Media Investigation of Mar Lago Intrusion Not What It Appears

Chinese woman who allegedly snuck into Mar-a-Lago had device to detect cameras

Obvious: 

• Yujing Zhang's clumsily explained presence was set to appear as a bungled ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) by a Chinese national.
  

• No doubt Zhang is Chinese, but she was not sent by China's government to get caught attempting to test, document and subvert (with her malware (on her thumbdrive) the security of President Trump's favored getaway.  "Now the FBI is investigating whether Yujing Zhang, 33, is an agent of the Chinese government.", says the New York Post, which also states that, The incident helped cost Secret Service chief Randolph “Tex’’ Alles his job Monday.

• The Zhang intrusion was an effort to both discredit Mr. Trump's management acumen and to plant the suggestion of who, besides numerous Deep State subversives and George Dieid *, may wish POTUS assassinated before they can be held to account for their alleged seditious schemes, self-serving treachery, or treasonous activities.

• First on our short list of potential foreign state malefactors is a North Korean fellow who runs a surprisingly capable organization for clandestine operations, who also has close ties with China and may already be developing an EMP-type nuclear warhead that could be purchased by or donated to the :

• Finally on our short list of foreign states is Iran and its likely proxy,  anonymous, highly-educated ISIS sympathizers and operatives.

   * Juan Caruso prefers the NKA (next known as) name for an infamous  "philanthropist" who changed his given name to George S _ _ _.

 Submarines are always silent and strange.

Two Submarine Mysteries: Each Not Telling (Yet)

Molten Eagle:  "Submarines are always silent and strange." 

 

MYSTERY #  1 (Enduring)

Background

"Top Secret Data on India’s New Stealth Attack Submarine Leaked ... French defense contractor DCNS suffered a massive leak of secret documents."  click here for a few details revealed by those leaked documents

(AUGUST 24, 2016) India's Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar seeks submarine data leak report, navy says no need for alarm.  

"The navy also made it clear that the leak did not take place in India. The data, which comprises over 22,000 pages, was leaked, the Australian media reported. It contained documents on the Scorpene submarines, designed by French company DCNS and being built in India by the Mazagaon Dock Limited in Mumbai (Maharashtra) at a cost of around $3.5 billion. The news created ripples in India soon after the report in the Australian media came out."

 (AUGUST 25, 2016)  France and India Claim Submarine Data Leak Is No Big Security Problem
 
"France and India on Thursday played down the security risk posed by leaked data on French-designed submarines that a source told Reuters was probably stolen by a French former employee and that has raised concerns over a $38 billion contract with Australia. More than 22,000 pages of data about six submarines that France's DCNS is building for India's navy looked to have been stolen in 2011 by a subcontractor who was fired while providing training in India, the source said."

(SEPTEMBER 3, 2016) Scorpene leak: India shelves plan to expand French submarine order after data breach

"Details of the Scorpene submarine were published in the Australian newspaper last month, triggering concerns that it had become vulnerable even before it was ready to enter service." 

M.E.'s Rhetorical question: Which nation is responsible for the submarine data leak (Australia, France, India, none of the foregoing)?

****

MYSTERY #  2 (Enduring SSBNs; Temporary SSNs)

Background

"US Naval think tank: The US needs more submarines and smaller aircraft carriers" 

(FEBRUARY 10, 2017) Navy says more money needed to address submarine maintenance shortfall
"Five attack submarines could be decertified this year if Congress fails to provide more money to the Navy to address maintenance and readiness shortfalls, according to government officials.

The Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment on which submarines are at risk of decertification."

M.E.'s Rhetorical questions (those serving aboard already know):  

• Which 5 U.S. submarines are at risk of "decertification"?  

• Is 5 actually the correct number?

****

Submarines are always silent and strange.

China Just Denuclearized a Sub ... Wait! There is More

Background

China's first ballistic missile submarine, Type 092 submarine (Xia-class), was laid down in 1978, launched in 1981 and commissioned by 1983. - Wikipedia

China's Latest Claims

2016-10-16 |  China's first nuclear submarine decommissioned
China's first nuclear-powered submarine has been decommissioned after more than 40 years of military service, according to the naval authorities.

After undergoing a thorough denuclearization process, the submarine was towed to a wharf belonging to the Chinese Navy Museum in Qingdao, a port city in east China's Shandong Province, on Saturday, where it will be a public exhibit.

