Dollar, Bond Yields Drop As Mueller Unveils New Charges In Russia Probe | Zero Hedge
Description: Alex Van Der Zwaan was charged on Feb. 16 in federal court in Washington related to a report he helped prepare on the trial of a Ukrainian politician, Yulia Tymoshenko.

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# Dollar, Bond Yields Drop As Mueller Unveils New Charges In Russia Probe

Just days after he announced charges against 13 Russian nationals and 3 Russian entities for their role in meddling in the US election, Special Counsel Robert Mueller has secured yet another indictment in his probe into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to sway the US election.

This time, the grand jury approved charges against Alex Van Der Zwaan, who is accused of knowingly giving "false, fictitious or fraudulent" statements to the FBI. Van Der Zwaan reportedly lied about his discussions with former Paul Manafort No. 2 Rick Gates, who has recently decided to cooperate with the probe. Bloomberg described Zwaan as "an attorney for a prominent New York law firm" - the firm is Skadden Arps - who was charged with "making false statements to the FBI as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential election."

Skadden said it has fired Van Der Zwaan and that it is cooperating with investigators.

Van Der Zwaan was charged on Feb. 16 in federal court in Washington related to a report he helped prepare on the trial of a Ukrainian politician, Yulia Tymoshenko. Van Der Zwaan was charged with a criminal information, which typically precedes a guilty plea.

One twitter user pointed out that Van Der Zwaan is the nephew of a Russian oligarch...

> Special Counsel Mueller announces charges against Alexander Van Der Zwaan, son-in-law of Russian oligarch, for false statements -

> — Elizabeth Burke (@Burke_Esq) February 20, 2018

As Citi notes, when observing the market reaction, "the name is unfamiliar, even to those following the ongoing Mueller investigations. A quick internet search shows that the defendant is a London-based attorney for Skadden Arps who is also the Russian-speaking son-in-law of a Russian oligarch. His plea hearing is apparently scheduled for today at 14:30 local time."

Both the US dollar and Treasury yields jerked lower on the news...

Read the full indictment below:

Tags
Law Crime
Corporate Financial Services - NEC

## Comments

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cstu7011 Tue, 02/20/2018 - 09:32 Permalink

***Yawn***

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Looney cstu7011 Tue, 02/20/2018 - 09:35 Permalink

… who is accused of knowingly giving "false, fictitious or fraudulent" statements to the FBI.

What part of “you have the right to remain silent” don’t these arrogant fucks understand?

Remain Silent means SHUT THE FUCK UP!

Looney

In reply to ***Yawn*** by cstu7011

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AlaricBalth Looney Tue, 02/20/2018 - 09:41 Permalink

The United States, through a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) called The National Endowment for Democracy has spent over $27,000,000 since 2013 in Russia to “promote democracy”.

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a U.S. non-profit soft power organization that was founded in 1983 with the stated goal of promoting democracy abroad. It is funded primarily through an annual allocation from the U.S. Congress in the form of a grant awarded through the United States Information Agency (USIA).

NED was banned in Russia as an undesirable international NGO in for "using Russian commercial and noncommercial organizations under its control... to declare the results of election campaigns illegitimate, organize political actions intended to influence decisions made by the authorities, and discredit service in Russia’s armed forces.

Former Congressman Ron Paul also argued against NED funding stating that NED has "very little to do with democracy. It is an organization that uses US tax money to actually subvert democracy, by showering funding on favored political parties or movements overseas. It underwrites color-coded ‘people’s revolutions’ overseas that look more like pages out of Lenin’s writings on stealing power than genuine indigenous democratic movements."

Investigative reporter and editor of Consortiumnews Robert Parry has characterized NED as a "neocon slush fund," whose founding was the brainchild of Reagan Administration CIA Director William Casey and its leading propagandist Walter Raymond Jr., then on the staff of the National Security Council. The idea was to set up an organization funded by the U.S. Congress to take over CIA programs that attempted to influence foreign elections by promoting the selection of candidates who supported U.S. policy and would "do what the U.S. government tells them to do.

