Russia's Best Friend in India Just Got a $300 Billion Deal From Trump

Oct 30

A Board Built for Access The Secretary of State, the White House Chief of Staff and the lobbyists foreign governments pay to work them all sit on the Kennedy Center board. Part two of four on JFK's memorial. In February 2025 Donald Trump removed 18 Biden appointees from the Kennedy Center board in...Read more

A Board Built for Access The Secretary of State, the White House Chief of Staff and the lobbyists foreign governments pay to work them all sit on the Kennedy Center board. Part two of four on JFK's memorial. In February 2025 Donald Trump removed 18 Biden appointees from the Kennedy Center board in a single day and had the new board elect him chairman. The Kennedy Center said it was the first time that had happened to its board. Then he filled the seats. Brian Ballard, trustee. His lobbying firm signed Congo's government on Inauguration Day 2025 at $100,000 a month, represents the Libyan armed forces that answer to Khalifa Haftar on a $2 million contract, Turkey's defense ministry on a $2.4 million contract and the Saudi embassy at $60,000 a month, and opened a Caracas office in July. It took in a record $88.1 million in 2025. The firm employed Susie Wiles and Pam Bondi before they went into government. Both now sit on the board with him. Marco Rubio, trustee by act of Congress. Each of those governments has business before his department. Haftar's son Saddam met him in Washington on June 29. Rubio's former chief of staff, Alberto Martinez, manages the Washington office of Continental Strategy, which signed at least a dozen Venezuela clients after the United States seized Nicolás Maduro in January and which lobbied Rubio's State Department for TXAT, a Houston ammunition company. Susie Wiles, trustee. She sits on the board with Cheri Summerall, the widow of her father, Pat Summerall. Her daughter Katie is a partner at Continental Strategy, whose revenue rose about fifteenfold in 2025 and which registered to lobby for Republika Srpska at $35,000 a month after the administration lifted sanctions on Milorad Dodik. Katie Wiles visited the entity in August. Susie Wiles then hosted Zeljka Cvijanovic, a member of Bosnia's presidency who traveled to Washington with Dodik in February, for talks. The wire. Congo's finance ministry sent $17.6 million to TXAT in May 2025, with about $5.6 million meant as a Kennedy Center donation that never arrived, Axios reports. Ballard's firm works for Congo. Continental works for TXAT. Both have business before the department Rubio runs. At least eight current trustees or their spouses are listed by the Kennedy Center as $100,000-plus annual donors. Read part two of four and subscribe to the newsletter https://dekleptocracy.substack.com/p/has-the-kennedy-center-become-a-marketplace More reading Kennedy Center board of trustees https://www.kennedy-center.org/about-us/leadership/trustees/ Ballard Partners FARA agreement with Congo's Ministry of Communication and Media, effective January 20 2025 https://efile.fara.gov/docs/7070-Exhibit-AB-20250127-7.pdf Continental Strategy FARA supplemental statement listing Republika Srpska and Albania's Democratic Party, March 30 2026 https://efile.fara.gov/docs/7545-Supplemental-Statement-20260330-3.pdf Sources Kennedy Center, Board of Trustees, as of October 29 2026 https://www.kennedy-center.org/about-us/leadership/trustees/ Kennedy Center, donor listings, Leadership Benefactors $100,000 or more annually https://www.kennedy-center.org/Support/donor-listings/donors/ Kennedy Center, A Living Memorial, engravings https://www.kennedy-center.org/memorial/ Kierra Frazier, CBS News, Trump says he is firing Kennedy Center board members, February 10 2025 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-fires-kennedy-center-board-chair Elena Goukassian, The Art Newspaper, Trump fires national archivist, purges Kennedy Center board, February 11 2025 https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/02/11/trump-fires-national-archivist-purges-kennedy-center-board Justice Department FARA, Ballard Partners Exhibit A and B for the Ministry of Communication and Media of the Democratic Republic of Congo, effective January 20 2025 https://efile.fara.gov/docs/7070-Exhibit-AB-20250127-7.pdf David Moore, Sludge, Foreign interests are paying millions to a Trump-linked lobbying firm, February 5 2026 https://readsludge.com/2026/02/05/foreign-interests-are-paying-millions-to-a-trump-linked-lobbying-firm/ David Moore, Sludge, K Street's Trump boom, February 13 2026 https://readsludge.com/2026/02/13/k-streets-trump-boom/ Kevin McCauley, O'Dwyer's, Ballard inks $2M pact with Libyan armed