A Compilation Of Headlines (With Links 2 Sources), Memes, Cartoons and Videos…
ALL FROM A CONSERVATIVE P.O.V.
President Trump Tells Netanyahu He Didn’t Mention Israel in Oval Office Meeting With Russians
“The White House does not deny the intelligence was shared, arguing the President has the authority to share or declassify any information he’s sees necessary.”
Trump Team Knew Flynn Was Under Investigation Before He Came to White House
BREAKING: Report Says Trump Asked Intel Chiefs To Push Back On Russia Collusion Investigation
According to the Washington Post, they have several current and former officials confirming this happened. The question, of course, is what kind of push back it was. Was it similar to what Trump said to James Comey where he was doing it with a wink and a nod or was it something more forceful?
Either way, this is serious business, if true:
President Trump asked two of the nation’s top intelligence officials in March to help him push back against an FBI investigation into possible coordination between his campaign and the Russian government, according to current and former officials.
Trump made separate appeals to the director of national intelligence, Daniel Coats, and to Adm. Michael S. Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, urging them to publicly deny the existence of any evidence of collusion during the 2016 election.
Coats and Rogers refused to comply with the requests, which they both deemed to be inappropriate, according to two current and two former officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private communications with the president.
Trump sought the assistance of Coats and Rogers after FBI Director James B. Comey told the House Intelligence Committee on March 20 that the FBI was investigating “the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia’s efforts.”
Trump’s conversation with Rogers was documented contemporaneously in an internal memo written by a senior NSA official, according to the officials. It is unclear if a similar memo was prepared by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to document Trump’s conversation with Coats. Officials said such memos could be made available to both the special counsel now overseeing the Russia investigation and congressional investigators, who might explore whether Trump sought to impede the FBI’s work.
The White House is neither denying nor confirming the story:
“The White House does not confirm or deny unsubstantiated claims based on illegal leaks from anonymous individuals,” a White House spokesperson said. “The president will continue to focus on his agenda that he was elected to pursue by the American people.”
Robert Mueller is likely going to want this correspondence.
AND SEE:
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Trump is a Dumb Person’s Idea of a Smart Person
…At the risk of sounding like George Costanza, I will tell you that I came up with the notion that Donald Trump is the “Dumb Person’s Idea of A Smart Person.” I’ve been saying it for twenty years, before it came up on Twitter and, in fact, long before Twitter existed. My wife will vouch for me….
…a few months ago, I floated Trump is “The Dumb Person’s Idea of A Smart Person” on my Twitter. Mind you, tweeting to my 65 followers is akin to screaming in an empty room. Nonetheless, I had some friends who saw my tweet tell me that they thought it was a funny idea. One of them even said he thought it was the smartest thing he had read about the Trump phenomenon. It was mildly satisfying.
Then, out of nowhere, the idea briefly caught fire. Only for a day or two, and plainly having nothing to do with me, the idea had its moment in the sun. I was outraged! So maddening to watch others capitalize on my original idea. (You know who would have been smart enough to capitalize? Trump. He’s that kind of smart.)
Someone said “Dumb Person’s Idea of A Smart Person” which quickly evolved into “Poor Guy’s Idea of A Rich Guy,” followed by “Weak Man’s Idea of A Strong Man.” It was everywhere! The Twitter pundits batted it around and fleshed it out and everyone had a good time with my [CENSORED PROFANITY] idea…
…The conclusions everyone came to about the Trump voters’ benighted admiration were obvious and compelling. Trump was successful and wealthy and went to a fancy school (SMART!). He lived in ornate, gold-covered dwellings, with a super hot wife, and he flew around in a plane with his name on it (RICH!). He bullied and cajoled and had his goons beat on people who questioned him (STRONG!).
It was all true. Trump is the dumbest version of smart, and the most hideous form of rich, and the weakest, most transparently pathetic kind of strong. But in the same way that Scrapple is a meat, and Milli Vanilli was a musical act, and the Cleveland Browns are a football team, Trump is smart and rich and strong.
At least if you are dumb.
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EX-CIA CHIEF: “I SAW INTERACTIONS BETWEEN TRUMP TEAM, RUSSIANS THAT WARRANTED INVESTIGATION”
Brennan says he was aware of intel, info about contacts btwn Russia-US persons that raised concerns about those people cooperating w/ Russia.
Brennan: “I was worried by a number of the contacts Russians had with U.S. persons” during the campaign. (via @MSNBC)
Brennan: “I know that there was a sufficient basis of information and intelligence that required further investigation by the [FBI].”
Brennan: I encountered info & intel that revealed “contacts and interactions” between Russian officials and the Trump campaign. (via @MSNBC)
Fmr. CIA Dir. Brennan: If reports are true that Trump decided to share intel with Russia, “he would have basically violated two protocols”.
Fmr. CIA Dir. Brennan warned Russian security service chief that interference in the U.S. election would ‘backfire’

