Category: WTOP Blog

There is a side to Zorro Ranch that is not being told. The fox is surrounded by the well-connected King family on all sides, a solar station to the west, and Hollywood to the north. Child sex trafficking is at the center of the Epstein investigation, but there may be much more going on than meets the eye, and Zorro ranch appears to be insulated.

• Jeffrey Epstein purchased the New Mexico ranch from Gov. Bruce King in 1993 – the year Bill Clinton became President – Jim Baca was brought on by Clinton and Bill Richardson worked with Clinton on the NAFTA passage – both of which received thousands in campaign contributions from Epstein.

• Over 20,000 acres of Hollywood landscape sits just north of Epstein’s land, purchased by fashion designer Tom Ford in 2001 – another name in Epstein’s black book.

• In addition to Epstein giving over $50,000 in campaign funds to former AG Gary King, the King family’s land surrounds Zorro Ranch on all sides, and their political and defense connections go all the way up to ballistic missiles .

Jeffrey Epstein was taken into custody on July 6, 2019 on charges of sex trafficking minors and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors.

The indictment states he conspired with others to carry out these acts.

In creating and maintaining this network of minor victims in multiple states to sexually abuse and exploit, Jeffrey Epstein, the defendant, worked and conspired with others, including employees and associates who facilitated his conduct by, among other things, contacting victims and scheduling their sexual encounters with Epstein at the New York Residence and at the Palm Beach Residence.

Whereas they do not specify his New Mexico ranch in the indictment, Zorro Ranch is being investigated by New Mexico authorities who are assisting federal authorities in New York. They are currently interviewing people who allege they were abused by Epstein at the ranch. In a 2015 court filing in Florida, Epstein was accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl in New Mexico and other locations.

In 2008 Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution in a plea deal that only required him to spend 13 months in jail, of which he served most of in his Palm Beach office on “work release.” There were dozens of victims, a 50-page indictment on sex trafficking charges that was shelved, and a secret plea deal that concealed the full extent of his crimes and granted immunity to any potential co-conspirators. It stunk, and is now in the spotlight again. A judge recently ruled for the unsealing of up to 2,000 pages of judicial documents to show evidence of whether Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell were recruiting underage girls in an international sex trafficking operation.

Epstein’s connections are vast, ranging from the Hollywood elite to billionaires, politicians, and presidents. Before getting into the political “resumes” which surround this ranch, take a look at the overall landscape to get a visual sense of the lay of the land.

The Lay of The Land Surrounding Zorro Ranch

Epstein purchased Zorro Ranch, consisting of nearly 8,000 acres, in 1993 from former Gov. Bruce King. It is assumed he purchased it under his real name at that time, but I was unable to trace the records from 1993. However, the Santa Fe County Assessor’s records do reflect Jeffrey Epstein under Zorro Ranch Trust in 2011, which later switched to Cypress Inc. in 2013. Though his name is not indicated on the Cypress Inc. records, the New Mexico State Land office provided the state AG’s office with documents indicating that Cypress Inc. is owned by Jeffrey Epstein. In fact, they are currently looking into 1,244 acres of state trust land that Cypress Inc. has leased since 1997.

According to county records, he began constructing a stable, detached garages, and homes in 1994, and began building his 33,339 square foot mansion in 1999. What an interesting number to land on for square feet. Of course, by the time the multiple porches and patios were added, the overall square footage of this monstrosity came to 57,420.

It has been reported that the Kings still own land surrounding Epstein’s property, but it wasn’t stated as to just how much land, which Kings, and where those parcels are located. Nor do they seem to be reporting on the extensive land mass to the north, used by Hollywood for filming over 30 movies, and purchased by Tom Ford in 2001, who just so happens to be included in Epstein’s little black book.

Below is a map detailing all of the parcels with their respective owners. To be clear, the Kings own land under many names. Also note that the State of New Mexico owns land adjacent in addition to a chunk of land right smack in the middle of Epstein’s parcel. There are two smaller parcels also owned by Cypress/Epstein, indicated on the map that both fall within his overall large parcel. And, Alexander LLC is in fact a small representation of the bigger land just to the north that is also under the name Alexander LLC, which makes up the large parcel used for Hollywood movies.