forces, March 17 2026 https://www.odwyerpr.com/story/public/24464/2026-03-17/ballard-inks-2m-pact-with-libyan-armed-forces.html Al Jazeera, Marco Rubio meets Libyan commander as US pushes to resolve Libya crisis, June 29 2026 https://aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/29/marco-rubio-meets-libyan-commander-as-us-pushes-to-resolve-libya-crisis Luca Gambardella, Il Foglio, Rubio meets Haftar in Washington as Dabaiba balks and skips the summit, June 30 2026 https://www.ilfoglio.it/esteri/2026/06/30/news/rubio-meets-haftar-in-washington-as-dabaiba-balks-and-skips-the-summit--401393 Akin Nazli, bne IntelliNews, Turkey's defence ministry hires Trump and Israel-linked lobbyist Ballard on $2.4mn contract, August 28 2026 https://www.intellinews.com/turkey-s-defence-ministry-hires-trump-and-israel-linked-lobbyist-ballard-on-2-4mn-contract-464259/ Ballard Partners, Ballard Partners opens Caracas office, July 29 2026 https://ballardpartners.com/ballard-partners-caracas-office-scott-wagner/ Kevin McCauley, O'Dwyer's, Ballard bags VZ energy services client, October 16 2026 https://www.odwyerpr.com/story/public/25462/2026-10-16/ballard-bags-vz-energy-services-client.html Lee Schlenker, Responsible Statecraft, Latin America lobbying and the trade war, September 5 2025 https://responsiblestatecraft.org/latin-america-lobbying-trade-war/ Samantha Schmidt, Anthony Faiola and Karen DeYoung, Washington Post via Yahoo News, Ex-Trump officials seek jobs tied to Venezuela, October 8 2026 https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/ex-trump-officials-seek-jobs-090000217.html Senate Lobbying Disclosure, Continental Strategy LLC registration for TXAT LLC, TXAT Latam, effective April 1 2025 https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/a86f0ebb-81cd-4d4c-b516-b71e06d99579/print/ Senate Lobbying Disclosure, Continental Strategy LLC second quarter 2025 report for TXAT, State Department contacted, July 21 2025 https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/2e3ca3c8-978a-4703-90ad-ac8879c2599e/print/ Marc Caputo, Axios, Secret pay-for-play text rocks Trump White House, October 19 2026 https://www.axios.com/2026/10/19/kennedy-center-text-trump-grenell-habba TXAT LLC, Government services page https://tx-at.com/government Political Wire citing the Financial Times, Chief of Staff's daughter in lobbying conflict, October 8 2026 https://politicalwire.com/2026/10/08/chief-of-staffs-daughter-in-lobbying-conflict/ Anna Skinner, Newsweek, Who is Katie Wiles, daughter of Trump's chief of staff linked to Putin ally, October 15 2026 https://www.newsweek.com/who-is-katie-wiles-daughter-of-trumps-chief-of-staff-linked-to-putin-ally-12575080 N1, Dodik's US lobbying web sparks scrutiny and White House response, October 8 2026 https://n1info.ba/english/news/dodiks-us-lobbying-web-sparks-scrutiny-and-white-house-response/ Emmet Lyons, CBS News, Trump allies and a MAGA-linked firm in Bosnia after Dodik sanctions lifted, October 7 2026 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-us-bosnia-herzegovina-sanctions-dodik-maga-firm-gas-pipeline/ Justice Department FARA, Continental Strategy LLC supplemental statement, March 30 2026 https://efile.fara.gov/docs/7545-Supplemental-Statement-20260330-3.pdf European Western Balkans, Dodik and Cvijanovic meet with Trump administration members in Washington, February 6 2026 https://europeanwesternbalkans.com/2026/02/06/dodik-and-cvijanovic-meet-with-trump-administration-members-in-washington/ Associated Press via Washington Times, Pat Summerall, spirit of NFL, dies at 82, April 16 2013 https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/16/pat-summerall-spirit-nfl-dies-82/ Texas House of Representatives, H.R. 2385, 83rd Legislature, memorial resolution for Pat Summerall https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/83R/billtext/html/HR02385I.htm PBS NewsHour, Trump fires Bondi as attorney general, April 2 2026 https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-fires-bondi-as-attorney-general Jacob Borg, Misha Gagarin and Kevin G. Hall, OCCRP, Top Trump advisor Sergio Gor was born in the Soviet Union, July 8 2025 https://www.occrp.org/en/news/exclusive-top-trump-advisor-sergio-gor-was-born-in-the-soviet-union 20 U.S. Code 76h, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/20/76h Dekleptocracy, Has The Kennedy Center Become A Marketplace For Foreign Lobbyists?, October 29 2026 https://dekleptocracy.substack.com/p/has-the-kennedy-center-become-a-marketplace Dekleptocracy, Have Grenell and Rubio Turned the Kennedy Center into a Pay-to-Play Hub?, October 21 2026 https://dekleptocracy.substack.com/p/have-grenell-and-rubio-turned-the

