President of the United States, VP & 1st lady targeted. Suspects have ties to Iranian intelligence

[Yorkie Mom]

Biden Detailee Entangled in Secret Service Bribery Scheme

... snip

An affidavit filed Wednesday night in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. revealed that one of the Secret Service agents involved in the bribery scheme was a special agent assigned to First Lady Jill Biden’s protective detail. Another was a Uniformed Division officer at the White House.

RealClearPolitics has learned that another Secret Service special agent involved in the alleged bribery is assigned to President Biden’s detail, those agents who accompany the president nearly everywhere he goes and stand by his side during the most sensitive of discussions and private moments. A second Uniformed Division officer caught up in the bizarre scheme was assigned to protect Vice President Harris’s residence, according to sources familiar with the matter.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2022/04/08/biden_detailee_entangled_in_secret_service_bribery_scheme_.html

This article says they have possible ties to Iranian intelligence including to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/secret-service-arian-taherzadeh-haider-ali-iranian-intelligence/

How can this not kill any possible deal with Iran?

[Deep State Witch]

1. Yep. Iranians

I thought so, based on the one guy's name.

[lagomorph777]

2. Holy shit.

With this level of corruption, we can be sure Trump is in on the scheme somehow.

I also have to assume that Trump let in some Putin plants.

[stopdiggin]

13. wait - wasn't Trump stiff-arming the Iranians? -(nt)-

[wnylib]

26. Yes, but Trump took directions from Putin on most things.

I suspect a Putin involvement.

It also looks like a planned coup was being developed. Take out Biden/Harris and reinstate Trump?

Just speculation right now, but it does look like a possibility.

[stopdiggin]

33. OK. speculation, but that's fair game, I suppose.

but I was responding to a post that seemed to amount to just plain misunderstanding of who's batting for whose team. The OP is pointing toward Iran - and Trump is/was a long way from palling around ....

[Jack the Greater]

45. How have you determined that Trump took directions from Putin?

Last edited Fri Apr 8, 2022, 04:31 PM - Edit history (1)

Is it an assumption based on conjecture, or do you have hard evidence? It is obvious to me that their outlook on life has many overlaps, but they arrived at their respective world views independently. For instance, one can surmise that both have white supremacist views, but those views developed independently, without any conversation, in the wider sense of the word, between them. So it is not surprising that Trump's words and actions resonate with those of Putin. But to jump from that to the assumption that Trump was carrying out Putin's directions is a far leap without hard evidence. I would celebrate hard evidence, but no one has proffered any... to my knowledge.

[wnylib]

59. Well, you might have a good point there.

It's possible, I guess, that Russian interference in the 2016 election carried no quid pro quo arrangement between Putin and Trump. Putin might just be a generous guy who helped a kindred spirit get into power out of admiration for Trump and dislike of Clinton because she criticized his annexation of Crimea. Just one nice guy helping out a fellow nice guy.

Or perhaps Putin himself had nothing to do with the Russian interference in 2016. Maybe it was some Russians working independently, with no self-serving motives, no expectations of any personal gain, and no ties to Putin. Maybe they just like the US so much that they wanted to participate in our elections, too. Or they just like Trump himself and wanted to do him a no-strings-attached favor.

[Jack the Greater]

65. To me, that is a more reasonable statement of what may have happened

... rather than a flat-out claim that Trump was acting in accord with Putin's directions. They are undoubtedly like-minded individuals, and their actions are likely to run a parallel track, consolidating power that is not beholden to a democratic electorate.

[wnylib]

68. I see that you are new to DU.

Did you take an accidental left turn on the Internet?

Most people here are aware of the Putin/Trump ties.

[Jack the Greater]

71. I myself have no knowledge of Trump and Putin's ties with each other.

But then, I don't have access to the information that most here might have. All I know is what I read in the newspapers. I would welcome hard evidence of collaboration between Trump and Putin to subvert US democracy, not that it would be detrimental to Trump. His base would celebrate such a revelation, and it would bind them even tighter to him.

