Listen now | This week on Krystal Kyle & Friends: updates on the defamation suit filed by Mike Lindell, Sydney Powell, and Rudy Giuliani; the latest in bipartisan corruption and personal gain from government contracts; and, of course, our special conversation with human rights attorney Steven Donziger, on his landmark case against Chevron.
We‘re lucky those Trumpers aren’t particularly smart. When they claimed that they have video evidence of people admitting a grand election fraud conspiracy, they could just have used modern technology and produced a deep fake. Deep fake is a Pandora’s Box waiting to be opened. Whenever one side starts using this shit in politics, all hell will break lose.
It's hard to for me write this, but, in your coverage of the Donzinger case, I think you have been had by a grifter (Donzinger). If Donzinger's story sounds too cute and fits a narrative too well, that is because it is a grift that will set us all back.
Donzinger asserts that Judge Kaplan is in Chevron's pocket and is out to bury Chevron's environmental crimes. But this isn't what Kaplan ruled against Donzinger for in 2014 - Kaplan convicted Donzinger of rigging an Ecuadorian court and ghostwriting the judgement against Chevron for the ~$10B for environmental damage. In 2014, Judge Kaplan nullified the ability enforce the Ecuadorian ruling in the USA, on the grounds that the judgement was corruptly obtained - it is very telling that Donzinger refuses to explain this in his public appearances.
Donzinger keeps trying to conflate:
A) whether Chevron/Texaco polluted Ecuador (this certainly true); with
B) whether the ~$10B judgment was corruptly obtained at Donzinger's behest and instigation.
This is the crux of the grift. A) is unequivocally true - Chevron/Texaco people behaved heinously in Ecuador (and probably elsewhere; see Shell Nigeria for another fascinating case study of "holy shit, what the hell where you thinking?!") and *the polluter needs to pay up*.
But, this doesn't mean victims of crimes, even 'human rights champions', can start doing B), bribing judges or otherwise making shit up. That only destroys the rule of law and sets everyone back. It has taken the US Justice System to a place where it must decline to enforce a corrupt ruling against worthy victims, and, left those victims in limbo.
I caught one straight factual lie in Donzinger's words on the show too - the Canadian Supreme court upheld Kaplan's ruling that the $10B judgment was corruptly obtained. He asserts this repeatedly, it is just a straight lie. Here is the link:
The witness Donzinger asserts Chevron bribed at his 2014 US trial was one of the Ecudorean judges administering this case in Ecuador, dude named Guerra. Guerra is an altogether unsavory and sketchy guy, and has recanted/lied multiple times - I wouldn't trust a word he says. But, here's the thing, you cannot simultaneously believe that i) the initial $10B Ecudorean judgement is legitimate and just, when Guerra is clearly corrupt; and that ii) Chevron successfully bribed this witness to testify against Donzinger before Judge Kaplan in 2014. Both the initial $10B ruling being legit, and Guerra being corrupt, cannot both be true.
Also, and this is the key point, Judge Kaplan DID NOT solely rely upon Guerra's testimony in 2014 to make his ruling. There is extensive documentary evidence - similarities between the content of the judgement, and, internal documents created by firms associated with Donzinger. See page 200 of Judge Kaplan's 2014 ruling and read on.
The 2014 Kaplan ruling went to an appeals court in 2016. Ruled against Donzinger. The New York Bar didn't just take Kaplan's word for it when they disbarred Donzinger. Canadian Appeals & Supreme Courts - same thing, the legal substances of the matter is that Donzinger is trying to enforce an Ecudorean court's ruling that was corruptly obtained; western liberal democratic justice systems keep shooting him down. And now Donzinger is trying to exert pressure on the justice system in the court of public opinion and spin a grift for money.
Donzinger is a classic example of the Clinton Foundation "Get rich by doing good" trainwreck in action. He was trying to get rich/make a name for himself by taking down Chevron in Ecuador. That devolved into corrupting a justice system and, now, lying/misleading well-meaning leftists skeptical of immense corporate power into believing this grift.
If Donzinger's story sounds too cute and fits that narrative too well, that is because it is a grift that will set us all back.
Press him on the specific factual details of what the hell happened in the writing of the $10B judgment in Ecuador. Otherwise, to mangle some legal proverbs, "fruit from this poison tree is going to poison us all".
Some news show 20/20, 60 minutes, should do a segment on this so the public wrath comes upon them. (Garland/Biden/Chevron)
We‘re lucky those Trumpers aren’t particularly smart. When they claimed that they have video evidence of people admitting a grand election fraud conspiracy, they could just have used modern technology and produced a deep fake. Deep fake is a Pandora’s Box waiting to be opened. Whenever one side starts using this shit in politics, all hell will break lose.
