Russia Thrilled With President Trump
[guest post by Dana]
This, which is now being reported, will make Russia very happy:
The champagne corks are popping in penthouses from Moscow to Caracas tonight. Oligarchs maybe can finally get their yachts back, and kleptocrats worldwide are updating their Zillow searches for Miami beachfront property.
Why? Our sources say that just after 7:30 p.m. in Washington, D.C., yesterday, Trump’s newly appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi sent out an email announcing the immediate closure of the Department of Justice’s Kleptocracy Initiative and its associated task force – the very unit responsible for making life difficult for the world’s most creative accountants and their politically-connected clients.
Below the radar, however, is an even more alarming development. Sources say one of the key objectives behind this sudden move is to gain control of what’s believed to be a multi-billion dollar forfeiture fund under DOJ control. This fund, historically used to return stolen assets to victim countries, will now reportedly be redirected to what Bondi’s memo cryptically describes as “other” law enforcement purposes.
Multiple sources familiar with the matter say this is code for funding new detention facilities in Guantanamo Bay and Texas. Nothing says “America First” quite like using money recovered from foreign corruption to build domestic detention centers.
Anne Applebaum responds to the news:
And there it is: doors are open for kleptocracy in America.
Russia will be very, very please with President Trump. And isn’t that what it’s all about.
—Dana
Hello.
Dana (8589af) — 2/6/2025 @ 3:55 pmI don’t understand this piece, Dana. Maybe I’m missing something.
The quoted block says both that they get their yachts back and also says that the point of this move is to gain control of these assets and redirect them into other law enforcement initiatives.
If the fund in being used by us how does that indicate the Russians are getting their stuff back?
I’ll be honest I haven’t looked any further into this than what you quoted.
Nate (cfb326) — 2/6/2025 @ 4:40 pmI guess it’s that the Ukrainians (or others) aren’t getting the money – frozen assets might be used for this. But the money almost never gets used for compensation. Russia should hate this because they lose the money.
This is only Trump looking for a slush fund to pay for Guantanamo prisoners..
Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 2/6/2025 @ 4:44 pmYeah, Sammy, that was my take on it as well.
Which has its own issues. Seizing the assets of a country and using it on the victims seems maybe ok.
Seizing the assets of a country to use for yourself is shady.
Nate (cfb326) — 2/6/2025 @ 4:49 pmI don’t care if they burn the money and scuttle the yachts — Russia isn’t getting it back.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/6/2025 @ 7:00 pmRemember what happened to the people accused of losing china to Mao? Has putin taken kiev? As rick said in the movie casablanca let me know when you have.
asset (5fbb0c) — 2/6/2025 @ 9:16 pm