[wnylib]

72. Whatever.

[Achilleaze]

3. Did these SS skunks get in position under TFG (R)?

I suspect his stanky little Republican fingers are somewhere in this foul mix...

[Irish_Dem]

8. Wouldn't surprise me in the least.

Some connection to GOP/Trump.

[yorkster]

12. The link to CBS News says Feb. 2020

is when they started posing as government agents in various depts. and agencies.

[Achilleaze]

24. OK, link?

Who is reporting this? Would seem to me to be BIG news.

[Hoyt]

4. Secret Service needs to do better than this. As to "Iranians, I'm sure we have our spies there too.

[brooklynite]

5. Latest news say they're linked to Pakistan.

[stopdiggin]

14. that was my understanding

(by one guy's own 'brag'.)
Be prepared for a fire hose of 'headlines.' It's what we (media) do.

[RockRaven]

6. Please destroy the fuck out of every USSS person who betrayed or failed their duties...

including the duty to report up the chain or investigate any suspicions or rumors about USSS personnel.

[Irish_Dem]

7. SS agents were "genuinely duped" according to the article.

If true, these people are not smart enough to be Secret Service agents.

Or they are accustomed to tax payer freebies.

[haele]

16. They aren't smart at all...

I work for the Federal Government, we have annual Code of Ethics and Counter-intelligence briefings.
High value gift giving and favors are huge red flags - report to the supervisor type of flags. Even if they're from "fellow government employees in a different department.
No way these agents didn't know something was off.

Haele

[Irish_Dem]

17. I agree, they had to know something was up.

Most adults know there is no free lunch.

And as you say, briefings on being offered expensive gifts as red flags, etc.

So that leaves us with corruption or working for the enemy.

The whole thing stinks to high heaven.

[SheltieLover]

41. Yup!

[lostnfound]

66. Everybody has to watch videos telling you not to take gifts, dinners, etc

Especially government officials.

[Irish_Dem]

67. So they well knew something was not right in this situation.

But they still took the bribes/gifts.

Maybe the agents need some jail time.

[intheflow]

73. Right?

I'm a public librarian, and my city required me to take ethics training every year. No way this isn't true for federal employees.

[xmas74]

74. I'm a state employee

In a poor red state and we had ethics classes we had to pass- and I'm just in Mental Health.
No way SS doesn't know this.

[lagomorph777]

47. Yup - even feeding gov't employees during a meeting - they have to pay for their own lunch.

No way they would take gifts without knowing it's a big problem.

[Irish_Dem]

62. I would think rules would be even more strict for SS agents guarding POTUS.

[uponit7771]

20. +1, some of the "gifts" were thousands of dollars too !! Damn

[Irish_Dem]

35. I think the free rent was around $50k a year

[Demsrule86]

58. I don't believe that.

[Irish_Dem]

63. I'm not buying it either. But probably sounded like a good lie to tell the FBI.

[bucolic_frolic]

9. What kind of vetting and oversight is our government doing?

This is like a bank hiring bank robbers without a background check.

[stopdiggin]

15. no 'vetting' - because these guys didn't have real positions. -(nt)-

[drray23]

22. he is talking about the secret service agents who took the gifts.nt.

[stopdiggin]

29. once hired ..

they are probably subject to periodic 'review' and evaluation (perhaps lie detectors? - I'm not certain) much like any other position. But I'm thinking that 'association' with other presumed LE employees - is not going to be part of any ongoing process or screening - and probably doesn't raise any red flags even if it were. And finally, vetting would probably be the wrong terminology for ongoing evaluation of 'fitness.'

You can bet that these guys are subject to serious vetting when they sign on. So - kind of a nonsense question/comment either way you slice it.

[mopinko]

10. fire the lot of them. anyone who wasnt in on it should have spotted it.

wtaf?
starting to think a lot of people have been waiting for chaos so they could hide behind it.