Oct 26

The Alpha Account Matthew Cole's new book alleges Gulf rulers put at least $2 billion into accounts for Jared Kushner while he was a senior White House adviser. Kushner calls it completely insane. Princes and Thieves, a forthcoming book by investigative journalist Matthew Cole excerpted in Vanity ...Read more

The Alpha Account Matthew Cole's new book alleges Gulf rulers put at least $2 billion into accounts for Jared Kushner while he was a senior White House adviser. Kushner calls it completely insane. Princes and Thieves, a forthcoming book by investigative journalist Matthew Cole excerpted in Vanity Fair on October 22, alleges that Dutch military intelligence, the MIVD, turned a GRU-linked hacker, found screenshots of Jared Kushner's iPhone on a server in Rostov, Russia, and by early 2018 could see his screen. Cole's sources describe an account called Alpha at First Abu Dhabi Bank, held with an Emirati charity, with Kushner made a signatory. From 2017 the Saudis and Emiratis transferred roughly $750 million into it through a bank in Azerbaijan, Cole writes, and at least $2 billion in total went into at least two accounts for Kushner. One source said about $1 billion the UAE's ruler moved to Israel was for Kushner's personal benefit, and another said Prime Minister Netanyahu encouraged depositing it at the Bank of Israel so it would look like a government account, Daniel Edelson reported for Ynet. Cole also reports transfers to a warlord, a mercenary and a one-time hit man. Kushner calls the allegations completely insane and says the book offers no bank statements or wire records, CBS reported. His lawyer Chad Mizelle calls them false and defamatory. Former Ambassador David Friedman calls the claims about him 100% false. CBS did not independently verify the excerpt. The Washington Post reported in 2018 that UAE officials considered Kushner particularly manipulable. After he left office, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund committed $2 billion to Affinity Partners, which charges it a 1.25% annual fee, the Senate Finance Committee found. Read the October 23 edition of American Princelings https://dekleptocracy.substack.com/p/american-princelings-379 More reading Matthew Cole, Vanity Fair, Oct 22 2026 https://www.vanityfair.com/story/jared-kushner-hacked-phone-secret-negotiations CBS News, Kushner pushes back on report https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jared-kushner-pushes-back-report-hacked-phone-spies-transfer/ Sources Matthew Cole, Vanity Fair, October 22 2026 https://www.vanityfair.com/story/jared-kushner-hacked-phone-secret-negotiations Nicole Sganga, CBS News https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jared-kushner-pushes-back-report-hacked-phone-spies-transfer/ Louis Gore-Langton, DutchNews, October 23 2026 https://www.dutchnews.nl/2026/10/dutch-spies-hacked-jared-kushners-phone-alleges-book/ NL Times, October 23 2026 https://nltimes.nl/2026/10/23/dutch-intelligence-service-spied-phone-trumps-son-law-jared-kushner-book Daniel Edelson, Ynet, October 23 2026 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/b1avqqu2zl ANI via The Tribune https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/usa-news/trumps-son-in-law-kushner-rubbishes-allegations-of-connection-to-middle-east-slush-funds/ Washington Post, February 27 2018 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/kushners-overseas-contacts-raise-concerns-as-foreign-officials-seek-leverage/2018/02/27/16bbc052-18c3-11e8-942d-16a950029788_story.html Senate Finance Committee, September 25 2024 https://www.finance.senate.gov/chairmans-news/wyden-investigation-of-kushner-firm-continues-new-letter-outlines-affinity-partners-fee-structure-lack-of-return-to-investors-questionable-deals-with-foreign-governments

Oct 26

Signed in September, Waived in October Congress passed Russia sanctions 86 to 11 in the Senate and 262 to 159 in the House. The president signed the law, then waived nearly all of it two days before it took effect. President Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 202...Read more

