "war on drugs" launched by Duterte. Khovaev said Russia had a range of weapons to offer. "We are ready to supply small arms and light weapons, some aeroplanes, helicopters, submarines and many, many other weapons. Sophisticated weapons. Not the second-hand ones," Khovaev said. He said it was too early to talk about the scope of military cooperation but, in a clear reference to the United States, said old allies should not worry.

Putin offers Duterte arms and close friendship

Republican US Senator John McCain promised on Saturday&nbsp;continued support for Kiev in the face of aggression from Moscow, as he spent New Year&#39;s Eve on the front line in Ukraine&#39;s eastern conflict zone.

McCain was one of a bipartisan group of 27 US senators who sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump in December, urging him to take a tough line against Russia over what they termed its &quot;military land grab&quot; in Ukraine.

&quot;I send the message from the American people&mdash;we are with you, your fight is our fight and we will win together,&quot; McCain said.

&quot;In 2017, we will defeat the invaders and send them back where they came from. To Vladimir Putin&mdash;you will never defeat the Ukrainian people and deprive them of their independence and freedom,&quot; McCain said after a visit to a military base in the southeastern town of Shyrokyne.

&nbsp;

Trump and Putin

Trump signalled during his campaign that he might take a softer line in dealings with Moscow, repeatedly praising Russian President Putin&#39;s leadership. Trump&nbsp;also repeatedly denied having any relationship to Vladimir Putin, but was <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/watch-video-shows-trump-lying-admits-he-has-a-relationship-with-vladimir-putin-10313">filmed </a>in 2013,&nbsp;talking about&nbsp;&quot;having a relationship&quot; with Vladimir Putin.

Since the November 8 US election, Trump has nominated several&nbsp;people in his cabinet with very close Russian ties, like <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-senator-mccain-has-concerns-about-tillerson-nomination-10714">Rex Tillerson</a>, who personally received the&nbsp;Order of Friendship award from&nbsp;Russian president Vladimir Putin.

President Barack Obama, the CIA and FBI have all explicitly stated their belief that the Russian government interfered with the US election to help Trump win.&nbsp;The two major intelligence agencies published a joint report, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/29/fbi-dhs-russian-hacking-report">describing Russian interference.</a>

Donald Trump, who claimed that he does not need daily intelligence briefings because he&#39;s a &quot;smart person&quot;, has dismissed all claims&nbsp;about&nbsp;Russian inteference. <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/99-senators-believe-russia-interfered-in-us-elections-republican-senator-graham-10642">Republican Senator Lindsey Graham</a> has stated that&nbsp;99 of 100 Senators also believe Russia interefered with the election.

&nbsp;

Trump and Ukraine

Trump&#39;s election caused jitters in Ukraine but officials in Kiev hope that the incoming president&#39;s policies, influenced by Republican hawks and a Republican-voting Ukrainian diaspora, will be friendlier towards Ukraine than his campaign rhetoric and actions might have suggested.

Ukraine has relied on Western support and economic aid since street protests in 2014 which toppled a Kremlin-backed president and were followed by a war with pro-Russian separatists and Russia&#39;s annexation of the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine. 
 
(With inputs from Reuters)

The Republican senator is strongly opposing the president-elect's various connections to Putin and Russia

Republican US Senator John McCain promised on Saturday continued support for Kiev in the face of aggression from Moscow, as he spent New Year's Eve on the front line in Ukraine's eastern conflict zone. McCain was one of a bipartisan group of 27 US senators who sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump in December, urging him to take a tough line against Russia over what they termed its "military land grab" in Ukraine. "I send the message from the American people—we are with you, your fight is our fight and we will win together," McCain said. "In 2017, we will defeat the invaders and send them back where they came from. To Vladimir Putin—you will never defeat the Ukrainian people and deprive them of their independence and freedom," McCain said after a visit to a military base in the southeastern town of Shyrokyne. Trump and Putin Trump signalled during his campaign that he might take a softer line in dealings with Moscow, repeatedly praising Russian President Putin's leadership. Trump also repeatedly denied having any relationship to Vladimir Putin, but was filmed in 2013, talking about "having a relationship" with Vladimir Putin. Since the November 8 US election, Trump has nominated several people in his cabinet with very close Russian ties, like Rex Tillerson, who personally received the Order of Friendship award from Russian president Vladimir Putin. President Barack Obama, the CIA and FBI have all explicitly stated their belief that the Russian government interfered with the US election to help Trump win. The two major intelligence agencies published a joint report, describing Russian interference. Donald Trump, who claimed that he does not need daily intelligence briefings because he's a "smart person", has dismissed all claims about Russian inteference. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has stated that 99 of 100 Senators also believe Russia interefered with the election. Trump and Ukraine Trump's election caused jitters in Ukraine but officials in Kiev hope that the incoming president's policies, influenced by Republican hawks and a Republican-voting Ukrainian diaspora, will be friendlier towards Ukraine than his campaign rhetoric and actions might have suggested. Ukraine has relied on Western support and economic aid since street protests in 2014 which toppled a Kremlin-backed president and were followed by a war with pro-Russian separatists and Russia's annexation of the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine. (With inputs from Reuters)

Senator McCain says US united with Ukraine in fight against Russia

A code associated with the Russian hacking operation dubbed Grizzly Steppe by the Obama administration has been detected within the system of a Vermont electric utility, The Washington Post reported on Friday, citing unnamed U.S. officials.

The Russians did not actively use the code to disrupt operations of the utility, the officials told the Post, but penetration of the nation&#39;s electrical grid is significant because it represents a potentially serious vulnerability.

Reuters could not independently confirm the story.

On Thursday, President Barack Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian suspected spies and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies over their involvement in hacking US&nbsp;political groups in the 2016 presidential election.

Government and utility industry officials regularly monitor the nation&#39;s electrical grid because it is highly computerised and any disruptions can have disastrous implications for the functioning of medical and emergency services, the Post said.

US&nbsp;officials, including one senior administration official, said they are not yet sure what the intentions of the Russians might have been, the Post reported.

Federal officials have shared the malware code used in Grizzly Steppe with utility executives nationwide, a senior administration official said, and Vermont utility officials identified it within their operations, the Post reported.

While it is unclear which utility reported the incident, there are just two major utilities in Vermont, Green Mountain Power and Burlington Electric, the Post said.

