No big surprise here. Adam Schiff is guilty of what he is claiming President Trump should be impeached for. Schiff needs to answer questions about his own connection to a Soviet-born businessman, Igor Pasternak, who raised money for Schiff’s reelections campaign to the House.
The quid pro quo? Campaign contributions in return for Schiff’s war hawk cheerleading for Ukraine. Here’s the connection: In 2013, Pasternak ran a fundraiser in Washington for Schiff. Then he became the leading spokesman for U.S. weapons sales and support to the Ukraine.
Was Schiff trying to use foreign sources to influence an election (namely, his)? And what connection did Schiff’s pal Igor have to yet another ongoing investigation of corruption in Ukraine?
The answers are “yes” and “He doesn’t want to go there.”
Americans should ask the Senate to convene their own investigation, with Schiff as the first subpoenaed witness. Chairman Senator Richard Burr’s opening statement could go something like this:
“According to our uncorroborated, second-hand whistleblower report, Representative Schiff had a conversation with Mr. Pasternak. Here’s how the conversation went:
“’Okay, Igor. Listen up. I know you’re interested in keeping that munitions plant in my home state. In this town we have this saying, ‘pay to play.’ If you want to play and you don’t want me asking my family to stage a few accidents in your plant—you handle lots of helium, right?—I need you to do two things.
“First, I’ll need money and lots of it. It would be very nice if you could personally sponsor a fundraiser for me here in Washington, DC. Please have your donors place their cash in envelopes as presents for my family…uh…campaign. And try to keep George Soros’s name out of this, please.
“Next, you need to talk to your Russian and Ukrainian oligarch pals and send them my respects. They have their territory and vigorish, and I will not interfere in any way in their operation.
“In return for my respect and frequent appearances on CNN praising Ukraine, I need you to find someone to write a dossier on Donald Trump. Have it begin with him urinating on a bed in a Moscow hotel where President Obama slept.
“We’ll take it from there.
“And Igor, I’m only going to say this once: Don’t call me back until you have that dossier. Please send it directly to our FBI Director. He is expecting it.”
No doubt, Schiff will be outraged by that parody. Richard Burr will respond, “Of course, you didn’t say all that, but that was the underlying meaning. It was a parody. Don’t you have a sense of humor?”
Two days later, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will defend Senator Burr’s parody of Schiff, and like Nancy Pelosi did for Schiff’s parody of the President, he will claim that what Senator Burr said was the truth.
The basis of all good satire is, of course, an element of truth. Igor Pasternak is a Russian immigrant arms dealer. He is the founder of Worldwide Aeros Corp., and an American immigrant, who is involved in weapons manufacturing.
Pasternak’s company has worked with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense to manufacture modified M14 and M16 assault rifles. He has received several lucrative defense contracts from the Ukrainians and one hefty U.S. Pentagon deal for surveillance and cargo delivery airships to the tune of $50 million.
Pasternak’s pay for play deal was a July 18, 2013, fundraiser for Schiff. Sponsors’ arms were gently twisted to contribute $2,500 with guests ponying up $1,000. Naturally, the checks were payable to “Adam Schiff for Congress.”
Before the fundraiser, Schiff didn’t appear to know the difference between Ukraine and a ukulele. But after the fundraiser, he sought out his CNN cronies and basically demanded that the U.S. send money and full support to Ukraine. (Note: The Russians, as President Trump has pointed out, annexed Crimea under the nose of Obama and his weakling administration in 2014.)
In the Byzantine labyrinth that is Ukrainian corruption, Pasternak was undoubtedly involved in an eastern version of pay for play. On July 22, 2019, Ukrainian media reported that the Ukrainian military investigator was targeting the purchase by Ukraine of Pasternak’s border surveillance system that didn’t work well, wasn’t needed, and involved kickbacks to someone, although not necessarily Pasternak.
In any case, the cycle of Ukrainian and U.S. investigations will go on and on. The danger of assured mutual destruction will probably abate with the 2020 elections as everyone, especially Admin Schiff, hopes this will all go away.
However, as Schiff and company are probably learning after opening this can of worms, when you engage in a war of words and true facts with Donald Trump, don’t bring a knife to a gun fight. You will earn a lasting nickname: “Lowlife Shifty Schiff.”
