December 29, 2019

"President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia called President Trump on Sunday to thank him for a tip from American intelligence agencies that helped prevent a terrorist attack in Russia..."

"... the Kremlin said in a statement.... [T]he Federal Security Service, the main successor agency to the K.G.B., told Russian media it had detained two suspects preparing an attack on a crowded location in the northern city of St. Petersburg on New Year’s Eve....  Some of the terrorist groups tracked by the United States have also targeted Russia for years, among them the Islamic State. In 2015, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for blowing up a Russian airliner over Egypt, killing all 224 people aboard.... In 2011, the Federal Security Service warned the F.B.I. that an immigrant from Russia living in Boston, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, had associated with Islamist militants. The F.B.I. investigated the tip but closed the case after finding no proof. Two years later, Mr. Tsarnaev and his brother Dzhokhar detonated homemade bombs at the Boston Marathon."

The NYT reports.

58 comments:

Maillard Reactionary said...

Good for them, and us. Obviously the Russians have their own agenda but one place where our agendas overlap is the conflict between civilization (however compromised) and Islamic barbarism.

I think we can assume that the Russians will do a thorough job of "rolling up" whatever network that was involved in this aborted plot. That sort of thing is a specialty of theirs.

Narr said...

Well I never. If this doesn't prove RUSSIAN COLLUSION nothing ever will.

Narr
Not that Putin can't do "terrorism" pretty good hisself

n.n said...

Tump and Putin hold the high ground. Good for Russia. After Libya, there was a real risk of progressive distrust, and nations would choose to cancel America.

mockturtle said...

We and Russia share a common enemy.

Achilles said...

Russia has tipped us off to attacks too.

But the FBI was too busy with other things.

stevew said...

See, See!!! He's a Russian agent!

Good for Trump (and Putin), that is one part of how you build trust and create allies.

TJM said...

I guess President Trump is using Hillary’s “reset button!”

Leland said...

This is civility that isn't bullshit.

Jon Ericson said...

Inga's take will be Lit AF.

Wince said...

Trump had the "flexibility" before his reelection to publicly help Russia because what he did was in both countries' interest.

Which makes you wonder why Obama covertly assured Putin he'd have to wait until after 2012 US presidential election in order to have the "flexibility" to help Russia.

TJM said...

Wince, because Obama’s raison d’etre was undermining US interests

William said...

Putin knows how to play the game. I predict he will praise Trump extravagantly and thank Trump for all the many favors he has done for Russia since becoming President. Putin's larger goal is to see Biden, who will ban fracking win the Presidency. Fortunately Democrats are very sharp and sophisticated and will see right through these clumsy ploys. Bernie Sanders will be first on board to denounce Putin's cynical maneuvers, and it don't rain in Indianapolis in the summertime.

Michael K said...

Putin knows how to play the game

Oh, yes. He is trolling Democrats while hoping they can win and stop fracking.

narciso said...

Mccabes job was to put the tsarnaevs on thewatch list.

Narayanan said...

Robert Mueller headed the FBI for exactly 12 years, the second longest in history, following legislation in 2011 that extended his tenure by two years.

Narayanan said...

Putin want USA help to industrialize Russian economy. He can then use currently excess energy for Russian use instead of exporting it.

traditionalguy said...

The eternal problem has been and still is that Russia controls third of the world's resources and has built a military that will fight to the death to defend its land. Compare that fact to the EU or the USA which combined we are not as great without arranging some way to control Russian power.Russia actually sees themselves as the spiritual successor to the Eastern Roman Empire and has the Orthodox Church and a Caesar ( spelled Czar) to prove it.

Trump is a realist.

robother said...

A new whistleblower's report is even now on its way to Adam Schiff. Third Article of Impeachment to follow, as soon as the next Congressional session begins. Cue Rachel Madcow in three, two, one.....

rcocean said...

Putin is thanking Trump.
We all know what that means.

Putin is evil, the world's worst.
He likes Trump and thanks him.
Therefore, Trump is evil.

Liberal logic.

effinayright said...

William said...
Putin knows how to play the game. I predict he will praise Trump extravagantly and thank Trump for all the many favors he has done for Russia since becoming President. Putin's larger goal is to see Biden, who will ban fracking win the Presidency. Fortunately Democrats are very sharp and sophisticated and will see right through these clumsy ploys. Bernie Sanders will be first on board to denounce Putin's cynical maneuvers, and it don't rain in Indianapolis in the summertime.
****************************

should there be a /sarc after the above?

If not, how will Pres. Biden ban fracking on private land? Will he use a phone and a pen?

You think all the states that have huge oil and gas industries are gonnna just roll over? Or the states that benefit from plentiful and cheap gas and electricity will not object? Or that their Congressional reps and senators are simply gonna hide under their desks?

OTOH, a Preident Bernie will save the day y NOT banning fracking?

huh?

Earnest Prole said...

Could there be any more conclusive proof Trump is Putin's buttboy?

Ken B said...

Waiting for homophobic talking head Colbert to make a cockhoster joke ...

narciso said...

Russians have fighting chechnya for 25 years, grozny the capital now headed by kadrov literally means fortress in russian

rhhardin said...

