“People who obstruct Justice are trying to hide something.” Nick Akerman — Former Assistant Watergate Prosecutor

Former assistant special Watergate prosecutor Nick Akerman says Trump obstructed justice. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

There’s “no question” President Donald Trump was involved in an obstruction of justice in his dealings with former FBI Director James Comey, former assistant special Watergate prosecutor Nick Akerman told CNBC. (See Video below. Thursday June 8 2017)

“The Comey testimony makes that crystal clear,” Akerman said in an interview with “Closing Bell.”

Comey testified before a Senate committee on Thursday that he believed Trump ordered him to drop the probe into former national security advisor Michael Flynn when they spoke in February.

He recalled that the president said:

“I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”

Trump fired Comey on May 9.

“Obstruction of justice is an intent crime. If his intent was to impede, interfere or stop that investigation, that’s obstruction,” Akerman said.

Motive?

What’s more, he thinks there was a motive. He said he doesn’t believe “for a minute” that Flynn had dealings with Russia on his own, without Trump knowing about it. RELATED POST: Former Mossad chief: “Mike Flynn was very experienced. Maybe, he has been thrown under the bus.” “The bottom line is the president is worried that Mike Flynn is going to turn into the next James McCord, the Watergate burglar who wound up getting a heavy sentence and then fingering the people in the White House,” Akerman said. He believes it all adds up to “one big obstruction of justice.”

Russian oligarch in Iceland?

In the interview, David Cay Johnston refers to a Trump’s associate who is Russian oligarch from Iceland in connection with a fraud case. Who is he?

“Recently unsealed federal court records show that Mr. Sater helped the government disrupt an organized crime ring on Wall Street and deal with an unexplained national security matter involving his foreign connections. He was not the only F.B.I. informant in Bayrock’s offices. Another was Salvatore Lauria, an associate of Mr. Sater, who sometimes showed up to work wearing a court-ordered ankle monitor. Mr. Lauria brokered a $50 million investment in Trump SoHo and three other Bayrock projects by an Icelandic firm preferred by wealthy Russians “in favor with” President Vladimir V. Putin, according to a lawsuit against Bayrock by one of its former executives. The Icelandic company, FL Group, was identified in a Bayrock investor presentation as a “strategic partner,” along with Alexander Mashkevich, a billionaire once charged in a corruption case involving fees paid by a Belgian company seeking business in Kazakhstan; that case was settled with no admission of guilt.” [NYT]

The Russian oligarch is Alexander Mashkevich. Now, it is true that “the case was settled with no admission of guilt.” But only because, the Belgian penal code was modified to let the infamous “Trio” off the hook!

In October 1991, Alexandre Machkevitch started a company — Seabeco Belgium — which was a front for the KGB financial operations.

His associated was Patokh Chodiev who is today at the center of an extraordinary political scandal — dubbed Kazakhgate — involving a dozen of high–profile politicians in France and Belgium as well as the Intelligence Services of these countries.

About Nick Akerman

A partner in Dorsey’s New York Office, Nick Akerman is a trial lawyer specializing in both complex civil and criminal cases. He is a nationally recognized expert on computer crime and the protection of competitively sensitive information and computer data. Nick has obtained over 15 injunctions under the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act in various federal courts around the country requiring computer thieves to return stolen computer data and prohibiting the dissemination of the data to competitors. He also consults with clients in developing systems, policies and protocols to protect computer data. Nick speaks and writes regularly on protecting computer data, including in his regular computer data column for the National Law Journal. He has been a featured quoted expert on computer fraud and computer security issues in the New York Times, USA Today, the San Jose Mercury, the Boston Globe, the St. Louis Dispatch, the Sacramento Bee, Forbes, ComputerWorld, CFO Magazine, CNET, CNET Japan, ZDNet, MSN, Internet Week and the Weekly Homeland Security Newsletter. Prior to private practice Nick served as a federal prosecutor. He was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted a wide array of white collar criminal matters, including bank frauds, bankruptcy frauds, stock frauds, complex financial frauds, environmental crimes and tax crimes. Nick was also an Assistant Special Watergate Prosecutor with the Watergate Special Prosecution Force under Archibald Cox and Leon Jaworski. Nick received his JD, cum laude, from Harvard Law School; and his BA, magna cum laude, from the University of Massachusetts. He is admitted to practice in New York, Massachusetts, and the District of Columbia. [DORSEY]

