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Rinat Akhmetshin

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Rinat Akhmetshin
Ринат Рафкатович Ахметшин
Born
Rinat Rafkatovitch Akhmetshin

1967 (age 56–57)
Kazan, Tatar ASSR, Soviet Union
Nationality
OccupationLobbyist
Known forAttendance at the Trump Tower meeting

Rinat Rafkatovitch Akhmetshin[1] (Russian: Ринат Рафкатович Ахметшин,[2] born 1967) is a Russian-American[3] lobbyist and a former Soviet counterintelligence officer.[4][5] Bill Browder alleges that Akhmetshin represents Russian intelligence interests.[6] He came to the American media's attention in July 2017 as a registered lobbyist for an organization run by Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya,[7] who, along with him, had a meeting with Donald Trump's election campaign officials in June 2016.[8][9]

Early life

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Akhmetshin was born in Jan 22, 1968 Kazan, Tatarstan.[1][10] Akhmetshin served briefly as a counterintelligence officer for the Soviet Union and, according to some U.S. officials, is suspected of "having ongoing ties to Russian Intelligence".[4][5] According to his statements, from 1986 to 1988 Rinat Akhmetshin served as a draftee in a unit of the Soviet military that had responsibility for law enforcement issues as well as some counterintelligence matters and was briefly in Afghanistan.[3][11][12] At a Soviet Army checkpoint in a tunnel in northern Afghanistan, he obtained cash and numerous items from Afghans which he would sell later while he was with a counterintelligence unit.[13] As a teenager in the Soviet armed forces, he was a courier that carried secret documents in briefcases handcuffed to his wrist with two men carrying Kalashnikovs and that he has been to every Soviet military base in Estonia and Latvia.[13] During his time in the Baltics, he sold gasoline from Soviet Army sources.[13] In 1992, he became a first lieutenant in "chemical defence" and trained in the Urals however he claims that he never received training to be an officer.[13] Before 1992, he studied chemistry for one year at Kazan State University.[13]

He stated, "I will never f**k with Russian state," and "I will never do things against Russian government."[13]

Lobbyist

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He moved to the United States in 1994 to study biochemistry.[12][13] As he became a lobbyist for issues relating to the Former Soviet Union, his mentor was Edward Lieberman.[13] In 1998, he set up the Washington D.C. office of the International Eurasian Institute for Economic and Political Research to "help expand democracy and the rule of law in Eurasia".[14] He has been tied to lobbying for political opposition to Kazakhstan's ruling president Nursultan Nazarbayev, efforts to discredit former member of Russia's parliament Ashot Egiazaryan who fled to the U.S., as well as major corporate disputes.[14] While Akhmetshin headed the International Eurasian Institute, Andrey Vavilov hired Akhmetshin to thwart the efforts of Ashot Egiazaryan who was trying to obtain political asylum in the United States.[15]

In 2009, he obtained citizenship of the United States.[14] In 2016 Akhmetshin told Politico: "Just because I was born in Russia doesn't mean I am an agent of [the] Kremlin."[8]

In 2010, he submitted an op-ed to The Washington Times on behalf of Viktor Ivanov the director of Russia's anti-narcotic police.[15]

From 2012 to 2014, EuroChem's United States attorneys retained Akhmetshin as a consultant while the Andrey Melnichenko controlled EuroChem filed lawsuits in Europe against International Mineral Resources (IMR) that was controlled by the Kazakh Trio of Patokh Chodiev, Alexander Machkevitch, and Alijan Ibragimov who had founded the Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation.[16] Mark Cymrot of the United States law firm Baker and Hostetler LLC (BakerHostetler) hired Fusion GPS.[17] Previously, Cymrot had represented Rakhat Aliyev.[18]

