Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Fanis the Bodyguard Episode 26 Another Missed Nail in the Coffin


                Fanis and his cousin and employer Kera are in Kera’s flat in London, England.  Kera travels the world trading in Chinese artifacts, which is odd considering she is an American of Greek descent.  She hired Fanis as her bodyguard because it’s the closest person she could trust to give her life for her.  As they were family, they teased each other a lot.  Fanis was a big fan of Donald Trump so Kera would hype up the mainstream media’s relentless assaults on Trump with Fanis.  She calls out, “Oh, the Democrats finally have Trump now; this is a nail in the coffin.”

                Theo chuckled, “How many times have they said that now?  I’m losing track”

                “Probably the same amount of times you’ve had bombshells and explosive new evidence about the deep state.”

                “Except mine never get debunked and discredited.”

                “Still, nothing happens.”

                “Because of said deep state”

                “And round and round we go.”

                “What’s your big news?”

                “Bill Taylor is testifying on Capitol Hill and they say that what he informed them of was damning”

                “The Sarge of Ukraine?  We already know it’s not damning because we have the transcript of the call.  Even if he says that President Trump threatened Ukraine, we know he’s lying.”

                “That’s not what we’re getting”

                “Then he perjured himself.  That’s probably why they didn’t let the Republicans in because they know they’d call him out on it.”

                “Call him out on what?”

                “Besides perjury?”

                “Yes, besides that.”

                “That it’s common knowledge that Bill Taylor worked closely with Marie Yavanovitch so has an axe to grind considering Trump recalled her for talking shit about him abroad.”

                “Just because they work together, doesn’t mean they like each other.”

                “True, but it’s well documented that they do.  Then you have the texts between him and US ambassador to the EU Sondland.  When Taylor told him that he thought it was crazy that Trump would threaten to hold back military aid unless they open an investigation, Sondland told him straight up he was wrong.  President Trump never offered a quid pro quo and even offered to have Taylor call him so he could set him straight.”

                “Well Taylor addressed that.  He called Sondland a Trump loyalist”

                “How is that addressing it?  Taylor is a Trump-hater so I’ll throw it right back at him.”

                “The text came five hours later.”

                “Who cares?  Maybe he called President Zelensky.  Maybe he was in a meeting and couldn’t talk.  Maybe he took a nap.  Why does that time stamp matter?”

                “Look, I don’t know”

                “That’s why I’m educating you.  Taylor and the Whistle blower have a lot of common.  They both admit they have no firsthand knowledge of what they accuse Trump of.  Therefore, both rely on hearsay at best but probably just fabrication.  They also love using the adjective ‘crazy’ to describe their opinion of the quid pro quo that never happened.  Kind of like they are in cahoots.”

                “Extortion is bad.  Can we at least agree to that?”

                “Yea but that’s irrelevant.  It wasn’t extortion.”

                “Right?  Because it wasn’t in the transcript and it’s impossible they spoke before the phone call.” Kera laced her comment in sarcasm

                “That’s what the claim was.  I’m holding them on what they said.  Just like I hold the Ukrainians accountable when they claim they didn’t know military aid was being delayed until August.  Remember, the phone call was in July.”

                “They could be covering for Trump”

                “Yes, anyone who supports Trump is lying but anyone against him is telling the truth” It was Fanis’ turn to be sarcastic. 

                “Whatever, I don’t care.  We got to go. Pack your things.”

                “Just answer me how you extort someone that doesn’t know what you’re threatening or what the threat is?”

                “We’re leaving.”

                “Fine, where are we going?”

                “Slovakia”

                “Alright.”

                They pack quickly and board the plane to head to Bratislava, Slovakia.  On the plane, Kera opines, “So much has happened with Trump that I don’t even know how all this started.”

                “They pretend it’s when Joseph Mifsud offered to give Trump campaign member George Papadopoulos dirt on Hillary.”

                “Right, he talked to that Russian spy.”

                “It was an entrapment attempt.  Mifsud is linked to western intelligence assets.  They only did it so that the Australians could pull it out later.  In this case, Alexander Downer.”

                “That’s ridiculous”

                “The guy was a professor at the link campus in London.  He’s Maltese; Malta is right by Italy, which is a western ally.”

