Trump cleaned dirty Russian money for decades

In 1984, a Russian oligarch named David Bogatin bought 5 condos in Trump Tower for $6 million. Bogatin is heavily linked to the Russian mafia and in 1987 he pled guilty to evading millions of dollars in state fuel taxes in a huge gasoline bootlegging operation. The purchases of Trump's five condominiums were to launder money and they were seized by the government.

     Putin rejoiced when Trump assumed the presidency. Members of the Russian elite, who had close ties to Putin and with Russian intelligence, have invested in Trump buildings in NYC and Florida. A Reuters review has found that at least 63 individuals with Russian passports or addresses have bought at least $98.4 million worth of property in seven Trump-branded luxury towers in southern Florida.

     Long before Trump even thought of running for the presidency, U.S. intelligence, mainly the CIA and FBI, had Russian oligarchs under intense surveillance both inside the U.S. and overseas. Suddenly, an American businessperson appeared in their midst. Guess who it was?

      U.S. counterintelligence (CI) teams were shadowing the Russian oligarchs because of their chummy ties to Putin and the dreadful Russian GRU spy agency, and I am sure their eyebrows raised when Trump appeared amongst them, and they began investing heavily in his properties. I wonder what the CI teams thought when Trump finally began campaigning for the U.S. presidency and he denied having invested in Russia, that he knew nothing about, and had no Russian investments in his businesses and properties?

     Here is a revealing testimony to Congress that exposes the Russian oligarchy links between the Russian oligarchy and the crimes committed by the Kremlin and the GRU spy agency: The GRU, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and Russia’s Wagner Group: Malign Russian Actors and Possible U.S. Responses- Kimberly Marten Professor and Chair, Political Science Department Barnard College, Columbia University Testimony before the Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, Energy, and the Environment United States House of Representatives Hearing on Exposing and Demanding Accountability for Kremlin Crimes Abroad Prepared for presentation on July 7, 2021.

     I am sure the U.S. CI teams weren’t surprised when Trump proudly posed for a photo op with the leader of a Russian motorcycle gang that was sanctioned by the United States for its alleged role in Moscow’s seizure of Crimea.

     Lastly, enjoy the video: THE TRUMP-RUSSIAN TIES HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT. It explains how Trump relied heavily on Russian rubles long before he ran for the presidency, why he constantly defended Russia during his presidency, and why he attacked the DOJ, FBI, CIA, and any U.S. official who investigated Russia.

 

Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO), enjoys writing about the U.S. Intelligence Community, and relishes traveling to the Florida Keys and Key West, the Bahamas and Caribbean. He combines both passions in his Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster series. Check out his latest spy thriller: MISSION OF VENGEANCE.