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Nearly two weeks later, the White House can’t stop changing its story on why James Comey was fired: http://nbcnews.to/2rIeszG
Trump just said he never mentioned Israel in his meeting w/ Russians. (That was not the issue—Story never alleged Trump divulged source.)
Unreal. Trump seems to have just accidentally confirmed Israel was the source of the intel with this admission. He’s basically handing the 2018 midterms to the Democrats!
This man has no clue on how to comport himself. “Loose lips sink ships.” should be tattooed on his forehead.
We already have him on obstruction of justice and coercion…or racketeering, corruption and money laundering….McMaster seen in corner, banging head against the wall and shouting obscenities…
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NOW, TO CLOSE WITH BANG-
The many paths from
Trump to Russia
Michael Flynn

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn started advising Trump on national security in early 2016. When Trump took office in January 2017, Flynn served as his National Security Adviser, but resigned after one month amid questions about his links to Russia.

RT
In December 2015, Flynn went to Moscow for a gala celebrating the 10th anniversary of RT, the English-language news network controlled and funded by the Russian government. He sat at the same table as Putin. He was paid more than $33,750 by RT to participate, according to documents released by the House Oversight Committee.

Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communication
RT was founded in 2005 by RIA Novosti, a state-run news agency in Russia that has since been dissolved. It fell under the jurisdiction of the Russian Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communication.

Vladimir Putin
The Russian Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communication is the governmental department in charge of state-run media. Putin appoints its minister.

Sergey Kislyak
Flynn says he first met Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak in 2013 during an official visit to Russia as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Flynn and Kislyak were in contact during the Trump transition, and they spoke on the same day President Obama ordered sanctions on Russia. The controversy over these calls triggered Flynn’s resignation in February, after one month on the job.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
As the top Russian diplomat in the United States, Kislyak works at the Russian embassy in Washington and is an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Vladimir Putin
As president, Putin appoints all Russian ambassadors. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and its leadership, answers to Putin.

Subu Kota
After leaving the military in 2014, Flynn founded Flynn Intel Group. His firm last year reportedly partnered with Brainwave Science, a company co-led by Sabu Kota, according to the Washington Post. A Trump campaign spokesman said Flynn had never met Kota.

KGB
In 1996, Kota pleaded guilty to selling biotech materials to someone posing as a Russian spy, but was really an FBI agent, according to Bloomberg. During the trial, prosecutors accused Kota of repeatedly meeting with a known KGB agent between 1985 and 1990. Kota denied the spying claim and insisted that the criminal charges stemmed from a patent dispute.

Vladimir Putin
The Committee for State Security, or the KGB, was dissolved when the USSR collapsed in 1991. Putin was a KGB agent from the mid-1970s until 1991. He later served as director of the FSB, a successor organization to the KGB.

Russia 
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Paul Manafort

Paul Manafort joined the Trump campaign in March 2016 and eventually became campaign chairman. He left in August 2016 amid questions about his dealings in Ukraine.

Viktor Yanukovych
Manafort worked for former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych for about a decade, starting as early as 2004. He helped steer Yanukovych to victory in the 2010 presidential election, and stayed on as an adviser during Yanukovych’s presidency. Yanukovych was ousted from power in 2014.

Vladimir Putin
At the urging of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Yanukovych adopted policies that moved Ukraine closer to Russia and away from the European Union. Putin publicly supported him during the 2014 revolution that led to his ouster. Yanukovych now lives in exile in Russia.

Dmytro Firtash
Dmytro Firtash is a Ukrainian billionaire and ally of former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych. He partnered with Manafort on a deal to redevelop the Drake Hotel in New York. Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko sued Firtash in federal court, alleging that the project was a money laundering scheme. Firtash denied the charges, the project fell through, and the lawsuit was dismissed.

Gazprom
Firtash served as an intermediary between the Ukrainian government and Gazprom, the Russian natural gas company. He has amassed a fortune through his business in the energy industry.

Vladimir Putin
The Russian government holds a majority stake in Gazprom, and Putin has considerable influence in the company. Gazprom’s chairman of the board was Putin’s deputy while Putin was prime minister.