Signed in September, Waived in October Congress passed Russia sanctions 86 to 11 in the Senate and 262 to 159 in the House. The president signed the law, then waived nearly all of it two days before it took effect. President Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 on September 18, CBS reported. The Senate had passed it 86 to 11 and the House 262 to 159. It set a 500% tariff on Russian goods and possible 100% tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, due October 18, Newsweek reports. Late on October 16 the president signed an order waiving nearly all of the law's substantive sanctions, tariffs and restrictions, RFE/RL reports, with no end date. White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said enforcement would impede efforts to negotiate a durable peace. Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's investment envoy, called the waiver an important and truly historic moment. Sens. Thom Tillis, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz and Rep. Don Bacon criticized it. On October 19 a Russian drone struck a park in Nova Vodolaha in Kharkiv Oblast and killed six people, children among them, the Kyiv Independent reported. On October 21 envoy Steve Witkoff told Putin "You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that" while thanking him for releasing American Stephen Hubbard, CBS reported. On October 22 J. Benjamin Greenberg, a Circle shareholder, sued the president, World Liberty Financial and Witkoff in federal court in Washington, alleging more than $2 billion in foreign government payments, CNBC reported. Witkoff's sons Zach and Alex are WLF cofounders, Bloomberg reported. WLF's lawyer Bill Burck called the suit a partisan press release, and the White House said there are no conflicts of interest. Read the October 23 edition of American Princelings https://dekleptocracy.substack.com/p/american-princelings-379 More reading RFE/RL, Trump waives Graham Act sanctions on Russia, Oct 17 2026 https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-waives-graham-act-sanctions-on-russia/33878335.html CNBC, Lawsuit accuses Trump of illegally profiting off foreign crypto deals, Oct 22 2026 https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/22/trump-world-liberty-crypto-lawsuit-uae.html Sources Alex Raufoglu, RFE/RL, October 17 2026 https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-waives-graham-act-sanctions-on-russia/33878335.html Steve Mollman, Newsweek, October 2026 https://www.newsweek.com/list-republicans-breaking-trump-russia-sanctions-waiver-12590802 Al Jazeera and AP, October 17 2026 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/17/trump-faces-bipartisan-backlash-over-russia-sanctions-waiver TASS, October 17 2026 https://tass.com/politics/2203447 Kathryn Watson and Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, September 18 2026 https://cbsnews.com/news/trump-signs-russia-sanctions-bill-lindsey-graham/ Office of Sen. Kevin Cramer, August 7 2026 https://www.cramer.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senate-approves-sweeping-russia-sanctions-bill Lauren Peller, ABC News https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/house-passes-russia-iran-sanctions-bill-championed-sen-136510615 Tania Myronyshena, Kyiv Independent, October 19 2026 https://kyivindependent.com/russian-drone-strike-on-park-in-kharkiv-oblast-kills-children-and-infant/ Kathryn Watson, CBS News, October 21 2026 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/steve-witkoff-putin-humanitarian-backlash/ Luke Fountain and Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, October 22 2026 https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/22/trump-world-liberty-crypto-lawsuit-uae.html Susan Carpenter, Spectrum News, October 22 2026 https://spectrumlocalnews.com/us/snplus/politics/2026/10/22/circle-crypto-trump-lawsuit-foreign-emoluments Natalia Drozdiak and Bill Allison, Bloomberg, September 17 2025 https://news.bloomberglaw.com/securities-law/steve-witkoff-has-yet-to-divest-trump-linked-crypto-assets

Oct 26

Who Signed for Your $108 Million Jet DOJ has opened a criminal probe into Corey Lewandowski, Noem's top DHS adviser. DHS agreed to pay $108 million for a jet its seller had bought from an owner asking under $90 million. The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into Corey Lewandow...Read more

