Aaron Schaffer

@aaronschaffer.com

6339 Followers 468 Following

news researcher doing OSINT things and more at @washingtonpost.com. signal: aaronschaffer.01 https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/aaron-schaffer/

This memorandum respectfully is submitted on behalf of Reza Zarrab, who will stand before this Court for sentencing on July 14, 2026. The primary charges against Reza arise from his participation while living in Turkey in a business that transmitted proceeds of Iranian oil to bypass U.S. sanctions against Iran. Reza accepts responsibility and is sorry for his role in the business that violated U.S. law. In addition to pleading guilty, for over eight years Reza has engaged in extraordinary and unprecedented cooperation with the U.S. government that has cost him his family, his name, his country, hundreds of millions of dollars of his assets, and hundreds of millions of dollars of his extended family's assets, and that nearly cost him his life. Defense counsel believes that the Turkish government has viewed and continues to view Reza's cooperation with the U.S. government as treason because it has exposed corruption at the highest levels of Turkish government and thwarted Turkey's ability to fraudulently inflate its economy by helping Iran bypass U.S. sanctions [REDACTED] Reza's decision nevertheless to cooperate with the U.S. government has had a devastating impact on every aspect of his life [REDACTED] Because of Reza's cooperation, Reza [REDACTED] suffered unthinkable personal and financial retaliation from the Turkish government that has ruined their lives:
In early November 2017, after Zarrab had pleaded guilty in a sealed proceeding and before his cooperation had been publicly revealed, another inmate at the MDC approached Zarrab and advised that he had been paid to kill Zarrab for being a cooperator. The MDC inmate said he expected Zarrab’s cooperation to be confirmed in the near future and Zarrab would be killed because he was cooperating against “big people in Turkey.” The MDC inmate showed Zarrab a homemade knife to confirm his threat. After this threat, Zarrab was taken out of the MDC and held in FBI custody until trial was complete.
A chart titled "Average word count in narratives of use-of-force incident reports" that shows a drop after Trump's inauguration
Screenshot from opinion that says the following: "The PPA is directed at government lawyers, and its terms require the Attorney General to issue regulations outlining the procedures the government must employ when seeking information from the press. See 42 U.S.C. §2000aa-11. These DOJ regulations, found in 28 C.F.R. Part 50, confirm that subpoenas and search warrants targeting the press are “extraordinary measures, not standard investigatory practices.” 28 C.F.R. § 50.10(a)(3). Recognizing the extraordinary nature of these devices, the regulations require approval at all levels up to the Attorney General when the government seeks a search warrant targeting the press. So does DOJ’s Justice Manual, which is issued to every AUSA throughout the country. See U.S. Dep’t of Just., Just. Manual § 9-13.400. The Court’s communications with the government over two days were not limited to the local AUSA. Counsel from the highest levels of the DOJ participated in at least one of those calls. Many government lawyers had multiple opportunities to identify the PPA as controlling authority and to include an analysis of it in the warrant application. None of them did." One line is highlighted: "Counsel from the highest levels of the DOJ participated in at least one of those calls."
Louisa Loveluck on X: Heartbroken to have been laid off by The Washington Post today. It has been the honour of a lifetime to work with these colleagues for a decade, from Damascus to Baghdad, Derna to to Bakhmut. I am proud of our work. Thank you, everyone.
A post by Patrick on X: I was laid off today from the Washington Post’s campaigns team covering the midterms and 2028. I hear this is an important election year — and I want to cover it aggressively. If you’d like to work together, my DMs are open and you can email me at patrick.svitek@gmail.com.
A post by Ishaan on X: I have been laid off today from the @washingtonpost , along with most of the International staff and so many other wonderful colleagues. I’m heartbroken for our newsroom and especially for the peerless journalists who served the Post internationally — editors and correspondents who have been my friends and collaborators for almost 12 years. It’s been an honor to work with them. I launched the WorldView column in January 2017 to help readers better understand the world and America’s place in it and I’m grateful for the half a million loyal subscribers who tuned into the column several times a week over the years.