See screen grab of chart here from USAID showing NED spending in Russia: https://imgur.com/DuQwJZW

https://explorer.usaid.gov/query?country_name=Russia&fiscal_year=2016&t…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Endowment_for_Democracy

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/28/national-endowment-for-de…

Interference in elections

NED’s Statement of Principles and Objectives, adopted in 1984, asserts that “No Endowment funds may be used to finance the campaigns of candidates for public office.” But the ways to circumvent the spirit of such a prohibition are not difficult to come up with; as with American elections, there’s “hard money” and there’s “soft money”.

As described in the “Elections” and “Interventions” chapters, NED successfully manipulated elections in Nicaragua in 1990 and Mongolia in 1996; helped to overthrow democratically elected governments in Bulgaria in 1990 and Albania in 1991 and 1992; and worked to defeat the candidate for prime minister of Slovakia in 2002 who was out of favor in Washington. And from 1999 to 2004, NED heavily funded members of the opposition to President Hugo Chavez in Venezuela to subvert his rule and to support a referendum to unseat him.

Additionally, in the 1990s and afterward, NED supported a coalition of groups in Haiti known as the Democratic Convergence, who were united in their opposition to Jean-Bertrand Aristide and his progressive ideology, while he was in and out of the office of the president.

The Endowment has made its weight felt in the electoral-political process in numerous other countries.

https://williamblum.org/chapters/rogue-state/trojan-horse-the-national-…

The United States has continued democracy programs despite local prohibitions.

Nevertheless, USAID and the NED have continued to fund organizations, even where that’s against the local country’s laws. In Venezuela, for example, the United States has openly continued funding civil society organizations, even listing that in its annual budgets, albeit without naming recipients.

USAID and the NED are undoubtedly keeping their plans in the country secret. However, the NED and its leaders continue to openly counter Russian ideological efforts throughout Eurasia. For instance, when NED President Carl Gershman testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in June 2016, he said that one of the NED’s five main focuses includes pushing back against “an information offensive by Russia and other authoritarian regimes.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/03/20/putin-is-…

In reply to … by Looney

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IridiumRebel AlaricBalth Tue, 02/20/2018 - 09:47 Permalink

Manafort jaywalk?

He improperly placed trash outside a bin once....

In reply to The United States, through… by AlaricBalth

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NoDebt IridiumRebel Tue, 02/20/2018 - 09:55 Permalink

I have to admit that charging Russians with Russian collusion was a turn I was not expecting in this investigation. In retrospect, it should have been obvious. Run up the number of "guilty people" resulting from the investigation by charging a whole bunch of people who are never going to stand trial in the US (thus, being unable to defend themselves against the charges) and just declare glorious victory at the end of this Kabuki Theater show.

It's kind of a genius move tactically, but mostly it just underscores the incredible nothingburger this whole thing was from the start. I mean we have all just lived through a literal "Wag The Dog" episode for the last year.

In reply to Manafort jaywalk? … by IridiumRebel

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chunga NoDebt Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:04 Permalink

I can't stand all this winning.

In reply to I have to admit that… by NoDebt

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Fish Gone Bad chunga Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:13 Permalink

Hillary is winning. Considering all that that traitor has done, she remains out of jail, free to run her mouth.

In reply to I can't stand all this… by chunga

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asteroids Fish Gone Bad Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:14 Permalink

Job security for this asshole and friends. He knows he'll never get them into a court but he'll make some excuse to hang around and collect a paycheck, "just in case" they show up on US soil.

In reply to Hillary is winning. … by Fish Gone Bad

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HippieHaulers asteroids Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:59 Permalink

Are we going to to start charging people for lying to FBI? Good, is Steele next? How about Clinton. Can we get charges for lying to congress? Brennan, I'm looking at you.

In reply to Job security for this… by asteroids

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Bastiat HippieHaulers Tue, 02/20/2018 - 11:33 Permalink

. . . and Clapper.

In reply to Are we going to to start… by HippieHaulers

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BarkingCat HippieHaulers Tue, 02/20/2018 - 12:02 Permalink

If the federal government works for the people, when do we start indictments against the politicians?

They lie to the voters constantly.

In reply to Are we going to to start… by HippieHaulers

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chunga Fish Gone Bad Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:27 Permalink

We'll get 'em next time.

