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You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Open Thread: Erik Prince Is Just Full of Ideas!

Open Thread: Erik Prince Is Just Full of Ideas!

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Hey, remember Erik Prince, friend-of-Putin and Seychelles tourist? Bloomberg Politics has another profile — “Blackwater Founder Prince Said to Have Advised Trump Team”:

… According to people familiar with his activities, Prince entered Trump Tower through the back, like others who wanted to avoid the media spotlight, and huddled with members of the president-elect’s team to discuss intelligence and security issues. The conversations provide a glimpse of Prince’s relationship with an administration that’s distanced itself from him since the Washington Post reported earlier this month that Prince had met with a top aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Seychelles in January.

That island encounter was the latest in a series of conversations between Trump advisers and Russians that have come to light as U.S. investigators probe allegations that Russia interfered with the presidential election…

A Prince spokesman in London said… in a prepared statement: “Erik had no role on the transition team. This is a complete fabrication. The meeting had nothing to do with President Trump.” The statement also questioned whether Prince’s activities were being monitored. “Why is the so-called under-resourced intelligence community messing around with surveillance of American citizens when they should be hunting terrorists?”

Yet over a two to three month period around the election, Prince met several times with top aides as the incoming government took shape, offering ideas on how to fight terror and restructure the country’s major intelligence agencies, according to information provided by five people familiar with the meetings. Among those he conferred with was Flynn, a member of the transition team who joined the administration and was later dismissed, some of the people said. He discussed possible government appointees with people in the private sector, one person said. Prince himself told several people that while he was not offering his advice in any official capacity, his role was significant.

The meetings occurred in Trump Tower, the administration’s transition office in Washington and elsewhere, according to people familiar with them. In one informal discussion in late November, Prince spoke openly with two members of Trump’s transition team on a train bound from New York to Washington. He boarded the same Acela as Kellyanne Conway and they sat together. Joining the conversation at one point was Kevin Harrington, a longtime associate of Trump adviser Peter Thiel who is now on the National Security Council. They discussed, in broad terms, major changes the incoming administration envisioned for the intelligence community, as recounted by a person on the train who overheard their conversation…

A longtime critic of government defense and security policies, Prince advocated a restructuring of security agencies as well as a thorough rethink of costly defense programs, even if it meant canceling existing major contracts in favor of smaller ones, said a person familiar with the matter…

Lemme see if I understand this: A guy who made billions running mercenaries for the highest bidder, scion of a family notorious for pushing ‘privatization’ of government functions to fatten private businesses, someone who’s currently camped out in Hong Kong supervising the PRC’s turf-building exercises in Africa because he’s leery about answering to American legal authorities… just happened to be providing advice because “Trump was weakest in the area where the stakes were highest — foreign affairs.”

After all, the American military is a mighty machine, and therefore one that can hardly have been privatized enough, so far.

You can’t take your eyes off these goniffs for a single minute.

Reader Interactions

80Comments

  1. 1.

    Adam L Silverman

    The tradecraft here is absolutely abysmal:

    In one informal discussion in late November, Prince spoke openly with two members of Trump’s transition team on a train bound from New York to Washington. He boarded the same Acela as Kellyanne Conway and they sat together. Joining the conversation at one point was Kevin Harrington, a longtime associate of Trump adviser Peter Thiel who is now on the National Security Council. They discussed, in broad terms, major changes the incoming administration envisioned for the intelligence community, as recounted by a person on the train who overheard their conversation…

    This is careless and shoddy and the work of amateurs (Conway and Harrington) and a far too full of himself and his capabilities Prince.

  2. 2.

    efgoldman

    “Blackwater Founder Prince Said to Have Advised Trump Team”

    The surprise would be if he hadn’t.

  5. 5.

    David Anderson

    I am curious at how many people Trump will have promised or will need to promise broad spectrum Nixon pardons

  6. 6.

    Adam L Silverman

    @David Anderson: No argument here. If Mar a Lago hasn’t been completely penetrated by now, then our allies, partners, competitors, and adversaries have no business having intelligence services.

  7. 7.

