Putin is 'picture of corruption': US Treasury official

[Little Tich]

Source: Yahoo! News / AFP

London (AFP) - A senior US Treasury official has directly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of corruption, in a BBC programme.

The US government imposed sanctions against a number of Kremlin insiders in 2014 after Russia's annexation of Crimea in Ukraine, but did not accuse Putin of direct involvement in corruption.

However, during a Panorama investigation into Putin's "secret riches", Adam Szubin, the acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the US Treasury said Putin was a "picture of corruption".

"We've seen him enriching his friends, his close allies, and marginalising those who he doesn't view as friends using state assets," Szubin, who oversees US Treasury sanctions, told the Panorama programme, in an unusually strong statement from the government on Putin's personal finances.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/putin-picture-corruption-us-treasury-offical-200629826.html

[Mnemosyne]

1. So Putin is exactly like many politician here. nt

[rusty quoin]

5. And he is admired by many politicians here.

This guy would score high on a psychopathology test, and republicans here love him.

[63splitwindow]

7. exactly correct...

repugs love to believe President Obama is Putin's whipping boy. Scum traitors.

[Mnemosyne]

48. Psychopaths all over hold too many positions of power. And no conscience between them all. nt

[840high]

10. xactly

[Bernin]

2. Boy that is a hoot!

Coming from a "US Treasury Official". Considering the US treasury was drained beyond repair to bail out a bunch of crooked, mostly European, bankers.

When is the last time anyone actually saw some gold in Fort Knox???

This comedy writes itself.

[rusty quoin]

9. Are you a go back on the gold standard guy? A libertarian? I'm laughing at you.

[Bernin]

14. Laugh away.

ink on paper is not very nutritious and always has a way of becoming worthless.

Fractional Reserve Currency established so each consecutive generation works harder for less.

Hrmmm,
Not sure that's a real Democratic principle that you're pushing there. But if it makes you smile please proceed.

[rusty quoin]

18. I do laugh at libertarian thinking, that we need to reexamine everything like nothing was ever

learned, and start a new society based on libertarian thinking so we can get to the point that we say, "our society sucks so bad and we need regulation."

Even the pilgrims had rules.

[Bernin]

20. Correct me if I'm wrong. (I'm not)

But, was it not Nixon that abolished the gold standard?
Of what party was he a member???

And what's with the Libertarian tangent you're on? Where did that come from?

[rusty quoin]

21. When is the last time anyone actually saw some gold in Fort Knox???

[Bernin]

24. A good question.

If it's there why not let the Senators that have asked to see it, see it?

Since you assume I'm Libertarian I'm going to assume you're a Nixon Republican by your failure to address that a Republican abandoned the gold standard.

See how that works?

[rusty quoin]

26. FDR took us off that in 1933

It was important in ending the Great Depression .

[Bernin]

29. Not really.

FDR issued silver certificates. You could still demand that the bank give you silver for your paper currency.

Edited to add:
It even stated as such on the bills.

[rusty quoin]

30. I have silver certificates

[Bernin]

31. I'm old.

But, not that old.

[rusty quoin]

32. When I was a teenager, I worked in my dad's diner, and I collected things like that.

I still have them.

[Bernin]

33. I have a lot of old coins.

The only collectible paper currency I have is a One Deception Note with W's picture on it.

[happyslug]

46. But Congress has made it a law that all you get is a Regular Federal Reserve Note.

Technically till 1968 you could trade in Silver Certificates for Silver (Silver only after 1964, Silver Coins before 1964) but since 1968 all you would get is a Federal Reserve Note of the same amount (i.e a One Dollar Silver Certificate will get you a One Dollar Federal Reserve Note).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_certificate_(United_States)#End_of_the_silver_certificates

Sorry, the Courts have long ruled that such bills, Gold Certificates or Silver Certificates, can be only exchanged for the same amount of Federal Reserve Notes.

Since the time of the gold recall legislation the United States Treasury has issued gold certificates to the Federal Reserve Banks. The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to "prescribe the form and denominations of the certificates". Originally, this was the purpose of the Series of 1934 Certificates which were issued only to the banks and never to the public. However, since the 1960s most of the paper certificates have been destroyed, and the currently prescribed form of the "certificates" issued to the Federal Reserve is an electronic book entry account between the Federal Reserve and the Treasury. The electronic book entry system also allows for the various regional Federal Reserve Banks to exchange certificate balances among themselves.

As of December 2013 the Federal Reserve reported holding $11.037 billion face value of these certificates. The Treasury backs these certificates by holding an equivalent amount of gold at the statutory exchange rate of $42 2/9 per troy ounce of gold, though the Federal Reserve does not have the right to exchange the certificates for gold. As the certificates are denominated in dollars rather than in a set weight of gold, any change in the statutory exchange rate towards the (much higher) market rate would result in a windfall accounting gain for the Treasury.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_certificate

[geek tragedy]

38. Fuck Ron Paul nt

[Yavin4]

3. Yes, but his picture is very handsome and masculine

[rusty quoin]

6. narcissism is one of the traits of a psychopath.

[Bernin]

8. I certainly

would not consider camo pants fashionable enough to make one narcissistic.

[rusty quoin]

16. Are you kidding me? His shirt off riding a horse...why would he do that?

It was a beauty picture . The camo pants are macho. If Putin were gay, he would do the same thing. Maybe he is gay. I don't know. He sure acts like he hates gay people.

[Bernin]

17. Are we looking at the same picture?

I don't see a horse.

