“Federal law enforcement officials are investigating the re­lationship between a former ­Reagan administration official known for his role in the Iran-contra scandal and the government of Sudan, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in federal court.

Federal agents this month searched the ninth-floor Watergate condominium of former national security adviser Robert “Bud” McFarlane, who was approached in 2008 by Sudanese officials seeking access to the incoming Obama administration.

The FBI began investigating McFarlane after a 2009 Washington Post article outlined his ­involvement with the strife-torn African nation, which has long sought to ease U.S. economic sanctions and to be removed from the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism.

The Post reported that Sudanese officials helped arrange a $1.3 million contract between the government of Qatar and McFarlane, who later met with two of the Obama administration’s top policymakers on Sudan.

But federal law enforcement officials allege, according to a search warrant affidavit filed March 5 in federal court in the District, that McFarlane was actually working as a lobbyist and consultant directly with the government of Sudan and “attempted to hide his relationship with Sudan by contracting with the country of Qatar.”

U.S. law makes it a crime to work as an agent of a foreign government without proper disclosure and prohibits business with Sudan because of its history of alleged genocide and other human rights violations in its decades-long civil war.

McFarlane has not been charged with a crime. His attorney, Barry Wm. Levine, said McFarlane did not violate any laws. “He has devoted his entire adult life to the interests of this country, and he cares deeply about the people of Darfur,” Levine said.”

“The whole affair was sordid and laced with pathos. Not long after, McFarlane resigned from his post at the White House and, subsequently, attempted suicide. ”Bud’s tragic flaw was wanting to be Henry Kissinger, to be at the vortex, moving planets and shaking continents, respected as a profound, strategic thinker,” one associate told Maureen Dowd while McFarlane was still recuperating in the hospital. ”He regretted his resignation from the White House moments after he did it, because he realized he would never get a shot at achieving his dream.”

Now, at the age of 72, he seems to be at it again. According to The Washington Post, McFarlane seems to have been involved in a quid pro quo in which he appears to be informally lobbying for the removal of U.S. sanctions against the genocidal government of Sudan. Honestly, does he need the money that much? The Post puts his proceeds from the non-lobbying gig at around $1.9 million, paid by the government of Qatar.”

Involvement in Iran/Contra

United States vs Robert C. McFarlane   fas.gov  Federation of American Scientists

“Under President Reagan, the NSC staff assumed a role beyond that of an advisory or coordinating body: It at times became operational, taking on primary responsibility for the execution of the Iran and contra covert operations. McFarlane did not shrink from the operational tasks that were of high personal interest to the President. He delegated some of them to a hard-driving NSC staff member, Marine Lt. Col. Oliver L. North, McFarlane’s deputy director of political-military affairs.

In 1984, President Reagan directed McFarlane to keep the financially strapped Nicaraguan contras alive as a viable fighting force, despite a ban on U.S. military assistance, McFarlane assigned the job to North. North kept McFarlane generally informed of his efforts on behalf of the contras, which McFarlane told North to undertake in utmost secrecy. When Congress in 1985 inquired about press reports of North’s contra-aid efforts, McFarlane denied the allegations.

In 1985, McFarlane and Casey were the chief advocates of weapons sales to Iran in exchange for the release of American hostages held by pro-Iranian terrorists in Beirut; again, McFarlane turned to North to help implement, in utmost secrecy, the arms-for-hostages deals. Although McFarlane resigned as national security adviser in December 1985, he stayed in contact with his former deputy and successor, Navy Vice Adm. John M. Poindexter, and with North. He remained involved in the Iran weapons sales, acting as President Reagan’s emissary on a mission to Tehran in May 1986. In November 1986, McFarlane helped Poindexter and North conceal details of the Iran initiative, just as they had done when the operation was underway.

Beginning in December 1986 after the public exposure of Iran/contra, McFarlane voluntarily provided information to Congress, to President Reagan’s Tower Commission and to Independent Counsel. Because McFarlane was only partially truthful, it was difficult for investigators to determine on which matters he could be believed. Further complicating the matter was the fact that McFarlane’s testimony was, in some crucial respects, at odds with that of other senior Reagan Administration officials. McFarlane, for example, stood alone in insisting that President Reagan had approved the earliest 1985 sales of U.S. arms to Iran by Israel and had agreed to replenish Israeli weapons stocks. It was only after contemporary notes recording the events in question were discovered late in Independent Counsel’s investigation that much of what McFarlane said could be verified. His desire to keep secret certain contra-assistance activities resulted in criminal charges being brought against him.

After lengthy negotiations with Independent Counsel, McFarlane on March 11, 1988, pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor charges that he unlawfully withheld information from Congress about North’s contra-support activities and about the solicitation of foreign funding for the contras. As a condition of his plea, he agreed to cooperate with the ongoing criminal investigation. On December 24, 1992, McFarlane was one of six Iran/contra defendants pardoned by President Bush.”

