the cartel with an iron fist. reporter: donovan oversaw operation third strike, the multi agency effort that led to guzman s final recapture in 2016. the trial and all the chilling witness testimony introduced the world to the real chapo a ruthless killer, money launderer, violent drug trafficker, manipulator, liar, adulterer. reporter: in newly shared insight with cnn donovan said how they studied the boss after his capture. it provided valuable intel after he tunnelled out of the cell. he knew his habits, associates, his family, the people he liked to surround himself with. [ shouting ] reporter: ultimately donovan s u.s. teams along with mexican marines hunted down their man in 2016 in the seaside
bail for mr. whelan which has so far been rejected by russian authorities because they seem to be claiming that he represents a flight risk. and now this story has got curiouser and curiouser with the case of the russian alleged arms dealer, money launderer arrested in the northern pacific the day after mr. whelan. but he was arrested on an indictment that was issued, a warrant for his arrest was issued in 2017 out of florida. mr. makarenko represents the russian arm if you like, the ordering element of attempts to smuggle high quality night vision rifle scopes and also heat intensifying equipment as well as some ammunition parts to russia in violation of americans arms exports regulations. now these are all allegations.
or the famous james bond baddy victor boot who first connected with military intelligence here in russia. famed arms dealer and money launderer who was arrested in seecht asia and is now languishing in a u.s. prison, strongly believed to be high on the list of somebody that the russians would like to bring home in return for a spy perhaps. but the problem with mr. whelan is he really doesn t fit the profile of a spy. not least because he was dismissed as charged from the u.s. marine corps for larceny which pretty much precludes him as an operator to the intelligence agency. so what is also striking here fredricka is that whilst over the last week donald trump, the u.s. president, has defended the soviet invasion of afghanistan as a reaction against terrorism, that s a fact that is simply wrong, and suggested russia should get more closely involved in afghanistan, he has not come
is it not? i believe so. and there is also some question about who is paying that lawyer s bill, because initially, the russian government embraced butina and were complaining about the treatment of her, and one wons how they will feel now that she has decidedcooperate. and this would be a fascinating case even if we were not in the middle of a are russian investigation. because this woman came here as a student, as the cover, but she was an agent of influence and she was with working for a russian central banker named aleksandr torshin who is according to the spanish prosecutors a money launderer with are russian ties and you can t make this stuff up. and she was trying to infiltrate the national rifle association, and she had a gun rights group, and that is kind of odd since there are no gun rights groups in russia. but they were attending the nra
a target letter himself. but i have to say on the nra thing, that what s what got us so worked up. you saw the $30 million that the nra poured into the 2016 election. more than they d ever done before. you have this guy torshin and butina who are showing up at nra meetings. lifetime members. developing relationships, or the shin s background is suspected money launderer, raised all sorts of questions but and this is a break on what danny said is i don t think if the feds had the money laundering to the nra they would have let butina plead to this one count of not registering at a foreign agent. you want your chief cooperating witness to plead to that case and then testify in court and there s nothing in here about laundering money to the nra.