    Patricia Kayden

    This news about the Dark Prince isn’t even surprising. Trump has lowered the bar to the point that nothing is shocking anymore. We’re getting numb.

  9. 9.

    Ruckus

    Erik is full of something. Ideas-Shit, in his case they both stink.
    @efgoldman:
    Exactly.
    Put together a list of the most vile, obnoxious assholes in the world and I’d bet good money that the ones listed that hadn’t put their bullshit in the dumpf pot would be far smaller then the ones that had.

  11. 11.

    Jack Canuck

    Since it’s an open thread, here’s an interesting tidbit from (the Australian) ABC: that carrier group supposedly steaming towards North Korea has apparently been busy carrying out exercises with the Australian Navy in the Indian Ocean. Dunno if it’s getting any airplay in the US, but interesting. All that drama about ‘the failed missile launch was aimed at the US carrier’, well, not so much.
    abc.net.au/news/2017-04-18/china-has-to-take-action-against-north-korea-turnbull-says/8451512

  12. 12.

    Keith P.

    I have a bad feeling that Trump caught part of “Lethal Weapon” on TV recently and decided that Erik Prince is like a *prime* Gary Busey and can thus save the military with its high-end mercenary operations. Trump’s probably already made inquiries into whether or not George Takei has electroshock experience.

  13. 13.

    efgoldman

    @Adam L Silverman:

    If Mar a Lago hasn’t been completely penetrated by now, then our allies, partners, competitors, and adversaries have no business having intelligence services.

    That place must have more microphones than 30 Rock.

  15. 15.

    Jeffro

    @Adam L Silverman: @efgoldman:

    It has to be over-penetrated by this point…microphones, all the way down.

    Maybe that’s part of 45’s ingenious strategy? Draw ’em all in, get ’em all to focus on dinner table conversation and chocolate cakey-time, while…oh Ho HO!…the real Trump agenda gets handled off-site by…um…umm…

    Ok I honestly realized it was never going to work, as there’s no ‘real’ Trump agenda (other than grifting) and nothing going on off-site. Good lord.

  19. 19.

    Yarrow

    @Adam L Silverman: Can you imagine someone thinking about hiring Prince’s company to do security stuff? Bwahahahaha! I think he’ll go down along with all of them in the Rusian Affair.

    @David Anderson:

    I am curious at how many people Trump will have promised or will need to promise broad spectrum Nixon pardons

    I thought I read that Trump can only pardon specific deeds, not a blanket pardon for anything they might ever have done or do in the future. Does anyone know if that’s true? If it is, the problem seems to be that Trump will then have to name what they did, and by naming it will implicate himself.

  22. 22.

    Mnemosyne

    If Prince wanted to stay low-profile, his sister probably should have resisted the temptation to become Secretary of Education. Speaking of the goddamned nepotism that this administration is fucking riddled with.

  23. 23.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Yarrow: Jeremy Scahill reported last year that Prince is under an active CI investigation due to his being bankrolled by a PRC owned company.

  24. 24.

    Mnemosyne

    @lamh36:

    Gotta love the asshole in that tweeter’s thread who insists that there’s no racism in lending, it’s just that Blacks and Hispanics are choosing the wrong lenders!

  25. 25.

    Yarrow

    @Adam L Silverman:

    If Mar a Lago hasn’t been completely penetrated by now, then our allies, partners, competitors, and adversaries have no business having intelligence services.

    Agreed. Everyone from the concierge to the cooks to the caddies. All of them should be somehow connected to foreign intelligence services. If not, then they aren’t doing their job. Not to mention how many rooms are bugged and various other surveillance techniques.

  26. 26.

    tom

    Not mentioned is that Erik Prince is Ed Sec Betsy DeVos’s brother.

    ETA: Mnemosyne beat me to it.

  27. 27.

    mouse tolliver

    Agents of SHIELD just gave a shout out to Elizabeth Warren. Nevertheless, she persisted.

  28. 28.

    efgoldman

    @Yarrow:

    Trump can only pardon specific deeds, not a blanket pardon for anything they might ever have done or do in the future. Does anyone know if that’s true?