                “Would you agree that if he’s a Russian agent, then it’s collusion”

                “I would agree it’s evidence but not open and shut.  Will you agree that if he’s a western asset, then it’s an entrapment sting?”

                “Fine.  You said he was a professor in London. The two biggest surveillance countries; China and England, I have very high ranking ties to.  I’ll shake some trees just to shut you up.  I hate how you think you’re never wrong.  This isn’t fake news okay? These are connections I have that I will personally vouch for.”

                “You don’t trust anybody”

                “I didn’t say I trusted them, I said I vouch for them.  Do we have a deal?  If they tell you something that you don’t want to hear, you have to accept it okay?”

                “Well, don’t tell them what to tell me.”

                “I won’t”

                “I guess if I’m telling you to believe Sondland when he told Taylor he was wrong, I have to believe you if your sources tell me I’m wrong or else I’m just like Taylor.”

                Kera giggled, “Excellent, so we agree?”

                “Yes, we agree”

                They land in Bratislava and check into the hotel.  Bratislava is a small city on the Danube.  There are frequent ferries to Vienna that only take an hour.  The waterfront is built up with a lot of restaurants and shops.  Throughout the city, there are playful statues such as people leaning on benches or coming out of sewers.  Kera and Fanis tour the 1st century castle, which is a plain white building so isn’t too impressive.  There is a warrior gate and interesting things in the old city.  They stumble upon a museum of crimes and victims of communism.  Luckily they came on a Thursday since that’s the only day the museum is open.  It is a surreal exhibit highlighting the terror communism caused in Slovakia.  Kera and Fanis found it interesting because Slovakia isn’t normally covered in depth in school.  Basically, people, know that it used to be combined with the Czech Republic to be Czechoslovakia and Hitler attacked and conquered it.  Outside of that, there’s not much people know. 

                They get some Bratwursts as Eastern Europe all praise themselves for their sidewalk vendors selling blood sausages or Bratwurst or other names.  To Fanis, they’re all glorified hot dogs and they taste that way too.  He’s never been too impressed.  They go to a café and drink a couple local beers before heading back to the hotel and resting for business the next day.  Bratislava is a small city so can be seen in a day and they had. 

                The next day, Fanis and Kera head towards her meeting to broker the exchange of artifacts for money.  Fanis doesn’t really concern himself with what is being traded, he just makes sure that nobody tried to hurt Kera.  The exchange goes off without a hitch and Kera walks out with a bag of cash. 

                They decide to get something to eat and sit at a restaurant.  They make small talk and then pay the bill enjoying their carnivorous meal as Slovakian cuisine is rich in meat.  While trying to hail a cab, a stocky man with a buzz cut grabs Fanis by the back of his neck and slams his head into a fountain.  With the other hand he grabs Kera’s arm and barks, “Give me the bag.”

                Kera is holding the bag in the arm he’s not grabbing and she squirms but the man’s hands are large enough to go around her bicep and his grip is strong.  She screams at him but one look around makes her realize that nobody is going to help her.

                Fanis is struggling but knows that he’s in trouble.  He relaxes his body so that he’s not focused on someone trying to drown him.  This allows his mind to think what to do.  It wasn’t very scientific but he slid his foot and nudged the man’s right foot.  Fanis then searched for the other one.  This allowed him to know the position of his two legs.  He positioned his foot in between and kicked up.  Fanis’ leg drove into his attacker’s scrotum causing him to let go of both Kera and Fanis.  Fanis rises up and takes a much needed breath.  With it, he coughs out, “Kera run”

                Kera does exactly that.  The attacker recovers quickly and grabs Fanis by the throat and throws him into a bench with enough force to break the back of the bench.  The man stalks behind him and clenches his fists slamming them against Fanis’ midsection.  He grabs Fanis by the throat and asks, “Where is she staying?”

                Fanis struggles but blurts out, “Fuck you.”

