Peace Negotiations, Wittkoff, and the Arrest of Judge Dugan

So we know the US is trying to force Ukraine to surrender territory to Russia. And we know Donald Trump has taken far more of a side with Russia than expected. So, who is the chief American negotiator, Steve Witkoff? As usual, Craig Unger provides some answers:

But at least one chapter of Witkoff’s life has not been explored — namely his ties to the Russian Mafia. In 2013, The Real Deal, a media company that covers real estate, reported that Witkoff submitted a recommendation for indicted Russian mobster Anatoly Golubchik several years earlier when Golubchik applied to live in a condominium building at 971 Madison Avenue.

The recommendation is of special interest because, according to indictments in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, Golubchik played a key role in a high-stakes gambling ring based out of Trump Tower. According to Poker News, a trade publication for the gaming industry, the poker game was often attended by a glitzy clientele that included Hollywood actors Leonardo De Caprio, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon. The story behind it was later made into a movie called Molly’s Game, starring Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba.

As I wrote in House of Trump, House of Putin, the gambling ring was busted in April 2013, when “police burst into an apartment on the…