GOP Cong Gohmert questioned ex-Ukraine minister WRT CIA's Ciaramella, alleged whistleblower

washingtonexaminer.com ^ | November 04, 2019 | Kerry Picket & Jerry Dunleavy

[Liz]

A Republican in Congress raised the name of the CIA officer accused of being the Ukraine whistleblower during a congressional hearing about Puerto Rico last month.

Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas asked Natalie Jaresko, Ukraine’s former finance minister, who is now executive director of the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, whether she had any involvement with National Security Council officials in her previous post. He cited an April 2016 meeting at a Le Pain Quotidien restaurant close to the White House between Eric Ciaramella, another White House official, and Ukrainian parliamentarian Olga Bielkova.

A Foreign Agents Registration Act filing shows that the meeting was arranged by Doug Schoen, a longtime Hillary Clinton ally and registered foreign lobbyist for Ukrainian billionaire Victor Pinchuk. The same day, Schoen arranged for Bielkova to meet with David Kramer, who flew to Britain in 2016 to meet former MI6 spy Christopher Steele, author of a dossier containing incendiary allegations about President Trump. Jaresko was testifying before the House Natural Resources Committee on Oct. 22 about Puerto Rico’s debt. An American-born Ukrainian investment banker, she was Ukraine's minister of finance between 2014 and 2016.

Last week, attorneys for the whistleblower who submitted a complaint about Trump's July 25 call with Ukraine's president, prompting the impeachment process to begin, declined to confirm or deny that their client was Ciaramella, 33, a career CIA analyst. After it was reported that Ciaramella was the whistleblower, attorneys Mark Zaid and Andrew Bakaj told the Washington Examiner in a statement: "We neither confirm nor deny the identity of the Intelligence Community Whistleblower."

During the October hearing, Gohmert asked Jaresko: “I'm curious, in your position there in Ukraine — were you aware of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko dispatching Olga Bielkova or any other Ukrainian official to the U.S. in order to conduct an influence campaign on the 2016 election here in the United States?” Jaresko replied she had no “knowledge of that” after she attempted to explain she was only at the hearing to testify about the Puerto Rico board. But Gohmert said her “credibility is an issue” and asked again if she had knowledge of Poroshenko sending Bielkova to the U.S. and how that trip was funded. She responded she did not have answers to either question, noting the trip did not occur when she was minister of finance. “Well, you were there," Gohmert said.

Chairman Raul Grijalva interjected, accusing Gohmert of pursuing conspiracy theories and straying from the subject of the hearing, the Puerto Rico board. Gohmert shot back at the Arizona Democrat, “My clock is still running as the chairman is eating up my time, lecturing me, and trying to cover up this matter,” he said. Texas Republican Gohmert continued: “Well, let me ask you, Ms. Jaresko, are you aware of Ukrainian parliamentarian Bielkova April 12, meetings with Liz Zentos and Eric Ciaramella of the Obama and National Security Council?”

Jaresko said she was not aware of any meetings between them. According to Jaresko, she became the executive director of the Financial Oversight and Management Board of Puerto Rico by being recruited by the members of the board “based on her experience as minister of finance in both the fiscal area and the debt restructuring that I did in Ukraine.”

The day she became finance minister, she was granted Ukrainian citizenship and lived in Ukraine from her initial posting in the U.S. State Department as the economics officer in 1992 until she left and took her current post in 2017.

Later, Gohmert told the Washington Examiner, “Specifically, I asked about an April 12, 2016, meeting between Ukrainian parliamentarian Olga Bielkova and Liz Zentos and Eric Ciaramella of the National Security Council, in which energy issues were discussed. I thought it was prudent to ask Ms. Jaresko on the record and under oath about this meeting, since the time frame and subject align with the concerning reports of Joe Biden and Hunter Biden’s dealings in Ukraine.”

The congressman added: “She said she had no knowledge of this meeting. Ms. Jaresko has previously said of Joe Biden’s relationship with Ukraine: ‘Joe’s role was unique and valuable and will be very hard to duplicate.’ If that is true, then the significance of a meeting like this one cannot be understated.”

Democrat Schoen arranged Washington meetings for Bielkova on behalf of Pinchuk. These included the one with Ciaramella and his then-boss Zentos, now political and economic chief at the U.S. Embassy in Tblisi. Schoen, a Democratic operative who began foreign lobbying work for Pinchuk for $40,000 per month beginning in 2000, arranged April 2016 meetings for Bielkova with national security professionals, including Ciaramella, at the behest of Pinchuk. Schoen’s filing under the Foreign Agents Registration Act stated he didn’t attend these meetings personally and that the topic of the meetings was “the Ukrainian progress in energy reform during the past year and what steps must be done in the future to increase energy independence.”