                The attacker drags Fanis off the bench and he unceremoniously falls on the ground.  Fanis rolls onto his back and the attempted robber pins him down with his right leg.  Fanis kicks his right leg into the knee of the leg not on this chest.  The attacker stumbled and stepped off of Fanis chest to hold his body up.  Fanis drove his heel into the knee of the other leg and quickly kicked the side of the knee.  The Slovak bent over to grab Fanis but Fanis drove his left knee into the attacker’s temple.  As the attacker backed up, Fanis wrapped his leg around one of his shins so he couldn’t step back and instead he fell back to a seated position.  Fanis then drove another leg into the attacker’s face before getting to his feet.  The attacker recovered quickly and drove his shoulder into Fanis solar plexus driving him back.  At the last second, Fanis shifted his body weight to turn the attacker around and Fanis sandwiched him against the wall.  The attacker punched Fanis across the face.  Fanis spun back and smacked his fist against the attacker’s face.  The Slovak headbutted Fanis and backed him up.  As the attacker was winding up for a hay maker, Fanis shot his hand up and grabbed the Slovak by the throat.  Fanis yanked his arm towards him bringing his opponent with him and driving his midsection into his knee.  The would-be thief dropped to his knees and Fanis, maintaining his grip on the neck and slammed the attacker’s face into Fanis’ knee repeatedly.  It didn’t take long for his body to go limp but Fanis continued his strikes.  Finally, he let go as the man collapsed face down in a crimson pool of his own blood.

                Fanis stumbled away and hailed a cab surprised it stopped considering that he was bloodied.  He told the driver to go to a place near the hotel just in case someone questioned him later.  Fanis made his way to the room where Kera was waiting.  Fanis immediately went into the bathroom and lied in the tub.  Kera turned on the sink and wet a towel and catered to Fanis’ cuts.  After the bleeding stopped, Fanis accepted some frozen food that Kera had bought to put on his fists.  This was becoming a habit but Fanis never asked why they were attacked so often.   The next day, they got on a plane and headed back to London.  When in London, Kera and Fanis went to a nondescript government building near Hyde Park.  They were escorted into a room where they met with an elderly gentlemen.  He greeted Kera first with a hug and cheek to cheek kiss, which is common everywhere in Europe except England.  Fanis thought nothing of it and shook the man’s hand. He introduced himself as Colin and offered them a seat.  Kera and Fanis sat down and Colin started, “I was asked by Kera to let you know what I could dig up on a Joseph Mifsud”

                Fanis replied, “Everyone has been asking where he’s been.  He’s pretty famous given the whole Russian collusion hoax in America.”

                “Yes, but I’m here to tell you what British intelligence knows.  If you go to the press, which Kera has assured me you won’t, I will deny everything.”

                “Understood.” Fanis remarked realizing now why they were searched on the way in.  The guard seemed unconcerned with weapons but wanted to ensure they weren’t wearing a recording device. 

                “In fact, I’m going to need your mobile phones.”

                Both Kera and Fanis handed them over.  He put them in a bag and then took them to a different room.  He started, “We have evidence that Mr. MIfsud has been to Russia.”

                Kera glared at Fanis with a devilish grin but Fanis remained stoic.  He retorted, “So have a lot of people.  What did he do there?”

                “Well not much.  As it turns out, he only talks about knowing important Russians in order to boosts his own credibility amongst his students at Cambridge’s Link Campus.”

                Fanis nodded, “So he’s not a Russian asset.”

                “If he is a Russian spy, he’s a very good one.  I have focused on things that have happened since he met with your countrymen George Papadopoulos”

                Fanis was unsure if he was talking about George being Greek like Fanis and Kera were or that they were Americans.  It could even be both but decided not to ask.  “He’s been disappeared since then from what I understand”

                “Not in the slightest.  In May 2017, Mifsud spoke in Riyadh on a panel with the United States defense Secretary Ash Carter.”

                Kera snapped back, “That’s Saudi Arabia.  They’re not really our friends.  Russia has a big hand in the Middle East.”

                Colin calmly rejoined, “I would agree with you but if he was a Russian asset, there would have been a damage assessment done and I have been unable to locate one.”

                Fanis smiled, which did little to make his cut up face look any better but Colin hadn’t reacted and Fanis wasn’t shy about it.  “Please continue, it seems like you have a lot more.”

                “Indeed I do.  Mifsud is also in pictures with NATO military personnel including retired American and British intelligence officers, French officials at the Elysee Palace and State Department on the States’ Capitol Hill.”

                “He gets around and I presume still no damage assessments.” Fanis commented

                “Yes.  I thought perhaps that we may have turned him so I did look at before his meeting.”

                “More of the same?”

