CNN's Micheal Smerconish interviewed a Carlyle Group executive this morning. Admiral James Stavridis is charged with finding profitable opportunities in the midst of global crises for Carlyle, a politically connected private equity underwriter (PEU).
Admiral James Stavridis is Vice Chair, Global Affairs and Managing Director, focused on advising Carlyle’s executive team and investment professionals on geopolitical and national security issues.
Neither Smerconish or Stavridis disclosed his Carlyle Group role. Oddly, the CNN host went on to Russian oligarchs and their use of offshore companies to hide assets. Carlyle SEC filings showed over 150 companies registered in The Cayman Islands. Billionaire PEUs are known for their ability to make U.S. government policy while the voice of the common person is widely ignored.
Carlyle's crisis creds are well established. With knowledge from its China presence the PEU built a solid COVID-19 pandemic portfolio. Their first buy of a blood products software provider happened in February 2020. Carlyle struck a deal to flip their substantial holdings in lab test provider Ortho Clinical Diagnostics to Quidel.
Rest assurred Admiral Stavridis is working hard to make the greed and leverage boys wealthier in the midst of global upheaval. That was not mentioned, much less explored. Some things are purposely off topic. The Admiral is also on the board of directors of cybersecurity firm Fortinet.
How might crash helmets and biker's boots help citizens stuck in an urban invasion?
Update 3-13-22: The Admiral was on NBC's Meet the Press this morning. No mention of Carlyle.
Update 4-3-23: Responsible Statecraft reported:
A prominent regular columnist for Bloomberg Opinion, Ret. Adm. James Stavridis, has published multiple columns over the past year urging greater U.S. investments in cybersecurity and cyber-defenses while failing to disclose to readers potential conflicts of interest due to work in the defense industry.Declaring financial conflicts of interest is so passe in our PEU world....
