Navalny dead

Age 47.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Trump being Trump - Part 3

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

His eyes are closed

Only because he doesn't want to see it.

President Trump on Friday cast doubt on the consensus from Germany that leading Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny was poisoned in an assassination attempt in Siberia, saying he is waiting to review the evidence.

“We haven’t had any proof yet,” Trump said during a briefing at the White House.

“I would be very angry if that’s the case, so we’ll take a look at the numbers and the documents, because we’re going to be sent a lot of documents over the next few days,” he added.

[...]

Navalny is currently recovering in Germany after being transferred from a hospital in Siberia when he was poisoned last week. Germany’s pronouncement on Wednesday that Novichok was the poison used on the opposition figure received support from Trump administration officials, with White House National Security Council spokesperson John Ullyot tweeting that “Alexei Navalny’s poisoning is completely reprehensible. Russia has used the chemical nerve agent Novichok in the past.”

[...]

The president’s remarks came hours after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said there is “proof beyond doubt” that Navalny was poisoned with the Novichok nerve agent. The NATO head called it a violation of international law that required an international response.

  The Hill

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Pompeo Collinsing over

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday said the U.S. is “deeply concerned” over preliminary conclusions that Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny was poisoned while on his way to Moscow last week.

[...]

“Mr. Navalny’s family and the Russian people deserve to see a full and transparent investigation carried out, and for those involved to be held accountable. Our thoughts are with Mr. Navalny’s family and we hope for his full recovery,” he wrote.

  The Hill

How interesting that this particular charge against the Russians should concern him when the one about putting bounties on American soldiers didn't even raise an eyebrow.

The European Union and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have called for Russia to investigate the circumstances of the apparent attack after a comatose Navalny was transferred from the Russian city of Omsk to Berlin on Saturday.

That would be like asking Bill Barr to investigate Trump.

Pompeo’s statement marks his first public recognition of the situation since Navalny first fell ill Thursday on a flight from Siberia to Moscow.

I guess it's a little hard to ignore when the man is in Germany and German doctors are reporting.

The Kremlin has said the German diagnosis is not conclusive and that there’s no reason yet to launch an investigation, Reuters reported. Moscow categorized as “hot air” allegations that Putin was behind the suspected attack.

Two years ago, the Kremlin drew international outrage when it was accused of poisoning Russian-double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English town of Salisbury.

U.K. officials connected that poisoning to the Russian chemical weapon Novichok and put the blame on Putin for ordering the attack. The U.S. followed the lead of the U.K. in imposing sanctions on Moscow in that instance, including closing a Russian consulate and deporting dozens of Russian diplomats and intelligence officials from the U.S.

The Skripal case, however, was unique in that it was a foreign attack on sovereign U.K. soil, with Navalny's suspected poisoning taking place inside Russia and raising questions for how forcefully the U.S. can respond.

Or wants to.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Another Russian poisoning

I guess we can be grateful this isn't happening in our country.  Yet.

How does Putin retain power?

Among other things, he arrests his opposition.

Russian opposition leader and anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny was arrested by Russian police at a protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, the Associated Press reported.

Navalny was one of the organizers of demonstrations that led thousands across Russia to protest the upcoming inauguration of Putin.

[...]

Navalny attempted to run for president in the 2018 election but was barred by the Russian Central Electoral Commission. He was arrested in January after organizing a protest urging Russians to boycott the March presidential election.

  The Hill

Trump must be so jealous. He can't even fire an investigator and get away with it.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.