Continue reading full story here: https://t.co/MNTPQDPmjv?amp=1

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In a potentially catastrophic escalation of tensions in the Persian Gulf, Russia plans to use Iran’s ports in Bandar-e-Bushehr and Chabahar as forward military bases for warships and nuclear submarines, guarded by hundreds of Special Forces troops under the guise of ‘military advisers’, and an airbase near Bandar-e-Bushehr as a hub for 35 Sukhoi Su-57 fighter planes OilPrice.com has exclusively been told by senior sources close to the Iranian regime. The next round of joint military exercises in the Indian Ocean and the Strait of Hormuz will mark the onset of this in-situ military expansion in Iran, as the Russian ships involved will be allowed by Iran to use the facilities in Bandar-e-Bushehr and Chabahar. Depending on the practical strength of domestic and international reaction to this, these ships and Spetsntaz will remain in place and will be expanded in numbers over the next 50 years.

This gradual roll-out of Russian capability in a country is the Kremlin’s tried and tested operating procedure for leveraging economic and/or political support for a country into that country allowing itself to be used as, effectively, one large multi-level forward military base for Russia. Exactly the same plan was used, and remains in place, in Syria, with Russia maintaining a massive army presence in and around Latakia, Syria, despite having repeatedly made assurances that it was to withdraw from this military theatre. In the early stages, these troops – again, in reality all Spetsnatz foreign operatives – appeared in the guise of military advisers and to provide ‘security staff’ for the huge Russian Khmeimim Air Base and the S-400 Triumf missile system in place in and around Latakia. This Russian presence was later duly expanded and formalised under an agreement signed with Syria in January 2017, which allowed Russia to continue its operations in Latakia and also to utilise the naval facility at Tartus for the next 49 years. This is precisely the format of agreement that has been agreed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the last few days, despite muted protest from the broadly pro-JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) nuclear deal allies of President Hassan Rouhani.

The second reason is that President Rouhani and his broadly moderate pro-West, pro-JCPOA supporters have lost the confidence of many who voted for him due to his inability to deliver the economic prosperity that he promised would result from the nuclear deal agreed in 2015 and implemented on 16 January 2016. “This includes [Supreme Leader, Ali] Khamenei, who supported Rouhani for the first few years but now has no choice but to go along with the IRGC’s recommendations, and this Russia deal is at the forefront of these,” said a senior Iran source.

Why is the IRGC backing this deal with Russia, given that its senior personnel are extremely capable people and hardened military officers, well aware of the trouble that the deal could create on a global scale? “Firstly, they [the IRGC] honestly believe that a corollary financial deal agreed with Russia last year is the only economic lifeline that Iran has that will stop it from falling into a popular revolutionary scenario, and the second reason is that some of the most senior figures in the IRGC also stand to gain monetarily by co-operating with Russia,” an Iran source told OilPrice.com last week. The cornerstone deal in question was part of a wide-ranging 22-point memorandum of understanding signed by Iran’s deputy petroleum minister, Amir-Hossein Zamaninia, and Russia’s deputy energy minister, Kirill Molodtsov, at the time covering closer co-operation between the two countries across the board.

For the oil and gas sector, specifically, it involved Russia giving US$50 billion per year every year for at least five years so it could complete its top priority oil and gas projects to Western standards, which was estimated to cost around US$250 billion. Another US$250 billion would then be available for the following five years for Iran to build-out the remainder of its economy. In exchange for this, Iran would give Russian companies preference in all future oil and gas field exploration and development deals, to add to the seven already agreed at that time. These included: Zarubezhneft for Aban and Paydar-e Gharb, Lukoil for Ab Teymour and Mansouri, GazpromNeft for Changouleh and Cheshmeh-Khosh, and Tatneft for Dehloran. In addition – and crucial for what is now in view militarily – Iran also agreed to buy Russia’s S-400 missile defence system, to allow Russia to expand its number of listening posts in Iran, and to double the number of senior ranking IRGC officers that are seconded in Moscow for ongoing training, to between 120 and 130.