The White House and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Green Mountain Power and Burlington Electric did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The penetration may have been designed to disrupt the utility&#39;s operations or as a test by the Russians to see whether they could penetrate a portion of the grid, the newspaper said.

(Reuters)

While the intentions were unclear, disruptions can have disastrous implications for the functioning of medical and emergency servicen

A code associated with the Russian hacking operation dubbed Grizzly Steppe by the Obama administration has been detected within the system of a Vermont electric utility, The Washington Post reported on Friday, citing unnamed U.S. officials. The Russians did not actively use the code to disrupt operations of the utility, the officials told the Post, but penetration of the nation's electrical grid is significant because it represents a potentially serious vulnerability. Reuters could not independently confirm the story. On Thursday, President Barack Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian suspected spies and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies over their involvement in hacking US political groups in the 2016 presidential election. Government and utility industry officials regularly monitor the nation's electrical grid because it is highly computerised and any disruptions can have disastrous implications for the functioning of medical and emergency services, the Post said. US officials, including one senior administration official, said they are not yet sure what the intentions of the Russians might have been, the Post reported. Federal officials have shared the malware code used in Grizzly Steppe with utility executives nationwide, a senior administration official said, and Vermont utility officials identified it within their operations, the Post reported. While it is unclear which utility reported the incident, there are just two major utilities in Vermont, Green Mountain Power and Burlington Electric, the Post said. The White House and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Green Mountain Power and Burlington Electric did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The penetration may have been designed to disrupt the utility's operations or as a test by the Russians to see whether they could penetrate a portion of the grid, the newspaper said. (Reuters)

Russian hackers penetrated Vermont electric utility: Washington Post

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump&#39;s choice for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, will have to explain his relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at his confirmation hearing, senior Republican senator John McCain said on Thursday.

McCain, who is chairman of the US&nbsp;Senate Armed Services Committee, also called President Putin &quot;a thug and a murderer&quot;.

Speaking on a tour of the Baltic states, where there is widespread concern that Moscow wants to reassert its power across the region, McCain said he had concerns about Tillerson, who opposed sanctions on Russia after its annexation of Crimea.

&quot;I and several of my colleagues have concerns about Mr Tillerson, and some of his past activities, specifically his relationship with Vladimir Putin,&quot; McCain told reporters.

&quot;I have concerns but at the same time I&#39;m certain we will give Mr Tillerson an opportunity to make his case about why he is qualified to be Secretary of State.&quot;

Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Tillerson could face a rocky confirmation process, given worries among both Democrats and Republicans about his connections with Russia and possible conflicts of interest related to his business ties.

Tillerson owns approximately $218 million in ExxonMobil stock, and a&nbsp;pension worth about&nbsp;$70 million, the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/profits-are-down-at-exxonmobil-but-dont-cry-for-ceo-rex-tillerson/2016/04/29/d6401e0c-0d60-11e6-a6b6-2e6de3695b0e_story.html?utm_term=.1bbbfc675e44">Washington Post reports.</a>&nbsp;

When&nbsp;Obama administation slapped sanctions on Russia after Putin annexed Crimea, Tillerson voiced opposition--Exxon had just discovered an enormous reserve of oil in the Kara Sea, and Obama&#39;s sanctions prevented the company from making an enormous profit.

Assuming the senate confirms the appointment&nbsp;and he does become&nbsp;Trump&#39;s secretary of state, Tillerson, a man who&nbsp;personally received the &quot;Russian Order of Friendship award&quot; from Vladimir Putin himself, would&nbsp;be in a position to decide whether or not to continue sanctions against Putin&#39;s Russia.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Relations between Moscow and Washington have deteriorated following Russia&#39;s annexation of the Crimea in 2014, with the two nations also at loggerheads over Syria.

The Obama administration also plans a series of retaliatory measures against Russia for hacking into US&nbsp;political institutions and individuals and leaking information.

Trump, who before he won the election complained for weeks that it was rigged and when pressed on the issue refused to say that he would accept its result, has now said&nbsp;that the United States should move on from the controversy.

McCain, however, said the United States needed to reassure voters there and abroad that elections would not be influenced by foreign powers.

&quot;I agree with president elect that we need to get on of our lives - without having elections being affected by any outside influence, especially Vladimir Putin, who is a thug and a murderer,&quot; he said.

Fellow Republican senator Lindsey Graham, who is travelling with McCain, called for sanctions against Russia to be widened to target areas like energy and to be directly aimed at Putin.

&quot;I think the sanctions need to go beyond what it is today, they need to name Putin as an individual and his inner circle because nothing happens in Russia without his knowledge and approval,&quot; Graham said.

Graham has also stated that &quot;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/99-senators-believe-russia-interfered-in-us-elections-republican-senator-graham-10642">99&nbsp;per cent</a>&quot; of US&nbsp;Senators&nbsp;believe&nbsp;Russia interfered in the election. He never named the one per cent who apparently disagrees.

(With inputs from Reuters)

He, and many Democrats and Republicans, are wary of Tillerson's personal and business connections to Vladimir Putin

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's choice for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, will have to explain his relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at his confirmation hearing, senior Republican senator John McCain said on Thursday. McCain, who is chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, also called President Putin "a thug and a murderer". Speaking on a tour of the Baltic states, where there is widespread concern that Moscow wants to reassert its power across the region, McCain said he had concerns about Tillerson, who opposed sanctions on Russia after its annexation of Crimea. "I and several of my colleagues have concerns about Mr Tillerson, and some of his past activities, specifically his relationship with Vladimir Putin," McCain told reporters. "I have concerns but at the same time I'm certain we will give Mr Tillerson an opportunity to make his case about why he is qualified to be Secretary of State." Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Tillerson could face a rocky confirmation process, given worries among both Democrats and Republicans about his connections with Russia and possible conflicts of interest related to his business ties. Tillerson owns approximately $218 million in ExxonMobil stock, and a pension worth about $70 million, the Washington Post reports. When Obama administation slapped sanctions on Russia after Putin annexed Crimea, Tillerson voiced opposition--Exxon had just discovered an enormous reserve of oil in the Kara Sea, and Obama's sanctions prevented the company from making an enormous profit. Assuming the senate confirms the appointment and he does become Trump's secretary of state, Tillerson, a man who personally received the "Russian Order of Friendship award" from Vladimir Putin himself, would be in a position to decide whether or not to continue sanctions against Putin's Russia. Relations between Moscow and Washington have deteriorated following Russia's annexation of the Crimea in 2014, with the two nations also at loggerheads over Syria. The Obama administration also plans a series of retaliatory measures against Russia for hacking into US political institutions and individuals and leaking information. Trump, who before he won the election complained for weeks that it was rigged and when pressed on the issue refused to say that he would accept its result, has now said that the United States should move on from the controversy. McCain, however, said the United States needed to reassure voters there and abroad that elections would not be influenced by foreign powers. "I agree with president elect that we need to get on of our lives - without having elections being affected by any outside influence, especially Vladimir Putin, who is a thug and a murderer," he said. Fellow Republican senator Lindsey Graham, who is travelling with McCain, called for sanctions against Russia to be widened to target areas like energy and to be directly aimed at Putin. "I think the sanctions need to go beyond what it is today, they need to name Putin as an individual and his inner circle because nothing happens in Russia without his knowledge and approval," Graham said. Graham has also stated that "99 per cent" of US Senators believe Russia interfered in the election. He never named the one per cent who apparently disagrees. (With inputs from Reuters)

