While everybody's attention was on the Mueller investigation, a bunch of other potential criminal investigations.
1) Sexxxxytimes Payoffs
in a conspiracy with Michael Cohen and the National Enquirer to benefit the Trump campaign by paying women for their silence -- an illegal campaign contribution -- and laundering those payments through the Trump Organization.
2) Roger Stone and Julian Assange and Wikileaks, OH MY!
Bill Barr was pretty careful to say that Mueller "did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities." As to coordination with non-state actors, like Wikileaks, Bill Barr was con uously silent. Roger Stone has been charged with lying to the government about his contacts with Wikileaks during the campaign, and it's pretty clear that Assange himself is under investigation, if not secret indictment. How did Wikileaks come to coordinate its doc dumps with the Trump campaign?
3) Trump Inauguration
Remember how Trump raised almost twice as much for his inauguration as Barack Obama, and the big acts were Toby Keith and a troop of baton twirlers from suburban Wichita? When prosecutors raided Michael Cohen's office they found a tape of him discussing potential price-gouging by the Trump Hotel, and Mueller has since indicted one of Manafort's cronies for acting as a straw purchaser to buy inauguration tickets for a Ukrainian gangster. As of last week, there were SIX pending investigations of the inaugural ery
- Manhattan US Attorney's Office, aka SDNY: They got the ball rolling after seizing Michael Cohen's tapes and finding a recording of the head party planner worrying about the Trump Hotels gouging on the room rentals;
- Brooklyn US Attorney's Office, aka EDNY: These guys are wondering if illegal foreign donors used strawmen to funnel cash to the inauguration. More on that in a hot second;
- Special Counsel's Office: Having already indicted and gotten a plea from Manafort's associate Sam Patten for acting as a straw purchaser to buy inauguration tickets for Ukrainian billionaire Pavel Fuchs, Mr. Mueller would like to know why there were so many other shady Ukrainians at the inauguration festivities;
- House Judiciary Committee: Chairman Nadler has questions for the Inaugural Committee, Tom Barrack, Rick Gates, and Michael Cohen about the inauguration;
- New Jersey Attorney General: Gurbir Grewal is making Trump's people an offer they can't refuse to hand over financial do ents; and
- DC Attorney General: Karl Racine would like an accounting of money paid by the inaugural committee to Trump hotels and the Trump Organization.
- Presumably, Mueller will pass his piece off to SDNY or someone at Main Justice in DC.
4) Trump PAC
Remember how Trump's pal Tam Barrack and Paul Manafort set up the Rebuilding America PAC to mop up unlimited Ameros? Remember that Manafort's longtime pollster, Tony Fabrizio, was running a media company that paid kickbacks to Manafort and his buddies through the PAC? Remember that Tony Fabrizio was simultaneously working for the Trump campaign and likely did the polling that Manafort secretly passed to his buddy Konstantin Kilimnik? Hey, guess what! None of that goes away with the conclusion of the Mueller investigation. Federal prosecutors in DC will pick right up on that strand when Mueller closes up shop,
5) Happy fun financial fraud:
After Michael Cohen testified to Congress that YEAH Trump fudged financial do ents to inflate/deflate his net worth and debt to suit the occasion, a thousand investigations bloomed. (Wonkette may be rounding up.) New York's Department of Financial Services subpoenaed Trump's longtime insurance broker, the New York AG joined Auntie Maxine's Financial Services Committee examining Trump's dealings with Deutsche Bank, and the Ways and Means Committee's demand to get Trump's tax returns kicked into high gear.
These joined the New York AG's pending investigation of the Trump family for using their "charitable foundation" as a slush fund to purchase hideous portraits of His Orangeness and illegal use of donated cash to support Trump's 2016 electoral campaign.
6) Lawsuits
Trump is currently being sued by Michael Cohen, for failure to pay his legal fees, and former Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos, for defamation because Trump said she was lying about his sexual advances. Who knows what shady is going to come out when those lawyers get to depose Trump and the people around him!
Trump is also being sued by DC and Maryland for violating the Emoluments Clause. Maybe they'll be able to figure out how the federal government managed to pay $600,000 to keep the Old Post Office tower open at the Trump Hotel during the 35-day shut down!
https://www.wonkette.com/not-so-fast...investigations
-------------------------------------------------------
Looks like more than a few swamps that need draining. So many scandals... so little time.
TDS soldiers have received their marching orders
A government watchdog group estimates that President Trump had more than 1,400 conflicts of interests during his first two years in office.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) released a report Thursday claiming that the president tried to promote his businesses as extensions of his presidency and administration.
During Trump’s second year in office, CREW reported more than 900 interactions between the Trump administration and the Trump Organization.
