The U.S. Senate Finance Committee is investigating meetings between officials from former President Obama’s “scandal free” administration and Russian agents.
Chairman of the committee Republican Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Democrat Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon recently announced that meetings between former Federal Reserve vice chairman Stanley Fischer along with former Treasury undersecretary for international affairs Nathan Sheets and Russian Central Bank deputy governor Alexander Torshin are under investigation.
Also named in the investigation is Maria Butina who was accused earlier this month of being a Russian spy with alleged links to the National Rifle Association (NRA). Butina pled guilty last December to charges of conspiracy to act as a foreign agent working for an organized Russian effort to influence U.S. politics.
The Treasury Department sanctioned Torshin last April and is referenced in court records as an unindicted co-conspirator who coordinate efforts with Butina to infiltrate the NRA and “make inroads in conservative political circles to help benefit Russia.”
The Center coordinated the meetings that occurred in April for the National Interest, a foreign policy think tank in Washington. The Centers bills itself as a group that exists to “improve relations between the U.S. and Russia.
A Center for the National Interest report documents two separate meetings in which the forenamed had discussions on how to bring together “leading figures from the financial institutions of the United States and Russia.”
The Senate committee sent letters seeking more information earlier this week to Russian born Dimitri Simes of the Center for the National Interests, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.
Grassley and Wyden wrote, “A critical issue facing the Committee, and the country is the extent to which the Russian government engaged in efforts designed to undermine our political system and governmental policy through obfuscation and manipulation.”
Their letters requested the think tank’s records related to meetings it organized with these Obama officials adding, “ It is concerning that Ms. Butina and Mr. Torshin could gain access to high-level administration officials responsible for U.S. economic and monetary policy to reportedly discuss U.S.-Russian economic relations.”
Despite no evidence to support their claim many liberal media figures and Democrats previously claimed Russian spy Butina worked to help the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential election. It appears that journalists ignored the fact that Butina took part in at least two high-level meetings with then President Obama’s Treasury vice chairman and undersecretary.
The report states that Butina and other Russians were actively working from 2013 to 15 to lobby the Obama administration to ease tensions with Russia. Rather than being concerned about possible Russian interference Grassley’s probe looks to show Obama took little or no action to counteract the threat.
Butina’s conviction is problematic for the Left because it appears collusion occurred between high-ranking officials of former President Barack Obama, instead of President Trump like they want so it fits their narrative.
While the special counsel and the FBI have collectively spent two years investigating President Donald Trump for alleged collusion with Russia. During that time not one piece of credible evidence shows any evidence of wrongdoing from the president. After 28 months of relentless questioning by the Mueller investigation, there is no proof President Trump “colluded” with Russian agents.
Special counsel Mueller is investigating – something, someone – with prosecutors who were in on creating his ‘Russian collusion’ hoax or donated to Hillary Clinton’s campaign. After two years and millions of dollars spent, nothing points to President Trump having done anything remotely criminal. No collusion with Moscow to “steal the election”. No proof or evidence of any impeachable offense. Nothing.
As CNN and the rest of the mainstream media pounds the American public 24 hours a day with the narrative “Trump colluded with the Russians”, they are silent about known fact rather than theory – at least two top Obama administration officials had two documented meetings with a convicted Russian spy.
The Daily Caller reported Senator Bernie Sanders former chief strategist in the 2016 presidential election communicated with a former Russian intelligence officer before he joined the 2016 campaign. Hillary Clinton’s campaign paid for the now discredited Steele dossier. At least two of Obama’s cabinet-level officials met with a convicted Russian spy. Yet the media remains focused on Trump and what he “might have done.”
At least Republicans still control the Senate where Grassley can bring to light what the media and Democrats will not.