US Senator McCain has 'concerns' about Tillerson nomination

Russian president Vladimir Putin has announced that the Syrian regime led by Bashar al-Assad and the rebels have signed a ceasefire agreement, <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/truce-deal-signed-for-syria-russian-president-putin.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=107899&amp;NewsCatID=352">reported Daily News</a>.

In what is being seen as a setback to the US-led NATO alliance, its main ally Turkey along with Russia will be the guarantors for the ceasefire agreement.

Both sides have also agreed to initiate peace talks in what is being seen as a shot in the arm for the Russia-Syria alliance.

Turkey, Russia and Iran had met in Moscow on December 20 to look for a possible peace deal between the rebels and the Syrian regime.

(WION)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Both sides have also agreed to initiate peace talks in what is being seen as a shot in the arm for the Russia-Syria alliance

Russian president Vladimir Putin has announced that the Syrian regime led by Bashar al-Assad and the rebels have signed a ceasefire agreement, reported Daily News. In what is being seen as a setback to the US-led NATO alliance, its main ally Turkey along with Russia will be the guarantors for the ceasefire agreement. Both sides have also agreed to initiate peace talks in what is being seen as a shot in the arm for the Russia-Syria alliance. Turkey, Russia and Iran had met in Moscow on December 20 to look for a possible peace deal between the rebels and the Syrian regime. (WION)

Russia, Turkey guarantee new Syrian peace deal

Syrian President Bashar al Assad told Russia on Sunday he was saddened by the crash of a Russian military plane on its way to Syria but the countries&#39; fight against Islamist militants would not be affected.

In a condolence message sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Assad said the two countries were partners in the &quot;fight to lay the foundations of stability, security and peace&quot; in Syria.

&quot;Our prayers are with you ... our sorrows and joys are one,&quot; Assad told Putin.

&quot;The plane had dear friends who had come to join us and the people of Aleppo in their joy with victory and Christmas feasts.&quot;

Russian-backed Syrian forces ousted the last rebels from the city of Aleppo on Thursday after years of fighting.

The TU-154 carrying 92 people, including dozens of Red Army Choir singers, dancers and orchestra members, crashed into the Black Sea on its way to Syria on Sunday, killing everyone on board, Russia said.

Russian jets have, since the rebel pullout, resumed heavy bombing of rebel-held Aleppo countryside and also the northwestern Idlib province where Islamist rebels are the dominant force, rebels and a war monitor said.

With Russian air cover, pro-government Iranian backed militias kept up pressure on rebels in southwestern rural fringes of Aleppo late on Saturday, rebels said.

(Reuters)

&nbsp;

Assad said their two countries' fight against Islamist militants would not be affected

Syrian President Bashar al Assad told Russia on Sunday he was saddened by the crash of a Russian military plane on its way to Syria but the countries' fight against Islamist militants would not be affected. In a condolence message sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Assad said the two countries were partners in the "fight to lay the foundations of stability, security and peace" in Syria. "Our prayers are with you ... our sorrows and joys are one," Assad told Putin. "The plane had dear friends who had come to join us and the people of Aleppo in their joy with victory and Christmas feasts." Russian-backed Syrian forces ousted the last rebels from the city of Aleppo on Thursday after years of fighting. The TU-154 carrying 92 people, including dozens of Red Army Choir singers, dancers and orchestra members, crashed into the Black Sea on its way to Syria on Sunday, killing everyone on board, Russia said. Russian jets have, since the rebel pullout, resumed heavy bombing of rebel-held Aleppo countryside and also the northwestern Idlib province where Islamist rebels are the dominant force, rebels and a war monitor said. With Russian air cover, pro-government Iranian backed militias kept up pressure on rebels in southwestern rural fringes of Aleppo late on Saturday, rebels said. (Reuters)

Assad to Putin: Saddened by crash, but fight will go on

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Syria&#39;s Bashar al-Assad Friday to congratulate him on completing the &quot;liberation&quot; of Aleppo, the Kremlin said.

&quot;Russian President Vladimir Putin phoned the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and congratulated him with the end of the operation of liberation of Aleppo from fighters,&quot; it said in a statement.

&quot;This success was possible thanks to mutual efforts of all who came together in the fight with international terrorism in Syria,&quot; it said.

Putin last called Assad in March, according to the Kremlin.

The statement added that Putin &quot;underlined that the main task remains to focus efforts on issues pertaining to the... resolution of the Syrian crisis&quot;.

Earlier, Putin hailed Aleppo&#39;s recapture, calling it a &quot;very important part of the normalisation in Syria&quot;, saying the next step would be &quot;conclusion of a ceasefire agreement on all of Syria&#39;s territory&quot;.

The Kremlin strongman said at his annual press conference Friday that Russia wanted ceasefire talks to take place in Kazakhstan&#39;s capital Astana, as the location had already been approved by Assad as well as the leaders of the other power brokers in the Syrian conflict -- Iran and Turkey.