Who Signed for Your $108 Million Jet DOJ has opened a criminal probe into Corey Lewandowski, Noem's top DHS adviser. DHS agreed to pay $108 million for a jet its seller had bought from an owner asking under $90 million. The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into Corey Lewandowski, President Trump's first campaign manager and the top adviser to former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, following a referral from the DHS inspector general, the New York Times reported on October 22. What actions are under investigation remains unclear, and no one has been charged. Lewandowski served as an unpaid special government employee. He or close associates signed off on nearly all department spending above $100,000, the Wall Street Journal reports. NBC News reported in March that Noem largely delegated that review to him and that he sought what one person called a success fee from GEO Group, which declined. The inspector general's review began with a roughly $220 million ad campaign featuring Noem. On Noem's last morning as secretary, DHS agreed to pay Daedalus Aviation $108 million for a Boeing 737 converted into a private jet, the Times reported. Daedalus had bought it months earlier from a seller who asked under $90 million. Chairman William Walters gave $10,000 in 2024 to American Resolve, a PAC that supported Noem. The Washington Sun reports DHS first tied the purchase records to an ongoing criminal investigation, then said that reply was sent in error. Lewandowski denies any wrongdoing. Noem calls the donor label materially misleading. Read the October 23 edition of American Princelings https://dekleptocracy.substack.com/p/american-princelings-379 More reading New York Times via GV Wire, DOJ opens probe into Corey Lewandowski, Oct 22 2026 https://gvwire.com/2026/10/22/doj-opens-probe-into-former-kristi-noem-aid-corey-lewandowski/ Washington Sun, DHS airplane records, Oct 20 2026 https://www.washingtonsun.com/legal/kristi-noem-dhs-airplanes-foia Sources Glenn Thrush, Tyler Pager and Nicholas Nehamas, New York Times via GV Wire, October 22 2026 https://gvwire.com/2026/10/22/doj-opens-probe-into-former-kristi-noem-aid-corey-lewandowski/ Drew Berkemeyer, Daily Wire, October 22 2026 https://www.dailywire.com/news/doj-investigates-whether-corey-lewandowski-cashed-in-on-homeland-security-role Julia Ainsley, NBC News via Yahoo, March 19 2026 https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/dhs-contractors-told-white-house-100000995.html Mark Alfred, Washington Sun, October 20 2026 https://www.washingtonsun.com/legal/kristi-noem-dhs-airplanes-foia Jennie Taer, Daily Wire, October 5 2026 https://www.dailywire.com/news/kristi-noem-accused-of-giving-bloated-contract-to-donor-in-final-hours-running-dhs Office of Sen. Peter Welch, March 23 2026 https://www.welch.senate.gov/?p=12404

Oct 26

$50 Million, Then a Pardon A banker charged with bribing Puerto Rico's governor. His daughter's new company guaranteed Alina Habba more than $50 million. Then the president pardoned him. Julio Herrera Velutini, a billionaire banker from a prominent Venezuelan family, was charged in August 2022 for...Read more

$50 Million, Then a Pardon A banker charged with bribing Puerto Rico's governor. His daughter's new company guaranteed Alina Habba more than $50 million. Then the president pardoned him. Julio Herrera Velutini, a billionaire banker from a prominent Venezuelan family, was charged in August 2022 for his role in a scheme to bribe Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez to dismiss a regulator investigating his bank, the New York Times reports. In August 2025 he pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor campaign finance charge. On October 22, 2025, his daughter Isabela, 27, registered Concord Partners LLC in Florida, state records show. Days later Concord finalized a deal making Alina Habba general counsel at $10 million a year for four years, guaranteeing her more than $50 million with bonuses, while she was still serving as U.S. attorney in New Jersey, Tyler Pager reported for the Times. Isabela Herrera gave $3.5 million to MAGA Inc., the Campaign Legal Center found. On January 15, 2026, the president pardoned Herrera Velutini, Vázquez and former FBI agent Mark Rossini, Justice Department records show. People familiar with Habba's contract told the Times they believed she was brought in to help with the pardon push. Habba says any insinuation that her employment had anything to do with securing a pardon is false. A White House official says she had nothing to do with the pardon. The Herreras did not respond to requests for comment. Read the October 23 edition of American Princelings https://dekleptocracy.substack.com/p/american-princelings-379 More reading New York Times via GV Wire, A billionaire wanted a Trump pardon. His family gave Alina Habba a $50 million deal, Oct 21 2026 https://gvwire.com/2026/10/21/a-billionaire-wanted-a-trump-pardon-his-family-gave-alina-habba-a-50-million-deal/ Justice Department, Clemency grants by President Donald J. Trump https://www.justice.gov/pardon/clemency-grants-president-donald-j-trump-2025-present Sources Tyler Pager, with Kenneth P. Vogel, New York Times via GV Wire, October 21 2026 https://gvwire.com/2026/10/21/a-billionaire-wanted-a-trump-pardon-his-family-gave-alina-habba-a-50-million-deal/ New York Times, original story, October 20 2026 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/20/us/politics/julio-herrera-pardon-alina-habba.html U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Pardon Attorney, Clemency grants https://www.justice.gov/pardon/clemency-grants-president-donald-j-trump-2025-present Saurav Ghosh, Campaign Legal Center, February 17 2026 https://campaignlegal.org/update/seeking-pardon-foreign-billionaire-allegedly-funneled-millions-trump-super-pac Florida Division of Corporations, Concord Partners LLC, document L25000485197 https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ByName Diario Libre, October 22 2026 https://www.diariolibre.com/mundo/estados-unidos/2026/10/22/indulto-a-julio-herrera-velutini-y-su-conexion-con-wanda-vazquez/3696530