Opposition Bloc
Manafort began working for Yanukovych in 2004 and grew to be an influential figure in Ukraine who had the ear of the President. After Yanukovych was ousted and pro-Western forces took the reins, Manafort stayed on in the country to help rebrand Yanukovych’s Party of Regions as “Opposition Bloc.”

Konstantin Kilimnik
Konstantin Kilimnik, a dual citizen of Ukraine and Russia, was an aide to Manafort while Manafort worked in Ukrainian politics. Kilimnik told Radio Free Europe, that he spoke to Manafort “every couple of months” during the 2016 election, and Politico reported that they met twice during the campaign.

Viktor Yanukovych
Kilimnik worked for Manafort and former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Kilimnik has said in interviews that he attended high-level meetings with Yanukovych, who served as president from 2010 to 2014.

Vladimir Putin
At the urging of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Yanukovych adopted policies that moved Ukraine closer to Russia and away from the European Union. Putin publicly supported him during the 2014 revolution that led to his ouster. Yanukovych now lives in exile in Russia.

Russia 
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Carter Page

The murky relationship between Trump and Page began in March 2016, when Trump publicly identified him as a foreign policy adviser. Page says he sent policy memos to the campaign, but didn’t ever brief Trump directly. He left the campaign in September 2016 amid questions about his links to Russia.

Gazprom
Page lived in Russia from 2004 to 2007, working for Merrill Lynch. Page participated in some deals with Kremlin-owned energy giant Gazprom, though some former associates in a Reuters report suggested that Page exaggerated his role, with one calling him a “mid-tier banker who was not originating deals.”

Vladimir Putin
The Russian government holds a majority stake in Gazprom, and Putin has considerable influence in the company. Gazprom’s chairman of the board was Putin’s deputy while Putin was prime minister.

Rosneft
Page said he met with a senior official from the Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft during his trip to Moscow in early December 2016. And he has praised Rosneft president Igor Sechin as a leader in strengthening US-Russia relations, though he denied that he has ever met Sechin.

Vladimir Putin
The Russian government owns a majority stake in Rosneft and Putin has considerable influence within the bank. Rosneft is run by Putin loyalist and friend Igor Sechin.

Sergey Kislyak
Page briefly met Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July 2016. “I don’t want to talk specifics but I can assure I’ve never spoken with Ambassador Kislyak more than 10 seconds,” he told CNN.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
As the top Russian diplomat in the United States, Kislyak works at the Russian embassy in Washington and is an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Vladimir Putin
As president, Putin appoints all Russian ambassadors. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and its leadership, answers to Putin.

Sergei Yatsenko
Page returned to the United States in 2008 and founded his own investment firm, Global Energy Capital. His partner there, according to Politico, was a former Gazprom executive, Sergei Yatsenko.

Gazprom
Yatsenko previously worked as a deputy chief financial officer at Gazprom.

Vladimir Putin
The Russian government holds a majority stake in Gazprom, and Putin has considerable influence in the company. Gazprom’s chairman of the board was Putin’s deputy while Putin was prime minister.

Victor Podobnyy
According to federal court filings, Page met Victor Podobnyy at an energy conference in 2013. Podobnyy claimed he was a diplomat. They exchanged emails for several months, and had meetings about the energy business. Page said he gave Podobnyy materials from his lectures about energy markets and politics.

SVR
Podobnyy was actually a Russian spy who worked for the foreign intelligence agency known as the SVR, according to the Department of Justice. Podobnyy was taped saying he tried to recruit Page to become a spy. Federal prosecutors charged him in absentia in 2015. Page says he didn’t know the man was a spy, and never shared any sensitive information.

Vladimir Putin
The SVR, translated to English as the Foreign Intelligence Service, is the top foreign intelligence agency in Russia. The agency is a successor organization to the KGB. The leaders of the SVR are appointed by Putin and the top official reports directly to him.

Russia 
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Roger Stone

Stone is a longtime associate of Trump. He only officially worked for the Trump campaign for a few months in 2015, but he continued to promote Trump’s candidacy throughout the election. He says he is still a friend and confidant to Trump.

RT
Stone has appeared many times on RT, the English-language news network funded and controlled by the Kremlin. In his appearances, Stone has criticized the US intelligence community, attacked American media outlets, complimented Russia and praised Wikileaks.

Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communication
RT was founded in 2005 by RIA Novosti, a state-run news agency in Russia that has since been dissolved. It fell under the jurisdiction of the Russian Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communication.

Vladimir Putin
The Russian Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communication is the governmental department in charge of state-run media. Putin appoints its minister.