(AFP)

Russia and the Syrian regime were successful in defeating US-backed rebels from east Aleppo

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Syria's Bashar al-Assad Friday to congratulate him on completing the "liberation" of Aleppo, the Kremlin said. "Russian President Vladimir Putin phoned the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and congratulated him with the end of the operation of liberation of Aleppo from fighters," it said in a statement. "This success was possible thanks to mutual efforts of all who came together in the fight with international terrorism in Syria," it said. Putin last called Assad in March, according to the Kremlin. The statement added that Putin "underlined that the main task remains to focus efforts on issues pertaining to the... resolution of the Syrian crisis". Earlier, Putin hailed Aleppo's recapture, calling it a "very important part of the normalisation in Syria", saying the next step would be "conclusion of a ceasefire agreement on all of Syria's territory". The Kremlin strongman said at his annual press conference Friday that Russia wanted ceasefire talks to take place in Kazakhstan's capital Astana, as the location had already been approved by Assad as well as the leaders of the other power brokers in the Syrian conflict -- Iran and Turkey. (AFP)

Putin calls Syria's Assad to congratulate on Aleppo success

Vladimir Putin praised US&nbsp;President-elect Donald Trump on Friday, saying he had his finger on the pulse of US&nbsp;society, and launched a scathing attack on the Democrats, saying they had forgotten the meaning of their own name and were sore losers.

Speaking at his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia&#39;s president said that only Russia had believed that Trump would become the next president of the United States, but that did not mean the Democrats had the right to blame him for their defeat.

&quot;The current administration and the leadership of the Democratic Party are trying to blame all their failures on external factors,&quot; Putin told reporters.

&quot;(We are talking about) a party which has clearly forgotten the original meaning of its own name,&quot; Putin said, accusing the Democrats of &quot;shamelessly&quot; abusing their status as the ruling party to try to influence public opinion.

&quot;Outstanding figures in American history from the ranks of the Democratic Party would likely be turning in their graves. Roosevelt certainly would be,&quot; he said.

The White House and US&nbsp;intelligence officials have accused Russia of trying to interfere with the US&nbsp;election by hacking Democratic Party accounts. Information from those hacks was leaked online, causing political problems for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Putin dismissed suggestions Moscow had helped Trump to victory in any way however.

&quot;It&#39;s not like that,&quot; he said. &quot;All of this (the accusations) speaks of the current administration&#39;s systemic problems.&quot;

Sore losers

The question of who hacked the US&nbsp;Democratic party was not important anyway, said Putin, but what the hacks revealed - that public opinion in the United States was being manipulated - was.

&quot;They (the Democrats) are losing on all fronts and looking elsewhere for things to blame. In my view this, how shall I say it, degrades their own dignity. You have to know how to lose with dignity.&quot;

Putin, who spoke positively of Trump before his election win, said that Moscow had believed in his victory.

&quot;Trump understood the mood of the people and kept going until the end, when nobody believed in him,&quot; Putin said, adding with a smile. &quot;Except for you and me.&quot;

Putin addressed Trump&#39;s comments about the need to boost the US&nbsp;nuclear arsenal, saying they were perfectly normal.

Trump&#39;s comments, made in a tweet on Thursday, alarmed non-proliferation experts who said that a boost to the US&nbsp;arsenal could fuel global tensions.

But Putin said he was surprised by the fuss Trump&#39;s tweet had caused and how it had been linked to his own statements about Russia&#39;s plans to modernise its own nuclear arsenal.

Putin said on Thursday Russia&#39;s military was &quot;stronger than any potential aggressor&quot;. He made clear on Friday he did not regard the United States as a potential aggressor.

&quot;I was a bit surprised by the statements from some representatives of the current US&nbsp;administration who for some reason started to prove that the US&nbsp;military was the most powerful in the world,&quot; said Putin.

&quot;Nobody is arguing with that.&quot;

(Reuters)

Only Russia believed Trump would win the election, says President Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin praised US President-elect Donald Trump on Friday, saying he had his finger on the pulse of US society, and launched a scathing attack on the Democrats, saying they had forgotten the meaning of their own name and were sore losers. Speaking at his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia's president said that only Russia had believed that Trump would become the next president of the United States, but that did not mean the Democrats had the right to blame him for their defeat. "The current administration and the leadership of the Democratic Party are trying to blame all their failures on external factors," Putin told reporters. "(We are talking about) a party which has clearly forgotten the original meaning of its own name," Putin said, accusing the Democrats of "shamelessly" abusing their status as the ruling party to try to influence public opinion. "Outstanding figures in American history from the ranks of the Democratic Party would likely be turning in their graves. Roosevelt certainly would be," he said. The White House and US intelligence officials have accused Russia of trying to interfere with the US election by hacking Democratic Party accounts. Information from those hacks was leaked online, causing political problems for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Putin dismissed suggestions Moscow had helped Trump to victory in any way however. "It's not like that," he said. "All of this (the accusations) speaks of the current administration's systemic problems." Sore losers The question of who hacked the US Democratic party was not important anyway, said Putin, but what the hacks revealed - that public opinion in the United States was being manipulated - was. "They (the Democrats) are losing on all fronts and looking elsewhere for things to blame. In my view this, how shall I say it, degrades their own dignity. You have to know how to lose with dignity." Putin, who spoke positively of Trump before his election win, said that Moscow had believed in his victory. "Trump understood the mood of the people and kept going until the end, when nobody believed in him," Putin said, adding with a smile. "Except for you and me." Putin addressed Trump's comments about the need to boost the US nuclear arsenal, saying they were perfectly normal. Trump's comments, made in a tweet on Thursday, alarmed non-proliferation experts who said that a boost to the US arsenal could fuel global tensions. But Putin said he was surprised by the fuss Trump's tweet had caused and how it had been linked to his own statements about Russia's plans to modernise its own nuclear arsenal. Putin said on Thursday Russia's military was "stronger than any potential aggressor". He made clear on Friday he did not regard the United States as a potential aggressor. "I was a bit surprised by the statements from some representatives of the current US administration who for some reason started to prove that the US military was the most powerful in the world," said Putin. "Nobody is arguing with that." (Reuters)

Putin praises Trump, calls out 'shameless' Democrats

A US-based Muslim cleric has condemned the killing of Russia&#39;s envoy to Turkey and rejected accusations that his movement was behind the attack.

Ambassador Andrei Karlov was shot dead by an off-duty policeman, Mevlut Mert Altintas,&nbsp;in front of stunned onlookers at a photo exhibition in Ankara this week. Altintas had said &quot;Do not forget Aleppo!&quot; and &quot;Allahu Akhbar!&quot;.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has implicated Fethullah Gulen in the killing, saying the policeman had links to his movement. Erdogan blames&nbsp;also Gulen for the attempted coup this summer, which Gulen also&nbsp;denied.

