Tag: Oleg Deripaska

Belarusian model: I gave info on Trump to Russian tycoon

MOSCOW (AP) — A Belarusian model who claims to have information on ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s election campaign told The Associated Press on Friday that she has turned that material over to Russian billionaire businessman Oleg Deripaska.

Anastasia Vashukevich fueled speculation around possible ties between Trump and the Kremlin last year when she posted a video from a police van, saying she had 16 hours of audio and video proving ties between Russian officials and the Trump campaign that influenced the 2016 U.S. elections.

Deripaska denied the allegations and even went to court to seek to remove the video Vashukevich posted in which he discusses U.S.-Russia ties with a senior Russian government official.

View the complete February 1 article by Nataliya Vasilyeva on the Associated Press website here.  Iuliia Subbotovska contributed to this report.

Democrats are zeroing in on Treasury’s Mnuchin

Democrats have a new investigative target: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

The leaders of three powerful House committees are requesting a trove of documents related to the Treasury Department’s decision to lift sanctions on companies tied to Oleg Deripaska, a prominent Russian oligarch linked with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Treasury lifted the sanctions on Deripaska’s United Co. Rusal and two other firms after he agreed to reduce his ownership stake below 50 percent and relinquish control of the firms, according to details of the deal released by the Treasury Department.

View the complete February 1 article by Morgan Chalfant and Olivia Beavers on The Hill website here.

Steven Mnuchin Draws Claims of Conflict of Interest in Decision on Russian Oligarch

Democratic lawmakers raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest on the part of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in his decision to lift sanctions on companies controlled by the Russian oligarch Oleg V. Deripaska. Credit: Yuri Gripas, Reuters

WASHINGTON — Democrats in Congress raised ethical concerns on Tuesday about connections between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and a billionaire Republican donor who stands to benefit financially from the Trump administration’s decision to lift sanctions on the Russian oligarch Oleg V. Deripaska’s companies.

In a letter to Mr. Mnuchin, two senior Democratic lawmakers said the Treasury secretary’s connection to an entertainment business owned in part by the donor, Len Blavatnik, a major investor in Mr. Deripaska’s giant aluminum company, Rusal, was a potential conflict of interest.

“We are seeking an explanation as to how you managed your own potential conflicts of interest arising from your personal and professional relationships with major Rusal shareholder Len Blavatnik, a key beneficiary from your decision to delist Rusal,” the lawmakers, Representative Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland, the chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, and Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said in the letter.

View the complete January 29 article by Kenneth P. Vogel on The New York Times website here.

Deripaska and Allies Could Benefit From Sanctions Deal, Document Shows

An agreement that the companies controlled by the Russian oligarch Oleg V. Deripaska negotiated with the Trump administration may have been less punitive than advertised. Credit: Sergei Karpukhin, Reuters

WASHINGTON — When the Trump administration announced last month that it was lifting sanctions against a trio of companies controlled by an influential Russian oligarch, it cast the move as tough on Russia and on the oligarch, arguing that he had to make painful concessions to get the sanctions lifted.

But a binding confidential document signed by both sides suggests that the agreement the administration negotiated with the companies controlled by the oligarch, Oleg V. Deripaska, may have been less punitive than advertised.

The deal contains provisions that free him from hundreds of millions of dollars in debt while leaving him and his allies with majority ownership of his most important company, the document shows.

View the complete January 21 article by Kenneth P. Vogel on The New York Times website here.

Rebuking Trump, over 130 House Republicans challenge plans to lift sanctions against Putin ally

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Russian metals magnate Oleg Deripaska walk to attend the APEC Business Advisory Council dialogue in Danang, Vietnam, on Nov. 10, 2017. Credit: Mikhail Klimentyev, AP

In a rebuke to the Trump administration, 136 Republicans joined House Democrats Thursday to oppose a Treasury Department plan to lift sanctions against companies controlled by an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The overwhelming 362 to 53 vote will not prevent the Trump administration from easing sanctions on three companies connected to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch with ties to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, as Senate Republicans narrowly blocked a similar measure on Wednesday.

But the House vote does mean that a majority of Republicans on Capitol Hill oppose President Trump’s efforts to soften punitive measures on a Russian oligarch — a rejection with potential implications for the administration’s continued stance on Russia, and for the GOP lawmakers who backed the plan to ease the sanctions.

View the complete January 17 article by Karoun Demirjian and Jeanne Whalen on The Washington Post website here.

GOP senators protect Trump administration’s plan to lift Russian sanctions

Russian metals magnate Oleg Deripaska attends Independence Day celebrations at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador in Moscow in July 2015. Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko, AP

Republican senators Wednesday successfully defended the Trump administration’s plan to lift sanctions on companies controlled by a Vladimir Putin ally — despite the defection of nearly a dozen Republicans who broke ranks to vote with the Democrats.

The Democratic effort to block the relaxation of sanctions on the companies of Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska fell just a few votes shy of the 60 needed to advance the resolution to a final vote, even after attracting the support of eleven Republican senators including Marco Rubio of Florida, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ben Sasse of Nebraska.

The defeat means the Treasury Department is likely to lift the sanctions in the coming days. Treasury, Deripaska and his companies didn’t respond to requests for comment.

View the complete January 16 article by Jeanne Whalen on The Washington Post website here.

Senate effort to block Russia sanctions relief comes up short

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., fell short of 60 votes on his Russia sanctions measure. Credit: Bill Clark, CQ Roll Call file photo

Clear majority of senators supported attempt to maintain sanctions on three Russian firms, but not 60 of them

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer came up just short in his effort to get legislation through the chamber blocking the Treasury Department from easing sanctions on a trio of Russian companies.

Less than 24 hours after securing 57 votes to support a motion to proceed to the joint resolution disapproving of Treasury’s move to lift sanctions on three Russian firms that have been controlled by sanctioned oligarch Oleg Deripaska, the same number of senators voted to limit debate — but that was three short of the 60 needed to cut off debate and get the measure to a final passage vote.

Schumer had been bullish Tuesday night about his chances of getting 60 votes.

View the complete January 16 article by Niels Lesniewski on The Roll Call website here.

Five things to know about Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska

The following article by Max Greenwood was posted on the Hill website April 7, 2018:

© Getty Images

The Trump administration’s decision to hit dozens of Russian oligarchs, companies and government officials with sanctions on Friday took direct aim at those close to President Vladimir Putin.

Among those hit by the penalties was Oleg Deripaska, a billionaire aluminum magnate who once had ties to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Continue reading “Five things to know about Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska”

Drudge’s Russian propaganda pipeline pushes Daily Caller op-ed by close Kremlin ally Oleg Deripaska

The following article by Matt Gertz was posted on the MediaMatters for America website March 9, 2018:

Drudge Report has linked more than 400 times to RT, Sputnik News, TASS since 2012

Conservative website The Daily Caller’s decision to publish an op-ed in which infamous Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska attacks special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into interference with the 2016 presidential election drew harsh criticism from journalists but quickly earned a link on The Drudge Report. Drudge regularly promotes Russian propaganda, providing more than 400 links to the websites of Russian state-media outlets RT, Sputnik, and Tass since 2012.

The incident points to a confluence of interests: Russians seeking to deflect from the scrutiny brought on by the Mueller investigation find a ready audience in American conservatives looking to excuse the shady and allegedly criminal behavior of Trump associates, helped along by right-wing media outlets. Continue reading “Drudge’s Russian propaganda pipeline pushes Daily Caller op-ed by close Kremlin ally Oleg Deripaska”