American Arms

Protecting the independence of American industries

Dangerous ties between CSG and its owner Michal Strnad to Russia

J.D. Vance has opposed CSG’s planned acquisition of U.S. ammunition maker Vista Outdoor, warning that the deal would threaten U.S. national security. He has accused CSG owner Michal Strnad of maintaining close ties to Russia and the Kremlin, allegations he says are well documented and incompatible with American security interests. CSG has dismissed the claims as false, but Vance has said he remains unconvinced.

Source: https://www.e15.cz/volby/volby-v-usa/vidlak-ktery-nema-rad-ukrajinu-a-strnadovu-csg-kdo-je-trumpuv-novy-viceprezident-vance-1417243

US presidential candidate Donald Trump at the ongoing Republican convention has finally revealed his choice for vice president, the person who must be prepared to immediately take over if the head of state is unable to perform his duties. It will be Ohio Senator James David Vance, a man with a reputation as controversial as Trump’s

According to the website Politico, this is bad news for Europe, as it increases the chances that a Republican administration, if victorious in the November elections, will halt military aid to Ukraine.

A native of the small American town of Middletown, Ohio, he would become one of the youngest and least experienced vice presidents in US history if Trump defeats Joe Biden in the election. At 39, he is exactly half the age of his boss and only entered high politics less than two years ago.

Unlike Trump, who comes from a wealthy business family, he grew up in a poor working-class environment. Vance’s mother was a drug addict, and his father abandoned him when James David was still a toddler. As a result, he was mostly cared for by his grandparents during his childhood. Nevertheless, he managed to work his way up to a successful career. He studied law at the prestigious Yale University, served in the military in Iraq, and later began working in Silicon Valley for companies involved in venture capital investments in startups.

J. D. Vance first attracted significant media attention in 2016 when he wrote an autobiography about his difficult adolescence entitled Hillbilly Elegy. The book became a bestseller and was also adapted into a film. It is also interesting to note that Vance was previously a fierce critic of Trump. He called him “an idiot unfit for the presidency” and described his proposals as “immoral and absurd.” He changed his opinion of him after entering politics and is now one of Trump’s most loyal supporters. “I was wrong about Trump. He was a great president. And that’s one of the reasons why I’m working so hard to get him a second term,” Vance said in a recent interview with Fox News.

Vance has so far presented himself as a classic conservative. For example, he is an opponent of abortion and a supporter of the so-called traditional family. However, what worries Europeans most is his stance on the war in Ukraine. The Republican senator is pushing for an end to US support for the attacked country. In the past, he has called on Ukraine to cede part of its territory to Russia in order to achieve peace, and claimed that “Ukrainian ministers are buying yachts with Western aid.”

Strnad suspected of ties to Russia

At the beginning of this year, Vance also came into conflict with the Czech industrial and technology holding company Czechoslovak Group (CSG) owned by businessman Michal Strnad, which supplies ammunition to Ukraine. Specifically, he opposed CSG’s plan to acquire the American ammunition manufacturer Vista Outdoor, accusing Strnad of having close ties to the Kremlin and claiming that the transaction would therefore pose a security risk to the United States.”The Czechoslovak Group has a long history of illegal activity and well-documented ties to American enemies. This transaction poses demonstrable risks to our national security,” the senator wrote in an open letter to US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen at the time. The Czech company strongly objected to his statements. “This information is unfounded and untrue,” responded Andrej Čírtek, spokesman for Strnad’s holding company. Vance later stated that he was not convinced by the Czech businessman’s arguments. Negotiations on the sale of Vista Outdoor to CSG are still ongoing.

The election campaign team of incumbent Democratic President Biden warns against Vance as a devoted servant of Trump who will calmly “break the law” for his boss. This is an obvious reference to Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence. After losing the 2020 election, Pence acknowledged Biden’s victory, which Trump still claims was fraudulent, and refused to support the former president’s efforts to invalidate the election results. Trump and Pence subsequently became political rivals. According to Biden’s campaign, Vance would have acted differently in the same situation.

Like Trump, Vance is also an advocate of a tough approach towards China, supports the imposition of further sanctions and tariffs on Chinese products, and supports Israel in its war against the terrorist organization Hamas.

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