Whenever I tune in and listen/watch Krystal or Kyle I have more truths brought out to me.
Thanks always, 🐸
Kyle and Krystal are true American heroes for their courage and important reporting on topics that matter. Thank you both.
Closed-source programmers' computer code cannot be verified as trustworthy.
It's hard to for me write this, but, in your coverage of the Donzinger case, I think you have been had by a grifter (Donzinger). If Donzinger's story sounds too cute and fits a narrative too well, that is because it is a grift that will set us all back.
Donzinger asserts that Judge Kaplan is in Chevron's pocket and is out to bury Chevron's environmental crimes. But this isn't what Kaplan ruled against Donzinger for in 2014 - Kaplan convicted Donzinger of rigging an Ecuadorian court and ghostwriting the judgement against Chevron for the ~$10B for environmental damage. In 2014, Judge Kaplan nullified the ability enforce the Ecuadorian ruling in the USA, on the grounds that the judgement was corruptly obtained - it is very telling that Donzinger refuses to explain this in his public appearances.
Donzinger keeps trying to conflate:
A) whether Chevron/Texaco polluted Ecuador (this certainly true); with
B) whether the ~$10B judgment was corruptly obtained at Donzinger's behest and instigation.
This is the crux of the grift. A) is unequivocally true - Chevron/Texaco people behaved heinously in Ecuador (and probably elsewhere; see Shell Nigeria for another fascinating case study of "holy shit, what the hell where you thinking?!") and *the polluter needs to pay up*.
But, this doesn't mean victims of crimes, even 'human rights champions', can start doing B), bribing judges or otherwise making shit up. That only destroys the rule of law and sets everyone back. It has taken the US Justice System to a place where it must decline to enforce a corrupt ruling against worthy victims, and, left those victims in limbo.
I caught one straight factual lie in Donzinger's words on the show too - the Canadian Supreme court upheld Kaplan's ruling that the $10B judgment was corruptly obtained. He asserts this repeatedly, it is just a straight lie. Here is the link:
https://www.ontariocourts.ca/decisions/2018/2018ONCA0472.htm
The witness Donzinger asserts Chevron bribed at his 2014 US trial was one of the Ecudorean judges administering this case in Ecuador, dude named Guerra. Guerra is an altogether unsavory and sketchy guy, and has recanted/lied multiple times - I wouldn't trust a word he says. But, here's the thing, you cannot simultaneously believe that i) the initial $10B Ecudorean judgement is legitimate and just, when Guerra is clearly corrupt; and that ii) Chevron successfully bribed this witness to testify against Donzinger before Judge Kaplan in 2014. Both the initial $10B ruling being legit, and Guerra being corrupt, cannot both be true.
Also, and this is the key point, Judge Kaplan DID NOT solely rely upon Guerra's testimony in 2014 to make his ruling. There is extensive documentary evidence - similarities between the content of the judgement, and, internal documents created by firms associated with Donzinger. See page 200 of Judge Kaplan's 2014 ruling and read on.
The 2014 Kaplan ruling went to an appeals court in 2016. Ruled against Donzinger. The New York Bar didn't just take Kaplan's word for it when they disbarred Donzinger. Canadian Appeals & Supreme Courts - same thing, the legal substances of the matter is that Donzinger is trying to enforce an Ecudorean court's ruling that was corruptly obtained; western liberal democratic justice systems keep shooting him down. And now Donzinger is trying to exert pressure on the justice system in the court of public opinion and spin a grift for money.
Donzinger is a classic example of the Clinton Foundation "Get rich by doing good" trainwreck in action. He was trying to get rich/make a name for himself by taking down Chevron in Ecuador. That devolved into corrupting a justice system and, now, lying/misleading well-meaning leftists skeptical of immense corporate power into believing this grift.
If Donzinger's story sounds too cute and fits that narrative too well, that is because it is a grift that will set us all back.
Kyle, Krystal & team - this guy is very bad news and is grifting you. Please, as a huge fan of Breaking Points and this show, take a moment and go read through the entire 500 page 2014 Judge Kaplan ruling against Donzinger (PDF Here: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/new-york/nysdce/1:2011cv00691/374606/1874/)
Press him on the specific factual details of what the hell happened in the writing of the $10B judgment in Ecuador. Otherwise, to mangle some legal proverbs, "fruit from this poison tree is going to poison us all".