In reply to Hillary is winning. … by Fish Gone Bad

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BennyBoy chunga Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:30 Permalink

… who is accused of knowingly giving "false, fictitious or fraudulent" statements to the FBI.

That's what they got Martha Stewart for. No other crime.

In reply to We'll get 'em next time. by chunga

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nmewn BennyBoy Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:35 Permalink

Van Der Zwann sounds Dutch to me ;-)

In reply to … by BennyBoy

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Doom and Dust nmewn Tue, 02/20/2018 - 11:03 Permalink

Van der Zwaan, definitely Dutch. Can't find any records anywhere in the Netherlands on this person though. It's a somewhat common last name in Holland, but the combination was in the lower double digits of results just after this broke. None of them returned a likely result except short dispatches about his playboy wedding to Eva Khan.

Smells like the cheapest Chinese plastic this one.

In reply to Van Der Zwann sounds Dutch… by nmewn

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JohninMK Doom and Dust Tue, 02/20/2018 - 11:50 Permalink

Much more to this than meets the eye. This is from the Kiev Post last November. My highlight, bear in mind this was about work in 2014.

The country received $567,000 in June as part of its investigation into former Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych, who allegedly rigged a state tender and embezzled $1.1 million to hire and pay U.S. law firm Skadden, Arps, Meagher, & Flom LLP and Associates.

The law firm appears to have refunded $567,000 to the Ukrainian government in June under pressure from Ukrainian and U.S. prosecutors, according to interviews with Ukrainian law enforcement officials.

The money transfer was first reported by the New York Times in September. A spokesman for the U.S. special counsel investigating Russian meddling into the 2016 U.S. presidential election, which includes the Skadden case, declined to comment.

Skadden did not reply to repeated requests for comment.

On wiring the $567,000 to Ukraine, Skadden has claimed that the money had been held in “escrow for future work” that had never been done.

But the transfer only came after the Ukrainian government sent the U.S. Justice Department a letter requesting the repayment, and after Ukrainian prosecutors under Serhiy Gorbatyuk, head of the Special Investigations Department at Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office, filed several Mutual Legal Assistance Requests through the PGO’s international legal assistance department.

Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko himself thanked the U.S. Justice Department for its “close cooperation” in returning more than $500,000 from an “American firm” in a June Facebook post.

.............................................................

Prosecutors on the case want to question members of the Skadden team who came to Ukraine to work on the report, including former Obama Administration officials Gregory Craig and Clifford Sloan, as well as the London-based associate Alex Van der Zwaan, the Russian-speaking son-in-law of Russian oligarch German Khan, who prosecutors say acted as an intermediary for the team on much of the trip.

Court orders show that Gorbatyuk’s team has received access to phone records from the team’s time in Kyiv, showing their communications with Yanukovych government and Party of Regions officials.

“Law firms and lawyers are often professional enablers,” said Daria Kaleniuk, head of the Anti-Corruption Action Center. “Lawyers are able to enable money laundering because they are protected by attorney-client privilege, meaning that they can say they are just representing their client’s interests, and not helping them commit any wrongdoing.”

“But in fact lawyers have to also verify their clients and have to see who is behind the legal entities to whom they are providing services,” she added.

https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/justice-ministry-investigatio…

In reply to Van der Zwaan, definitely… by Doom and Dust

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PlayMoney JohninMK Tue, 02/20/2018 - 11:59 Permalink

Wanna bet Craig and Sloan from Obama administration are being left alone even though they were in on the report?

In reply to Much more to this than meets… by JohninMK

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Chupacabra-322 BennyBoy Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:35 Permalink

Never talk to Police or any LEO. The most mundane statements aka “Knowingly” can & will land you in Prison.

Fuck them & their Tyrannical Lawlessness!

In reply to … by BennyBoy

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Never One Roach Chupacabra-322 Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:43 Permalink

Hillary, Huma and Mills are next on the list....

LOL!

What a Clown Show!