The submarine's release from military service and the safe, thorough and reliable handling of related nuclear waste, nuclear reactor and other devices showed China's life-cycle maintenance ability, ranging from a nuclear submarine's production, operation, management to disposal, the naval authorities said.  

Coincidences

AUG. 23, 2016 |  North Korea Test-Fires Missile From Submarine
— North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine off its eastern coast on Wednesday, demonstrating a significant improvement in its efforts to build a harder-to-detect means to strike American and allied forces, the South Korean military said.

The missile, launched from near Sinpo, a submarine base, flew 310 miles toward Japan, the South Korean military said in a statement. The statement said that the test showed that North Korea was making “progress” after several failed tests of submarine-launched ballistic missiles, or SLBMs.

A DuplicateSub

"A second boat is thought to have been completed in 1982, however this is debatable. There is little information regarding the history of this ship if in fact it actually existed. It is suggested, though not confirmed, that this second Type 092 was lost in an accident in 1985.^{[6][7][8] "}

Worst Case Analysis

 <sup>Molten Eagle: If a second Xia-class SSBN ship exists, it could well be the one displayed at the Chinese Navy Museum in Qingdao.   With its denuclearized (propulsion reactor systems) removed, the actual Xia, with its 12 missile tubes and 6 torpedo tubes, and which has undergone numerous refits, including new coating, possible quieting technologies, French-designed sonar, and improved longer ranged JL-1A SLBM missiles, would be the game changing launch platform North Korea has been seeking to get within missile range of every U.S. target.

Whether obtained covertly by North Korea or its ally Iran, Xia could easily be refitted with an AIP propulsion plant to provide greater stealth and much simpler operating and training requirements than any nuclear submarine. Such improvements would offer a significant near-term strike nuclear potential to either of these petulant regimes. Does China twist the truth? Calculate the years of service of the Xia and compare to "40 years in active operation" claimed by China.

Submarines are always silent and strange.</sup> 

 

Prediction of the Next 5 Years

Background

The final sentence summarized our previous post:

"In other words, POTUS and his State Department will have plausible deniability if some portion of  it [the $400 Million in Cash from U.S. to top state TERROR sponsor] is sent to Venezuela under the guise of sorely needed "food assistance", then funneled off to support Latin American versions of ISIS." 

Conflicted Analyses

Administration's Opinion

US Secretary of State John Kerry told CNN on Sunday that recent terror attacks by Islamist extremists were a result of ISIS being “on the run”.

Contrarian View 

“These guys have all the energy and unpredictability of a populist movement.”   - Michael Hayden, retired Air Force general who led the CIA from 2006 to 2009.  Analysts expect further attacks are likely to continue and are likely to become worse.  source

Our Analysis 

The current Washington administration has habitually employed public deception (lies), incentivization (bribery) and threats (extortion) to hide fecklessness in affairs of state. Even the former head of our U.S. State Department often lied publicly according to details confirmed by FBI Director Comey.   

Barack Obama wishes above all else to preserve his presidential legacy.  Did payment of $400 Million to Iran require a commitment from Hassan Rouhani to assure no part of the $400 Million reaches Ansar al-Khilafah #Brazil until Brazil's Summer Olympic games are over? 
No, that promise had to be even longer, at least until a year when Obama will have had not a single day in office (plausible deniability) --- 2018 at the earliest. 

M.E.'s Prediction

"Millions will be sent to Venezuela under the guise of sorely needed "food assistance", then funneled off to support Latin American versions of ISIS."  

Will the Latin American recipient of Iran's $Millions via Venezuela be Ansar al-Khilafah #Brazil?  Not Brazil for two reasons:

1. Brazil's huge off-shore oil deposits are uneconomical in the current economy.  After Brazil'z Summer Olympics Ansar al-Khilafah #Brazil could become a terrorist relic, but...
2. ISIS affiliated groups rejoice in spreading geographically as much as in dealing fear. South America offers more lucrative sources of ongoing terror financing than Brazilian oil.  By 2019 the names of new ISIS groups in countries such as Argentina and Chile may be as familiar to North Americans as Nigeria's Boko Haram, which  pledged allegiance to ISIS in March 2015, and then expanded its attacks to neighboring countries. 

