Former Fox News Producer Caught, Indicted For "Servicing" Russian Billionaire-- Advised To Not Drink Russian Tea--

Most people have probably run across this story, detailing how former Fox TV producer Jack Hanick was indicted for working with a sanctioned Russian Billionaire, Konstantin Malofeeyev. The charges are significant as are the principals involved, though Hanick himself is not what one would call "a big fish". However his indictment is strategic and in my view far more important than Hanick himself, for several reasons.

https://www.thewrap.com/fox-news-jack-hanick-charged-russian-oligarch-work/ 

First, it indicates that the Russian attack upon Ukraine has had the effect of an Adrenaline shot on the seemingly comatose (or partially sedated) US Attorney General Merrick Garland, who has been recently observed laconically pursuing Bikers, Weekend Warriors, "Mad Housewives for Trump", unemployed Bartenders and an occasional seditious conspirator like Stewart Rhodes, the Granola kingpin who leads the "Oats Keepers".

Now, our intrepid Elmer Fudd at DOJ is announcing that Duck hunting season is over, and Russian Oligarch hunting season has begun. But it's important to be "vewwwy vewwwy quiet" so as not to disturb the Wabbit. And now  🎵  a hunting we will go...🎶

Do I have a point here, or what? Well yes. The point is that the world, Joe Biden, and even Joe's "hands off of Trumpworld" Centrist political advisers are salivating over the prospect of busting Putin's Piggy Bankers into oblivion, kind of like Wile E. Coyote does while chasing the Roadrunner, which means that no one, not Russian Billionaires, not GOP leaders, not Fox News, maybe not even the Trump Family itself are off limits. (Sorry,Warner Brothers 'toons have space rented in my head)

And this changes a few things. 

Admittedly, Hanick was not involved that we know of with Russian Oligarchs while at Fox, although it is unlikely that he fell into their orbit only after he left. For all we know he might have been cut loose because of his unmasking years ago as an act of damage control. However it was definitely a shot across the bow for Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan, who together have been functioning as the English language Sister network of Izvestia. They have been put on notice that they are no longer untouchable, a message also pointedly meant for Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, and now are aware that they also might be under scrutiny. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of traitors.

Secondly, this also has big implications for the UK, because the investigation and indictment of Hanick (operating out of London) could not have occurred without the joint cooperation of both MI-5 and MI-6 with the US DOJ, which rarely happens due to the fierce rivalry and acrimony between both branches of "the services" of Britain, who are known to work together on very little. Ironically Putin's actions have united even the British Establishment in taking their first "baby steps" in the war against Russia's Oligarchs, whose financial "breast milk" has been the principal source of nutrition for the UK banking system up until now.. The great "weaning" of the Brits off of Russian money has begun, and poor Jack Hanick's indictment the result of their first attempts  to eat solid food. His tough luck. Baby steps and weaning...it's a start. 

Thirdly, the Investigation of said Russian Billionaire and his ilk (just what is an "ilk"anyway, a herd of large Elk?) will not end with Hanick. In fact I would be shocked if Merrick Garland has not been burning out all of the DOJ's printer cartridges pumping out FISA warrants (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) for anyone in a suit who has done shots of Stoli within the past five years. And I can tell you that the GOP leadership, Fox's hierarchy, and most certainly the great Orange Blob of Mar-a-Lago are right now as we speak cold calling a Yellow pages list of forensic accounting attorneys with CIA "creds" to see if they can somehow cover their voluminous Republican a**es.  So, you've all heard of the "Domino Theory" of the old Soviet plan for world conquest? Now we have the first Domino to fall for our side, and the rest are being lined up behind it. 

Finally, the effect of this, in my slightly jaundiced view, is that now at last we can say that the US under Biden's leadership is hitting back against the American "Fifth Columnists" of Putin. There's a certain liberating effect of reading that a Fox News producer, even though a former one is under indictment for collaborating with one of the richest Russian criminals. It just feels good to think about. 

And now it is perfectly acceptable and not in any sense libelous to refer to Fox News as "The Russian Oligarch influenced" Fox, or "Putin financed" Fox News orbit, or "the only network connected to someone indicted for aiding and abetting Russia", etc. 

People have been aware of Fox's track record in retailing Putin's talking points, as they have precipitously emanated from the travelling garbage trawler known as Trump's mouth. Now there is a solid, actionable haul of evidence, enough for a Federal Indictment of Fox Universe's direct cash and carry relationship between Russia's criminal financial cesspool and Fox's former producer. (like I said, it feels really good to say that, so I'll keep the fun going by coming up with new ways to say it) 

Finally to conclude, (yaaay) on a personal note, after I semi-retired, I worked for a wealthy shopping mall developer and travel agent as a Caregiver. The family were hard core Trumpazoids and watched Fox 24/7. At a certain point, (my first hour on the job actually)  I began to feel conflicted between my responsibility to care for them, versus my deep desire to set their living room on fire and destroy all of their electronics, including the Basketball court sized TV. And I wanted to start the fire while they were watching Sean Hannity interviewing John Bolton. Luckily, my Zippo was out of lighter fluid and I restrained myself from looking around for matches. Instead I demanded a 100% raise to $40 dollars an hour. I told them it was reparations for having been the victim of an attempted brainwashing. Clearly they were never going to go that way.  But it all worked out in the end, when they used the excuse of Martha and I going to Thailand to fire me, so they could hire someone at $15 an hour and get reimbursed by Medicare. Hey, they had big bills living in a vast estate with a moat filled with Alligators, I get it, a penny saved is a penny earned. I believe most Oligarchs think that way, Russian or otherwise. But on hearing the news on Hanick, I felt as though I should give them a call later and tell them "you can't fire me, I quit". 

So I had a special satisfaction from this breaking news on Hanick, knowing that there would likely be more indictments to come, and that for one day I could enjoy the cool breeze coming off the Ocean, knowing there is still a little justice in this world. So, on that note of barely concealed optimism, I say, "it's Oligarch season!