In a video address made available to the Associated Press, Gulen accused the Turkish government of blaming and defaming his movement and suggested the government would facilitate other assassinations and blame them on his followers. Gulen said &quot;it is not possible for them to convince the world of such accusations&quot;.

<a href="http://europe.newsweek.com/killer-russian-ambassador-protected-erdogan-eight-times-failed-coup-534633?rm=eu">Newsweek</a>&nbsp;reports that the ambassador&#39;s killer, Altintas, was a member of the Ankara anti-riot police for two and a half years, and had provided personal&nbsp;protection for&nbsp;the Turkish president, Recep Erdogan, eight times since the failed coup in Turkey on July 15.

A ceremony Today&nbsp;in Moscow for Karlov will be attended by President Vladimir Putin.

(WION with inputs from AP)

The US-based cleric, Turkish president Erdogan's longtime rival, denied being associated with this murder, like he denied the attempted coup

A US-based Muslim cleric has condemned the killing of Russia's envoy to Turkey and rejected accusations that his movement was behind the attack. Ambassador Andrei Karlov was shot dead by an off-duty policeman, Mevlut Mert Altintas, in front of stunned onlookers at a photo exhibition in Ankara this week. Altintas had said "Do not forget Aleppo!" and "Allahu Akhbar!". Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has implicated Fethullah Gulen in the killing, saying the policeman had links to his movement. Erdogan blames also Gulen for the attempted coup this summer, which Gulen also denied. In a video address made available to the Associated Press, Gulen accused the Turkish government of blaming and defaming his movement and suggested the government would facilitate other assassinations and blame them on his followers. Gulen said "it is not possible for them to convince the world of such accusations". Newsweek reports that the ambassador's killer, Altintas, was a member of the Ankara anti-riot police for two and a half years, and had provided personal protection for the Turkish president, Recep Erdogan, eight times since the failed coup in Turkey on July 15. A ceremony Today in Moscow for Karlov will be attended by President Vladimir Putin. (WION with inputs from AP)

Gulen rejects link to Russian envoy's assassination

Hundreds of rebel fighters and civilians, including small children swaddled in thick blankets, were bused out of war-ravaged Aleppo in heavy snow on Wednesday as the evacuation of former rebel strongholds entered its final phase.

Scenes of buses slowly driving out of Aleppo in a shroud of white offered an evocative finale to what has been one of the most brutal chapters in Syria&#39;s civil war.

The departures from Aleppo pave the way for President Bashar Assad to assume full control there, after more than four years of fighting over Syria&#39;s largest city. It marks the most significant victory for Assad since an uprising against his family&#39;s four-decade rule swept the country in 2011.

The evacuations were set in motion last week after Syria&#39;s opposition agreed to surrender its last footholds in eastern Aleppo. Since then, about 25,000 fighters and civilians have been bused out, according to the United Nations. On Wednesday, buses began evacuating the last rebels and civilians, an estimated 3,000 people.

By nightfall, 25 buses carrying hundreds of people had driven in a rare snow storm from eastern Aleppo to opposition-held areas in the countryside near the city, said opposition activist Ahmad Primo, who was monitoring arrivals at the main drop-off point in the Rashideen district.

The evacuees got off the buses wearing thick jackets and carrying sacks with belongings. One woman dressed in a black robe and face veil carried a small child swaddled in a heavy yellow blanket. A man held a toddler whose face was peeking out from under a blanket shielding him from falling snow.

The opposition&#39;s Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday evening that with the evacuation of the last group of rebels from eastern Aleppo, Assad was in full control, save for a few positions on the western outskirts of the city that were still in rebel hands.

Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross said patients and all those requiring medical care had been evacuated from the last hospital in the city&#39;s east.

Pro-government forces repeatedly struck medical facilities in rebel-held neighborhoods in their push to expel the opposition from Aleppo this year. In November, the UN said it believed there were no more functioning medical facilities in the eastern part of the city. 
Wednesday&#39;s bus movements came after evacuations had been suspended for 24 hours, one of several snags and delays since the first bus convoys left the city last week.

Frequent disagreements have erupted between the rebels and the government, as well as among rebel groups, over compliance with a wider deal that also includes evacuations from two rebel-besieged villages, Foua and Kfarya.

(PTI)&nbsp;

The last rebel fighters and civilians, including small children in blankets, were bused out of war-ravaged Aleppo Wednesday

Hundreds of rebel fighters and civilians, including small children swaddled in thick blankets, were bused out of war-ravaged Aleppo in heavy snow on Wednesday as the evacuation of former rebel strongholds entered its final phase. Scenes of buses slowly driving out of Aleppo in a shroud of white offered an evocative finale to what has been one of the most brutal chapters in Syria's civil war. The departures from Aleppo pave the way for President Bashar Assad to assume full control there, after more than four years of fighting over Syria's largest city. It marks the most significant victory for Assad since an uprising against his family's four-decade rule swept the country in 2011. The evacuations were set in motion last week after Syria's opposition agreed to surrender its last footholds in eastern Aleppo. Since then, about 25,000 fighters and civilians have been bused out, according to the United Nations. On Wednesday, buses began evacuating the last rebels and civilians, an estimated 3,000 people. By nightfall, 25 buses carrying hundreds of people had driven in a rare snow storm from eastern Aleppo to opposition-held areas in the countryside near the city, said opposition activist Ahmad Primo, who was monitoring arrivals at the main drop-off point in the Rashideen district. The evacuees got off the buses wearing thick jackets and carrying sacks with belongings. One woman dressed in a black robe and face veil carried a small child swaddled in a heavy yellow blanket. A man held a toddler whose face was peeking out from under a blanket shielding him from falling snow. The opposition's Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday evening that with the evacuation of the last group of rebels from eastern Aleppo, Assad was in full control, save for a few positions on the western outskirts of the city that were still in rebel hands. Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross said patients and all those requiring medical care had been evacuated from the last hospital in the city's east. Pro-government forces repeatedly struck medical facilities in rebel-held neighborhoods in their push to expel the opposition from Aleppo this year. In November, the UN said it believed there were no more functioning medical facilities in the eastern part of the city. Wednesday's bus movements came after evacuations had been suspended for 24 hours, one of several snags and delays since the first bus convoys left the city last week. Frequent disagreements have erupted between the rebels and the government, as well as among rebel groups, over compliance with a wider deal that also includes evacuations from two rebel-besieged villages, Foua and Kfarya. (PTI)

Aleppo evacuated in heavy snow

The United States on Tuesday closed its missions to Turkey for the day after a shooting incident overnight outside the American embassy in Ankara that followed the assassination of the Russian ambassador in the Turkish capital.

