Trump Nominee Draws Scrutiny for Ties to Ukrainian Energy Interests

Those are not "Pro-Russia militants" in the photo. Those are regular Russian army units - or as they were called then "little green men". Accuracy matters.

Where is the “other” bank account? ;) And Thank you Mr Trump for yet making my day interesting!

Too bad we didn't use this in the Kavanaugh tragedy. Sometimes the tree is more visible when the underbrush is cleared away, as here. Do we have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt before we think he may not be eligible? What if we just think it's likely? Or what if one person says yes and the nominee himself says no? Must we believe him unless we have no reasonable doubt? Would-we be convicting him of corruption by simply thinking it would be better to choose somebody without any shadows from the past? Or must the FBI be called in to prove his critics' case? What if the FBI just looks at a handful of evidence? Welcome to Trumpworld where everything is upside down except for intelligence which is discarded as irrelevant.

Why do so many people that Trump select have strong ties to the former USSR? Even his wives come from former Soviet block countries.

So this is what trumps means when he says America first. Why don't we get Embassy jobs for those dozen or so Russians that Mueller recently got indictments for. To think trump complains about an immigration problem, but this appointment is okay with him. lmao

Perhaps if we check his tax returns it would help answer many questions.

I have an idea, why don't we just hire Putin's first wife's cousin for the job? If he goes before the Senate before the beginning of 2019, he is a shoo-in.

Now Russia have a support for corruption and violence: the WH.

This is why folks have to show up at the polls and vote Blue. If we can't make a change in the House, or possibly the Senate Trump will be emboldened to dump more corruption on the American people.

How can Mueller complete investigating something that never stops mutating? It’s like the beast in “Alien,” it just keeps adapting to its environment; in this case one of collusion, ethics violations, tax fraud and god knows what else.

This guy is probably a spy for either Russia or Ukraine. Homeland “insecurity” is Trumps bailiwick; outrage is my response.

Thanks, I just emailed my concerns to my Republican Senators. There must be qualified nominees who have no foreign conflicts of interest.

It sure would be nice if Trump would give us all a break for just once, and pick someone without any baggage. They all are corrupt, ties to Russia, conflict of interest, unqualified, always something. Aren't there any qualified people he knows who have a normal amount of integrity and qualifications?

Wow! Trump appointing someone to a key post who is suspected of lobbying for special interests? And for foreign interests? How strange. What a rarity. Whoever would have suspected this squeaky clean administration of such misjudgement? It's so rare it's definitely newsworthy.

Trump playbook: Pick the person least qualified and most likely to be corrupt for powerful positions. As long as it helps Trump retain power and money, it's all good. Thanks GOP. You're very patriotic.

As one who follows Ukraine closely and as one who organized social gatherings for Ukrainian students from our program, USA/USA, and for other students from Ukraine in NYC with the future Canadian educated head of Renat Akhmetov's DTEK, I can state categorically that any American interacting with these entities would be easily lost, easily fooled, and/or easily cheated by the gruesome schemes in play in Ukraine. On the other hand, there is also the possibility that a foreigner could be easily enticed, like Paul Manafort, into working with or for these schemes. Such cooperation would produce cooperation and 'positive' results' both for the American and Ukrainian sides in the deal. This could also include a Potemkin version of success for the administration and its inspectors in Washington. Therefore, extreme vetting must take place of Mr. Bryan if we are to maintain our national sovereignty. There is no other alternative.

Doesn't Trump know anyone with ties to other countries? New Zealand, for example? Or Iceland? Why is it always someone on Putin's dinner guest list? And how dare the GOP continue to defense this indefensible predilection for corrupt ex-Soviet tycoons?

Only the best people.

In other words another trump grifter.

The Ukrainian oligarch named in this article, Rinat Akhmetov, is known as Akhmet the Bloody in Ukraine, based on the way he obtained control of the Ukrainian coal mining and steel industries. Among bad oligarchs of Russia and Ukraine, this one is the most violent. Being a thug or willing to keep company with thugs seems a prerequisite in Trump's administration. I've seem this story unfold in my native Ukraine, it does not end well.

Two hypotheses are described here. Both make sense. Mr. Bryan profited personally from his government work. And he promised to change United States policies in order to favor pro-Kremlin anti-democracy oligarchs, in exchange for future payments from the oligarchs. The first is corruption. The second is akin to treason in the everyday sense of that word, and a betrayal of our traditional aspirations and democratic values. I am glad to hear that Mr. Mueller is looking at this. Clearly Bryan should not be approved for any post until this is resolved. Re: "The complaint ... accuses Mr. Bryan of violating ethics rules by working on matters in which he had a financial interest, and of shaping Energy Department policy to benefit Mr. Akhmetov and his allies in exchange for 'valuable promises of future private business dealings.' "

Trump’s fascination with everything Russian is dangerous. The GOP is uselessness in blocking the president’s continued hand holding with a foreign interest is historically anti-American. Pray for a strong Democratic move in the midterms that will give at least the House back to the Donkeys.

How sad that trump was elected and we must spend all these years investigating him and his choices for offices. And how sad that none of it even begins to register with any Republican. "Sad".... or "strange"? Why was this person chosen to be "Homeland Security"? Shouldn't our intelligence community be held to the highest standard ever demanded? This country can no longer afford this unending circus of money and time being spent on the least qualified. Impeach.

"science and technology" Those words are a red flag to a bull for the promoter of blind dislike of understanding and the growth of broad-based knowledge. Doesn't matter that the biggest security concern in the world over time, and cause of massive migrations, is a changing and less hospitable climate.