In 2017, Andrew Intrater donated $250,000 to Trump’s inauguration fund
and, a few months later, donated $35,000 to Trump’s reelection campaign.
Intrater is a cousin of Viktor Vekselberg, a Russian oligarch who was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 for his connections to Putin.
We know that oligarchs play an integral role in funding Russian influence operations.
One oligarch revealed to special counsel Robert Mueller that Putin held quarterly meetings with his oligarchs to discuss strategic spending.
In 2018, a Texas-based firm donated money to House Speaker #Mike#Johnson.
That firm is 88 percent owned by three Russians.
And last week, we learned that Trump Media received loans from a Russian bank to help the company stay afloat before it went public and at a time when no U.S. bank would lend to Trump.
Any donations that might have been made through anonymous LLCs to PACs
—perhaps with attached quid pro quos
—are likely to remain opaque, due to the Supreme Court’s #CitizensUnited decision.
And we cannot say if the financial transactions we do know about are nefarious.
But the pattern paints a disturbing picture, particularly given many 🔸House Republicans’ rabid opposition to Ukraine aid 🔸and Trump’s reported Ukraine peace plan, which would 🔹cede Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine to Russia. 🔹
A similar plan was floated by Paul #Manafort, Trump’s 2016 campaign chairman, and his partner Konstantin #Kilimnik, a Russian intelligence operative, during the 2016 election.
Among the entities promoted by the Voice of Europe propaganda network was Hungary’s Center for Fundamental Rights, which “considers preserving national identity, sovereignty, and Judeo-Christian social traditions as its primary mission.” #CFR is funded by the government of Viktor Orbán and has twice organized a conference in Budapest for the Conservative Political Action Committee, which helps shape policy on the American right.
The #Heritage#Foundation
—which has spearheaded #Project2025, the authoritarian blueprint for a future Republican administration
—has become increasingly cozy with Hungary, and even hosted Orbán privately last month.
It is quite possible, perhaps even likely, that some people who are 🔥on the Russian payroll were at the Heritage event, their role to influence and build support for pro-Russian policies.
We now have overwhelming evidence of 💥vast pro-Russian influence operations throughout Europe 💥that seek to exploit politicians, media personalities, and others—and some of these efforts have been successful.
Here in the United States, while a pattern has emerged, we don’t know the full extent of the influence yet.
👉But it would be foolish, not to mention dangerous, to think we are immune.