[dalton99a]

11. And Pakistan

[Beetwasher.]

18. I'll Bet A Dollar This Will Also Link Up w/ Russia and Trump

Working through allies in Iran and Pakistan.

[wnylib]

34. My thoughts on it, too.

[SheltieLover]

42. Absolutely!

[lagomorph777]

48. I'm very sure of it.

[Patterson]

51. I was going to say the same thing and go for $5. This is bad. There's no bottom to Trump's evil.

[Irish_Dem]

64. China/Russia/Iran/Pakistan/ Trump

Sounds about right to me.

I think we can bet more than a dollar on it.

[spanone]

21. 12/31/2020: Joe Biden to have new Secret Service team amid concern about Trump loyalty

Joe Biden is expected to receive Secret Service protection with a new team that is more familiar to him and replacing some agents amid concerns that they may be politically allied with Donald Trump.

In a changing of the guard as well as the man to be guarded at the White House, Biden’s security detail will undergo some staffing changes, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.
---
In what was described as an “unprecedented” move, the Secret Service had permitted former detail leader Anthony Ornato to temporarily leave his role and serve as White House deputy chief of staff.

Ornato was among the coordinators of the June photo op for which Trump marched through Washington DC’s Lafayette Square to stand with a Bible – after peaceful protesters were forced from the area by troops on federal order, sparking uproar in political circles as well as among the public.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/dec/31/joe-biden-secret-service-team-trump-loyalty

[Hekate]

23. Who would be in charge of cleaning out this agency?

I know Joe had “Trump’s detail” reassigned before he got there, but this is jaw-droppingly close to him. This cannot stand. The 4 who just got caught have to go (to jail, preferably) but rot spreads, and we have to know how far.

[wnylib]

37. And WHO is behind it providing funds and training of fake agents.

Since they went this far, they will not stop until rooted out completely and exposed.

[Midnight Writer]

25. Funny to hear RW Hate Talker Dan Bongino sticking up for the SS guys (he is ex-SS himself)

He doesn't want to jump to conclusions, wouldn't want to accuse anybody without proof, doesn't want to tarnish the reputations of any patriotic Secret Service agents, wants to wait until the facts are all in.

Smear merchant who accuses Fauci of being a mass killer, Biden of being a traitor, Harris of being an affirmative action pick, Schiff of being a congenital liar, doctors of willfully killing Covid patients, now wants to "wait for all the facts before jumping to conclusions".

Sickening, but I had to laugh.

[iemanja]

27. No, it says the Pakistani ISI

His passports had visas to Iran, and he said he was affiliated with the ISI, which is Pakistan's intelligence service, not Iran's.

This was in the WaPo yesterday. https://democraticunderground.com/100216573556

[Strelnikov_]

28. So does this mean the Maga base is now pro-Iranian (or pro-Paki, or pro-Psychlo, or pro-??)

Cue Red Don asking the Ayatollah for dirt on Joe.

[onecaliberal]

31. It means what we already know. They're anti american.

[Celerity]

54. The ISI detests the Iranian state in many cases. Many in ISI are ISIS and al Qaeda adjacent

Sunni versus Shi'ite take number 23,397.

This whole thing seems/feels very incomplete. I can easily see a third actor wound into all this, one who would love to see the Iran deal scuppered.

[onecaliberal]

30. Replace them all with trustworthy people. This is scary as fuck...

[LakeArenal]

32. I have a friend in contact with Iranian friends.

Iran thinks DonTrump is going to save Iran. Truth.

[stopdiggin]

36. well, that's straight up delusional

nuclear deal, sanctions, Netanyahu, assassination of Soleimani ..
Trump kicked Iran every frigging chance he got ..

[wnylib]

38. What in hell would make them think that??

[LakeArenal]

46. I think trump's alliance with Russia.

Edit: Also rump breaking the original agreements allowing Iran to talk nukes again.