Deals that benefit both sides. The basis of wealth.

rcocean said...

Shouldn't Trump be declaring war on Russia?
Instead of being thanked by Putin.

10,000 nuclear warheads shouldn't get in the way.
Of doing the right thing.

Hopefully, Joe Biden will start WW III
That will show Putin.

More Liberal Logic.

narciso said...

Grozny was built by yermolov, senior commander in the first war in chechnya in 1819,

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

KGB up to no good in Green Bay https://www.wbay.com/content/news/Former-Packer--566358831.html

bagoh20 said...

There is something terribly nefarious about this. I'm not deranged enough to figure it out, but we'll hear what it is soon.

Iman said...

Ridding the world of terrorists is a worthy endeavor, whoever does it.

Bay Area Guy said...

Putin!

Howard said...

So, the incompetent American Deep State foiled a terrorist attacks in Russia that makes their two worse enemas look good. We're not getting the whole story.

Charlie Eklund said...

The FBI. Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity or Folly, Bunkum and Idiocy? Since Ruby Ridge and Waco, more of the latter, tragically. And unless they’re called to account, we can only expect more of the same. Tragically.

narciso said...

Like beslan or nord ost or riyadh al salih black widows. It only takes one to succeed

Paul said...

But but but... is Trump interfering with Russia???

Impeach!!

traditionalguy said...

Reality based Russia relations would take into account that Russia did not interfere in our 2016 Presidential election. But the United Kingdom , Italy and Australia interfered big time at the Request of the CIA. They blithely committed acts of war against the United States. Putin just watched it to see if Trump could beat the CIA.

Dude1394 said...

Russia should be our ally against China. All of the democrats and neocons trying to push us into a conflict are, as usual, self serving and do not out the country first.

Narr said...

Nyet, narciso. "Grozny" is fearful or dreadful (Ivan Grozny). Fortress is "kedrost."

Narr
Synchronicity at work: I was listening to "Slava Rodine" (Tschernetsckij) when this thread came up--superb!

Josephbleau said...

Helping Russia save lives just normalizes Putin.

walter said...

Brennan still has his connections and loyalties...but no molars, alas.

mockturtle said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Visited the USSR in 1974. Glasnost. Shouldn't have. S2 Refused a Visa. Went downtown Fulda...said I was a GummiArbiter. Rubber worker. Shouldn't have. I cannot now remember what I was thinking. I was a stupid kid, a SGT in the US Army. Even before the fall of the Berlin wall, these people were not our enemy. Don't get me wrong, the USSR was. The Russians
weren't. The Russians are wicked stupid. I dig those guys.

Birkel said...

Does that make Putin an American asset?
This is confusing.

Birkel said...

Putin is a Trumpian stooge.
I think that's how this now works.

narciso said...

It was designed as a citadel, thats the confusion, remember that chechen militia leader we nabbed in kyev some time back.

n.n said...

Exchange of intelligence tracking terrorist activity should reassure Russians, if only a little, that the current administration will not Gaddafi them for natural resources and other purposes. The foundation of a working relationship, and a more, perhaps not peaceful per se, but stable world.

narciso said...

Some might argue thats what happened in the yeltsin years, that left a poor taste in the minds of many average russians

Unknown said...

Look, the Russians are brutal. Best friends you could ever have. Do you get it? Best friends you could ever have. Kinda like black guys. Best friends. Know your friends.

Lesa said...

Narr,

Nyet, "fortress" is not "kedrost" (there is no such word). "Fortress" is "krepost" (soft t ending).

Better luck next time.

narciso said...

Russians one might say are unnecessarily brutal from the training regimen (devdochina) to the filtration camps to the zachista method. Thats the type of tactics inparted by instructors in places like algeria and syria

narciso said...

The late jerry pouernelle envisioned n alliance between the superpowrrs he called it the codominium.

Unknown said...

Here's the deal, Narciso. You ponder the theoretical. I value that. I lived the reality. Russians in America are brutal. Best friends

exhelodrvr1 said...

Putin is trolling the Democrats with this.

Bruce Hayden said...

“Russia should be our ally against China. All of the democrats and neocons trying to push us into a conflict are, as usual, self serving and do not out the country first”

The Ruskys have a lot more to lose than we do with the ChiComs. Siberia, stretching across Asia, just north of the Chinese border, contains substantial natural resources, mostly defended just by Russia’s aging nuclear arsenal. The natural resource poor Chinese have 4-5 times the population of Russia, a bigger army, and the bulk of the Russian populace is located in Europe, not Asia. The Chinese can also afford substantial quantities of modern weapons, which the Russians really can’t afford.

Narr said...

Lesa, and all! I stand corrected. Late night (for me) brain fart.

Narr
(Stupid computer . . .)

GingerBeer said...

Does Adam Schiff know?

TJM said...

Inga, we need your valuable insights!

Sam L. said...

Oh NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... Proof, I tell you, PROOF!!!!!!!! that Trump's in league with PootyPoo!!!!!11111111!@!!!!!!!!

narciso said...

no I'm speaking of government policy, zachista is their version of 'self and destroy' filtration is an open pit where they detain and often kill prisoners, their hazing style would probably not be permitted in western militaries,