In 2013, Akhmetshin recommended attorneys with BakerHostetler to Russian officials associated with Prevezon during ongoing prosecution of Prevezon by the United States.[19] In 2013, both John Moscow and Mark Cymrot of BakerHostetler hired Glenn Simpson and Akhmetshin for support during the Bill Browder, Hermitage Capital and Sergey Magnitsky related case involving Prevezon and Preet Bharara.[20][21] Previously, John Moscow of BakerHostetler represented Hermitage Capital interests for nine months beginning in September 2008 while Rengaz associated 2006 theft of tax rebates in Russia by a Russian criminal organization.[22] Natalia Veselnitskaya represented Denis Katsyv's interests during the court cases related to Prevezon and also assisted the Glenn Simpson associated Fusion GPS during its research into Bill Browder.[23]

Hacking incidents and smear campaign

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According to the New York Times, Akhmetshin was accused of being involved in two hacking campaigns and reportedly had a web of Russian connections.[1][24]

In 2011, Akhmetshin was hired by Andrey Vavilov to mount a media campaign in order to derail Egiazaryan's application for asylum in the United States.[25] Egiazaryan, a former State Duma member had fled Russia in 2010.[26] According to his own testimony, Akhmetshin was paid "$70,000 or $80,000" in $100 bills.[25] Akhmetshin pushed negative stories on Egiazaryan in the American and Russian press, and also helped manipulate internet search results to further promote the negative stories.[27]

Also in 2011, Akhmetshin was employed by an alliance of businessmen led by Dagestani politician Suleyman Kerimov, a financier close to Putin who was in a commercial and political dispute with competitor Egiazaryan.[1] In early 2011 two of Egiazaryan's lawyers based in London received suspicious emails. The forensics experts they hired for analysis found that the emails contained spyware, and when they fed traceable documents into the spyware the documents were opened by computers registered at the Moscow office park of a company owned by Kerimov.[1] Scotland Yard spent more than 18 months investigating the case but in 2013 concluded that they lacked sufficient evidence to bring charges.[1] In court papers Akhmetshin stated that he was paid only by one businessman in the Kerimov alliance, but coordinated with Kerimov's team.[1]

In a lawsuit filed in July 2015 with the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, it was alleged by International Mineral Resources (IMR) that Akhmetshin had arranged the hacking of a mining company's private records. In court papers filed with the New York Supreme Court in November 2015, lawyers for IMR, a Kazakh mining company that alleged it had been hacked, accused Akhmetshin of hacking into two computer systems and stealing sensitive and confidential materials as part of an alleged black-ops smear campaign against IMR. Akhmetshin, who was hired as an expert by a US law firm, denied hacking or asking anyone else to hack into IMR. He said he gathered research for the firm by bartering information with journalists before he was fired because of his ties to another client, the former prime minister of Kazakhstan, who was then an opposition figure in exile. The hacking accusations were later dropped and the case, which was litigated in New York and Washington, was dismissed.[28][29]

Political activities

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In July 2016, an article in Radio Free Europe stated: "Barely registering in U.S. lobbying records, the 48-year-old Akhmetshin has been tied to efforts to bolster opponents of Kazakhstan's ruling regime, discredit a fugitive former member of Russia's parliament, and undermine a Russian-owned mining firm involved in a billion-dollar lawsuit with company information allegedly stolen by hackers."[14]

Lobbying against Magnitsky Act

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Akhmetshin was linked to Fusion GPS in Washington, D.C., and involved in a pro-Russian campaign in 2016 which involved lobbying congressional staffers to overturn the Magnitsky Act. Both Fusion GPS and Akhmetshin were subject of a complaint by United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley for failure to register as foreign agents under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.[5][30][31]

2016 United States elections

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Main article: Trump Tower meeting
See also: Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections

On 14 July 2017, it was confirmed by multiple sources, including Akhmetshin himself,[32][33][34] that he was a fifth and previously undisclosed attendee who met with Donald Trump Jr., Paul Manafort, Jared Kushner, and Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya in the Trump campaign–Russian meeting at Trump Tower on June 9, 2016.[35] Around the time of the meeting, Akhmetshin received half a million dollars in very large payments including $100,000 from Denis Katsyv and another $52,000 from a foundation financially supported by persons wishing to change the Magnitsky Act and Katsyv who also donated $500,000 to the Natalia Veselnitskaya associated Human Rights Accountability Global Initiative.[36]

