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GOP Cong Gohmert questioned ex-Ukraine minister WRT CIA's Ciaramella, alleged whistleblower
washingtonexaminer.com ^ | November 04, 2019 | Kerry Picket & Jerry Dunleavy

Posted on 11/05/2019 3:31:19 AM PST by 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---


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: 2014; 201604; 20160412; 2016election; 20191022; ae; americanselect; arno; banker; bielkova; billclinton; christophersteele; cia; ciaramella; ciaramello; ciasciaramella; compassrose; davidkramer; dinner; dougschoen; ericciaramella; exukraineminister; financeminister; foreignagent; gohmert; hillaryclinton; jaresko; kramer; lepainquotidien; louiegohmert; luncheon; markzaid; mi6; nataliejaresko; nsc; olgabielkova; pinchuck; puertorico; restaurant; rumorblower; schoen; steeledossier; ukraine; ukrainianbanker; victorpinchuk; whistleblower
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To: Liz

APRIL 18, 2016 : (CONTRACTOR ACCESS TO ONGOING FISA INTELLIGENCE IS CUT OFF —See ADM MIKE ROGERS)


21 posted on 11/05/2019 8:11:36 AM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
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To: Liz

April 19, 2016: Mary Jacoby, wife of FusionGPS founder Glenn Simpson, shows up on White House visitor logs meeting with Obama officials.


22 posted on 11/05/2019 8:12:20 AM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
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To: Liz

APRIL 2016 : (UKRAINE : GEORGE KENT WRITES TO THE UKRAINIAN PROSCUTOR’S OFFICE TRYING TO GET THEM TO DROP INVESTIGATION OF SOROS-BACKED GROUP ) -— US Embassy pressed Ukraine to drop probe of George Soros group during 2016 election, The Hill,| 03/26/19 06:00 PM EDT | JOHN SOLOMON, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR Posted on ?3?/?26?/?2019? ?8?:?55?:?02? ?PM by E. Pluribus Unum


23 posted on 11/05/2019 8:13:56 AM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
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APRIL 29, 2016 : (EMERGENCY DNC MEETING OF DWS, PERKINS COUIE LAWYER SUSSMAN... 4 DAYS LATER, ON MAY 4, SUSSMAN CALLS IN CROWDSTRIKE)


24 posted on 11/05/2019 8:14:57 AM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
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To: Liz

APRIL 20, 2016 : (ADMINISTRATORS OF HER YAHOO ACCOUNT INFORM ALEXANDRA CHALUPA [see ERIC CIAMERELLA] THAT “STATE-SPONSORED ACTORS” WERE TRYING TO HACK INTO HER EMAILS [UM... SINCE WHEN DO ACCT ADMINISTRATORS EVER SAY THAT?] AND A WEEK LATER SHE APPEARS ON A PANEL WITH A GROUP OF UKRAINIAN JOURNALISTS AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WHICH WAS SPONSORED BY A US CONGRESSIONAL AGENCY CALLED “OPEN WORLD LEADERSHIP CENTER” ) -— Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump backfire, www.politico.com, https://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/ukraine-sabotage-trump-backfire-233446


25 posted on 11/05/2019 8:26:38 AM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
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To: piasa

APRIL 8, 2016 : (ROMANIAN HACKER “GUCCIFER” a/k/a MARCEL LAZAR LEHEL ARRIVES IN VA, FACES CHARGES)


26 posted on 11/05/2019 8:49:37 AM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
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To: Zathras
Is his good friend Sean Hannity going to question him about this the next time Schoen appears on his radio program?

-PJ

27 posted on 11/05/2019 9:02:24 AM PST by Political Junkie Too (Freedom of the press is the People's right to publish, not CNN's right to the 1st question.)
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To: Liz

Doug Schoen’s part of a Soros-backed group called Americans Elect


28 posted on 01/31/2020 4:36:27 AM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
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To: Liz

Who is behind Americans Elect(Soros trying to keep power)
9/30/2011, 3:03:06 AM · by Watchdog85 · 16 replies
Mark Armerica.com ^ | 29 September 2011 | Mark America
A friend sent me an interesting Youtube video a couple of days ago, and I’ve been spending some time watching it and thinking about it. It’s a video from PBS consisting of an interview by Judy Woodruff of Doug Schoen and Elliot Ackerman, two of the principals of this group. As I listened to them, this all sounded very enticing on its surface, but the longer they spoke, the more I began to wonder about who is behind all of this. It seems like an effort to circumvent the ordinary electoral process, and when I think of that notion, the...


29 posted on 01/31/2020 4:41:01 AM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
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To: piasa

Americans Elect: Obama’s Third-Party Tar Pit
3/15/2012, 12:04:38 PM · by jmstein7 · 14 replies
American Thinker ^ | January 3, 2012 | Jared E. Peterson
The real action that may well decide our next president is quietly going on elsewhere, in the state offices that qualify candidates and parties for the November 2012 presidential ballot. You may not have heard much about a shadowy group called “Americans Elect” (it does not disclose its contributors because of alleged concerns that they might suffer loss of business or social contacts, and because it fancifully but only occasionally declares itself to be a 501[c] [4] tax-exempt organization [though it has qualified as a political party for ballot position in multiple states including Ohio, California, Nevada, and Arizona, which...

