The Trump Crime Family

[sambuca]

I'm sure there might be some effort by the Southern District of New York to make the case that Cohen made the payments and therefore that is an illegal campaign contribution above the personal maximum. I believe that has been floated by commentators. I don't think it will pass the smell test. Cohen received a lot of money from Trump. Cohen wasn't acting on his own personal interest.

I've heard several talking head lawyers say specifically that Cohen's plea doesn't prove SDNY's case. It just means the SDNY doesn't have to prove it. Which is the genius of their cheap shot at Trump. Now you can have the Trump haters on liberal media repeating the same mantra that Trump is guilty of campaign finance violations. Without an impeachment trial or an indictment, it's all social media talk and chatter for the cable news networks.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Trump has been a lifelong criminal running a criminal empire with his equally corrupt family & i'm really starting to believe that his luck has run out and he'll spend the rest of his life rotting in a prison cell. He will likely end up in solitary confinement for the sake of protection. However i wonder: will the secret service be forced to having to protect him behind bars?

p.s. I'm also betting on Don Jr. and Jared Kushner winding up behind bars. Maybe Ivanka also. Erik will be spared.

 

[Carmine Falcone]

Doc Holliday

It's beginning to look like the worst thing that happened to him and his grifter family was winning the Presidency. At this point, there are at least six different ongoing investigations. If he assumed he wasn't going to win against Hillary, then he was unwittingly fucked by his own Deplorables.

 

[Sol Tee Nutz]

p.s. I'm also betting on Don Jr. and Jared Kushner winding up behind bars.

I will take that bet, how much do you want to wager? I will even bet that Trump does not go to jail. Get back to me on the amount you want to bet.

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

It's beginning to look like the worst thing that happened to him and his grifter family was winning the Presidency. At this point, there are at least six different ongoing investigations.

Ain't that the truth. If you were going to bet on Trump winding up in jail, you should have made the bet long ago. At this point, the bookies in London are giving no better than even money. I wonder if they'll let Trump and Jared share a cell? Or Ivanka and Jared? Even better, Trump and Cohen.

from Charlie Pierce, "There is an incredible mass of corruption metastasizing in the executive branch of government, compromising the people in it, as well as crippling its ability to serve the rest of us as it was designed to do. To borrow John Dean’s image from Watergate—there is a cancer around this presidency, and it’s one that was there even before the president* rode down that golden escalator. His business career was a remarkable hoax, but a very clumsy illusion. You can make a column of figures dance the hootchie-koo, but a dark and deserted casino is a mute monument to incompetence and greed.

His business acumen was a remarkable sham, but a very clumsy con. At the end, he couldn’t get a single American bank to loan him a dime. He had to go overseas, to Deutsche Bank, as he always has been the most obvious of grifters, the most gaudy of charlatans, and that very gaudiness is what kept the whole operation aloft for as long as it did. Then the worst possible thing happened to him. In his 70’s, long past reclamation or reformation, he got elected president of the United States, and there were promises made by better men than he on which he proceeded to renege. There were historical bills he proceeded to dodge. The American people, and their government, were just another group of sub-contractors to stiff. Except that, now, as he is learning by the hour, the currency of the exchange is power, and his is dwindling fast."

The swamp just got a little less swampier. Ryan Zinke, the anti-environmentalist Trump put in charge of the EPA, just resigned in order to pay more attention to the investigations surrounding him. Hmmm, maybe he can share a cell with Donald Jr.

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

I will take that bet, how much do you want to wager? I will even bet that Trump does not go to jail. Get back to me on the amount you want to bet.

You know what they say about a fool and his money.

 

[Sol Tee Nutz]

^^^^^ Not polite to talk about Doc that way.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Doc Holliday

It's beginning to look like the worst thing that happened to him and his grifter family was winning the Presidency. At this point, there are at least six different ongoing investigations. If he assumed he wasn't going to win against Hillary, then he was unwittingly fucked by his own Deplorables.

Absolutely. Had Trump not decided to run for president as a stunt and instead concentrated on his mom n' pop real estate business then he could have spent the final years of his life living the high life in luxury and maintaining his habit of banging hooker after hooker on a daily basis. Playing golf every day. Spending winter in Florida. Visiting his current 'family' once or twice a week in order to make a presence (for appearances sake) and remind himself that he fathered another kid (this time one named Barron). But no!!!! Becoming POTUS is likely the worse thing to have ever happened to that criminally corrupt family.

Remember: EVERYTHING TRUMP TOUCHES DIES. Always.