The embassy was near the art gallery where the ambassador, Viktor&nbsp;Karlov,&nbsp;was shot, and Turkish police detained a man over the incident, state media reported.

&quot;An individual approached the US Embassy Ankara main gate and discharged a firearm,&quot; the embassy said in a statement, adding no-one was hurt and the individual was detained.

As a result, the embassy and consulates in Istanbul and Adana were closed for normal operations, it added.&nbsp;

(With inputs from AFP)

Nobody was hurt after someone discharged a gun outside the embassy. The shooter was immediately detained

The United States on Tuesday closed its missions to Turkey for the day after a shooting incident overnight outside the American embassy in Ankara that followed the assassination of the Russian ambassador in the Turkish capital. The embassy was near the art gallery where the ambassador, Viktor Karlov, was shot, and Turkish police detained a man over the incident, state media reported. "An individual approached the US Embassy Ankara main gate and discharged a firearm," the embassy said in a statement, adding no-one was hurt and the individual was detained. As a result, the embassy and consulates in Istanbul and Adana were closed for normal operations, it added. (With inputs from AFP)

US closes Ankara missions as precaution after overnight shooting incident

Throughout the 2016 US&nbsp;election, Donald Trump has fawned over Vladimir Putin, but has repeatedly denied knowing him personally. But in 2013, Trump was filmed admitting that he does &quot;have&nbsp;a relationship&quot; with Vladimir Putin&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Trump caught in a HUGE lie on his relationship with Putin. 
 
Watch &amp; share this before the Electoral College votes tomorrow (Monday). <a href="https://t.co/GVBnvSMVdO">pic.twitter.com/GVBnvSMVdO</a>
&mdash; Shaun King (@ShaunKing) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/810521154809106432">December 18, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Donald Trump has brazenly&nbsp;refused to&nbsp;release his tax returns, falsely saying that an&nbsp;audit he was under&nbsp;prevented him from doing so. Then his son Donald Trump Jr, an official Trump Team member, gave the real reason--that releasing his tax returns would subject <a href="http://www.vox.com/2016/9/15/12928146/donald-trump-jr-tax-returns">them to public scrutiny. </a>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Trump&nbsp;is the first&nbsp;presidential candidate in about 40 years to refuse this basic step&nbsp;towards transparency. Trump has also refused to divest himself from his private businesses before taking on the role of President, saying the business will be kept in the family--that is, it will be&nbsp;run by his&nbsp;children, who have already sat in on official meetings with <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2016/11/16/donald-trump-denies-seeking-security-clearance-for-children/9RuJmL53gRnTgvWwn92WFK/story.html">national</a><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/19/us/politics/ivanka-trump-shinzo-abe.html">&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2016/11/16/donald-trump-denies-seeking-security-clearance-for-children/9RuJmL53gRnTgvWwn92WFK/story.html">leaders&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.geektime.com/2016/12/14/guess-who-decided-to-join-trumps-tech-meeting-his-children/">global tech giants</a>.

The prospect of Trump&nbsp;being hopelessly enmeshed in a series of&nbsp;conflict of interests, and even the fear that his presidency will be unconstitutional from his first day in office, are all too real fears. But because of Trump&#39;s secrecy and because this is all so unprecedented, it&#39;s hard to sort it out precisely.

But the fears grow each time&nbsp;more public revelations link&nbsp;Trump, and the people in his administration,&nbsp;to Russia.

&nbsp;

A small sampling of Trump&#39;s Russian connections:

Today it was<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trumps-state-secretary-pick-directed-us-russian-oil-company-leak-reveals-10303"> reported that</a> Trump&#39;s selection for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, was once the director of a US-Russian oil company, and personally received rewards from Vladimir Putin. The Guardian reports that Tillerson is &quot;close&quot;&nbsp;to Igor Sechin, a hardliner ex-KGB member who heads Russia&#39;s state oil company, Rosneft. Tillerson also has no political experience whatsoever.

Two major US intelligence agencies and the White House have stated&nbsp;explicitly that they believe&nbsp;Russian hackers intervened in the US election in order to&nbsp;favour Trump, and that this was personally approved by Vladmir Putin.

Paul Manafort, a former Trump campaign manager, quit&nbsp;during the election after evidence emerged that&nbsp;he lobbied for pro-Russian Ukrainian leader&nbsp;Viktor Yanukovych. Manafort initially denied the charge, which he called&nbsp;political propaganda.&nbsp;<a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/291680-report-manafort-helped-ukraine-party-pay-us-lobbyists">Other reports</a> claim Manafort funnelled money so pro-Russian interests could secret lobby Washington without making their influence known.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fbi-making-inquiry-ex-trump-campaign-manager-s-foreign-ties-n675881">NBC reported</a> in August that Manafort was a key player in multi-million dollar business deals between Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs, one of them for a close Putin ally with alleged ties to organised crime.

Donald Trump&#39;s son Donald&nbsp;Jr--&nbsp;who has no experience in politics but was reportedly seeking White House security clearance--told a real estate conference in 2008, &quot;Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets...We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia&quot;. The Washington Post published this quote, attributing it to an account of the conference published on the website of&nbsp;a trade publication,&nbsp;eTurboNews.

While the FBI and CIA are investigating&nbsp;the links between Donald Trump and Russia, the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/electoral-college-voters-wont-receive-intel-briefings-about-russian-election-interference-before-vote-10256">Electoral College will not be briefed </a>by these American intelligence agencies before voting on whether or not to make Trump the president Monday.

There will be information connecting&nbsp;Trump to&nbsp;Russia that they, and we, do not know.

