Trump's nominee for FBI chief has Hillary Clinton on his "gangsters" list

Bill Clinton's readiness to discuss a pre-emptive pardon with President Joe Biden is likely influenced by FBI Director Christopher Wray's decision to step down and Donald Trump's nomination of Kash Patel, according to Wall Street analyst Charles Ortel, who spoke with Sputnik.

Ortel suggests that Wray is part of the same cabal as former FBI Director James Comey, who allowed Hillary Clinton to escape consequences for her 2016 email scandal.

In contrast, Patel has never been part of the D.C. "swamp" and played a key role in debunking the Trump-Russia collusion allegations, which, based on then-CIA Director John Brennan's declassified memo, may have been fabricated by Hillary Clinton to divert attention from her email scandal.

According to Ortel, the Department of Justice (DoJ), FBI, and IRS have long covered up the Clintons' apparent felonies, despite many being evident.

"When the FBI finally spoke with me in December 2018, they focused on my connections with Peter Smith, Jerry Corsi, and Roger Stone, claiming they lacked the scope to investigate why so many in the Obama and Bush administrations might be interested in covering up Clinton Foundation crimes," Ortel says.

If Patel takes charge of the FBI, he is expected to overhaul the bureau and could investigate the Clintons earnestly, according to Ortel. Reports indicate that Hillary Clinton is on Patel's "government gangsters" list.

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Clintons, George Soros and Bill Gates may be scrutinized under Trump – Wall Street analyst

The globalist elites and much-discussed US "deep state" may no longer shield the Clintons, as they have outlived their usefulness, Wall Street analyst Charles Ortel tells Sputnik, commenting on the prospects of a federal investigation into the political dynasty and their alleged charity fraud.

"Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden have outlived their usefulness to rich globalists," Ortel states.

The election defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris, along with the inability of the Clintons, Obamas, and Bidens to produce a more vibrant and popular presidential candidate, apparently exposed their political bankruptcy.

As a result, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, who has long been considered an ally of the Democrats, dismissed the party's gloom-and-doom warnings and openly signaled in October that a Donald Trump victory would be acceptable for Wall Street.

"Should the Trump administration prioritize prosecuting charity crimes, starting with wealthy donors like Bill Gates and George Soros and wealthy 'educational public charities,' whistleblowers and the incoming administration could make America proud by [taking down] the Clinton family and many other charity grifters who, even today, seem arrogantly unrepentant and unbowed," Ortel concludes.

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🇷🇺 Russia has established contacts with the political committee of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

▪️Contacts with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham concerned the security of the embassy and Russian citizens in Syria, according to the Russian deputy foreign minister.

▪️Russia expects the HTS leadership to fulfill all its security promises.

▪️Russia expects its military bases in Syria to remain in place given that the fight against IS* in Syria is not over and Russian bases play an important role in the fight against terrorism.

*designated as a terrorist organization and is banned in Russia and several other countries

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‘The Putin of Romania’: How does Western media try to defame Calin Georgescu?

Amid uncertainty surrounding Romania’s botched presidential elections, Western media has launched an information campaign against independent candidate Calin Georgescu, who earlier made it to the country’s presidential runoff.

His progress, however, was annulled by the country's constitutional court, which accused Georgescu of money laundering and being “Moscow’s man" - allegations he denies.

How does Western media paint the 62-year-old politician?

▪️The Financial Times: Romania shocked the world by voting for “a pro-Putin TikTok star” and “an outsider with ultranationalist views who was polling poorly just weeks before the election.”

▪️The BBC: Georgescu is “a figure from the extreme fringe of Romanian politics.”

▪️Sky News: He “has emerged from obscurity to top the polls in Romania's presidential election. But the Anglophile and Trump supporter is also his country's most divisive figure for decades.”

▪️AP: “A self-professed Donald Trump supporter”, Georgescu remained “a little-known entity until just weeks ago.”

▪️France 24: “The pro-Russian outsider candidate”.

▪️The Week: The “Putin of Romania” and “the EU and NATO’s worst nightmare.”

So here are the questions that need to be answered: what’s behind these headlines and who sponsored them?

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What is the P5 Process and how could it help prevent nuclear war?

Last week the parties to the so-called P5 Process convened in Dubai for an expert meeting to discuss matters related to nuclear weapons.