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

Remember: EVERYTHING TRUMP TOUCHES DIES. Always.

Donald Trump Has No Friends Anymore. Only Witnesses.
They all fell for the long con: that the president* knows anything about anything honest. Now they're jumping ship.

Great article by the fabulous Charlie Pierce: https://www.esquire.com/news-politi...26Kuq4ZHNhox4uYnmt-K9ggH0bGcKbFROmqeFTSIX-T4Y

Consider:
The CFO of the Trump organization has copped a plea and is singing like a canary.
His personal lawyer has copped a plea and is singing like a canary.
His personal publicist (the owner of the National Enquirer) has copped a plea and is singing like a canary.
His first National Security advisor has copped a plea and is singing like a canary.

Trump is loyal to no one but himself, and he's turned on everyone who has ever shown him any loyalty. What goes around, comes around. See you in Leavenworth, Donny.

 

[Sol Tee Nutz]

Just an article I read, I like the opinion.
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&sour...aw1SIogfo9h0ulEQ4pBTLpBL&ust=1544984526937641

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

Just an article I read, I like the opinion.
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&sour...aw1SIogfo9h0ulEQ4pBTLpBL&ust=1544984526937641

There's a fair amount of truth in this article, especially when he says that Trump is the Clintons on steroids. However, after a 2 1/2 year investigation, the Whitewater scandal sent three people to jail while exonerating the Clintons themselves. Trump's many scandals have sent two people to prison so far and will likely send many more, including Trump himself, his son, and his son-in-law.

One place where this article is off is where it says that Trump's approval ratings are on the rise. Just wait til the effects of his trade war are fully felt. The stock market tanking is just the tip of the iceberg.

 

[sambuca]

I don't believe the Clintons and their close associates were subjected to the type of investigation that Mueller has conducted. The Podesta brothers' ties to Russia and influence peddling should be investigated and it still might be without Mueller.

Repeating media speculation over and over again doesn't make it true. I have still yet to see the big charge that will take down Trump. One is simply being emotional if they think Trump will be deposed for campaign finance violations.

Incidentally, the prison sentences for Manafort and Cohen have nothing to do with Trump and they have nothing to do with Russia. Deutsche Bank has $115 billion of assets in the U.S. Much of it built on its acquisition of Bankers Trust (N.Y.) which had Trump as a significant client for years.

 

[Doc Holliday]

There's a fair amount of truth in this article, especially when he says that Trump is the Clintons on steroids. However, after a 2 1/2 year investigation, the Whitewater scandal sent three people to jail while exonerating the Clintons themselves. Trump's many scandals have sent two people to prison so far and will likely send many more, including Trump himself, his son, and his son-in-law.

One place where this article is off is where it says that Trump's approval ratings are on the rise. Just wait til the effects of his trade war are fully felt. The stock market tanking is just the tip of the iceberg.

Brilliant analysis. I'd also add that Ivanka Trump might also be facing prison time. And i'd also conclude is stating that it's not just the stock market tanking. The deficit is quickly heading towards tripling to what it was a year ago. The economic future of the United States doesn't look as bright as it once was. Can it be salvaged before it's too late? Are the tax cuts that Trump & his equally corrupt Republican 'friends' gave themselves & to fellow billionaires really irreversible??

 

[Valcazar]

@sambuca - You know the sentencing recommendations specify what they are saying happened, yes?
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5453401-SDNY-Cohen-sentencing-memo.html

Yes, the Stormy Daniels payment is significantly above the $2,700 personal limit, an was by Cohen. So is your argument that because Cohen invoiced Trump for it, it counts as Trump's money and therefore should count as a personal expense and not a campaign donation?

(The AMI case is described differently, as you can see from the link.)

I'm not sure what you mean about it not proving their case. If you specifically mean the case against Trump being involved, I would agree with you. Since they brought no indictment, the allegation does stand somewhat out there. So I can see an argument that they only included that Individual 1 directed the payment in order to get the anti-Trump info out there. Of course, since the DOJ note says they aren't supposed to bring an indictment against the President, they get to argue that the only reason they didn't bring it as a formal accusation is the DOJ memo. (Even if you don't believe them, they get to make the argument.)

To be clear, there does seem to be some wiggle room where Trump can have done this but not understanding it is was an illegal expenditure. The campaign finance law seems to allow that as an excuse.

 

[Valcazar]

Trump's approval ratings have been pretty stable since October, just sort of hovering around 42-43%. They haven't really gone up or down during that time.

