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deminks

(11,018 posts)
Mon Apr 3, 2017, 04:56 PM Apr 2017

Blackwater founder held secret Seychelles meeting to establish Trump-Putin back channel

Source: Washington Post

The United Arab Emirates arranged a secret meeting in January between Blackwater founder Erik Prince and a Russian close to President Vladi­mir Putin as part of an apparent effort to establish a back-channel line of communication between Moscow and President-elect Donald Trump, according to U.S., European and Arab officials.

The meeting took place around Jan. 11 — nine days before Trump’s inauguration — in the Seychelles islands in the Indian Ocean, officials said. Though the full agenda remains unclear, the UAE agreed to broker the meeting in part to explore whether Russia could be persuaded to curtail its relationship with Iran, including in Syria, a Trump administration objective that would likely require major concessions to Moscow on U.S. sanctions.

Though Prince had no formal role with the Trump campaign or transition team, he presented himself as an unofficial envoy for Trump to high-ranking Emiratis involved in setting up his meeting with the Putin confidant, according to the officials, who did not identify the Russian.

(snip)

The Seychelles encounter, which one official said spanned two days, adds to an expanding web of connections between Russia and Americans with ties to Trump — contacts that the White House has been reluctant to acknowledge or explain until they have been exposed by news organizations.

(end snip)


Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/blackwater-founder-held-secret-seychelles-meeting-to-establish-trump-putin-back-channel/2017/04/03/95908a08-1648-11e7-ada0-1489b735b3a3_story.html?utm_term=.a84cbc918493

37 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Blackwater founder held secret Seychelles meeting to establish Trump-Putin back channel (Original Post) deminks Apr 2017 OP
K&R Solly Mack Apr 2017 #1
Holy shit! fun n serious Apr 2017 #2
Such a shitty spy novel we're living in. Jonny Appleseed Apr 2017 #3
I think... Liberal Jesus Freak Apr 2017 #4
Whoa! 50 Shades Of Blue Apr 2017 #5
Don't forget, DeVos is tied to this bunch also. ret5hd Apr 2017 #6
Yes the Dtrump tower server..... magicarpet Apr 2017 #12
DeVos and Prince are siblings. The secret Trump-Russia server likely communcated with him. L. Coyote Apr 2017 #24
Very kind of you to share that info. I had never heard, and checked after reading it. Shocking! Judi Lynn Apr 2017 #33
True. FailureToCommunicate Apr 2017 #31
The article should say Betsy DeVos's BROTHER, Erik Prince.... LisaM Apr 2017 #7
Exactly, it misleadingly suggests Prince has no relationship with Trump. nt SunSeeker Apr 2017 #13
This message was self-deleted by its author SunSeeker Apr 2017 #14
wait, what? montanto Apr 2017 #17
Every day another revelation. gademocrat7 Apr 2017 #8
Seychelles Bombshells by the Sea Shore.... n/t TygrBright Apr 2017 #9
Truth will out -eventually. vkkv Apr 2017 #10
By Adam Entous, Greg Miller, Kevin Sieff and Karen DeYoung mahatmakanejeeves Apr 2017 #11
Drip, drip, drip. nt SunSeeker Apr 2017 #15
Wow - that's significant. Vinca Apr 2017 #16
I love how trump aides are claiming to be doing their jobs by meeting Ilsa Apr 2017 #18
An awful lot of the $6 Billion missing in Iraq went through Blackwater. . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Apr 2017 #19
aren't citizens forbidden to engage in this sort of activity? didn't he break some laws? Yeah, I KewlKat Apr 2017 #20
Yes, it is a felony. L. Coyote Apr 2017 #25
So -- Pence is also implicated in a felony? That could be helpful. ColemanMaskell Apr 2017 #32
Yes they are illegal, and Trump and his crew don't care. Initech Apr 2017 #27
Despite what others have told you, the meeting itself isn't illegal. Beyond that, it would depend hughee99 Apr 2017 #37
This story worries me... GetRidOfThem Apr 2017 #21
You know how TVs have more than one channel? greyl Apr 2017 #22
Secret channels for putin/drump and drump/Putin to communicate...... magicarpet Apr 2017 #35
That's scary stuff! C Moon Apr 2017 #23
I swear this whole thing is like peeling an onion. Initech Apr 2017 #26
Bad Actor from Bush era. The corruption emanating from Iraq war is destroying our country. delisen Apr 2017 #28
but...but...but...Susan Rice!!!!11111 jpak Apr 2017 #29
This is a must read. dalton99a Apr 2017 #30
K&R UCmeNdc Apr 2017 #34
He is the kind of person that will sell out his country rockfordfile Apr 2017 #36

magicarpet

(14,187 posts)
12. Yes the Dtrump tower server.....
Mon Apr 3, 2017, 05:19 PM
Apr 2017

..... communicated with Russian Alpha Bank - the only other communications by this secret server were with a DeVos controlled computer in Michigan.