Will North Americans remember what Islamist apologist Obama did to help ISIS grow and spread?

Such memories are irrelevant to the media (never again to be mentioned) when plausible deniability created by lawyers has been approved by more lawyers. 

A recent example of plausible deniability is what has prevented Hillary Clinton's prosecution for intentional violation of U.S. secrecy laws which could not be proven to the satisfaction of Director Comey's FBI.  Instead, Clinton was branded as grossly negligent, which for any Republican would instantly signal incompetence. 

Think how much better U.S. leadership will become if the public consciously prevents crafty, scheming, ambitious attorneys from winning so over half of elected offices.    

Submarines are always silent and strange.

 
 

 

Worse Than Ransom: $400 Million in Cash from U.S. to top state TERROR sponsor

Background

April 9, 2013 - "Hugo Chávez’s Death: Implications for Venezuela and U.S. Relations" - Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov [pdf],  Mark P. Sullivan, Specialist in Latin American Affairs

"Some observers have criticized the Obama Administration for making overtures to engage with Maduro, contending that U.S. policy should focus on attempting to ensure that the upcoming election is free and fair. A Washington Post editorial from early March 2013 contended that 'further wooing of Mr. Maduro should wait until he survives the scrum in his own party, wins a free vote and demonstrates that he is more than a Castro puppet.' ”

April 24, 2013 - U.S. News & World Report  | Iranian-Sponsored Narco-Terrorism in Venezuela: How Will Maduro Respond?
New Venezuelan president at a crossroads for burgeoning threat to U.S.

According to a 2015 study by the Financial Action Task Force, ISIL's primary sources of revenue are (in order decreasing significance):

• proceeds from the occupation of territory (including control of banks, oil and gas reservoirs, taxation, extortion, and robbery of economic assets)

• kidnapping for ransom

• state donations  ... often disguised as meant for "humanitarian charity." 

• material support provided by foreign fighters

• fundraising through modern communication networks

Jan 10, 2015 - IRAN NEWS AGENCY | Nicolas Maduro visits Tehran: Iran, Venezuela stress expansion of all-out relations  

March 17, 2015 - The Washington Times |  Lawmakers warn of links between Cuba, Iran, Venezuela
[M]embers of the Senate panel said further action must be taken against Venezuelan leftist President Nicolas Maduro for suppressing anti-government protesters.

June 2, 2016 | Washington (CNN) - "The State Department on Thursday released its annual report on global terrorist activity, listing Iran as the top state sponsor of terrorism and labeling ISIS "the greatest threat globally." 

Current News

AUG. 3, 2016   WASHINGTON —  $400 Million Cash Payment to Iran Fuels Latest Campaign Dispute ... On Wednesday, Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said that the news reports noting that the payments were made in cash did not bolster claims by critics that they amounted to a ransom payment.

RED FLAG [WARNING]

Cash payment as opposed to a routine wire transfer implies far worse than a U.S. ransom payment, which invites more kidnapping and is poor policy.  Wire transfers entail interbank transactions and allow traceability by account numbers, amounts, and eventual outflows. Cash, on the other hand, makes tracing proceeds to end receivers extremely difficult. 
 
What will IRAN do with $400 Millions in euros, Swiss francs and other currencies flown to Tehran on a cargo plane?  Future distributions of the $400 Millions will be very difficult to trace without IRAN's cooperation.  In other words, P.O.T.U.S. and his State Department will have plausible deniability if some portion of it is sent to Venezuela under the guise of sorely needed "food assistance", then funneled off to support Latin American versions of ISIS.

Submarines are always silent and strange.

Iran's Detention of U.S. Sailors: Story Still Wrong

Background

"Viewership for Obama's State of the Union addresses has been in decline since 2009, when he drew 52.4 million television viewers. Subsequently, 48.0 million watched on television in 2010, 42.8 million in 2011, 37.8 million in 2012, 33.5 million in 2013 and 33.3 million in 2014." -CNN

Despite the sudden development of a perfectly-timed human interest story (just hours before) President Obama's 2016 (final) State of the Union (S.O.T.U.) address, national viewership declined another 5%, attracting just 31.7 million viewers (1.6 million fewer than in 2015). Embarrassing? Yes, viewership was predictably better than it might have been otherwise.  

An Administration Manufactured Event?

