High-Profile Russian Death In Washington Was No Accidentit Was Murder, Officials Say
Putin's Media Czar Was Murdered Just Before Meeting Feds
"Everyone thinks he was whacked"
The US government ruled Mikhail Lesins death an accident, but multiple intelligence and law enforcement officials suspect it was a Russian hit. The government is withholding information so today BuzzFeed News has filed a lawsuit to pry the records loose.
By Jason Leopold (BuzzFeed News Reporter) Ken Bensinger (BuzzFeed News Reporter) Anthony Cormier (BuzzFeed News Reporter) Heidi Blake (BuzzFeed News Investigations Editor) Alex Campbell (BuzzFeed News Deputy Investigations Editor, UK) Tom Warren (Investigations Correspondent) Jane Bradley (Investigations Correspondent) Richard Holmes (Investigations Reporter)
Vladimir Putins former media czar was murdered in Washington, DC on the eve of a planned meeting with the U.S. Justice Department, according to two FBI agents whose assertions cast new doubts on the US governments official explanation of his death.
Mikhail Lesins battered body was discovered in his Dupont Circle hotel room on the morning of November 5, 2015 with blunt-force injuries to the head, neck, and torso. After an almost year-long "comprehensive investigation," a federal prosecutor announced last October that Lesin died alone in his room due to a series of drunken falls after days of excessive consumption of alcohol. His death was ruled an "accident," and prosecutors closed the case.
But the two FBI agents as well as a third agent and a serving US intelligence officer said Lesin was actually bludgeoned to death. None of these officials were directly involved in the governments investigation, but they said they learned about it from colleagues who were.
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Some American officials now fear the threat has hit home. Lesins death raised concerns that the Kremlin would start doing here what they do with some regularity in London, said a former high-level national security official who recently left government. Altogether, 18 current and former intelligence, law enforcement, and other federal officials told BuzzFeed News that they question the official story of how Lesin died.
Read more:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/jasonleopold/putins-media-czar-was-murdered-just-before-meeting-feds?utm_term=.chWNkAY2R&bftwnews#.kkE2LyB56