Guess what Gianforte has Russian ties as well. What's the deal with these peeps?

[NightWatcher]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/28/greg-gianforte-republican-candidate-congress-russia-companies

A Republican congressional candidate has financial ties to a number of Russian companies that have been sanctioned by the US, the Guardian has learned.

Greg Gianforte, who is the GOP standard bearer in the upcoming special election in Montana, owns just under $250,000 in shares in two index funds that are invested in the Russian economy to match its overall performance.

According to a financial disclosure filed with the clerk of the House of Representatives, the Montana tech mogul owns almost $150,000 worth of shares in VanEck Vectors Russia ETF and $92,400 in the IShares MSCF Russia ETF fund. Both are indexed to the Russian equities market and have significant holdings in companies such as Gazprom and Rosneft that came under US sanctions in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of the Crimea.

[blogslut]

1. Yep

[kimbutgar]

2. Russia has infiltrated the GOP to take over the country in a bloodless coup

This goes deeper than we know. There is only so much Koch money to go around the GOP had to open their funding sources and the GOP was a willing participant.

Gangsters of politics are now russian comrades. Traitorous bastards.

[sharedvalues]

3. When there is so much money in politics, no surprise foreign kleptocrats buy US politicians.

We need major campaign finance reform, and major reform of revolving door laws.

[Igel]

4. If you have index funds, you're likely to have ties with Russia.

Because you own shares in something that owns shares in them. Not exactly direct ties, by any stretch of the imagination.

My father owned shares in an index fund. He had ties with Russia.

And Japan. And Germany. And Canada. And Britain. And France.

The idea is that you invest abroad; if the dollar goes down, you're partly protected. If one country's hit by a downturn, you're partly protected. It's the fund manager that's responsible for what's selected and included in the fund, and if, for example, Rosneft''s value declined he'd have to decide whether to hold on to it for dividends and wait until the price returned to status quo ante or just sell the stocks or bonds at a loss.

I mean, my father was a steelworker for 35 years with a high-school degree from '44, it's not like he had much of a say.

(It's the same with a lot of other "links." They happen if you move in the right circles, and those don't have to be highly rarefied to start running into people you might find questionable. I've met in passing various high-ranking folk from a number of countries at receptions, and my highest-ranking job has been "high school science teacher" or "translator" or "graduate student government representative".)

[LeftInTX]

6. I was wondering what a guy from Montana would be doing with those investments

But he's from the East Coast. Started a software company over there in 1986. Sold the company to McAfee, moved to Montana in 1994. Started some kind of tech company over there. So, I guess he's got a fairly vast portfolio.

[AgadorSparticus]

5. And he acts like trunk and Putin. Go figure....

[womanofthehills]

7. Scott Walker also has ties to Russia

Rachel had a good show on this. How Russian agents/companies befriend these guys and before they know it, they are compromised.