The other reason that has prompted the IRGC into allowing Russia to use Iran as a forward operating military base is that at least two of the most senior commanders have been given monetary inducements to champion Russia’s cause. This was also the reason why Iran ended up buying the inferior capability 28-year old S-300 missile system from Russia rather than the cutting edge new S-400 system. “Russia told Iran that it didn’t actually need the S-400 system and that the S-300 system would be adequate for its needs, despite the S-300 system still costing in total US$7 billion – US$4 billion up front and US$3 billion when it was actually delivered – which was three times the cost that Russia charged Egypt for the better S-400 system,” said one of the Iran sources. “At the same time, two of the key IRGC commanders who had allowed this deal to go ahead pocketed US$105 million each just from that one deal, and they and others get another cut of the US$50 billion per year deal if that fully re-emerges and of the newly-agreed Caspian deal,” he added.

As it stands, then, Russia not only has unfettered access to all of Iran’s onshore, offshore and Caspian Sea oil and gas reserves to sell on as it wishes, however it wishes, but also is set to secure two of the most strategically well-placed ports and surrounding areas in the world’s most sensitive oil and gas hotspot, giving it effective control over the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait, of course, remains the world’s most important oil transit chokepoint – and the key route from the Arabian Gulf to the Far East via the Indian Ocean – with roughly 35% of all seaborne oil and about a third of global liquefied natural gas supplies passing through it. “Bandar-e-Bushehr and Chabahar will give Russia a potential stranglehold over the entire Persian Gulf area and into the Indian Ocean, which will allow it as well to conduct joint naval operations with China with more ease in the U.S. sphere of influence in the East, including around Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines,” a London-based intelligence analyst told OilPrice.com last week. “The fact that Russia also intends to use these two ports not just for warships but for nuclear submarines as well when the waters in its more northern ports are frozen is significantly upping the Russian ante on the West in general and on the U.S. in particular,” he concluded.

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

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http://wetheonepeople.com/russia-gains-stranglehold-over-persian-gulf/  = this posting

Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has denounced what state media is describing as a ship seizure by the US in the Panama Canal Wednesday.

The ship is reportedly packed with 25 thousands tons of Soya and was entering the narrow vital central America waterway, when its progress was halted in an event which Maduro government officials have condemned as a “serious aggression” that impedes the country’s “right to food”.

Though in the initial hours of Wednesday’s allegation major international media outlets had yet to confirm the claim, Rodriguez tweeted a statement, saying, “Venezuela denounces before the world that a boat that holds 25 thousand tons of Soya, for food production in our country, has been seized in the Panama Canal, due to the criminal blockade imposed by Donald Trump.”

State media subsequently explained that the undisclosed owner of the vessel was informed by the insurance company that it must cease moving the cargo through the canal.

The serious allegation comes after on Monday President Trump signed an executive order imposing a full economic embargo against Venezuela after a week ago the White House began signaling the US would seek to “quarantine” and fully “blockade” the Maduro regime if the socialist leader doesn’t immediately hand over power of his own accord.

The executive order freezes all government assets in the United States and prohibits all transactions by any Venezuelan officials, in what constitutes the first major expansion of sanctions targeting a nation in the western hemisphere in over three decades.

John Bolton had denounced Maduro as leading a “rogue state” on par with Cuba, Syria, Iran and North Korea following Trump’s signing the order.

“The Maduro regime now joins that exclusive club of rogue states,” Bolton said at a one-day conference in Peru of more than 50 governments aligned against Maduro. — AP

“We are sending a signal to third parties that want to do business with the Maduro regime: Proceed with extreme caution,” Bolton said on Tuesday in Peru. “There is no need to risk your business interests with the United States for the purposes of profiting from a corrupt and dying regime.”

The executive order states, “All property and interests in property of the Government of Venezuela that are in the United States … are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in.”

Given the new sanctions by US Treasury fall short of a full trade embargo, the US is not outright targeting urgent supplies like food, thus it’s not clear whether the alleged halting of the Soya transporting ship is the result of direct US action.

However, it’s likely that maritime insurance companies and private shipping firms will become increasingly skittish in dealing with Venezuela.

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http://wetheonepeople.com/venezuela-says-food-shipping-blocked-in-panama-canal/= this posting

Is the “Victoria Nuland” of Hong Kong — Julie Eadeh — a Mossad agent working for State

The US State Department has released a statement in response to Chinese officials and state media accusing a US diplomatic official based in Hong Kong of interfering in Chinese affairs. State media widely reported on a viral photo showing US foreign service agent Julie Eadeh – identified as the political unit chief of the US Consulate General – meeting with leading anti-Beijing activists at a Hong Kong hotel on Tuesday amid continuing unrest in the semi-autonomous city.