THREAD) Here’s some key background info on Robert “Bud” McFarlane & his circuitous journey to Trump Tower & a possible role in #Russiagate. pic.twitter.com/PLXIkoofx4

— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) March 10, 2017

1) McFarlane has published feverishly on the need for America to reach a detente w/ Russia so we can get their Liquefied National Gas (LNG)

(2) As part of his push for a US-Russia detente over access to Liquefied Natural Gas, McFarlane co-founded the U.S. Energy Security Council.

(3) McFarlane is one of the most connected, knowledgeable, & _engaged_ right-wing foreign policy advisers in DC. Especially on Russia & LNG.

(4) In 2016, McFarlane was originally a named foreign policy adviser to the Carson presidential campaign. Then Carson withdrew from the race.

5) McFarlane was immediately picked up as a foreign policy adviser to the John Kasich campaign. Then Trump became the near-certain nominee.

6) Trump declared himself the nominee _the day before_ his big foreign policy speech at the Mayflower Hotel–the biggest speech of his life.

8) McFarlane was one of a _very_ small number of VIP invitees to Trump’s invite-only Mayflower Speech. Another? Russian spy Sergey Kislyak.

9) What hasn’t been reported on much is that the Mayflower Speech should never have happened, and the fact that it did is itself suspicious.

10) But first we must understand what the Mayflower Speech was: a speech that heaped calumny on the US, NATO, Iran, China… & _not_ Russia.

11) Instead, the Mayflower Speech was basically _about_ Russia. Trump mentioned the Cold War obsessively & proposed friendship with Russia.

12) In the biggest speech of his life, using a Teleprompter, w/ his whole foreign policy team there, Trump proposed making a deal w/ Russia.

13) Present @ the Mayflower: Manafort; Trump Jr.; Phares; Kushner; Miller; Sessions; Lewandowski. VIPs like McFarlane & Russian spy Kislyak.

14) In the Mayflower Speech, Trump proposed working w/ Russia to fight ISIS & other deals “good for Russia.” Watch: https://youtu.be/XW8RqLN3Qao?t=32m23s …

15) The Mayflower Speech was Trump’s first public promise to Russia–w/ Kislyak just feet away–regarding his future foreign policy w/ them.

16) The Mayflower Speech was also an audition for Trump re: McFarlane, a Carson/Kasich foreign policy adviser now w/o a campaign to assist.

17) McFarlane & Kislyak both met Trump briefly @ the VIP event, possibly spoke w/ one another, & entered the ballroom from the VIP event.

18) But the Mayflower event should never have happened. On 4/21, the Trump campaign announced he’d speak on 4/27 at the National Press Club.

19) The Trump camp was an NPC/National Interest invitee & wouldn’t pay for the space. The space held 700 people & was set up for big events.

20) On 4/26, well less than 24 hours before he was due to speak at the National Press Club, the Trump campaign suddenly cancelled the event.

21) They said the 700-seat NPC space was too small for the interest in the speech, so they moved it to… a 500-seat space at the Mayflower.

22) Not only did the switch risk confusing reporters/attendees, it now would cost money & be at a smaller and less politically august venue.

23) And indeed the claim of “high interest” in the speech was also a lie: the media reported “scores” attended the speech, not hundreds.

24) What the Mayflower _did_ have was 581 private rooms & private-access VIP areas. Also, it offered more control over invitees and VIPs.

25) Who did Manafort, Trump Jr, Phares, Kushner, Miller, Sessions, Lewandowski, McFarlane, Kislyak talk w/ at the Mayflower? No one’s asked.

26) We do know McFarlane knows Phares &–given his DC connections–possibly almost everyone else on Trump’s April 2016 foreign policy team.

27) We know McFarlane is friends with oil-man T. Boone Pickens and knows or is known by virtually every major oil/gas player _in the world_.

28) We know McFarlane committed crimes during Iran-Contra and in 2013 the FBI accused him of secretly working for a U.S. geopolitical enemy.

29) We know The Atlantic called him the “mentor” of Trump’s Deputy NSA, KT McFarland, & that he basically got her that job in December 2016.

30) We know he met personally w/ Trump & Flynn at _least_ once at Trump Tower: on December 5, during a critical 48-hr period in #Russiagate.

31) During those 48 hours Flynn/Kushner smuggled Kislyak into TT to meet w/ Trump & Russia sold 19% of its oil company to a secret buyer.

32) According to the Steele dossier, that 19% Rosneft share was for Trump. And it claims Russia sought the very detente McFarlane wanted. @MarcusC22973194 ? He has more info on this

33) We know on 4/27 McFarlane was skeptical of Trump. We know by 12/5 he was hand-picking Trump’s Deputy NSA & meeting w/ Trump personally.

34) What we don’t know is how/why the best-connected right-wing foreign policy adviser on Russian LNG in the US got from Point A to Point B.

35) No one’s asked. But McFarlane’s the best plausibly deniable US-Russia go-between Trump could want, for _many_ reasons, so we _must_ ask.