Just to clarify sambuca's comment - the Manafort sentence isn't linked to Trump or Russia, it is bank fraud and tax fraud; the Cohen sentence *is* linked to Trump (the campaign finance violation) but that is only one part of the things he is going to prison for. Russia isn't involved in the Cohen stuff.

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

I don't believe the Clintons and their close associates were subjected to the type of investigation that Mueller has conducted. The Podesta brothers' ties to Russia and influence peddling should be investigated and it still might be without Mueller.

Well, you believe wrong. The investigation lasted 2 1/2 years and when Whitewater didn't pan out, Starr went looking for something else. When that didn't pan out, he finally found Monica. This indeed was a witch hunt and they found no witches. So far, 33 indictments have come from the Mueller investigation and there are many more to come.

By the way, you know how many Benghazi investigations the House has conducted? Seven. And you know what each and every one of them has come up with? Nothing.

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

Repeating media speculation over and over again doesn't make it true. I have still yet to see the big charge that will take down Trump. One is simply being emotional if they think Trump will be deposed for campaign finance violations.

If you think that Cohen, Kelly, Pecker and Weisselberg have given Mueller nothing incriminating, I've got a bridge you might be interested in.

Incidentally, the prison sentences for Manafort and Cohen have nothing to do with Trump and they have nothing to do with Russia. Deutsche Bank has $115 billion of assets in the U.S. Much of it built on its acquisition of Bankers Trust (N.Y.) which had Trump as a significant client for years.

Hogwash. Among the things Cohen is doing time for is campaign finance violations. Campaign finance violations at the order of Individual 1. Individual 1 is not, by the way, Aaron Judge.

 

[sambuca]

Well, you believe wrong. The investigation lasted 2 1/2 years and when Whitewater didn't pan out, Starr went looking for something else. When that didn't pan out, he finally found Monica. This indeed was a witch hunt and they found no witches. So far, 33 indictments have come from the Mueller investigation and there are many more to come.

By the way, you know how many Benghazi investigations the House has conducted? Seven. And you know what each and every one of them has come up with? Nothing.

So the Mueller Special Counsel is all or partially about revenge for the 1990s Clinton investigations? On that we can agree.

We can also agree Benghazi was also political theater. Even if Hillary exercised bad judgment (not sure that's definitive), bad judgment itself is not a crime. The investigations were designed to embarrass Clinton and Obama.

 

[sambuca]

@sambuca - You know the sentencing recommendations specify what they are saying happened, yes?
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5453401-SDNY-Cohen-sentencing-memo.html

Yes, the Stormy Daniels payment is significantly above the $2,700 personal limit, an was by Cohen. So is your argument that because Cohen invoiced Trump for it, it counts as Trump's money and therefore should count as a personal expense and not a campaign donation?

(The AMI case is described differently, as you can see from the link.)

I'm not sure what you mean about it not proving their case. If you specifically mean the case against Trump being involved, I would agree with you. Since they brought no indictment, the allegation does stand somewhat out there. So I can see an argument that they only included that Individual 1 directed the payment in order to get the anti-Trump info out there. Of course, since the DOJ note says they aren't supposed to bring an indictment against the President, they get to argue that the only reason they didn't bring it as a formal accusation is the DOJ memo. (Even if you don't believe them, they get to make the argument.)

To be clear, there does seem to be some wiggle room where Trump can have done this but not understanding it is was an illegal expenditure. The campaign finance law seems to allow that as an excuse.

Let's not get lost in the weeds on this. Plenty of legal commentators (and a former FEC commissioner) have said it's a very difficult to prove payments to Stormy and McDougal are campaign expenditures. And as you say above, you have to know its not an illegal expenditure. It's a very difficult case whether Cohen cops a plea or not.

By the way, Cohen is going to jail for three years for tax evasion and maybe lying to Congress not for campaign finance violations. It's all hypothetical but a campaign finance violation of this nature I'm guessing would likely be a fine and maybe, just maybe 3 to 6 months. The possibility of a fine with no jail time would have been possible for campaign finance violations alone.

Getting back to point about the Benghazi investigations being about embarrassing Trump, the campaign finance violation plea with Cohen is just about embarrassment.

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

So the Mueller Special Counsel is all or partially about revenge for the 1990s Clinton investigations? On that we can agree.

Considering the 33 indictments, plus the convictions, plus the guilty pleas, plus the numerous indictments to come, it's quite apparent that it's about the rule of law, something neither you nor anyone in the Trump family seems to know much about.