Post on X: I was just laid off by The Washington Post in the middle of a warzone. I have no words. I'm devastated. Underneath that is a quoted post by Lizzie from Jan. 25. It says: Waking up without power, heat, or running water. (Again.) But the work here in Kyiv continues. Warming up in the car, writing in pencil — pen ink freezes — by headlamp. Despite how difficult this job can be, I am proud to be a foreign correspondent at The Washington Post.
I'm heartbroken to announce that I've been laid off from my position at The Washington Post. Working at this newspaper, and especially being a foreign correspondent covering Iran and Turkey over the last few short months, was a dream come true for me. If anyone is looking for a fluent Persian speaker with deep knowledge of Iran and the region and experience landing complicated investigations, features, scoops, and analysis pieces, please reach out. I'm on Signal at yjtorbati.94
Michael Miller on X: It was an honor to be @washingtonpost's first Sydney bureau chief. Unfortunately, I'm also the last. The paper is shrinking foreign coverage. I've lost my job. Worse, millions of readers will lose my colleagues' brilliant coverage. At a time of tumult, we need more info, not less
Laid off from the Washington Post, along with the entire roster of Middle East correspondents and our editors. Hard to understand the logic. But I am grateful for my incredible colleagues, whose grit and dedication to the reporting and each other I will miss dearly.
Post by Gerry Shih on X: It was a privilege to be a Post correspondent, roaming the world the last 7+ years for a paper I very much believed in. I'm gone along with the rest of the ME team and majority of teammates from Delhi to Beijing to Kyiv & Latam. Sad day, but it was a lot of fun and we raised hell
I was laid off today as part of The Post's job cuts. I don't know what the future holds, but it was the honor of a lifetime to cover D.C.'s local communities over the past 6 years. If you're hiring or want to reach out, DM me or email: mbricesaddler(@)gmail(dot)com
Post by Candace Buckner on X: I guess democracy has died, y'all Well at least, the greatest sports section in all the land has... Like so many of my amazingly talented friends & colleagues, my time at the washington post is over. Inconceivable that this was the decision for our section. But onward.
A screenshot from a document. It says: "CONFIDENTIAL SETTLEMENT DISCUSSION 10-13-15" and on the next two lines it says "November 13, 2015" and "Dunlap Jr. et al.," Below that, in all caps, it says " DO NOT THREATEN OR UNDERMINE MY ATTORNEY YOU BELLIGERENT COWARD. HE HAS SHOWN YOU COURTESY AND DIGNITY YOU DO NOT DESERVE. I AM YOUR ENEMY. FACE ME YOU PATHETIC MORON."
A White House official, asked whether Trump or others in the White House or Justice Department had met with either of the lobbyists, responded in a statement: “No one from White House Counsel nor [White House pardon czar] Alice Johnson met with the individuals named. Either way, the President is the final decision-maker on all pardons, and any one spending money to lobby for pardons is foolishly wasting funds.” The Justice Department, which has an office that handles pardon requests, referred questions to the White House. The White House defended the rationale for the pardon in a separate statement. It said Schwartz relied on a third party for the payments at issue. “Mr. Schwartz failed to properly oversee that some funding was used for company operations instead of taxes. No funds were used for personal enrichment and Mr. Schwartz immediately paid $5 million dollars in restitution. Prosecutors initially recommended probation, but the Judge insisted on a sentence of three years — a sentence that is exceptionally harmful to a 65-year-old man already in deteriorating health.” The statement did not address the fact that it was a prosecutor from Habba’s office who at an April hearing recommended a sentence of a year and a day, or at least something in a range of six to 18 months, according to a court transcript.
A screenshot from the story that says the following: Reached by phone Thursday, Plaskett declined to answer questions about the text messages and directed all inquiries to her congressional staff. Plaskett’s chief of staff, Angeline Jabbar, said Thursday she was “not in a position to confirm or not” whether the congresswoman was texting with Epstein at the hearing. She did not respond to follow-up questions Friday afternoon.