Get Ready for Candidate No. 3: The Americans Elect gambit
2/19/2012, 5:52:29 PM · by BuckeyeTexan · 18 replies
Weekly Standard ^ | 02/27/2012 | Michael Warren
(...) At a time of widespread dissatisfaction with Congress and the White House, the folks at Americans Elect see an opening for a popularly nominated presidential candidate. As Kahlil Byrd, the organization’s chief executive officer, recently told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday, “The issues and the ideas that will take the country to a better place are pretty obvious to the American people. They don’t seem to be obvious in the governing that we have in Washington.” (...) Here’s how the nominating process works: Any registered voter can sign up on the Americans Elect website to become an official...


30 posted on 01/31/2020 4:45:53 AM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
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To: Liz

Is this how Obama win will be guaranteed? Group with ties to president engaged in 3rd party drive.
1/6/2012, 3:01:05 PM · by tutstar · 43 replies
Klein Online ^ | 1 6 2012 | Aaron Klein
AE has reportedly raised more than $22 million so far and has already been certified to be placed on the ballot in 12 states now, including California. To getting on state ballots, AE evidenced mass organizing skills. The group says it collected over 2 million signatures nationwide in its effort to get on state ballots. KleinOnline found that two of AE’s board members, Kellen Arno and Michael Arno, were paid by the group for helping to run the massive signature gathering drive via their firm, Arno Political Consultants. Michael Arno is senior adviser to the Podesta Group lobbying and public...

Americans Elect: Obama’s Third-Party Tar Pit
1/3/2012, 6:14:38 PM · by Neil E. Wright · 11 replies
American Spectator ^ | January 3, 2012 | Jared E. Peterson
Anyone with the remotest interest in replacing Barack Obama as America’s president in 2012 should take his eyes off Iowa and the boring ups and downs of the race for the Republican nomination.The real action that may well decide our next president is quietly going on elsewhere, in the state offices that qualify candidates and parties for the November 2012 presidential ballot. You may not have heard much about a shadowy group called “Americans Elect” (it does not disclose its contributors because of alleged concerns that they might suffer loss of business or social contacts, and because it fancifully but...


31 posted on 01/31/2020 4:48:03 AM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
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To: piasa
Texas Repub Gohmert: “Ms. Jaresko, are you aware of Ukrainian parliamentarian Bielkova's April 12, meetings with
Liz Zentos and Eric Ciaramella of Obama's National Security Council?” Jaresko said she was not aware of any meetings.

SOURCE citizenfreepress

(hat tip Paul Sperry)

Pictured is putative whistleblower, Obama CIA operative, Eric Ciaramella, in glasses, in a 2015 photo, taking notes
alongside Biden adviser Michael Carpenter & NSC's Liz Zentos in the Obama WH w/ Ukrainian officials.
Carpenter later appeared in Biden's infamous video demanding "the Ukranian son of a bitch prosecutor" be fired.

32 posted on 01/31/2020 4:56:18 AM PST by Liz (used of money Our side has 8 trillion bullets; the other side doesn't know which bathroom to use.)
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To: All
Democrat Doug Schoen, a Clinton crony, arranged Washington meetings for Bielkova on behalf of Pinchuk (who hired Schoen). Meetings included one with Ciaramella and his then-boss Zentos (Zentos is now political and economic chief at the US Embassy in Tblisi). Clintonite Schoen began foreign lobbying work for Pinchuk @ $40,000 per month beginning in 2000; Schoen arranged April 2016 meetings for Bielkova with national security professionals, including Ciaramella, at Pinchuk's behest. NOTE: Schoen’s filing under the Foreign Agents Registration Act stated he didn’t attend meetings personally.....but that the meeting topic was “the Ukrainian progress in energy reform, and steps to be taken to increase energy independence.”

Clintons getting 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.


<><> Ukrainian oligarch Pinchuk donated from $10-25 million to the Clinton Foundation between 1994-2005.
<><> Pinchuk hired Clinton pollster Doug Schoen @$40,000 per month in 2000. In 2004, Schoen introduced Pinchuk to Hillary.
<><> Schoen set-up nearly a dozen meetings between Pinchuk and senior State Dept officials between Sept 2011 and Nov 2012.
<><> FOIA Emails show billionaire oligarch Pinchuk invited to dine at Secy of State Hillary's home despite denials they met.

<><> 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.

Chelsea Clinton and Viktor Pinchuk in Kiev, Ukraine 8/21/16.

<><> 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----Pinchuk and Hillary at a Ukraine forum discussing regime change, exiting Russia, (Ukrainian
progress in energy reform?)....and hitting up the US for more foreign aid from shoo-in Hillary.

33 posted on 01/31/2020 5:07:48 AM PST by Liz (used of money Our side has 8 trillion bullets; the other side doesn't know which bathroom to use.)
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To: Liz

From the article:

“President Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton received $115,000 last year to participate in two panel discussions for Ukrainian steel magnate Victor Pinchuk’s foundation, The Washington Post reported.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/391967-bolton-paid-over-100k-to-participate-in-panel-talks-tied-to-ukrainian


34 posted on 01/31/2020 6:08:29 AM PST by EVO X
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To: EVO X

35 posted on 01/31/2020 6:10:53 AM PST by Liz (Our side has 8 trillion bullets; the other side doesn't know which bathroom to use.)
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To: Liz

LOL. I didn’t realize this was old news.


36 posted on 01/31/2020 6:27:57 AM PST by EVO X
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