Guccifer 2.0
Stone communicated in August 2016 with Guccifer 2.0, the self-proclaimed hacker that took responsibility for breaching the Democratic National Committee and releasing its emails earlier that summer. Stone released screenshots of the Twitter direct messages and downplayed the exchanges.

GRU
Guccifer 2.0 is not an actual hacker but is a persona created by the Russian military intelligence agency known as the GRU, according to US intelligence.

Vladimir Putin
The Main Intelligence Directorate, or the GRU, is the leading military intelligence agency in Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin appoints the GRU leadership and they answer to him.

Wikileaks
Stone said several times during the campaign that he was in communication with Wikileaks and its founder Julian Assange through a “mutual friend.” Stone has changed the details of this claim over time, but he maintains that the mutual friend told him that election-related leaks were coming.

GRU
US intelligence officials have assessed “with high confidence” that the GRU hacked the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, and then subsequently provided internal materials obtained through the hacks to Wikileaks so they could be publicly released.

Vladimir Putin
The Main Intelligence Directorate, or the GRU, is the leading military intelligence agency in Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin appoints the GRU leadership and they answer to him.

Russia 
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Jeff Sessions

Attorney General Jeff Sessions was the first Senator to endorse Trump and he became chairman of the Trump campaign’s national security team in March 2016. He spoke at the Republican convention and was a top campaign surrogate down the stretch.

Sergey Kislyak
Sessions met Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak twice during the campaign. The first meeting was on the sidelines of an event at the Republican convention. The second was a private meeting in October, in Sessions’ office. He didn’t disclose these meetings at his confirmation hearings, and he later recused himself from all probes into the Trump campaign.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
As the top Russian diplomat in the United States, Kislyak works at the Russian embassy in Washington and is an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Vladimir Putin
As president, Putin appoints all Russian ambassadors. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and its leadership, answers to Putin.

JD Gordon
Sessions chaired the Trump campaign’s National Security Advisory Committee during the presidential race. J.D. Gordon was a member of that committee and also advised Trump on security issues.

Sergey Kislyak
Gordon met Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak at the Republican convention in July 2016. He told CNN that he stressed to the Russian envoy that he would like to improve relations with Russia, and that nothing he said to Kislyak amounted to collusion with Russia to aid the Trump campaign.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
As the top Russian diplomat in the United States, Kislyak works at the Russian embassy in Washington and is an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Vladimir Putin
As president, Putin appoints all Russian ambassadors. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and its leadership, answers to Putin.

Russia 
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Jared Kushner

Trump is the father-in-law of Jared Kushner, who married Trump’s daughter Ivanka in 2009. He was a confidant to Trump during the campaign and now serves as a Senior Advisor to the President.

Sergey Kislyak
In December 2016, Kushner attended a meeting with incoming National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. The meeting was held at Trump Tower, and a senior administration official told CNN that it lasted about 10 minutes.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
As the top Russian diplomat in the United States, Kislyak works at the Russian embassy in Washington and is an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Vladimir Putin
As president, Putin appoints all Russian ambassadors. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and its leadership, answers to Putin.

Sergey Gorkov
Kushner met Sergey Gorkov, chairman of VneshEconomBank, in December 2016 during the transition. The meeting was not acknowledged by the White House until press reports about it in March 2017.

VEB
Gorkov is the chairman of VneshEconomBank, also called VEB, which is a state-owned development bank in Russia that focuses on infrastructure and other government projects.

Vladimir Putin
Putin appoints the chairman of VEB, and he tapped Gorkov in early 2016. The bank is not only part of the government but also a tool of the Kremlin. In that respect, VEB regularly funds projects that are favored by Putin, such as the massive development in Sochi for the 2014 Olympics.

Russia 
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Donald Trump Jr.

Donald Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., has worked for the Trump Organization for years, and is currently the company’s executive vice president.

Center of Political and Foreign Affairs
In October 2016, Trump Jr. flew to France and spoke at a dinner hosted by the Center of Political and Foreign Affairs, according to the Wall Street Journal. The paper reported that Trump Jr. was paid for the speaking engagement.

Felix Sater
Through the Trump Organization, Trump Jr. worked with Russian immigrant Felix Sater, and his company Bayrock Group, on various deals. Forbes published emails between Trump Jr. and Bayrock officials working on Trump SoHo. According to the Washington Post, Sater also said in a sworn deposition that he once escorted Trump Jr. and his sister Ivanka around Moscow.

