Changes

The partially declassified report<ref>https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/2012-report-warned-about-rise-of-isis-3wljf5g06zq</ref> embarrassed the advocates for an escalation of the war in [[Syria]] and the ouster of secular President [[Bashar al-Assad]]. Flynn went further in a 2015 interview when he said the intelligence was “very clear” that the '''Obama administration made a [[Libyan Islamic Fighting Group|“willful decision” to back the jihad]]ists in league with Middle East allies, a choice that looked particularly stupid when Islamic State militants started beheading American hostages''' and capturing cities in [[Iraq]].<ref>https://consortiumnews.com/2017/02/14/trump-caves-on-flynns-resignation/</ref>

The partially declassified report<ref>https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/2012-report-warned-about-rise-of-isis-3wljf5g06zq</ref> embarrassed the advocates for an escalation of the war in [[Syria]] and the ouster of secular President [[Bashar al-Assad]]. Flynn went further in a 2015 interview when he said the intelligence was “very clear” that the '''Obama administration made a [[Libyan Islamic Fighting Group|“willful decision” to back the jihad]]ists in league with Middle East allies, a choice that looked particularly stupid when Islamic State militants started beheading American hostages''' and capturing cities in [[Iraq]].<ref>https://consortiumnews.com/2017/02/14/trump-caves-on-flynns-resignation/</ref>

[[File:Ukro-nazis.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The "Revolution of Dignity" or [[Maidan coup]] of 2014 which the Obama administration supported.  Written on the wall: “Ukraine for Ukrainians.”<ref>https://futuristrendcast.wordpress.com/tag/upass-bandera-crimes/</ref>]]

[[File:Ukro-nazis.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The "Revolution of Dignity" or [[Maidan coup]] of 2014 which the Obama administration supported.  Written on the wall: “Ukraine for Ukrainians.”<ref>https://futuristrendcast.wordpress.com/tag/upass-bandera-crimes/</ref>]]

{{See also|Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists}}

:{{See also|Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists}}

Key neoconservatives, such as Victoria Nuland and Sen. [[John McCain]], began pushing for the violent right-wing coup that in February 2014 ousted [[Ukraine]]’s elected President Viktor Yanukovych and touched off the new Cold War with Russia.

Key neoconservatives, such as Victoria Nuland and Sen. [[John McCain]], began pushing for the violent right-wing coup that in February 2014 ousted [[Ukraine]]’s elected President Viktor Yanukovych and touched off the new Cold War with Russia.

Nuland was also among a network of [[Obama administration]] officials involved in the distribution and recirculation of the infamous ''[[Steele dossier]]'', the document used by the [[FBI]] to secure a maximally intrusive spy warrant to surveil a Trump-campaign associate.

Nuland was also among a network of [[Obama administration]] officials involved in the distribution and recirculation of the infamous ''[[Steele dossier]]'', the document used by the [[FBI]] to secure a maximally intrusive spy warrant to surveil a Trump-campaign associate.

{{quotebox-float|“My understanding is that the conversations that were near-daily between Ambassador Pyatt and Toria Nuland regarding what to do on the way forward then included pitching the office of the Vice President to push [[President Poroshenko]] to remove Shokin,”}}  

{{quotebox-float|“My understanding is that the conversations that were near-daily between Ambassador Pyatt and Toria Nuland regarding what to do on the way forward then included pitching the office of the Vice President to push [[President Poroshenko]] to remove Shokin,”}}  

:*Kent told lawmakers on October 15, 2019.  Biden carried out Nuland’s plan during a visit to Ukraine in December 2015 and has since bragged, on at least two occasions, about forcing Shokin’s firing by threatening to cut off the loan guarantees. At the time Biden exerted pressure on Ukraine, Shokin was investigating [[Burisma]], the Ukrainian gas giant that was paying Biden’s son [[Hunter Biden]] to serve on its board of directors. Poroshenko asked for Shokin’s resignation two months after Biden’s overture.<ref>Nuland’s involvement raises new questions about the motivations of the officials involved in the circulation of the ''Steele dossier'', the document which for three years fueled the debunked narrative that then-candidate Donald Trump colluded with Russia in 2016 to influence the 2016 presidential election. Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer, compiled the dossier by paying second- and thirdhand sources with ties to the Kremlin. The Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee ultimately funded Steele’s work.</ref>

 

:*Nuland told [[CBS]] that she received a copy of the ''Steele dossier'' in July 2016 and forwarded it to the FBI. She has argued that she did right to forward the dossier to the bureau, but in doing so she helped launder Steele’s allegations by adding credibility to the unverified document in acting as a highly-placed conduit.  Between Sept. 26, 2016, and Dec. 10, 2016, Nuland received Russia-related information from Steele via State Department official [[Jonathan Winer]].  During these three months, the FBI obtained the secret court warrant to surveil Trump campaign associate [[Carter Page]]. In December 2016, Nuland received a briefing about the Steele dossier from [[David Kramer]], a longtime associate of late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). McCain specifically directed Kramer to brief Nuland about the dossier. The extent of Kramer’s outreach lay bare a coordinated plan to widely disseminate the dossier among highly placed officials, lawmakers, and the media. In addition to briefing Nuland, Kramer briefed 17 members of the media, Senior Director for Russian Affairs at the National Security Council Celeste Wallander, Rep. [[Adam Kinzinger]] (R-Ill.), and House Speaker Paul Ryan’s chief of staff, Jonathan Burks.