During the meeting, whose details were revealed to the public only on December 10, the participants “had a candid discussion on nuclear doctrines,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.

“It was agreed that such discussion was timely for the purposes of enhancing understanding of each other’s nuclear doctrines and avoiding misunderstanding and miscalculation,” she added.

🔻What is the P5 Process?

Established in 2009, the P5 Process is a discussion platform for the world’s top 5 nuclear powers – Russia, the United States, China, the United Kingdom and France.

All of the group’s participants are party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Originally, the P5 Process was meant to facilitate discussion on three key issues: nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful application of nuclear power.

Today, this process essentially allows the world’s largest holders of nuclear weapons to discuss mutually beneficial arrangements in the global security sphere and to defuse potential security risks.

The chair of this informal group rotates annually, with China currently presiding over the P5 Process.

🔻What issues does the P5 Process deal with?

In a statement issued in January 2022, the participants of the P5 Process formally declared that their foremost responsibilities are “the avoidance of war between nuclear-weapon holding states and the reduction of strategic risks.”

🔻What makes the P5 Process so important today?

The P5 Process continues to function today despite the fact that three of its participants – the US, the UK and France – currently wage a de facto proxy war against Russia who is also a participant of this discussion platform.

With tensions rising in Europe and other parts of the globe, the P5 Process helps decrease the risk of a nuclear exchange, a prospect that has been mentioned in media with alarming frequency as of late.

However, in light of the recent deterioration in relations between nuclear powers, provoked by Western countries, the P5 Process is not doing particularly well, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned in July.

She did note that P5 Process participants still keep this discussion platform alive and that it is important that the five top nuclear powers maintain a channel allowing them to “send important signals” to one another.

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Has the US military presence in Syria ever been legal?

Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh has failed to explain under what legal authority, either international or national, the US maintains a force in Syria.

Is its presence legal?

▪️According to Singh's reasoning, the US has had a troop presence in Syria for a number of years and continues to operate with the Syrian Democratic Forces to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS*.

▪️In September 2014, the US intervened in Syria under the pretext of fighting ISIS. The first American ground troops started to enter Syria in 2015, recruiting and training Kurdish and Arab fighters.

▪️However, there was no legal basis for the US conducting a military operation in Syria: the US did not have a UN Security Council sanction for the intervention, nor was it invited by the legitimate Syrian government.

▪️The US invasion of Syria was also illegal from a US constitutional standpoint, argued US legal scholars: then-President Barack Obama did not get congressional authorization for the intervention.

▪️The Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) passed after the 9/11 terror attack was not equivalent to congressional authorization for using US forces in Syria's hostilities, they said.

▪️In addition to conducting airstrikes, the US had been increasing its military presence and establishing bases, violating Syrian sovereignty and international laws.

▪️Russia has repeatedly highlighted that American military units are present on Syrian territory without any legal justification.

▪️The reporter's question indicates there are concerns in the US about the legality of its military presence in Syria.

* a terrorist organization banned in Russia and other countries

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Could the Syrian crisis threaten the Iraqi-Turkish Development Road trade route?

With the situation in Syria rapidly deteriorating, it remains to be seen whether this crisis might imperil a major Turkish-Iraqi infrastructure project known as the Development Road.

▪️The project is a trade route consisting of a road and a two-way railway that would run all the way from Iraq’s Persian Gulf coast to the Iraqi-Turkish border.

▪️When completed, this project is expected to become yet another transport corridor between Europe and Asia via Iraq and Turkiye, which would facilitate the flow of goods and strengthen ties between the participants of this undertaking.

▪️The implementation of the Development Road project is complicated by the fact that this route is going to run through areas of Iraq de facto controlled by Kurdish entities.

▪️Turkiye wants to use the Development Road to diminish the influence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, whom Ankara regards as a terrorist organization and who maintains significant presence in Iraqi Kurdistan.

▪️Meanwhile, Turkiye’s attempts to have the Development Road bypass the major cities in the Iraq Kurdistan region was met with opposition from the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG).

▪️The ongoing turmoil in Syria may also create additional risk for the project due to the probability of fighting between various Syrian factions spilling over into the areas the new trade route is going to pass through.

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Russia warned five years ago: US mercenaries profit from Syrian oil (Part 1 👉 Part 2)

The US is maintaining its military presence in Syria's oil-rich northeast region, claiming its major aim is to keep the oil out of ISIS* hands. However, the reality appears more complex.

