No, I’m not talking about the critically acclaimed American television drama, which tells about a pair of Soviet agents, illegal immigrants, leading a double life of provincial parents in the suburbs of Washington. I mean the other spy Thriller that played out on the Potomac: a family drama involving obsequious son, his friend — the Azeri pop star, a provincial Russian lawyer and controversial British journalist.
The past week has continued to emerge new details about the now infamous meeting with Donald trump Jr. with a Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, which took place in June, 2016 and was arranged by Robert Goldstone (Robert Goldstone) is a short, fat, and ruddy man, who wrote articles for a tabloid and appeared in public relations.
Like in a Russian matryoshka, the number of participants increased from five to eight, and there are new characters. Among them are the native of Russia the citizen of the United States Rinat Akhmetshin — the Washington lobbyist and lover of Opera, fine wines and imported orange bikes.
On the one hand, it’s all very fun and wonderful. The first meeting on the beauty contest! The Duo of father-oligarch and son! The mediator, who is playing his own interpretation of the movie “Titanic”!
However, for any fan of good thrillers of John Le carré (John le Carré) or James bond movies it all rather depressing. If Moscow really wanted to establish relationships with the electoral headquarters of the trump of whether the initial contact is actually so simple and obvious as sending e-mails? And even more disturbing is this: where did the top leadership of the Russian spy network, what became of him? Is Moscow’s opinion about the United States really has fallen so low that she is conducting espionage operations directs narcissistic people?
In search of answers I went to Peter Ernest (Peter Earnest), CIA vet with 36 years experience, who for nearly twenty years, participated in secret operations by his Department. After retirement, completing a professional activity, during which he had to work in different places from the Mediterranean to the Middle East, this gray-haired, but vigorous ex-spy became the Executive Director of the International spy Museum in Washington. According to Ernest, he watches the news with great interest. Stressing that it did not have enough insider information about “the Saga”, he noted that in a letter sent to Donald Trump, Jr., apparently, was a kind of “bait” is usually sent by the organizers of intelligence operations to check the interest feature. In this case, the “bait” was dirt on Hillary Clinton.
As for my claims about what planned operation looks too amateurish, he immediately dispelled all illusions: “Not all of them are secretly like spies in trench coats and hats”. According to Ernest, a carefully conducted campaign of exerting influence may be not so much on what we traditionally consider to be a spying, how much lobbying and Fund-raising. He recalled the Russian spy group, who for many years lived in the United States and operated under the cover, and then in 2010 he was expelled from the country. While some of them (e.g. Anna Chapman, this red-haired Mata Hari) more active, others seem in recent years was only established useful contacts at low level and gathered information — sometimes when conducting a long-term campaign effects, said Ernest.
“It’s kind of a gradual weakening of something, destruction. You are not going to destroy the whole country. And in fits and starts weakening it, causing her harm. You make your contribution. And often this is the operation of exerting influence”.
As for the presence in this story elements of a reality TV show, they also had a sense, given the history of life and the level of the President, explained former scout. “When a person is so successful and reached such heights, you, so to speak, must rise to his level. He is not the one who sneaks and hides to meet you somewhere in the alley. And you can go to Mar-a-Lago to buy him dinner,” said he.
As often happens in Washington, we cannot say that he does not have any relation to it — this drama is very close with Ernest. Actor Robert De Niro is (incredibly) and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of espionage, and a business partner of the friends of Mr. trump Aras and Emin agalarovy, which helps the actor to manage his Moscow sushi restaurants “Nobu” — the network owned by Mr. De Niro.
According to Ernest, he still has to discuss with De Niro latest turn of events, and while he is looking forward to the next Chapter of this Saga.
Who knows, he said maybe one day the whole story might be in the Museum as an exhibit.
