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BREAKING NEWS: Feds looking into Trump's Inauguration spending

Donated funds for access.

On MSNBC now!

by Anonymousreply 153January 7, 2019 7:04 PM

WSJ stating the committee is under CRIMINAL investigation!

Everyday it is something new.

by Anonymousreply 1December 13, 2018 8:55 PM

What did these Trumps think they were getting themselves into? I remember reading somewhere that they were all on board for Donald to run for the presidency except for Melania. I would guess it's cuz she knew the scrutiny such a position would bring. And she knew what is up with all the Trump sleaziness

by Anonymousreply 2December 13, 2018 8:59 PM

The number of crimes Trump will be charged with are bigger than his inflated inaugural crowd estimates.

by Anonymousreply 3December 13, 2018 9:03 PM

Am I right that the committee wasn’t supposed to comingle funds with the candidate? I'm sure Trump didn't care, regardless.

by Anonymousreply 4December 13, 2018 9:04 PM

They took in $100 million, a lot from firing sources, put on a funky-dink inauguration, and never accounted for the cash. What could go wrong?

by Anonymousreply 5December 13, 2018 9:06 PM

I honestly believe Trump never wanted to win the election , he just wanted publicity and create an audience for his Trump TV station to outfox Fox News .

by Anonymousreply 6December 13, 2018 9:07 PM

Rachel started asking questions about this a year ago.

by Anonymousreply 7December 13, 2018 9:08 PM

You'd think they would have bought a bigger crowd.

by Anonymousreply 8December 13, 2018 9:08 PM

It's not like they spent much on entertainment. Mostly Z-listers who got paid in food or drugs.

by Anonymousreply 9December 13, 2018 9:11 PM

I think you're right R3. Therefore, life in prison with no possibility of parole would be fitting.

by Anonymousreply 10December 13, 2018 9:13 PM

Didn't some friend/advisor linked to Melania get a huge commission of like $20 million?

by Anonymousreply 11December 13, 2018 9:13 PM

I just turned on MSNBC and they are talking about how it's now confirmed that Trump was in the room with Cohen for the hush money talks. I bet there's going to be an avalanche of breaking news this weekend. He's fucked. Even the tenor of his tweets has changed. On some level, he knows he's going down.

by Anonymousreply 12December 13, 2018 9:14 PM

He's gonna resign. He cannot handle the heat... Shit! We're gonna get the devil incarnate with Pence waiting in the wings. He'd put all of us in ovens if he could.

by Anonymousreply 13December 13, 2018 9:16 PM

When its raining it's pouring. Merry Xmas y'all!

by Anonymousreply 14December 13, 2018 9:17 PM

ALL RECEIPTS UNDER SCRUTINY

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by Anonymousreply 15December 13, 2018 9:17 PM

$26 million went to Stephanie Winston Wolkoff and her event planning company, which was set up one month prior to the inauguration. She was later hired as an advisor to Melanoma.

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by Anonymousreply 16December 13, 2018 9:20 PM

No way Pence is clean R13. It will be President Pelosi.

by Anonymousreply 17December 13, 2018 9:21 PM

He is such a moron. He really must have thought he’d get away with such a blatant fraud.

by Anonymousreply 18December 13, 2018 9:22 PM

How much toxicity has to rain down on Trump, Pence and company for Republicans in the Senate and the House to finally make them want to spurn them?

by Anonymousreply 19December 13, 2018 9:24 PM

Pence will be limited in what he can achieve with a Democratic House and the disarray in the Executive Branch, where it will take some time to undo the mess Trump has created. For those reasons, I'd rather have Pence finish out Trump's term than live with two more years' of Trump. Apart from being a raging asshole and idiot, Trump is volatile and unpredictable. It's very scary on a number of levels.

by Anonymousreply 20December 13, 2018 9:24 PM

Pence would have to be VERY dirty. They’d probably make a deal to appoint Romney President Pro Tem of the Senate and have Nancy pass. Otherwise, no Republicans could vote to impeach both Trump and Pence.

by Anonymousreply 21December 13, 2018 9:25 PM

R17, Pense isn't a dummy tho. You could hate your enemy all you want but do not underestimate them. Keep in mind Pense didn't say a word during the Pelosi-Trump shouting match. And nobody talked about him. He wants the presidency real bad.

by Anonymousreply 22December 13, 2018 9:26 PM

Witch hunt!

by Anonymousreply 23December 13, 2018 9:26 PM

Yes indeed, now we're rolling.

Did the DL know, btw, that the Senate passed, by one vote, an act compelling non-profits to reveal their 'secret' donors. I do believe this applies to the Inauguration spending and may be why it's happening right now.

OH, and that one vote came from SUSAN COLLINS. Way to go, bitch. Keep it up.

by Anonymousreply 24December 13, 2018 9:28 PM

[quote]He wants the presidency real bad.

Bad enough to change the spelling of his name?

by Anonymousreply 25December 13, 2018 9:28 PM

Corruption abounds in every Trump endeavor. It's like the mob. Everything they touch is corrupt. Unbelievable that another Federal investigation is coming out of Cohen's tapes. And these NY guys do not mess around.

