WASHINGTON — Geoffrey S. Berman was outraged.
The top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, Mr. Berman had traveled to Washington in June 2019 to discuss a particularly delicate case with Attorney General William P. Barr and some of his top aides: a criminal investigation into Halkbank, a state-owned Turkish bank suspected of violating U.S. sanctions law by funneling billions of dollars of gold and cash to Iran.
For months, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey had been pressing President Trump to quash the investigation, which threatened not only the bank but potentially members of Mr. Erdogan’s family and political party. When Mr. Berman sat down with Mr. Barr, he was stunned to be presented with a settlement proposal that would give Mr. Erdogan a key concession.
Mr. Barr pressed Mr. Berman to allow the bank to avoid an indictment by paying a fine and acknowledging some wrongdoing. In addition, the Justice Department would […]
Corruption at the highest levels appears to be rampant on both sides! It’s very telling in this article how Biden is so sanctimonious when he’s asked by Turkey to squash a corruption investigation in the US, yet he can demand (and receive) a similar political favor from Ukraine to squash an investigation of his own sons grifting, receive it, and brag about it. Playing both sides seems the norm for Joe. Like how he’s FOR and AGAINST fossil fuel, depending on the audience. I am glad the US is now energy independent and is no longer under the thumbs of the Middle East oil producers. Unfortunately we need oil until we have a truly suitable replacement. Investing our billions developing new energy technologies (to ultimately replace oil) is way better than wasting it on endless wars and police actions protecting the Middle East supply chain.