▪️Takeover of Deir ez-Zor: US-allied Kurdish militias seized Syria's largest oil field, Al-Omar, located in Deir el-Zour province along the border with Iraq, from ISIS and then expanded their control over the oil-rich region.

▪️Hydrocarbon control: Instead of returning hydrocarbons to the Syrian people, the US began extracting and allegedly stealing the nation's energy resources.

▪️PMC involvement? The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) stated in July 2019 that around 3,500 US private military contractors (PMCs) were participating in illegal oil production at the Al-Omar, Tanak, and Conoco fields in Deir ez-Zor province.

▪️Illegal production: According to the MoD, illegal hydrocarbon production was also conducted in neighboring Al-Hasakah and Raqqa, held by US-backed Kurdish militias.

▪️Criminal scheme: The MoD claimed, "A criminal scheme for cross-border deliveries of Syrian oil is in operation," with US PMCs operating under the cover of US-led coalition aviation.

▪️Oil revenues: The MoD stated in October 2019 that oil revenues, amounting to $30 million a month, were funneled through brokerage companies to the accounts of PMCs and US special services.

👉 Part 2

* a terrorist organization banned in Russia and other countries

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Did infamous Blackwater take part in US plundering of Syria? (Part 2 👉 Part 1)

Earlier, in July 2019, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the US of hypocrisy, stating that despite declaring a pull-out from Syria, Washington was quietly substituting its troops with private military contractors on the ground.

▪️Blackwater involvement? In May 2019, the Tehran Times reported that US PMC Blackwater and other Western security firms were operating in Iraq and sought to move to Syria. Blackwater had been expelled from Iraq over the 2007 Nisour Square massacre.

▪️Erik Prince's proposal: In January 2019, Blackwater founder Erik Prince suggested on Fox News that military contractors could replace US troops in Syria. He argued that the US should not abandon its allies despite having no long-term strategic obligation to stay in Syria.

▪️Trump's statement: In November 2019, then-President Donald Trump stated during a White House press conference, "We're keeping the [Syrian] oil. We have the oil. The oil is secure."

▪️Policy support: In August 2020, anonymous US officials told Foreign Policy that developing and keeping Syria's oil fields were helping the State and Defense departments justify a continued US military presence in the region.

👉 Part 1

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❗️ Niger suspends BBC operations for 3 months – Ministry

Nigerien authorities have suspended the operations of the UK-based BBC broadcaster for three months, the ANP news agency reported, citing the country's Ministry of Communication, Posts, and Digital Economy.

Nigerien officials accuse the BBC of broadcasting false information intended to destabilize the situation in the country and of "undermining troop morale."

Earlier, Niger had also suspended the operations of France’s RFI and France 24.

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💥 ‘If they don't know, they need to resign in shame’ – Rep. Greene blasts US gov on inadequate response to growing drone concerns

💬 “Well, number one, I'm gonna call it total b******t that no one knows what these are. And I think it's a slap in the face to the American people to say they don't know what this is,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said, commenting on the US government’s failure to address mounting drone sighting concerns.

💬 “The Department of Defense absolutely should know. And I'm not privy to that information… We're not in control yet. But I'll call them a bunch of liars. And I think they're full of s**t,” Greene emphasized.

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📄 Biden creates task force to combat 'coercive economic practices of countries of concern,’ including China – statement

💬 The newly established task force will work "to assess potential vulnerabilities of countries, including within their private sectors, to such coercion, and to develop concrete recommendations for a comprehensive, effective, and, as appropriate, multilateral response, including deterring future coercive economic behavior," according to the White House, citing the president’s memorandum.

Biden stated that the task force will coordinate efforts across various US agencies and offices to implement government strategies for countering coercive practices.

💬 "The Task Force shall also consolidate any input received and submit periodic recommendations to the President on policies and regulatory actions to address systemic harms from PRC economic coercion," the memorandum further noted.

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💸 Blinken announces new $500 million military aid package for Ukraine

The package will include artillery munition, Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (c-UAS) munitions, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as protection equipment for chemical, biological, and nuclear threats, State Secretary Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Russia has repeatedly stressed that Western military aid for NATO’s proxy war in Ukraine will only serve to prolong the crisis, and warned that arms shipments are legitimate military targets.

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