Kent told lawmakers on October 15, 2019.  Biden carried out Nuland’s plan during a visit to Ukraine in December 2015 and has since bragged, on at least two occasions, about forcing Shokin’s firing by threatening to cut off the loan guarantees. At the time Biden exerted pressure on Ukraine, Shokin was investigating [[Burisma]], the Ukrainian gas giant that was paying Biden’s son [[Hunter Biden]] to serve on its board of directors. Poroshenko asked for Shokin’s resignation two months after Biden’s overture.<ref>Nuland’s involvement raises new questions about the motivations of the officials involved in the circulation of the ''Steele dossier'', the document which for three years fueled the debunked narrative that then-candidate Donald Trump colluded with Russia in 2016 to influence the 2016 presidential election. Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer, compiled the dossier by paying second- and thirdhand sources with ties to the Kremlin. The Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee ultimately funded Steele’s work.</ref>

::*Nuland’s ties to Steele aren’t limited to 2016. Starting as early as June 2014, she received, via Winer, dozens of Steele’s reports on Russia and Ukraine. Notably, she forwarded three of Steele’s reports to Pyatt in November 2015, around the time the pair were planning to force Shokin’s firing.

 

:*According to his testimony, George Kent was already aware that Hunter Biden was on Burisma’s board at the time Nuland and Pyatt planned to oust Shokin. Kent learned of Biden’s involvement in the company in early 2015 and became concerned about the appearance of a conflict of interest. In February 2015, Kent raised the issue with Joe Biden’s office.  “The message that I recall hearing back was that the vice president’s son Beau was dying of cancer and that there was no further bandwidth to deal with family related issues at that time,” Kent told lawmakers on Oct. 15, 2019.

Nuland told [[CBS]] that she received a copy of the ''Steele dossier'' in July 2016 and forwarded it to the FBI. She has argued that she did right to forward the dossier to the bureau, but in doing so she helped launder Steele’s allegations by adding credibility to the unverified document in acting as a highly-placed conduit.  Between Sept. 26, 2016, and Dec. 10, 2016, Nuland received Russia-related information from Steele via State Department official [[Jonathan Winer]].  During these three months, the FBI obtained the secret court warrant to surveil Trump campaign associate [[Carter Page]]. In December 2016, Nuland received a briefing about the Steele dossier from [[David Kramer]], a longtime associate of late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). McCain specifically directed Kramer to brief Nuland about the dossier. The extent of Kramer’s outreach lay bare a coordinated plan to widely disseminate the dossier among highly placed officials, lawmakers, and the media. In addition to briefing Nuland, Kramer briefed 17 members of the media, Senior Director for Russian Affairs at the National Security Council Celeste Wallander, Rep. [[Adam Kinzinger]] (R-Ill.), and House Speaker Paul Ryan’s chief of staff, Jonathan Burks.

:*George Kent learned of Hunter Biden’s position with Burisma shortly after Kent pressed an official at the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office about the sudden closing in late December 2014 of an investigation of Burisma owner [[Mykola Zlochevsky]]. '''Kent learned that an official at the office received a $7 million bribe in May 2014 to shutter the Hunter Biden probe'''.  Kent said in his public testimony in the impeachment inquiry on November 14, 2019:

 

Nuland’s ties to Steele aren’t limited to 2016. Starting as early as June 2014, she received, via Winer, dozens of Steele’s reports on Russia and Ukraine. Notably, she forwarded three of Steele’s reports to Pyatt in November 2015, around the time the pair were planning to force Shokin’s firing.

 

According to his testimony, George Kent was already aware that Hunter Biden was on Burisma’s board at the time Nuland and Pyatt planned to oust Shokin. Kent learned of Biden’s involvement in the company in early 2015 and became concerned about the appearance of a conflict of interest. In February 2015, Kent raised the issue with Joe Biden’s office.  “The message that I recall hearing back was that the vice president’s son Beau was dying of cancer and that there was no further bandwidth to deal with family related issues at that time,” Kent told lawmakers on Oct. 15, 2019.

 

George Kent learned of Hunter Biden’s position with Burisma shortly after Kent pressed an official at the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office about the sudden closing in late December 2014 of an investigation of Burisma owner [[Mykola Zlochevsky]]. '''Kent learned that an official at the office received a $7 million bribe in May 2014 to shutter the Hunter Biden probe'''.  Kent said in his public testimony in the impeachment inquiry on November 14, 2019:

{{quotebox|“'''I and other U.S. officials consistently advocated re-instituting a scuttled investigation of Zlochevsky, Burisma’s founder, as well as holding the corrupt prosecutors who closed the case to account,”}}

{{quotebox|“'''I and other U.S. officials consistently advocated re-instituting a scuttled investigation of Zlochevsky, Burisma’s founder, as well as holding the corrupt prosecutors who closed the case to account,”}}