---snip---

[Liz]

In 2004, Schoen introduced Pinchuk to Bill and Hillary Clinton. Bielkova met with Ciaramella and his colleague, Liz Zentos, then the director for Eastern Europe on the National Security Council, on April 12, 2016, at Le Pain Quotidien, on 17th Street N.W., a block from the White House. The same day, Bielkova also met with State Department official Michael Kimmage and, separately, with Kramer of the McCain Institute. Kramer figures prominently in the Trump-Russia saga — he met with Steele in December 2016 at Heathrow Airport to obtain a copy of the British ex-spy’s unverified dossier and provided information from it to over a dozen journalists after the presidential election.

Pinchuk, the powerful politically connected Ukrainian billionaire oligarch whom Schoen works for, is the founder of Interpipe Group, one of Ukraine’s largest steel producers, EastOne Group, a large London-based international investment firm, and StarLightMedia, Ukraine’s largest broadcasting conglomerate. Pinchuk’s father-in-law is Leonid Kuchma, the Ukrainian president from the mid-1990s through the mid-2000s. Kuchma was widely seen as corrupt, and he controversially privatized and sold a state-run steel factory to Pinchuk in what was considered by some as a sweetheart deal.

Pinchuk was a member of Ukraine’s parliament at about the same time and has continued to use his money and connections to remain active in politics in Ukraine and abroad.

He secretly provided $4 million for a 2012 report carried out by former Obama White House counsel Greg Craig and his law firm, written at the behest of the Kremlin-linked government in Ukraine about the country’s controversial prosecution of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who was tried under President Viktor Yanukovych, a close ally of Paul Manafort. Schoen testified in the trial this summer, and Craig was found not guilty of misleading investigators about his actions in Ukraine this September.

Pinchuk was the founder of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, Ukraine’s largest philanthropic group, which, among other donations, gave an estimated $10 million to $25 million to the Clinton Foundation. The Clintons have traveled on Pinchuk’s private plane, and Pinchuk attended former President Bill Clinton’s 65th birthday party in Los Angeles in 2011.

[wastoute]

Should we be surprised the same names are behind #FusionCollusion?

[Liz]

Ukranian billionaire Pinchuk is the founder of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, Ukraine’s largest (cough) philanthropic group:
<><> the "altruistic" Pinchuk gave an estimated $10-$25 million to Clinton Foundation "charities."
<><> The Clintons have traveled on Pinchuk’s private plane,
<><> Pinchuk attended former President Bill Clinton’s 65th birthday party in Los Angeles in 2011.

AND THIS

Chelsea Clinton and Viktor Pinchuk who donated $29 million to Clinton Foundation in Kiev, Ukraine 8/21/16.

September 2013 -- Clinton Foundation mega-donor, Viktor Pinchuk introes Hillary Clinton paid speech at one of his events
WRT the break with Russia, regime change in Kiev and Moscow, and getting more US foreign aid handouts.

POINTS TO PONDER Was Viktor Pinchuk the Oligarch that the fired Ukrainian prosecutor was investigating?
WRT a $5 billion IMF theft, being investigated simultaneously with Hunter Bidens $3 million salary?

SALIENT POINT: The fired Ukrainian prosecutor was investigating the $5 billion IMF money theft;
he was fired when Joe Biden twisted his arm for investigating (cough) Hunter Biden's Burisma appointment.

HMMMMMMM....Could be Obama was peeved that Hunter only got $3 million of the missing IMF $5 billion?

Or was Hunter----with the expensive cocaine habit-----holding out?

[Liz]

SOURCE: CONSERVATIVE TREEHOUSE | 4/9/2019 | SUNDANCE / FR Posted by bitt

A late day submission to DC Circuit Court in a FOIA case reveals the content of previously unknown James Comey memos.
Sitting president Obama’s entire anti-Trump operation is memorialized in writing:
<><> how Obama’s FBI Director James Comey wrote down the sources and code-names assigned;
<><> how confidential sources engaged with FISA coverage initiated by Obama’s FBI;
<><> names foreign governments assisting Obama and Hillary with their vile efforts;
<><> and the rollout plans for Obama’s phony investigation.....”by the book.”

NOTE During the 2016 campaign Hillary bragged about “foreign governments” supporting her election.

Are these the same “foreign governments” Comey had assisting their efforts to frame Trump? (smirk)

That means Obama and Hillary and the gang were colluding with
foreign governments to meddle in our elections, wouldnt it.......cackle?

[Liz]

Americans demand to know Why this is being withheld from the American people?

Ukraine entered into the “Treaty Between the United States of America and Ukraine on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters,” negotiated then- by President William Clinton and ratified by the U.S. Senate in 2000. The US chief law enforcement officer requested that Ukraine assist our AG in investigating possible criminal activity in 2014 through 2016.

Pres Trump is being impeached for following US law initiated by then-Pres Clinton.

Perhaps the Clintons do not want their activities with Ukraine exposed?

<><> A 2015 WSJ report includes a chart of “foreign donors” to the Clinton Foundation showing “Ukraine” as a top donor among a list of large donors including “foreign individuals and their foundations and companies” while Clinton was secretary of state from Jan. 21, 2009 to Feb. 1, 2013.