After the story published Friday evening, Plaskett’s office issued a statement.
“During the hearing, Congresswoman Plasket[t] received texts from staff, constituents and the public at large offering advice, support and in some cases partisan vitriol, including from Epstein,” the statement read. “As a former prosecutor she welcomes information that helps her get at the truth and took on the GOP that was trying to bury the truth. The congresswoman has previously made clear her long record combating sexual assault and human trafficking, her disgust over Epstein’s deviant behavior and her support for his victims.”
A slide that says "Activities - Digital backup" Underneath that, it says: • Will develop website and maintain through a 1-year period, even if the bulk of grassroots activities are complete within 4-6 months • Will geofence same targeted churches running digital ads that are both pro-Isreal and anti-Palestinian • Will geofence attendees of our events to follow up with social media advertising. • Will identify Social Media influencers to hire in exchange for favorable coverage • Will manage the creation and shooting of sympathetic TV style commercial(s) • Will distribute materials via social media • Will optimize SEO traffic so that favorable coverage is increased and unfavorable information is decreased.
A slide that says "Activity"; underneath that it says: • Combat low American Evangelical Christian approval of the Nation of Israel • Use biblical arguments to highlight the importance of Israel and the Jewish People to Christians • Educate Christians on the historical importance of Israel and its significance in the region • Increase awareness of Palestinian ties to Hamas and support for terrorism within Evangelical populations • Counter new and evolving pro-Palestinian messaging as the global narrative shifts
A screenshot of the filing. It says "8. Describe fully the nature and method of performance of the above indicated agreement or understanding." Underneath that, it says: "Christian outreach through various grassroots and digital targeting of christians in the western Us. we will create a mobile museum to display at churches, christian colleges, and christian events. we will target and distribute pro-Israel information online and through targeted geofencing and digital online tools. We will have teams of people reaching out to Churches and Pastors and possibly even Christian social media influencers. Some of this is still undecided and fluid, but these are the outlets we have planned and proposed."
A slide that says "Targeted Geofencing Strategy" at the top of the page. Underneath it has three sections: The first says "Church Targeting"; underneath, it says "The largest Christian Church Geofencing Campaign in US History. It will be used to distribute our messages and encourage Christians and Pastors to reach out to us and follow our channels" The second section says "College Campus Focus". It says "Target Christian Churches on Sundays, and Christian Colleges on weekdays with targeted ads for those who enter the regions. Ads will continue to track those who entered our target zones." Another section says "Precision Engagement"; it says "Precision location-based targeting ensures only our target market sees ads, maximizing the effectiveness of our outreach" At the bottom of the page, it says "This geofencing campaign would create a digital perimeter around key Christian gathering places, delivering targeted pro-Israel content and sympathetic anti-Hamas messaging to engaged audiences."
A screenshot from Gerrit's video showing Gerrit's face with the "Smiling Face with Horns Emoji" superimposed over it
In addition to the contracting documents that cite Trump's D.C. crime efforts, ICE sought to spend $695,330 on vehicles and vehicle wrapping services in support of its ramped-up recruiting efforts, records show. Those documents say the purchases are supported by the legislation Trump branded the One Big Beautiful Bill. The vehicles the agency proposed purchasing include two Ford Raptors, two GMC Yukon AT4s and two Ford Mustang GTs. ICE wrote in the documents that the Mustangs were "an immediate request by the White House, on Thursday August 7, 2025." The Mustangs - which are set to cost $121,450 - will aid in recruitment "by serving as a bold, high-performance symbol of innovation, strength and modern federal service," the documents say.
Statement from Executive Editor Matt Murray: "For three decades, Ellen Nakashima has been one of the most careful, fair-minded, and highly regarded reporters covering national security. Reaching out to potential sources rather than relying solely on official government press statements regarding matters of public interest is neither nefarious nor is it harassment. It is basic journalism. DNI Gabbard's unfounded personal attack reflects a fundamental misunderstanding about the role of journalists to report on government officials and hold power to account, without fear or favor and regardless of party. The Post remains committed to that vital and constitutionally protected work."