Trump made 118 visits to Trump properties that he still profits from during his second year in office and mentioned or referred to his company 68 times, according to the report.
At least 119 federal officials, 53 members of Congress and 33 state officials also visited Trump properties during 2018.
More than 150 political committees, campaigns and party committees spent an estimated $5 million at Trump businesses since his inauguration in January 2017, according to CREW.
CREW identified 12 foreign governments that made payments to Trump properties during his first two years in office, including three foreign en ies which held events in 2018.
"To be clear, this amounts to the president of the United States receiving a direct and significant financial benefit from special interests, foreign and domestic, that have chosen to spend money on events at his properties to curry favor with his administration," CREW states in the report.
Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit from the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia.
The case, which is making its way through the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, alleges that Trump is violating the Emoluments Clause of the Cons ution by receiving payments from foreign and domestic governments through the hotel — which is blocks from the White House.
The Hill has reached out to the White House and Trump Organization for comment about the CREW report.
Trump has faced constant scrutiny about his business ties since the early days of his presidential campaign.
The president announced before he took office that he would not sell his businesses upon entering the White House, instead handing control over to his two adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.
“It is hard to imagine that the President of the United States could rack up a staggering 1,400 conflicts of interest, yet here we are,” CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder said in a statement. “Not only has President Trump still refused to divest from his businesses, he seems to have doubled down by reinforcing the idea that the Trump Organization is an extension of the Trump Administration.”
“This report shows that as special interests, foreign governments and political allies continue to pour money into Trump’s coffers, the American public is left in the dark about whether presidential decisions and policy are being made in the best interest of the country or in the best interest of the president’s own bottom line,” Bookbinder said.
https://thehill.com/homenews/adminis...t-in-first-two
Full report:
https://www.citizensforethics.org/pr...cts-got-worse/
This has been, and always will be where Trump is the most corrupt and the most crooked. It matters far more than Russia ever did.
Them desperation articles from January tho
CREW has identified 12 foreign governments that have made payments to Trump properties during his first two years in office, each of which is likely a violation of the Cons ution’s foreign emoluments clause. At least three foreign countries held events at Trump properties during his second year in office, and two of them did so after having held similar events elsewhere in previous years.
Instead of pushing back on President Trump’s refusal to divest from his business, allies in Congress have embraced the arrangement. 53 U.S. senators and representatives made more than 90 visits to Trump properties during his second year in office, up from 47 visits by 36 members the prior year, and similarly, at least 33 state-level government officials visited Trump properties, likely resulting in taxpayer funds going into Trump’s coffers.
More than 150 political committees, including campaigns and party committees, have spent nearly $5 million at Trump businesses since he became president. In Trump’s second year in office, CREW tracked 33 political events held at Trump properties—13 of which Trump himself attended, meeting and speaking with wealthy donors.
Special interests held at least 20 events at Trump properties during the president’s second year in office. Since Trump took office, at least 13 special interest groups have lobbied the White House, some for the first time, around the same time they patronized a Trump property, suggesting that making large payments to Trump’s businesses is viewed as a way to stay in his administration’s good graces.
Over the past year, President Trump made 118 visits to properties he still profits from in office, bringing his two-year total to 281 visits. CREW also identified 119 federal officials and employees who visited Trump properties over the past year, up from 70 the prior year.
In addition to making frequent visits to his properties, President Trump and other White House staff have promoted Trump businesses on at least 87 occasions. Trump himself mentioned or referred to his company 68 times during his second year in office, more than double the 33 times he did so the prior year.
Paying members at Trump’s resorts and clubs have received benefits beyond getting occasional face time with the President. Four Mar-a-Lago members have been considered for ambassadorships since his election, and three other members—with no federal government experience—acted as unelected, non-Senate-confirmed shadow officials in Trump’s Veterans Administration.
For example, the American Petroleum Ins ute, an oil-industry lobbying group, held a two-day board of directors meeting at Trump International Hotel – Washington, DC in March. On the second day of the event, energy executives attending the event traveled to the White House to meet with President Trump and Vice President Pence on trade issues. That same month, the Independent Petroleum Association of America held a three-day event at the hotel, and planned to lobby the EPA on the last day.
https://www.citizensforethics.org/pr...cts-got-worse/
We need to investigate Northern Ireland immediately.
Strangely enough, Trump has actually lost wealth since he was elected.
According to whom?
So it's Forbes?
So it's Forbes?
And?
Also donates his presidential salary - yup.
Weird way to apologize for obvious self-dealing, tbh.
He tried to make money off the presidency while in office and it hasn’t worked so far.
Poor Trump. Can’t even grift right.
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