    If i remember correctly, Ford pardoned Tricksie Dicksie Nixie for anything and everything, past, present and future.

  29. 29.

    Yarrow

    @Jack Canuck: It’s been getting some coverage on Twitter today. Not sure about the mainstream media outlets.

    I hope it’s a lesson to reporters. Check EVERY detail. This administration lies about everything.

  34. 34.

    Jeffro

    @efgoldman:

    If i remember correctly, Ford pardoned Tricksie Dicksie Nixie for anything and everything, past, present and future.

    Everything up until that point in time. And unfortunately, America’s been the worse for it ever since. Elites need to know they are still accountable, that the rule of law applies to everyone.

  40. 40.

    Millard Filmore

    @David Anderson:

    I am curious at how many people Trump will have promised or will need to promise broad spectrum Nixon pardons

    If the hammer comes down on Trump first, can he give pardons while under indictment?

  47. 47.

    Keith P.

    @Yarrow: There’s Muff-a-Lotto, but that sounds like a sandwich made of pubic hair. Maybe Mar-a-Dongo or Mar-a-Schlongo? I’m usually much better at coming up with these.

  48. 48.

    EBT

    How chilling is the idea that the administration basically has a private army. The only thing I can think of is that there is no way it is nearly as well armed as the official government forces, and likely smaller too.

  51. 51.

    Origuy

    @Yarrow:

    Everyone from the concierge to the cooks to the caddies. All of them should be somehow connected to foreign intelligence services.

    Someone should make a movie about that, like The Grand Hotel Budapest. Anyone have Wes Anderson’s number? Have his people call my people.

  52. 52.

    Keith P.

    @BlueDWarrior: Yeah, I buy a couple from Central Grocery every time I drive through NOLA. My brother and I eat way too many of those when I bring them with me.

  55. 55.

    Yarrow

    @Origuy: I can see a Wes Anderson type film. A Pink Panther type film. A serious spy film. A fun heist type film. Maybe even a tortured rom-com. So many ways to go with this.

    The films that come out of this Russian Affair are going to be numerous.

  70. 70.

    efgoldman

    @Adam L Silverman:

    I reckoned it would take Thornton a full game to shake the rust off.

    Edmonton playing since the puck drop with their heads up their asses. Gave up the first goal at 15 seconds. Now 5-0 and some Oiler guy just got a five minute major and game misconduct.

  72. 72.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Jeffro:

    It has to be over-penetrated by this point…microphones, all the way down.

    It’s like that chicken people keep fucking.

  73. 73.

    sukabi

    @Adam L Silverman: and since we all now know about the his meeting with Conway and others on the train, there’s a good chance that phone video will show up on YouTube at some point.

    These are the WORST spies evar.

  74. 74.

    Millard Filmore

    @efgoldman:

    As long as he’s [Trump] in office, he has the power.

    So Trump and the Republicans need to find the sweet spot between:
    – everybody gets off
    – the GOP abandons any veneer of the Law And Order party of personal responsibility
    – the GOP becomes the lawless treason party
    – maximize ducking jeopardy in state actions

  75. 75.

    Suffragete City elftx

    I can’t help but wonder how many of those conversations Woolsey participated in.

  76. 76.

    Ruckus

    @Adam L Silverman:
    Tradecraft? Abysmal? NOOOOOO!
    There is a reason these assholes have always been on the outside trying to crawl under the door, they are fucking useless at any real craft.
    But you knew that.

  77. 77.

    Ruckus

    @Jeffro:

    Elites need to know they are still accountable, that the rule of law applies to everyone.

    That’s going to take a shit ton of work, laws changed, regulations changed, around half of the politicians jailed, and on and on and on and on. Can’t we just put them all on a spaceship like in 2001 and have Hal forget to wake them up? Or jettison them when he decides they are too much work and not worth it?

  79. 79.

    Lurking Canadian

    @lamh36: I’m late to this party, but I have to say that I think the Republicans should definitely adopt the elimination of SEC football as a major policy plank. Especially in the upcoming runoff election in Georgia. It’s exactly what they need to solidify their support.

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