The Not-Completely-Crazy Theory that Russia Leaked the Panama Papers

[Lodestar]

Washington Post

On the face of it, the Panama Papers don't look good for Russia. Reporters investigating the huge leak of financial data from a Panamanian legal firm have suggested that up to $2 billion in offshore bank accounts could be linked to a circle of friends closely associated with President Vladimir Putin. For many, this information seems to corroborate what has long been rumored: that Putin is corrupt, on a huge scale.
After a few days of silence, the Russian president himself has taken aim at the allegations, suggesting they were part of a broader U.S. plot to destabilize Russia. But another very different theory is making the rounds in the Russia-watching world. In short, the theory says that Moscow isn't a victim of a Panama Papers plot.

Instead, perhaps it is the Russians who are behind the leak.

Okay, it sounds far-fetched, but this particular idea is especially noteworthy because of who has advanced it: Clifford Gaddy, an economist who works with the Brookings Institution. Gaddy is one of the foremost Western experts on Russia's economy and a former adviser to the Russian Finance Ministry in the 1990s. Along with Fiona Hill of Brookings, he is one of the co-authors of a well-regarded book on the personality of the Russian leader, "Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin."

In a blog post published Thursday on the Brookings website, Gaddy outlined his thoughts on the matter. You should read it all for yourself, but I'll break down his idea into four quick points.

1. It was a hacker backed by the Russian government who emailed the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung to offer the leak in early 2015, the initial contact that would eventually lead to the release of the Panama Papers.

2. There's deliberately little information within the Panama Papers that harms Putin: While the $2 billion figure has been reported widely, the link to Putin is relatively obscure, and the Russian president has survived far worse accusations of corruption.

3. Meanwhile, there's plenty of information in the Panama Papers that has already proven extremely embarrassing for other world leaders. At the least, Gaddy argues, this makes Putin and his reputation for corruption seem like less of an outlier and more of standard operating practice.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/04/09/the-not-completely-crazy-theory-that-russia-leaked-the-panama-papers/


Brookings
Are the Russians actually behind the Panama Papers?

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/order-from-chaos/posts/2016/04/07-panama-papers-putin-gaddy

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My thoughts are that it's not so far fetched an idea if you look at who really gets hurt. Cameron (who was helped to victory in his election by Obama's right hand man Jim Messina) is hurt. As is the newly 'elected' president of Argentina, Macri, who was the U.S.'s new hope for turning around a long period of left leaning influence in that country (good news for corporate interests). In fact Obama visited Macri just prior to the story breaking about the Panama Papers in which Macri has been linked. Next thing you know Jim Messina is being hired by Macri to dig him out of this scandal. These are just two examples of how the U.S. was hurt by the Panama Papers. Certainly something that Putin would enjoy being a part of. And in the end Putin wasn't harmed at all by the Paper's release.
I posted a story in this thread about Macri hiring Messina.

[Lodestar]

1. Two U.S. targets hit?

As I mentioned in the OP these are two things that happened to U.S. interests as a result of the Panama Papers release, and they both involve Jim Messina, Obama's right hand man.

In 2013, Messina also launched The Messina Group. In this role, Messina provides strategic consulting to political campaigns, advocacy organizations and businesses. In this capacity, Messina served as senior advisor to Prime Minister David Cameron’s surprising 2015 electoral victory, which handed him an unforeseen majority.

More about J. Messina here (and his current connection to Hillary)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016151676



Argentine President Hired Obama's Former Public Image Advisor

Buenos Aires, Apr 6 (Prensa Latina) In response to strong pressures for unpopular policies and hit by the effects of the recent Panama Papers, Argentine President Mauricio Macri has hired expert Jim Messina, President Barack Obama's former public image advisor.

Veinte y Tres magazine reports that Messina is a stranger in Argentina but has a successful career as a consultant, which includes leading Obama's political campaign in 2012 when he won the reelection.

One of the main cornerstones of the campaign was the use of social networks and information posted by users in different platforms to know the preferences of voters, the article reveals.

On Wednesday 30th, a representative of the Messina Group, vice-president Brennan Bilberry met with Chief of Staff Marcos Peña and Public Communication secretary Jorge Grecco, the article goes on.

Messina, who was the architect of Obama's reelection in 2012, is regarded as one of the greatest strategists in public and communications issues worldwide.

Currently, the Messina Group advises clients from several countries and a variety of fields that include energy, security, telecommunications, entertainment, health assistance and sports, and now will advise President Macri.

He comes at the right time, when President Macri is going through a difficult period after the revelations that he led a ghost company based in Bahamas and is the vice-president of another company in Panama.

cont'd
http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4763341&Itemid=1

[bjo59]

2. Thank you for this link!

[ish of the hammer]

3. who ya gonna believe wikileaks or the brookings foundation?

I sure get tired of the mindless Putin bashing I see here.

[Lodestar]

8. Well my point is that there are at least two important U.S. allies who are threatened

by the Panama Papers. And both of those targets are an impediment to more left leaning
interests (Labour Party in the UK and a leftist government in Argentina that had shunned U.S.
neoliberalism and trade until Macri was elected). So who would it serve to take these people down?
Why would the U.S. shoot itself in the foot?

Here's more on Argentina from CounterPunch

http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/04/12/macri-nomics-argentinas-fast-and-furious-return-to-neoliberalism/

[newthinking]

4. Not crazy: Just counter propaganda. Wikileaks already exposed it and this is a narrative

to try and shift and confuse.



US Admits to Indirectly Funding Panama Papers Leak

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/US-Admits-to-Indirectly-Funding-Panama-Papers-Leak-20160409-0013.html

[newthinking]

5. TruthDig: WikiLeaks Claims the U.S. Government Funded the Panama Papers Against Russia

http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/wikileaks_claims_the_us_government_funded_the_panama_papers_20160408

Earlier this week, former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray pointed out in a blog post:

The filtering of this Mossack Fonseca information by the corporate media follows a direct western governmental agenda. There is no mention at all of use of Mossack Fonseca by massive western corporations or western billionaires—the main customers. And the Guardian is quick to reassure that “much of the leaked material will remain private.”

What do you expect? The leak is being managed by the grandly but laughably named “International Consortium of Investigative Journalists”, which is funded and organized entirely by the USA’s Center for Public Integrity. Their funders include:

Ford Foundation
Carnegie Endowment
Rockefeller Family Fund
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Open Society Foundation (Soros)

[Lodestar]

9. Still doesn't answer the question about why U.S. interests would choose to

target people like Cameron or Argentina's Macri.

Until I hear a good answer I'm not buying the 'U.S. did it' meme.

[Lodestar]

7. Do you have any thoughts about why they would release this

info about Cameron, or Macri or the Iceland's president? Why would they want to hurt them?

[silvershadow]

6. The papers and the leaks are what they are. International politics aside,

whatever they ultimately reveal, people did, and I hope some of them pay for it.

[bemildred]

10. So far, the CIA thinks the Russians did it, the Russians say the CIA did it.

And I think they are both wrong. Another theory is a jilted lover.

The size and nature of the leak doesn't really suggest a focussed attack, dribbling out over a year in bits an pieces.

[Blue_Tires]

11. k+r