In reply to Never talk to Police or any… by Chupacabra-322

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pynky01 Never One Roach Tue, 02/20/2018 - 11:46 Permalink

...our 'LAWS' have become jokes and a spectator sport for the rest of this planet...and we are paying these weasels and giving them great pensions... no bankruptcy here ... just ramp up the presses... what a joke ... thanks to the Democraps/commies/marxist jews we are becoming the shithole...or rather see Detroit already a shithole... we have trapped ourselves ... only saving grace is that the hildog is not stinking up the White House...

In reply to Hillary, Huma and Mills are… by Never One Roach

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Wahooo NoDebt Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:04 Permalink

Allows the Dems to say “We proved Russian collusion in our election. And close associates of Trump lied.”

In reply to I have to admit that… by NoDebt

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Normalcy Bias Wahooo Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:22 Permalink

Most people don't know something that they teach all first year law students:

'You can indict a Ham Sandwich.'

In reply to Allows the Dems to say “We… by Wahooo

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BennyBoy Normalcy Bias Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:31 Permalink

The evidence used to indict the 13 ham sandwiches was the Russian dressing on them.

In reply to Most people don't know… by Normalcy Bias

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Never One Roach BennyBoy Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:43 Permalink

I had a Ham Samwich 18 years ago.

Do I need a lawyer?

In reply to … by BennyBoy

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williambanzai7 Normalcy Bias Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:53 Permalink

Even a ham sandwich knows the importance of keeping its mouth shut.

In reply to Most people don't know… by Normalcy Bias

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chunga williambanzai7 Tue, 02/20/2018 - 11:11 Permalink

Not fighting back is actually a clever strategy by the opposition party. This way here they don't get accused of being too partisan, and there's always a chance they'll win over MSM, who hate their guts and always will.

It's better to let Mueller rack up indictments/guilty pleas once a week or so until the mid-terms.

In reply to Even a ham sandwich knows… by williambanzai7

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booboo Wahooo Tue, 02/20/2018 - 11:08 Permalink

*YAWN* 6 degrees of separation method will have Mueller indicting a duck billed platypus. Whats for lunch guys?

In reply to Allows the Dems to say “We… by Wahooo

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Posa NoDebt Tue, 02/20/2018 - 11:18 Permalink

Nah. This ends with draconian legislation to regulate posting by AMERICANS on social media.

In reply to I have to admit that… by NoDebt

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BarkingCat NoDebt Tue, 02/20/2018 - 11:59 Permalink

I hope these Russians decide to fight back and hire lawyers that will demand to go to a real trial.

I wonder if they can do that while staying out of the US.

I do not see ANY of these charges sticking.

Real lawyers who have read the first indictment against the 13 individuals said it was all bull.

In reply to I have to admit that… by NoDebt

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Chupacabra-322 AlaricBalth Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:06 Permalink

@ Alaric,

Realize this this Pure Evil War Criminal Treasonous Seditious Psychopath Alphabet Agency is involved in virtually every capacity of business along with their Criminal NGO & “Front” Companies.

That’s exactly, what needs to be comprehended into the human consciousness.

Pure Evil War Criminal Treasonous Seditious Psychopath Hillary Clinton & her co horts are only a symptom to the host.

The host being the Pure Evil War Criminal Treasonous Seditious Psychopaths at the CIA.

**InQTel is the Pure Evil War Criminal Treasonous Seditious Psychopath CIA’s Science Division. Seed money from In Q Tel invested in what is today Google &Facebook. The Internet Gulag’s as Drudge refers to them as.

In reply to The United States, through… by AlaricBalth

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Jim in MN Looney Tue, 02/20/2018 - 09:41 Permalink

What part of 'none of your goddamn business, I'm an attorney' is false, fictitious or fraudulent? Just wondering.

Skadden, Arps is a MONSTER law firm. Some very weird shit is going on. I mean, they could now tap ALL connex from Skadden to ANY client....according to the Deep State Powermad Instruction Booklet.

In reply to … by Looney

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the artist Jim in MN Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:20 Permalink

Am I being detained?

Am I free to go?

The only two sentences you ever need to speak to an officer of the court.

EVERYTHING else can and will be used against you.

Capiche?