L. Coyote

(51,129 posts)
24. DeVos and Prince are siblings. The secret Trump-Russia server likely communcated with him.
Mon Apr 3, 2017, 07:47 PM
Apr 2017

Prince runs Trumps private military force.

Judi Lynn

(160,646 posts)
33. Very kind of you to share that info. I had never heard, and checked after reading it. Shocking!
Tue Apr 4, 2017, 02:17 AM
Apr 2017

Knowing this now adds even more creepiness to this profoundly ugly situation.

Thank you, L. Coyote.

Response to SunSeeker (Reply #13)

mahatmakanejeeves

(57,664 posts)
11. By Adam Entous, Greg Miller, Kevin Sieff and Karen DeYoung
Mon Apr 3, 2017, 05:14 PM
Apr 2017
Blackwater founder held secret Seychelles meeting to establish Trump-Putin back channel

By Adam Entous, Greg Miller, Kevin Sieff and Karen DeYoung

April 3 at 4:29 PM

....
Sieff reported from the Seychelles. Julie Tate, Devlin Barrett, Matea Gold, Tom Hamburger and Rosalind S. Helderman contributed to this report.

Adam Entous writes about national security, foreign policy and intelligence for The Post. He joined the newspaper in 2016 after more than 20 years with The Wall Street Journal and Reuters, where he covered the Pentagon, the CIA, the White House and Congress. He covered President George W. Bush for five years after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Follow @adamentous

Greg Miller covers intelligence agencies and terrorism for The Washington Post. Follow @gregpmiller

Kevin Sieff has been The Post’s Africa bureau chief since 2014. He served previously as the bureau chief in Kabul and had covered the U.S. -Mexico border. Follow @ksieff

Karen DeYoung is associate editor and senior national security correspondent for the Washington Post. Follow @karendeyoung1

Ilsa

(61,705 posts)
18. I love how trump aides are claiming to be doing their jobs by meeting
Mon Apr 3, 2017, 05:57 PM
Apr 2017

With putin surrogates and spies, but I bet they haven't talked this much to any other govt's representatives.

I wonder what 45 will be tweeting on the toilet at 4am tomorrow.

KewlKat

(5,624 posts)
20. aren't citizens forbidden to engage in this sort of activity? didn't he break some laws? Yeah, I
Mon Apr 3, 2017, 06:14 PM
Apr 2017

know is a part of the goldenshowers team, but seriously, aren't these actions illegal?

Initech

(100,108 posts)
27. Yes they are illegal, and Trump and his crew don't care.
Mon Apr 3, 2017, 07:54 PM
Apr 2017

And his supporters don't care that they are breaking the law either.

hughee99

(16,113 posts)
37. Despite what others have told you, the meeting itself isn't illegal. Beyond that, it would depend
Tue Apr 4, 2017, 05:51 PM
Apr 2017

what was specifically discussed. Without more specific info on that, this isn't the "bombshell" people are making it out to be.

GetRidOfThem

(869 posts)
21. This story worries me...
Mon Apr 3, 2017, 07:04 PM
Apr 2017

If Trump needed to establish a back-channel connection via Blackwater in the Seychelles in January before being inaugurated but after the election, then there was no back-channel connection during the campaign, and therefore little chance of secret collaboration, and the whole Russia story falls apart. This is not a good development, unless it is an alternative fact planted by the agent orange administration...

greyl

(22,990 posts)
22. You know how TVs have more than one channel?
Mon Apr 3, 2017, 07:11 PM
Apr 2017

The OP is about one channel, and your if-then logic is faulty.

magicarpet

(14,187 posts)
35. Secret channels for putin/drump and drump/Putin to communicate......
Tue Apr 4, 2017, 05:05 PM
Apr 2017

..... update, discuss strategy and results are no longer viable means of communication because investigative agencies and journalists are hot on their trail. Prince comes along - arranges a clandestine trump/putin meet up - clandestine channels of communication are set up again.

Initech

(100,108 posts)
26. I swear this whole thing is like peeling an onion.
Mon Apr 3, 2017, 07:53 PM
Apr 2017

The more you peel back the layers, the more it stinks, and the more you are likely to cry as a result.

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