<><> Victor Pinchuk, a former Ukrainian parliamentarian and businessman whose father-in-law is a former president of Ukraine is a connected Ukrainian who served two terms as an elected member of the Ukrainian Parliament and is a proponent of closer ties between Ukraine and the European Union.is a connected Ukrainian who served two terms as an elected member of the Ukrainian Parliament and is a proponent of closer ties between Ukraine and the European Union.”

<><> The Clinton Foundation publicly reports, and its foundation spokesman confirmed, that other foreign entities have given more than the Pinchuk Foundation (which is listed as having given between $10 million and $25 million).

<><> Between 2009 and 2013, including when Mrs. Clinton was secretary of state, the Clinton Foundation received at least $8.6 million from the Victor Pinchuk Foundation based in Kiev, Ukraine, the Journal reported.

<><> In 2008, “Mr. Pinchuk made a five-year, $29 million commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative (a wing of the foundation that coordinates charitable projects) “to train future Ukrainian leaders and professionals to modernize Ukraine,” according to the Clinton Foundation.

<><> Several alumni of the Clinton program are current members of the Ukrainian Parliament.

<><> Ukranian Pinchuk was especially generous-—not only blanketing the Clinton Foundation with money, he hired Hillary for a $300,00 speech to help him boost Ukraine’s creds; even Chelsea got into the act.

<><>CIRCA 2013——Ukranian billionaire Viktor Pinchuk hires Hillary to give a speech at a Ukraine forum discussing regime change, exiting Russia....and hitting up the US for more foreign aid.

[Zathras]

Doug Schoen....a regular on Faux News.
He knew this all along that the DNC was actively involved in Ukraine and somehow never mentioned it on Faux.
I suspect those Clinton-DNC tools are on Faux to feed Faux internal investigation data back to Hillary.

More spies.

[Liz]

Nice catch.

[ptsal]

Liz, you got a rolling start this morning. Thanks.

[Liz]

Y/V/W

[John 3_19-21]

Bkmk

[lurk]

Wow, this whole connection spider web reads like a San Fran orgy.

[lakecumberlandvet]

I would just comment that I’ve always thought Doug Schoen is a very sleazy character.

[Liz]

Amen.

[ladyjane]

Natalie Jaresko, Ukraine’s former finance minister, who is now executive director of the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico,

She must be very talented for two very different governments to hire this person. She must be multi-lingual.

[Liz]

Said she was hired for the P/R job due to debt restructuring she did for Ukraine.

[piasa]

April 2016 : () Brennan pushed for a multi-agency investigation of the Trump campaign, using as his pretext alleged intelligence from an unnamed Baltic state. That “intelligence” was supplied at the very moment Baltic officials had their own political motivation to smear Trump.
“Last April [2016], the CIA director was shown intelligence that worried him. It was – allegedly – a tape recording of a conversation about money from the Kremlin going into the US presidential campaign. It was passed to the US by an intelligence agency of one of the Baltic States,” reported the BBC’s Paul Wood.—— John Brennan and Baltic Spies Teamed Up to Defeat Trump, The American Spectator, 03/28/17 | GEORGE NEUMAYR posted on 3/28/2017, 9:54:17 AM by pgkdan

[faucetman]

Still trying to figure out what a “Cong” is. /s

Isn’t like King Kong spelled with a “K”? (actually TWO K’s)

Is Gohmert associated with the Viet-Cong? or the “Cong” Show? /s

Reminds me of one of my favorite songs by The Eagles, “Already Cong”.

[piasa]

APRIL 2016 : (RUSSIAN OLIGARCH VIKTOR VEKSELBERG BUYS SHARE IN THE BLOG PLATFORM ‘ODYSSEY MEDIA,’ ASSISTS THE HILLARY CLINTON CAMPAIGN USING SOCK PUPPET ACCOUNTS) -——The Real Collusion: Russian Oligarch Who Ran Propaganda Against Trump Was Donor to Clinton Foun , GATEWAYPUNDIT, 6/17/2019 | Jim Hoft Posted on ?6?/?18?/?2019? ?12?:?54?:?10? ?AM by bitt

[lodi90]

Doug Schoen....a regular on Faux News.

---

Hannity in particular. Schoen was a near weekly guest back when I bothered to listen/watch Hannity. Interestingly, Schoen’s side business never came up. Now why could that be?

[piasa]

APRIL 2016 : (ADML MIKE ROGERS NOTICES SPIKE IN UNMASKING REQUESTS AGAINST US CITIZENS) In April of 2016, NSA head Mike Rogers noticed the unusually high # of Sec. 702 queries to unmask the names of US citizens being made by the FBI. He investigated & discovered, much to his horror, it was coming from a FBI subcontractor & unmasked names = Trump campaign team. https://twitter.com/drawandstrike/status/951660483798601728