[Celerity]

56. Trump and Co are up to their gills in Israeli dodginess, so tell your friend (if you wish) GOOD LUCK

Tell them old Trumpy Bear has a big hug for Iran

just like he gave

[LakeArenal]

60. Iran likes in propaganda just like Russia.

[Celerity]

61. So does Israel, so does the US, China, India, etc etc. Sweden too.

[IronLionZion]

39. These guys lived pretty well in their large apartments downtown

they were in a luxury building in the Navy Yard neighborhood. Very pricey 3 bedroom units without much furniture but tons of weapons and tactical gear. Somebody paid for all that and must have gotten something in return.

https://www.washingtonian.com/2022/04/08/inside-the-navy-yard-suspects-wild-apartment-building/

Photos of their fancy building: https://crossingdc.com/gallery

[Akoto]

44. Especially given they never, ever paid rent, evidently. nt

[lagomorph777]

49. That's a sure sign Trump was backing them.

He NEVER pays his bills.

[EndlessWire]

40. Wow!

"An investigation into the two men began on March 14, when a U.S. Postal Inspector responded to a D.C. apartment building for a report of an assault involving a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier."

I know we have issues with DeJoy, but I am suitably impressed with the postal inspector.

I want someone to explain to me why four individuals involved with protecting our senior officials are NOT in jail. I guess it's their business, what they think is suitable for debriefing and investigation, but damn, I think the bribees should have been jailed also. It is beyond stupid; there is no way in hell that they did not know something was wrong. Ignorance of the law has never been held to be a valid excuse for breaking the law, anyway.

Three years is all they can get? What happened to spying charges? More to come, I hope.

Damn. TY to Yorkie Mom for posting this.

[SheltieLover]

43. Exactly! Lock them up!

[lagomorph777]

50. In any Position Of Trust, ignorance of the law is a physical impossibility.

They receive all kinds of briefings, training, and forms to sign about this sort of thing.

[EndlessWire]

53. I know.

That's why I say there is no way that they did not know, or question what was going on.

There are many positions which do not allow the receiving of gifts from people. In the medical field, for instance, you are TRAINED not to accept gifts from patients. In the security field, after you have your background check, you are TRAINED not to accept gifts, but, moreover, you are trained to TELL about the offers.

From the contraband that the authorities found in the two men's apartments, it looks to me like they planned to persuade the four SS members to do the killings. This is going to turn out to be some monstrous, multithreaded conspiracy plot with a lot more culpable people coming to light. Even that guy's wife is in trouble. I'll bet they run away.

[Meowmee]

70. There is no way those secret service members did not know what they were doing was being bribed imo

We will hear more about the details at some point I hope. What led to the investigation was someone at the Post Office investigating the assault of a letter carrier apparently I think according to what someone posted here above, I was wondering about that. I have not read much about it yet.

[BlueLucy]

69. Revenge

Pompeo orchestrated the assignation of a top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. I suspect this is Iran seeking revenge.

[Celerity]

52. Of course we can still do a deal with Iran. Why did you not also comment on the ISI Pakistani ties?

One of the men impersonating DHS agents allegedly told witnesses in the case that he had connections to ISI, the Pakistani intelligence agency, a prosecutor said during a court hearing Thursday. Both U.S. citizens accused of the bribery hold passports with visas to Iran and Pakistan. They were allegedly impersonating DHS officials and attempted to bribe four members of the elite force that protects the president, vice president, and their families.

Also. I see nothing stating this:

President of the United States, VP & 1st lady targeted.

in either article.

[EndlessWire]

55. I think this is based on

the positions the targeted SS men held on all the details. There was one target assigned to each of the details protecting those individuals. It's not too much of a leap to figure out that those were the officials threatened.

[Celerity]

57. I am not fully convinced there is enough to make the OP's major claim yet, none of the reporting

so far makes that large leap. Of course that could change.

Also, I am not at all convinced this scuppers the Iran deal. I see problematic framing being attempted from a few angles.