Considering the former track records of former US Secretaries of State, Madeline Albright and Hillary Clinton, the news that Mike Pompeo has been offered a seat on the board of directors of one of the largest mobile operators in Ukraine, Kyivstar, should come as no surprise. He is also following in the footsteps of Joe Biden and Hunter, Inc., with the Burisma and the Ukrainian Corruption Scandal.
None of this should be shocking to any of our readers.
Like when Bank Robber/Gangster of the 1930s the infamous Machine Gun Kelly was asked why he robbed banks in a jailhouse interview, he simply said, “Because that is where they keep the money.”
Fox Guarding the Chicken House
The title in the Ukrainian newspaper should appear as the stuff of tabloids, Mike Pompeo Joins Kyivstar’s Board of Directors to ‘Safeguard American Investors.’
It is worth noting that when he was CIA Director, Mike Pompeo was known for emphasizing that Russia is “aggressively reasserting its position” in the world. He also criticized the Russian Federation for the lack of its efforts in the fight against the Islamic State terrorist group. This despite the fact that, in Syria at least, the Russian armed forces were the key factor in destroying the cancer of ISIS (is banned in Russia).
Incidentally, ISIS (is banned in Russia) is the very group that Pompeo helped to establish, which might explain US reticence to actually take effective action to destroy the Islamic militants
And this is the same Pompeo who openly bragged in various TV interviews how when you work for the CIA you learn to” lie, steal and cheat”.
Obviously, he comes well-qualified for the new board position.
When I was the CIA Director,
“We lied, we cheated we stole … we had entire training courses, and it reminds you of the glory of the American experiment” but the atrocities committed by it around the world are no laughing matter.
At least he is honest; Mike Pompeo has told the truth for once in his life!
Too bad our memories are not as fresh for Madeline Albright, who, with three Jewish grandparents, claimed she was not Jewish. She only was open about her Jewish roots based on her trip to Eastern Europe when it was convenient to talk about it under the guise of NATO expansion.
Her encounter with her Jewish past was first on the secretary’s agenda as she arrived in Prague as part of a tour devoted to NATO and its expansion to Eastern and Central Europe.
Her claim to fame is that she also knows a “good deal” when she saw one, with the destruction of Serbia, and she was a key stakeholder and shareholder in Kovova Teleco, and participated in the privatization of the spoils of war and occupation
Hard to remember how it turned out, but originally, she was at the top of Washington-based investment company Albright Capital Management (ACM), in consortium with Portugal Telecom, which had shown a keen interest in bidding for privatization of one of Kosovo’s biggest public companies.
Pretty good MO, take over and destroy the country and get-rich-quick looting it under the name of The American Way and American Exceptionalism.
And none other than First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton accompanied her on this “Jewish roots awakening trip” tour to Eastern Europe, and she too learned well the ropes of being a Secretary of State and professional liar.
And even Hillary’s little brother was involved with Hazelnut and money laundering schemes in the Georgian Black Sea region of Adjara, in the city of Batumi, with or without the approval of the President and First Lady at the time (who are we trying to kid?).
This information would be good for standup comedy, and therefore try to keep from laughing; Clinton received Transparency International-USA’s Integrity Award for having been an “international leader” in the sphere of anti-corruption advocacy in government, business, and development assistance!
History of Feeding Frenzies!
And what was all that interfering in US Elections, such as the infamous Steel Dossier, “Shady Real Estate Deals” in her home state of Arkansas, e.g., The Whitewater Scandal in the 1990s, involving both her and her husband. She was also actively engaged in a chain of other political intrigues which were mundane to her tenure in political office, not to mention the deliberate targeting of women who spoke out about her husband’s sexual predations….
Hillary gained additional notoriety due to her illegal use of a private email server for official government business during her time as Secretary of State (2009-2013). The issue came to light in 2015, and it led to investigations by the FBI and the State Department. However, she was never officially changed with any crimes.
The Clinton Foundation, a charitable organization founded by Bill and Hillary Clinton, has been involved in influence peddling, whereby various foreign governments and individuals would make donations to the foundation in “an attempt” to influence U.S. policy and legislation, even in terms of getting visas and college admissions for their not so bright children.
As always, the Clinton Foundation has maintained its innocence and all what it did is merely philanthropic, albeit to whose benefit? That record is well documented for anyone willing to turn the shovel, but beware of the stench if you do.
One thing is certain, former and current US Secretaries of State don’t appear to have any moral issues with their obvious conflicts of interest. Old-fashioned greed and other financial considerations and the propensity to run interference for sitting US presidents appears to matter more on their CVs than addressing pressing matters of US National Security—it is all about the bottom line—money.
All the while, the FBI and Justice Department are willing to turn a blind eye to any semblance of fraud, influence peddling and other forms of impropriety and conflicts of interest, unless, of course, there is a risk the person in question may try and clean up the house.
Does it take the Chinese to remind us of what we should already know: “Pompeo is a “negative asset” of US diplomacy?” He is arrogant, corrupt and not a very nice person to boot. And it is not only him who is willing to sell us all down the river!
Stay tuned as I am sure the “best is yet” to come with his “fast talk” and the next round of shady and unethical dealings.
You can bank on that!
Henry Kamens, columnist, expert on Central Asia and Caucasus, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.