[rusty quoin]

19. He did a shirt off horse pic. You still like him?

[Bernin]

22. I like horses.

Think they are majestic animals. Not going to hate anyone for riding a horse without a shirt. If my shirt gets soaked with sweat I take it off too.
Not sure anyone would want to see a picture of me that way though.

[rusty quoin]

23. LOL. You are playing me I just figured out,

because anyone with sense would not back a Putin beauty pageant. Well played my friend.

[Bernin]

25. It's been fun.

Thanks for the volley.

Slow night over here.



Go Bernie!

[rusty quoin]

28. Ha ha, good show

[Bernin]

15. Don't forget

the bill boards that had Bushie's picture and the term "Our Leader" on the highways all over the country.

[newthinking]

4. Quick! Look over there! PUTIN!

[840high]

11. Where? D.C.?

[ctsnowman]

36. Exactly!

[HeiressofBickworth]

27. For a description of the level of corruption

surrounding the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, see Vanity Fair, February 2014 article, Putin's Run For Gold.

From the article:

"At $50 billion and counting, the 2014 Winter Olympics, in Sochi, will be the most expensive Olympic Games ever. Intended to showcase the power of Vladimir Putin's Russia, they may instead highlight its problems: organized crime, state corruption, and the terrorist threat within its borders."

"Beneath every modern Russian achievement lies a hidden story that may be more telling. In Sochi, the hidden story is about Putin, and about the small circle around him, who have profited handsomely from the construction."

"Putin has built himself two massive chalets, two helipads, a power station and two ski lifts, servicing surrounding peaks, According to UNESCO, the Russian state built a private dacha on a UNESCO site under the guise of conducting meteorological research."

According to the article, his circle of friends started in St. Petersberg and have followed him to Moscow, all the while, reaping the rewards of government contracts.

It's an interesting read.

[KG]

34. that russia. it's like a whole 'nother country!

[stonecutter357]

35. republicans love him.

[Nihil]

37. Did the "Senior US Treasury Official" manage to keep a straight face when he said that?

Seriously?

What next? A Nigerian Banker calling J.P.Morgan's CEO "corrupt"?

A pot calling the kettle "black"?




> "We've seen him enriching his friends, his close allies, and marginalising
> those who he doesn't view as friends using state assets"

Presumably whilst working for the US administration with his eyes shut?

[geek tragedy]

39. Are you claiming Barack Obama's administration has levels of corruption

similar to that of Putin's regime?

[Nihil]

40. I am not singling out Obama's administration at all.

He decided (or was "encouraged&quot to retain sufficient numbers of Bush
officials across the board so I would say that, in general, his administration
is as corrupt as his various predecessors - yes, including Clinton, Bush I and
going back as far as the patronage policies ("Oh, that's not corruption&quot of
the Founding Fathers.

There have undoubtably been worse ones.
There may or may not have been better ones.
Neither of those - nor your specific charge - are my point.

I am saying that a "Senior US Treasury Official" is in absolutely no position
to make comments about corruption as that person has been wading through
it for their entire career - regardless of who is sat in the Oval Office.

[LanternWaste]

42. I see no reason why one person covered in mud would be unable to observe

"I am saying that a "Senior US Treasury Official" is in absolutely no position to make comments about corruption..."

I see no reason why one person covered in mud would be unable to observe and comment on someone else covered in mud. Unless of course, you predicate all criticism on purity and righteousness of ethics rather than validity of observation, testing and measurement).

("Shooting the messenger" is a subdivision of the ad hominem logical fallacy. Source: Patrick Hurley, A Concise Introduction to Logic)

[geek tragedy]

45. so you have examples of President Obama diverting state resources to enrich

his allies? Of abusing the legal process to persecute political enemies?

[pampango]

41. "Putin is a human rights abusing oligarch. The British left must speak out" (and 'whataboutery').

A rightwing authoritarian leader who attacks civil liberties, stigmatises lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, indulges in chauvinistic nationalism, is in bed with rapacious oligarchs, and who is admired by the European and American hard right. Leftwing opposition to Vladimir Putin should be, well, kind of an obvious starting point.

Putin has become something of an icon for a certain type of western rightwinger. Donald Trump is a fan: when Putin called the rightwing demagogue a “very colourful, talented person”, Trump called it a “great honour” and described Russia’s strongman as “a man highly respected within his own country and beyond”. When challenged on the alleged role of Moscow in the murder of journalists, Trump engaged in what is typically known as “whataboutery” (or the “look over there!” approach to debate), responding: “Our country does plenty of killing also.”

Last year, a delegation of French rightwing MPs visited Russia to fight “disinformation from western media”, and Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front which was given a multimillion-euro loan from a Russian bank – is a Putin fan. Our own Nigel Farage assailed opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, suggesting Putin was “on our side” in the war against terrorism, while Ukip MEP Diane James celebrated him as a strong leader and for being “very nationalist”.

But for universalists – those of us who believe democracy, freedom, human rights and social justice are universal principles that all humans should enjoy, irrespective of who or where they are – that shouldn’t be good enough. We shouldn’t have to wait for a possible western-Russian alliance in, say, Syria to speak out. We should express our solidarity with Russia’s embattled democrats and leftists.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/26/vladimir-putin-russia-oligarch-british-left-speak-out

[uhnope]

47. yep, funny how a seeming majority on DU use the same “whataboutery” tactic as Trump. nt

[MariaThinks]

43. what about 5 members of our supreme court? and the GOP governor of Wisconsin?

[Bradical79]

44. Yup. There's a reason Republicans send conflicting messages

when talking about Putin and Russia. They both admire and envy him. He's basically a superior version of Bush, but playing for another team.