"Ten American sailors have been taken into custody in Iran," he said in a statement. "But President Obama completely omitted this latest example of Iran's provocative behavior so as not to interfere with his delusional talking points about his dangerous nuclear deal with Iran." - House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy      

M.E. Comment (15 MAR 16):  "U.S. taxpayers should have expected this administration to have fired another admiral (or general) by now for poor planning in the embarrassing capture 2 months ago of ten U.S. sailors, including one female.  No such firing at the U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, which is responsible for American naval forces in the Gulf, nor in a higher authority has yet come to pass. Obviously then, the quick "catch and release" may have been a nefariously pre-arranged excuse to either plant false information with an enemy, or to share accurate information with Iran's government."  

UPDATE  (12 MAY 16)

Navy officer fired over Iran's capture of U.S. sailors [color emphasis mine] ...
 
Navy officials believe that a navigational error, along with some baffling errors in judgment on the part of the crew, led to their capture. Officials have suggested that the crew may have been taking an unauthorized shortcut through Iranian waters to meet up with a U.S. Coast Guard vessel for refueling. source
 
"Cmdr. Eric Rasch, who at the time of the Jan. 12 incident was the executive officer of the Coastal Riverine Squadron 3, was removed from his job ... for what a Navy Expeditionary Combat Command release said was “a loss of confidence” in his ability to remain in command." source

Rasch had actually been promoted to commander of his unit in April, at a time when the investigation into the capture was still ongoing. His leadership duties have now been transferred to another, AP reported. source

Although this is the first firing by the Navy regarding the incident, several other sailors received administrative reprimands. The investigation is expected to be finished by the end of the month, and others are likely to be disciplined. source

QUESTIONS:   

1. "...others are likely to be disciplined?" -  This thinly veiled publicity stunt stinks so much that Cmdr Rasch (a decorated officer) appears to be the designated fall guy and the most senior officer who must fall on his sword among the U.S. Navy's entire Bahrain-based 5th Fleet (and all higher authorities responsible for American naval forces in the Gulf), who allowed the embarrassing publicity stunt on the eve of Obama's last S.O.T.U. 
2. Will the investigation wrap up "...by the end of the month?  Only time will tell.
3. Was the quick "catch and release" actually a nefariously pre-arranged excuse to plant false information with a potential enemy or to share accurate information with Iran's government?  In either case, time is unlikely to tell, as such actions would be classified secrets for at least 3 decades.   

Submarines are always silent and strange.

State Department: On Submarine Missiles

Background

Some 39,000 lawyers work in federal cabinet agencies in various capacities. The State Department depends heavily on its attorneys.  Lawyers are often noted for their few virtues, including fairness and impartiality.  Some things lawyers generally are often associated with, however, have been penchants for citing complexity and tolerance for political doubletalk.
U.S. foreign policy has been neither predictable nor transparent, at least to those of us who have not paid dearly to influence it.

Now, Clear as Mud?

- INDIA -

India's ambitions for a sea-based nuclear deterrent were acknowledged in 1998.    
March 7, 2016 -  India conducts ballistic missile launch in the Bay of Bengal

March 22, 2016 - India successfully test-fired the K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile earlier this month.  The missile was launched from a submerged replica of a submarine, from water 9 meters (around 30 feet) deep. 

March 25, 2016 - US criticises India over nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missile K-4   Days after India conducted the submarine launch of the nuclear-capable ballistic missile (SLBM) K-4, the United States expressed concern citing risks to nuclear security and regional stability.  

- IRAN -

July 15, 2015 - Things We Must Keep In Mind About Iran Nuclear Deal
 1) It Would Curb Iran's Nuclear Programs, 2) But It Still Allows Iran To Continue Enrichment
3)  House Speaker John Boehner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu among them — believe that this is a bad deal because it doesn't entirely dismantle Iran's nuclear program.  In a speech to the nation, President Obama said that while that is true, this deal extends Iran's "breakout time" — or the time it would take the country to make enough highly enriched material for a nuclear bomb. The White House estimates that at the moment, Iran's breakout time is two to three months.  
4)  Iran has a longstanding history of cheating on international agreements 
Iran has a long and proud history of cheating on its international nuclear agreements. Olli Heinonen, a former deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) who once monitored Iran’s nuclear program, observed in 2013: “If there is no undeclared installation today .  .  . it will be the first time in 20 years that Iran doesn’t have one.” Indeed, Iran’s main enrichment facility at Natanz was a covert facility that was only discovered in 2002, by the Mojahedin-e-Khalq, an Iranian opposition group. A year later, the European Union struck a deal with Iran to prevent it from spinning its centrifuges and beginning to enrich uranium. Yet for much of the deal, Iran was busy mastering its uranium supply chain. “While we were talking with the Europeans in Tehran,” wrote Iran’s nuclear negotiator and now president Hassan Rouhani, “we were installing equipment in parts of the [uranium conversion] facility at Isfahan.

