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At the centre of President Trump's controversial plan to end the Russia‑Ukraine war is not peace but profit. A detailed Wall Street Journal investigation revealed that Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have been negotiating with Russian officials to secure lucrative opportunities for US businesses—and Trump's close associates—once the conflict comes to an end.
Obama DEA Official Indicted For Laundering Money For Mexican Drug Cartel
The Department of Justice announced that a former top Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) official who retired near the end of the Obama administration has been indicted on multiple charges, including conspiracy to engage in narcoterrorism, money laundering and conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
DEA Administrator Terrance C. Cole and United States Attorney Jay Clayton of the Southern District of New York revealed the indictment of Paul Campo in a Friday evening release, saying he agreed to help the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) launder $12 million in proceeds from drug trafficking. The DOJ said that Campo, who served as Deputy Chief of the Office of Financial Operations at the DEA, also advised CJNG on acquiring drones and assault rifles after Robert Sensi — an associate of Campo — put him in touch with a representative of the cartel. ...
The indictment alleges that Campo and Sensi met with the CJNG representative to advise them on laundering the funds through cryptocurrency purchases, real estate investments, pre-paid gift cards and assisted in three transactions involving $750,000. The indictment states that Campo and Sensi believed that the third and final transaction would trigger a shipment of about $5 million worth of cocaine, and that they would receive a portion of the proceeds.
“By participating in this scheme, Campo betrayed the mission he was entrusted with pursuing for his 25-year career with the DEA,” Clayton said. “CJNG is a violent and corrupting criminal enterprise that New Yorkers want broken. I commend the extraordinary efforts of the DEA in aggressively pursuing CJNG and those who support their deadly and corrupt efforts, no matter who they may be.”
If convicted, Campo and Sensi could face up to life in prison, according to the DOJ release.
On Sunday, Tribal Business News ran a distraught story headlined, “SBA orders 8(a) firms to submit financial records by Jan. 5, raising stakes for tribal contractors.” ...
The SBA’s 8(a) program is aimed at “small disadvantaged businesses,” generally meaning 51% “minority owned.” Among a slew of business development benefits, the biggest is federal contracting privileges, which helps them get sole-source contracts of up to $7 million each, with “lifetime caps” in the hundreds of millions per individual. According to the article, Indian (tribal) businesses alone got $23 billion in contract awards in 2023.
In case you were wondering, the 8(a) program itself is racist, a de facto racial spoils system, and is probably unconstitutional ...
A few weeks back, James O’Keefe of OMG —wearing an especially cunning disguise— broke the scandal with an undercover video of some diverse folks bragging about being 51% minority owners of companies with 8(a) no-bid contracts. They said it was easy, they do nothing more than pass contracts to subcontractors after depositing their cut. “I sit back, collect my percentage, and they do the work,” one subject said. ...
Anyway, this week, Trump’s SBA Director Kelly Loefler sent notices to all 8(a) companies, roughly 4,300 of them, requiring submission of three years of general ledgers, bank statements, payroll registers, employment records, and subcontracting agreements by January 5th, or risk losing access to the program. Submitting false information creates potential criminal liability for lying to federal employees.
Now, using AI, the SBA can actually do something with all those records. There is much speculation online about all the technical implications.
Brian Lanza, who was a senior adviser to Donald Trump's 2024 US presidential campaign, has become a consultant to the international division of Russian oil company Lukoil, which is looking for buyers for its assets.
Lanza began working for Lukoil in the past few weeks. The former Trump adviser and his firm Mercury Public Affairs are cooperating with the US government on the sale of the assets of the Russian oil giant.
He was among those who helped to obtain a postponement for the sale of Lukoil's international assets from the US Treasury Department.
The deadline for the sale is set for January 17, 2026.
Reuters reported that the US bank Xtellus Partners is the main contender to purchase these assets.
Lukoil's international division, based in Austria, has refineries, oil fields and 2,000 gas stations around the world, including more than 200 in the United States.
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"Stern and lasting message" my ass. Only life in prison will do. Singapore is a much better country than the US in this way.