When we say Russian Oligarch, we know two things: His origin and his wealth.

What we don't know, is whether he is for or against Russia. We must determine that, before jailing his FBI contacts. But journalists these days don't use discernment.

Case in point:

Oleg Deripaska, whom the U.S. sanctioned for enabling Russia's annexation of Crimea.

OK, sounds terrible, but the West was doling sanctions out, so it cannot be determined that Deripaska deserved those sanctions. HAving been sanctioned certainly is not proof. Also this 'annexation' was a matter of a referendum, in which MOST of the Crimean population voted to join Russia. The Russian navy was already there, by agreement with Ukraine, in Soviet times (remember the little green men story?). Actually, the Russians have been in Crimea for a loooong time. Not sure that Deripaska, nor McGonigal could have changed anyone's mind.

they said McGonigal sought to gather derogatory information about a rival oligarch, Vladimir Potanin, and Potanin's interest in a corporation that he and Deripaska were vying to control.

OK then. Sounds dangerous /s. Just an aside: Isn't gathering derogatory information the purpose of the FBI? But fine, go ahead and crucify someone for it.

Hardly long enough. He will be paroled after serving half of his sentence.

Scroll down and read the post by LakotaPride about Jack Smith, the link is 118 pages of whistle blowers testimony, great insight, Clinton is mentioned, Angela Merkel, Boris Johnson, but lots of shakedowns in countries using the (see-I-a) with jacks name, and stopping a meeting in WA DC to sign a treaty with Trump….treason?

“ He was a key figure in initiating the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller into the now-debunked collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential election.” https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/former-fbi-counterintelligence-chief-who-investigated-trump-russia/

One of the highest-ranking FBI agents to ever face criminal charges was sentenced to over four years in prison on Thursday for secretly colluding with a Russian oligarch.

Charles McGonigal, a former counterintelligence leader in the FBI's New York field office, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge. McGonigal's lawyers had asked for no prison time, but the judge came down harshly on the former FBI bigwig.

Oleg Deripaska who is sanctioned by the US was using McGonigal to dig up info on a business rival

"McGonigal knew full well that Deripaska was sanctioned," prosecutors said in their sentencing memorandum. "McGonigal also cannot claim that he was unaware that he was selling his services to a scoundrel working against America's interests."

Despite that knowledge, they said McGonigal sought to gather derogatory information about a rival oligarch, Vladimir Potanin, and Potanin's interest in a corporation that he and Deripaska were vying to control.

Prosecutors cast it as a serious crime that deserved a serious punishment.

“In 2009, when Bob Mueller ran the FBI, the bureau asked Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska to spend millions of his own dollars funding an FBI-supervised operation to rescue a retired FBI agent, Robert Levinson, captured in Iran while working for the CIA in 2007.” https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/387625-mueller-may-have-a-conflict-and-it-leads-directly-to-a-russian-oligarch/

“Once he left public service, he jeopardized our national security by providing services to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian tycoon who acts as Vladimir Putin’s agent” (closed friend in old news) … https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-special-agent-charge-new-york-fbi-counterintelligence-division-sentenced-50-months