- NORTH KOREA -

January 6, 2016 - North Korea announces it conducted a fourth nuclear weapons test, claiming to have detonated a hydrogen bomb for the first time. February 7, 2016 - North Korea launches a long-range ballistic missile carrying what it has said is an earth observation satellite in defiance of United Nations sanctions barring it from using ballistic missile technology.February 7, 2016 - North Korea is believed to have more than 1,000 missiles of varying capabilities, including long-range missiles which could one day strike the US.  

March 26, 2016 - North Korea released a new propaganda video Saturday showing a nuclear strike on Washington and then threatened South Korea with a “merciless military strike” for slandering leader Kim Jong-Un.

Submarines are always silent and strange

Tuesday Submarine Tidbits 15 MAR 16

Background

The latest M.E. posting related to each topic is linked by (item number).

The Tidbits

(1)

"S. Korean military refuses to confirm on missing DPRK submarine"    South Korea's military on Monday refused confirmation on a Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) submarine, which United States media reported had gone missing for days.   ... Seoul's Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-Kyun told a regular press briefing that the intelligence authorities of both South Korea and the United States maintain a position that they cannot confirm the relevant report.

M.E. Comment (a):  Obviously, neither S.Korea, the U.S. or other suspect nations (China, Japan, Russia, [Some rogue element of DPRK,s own military) can be foolish enough to state conclusively the fate of Kim Jong Un's missing sub (an 8-man,  70-ton Yugo class sub used in espionage operations, according to Yonhap.) without raising suspicion of their own guilt in the matter. However, they are free to speculate in a manner that disparages North Korea's readiness.  For EXAMPLE:  "Because these subs are very old, they are susceptible to mechanical breakdowns and due to North Korea's economic situation, it is not likely that they have been well maintained," the military official told Yonhap.
M.E. Comment (b):  An 8-man espionage sub would be a perfect target for a counter-espionage operation.

(2)

"Iran says it recovers information from US sailors' devices" TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran has retrieved thousands of pages of information from devices used by U.S. Navy sailors who were briefly detained in January, the country's state television reported Tuesday. The report quotes Gen. Ali Razmjou, a naval commander in the powerful Revolutionary Guard, as saying that information filling about 13,000 pages was retrieved from laptops, GPS devices and maps.

M.E. Comment (a):  U.S. taxpayers should have expected this administration to have fired another admiral (or general) by now for his poor planning / execution of the embarrassing capture 2 months ago of ten U.S. sailors, including one female.  No such firing at the U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, which is responsible for American naval forces in the Gulf, nor in a higher authority has yet come to pass. Obviously then, the quick "catch and release" may have been a nefariously pre-arranged excuse to either plant false information with an enemy, or to share accurate information with Iran's government.  

M.E. Comment (b): Hmmm!  The truth is out there, but acts of espionage are typically not divulged for at least 3 decades.  So, is this why no one has fallen on his sword?

(3)

"2 plane parts to be examined in Australia for links to MH370" KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia's transport minister says two plane pieces found in Mozambique will be sent to Australia to verify if they belong to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said Monday both pieces will then be sent to Australia to be examined by an international investigation team. The plane vanished March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The search is ongoing in the southern Indian Ocean.

M.E. Comment:  Forsenics is an intriguing process, and as time progresses more and more Boeing 777 variants like the MH-370 (a 777-200ER) have been delivered worldwide (1372 to date).  If undisclosed evidence of foul play were not involved, the course of the forensics would not involve such inordinate delays. At this stage, M.E. cannot be critical of the process or non-disclosure of actual evidence in hand.  Why? Remember what was stated in (2) above: "acts of espionage are typically not divulged for at least 3 decades".  

Submarines are always silent and strange.