A screenshot that says the following: "(U) In 2018, while the FBI was working on the "El Chapo" drug cartel case, an individual connected to the cartel contacted an FBI case agent. This individual said that the cartel had hired a "hacker" who offered a menu of services related to exploiting mobile phones and other electronic devices. According to the individual, the hacker had observed people going in and out of the United States Embassy in Mexico City and identified "people of interest" for the cartel, including the FBI Assistant Legal Attaché (ALAT), and then was able to use the ALAT's mobile phone number to obtain calls made and received, as well as geolocation data, associated with the ALAT's phone. According to the FBI, the hacker also used Mexico City's camera system to follow the ALAT through the city and identify people the ALAT met with. According to the case agent, the cartel used that information to intimidate and, in some instances, kill potential sources or cooperating witnesses."
UNPUBLISHED ORDER Before Ho, Wilson, and Ramirez, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM: Petitioners' opposed motion for a temporary administrative stay and an injunction pending appeal is DENIED as premature. "A court of appeals sits as a court of review, not of first view." Zaragoza v. Union Pacific Railroad Company, 112 F.4th 313, 322 (5th Cir. 2024) (cleaned up). That principle dictates our ruling today. Just yesterday, the district court entered an order indicating that "[t]he government states that authorities will not remove the petitioners during this litigation, and it will alert the Court if that changes." If Petitioners are concerned that Respondents' position has changed, they should have litigated these concerns before the district court in the first instance. We do not doubt the diligence and ability of the respected district judge in this case to act expeditiously when circumstances warrant. Petitioners insist that they tried to proceed before the district court in the first instance, and that the district court simply "refus[ed] to act." But the district court's order today indicates that Petitioners gave the court only 42 minutes to act-and did not give Respondents an opportunity to respond. The appeal is DISMISSED for lack of subject matter jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291(a)(1), for substantially the reasons stated in Judge Ramirez's concurrence.
A screenshot of Keith Jarrett's page on Spotify. In the bottom right corner, under "Artist pick," it says "The Köln Concert" was "Posted By Keith Jarrett"
A screenshot for the "Directed by Michael Mann" It says the following: "Whether they're neonoir thrillers or gripping historical dramas, the films of Michael Mann pulsate with visual adrenaline. Through a propulsive fusion of image, sound, and movement, he creates worlds that feel both heightened and intimately real, with light- and color-saturated frames, unforgettably atmospheric soundtracks, and action sequences that play out as masterclasses in perfectly choreographed chaos. Caught between duty, desire, and fate, his characters-James Can's cunning safecracker in Thief, Al Pacino's obsessive cop and Robert De Niro's weary robber in Heat, Tom Cruise's ice-cold hit man and Jamie Foxx's desperate cabbie in Collateral- move through these meticulously constructed spaces with a restless yearning, making his cinema as morally profound as it is visually dazzling." FEATURING: Thief (1981), Manhunter (1986)*, The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Heat (1995), The Insider (1999), Ali (2001), Collateral (2004)*
FAQS: Award or Prize 1. I own a frog that won the prize in a jumping contest in Calaveras County. Do I report the winnings? Yes. 2. I won a prize for public service. Do I report the winnings? Yes.
A screenshot showing that this post was liked by the main Washington Post bluesky account.
A screenshot from a 2019 newsletter that says the following: Squire Patton Boggs has joined the growing army of US lobby firms working for Kuwait's KGL Investment Company as it seeks to pressure Kuwait to drop charges against its former CEO Marsha Lazareva. Patton Boggs is acting as a subcontractor to Crowell and Moring. Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., and Lott's former chief of staff, Bret Boyles, are expected to lobby on the account. Boyles and Lott also work for Cayman Islands-based Port Link, which manages the Port Fund on behalf of Kuwait's KGL Investment. Meanwhile, Marathon Strategies, which signed an $18,500-per-month contract with KGL Investment in May, has signed an additional agreement. KGL will pay Marathon $1,050,000 for "research and communications consulting" assets held by Florida-based Global Impact Services. Public records indicate that the firm is managed by Eitan Arusy, a former Israeli intelligence analyst who is perhaps best known for discovering in 2010 that European banks evaded US law by helping Iran move billions of dollars in assets.
