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To: scion who wrote (11272)	11/9/2018 7:50:03 AM
From: scion	Respond to of 12881

Arron Banks dropped from BBC Question Time panel Leading Brexiter under NCA investigation jokes that Marr interview ‘went too well’ Haroon Siddique Wed 7 Nov 2018 17.34 GMT theguardian.com Businessman and Brexit campaigner Arron Banks has been removed from the panel of next week’s BBC Question Time following a furore over his interview on the Andrew Marr show. The National Crime Agency is investigating allegations of multiple criminal offences by Banks and his unofficial leave campaign in the EU referendum. The Electoral Commission said last week that there were reasonable grounds to suspect Banks was “not the true source” of £8m given to the Leave.EU campaign, and that it had referred the matter to the NCA. Days later, the insurance magnate appeared on the Andrew Marr Show, prompting criticism that the BBC was giving a platform to someone under criminal investigation, and that he was given an easy ride. Since that appearance, the commission has confirmed that Leave.EU, which was co-founded by Banks, and Eldon Insurance, which he owns, face fines totalling £135,000 over breaches of data laws. On Wednesday, Banks tweeted that his invitation to BBC Question Time had been rescinded, adding: “Clearly the Andrew Marr interview went too well!” At the end of last Thursday’s Question Time, the host, David Dimbleby, said: “Believe it or not, at the moment, at any rate, Arron Banks is going to be on the panel so, we’ll see, we’ll see, that’s two weeks from now.” In response to Banks’s tweet, a BBC spokesman said only: “Question Time panels are never fully confirmed until broadcast.” But the Guardian understands that he is no longer due to appear at the show in Milford Haven. Andrew Marr’s handling of Arron Banks was pathetic – and damaging Andrew Adonis Read more theguardian.com Before the Marr interview, Lord Adonis, a former cabinet minister and leading remain campaigner, said in a letter to the BBC that Banks’s planned appearance was the result of “a very serious editorial misjudgment, influenced by a culture of accommodation to extreme Brexiteers now deeply embedded within the BBC”. Caroline Lucas MP and Molly Scott Cato MEP, both Green party politicians, wrote an open letter criticising the decision to allow Banks to “spread misinformation at our expense”. The BBC replied that there was a strong public interest in interviewing Banks about the allegations and that it was “legitimate and editorially justified”. After the interview, Adonis said it had proved damaging as it had “provided Banks with a platform from which to attack his accusers and muddy the waters”. Banks insisted on the Marr show that there was was “no Russian money, no interference” in the £8m he gave to Leave.EU, but refused to go into detail about how the cash was generated. theguardian.com

To: scion who wrote (11272)	11/9/2018 7:51:47 AM
From: scion	Respond to of 12881

Mueller Probe Examines Brexit Backer’s Ties With Russia BY ROBIN CARNEVALE November 8, 2018 hillreporter.com Special prosecutor Robert S Mueller III and Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee have obtained records that show Russia offered business deals to a major backer of Britain’s Brexit campaign. A report from Britain’s Information Commissioner’s Office alleged that an insurance company owned by Arron Banks broke British law when it shared private email addresses to a pro-Brexit group before the 2016 referendum vote, according to the New York Times. nytimes.com Banks was the single largest donor to the Brexit campaign and the Russian Embassy in London was reportedly helping Banks to engage in “lucrative investment opportunities” before the referendum vote. Banks’ involvement in Brexit and contacts with Russian diplomats have reportedly “raised questions about whether the Kremlin sought to reward important backers” of Brexit. The Mueller probe is investigating whether Russia unduly influenced the U.S. 2016 presidential elections and Banks’s emails indicate a connection between Russia and Trump via Banks. On Nov. 12, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump met with Mr. Banks in Trump Tower. When Mr. Banks returned to London, he had a meeting with the Russian ambassador in which they discussed Banks’s visit with Trump. “From what we’ve seen, the parallels between the Russian intervention in Brexit and the Russian intervention in the Trump campaign appear to be extraordinary,” said Rep. Adam B. Schiff from California, who is the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. Banks spent more than eight million British pounds to support the UK’s exit from the European Union, an outcome also supported by Russia. Banks has been well-known for his strong ties to the Russian Embassy in London and has bragged about his “boozy six-hour lunch” with the Russian ambassador six months before the Brexit vote. Leaked emails of Banks’s correspondence with Russian diplomats suggest that the embassy helped him with three potentially lucrative investment opportunities in Russian-owned diamond or gold mines. One of Banks’s business partners took the Russian diplomats up on at least one of the opportunities. Banks has denied any wrongdoing, citing his pro-Brexit stance existed long before he met with the Russian ambassador. hillreporter.com