Asked about Akhmetshin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "We don't know anything about this person."[37]

On August 11, 2017, Akhmetshin testified under oath for several hours in a grand jury investigation related to Robert Mueller's investigations into the Trump campaign and Russian interference in the 2016 election.[38][39]

Atrium lobby of The Westin Grand Berlin

2017 Berlin meeting with American congressman

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On the night of April 11, 2017, Akhmetshin met with US Congressman Dana Rohrabacher in the lobby of The Westin Grand Berlin in Berlin, Germany.[40] There was a discussion about a high-profile money laundering case, along with related sanctions against Russia. The two had met previously in May 2016 in a meeting in Rohrabacher's office.[41]

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In 2018 Akhmetshin sued Bill Browder in a federal court in Washington, D.C., accusing Browder of defamation for labeling him a spy or Russian intelligence asset.[6][42][43] The case was dismissed in 2019 on jurisdictional grounds.[43] Akhmetshin appealed the dismissal; as of January 2020 the appeal is still pending.[43] On 16 January 2020, Akhmetshin founded a nonprofit in Washington called the Russian-American Anti-Defamation League.[43]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g LaFraniere, Sharon; Kirkpatrick, David D.; Vogel, Kenneth P. (August 21, 2017). "Lobbyist at Trump Campaign Meeting Has a Web of Russian Connections". New York Times. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  2. ^ Абаринов, Владимир (February 8, 2019). "Лоббист усыновления. За что Ахметшин получил полмиллиона долларов" [Adoption lobbyist. What did Akhmetshin get half a million dollars for]. Радио Свобода (in Russian). Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Russian American lobbyist was present at Trump Jr.'s meeting with Kremlin-connected lawyer The Washington Post, July 14, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Dilanian, Ken; Lebedeva, Natasha; Jackson, Hallie (July 14, 2017). "Former Soviet Counterintelligence Officer at Meeting With Donald Trump Jr. and Russian Lawyer". NBC News. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Quigley, Aiden (July 14, 2017). "Who Is Rinat Akhmetshin, Former Soviet Intelligence Officer In Donald Trump Jr. Meeting?". Newsweek. Archived from the original on July 14, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  6. ^ a b Gerstein, Josh (July 12, 2018). "Russian attendee at Trump Tower meeting sues Putin critic Browder". Politico. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  7. ^ Trump Tower Russia meeting: At least eight people in the room
  8. ^ a b Arnsdorf, Isaac (November 23, 2016). "Putin's favorite congressman". Politico.
  9. ^ Marshall Cohen, Tal Kopan and Adam Chan (July 15, 2017). "The new figure in the Trump-Russia controversy: Rinat Akhmetshin". CNN. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  10. ^ "Rinat Akhmetshin: Who Is the Russian Lobbyist Who Met the Trump". NBC News. July 15, 2017.
  11. ^ Meier 2021, p. 77.
  12. ^ a b "The new figure in the Trump-Russia controversy: Rinat Akhmetshin". CNN. July 15, 2017.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h Manson, Katrina (September 1, 2017). "Russian lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin on that notorious meeting at Trump Tower: Former Soviet army officer on the biggest political intrigue since Watergate". Financial Times. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  14. ^ a b c d Eckel, Mike (July 17, 2016). "Russian 'Gun-For-Hire' Lurks In Shadows Of Washington's Lobbying World". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  15. ^ a b Higgins, Andrew; Kramer, Andrew E. (July 15, 2017). "Soviet Veteran Who Met With Trump Jr. Is a Master of the Dark Arts". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  16. ^ Meier 2021, pp. 73–83.
  17. ^ Meier 2021, p. 58.
  18. ^ Meier 2021, pp. 23–27, 58.
  19. ^ Meier 2021, p. 83.
  20. ^ Meier 2021, pp. 82–83.