A State Department spokesperson on Thursday afternoon issued a statement calling China a “thuggishregime” for releasing details on the US diplomat stationed in Hong Kong.

“I don’t think that leaking an American diplomat’s private information, pictures, names of their children, I don’t think that is a formal protest, that is what a thuggish regime would do,” spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told a news briefing. “That is not how a responsible nation would behave.”

Multiple Chinese state media reporters previously referred to Eadeh as a “subversion expert” who is in contact with Hong Kong protest organizers in order to fuel chaos and unrest in the city.

China earlier in the day summoned US consulate officials over the matter, demanding answers.

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previously

After a viral photo surfaced this week revealing continuing contact between well-known Hong Kong pro-independence protest leaders and a US diplomatic officer, China has summoned US consulate officials stationed in the city, Bloomberg reports.

According to a statement from Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, Chinese officials asked the Americans to clarify media reports that a US diplomat had contacted the local protest leaders. Bloomberg reports the clear firm message sent that “China firmly opposes any contacts with them and urges U.S. to stop sending wrong signals to violent law breakers in Hong Kong.”

As well organized anti-Beijing protests have raged and continued to escalate this summer over the deeply controversial extradition bill, Beijing authorities have repeatedly blamed a US “hidden hand” for fueling the crisis.

Pro-Beijing publications reported that protest leaders and key organizers Joshua Wong and Nathan Law had met with American consular official Julie Eadeh in the late afternoon on Tuesday at the JW Marriott Hotel in the Admiralty area of Hong Kong.

The viral photograph confirms the meeting took place and is driving outrage in China. State media claimed Eadeh – identified as the political unit chief of US Consulate General– met with the activists to discuss plans regarding the controversial extradition bill.

According to the UK’s The Standard, Joshua Wong brushed off the significance of the meeting while admitting it did happen:

Wong dismissed the allegation following an inquiry by The Standard, saying: “I even went to Washington several times, so what’s so special about meeting a US Consul?”

Wong explained he did meet with the US official to discuss the extradition bill, but also in order to urge the United States to cease exports of tear gas and rubber bullets to the Hong Kong SAR government.

It wasn’t his first meeting with US officials, Wong stated further: “We also met the US Consul that visited the Legislative Council and have a meeting with pro-establishment and pan-democrat legislators,” according to his statement.

The contact between the anti-China force and a US diplomat is “solid evidence” the US is behind the riots in Hong Kong, Li Haidong, a professor with the China Foreign Affairs University’s Institute of International Relations in Beijing, told the Global Times. — China’s Global Times

Likely, Wong’s rebuttal will not appease Chinese media and authorities who point to the incident as proof of US subversive action against Beijing inside the semi-autonomous city.

Eadeh has been engaged in diplomatic missions across the globe, especially in political “hot spots” from Baghdad to Beirut to Jerusalem to Taipei and Shanghai during her lengthy career with the US State Department, according to a short biographical essay she recently penned for Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

Chinese state media pundits, however, have pointed to her career stationed in war zones such as Beirut during the 2006 war and in Baghdad and Mosul as suggesting she may be more than a mere “consular officer”. Covert CIA officers often pose as State Department consular staff in order to conceal their identity, while also giving them diplomatic immunity in host countries.

One columnist for the Communist Party state newspaper, China Daily, went so far as to say the US diplomatic meeting with protesters points to CIA involvement in the unrest on Hong Kong’s streets.

The newspaper’s Europe bureau chief, Chen Weihua, wrote on Twitter:

There were reports suggesting Julie Eadeh is a trained subversion expert at the US consulate in Hong Kong. Her meeting with HK protesters would be evidence of US inciting and instigating the riots in Hong Kong. Is she under the direct order of former CIA chief Mike Pompeo?

Whether this is the case or not, we can imaging how US officials would react if Chinese or Russian diplomats were photographed meeting with American anti-government protesters at a moment of serious unrest in US cities.

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http://wetheonepeople.com/chinese-proves-us-state-dept-running-violent-protests-in-hong-kong/= this post