Russia formally charges American citizen with spying

**Bourbon** · 01-03-2019, 10:36 AM

Man-Check Time for Donald Trump!
Time to find out if Trump has the Balls to Stand-Up to his Daddy!

Russia has formally charged U.S,. citizen Paul Whelan with espionage, Moscow’s Interfax news agency is reporting.

“An indictment has been presented. Whelan dismisses it,” an unnamed source told the publication.

Russia’s Federal Security Service, the FSB, revealed earlier this week that Whelan had been detained in Moscow on Dec. 28 on suspicions of spying. Thursday’s reports are the first news of him being formally charged.

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/national-...-spying-report

Here is a much more extensive story about Whelan's dubious background in the NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/03/w...an-russia.html

Something seems off about his story... if he's a Spy, then he's America's Spy ... Right? Or will the Right and Trump leave him swinging in the wind?

**Cypress** · 01-03-2019, 10:42 AM

FSB claims he has been under survellaince for a long time, and that he was busted in the act of espionage.

The guy could have been operating as a NOC spy. Something put him on FSB radar - could be his ex-military background, the fact that he strangely seems to make many trips to Russia, and other factors which are unknown at this time.

Of course, there is the possibility he is totally innocent.

Either way, Trump is basically going to do whatever Putin orders him to.

**archives** · 01-03-2019, 10:48 AM

Set up to get Maria Butina back, down the road there will an exchange and Trump will boast he saved another American

If one was conspiratorial they could imply that the whole thing was orchestrated by both sides to get her out of the US before she reveals information neither want exposed, if it was a Democrat President the demogogues would have inneundos floated all over the place

**dukkha** · 01-03-2019, 11:14 AM

got busted with a thumb drive i heard

**reagansghost** · 01-03-2019, 11:17 AM

weird, haven't heard a peep outta Putin's boy Trump

shocker

**reagansghost** · 01-03-2019, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by archives

Set up to get Maria Butina back, down the road there will an exchange and Trump will boast he saved another American

that is correct, sir

**Bourbon** · 01-03-2019, 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by archives

Set up to get Maria Butina back, down the road there will an exchange and Trump will boast he saved another American

If one was conspiratorial they could imply that the whole thing was orchestrated by both sides to get her out of the US before she reveals information neither want exposed, if it was a Democrat President the demogogues would have inneundos floated all over the place

Russia can have her back, right after she testifies for Mueller ...

**reagansghost** · 01-03-2019, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by Bourbon

Russia can have her back, right after she testifies for Mueller ...

Putin wants her back for one reason.....prison

**Bourbon** · 01-03-2019, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by reagansghost

Putin wants her back for one reason.....prison

He can have The NRA with her ... I don't think there's anyone else to Fuck

**archives** · 01-03-2019, 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by Bourbon

Russia can have her back, right after she testifies for Mueller :

That's the point, both sides want her out before she testifies too much to anyone, just saying if one was a conspiracy driven individual

**Cypress** · 01-09-2019, 12:00 PM

The facts, as I can ascertain them at this point, is that this Whelan guy has a criminal record, was dishonorably discharged from the military, has a security background, and even though he has no Slavic roots or family in Russia seems to have an unusual interest in traveling to Russia and meeting Russians.

In particular, he seems to have tried to cultivate friendships with Russian military and ex-military personal.

At a minimum, that might have made him look suspicious to FSB, and the reason they had him under survellanice - aka, he was ex-US military, had a criminal and security background, and he had a weird fetish for visiting Russia and cultivating friendships with Russian military personnel.

He also has not been formally charged with espionage yet, he has just been detained for suspicion of espionage. So while it is theoretically possible this guy was NOC asset, it seems equally if not more possible this guy maybe was just being a dumb ass, and was exchanging information with his Russian military friends that looked suspicious.