TIMELINE

2013 — As DIA chief, Flynn visited the GRU headquarters in Moscow. He was the first US officer ever allowed inside its headquarters. A second GRU visit was planned but denied. During this trip, he meets Russian diplomat Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak for the first time. February 2014 — Flynn meets Svetlana Lokhova at Cambridge (CIS) April 2014 — Flynn ‘quits’ the Defense Intelligence Agency October 8 2014 — a letter to Flynn from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Office of General Counsel explicitly warns Flynn, as he entered retirement, that he was prohibited by the Constitution from receiving payments from foreign sources without advance permission. Summer 2015 –Flynn meets Trump for the first time after being invited to do so by his team May 2016 — Flynn joins NSO Group as an “adviser” July 15 2016 — Attempted coup in Turkey. Ankara claims Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the US since 1999, masterminded the failed putsch. Extradition requested. Turkey Coup: “CIA Plotters’ Meeting” in Büyükada August 9 2016 — Flynn Intel Group entered into a contract with Inovo, a consulting firm based in the Netherlands. The work focused on Mr. Fethullah Gulen and charter schools in the United States that are associated with Gulen. August 15 2016 — The Flynn – Inovo contract goes into effect. August 15 2016 — Presidential Candidate donald Trump tweets: “I’ve got fresh evidence 13 CIA senior officers helped in Turkey Failed Coup. I will divulge the names in the coming days.” Trump and the Attempted Coup in Turkey : “13 CIA senior officers helped in Failed Coup” August 24 2016 — U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited Turkey. Biden made it clear that an extradition request is a legal matter, not one for the POTUS to decide. September 9 2016 — Inovo BV Payments to Flynn Intel Group $200k September 19 2016 — Flynn met with senior representatives of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government at the Essex House hotel in New York City. Extradition of Gulen discussed. The Turkish officials are Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Energy Minister Berat Albayrak who is the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. October [x] 2016 — Flynn Intel officials presented some of their ‘anti-Gulen’ research to the House Homeland Security Committee. October 10 2016 — Inovo BV Payments to Flynn Intel Group $185k November 8 2016 — Suspicions about Flynn’s ties to the Turkish government were sparked by an op-ed he wrote in the Hill. Flynn calls Gulen ‘shady’ and endorses his extradition. November 10 2016 — Mike Flynn calling for the extradition of Gulen November 10, 2016 — Obama warned Trump about Flynn during their Oval Office meeting November 15 2016 — Inovo BV Payments to Flynn Intel Group $145k November 17 2016 — President-elect Trump intends to pick Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn to be his National Security Advisor November 18 2016 — Flynn becomes Trump’s NSA December 17 2016 — Three experts — including former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove — unexpectedly resigned from their positions at the Cambridge Intelligence Seminar (CIS), amid concerns that the Kremlin is behind a newly-established intelligence journal, which provides funding for CIS. December 28 2016 — Flynn sends text message to Russia Amb. Kislyak to wish him a Merry Christmas. December 28 2016 — Russia Amb. Kislyak replies asking if they can talk on the phone? December 29 2016 — US expels Russian diplomats over cyber attack allegations. The Obama administration said the GRU is responsible for the DNC hack. December 29 2016 — Flynn and Russia Amb. Kislyak phone calls (5?). US sanctions are discussed. December 30 2016 — Putin announced that he would not retaliate. Trump praised Putin for the decision, writing in a Twitter post, “Great move on delay (by V.Putin). I always knew he was very smart!” Jan 5 2017 — “Effective immediately, Ambassador Woolsey is no longer a Senior Advisor to President-Elect Trump or the Transition.”Woolsey said on CNN that he did not want to “fly under false colors” any longer. January 24 2017 — Mike Flynn interviewed by the FBI (At the White House; No lawyer) January 24 2017 —Sally Yates, the former acting attorney general, again raised the issue with FBI Comey, who now backed away from his opposition to informing the White House. January 26 2017 — Yates and a senior career national security official spoke to McGahn, the White House counsel. Yates tells the White House counsel that Flynn is vulnerable to blackmail by Russian intelligence.Yates considered Flynn’s comments in the intercepted call with Russia Amb. Kislyak to be “highly significant” and “potentially illegal” January 27 2017 — Yates and McGahn second meeting. McGahn wants to know 4 Things. Why the DOJ cares? Is there a criminal case? Could the White House decision be interpreted as interference? What and where is the evidence against Flynn? January 27 2017 — Trump invites Comey for dinner. Trump requests “pledge of loyalty”. January 30 2017 — Sally Yates dismissed by President Trump February 13 2017 — (Monday night) National Security Adviser Mike Flynn resigns February 14 2017 — Trump asks Comey to drop the investigation on Flynn March 8 2017 — Flynn Intel Group Inc filed retroactive documents with the Department of Justice to register as a foreign agent. March 24 2017 — WSJ breaks the news of the September 19 meeting (Woolsey). The meeting was however mentioned in the documents filed on March 8 2017. March 25 2017 — Julliette Kayyem (CNN) suggests Flynn made a deal with the FBI May 9 2017 — CNN reported that a grand jury had begun issuing subpoenas to associates of Michael Flynn May 9 2017 — Comey is dismissed by PresidentTrump May 10 2017 —The Senate Intelligence Committee issued a subpoena to Mike Flynn May 16 2017 — Memos reveal Trump asked FBI Comey to drop Flynn investigation May 17 2017 — Robert Mueller appointed special Prosecutor

Nick Akerman: There’s Something That Michael Flynn Knows That Has Trump Extremely Nervous

REFERENCES

Donald Trump Settled a Real Estate Lawsuit, and a Criminal Case Was Closed — NYT

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There’s Something That Michael Flynn Knows That Has Trump Extremely Nervous