A screenshot from the story that says the following: According to the report, one day after Bessent met with Trump for the first time in February, Epshteyn invited him to lunch at a Palm Beach hotel, where Epshteyn asked for a monthly stipend of at least $30,000 per month to promote Bessent around the club. Bessent did not agree and told an aide that Epshteyn shook him down, people familiar with the findings said. Epshteyn later asked Bessent to invest $10 million in a three-on-three basketball league, the report concluded. Again, Bessent declined, though he believed that if he invested, Epshteyn would treat him more favorably, according to a person familiar with the report's findings. After the election, Bessent came to believe that Epshteyn was "knifing" him as he sought to be chosen to serve as Trump's treasury secretary, according to the report. In a call set up between the two, Epshteyn said he was "Boris F---ing Epshteyn" and that Bessent should have paid for his services sooner, according to the person familiar with the legal findings. He later confronted Bessent in person at Mar-a-Lago in what witnesses believed to be an intimidating way, the legal review found, in an exchange that was viewed by multiple Trump allies. A spokeswoman for Bessent declined to comment.
A. screenshot from the indictment that shows text underneath a photo of a book that appears to be a copy of the U.S. Constitution. The text underneath the book says: "On May 22, 2024, pursuant to a judicially authorized search warrant, the FBI conducted a search of OWENS's office at the Hinds County District Attorney's Office. The search revealed a small lockbox made to appear like a book bearing the title 'The Constitution of the United States of America.' The FBI discovered approximately $20,000 in cash within the container, approximately $9,900 of which was confirmed via serial numbers to be the cash paid to OWENS by the Developers on December 13, 2023."
Screenshots of two tweets. The bottom tweet says "Don't cancel your subscription. Reporters are working so hard, and the campaign folks are breaking incredible stories. Including today’s about Trump ally Musk launching his career as an illegal migrant." The top tweet says "It may feel good to cancel but you’re starving a pretty important engine of journalism, whatever the editorial side fuck ups may be. And I speak as someone who was called at 2 AM this morning because of booms over Iran and I’ve been at the goddamned keyboard ever since."
A screenshot of a Twitter thread. It says the following: "My mom just told me she cancelled her subscription to The Washington Post. She reads every one of my stories. It was a heartbreaking call. I understand why she did it, but I asked her to reconsider. To anyone who has cancelled or is thinking about cancelling, here’s what I said: Post reporters had no part in this decision. But when you cancel, you are hurting us, not our owner. I feel lucky to work at a place that doesn’t blink when I say I need to fly to Texas to meet a woman whose life has been changed by an abortion ban. To document the impacts of Dobbs up close. I can only do that if we have subscribers who support us. Reporters in the Post newsroom will continue to do our jobs. We will report fearlessly on whoever becomes president, and so many other things that really matter, because we are independent and care deeply about holding the powerful to account. I completely understand if you’ve lost faith in our owner, but please, don’t lose faith in us. We have so much work to do."
A screenshot of a twitter thread by Carol Leonnig. It links to a Post news story about the decision to not endorse a presidential candidate. It says the following: Dear readers, sources, leaders and friends who have reached out in droves today asking me to quit the Washington Post: 1/ I too worry about the timing and odd explanation for The Post's change in endorsement policy. 2/ My fear is that this signals a tip-toeing deference to a candidate. And that spells trouble what I care deeply about: revelatory reporting without fear or favor, no matter who is upset by the truth we reveal. One last note: Please don't cancel your subscriptions. It will only hurt the independent newsgathering my colleagues and I strive to do for you every day. Thank you to many who reached out about this news and agreed to keep subscribing. I'm a reporter and I don't care who the Post's ed board endorses. A fearless independent newsroom -- which we've so far enjoyed under Jeff Bezos' ownership -- is what I hope we will maintain.