  21. ^ "What Does Baker Hostetler Have to Do With the Fusion GPS Controversy?". Yahoo News. January 10, 2018. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  22. ^ "United States v. Prevezon Holdings" (PDF). Southern District of New York (argued). June 9, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 6, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  23. ^ Rogin, Josh (July 11, 2017). "Inside the link between the Russian lawyer who met Donald Trump Jr. and the Trump dossier". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  24. ^ Chait, Jonathan (August 21, 2017). "That Russian Guy Who Attended the Trump Tower Meeting Is Almost Definitely a Spy". New York. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  25. ^ a b Saul, Stephanie; Story, Louise (February 11, 2015). "At the Time Warner Center, an Enclave of Powerful Russians". New York Times.
  26. ^ "Fearful Russian Lawmaker Flees To US". Associated Press. February 6, 2011 – via CBS News.
  27. ^ Easley, Jonathan; Fabian, Jordan; Solomon, John (July 17, 2017). "Russian who attended Trump Jr. meeting: 'I just have a talent for media'". The Hill. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  28. ^ Poulsen, Kevin; Hines, Nico; Zavadski, Katie (July 14, 2017). "Trump Team Met Russian Accused of International Hacking Conspiracy". The Daily Beast.
  29. ^ Dilanian, Ken; Connor, Tracy; Abou-Sabe, Kenzi (July 15, 2017). "Rinat Akhmetshin: Who Is the Russian Lobbyist Who Met the Trump Team?". NBC News.
  30. ^ Dilanian, Ken; Lebedeva, Natasha; Jackson, Hallie (July 14, 2017). "Former Soviet Counterintelligence Officer at Meeting With Donald Trump Jr. and Russian Lawyer". NBC. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  31. ^ "Letter from Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly" (PDF). Senate Judiciary Committee. April 4, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 14, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  32. ^ Russian-American lobbyist says he was in Trump son's meeting AP, 14 July 2017.
  33. ^ Bertrand, Natasha (July 14, 2017). "A Soviet military officer turned lobbyist attended the Trump Jr. meeting — and there may have been a 6th person, too". Business Insider.
  34. ^ Manchester, Julia (July 14, 2017). "Ex-Soviet officer was also in Trump Jr. meeting: report".
  35. ^ Twohey, Megan (July 10, 2017). "How a Pageant Led to a Trump Son's Meeting With a Russian Lawyer". The New York Times.
  36. ^ Loop, Emma; Cormier, Anthony; Leopold, Jason; Kozyreva, Tanya; Templon, John (February 4, 2019). "A Lobbyist At The Trump Tower Meeting Received Half A Million Dollars In Suspicious Payments: A bank flagged transactions, including large cash deposits, made before and after Rinat Akhmetshin attended the 2016 Trump Tower meeting". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  37. ^ "Russian Gave Trump's Son Folder With Information Damaging To Clinton: Report". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. July 15, 2017.
  38. ^ Manson, Katrina (August 30, 2017). "Russian lobbyist testifies to Mueller grand jury". Financial Times. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  39. ^ Manson, Katrina (September 1, 2017). "Russian lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin on that notorious meeting at Trump Tower". Financial Times. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  40. ^ "Inside The Russian Lawyer's And An Accused Spy's 'Adoption' Crusade". July 13, 2017.
  41. ^ Weiss, Michael (May 4, 2017). "US Congressman talks Russian money laundering with alleged ex-spy in Berlin". CNN. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  42. ^ Glovin, David; Larson, Erik (September 14, 2018). "This Russian-Born Lobbyist Was at Trump Tower. He Says He's No Spy. Now He's Suing". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on August 15, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  43. ^ a b c d Markay, Lachlan (January 21, 2020). "Russian-American Lobbyist of Trump Tower Meeting Fame Forms His Own 'Anti-Defamation League'". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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