(WION)
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A day before the Electoral College votes for US president, critics fear Trump's deep, numerous and secret connections to Russia

Throughout the 2016 US election, Donald Trump has fawned over Vladimir Putin, but has repeatedly denied knowing him personally. But in 2013, Trump was filmed admitting that he does "have a relationship" with Vladimir Putin Trump caught in a HUGE lie on his relationship with Putin. Watch & share this before the Electoral College votes tomorrow (Monday). pic.twitter.com/GVBnvSMVdO — Shaun King (@ShaunKing) December 18, 2016 × Donald Trump has brazenly refused to release his tax returns, falsely saying that an audit he was under prevented him from doing so. Then his son Donald Trump Jr, an official Trump Team member, gave the real reason--that releasing his tax returns would subject them to public scrutiny. Trump is the first presidential candidate in about 40 years to refuse this basic step towards transparency. Trump has also refused to divest himself from his private businesses before taking on the role of President, saying the business will be kept in the family--that is, it will be run by his children, who have already sat in on official meetings with national leaders and global tech giants. The prospect of Trump being hopelessly enmeshed in a series of conflict of interests, and even the fear that his presidency will be unconstitutional from his first day in office, are all too real fears. But because of Trump's secrecy and because this is all so unprecedented, it's hard to sort it out precisely. But the fears grow each time more public revelations link Trump, and the people in his administration, to Russia. A small sampling of Trump's Russian connections: Today it was reported that Trump's selection for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, was once the director of a US-Russian oil company, and personally received rewards from Vladimir Putin. The Guardian reports that Tillerson is "close" to Igor Sechin, a hardliner ex-KGB member who heads Russia's state oil company, Rosneft. Tillerson also has no political experience whatsoever. Two major US intelligence agencies and the White House have stated explicitly that they believe Russian hackers intervened in the US election in order to favour Trump, and that this was personally approved by Vladmir Putin. Paul Manafort, a former Trump campaign manager, quit during the election after evidence emerged that he lobbied for pro-Russian Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych. Manafort initially denied the charge, which he called political propaganda. Other reports claim Manafort funnelled money so pro-Russian interests could secret lobby Washington without making their influence known. NBC reported in August that Manafort was a key player in multi-million dollar business deals between Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs, one of them for a close Putin ally with alleged ties to organised crime. Donald Trump's son Donald Jr-- who has no experience in politics but was reportedly seeking White House security clearance--told a real estate conference in 2008, "Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets...We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia". The Washington Post published this quote, attributing it to an account of the conference published on the website of a trade publication, eTurboNews. While the FBI and CIA are investigating the links between Donald Trump and Russia, the Electoral College will not be briefed by these American intelligence agencies before voting on whether or not to make Trump the president Monday. There will be information connecting Trump to Russia that they, and we, do not know. (WION)

Watch: Video shows Trump lying, admits he has a 'relationship' with Vladimir Putin

Rex Tillerson was named in a tax haven leak as the long-time&nbsp;director of a Bahamas-based US-Russian oil company,<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/18/leak-rex-tillerson-director-bahamas-based-us-russian-oil-company"> The Guardian</a> reports.

Tillerson is currently the chief executive of ExxonMobil, but&nbsp;in 1998 he became the director of their Russian subsidiary, Exxon Neftegas, The Guardian reports. His name, &quot;RW&quot;, appears next to officers based at Houston, Texas, in Moscow, and in the far east of Russia in Sakhalin.

The leaked document comes from the corporate registry in the Bahamas,&nbsp;one of the 1.3 million files given to the German newspaper S<a data-link-name="in body link" draggable="true" href="http://www.sueddeutsche.de/">&uuml;</a>ddeutsche Zeitung by an anonymous source, The Guardian reports.

There&#39;s nothing illegal about Tillerson&#39;s previous appointment, but it raises questions over his&nbsp;Russian ties, and is just one more major thing connecting Donald Trump to Russia.&nbsp;

Exxon Mobil is the world&#39;s largest oil company, and for years have been looking towards Russia&#39;s vast deposits of natural resources.

&nbsp;

Conflict of Interest?

On Sunday, Exxon said Tillerson was no longer the director of Exxon Neftegas after becoming CEO in 2006, The Guardian reports.&nbsp;But he has since been linked to&nbsp;Russia in other ways.

Vladimir Putin&nbsp;awarded Tillerson the Russian Order of Friendship in 2013, and is close with Igor Sechin, who The Guardian characterises as&nbsp;a &quot;hardliner&quot; and&nbsp;ex-KGB (Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti--the&nbsp;secret police in the former Soviet Union) member who is the second most powerful person inside the Kremlin.

In 2011, ExxonMobil and Russia&#39;s state oil company Rosneft made a deal to explore the Kara Sea in Russia&#39;s Arctic, The Guardian reports.&nbsp;

The deal was shelved due to the sanctions imposed after Russia annexed&nbsp;the eastern Ukrainian state of Crimea.&nbsp;American firms are banned from sharing technology related to the oil industry under the sanctions, and Exxon was suppsed to stop drilling, but the company pleaded successfully for the ban to be delayed by a few weeks, and in this time discovered 750 million barrels of new oil, The Guardian reports.&nbsp;

<aside data-component="rich-link" data-link-name="rich-link-3 | 2">
Tillerson criticised US government policy, saying in 2014 at Exxon&#39;s annual meeting that &quot;we do not support sanctions&quot;, The Guardian reports.

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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GjpGfjzheeo" width="560"></iframe>

&nbsp;

During the election, Trump expressed certainty,&nbsp;promising&nbsp;that Russia would never enter&nbsp;Crimea, seemingly unaware that it had already happened. Then Trump claimed without evidence&nbsp;that Crimeans prefer to be a part of Russia.

When asked this year by German reporter Mareike Aden whether Trump as president would recognise Crimea and lift sanctions imposed against Moscow, <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/07/trump-crimea/493280/">he responded</a> &quot;Yes. We would be looking at that&quot;.

Investors widely assume that the new Trump administration will drop sanctions, allowing the drilling deal between Exxon Mobil and Rosneft to continue, which is expected to increase the prices of Exxon shares by tens of billions of dollars, The Guardian reports.&nbsp;

They also report that Tillerson&#39;s currently owns $218 million worth of ExxonMobil stock, and has a pension valued at $70 million.

&nbsp;

Some of Trump&#39;s Russian ties

Donald Trump has called on Russia to hack into Hillary Clinton&#39;s emails. It is thought that no presidential candidate has ever openly called on a foreign country to sabotage&nbsp;a rival politician. Reuters cites two government sources as saying that&nbsp;American intelligence agencies--the CIA (central intelligence agencies)&nbsp;and FBI (federal bureau of investigation)--both agree that the Russian hacks were aimed at helping Trump win the election.

Trump complained loudly and repeatedly that the US election was rigged before he won it, but has since dismissed claims that his win was anything but pure. Trump has called the effort to ensure the election recount in different states &quot;<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/26/politics/clinton-campaign-recount/">a scam&quot;.</a>

While US policy under Obama has been to isolate Russia in response to invading Crimea and for supporting the Assad regime in Syria, Trump has<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/28/politics/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-quotes/"> praised Putin for years</a>.

Trump has even defended Putin from the charge that the Russian president has ordered the killing of journalists, saying &quot;He&#39;s running his country, and at least he&#39;s a leader, unlike what we have in this country. I think our country does plenty of killing also...&quot;.

Currently, Russia ranks 180 out of 199 countries for press freedom, behind Iraq, the Demoratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, <a href="http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/article/2016/jan/04/does-vladimir-putin-kill-journalists/">Politifact reports</a>. Since Putin was elected&nbsp;president in 2000, authorities raided a major television network&nbsp;and arrested the&nbsp;owner, Vladimir Gusinsky, for fraud, releasing him only after he agreed to sell his company&nbsp;to state media, Politifact reports.

As many as&nbsp;34&nbsp;journalists have been murdered in the country under Putin, Politifact reports. This number could be higher does not include journalists killed while reporting on something dangerous, like war or riots, or where the motives of the murder are unclear. In the same amount of time, three journalists were killed in the US.

<a href="http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/article/2016/jan/04/does-vladimir-putin-kill-journalists/">Politifact quotes</a> Nina Ognianova, the coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists&#39; Europe and Central Asia program, who said journalists covering corruption, human rights abuses, organised crime and official wrongdoing can be &quot;slain with impunity in Putin&#39;s Russia&quot;.

Trump&#39;s decision to appoint Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, despite Tillerson&#39;s&nbsp;total lack of political experience, is only his&nbsp;latest&nbsp;Russian connection and will surely&nbsp;receive further scrutiny.

(WION)
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
</aside>

Rex Tillerson, non-partisan critics worry, has many serious ties to Russia. This latest connection only raises more questions

Rex Tillerson was named in a tax haven leak as the long-time director of a Bahamas-based US-Russian oil company, The Guardian reports. Tillerson is currently the chief executive of ExxonMobil, but in 1998 he became the director of their Russian subsidiary, Exxon Neftegas, The Guardian reports. His name, "RW", appears next to officers based at Houston, Texas, in Moscow, and in the far east of Russia in Sakhalin. The leaked document comes from the corporate registry in the Bahamas, one of the 1.3 million files given to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung by an anonymous source, The Guardian reports. There's nothing illegal about Tillerson's previous appointment, but it raises questions over his Russian ties, and is just one more major thing connecting Donald Trump to Russia. Exxon Mobil is the world's largest oil company, and for years have been looking towards Russia's vast deposits of natural resources. Conflict of Interest? On Sunday, Exxon said Tillerson was no longer the director of Exxon Neftegas after becoming CEO in 2006, The Guardian reports. But he has since been linked to Russia in other ways. Vladimir Putin awarded Tillerson the Russian Order of Friendship in 2013, and is close with Igor Sechin, who The Guardian characterises as a "hardliner" and ex-KGB (Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti--the secret police in the former Soviet Union) member who is the second most powerful person inside the Kremlin. In 2011, ExxonMobil and Russia's state oil company Rosneft made a deal to explore the Kara Sea in Russia's Arctic, The Guardian reports. The deal was shelved due to the sanctions imposed after Russia annexed the eastern Ukrainian state of Crimea. American firms are banned from sharing technology related to the oil industry under the sanctions, and Exxon was suppsed to stop drilling, but the company pleaded successfully for the ban to be delayed by a few weeks, and in this time discovered 750 million barrels of new oil, The Guardian reports. Tillerson criticised US government policy, saying in 2014 at Exxon's annual meeting that "we do not support sanctions", The Guardian reports. During the election, Trump expressed certainty, promising that Russia would never enter Crimea, seemingly unaware that it had already happened. Then Trump claimed without evidence that Crimeans prefer to be a part of Russia. When asked this year by German reporter Mareike Aden whether Trump as president would recognise Crimea and lift sanctions imposed against Moscow, he responded "Yes. We would be looking at that". Investors widely assume that the new Trump administration will drop sanctions, allowing the drilling deal between Exxon Mobil and Rosneft to continue, which is expected to increase the prices of Exxon shares by tens of billions of dollars, The Guardian reports. They also report that Tillerson's currently owns $218 million worth of ExxonMobil stock, and has a pension valued at $70 million. Some of Trump's Russian ties Donald Trump has called on Russia to hack into Hillary Clinton's emails. It is thought that no presidential candidate has ever openly called on a foreign country to sabotage a rival politician. Reuters cites two government sources as saying that American intelligence agencies--the CIA (central intelligence agencies) and FBI (federal bureau of investigation)--both agree that the Russian hacks were aimed at helping Trump win the election. Trump complained loudly and repeatedly that the US election was rigged before he won it, but has since dismissed claims that his win was anything but pure. Trump has called the effort to ensure the election recount in different states "a scam". While US policy under Obama has been to isolate Russia in response to invading Crimea and for supporting the Assad regime in Syria, Trump has praised Putin for years. Trump has even defended Putin from the charge that the Russian president has ordered the killing of journalists, saying "He's running his country, and at least he's a leader, unlike what we have in this country. I think our country does plenty of killing also...". Currently, Russia ranks 180 out of 199 countries for press freedom, behind Iraq, the Demoratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, Politifact reports. Since Putin was elected president in 2000, authorities raided a major television network and arrested the owner, Vladimir Gusinsky, for fraud, releasing him only after he agreed to sell his company to state media, Politifact reports. As many as 34 journalists have been murdered in the country under Putin, Politifact reports. This number could be higher does not include journalists killed while reporting on something dangerous, like war or riots, or where the motives of the murder are unclear. In the same amount of time, three journalists were killed in the US. Politifact quotes Nina Ognianova, the coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists' Europe and Central Asia program, who said journalists covering corruption, human rights abuses, organised crime and official wrongdoing can be "slain with impunity in Putin's Russia". Trump's decision to appoint Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, despite Tillerson's total lack of political experience, is only his latest Russian connection and will surely receive further scrutiny. (WION)

Trump's State Secretary pick directed US-Russian oil company, leak reveals

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