Screenshot of a paragraph saying the following: Washington Post legends Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein issued a statement saying: “We respect the traditional independence of the editorial page, but this decision 12 days out from the 2024 presidential election ignores the Washington Post’s own overwhelming reportorial evidence on the threat Donald Trump poses to democracy. Under Jeff Bezos’s ownership, the Washington Post’s news operation has used its abundant resources to rigorously investigate the danger and damage a second Trump presidency could cause to the future of American democracy and that makes this decision even more surprising and disappointing, especially this late in the electoral process.”
A cartoon showing dark gray brushstrokes over a white background. Nearly the entire background is covered by the brushstrokes, with only the outer edges of the white background showing, forming a frame.
A screenshot of a Washington Post opinions piece titled "Post columnists respond." The piece is signed by Perry Bacon Jr., E.J. Dionne Jr., David Ignatius, Ruth Marcus, Dana Milbank, Eugene Robinson, Jennifer Rubin, and Karen Tumulty. The text says the following. "The Washington Post’s decision not to make an endorsement in the presidential campaign is a terrible mistake. It represents an abandonment of the fundamental editorial convictions of the newspaper that we love, and for which we have worked a combined 218 years. This is a moment for the institution to be making clear its commitment to democratic values, the rule of law and international alliances, and the threat that Donald Trump poses to them — the precise points The Post made in endorsing Trump’s opponents in 2016 and 2020. There is no contradiction between The Post’s important role as an independent newspaper and its practice of making political endorsements, both as a matter of guidance to readers and as a statement of core beliefs. That has never been more true than in the current campaign. An independent newspaper might someday choose to back away from making presidential endorsements. But this isn’t the right moment, when one candidate is advocating positions that directly threaten freedom of the press and the values of the Constitution."
Screen shot of a webpage: Send a letter to Post CEO and Editorial Page Editor voicing your concern. Logos for WBNG, The News Guild and The Washington Post Guild. Preview of intro text saying the following: "On Friday, Washington Post CEO and Publisher Will Lewis posted a publisher’s note stating that the Washington Post Editorial Board would no longer be endorsing presidential candidates, including in this year’s election. In his note, he wrote: “The Washington Post will not be making an endorsement of a presidential candidate in this election. Nor in any future presidential election. We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates.” We are deeply concerned that The Washington Post — an American news institution in the nation's capital — would make the decision to no longer endorse presidential candidates, especially a mere 11 days ahead of an immensely consequential election. The role of an Editorial Board is to do just this: to share opinions on the news impacting our society and culture and endorse candidates to help guide readers."
Statement from The Washington Post Guild: We are deeply concerned that The Washington Post — an American news institution in the nation's capital — would make the decision to no longer endorse presidential candidates, especially a mere 11 days ahead of an immensely consequential election. The role of an Editorial Board is to do just this: to share opinions on the news impacting our society and culture and endorse candidates to help guide readers. The message from our chief executive, Will Lewis — not from the Editorial Board itself — makes us concerned that management interfered with the work of our members in Editorial. According to our own reporters and Guild members, an endorsement for Harris was already drafted, and the decision to not to publish was made by The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos. We are already seeing cancellations from once loyal readers. This decision undercuts the work of our members at a time when we should be building our readers’ trust, not losing it.
Old man yells at cloud meme
Interviewer: When you’re making your films and conducting the interviews, ultimately you’re in charge. You get to edit them. You can supplement the interviews with the right images, the right sound. In this format, you don’t have control. Does that feel trickier? Interviewee: Well, it’s certainly different. In this instance, I don’t know who the interviewer really is. Interviewer: Who I am, you mean? Interviewee: Who you are. Interviewer: Who do you think I am? Interviewee: Oh, please. An agent of Satan.