Andrii Artemenko
Sater met with Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen and Ukrainian lawmaker Andrii Artemenko at a New York City hotel in January 2017. Sater and Artemenko say they discussed a “peace plan” for Ukraine that reportedly includes terms that are friendly to Russia.

Russia 
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Rex Tillerson

Trump appointed ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be Secretary of State in late 2016, and he was confirmed in February 2017.

Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2013 personally awarded Tillerson the Order of Friendship, one of the highest honors given by Russia to foreign nationals.

Rosneft
As ExxonMobil CEO, Tillerson sealed a major deal with Rosneft, the Russian state-owned oil company. The agreement gave Exxon access to the Arctic Ocean, and Putin attended the signing ceremony. The project made progress until the Obama administration put new sanctions on Russia, and Rosneft.

Vladimir Putin
The Russian government owns a majority stake in Rosneft and Putin has considerable influence within the bank. Rosneft is run by Putin loyalist and friend Igor Sechin.

Russia 
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Wilbur Ross

Trump selected Wilbur Ross to lead the U.S. Department of Commerce. He is a billionaire who made much of his money buying troubled assets and investing in bankrupt companies.

Bank of Cyprus
Ross’ investment company owns a stake in the Bank of Cyprus, and Ross was the bank’s vice chair from 2014 until he joined the Trump administration.

Vladimir Strzhalkovsky
Vladimir Strzhalkovsky was a senior official at the Bank of Cyprus when Ross became the vice chair. He was one of a handful of Russians involved in the bank that departed shortly after Ross’ arrival, according to the New York Times.

Vladimir Putin
RT, the Kremlin-funded TV network, identified Strzhalkovsky as a “former KGB official and Putin ally.” The two served together in the KGB, according to The New York Times.

Bank of Cyprus
Ross’ investment company owns a stake in the Bank of Cyprus, and Ross was the bank’s vice chair from 2014 until he joined the Trump administration.

Viktor Vekselberg
Viktor Vekselberg is a Russian billionaire who emerged in 2014 as a leading shareholder in the Bank of Cyprus.

Russia 
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Betsy DeVos

Trump nominated Betsy DeVos in November 2016 to serve as U.S. Secretary of Education. After a series of grueling confirmation hearings, the Senate confirmed DeVos in February 2017. DeVos is a billionaire from Michigan who had donated millions of dollars to Republican campaigns and causes.

Spectrum Health
Betsy DeVos’ relatives are leadership figures at Spectrum Health. She is the wife of Dick DeVos Jr., who is the chairman of the board at Spectrum Health.

Alfa Bank
A server belonging to Spectrum Health looked up contact information for a Trump Organization email server more than 700 times during the 2016 presidential campaign. The only other entity that had this similar, consistent activity was a server belonging to Russia-based Alfa Bank. The FBI is investigating the nature of these communications. Both companies deny any nefarious activity.

Erik Prince
Erik Prince is the brother of Betsy DeVos. Prince is known for founding the security firm Blackwater.

Putin confidant
Prince met in January 2017 with a Russian national close to Vladimir Putin on the tiny island nation of Seychelles, according to the Washington Post. The paper reported that Prince was acting as a Trump envoy, but a Prince spokesman told CNN it had nothing to do with Trump. The spokesman did not say what the meeting was about.

Vladimir Putin
The Washington Post has not identified the Putin confidant that Prince met with in Seychelles, but the Russian national has been described as someone “close to Putin” and a “Putin confidant.”

Russia 
Felix Sater

Felix Sater was an executive at Bayrock Group, which licensed the Trump name to build Trump SoHo New York and Trump Tower Fort Lauderdale. Trump and Sater have appeared at public events together, gave joint interviews and co-signed paperwork relating to their business deals. But in a 2013 deposition, Trump distanced himself and said he didn’t know Sater well.

Andrii Artemenko
Sater met with Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen and Ukrainian lawmaker Andrii Artemenko at a New York City hotel in January 2017. Sater and Artemenko say they discussed a “peace plan” for Ukraine that reportedly includes terms that are friendly to Russia.

Russia 
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Vitaly Churkin

Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s longtime ambassador to the United Nations who died in 2017, was quoted in Russian media saying he first met Trump in 1986 on a trip to New York with then-Soviet ambassador Yuri Dublin. In the months after that meeting, Trump started pursuing business deals in Russia.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Churkin served as the Russian ambassador to the United Nations from 2006 until his death in February 2017. He was one of the top Russian officials in the U.S. and worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Vladimir Putin
As president, Putin appoints all Russian ambassadors. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and its leadership, answers to Putin.

Russia 
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