                “He was the panel chairman on April 3, 2013 at London Academy of Diplomacy.  The US Embassy hosted a Gala he attended for a networking reception in which embassy personnel attended.  He was also on the panel for the London Center of International Law Practice on 11/25/14.  As many know, he was a professor at the Link Campus in Cambridge with American CIA operative Stefan Halper up until his famous meeting with Papadopoulos.”

                Kera inquired, “What was he a professor of?”

                “Middle Eastern studies and he is seen with many Middle Eastern intelligence officials to boost credibility.”

                “The FBI interviewed him on Capitol Hill in February 2017.  I always wondered if they knew he meddled with our elections and was a Russian asset, why did we let him go home?”

                “He was at the Capitol to discuss transatlantic leadership at “Strategic Dialouge” which is associated with a non-profit US State Department partner named Global Ties US.”

                “I’m noticing a pattern of British and the United States.”

                “There is just one piece of intelligence that doesn’t seem to fit.  Taken as a whole, I don’t believe it possible that Mifsud is a Russian spy but there is one interesting piece of information.”

                Fanis asked, “What’s that?”

                “The FBI asked Papadopoulos to wear a wire to record his conversation with Mifsud.  Why would they do that if Mifsud was a plant to entrap Papadopoulos and, by extension, the Trump campaign?”

                Fanis took a deep breath and Kera glared at him with a smile as she was given a silver lining as everything else destroyed her argument.  One look at her cousin, though, and she knew that he had an explanation.  “I think this is similar to what is coming out now?”

                “What’s that?”

                “Well, former congressman Trey Gawdy talks about how he saw troubling classified things highlighting the malfeasance of the intelligence community as they tried to get a FISA warrant.  Gawdy specifically tells people to check the e-mails between FBI director Comey and CIA director John Brennan.  Given that Brennan has had no problem throwing Comey and the FBI under the bus, I don’t think they like each other.  I think those texts are of an argument between the two. “

                “How does this have to do with Mifsud and Papadopoulos?” Colin interrupted.

                “I’m getting there.  When FBI lawyer and lead investigator Strzok’s mistress was testifying under oath, she seemed surprised that Brennan and the CIA got the information that was in the FISA from Christopher Steele.  We have her texts with Strzok saying they needed to scrub the list of confidential informants.  That is slang for making sure the identities of their informants aren’t the same ones as the CIA.  Why else do this if you didn’t suspect that what you thought was corroborating evidence, was actually the same information from the same source?  Page could hardly hide her shock, even in the transcript it comes out, when she learns the CIA briefed the Gang of 8 on Capitol Hill about the Steele information in August 2016.  Brennan had always claimed he hadn’t seen it till December but he was talking about things only in that dossier in August.  With Page’s overt shock and Comey and Brennan at each other’s throats, I’m thinking that the FBI wasn’t aware of the entrapment of Papadopoulos and Trump.  They asked him to wear a wire because they knew he has a lot of British contacts and Steele was British so they may learn something.”

                Colin and Kera stew on this for a moment.  Colin finally breaks the silence and quietly utters, “That does fit because the second time the FBI interviewed Papadopoulos, they were no longer interested in Mifsud.  According to your story, that would mean someone told him by then so he was already in the know.”

                Fanis merely nodded.  As there was no more information to exchange, they shook hands and Fanis thanked him for his hospitality.  On the way back to the flat, Fanis didn’t gloat but he could see the disappointment and anger on Kera’s face that she had lost a contest she set up.  There was tension when they got back and Fanis knew to just leave her alone until she got over it.  To be honest, the implications of what he learned took the thrill of victory in a debate with his cousin.  America was really going through a soft coup.  Elizabeth Warren has already talked about issuing massive fines if people try to renounce their citizenship.  Perhaps Fanis should become a British citizen just in case President Trump doesn’t win re-election.  The left is dangerous and irrational.  There’s no telling what they’re going to do to America both if they win or if they lose.  The last three years has been a massive hissy fit with the biggest forms of unprofessionalism ever seen in government since America’s founding.  There was one Democrat that beat a Republican with a cane but, for the most part, nothing else could compare to politics today.  The world ran on an American engine.  If the left succeeds in destroying America, then the ramifications on the world will be dire.

                All these thoughts were in the back of Fanis’ head.  In the forefront, however, was getting some rest so that his body could heal and he did just that. 

 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment