Thread by @aliasvaughn

1. Bruce Ohr is the Justice Department lawyer who was told by Christopher Steele that Russian intelligence believed it had Trump "over a barrel". Start seeing why Trump is going after him?

https://twitter.com/jjouvenal/status/1035561468949929984

2. These details pertain to a breakfast that happened on July 30, 2016. Ohr described the breakfast to CONGRESS this week in a private interview. And that's how the GOP Trump lackeys went to tell Trump, he found out and decided he can't have a witness at DoJ.

3. So if Trump so much as THINKS of touching Bruce Ohr, that is direct obstruction of justice, and his tweets already constitute witness tampering. AND everyone in Congress who was present at the interview KNOWS that. Just so you know who to hold accountable.

4. An unnamed former Ru intelligence official said that Russian intelligence believed "they had Trump over a barrel", that's the quote that was reported. Steele and Ohr have known each other for over a decade. They shared interest in international organized crime.

5. Trump's tactic is to intimidate witnesses and to eliminate anyone at DoJ (see: McCabe) who is a witness against him, so that fewer people with deep knowledge of the Russian investigation and of obstruction of justice remain there. In so doing, he is obstructing justice

6. Attacking them publicly is meant to discredit them as witnesses. It doesn't matter that it won't work as they will testify against him anyway, it's witness tampering at a minimum. This influences public perception, on top of the previous point I made about obstruction.

7. Naturally, Ohr can also testify that the FBI investigation was already WELL under way by the time FBI received Steele's dossier. Ohr can also testify that despite being friends with Steele, he was NOT the original source of information from it. So Trump is freaking out.

8. Ohr also told Congress that Steele said Carter Page had met with more senior Russian officials than he had acknowledged meeting with. (meantime, Page has been forced to acknowledge meeting with at least a couple of them.)

9. "The breakfast took place amid ongoing FBI concerns about Russian election interference and possible communication with Trump associates. By then RU hackers had penetrated Dem email accounts including Podesta's and Papadopoulos had said Russians had "dirt" on HRC via emails."

10. Ohr told Congress he couldn't vouch for the accuracy of Steele's information (bc duh, he wasn't there) BUT said he considers him a reliable FBI informant who delivered "credible and actionable intelligence, including his probe into corruption at FIFA".

11. Kindly note: once his Steele ties were brought to light, Ohr was REASSIGNED. So the FBI promptly acted even when, quite frankly, it wasn't necessary. but, transparency and objectivity above all, so he was reassigned. And he provided Congress with new details re: reassignment.

12. All of the above literally DESTROYS Trump and the Trump lackey wagon conspiracy theory about the FBI being biased, or the Steele dossier being the reason why the Russia investigation started. And THIS is why Trump detests Ohr and knows he's his sworn enemy.

13. Ohr being an expert in international organized crime, like Steele, is the cherry on the cake. Trump is deeply involved with Russian mafia (see: Semion Mogilevich, whom Ohr faced off against). Mogilevich operatives have used Trump properties to launder millions of $$$.

14. AP truth: " If the FBI’s investigations turn toward Trump’s ties to Russian organized crime, which is entirely foreseeable, Trump may be interested in trying to delegitimize those efforts as he has attempted with other aspects of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe."

15. "If one tracks Trump’s ties to Russia, the name Mogilevich pops up more than any single name, beginning in 1984 when alleged Mogilevich operative David Bogatin bought five condos in Trump Tower for $6 mln in cash." And we know how Trump loves his laundered money.

16. "Over the years, no fewer than 1,300 Trump-branded condos were sold in all cash purchases to anonymous shell companies—the two criteria that set off alarm bells among anti-money laundering authorities." You don't say? The only thing Trump is capable of actually loving? MONEY

17. Based on the above and on the fact Ohr is a Mogilevich specialist who went after him BIG time, I'm sure you can see why Trump has PLENTY of reasons to want to discredit Ohr. Guess who ELSE Trump went after who worked with FBI task force on RU money laundering? LISA PAGE.

18. AP correctly notes: "little attention was paid to what may well be the most interesting item on Page's resume -- her considerable experience prosecuting money laundering cases involving Russian organized crime." Page worked with FBI task force in Budapest vs? DMITRY FIRTASH.

19. And guess who Firtash partnered with? PAUL MANAFORT and Semion Mogilevich. This is where the connection is essential... there's HIGH likelihood that Gates and other Manafort witnesses KNOW what Firtash did with Manafort. You can rest damn well assured Mueller KNOWS all this.

20. This excellent AP story goes on asking an essential question: "Why does Trump risk so much politically by even threatening to pull the security clearances of an active DoJ official without any of the ordinary procedures for doing so?"

21. The answer (obvious at this point) bc Trump is up to his neck in business with Ru organized crime. "Unlike US Mafia, Russian mobsters operate as DE FACTO STATE ACTORS, with high-ranking crime bosses like Mogilevich working WITH AND AT THE BEHEST OF PUTIN."

22. The above from the AP is the best succinct explanation you'll find for how Russian mafia operates and WHY Trump is frantic to keep his ties to Mogilevich hidden. Bc once they surface, they're like direct ties to PUTIN, so the jig is up. That's why he went after Ohr AND Page.

23. The good news here is that Trump is so stupid and so desperate as to have attacked Page and Ohr VERY publicly, thus making his blatant obstruction of justice and witness tampering a public matter. It's possibly an attempt to taint the jury as well, but that's for later.

24. Trump of course (like other criminals) doesn't count on the fact that we figure out the puzzle MUCH faster than he can imagine, and he didn't count on the fact his ties to Mogilevich and Firtash would become obvious via MANAFORT as well. He's got CRS, Cornered Rat Syndrome.

25. Needless to say, this angle makes a Manafort pardon ALL THE MORE damaging. As I've said last week: the pardon thing is POSTURING and nothing but. Even HE knows he CANNOT pardon Manafort, bc Manafort will HAVE TO give full interview without being able to plead the fifth.

26. Manafort can't even think of lying, bc he'll go to jail, and he can't even think of NOT giving the interview, bc he can be held in contempt and put in jail until he complies with the request. So, there's no pardon coming. Not to mention: there are STATE CRIMES awating.

27. In essence, BLOOP! Trump is toast no matter what. Manafort goes to jail no matter what, and at that point, his best interest is to get tennis jail by saying as much as he can to prosecutors. (Reminder: They've already attempted a plea re: DC trial but prosecutors said no).

28. So watch the Manafort trial VERY closely. Watch what happens there. Because this trial? Merely the beginning. Manafort WILL be indicted for NatSec crimes as well. And he holds the financial key to them, bc he's the one who dealt with oligarchs and Firtash.

29. Last point: guess who is a registered foreign agent for Firtash? LANNY DAVIS. As in Cohen's lawyer. Guess who knows all that and will use it against Cohen bc well, Trump campaign, Firtash money, Cohen WAS involved with him, too? That's right, prosecutors.

30. So this is also why Mueller's move to give the Cohen case to SDNY was GENIUS. Bc now BOTH him AND SDNY have a direct avenue to get to Firtash, and thus money laundering for Trump, with direct connection to Manafort., and thus conspiracy. Rest assured: #MuellerIsComing /END.