In reply to What part of 'none of your… by Jim in MN

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nmewn Jim in MN Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:43 Permalink

This Van Der Zit fellow wouldn't happen to have been based in London would he? ;-)

In reply to What part of 'none of your… by Jim in MN

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Never One Roach nmewn Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:45 Permalink

Skadden is one of the best law firms. Will be interesting to see this Circus play out while the obvious criminals (Hillary, Comey. PedoPodesta, etc0 walk free.

In reply to This Van Der Zit fellow… by nmewn

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nmewn Never One Roach Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:55 Permalink

All this comes to a screeching halt when Steele is indicted.

Mark my words ;-)

In reply to Skadden is one of the best… by Never One Roach

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Got The Wrong No nmewn Tue, 02/20/2018 - 11:27 Permalink

I wouldn't want to be on the plane that brings him to the US.

In reply to All this comes to a… by nmewn

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PlayMoney Got The Wrong No Tue, 02/20/2018 - 12:04 Permalink

Engine trouble in planes with peeps with Clinton knowledge do have a tendency to nose dive into the ground.

In reply to I wouldn't want to be on the… by Got The Wrong No

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SoDamnMad Looney Tue, 02/20/2018 - 09:41 Permalink

Hello, we are just trying to clear up a few simple facts and don't want to bother bringing you down to the federal building to ask them so would it be OK for you to help us out? Good, now this... this... and that. Well thank you for your cooperation." Click OK, write him up for indictment because he didn't use proper tense of the verb.

In reply to … by Looney

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chubbar Looney Tue, 02/20/2018 - 09:45 Permalink

How the fuck does this have anything to do with Trump? Isn't that the actual mission of Mueller, to find collusion between Trump and Russia? All this other shit that is popping up has nothing to do with Trump. Why is Mueller still spending millions of taxpayer dollars on this bullshit?

In reply to … by Looney

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shovelhead chubbar Tue, 02/20/2018 - 09:57 Permalink

I believe the attempt to reach full retard has been achieved.

In reply to How the fuck does this have… by chubbar

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the artist shovelhead Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:16 Permalink

And in doing so the bar has been set higher.

We are going to need quantum physics to cram any more retard in there.

In reply to I believe the attempt to… by shovelhead

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Solio shovelhead Tue, 02/20/2018 - 11:04 Permalink

If they had to reach for full retard then they had to be somewhere below retard to start.

In reply to I believe the attempt to… by shovelhead

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the artist chubbar Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:10 Permalink

Because Hillary lost.

In reply to How the fuck does this have… by chubbar

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HopefulCynical chubbar Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:37 Permalink

Isn't that the actual mission of Mueller, to find collusion between Trump and Russia?

Mueller was never given a clear, defined mission. The goddamned Deep State parasite Rosenstein set that fucker loose on an open-ended fishing expedition.

The Day Of The Rope can't get here soon enough.

In reply to How the fuck does this have… by chubbar

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ejmoosa Looney Tue, 02/20/2018 - 09:46 Permalink

...because EVERYTHING YOU SAY CAN AND WILL BE USED AGAINST YOU...

In reply to … by Looney

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VangelV Looney Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:06 Permalink

What part of claiming that people lying is not evidence of lying? We know that the FBI lied to Congress and the public so why should we trust the notes put together by agents who do not permit the interviews to be recorded?

In reply to … by Looney

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Abaco VangelV Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:40 Permalink

No one should believe ANYTHING the FBI says about any of their interviews. The presumption should be that the FBI is lying. In the days of the $300 4K video camera the only reason not to audio and video record an interview is if the FBI wants to misrepresent what happened. The only reason the FBI has a policy against recording is precisely because it is SOP for them to lie.

In reply to What part of claiming that… by VangelV

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Expat Looney Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:15 Permalink

So you are saying that you have no problem with these scumbags being arch criminals and traitors as long as they don't talk about it?

In reply to … by Looney

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the artist Expat Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:22 Permalink

No, He is saying we have a right to due process and a fair trial. Lying about what we did or did not do violates that.

In reply to So you are saying that you… by Expat

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Dancing Disraeli Expat Tue, 02/20/2018 - 10:27 Permalink

Please read the Bill of Rights.

It's short, to the point, and will help you understand what the USA was intended to be.

In reply to So you are saying that you… by Expat

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