The Stephanie woman on the tape asking Cohen she found some the spending of the money suspicious - she was Melania's friend and ran Melania's office for a good while - was either fired or she quit abruptly. I remember when it happened. I'd love to know what she had to say to the Feds.

by Anonymousreply 26December 13, 2018 9:30 PM

Plenty of people made mention (and jokes) about Pence not saying anything, basically being a body in the room, while Trump, Schumer and Pelosi were going at it. Pence just hasn't been talked about that much. He was in the room when they were discussing how to respond to Trump's firing of Comey, and some of the other reasons Trump made for firing Mike Flynn. Pence is deep in it, even though thus far he hasn't been called on it that much by the much more upstaging participant Donald Trump.

by Anonymousreply 27December 13, 2018 9:34 PM

Trump has not had a legitimate day in his whole business life. He stole that family legacy, likely contributed to the suicide of his own brother, and has thrown his own children to the wolves. He's a mobster and that's a fact.

by Anonymousreply 28December 13, 2018 9:34 PM

I feel so bad for Melanie, caught up in this WITCH HUNT. Nah, I really don't care, do U? Anyway anyone vile or stupid enough to donate their money to Trump's inauguration deserves to have it flushed down the toilet.

by Anonymousreply 29December 13, 2018 9:34 PM

Scott Baio’s per diem must have been massive.

by Anonymousreply 30December 13, 2018 9:38 PM

Melania can now possibly be charged for conspiracy with that inauguration advisor getting the huge commission. That was a very cheap inauguration, hardly any A-listers engaged and relatively small amount of parties and pomp and circumstance. There certainly shouldn't have been any need for much in the way of security overtime, since it was such a small turnout of people, despite Trump's and Sean Spicer's assertions to the contrary.

by Anonymousreply 31December 13, 2018 9:39 PM

This may very well be if it isn't already a case of 'be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.'

Trump sat there at the white house correspondent's dinner (I think that was the event) and President Obama said he heard Trump was going to run as a Republican; that's funny. I thought he was going to run as a joke!

Everyone laughed and Trump sat there, fumed, no sense of humor; "I'll show you all." But perhaps now HE'S being shown it's not that easy.

by Anonymousreply 32December 13, 2018 9:39 PM

Trump REALLY is having an awful week.

by Anonymousreply 33December 13, 2018 9:41 PM

Rachel Maddow was reporting about this last year --the Inaugural Committee's massive amounts of funds raised for such a paltry inauguration. and where the excess money could possibly have gone. She had questions in particular of a $250K donation from the brother of the Colombian president in exchange for a meeting with Trump, which he got before he was sworn in.

by Anonymousreply 34December 13, 2018 9:42 PM

[quote]Didn't some friend/advisor linked to Melania get a huge commission of like $20 million?

Just to keep this DL-relative, Melania's party-planner friend Stephanie Winston Wolkoff is the sister of 90s teen heartthrob Randall Batinkoff.

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by Anonymousreply 35December 13, 2018 9:43 PM

This is who is going down.

Tom Barrack: Thomas J. "Tom" Barrack Jr. (born April 28, 1947) is an American private equity real estate investor and the founder and executive chairman of Colony Capital Inc. Barrack is a close friend and ally of President Donald Trump who has represented Trump on television news segments. He also served as the chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee and was senior adviser to Trump's presidential campaign.

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by Anonymousreply 36December 13, 2018 9:46 PM

Yes, R33, it was the White House Correspondents Dinner. And I absolutely believe it was that night which set in motion this entire nightmare. With Trump some things are just that simple. He was publicly humiliated and he vowed to “make him pay.”

by Anonymousreply 37December 13, 2018 9:52 PM

I'm reading the Omarosa book right now and she says that it was that specific night that convinced Trump to run for POTUS. You see? IT IS OBAMA'S FAULT.

by Anonymousreply 38December 13, 2018 9:54 PM

Why were all those Russians at the U.S. inauguration? Who paid for their preferential seats which were UP FRONT?

by Anonymousreply 39December 13, 2018 9:55 PM

Trump, the Schmuck, could have hired plenty of lackeys, had his two scoops of ice cream, built buildings (maybe not in Russia), and had his privileged, bullshit life without anybody really looking into his contacts or dealings had he not decided to run for public office. But he rarely admits mistakes. But he brought it all on himself and his family, and they are falling like dominoes now.

by Anonymousreply 40December 13, 2018 9:57 PM

R36, he starred in THE STEPFORD CHILDREN. We couldn't write this shit.

by Anonymousreply 41December 13, 2018 10:10 PM

Top headline on FOX News website right now: "Republicans examine accusations of ‘pay to play’ at Clinton Foundation, amid plunge in donations"

😂😂😂

by Anonymousreply 42December 13, 2018 10:14 PM

History will not be kind.

by Anonymousreply 43December 13, 2018 10:14 PM

For real, R43? That' bizarre.

by Anonymousreply 44December 13, 2018 10:16 PM

The event planner/Melania advisor story is that Trump and Melania had already drafted a divorce agreement to be filed shortly after he lost the election...when he won, they re-negotiated....supposedly they paid the planner 26 or 27 million and 25 million went straight to Melanias bank account as part of the agreement to stay.....and thats also supposedly why she stayed in NYC for months after Trump already moved to DC (the Barron story was just that...a story)...she wanted the money upfront before she would agree to move.

by Anonymousreply 45December 13, 2018 10:16 PM

Rachel sure called this one. I hope we have a new terrible news story for Trump every day, just like an advent calendar!

by Anonymousreply 46December 13, 2018 10:21 PM

From the NBC story linked above:

[quote]The Times reported that Wolkoff was personally paid $1.62 million of the $25.8 million. Another $25 million of the overall inaugural spending went to Hargrove Inc. for "event production services," the tax filings showed, meaning that roughly half of the inaugural committee's record $107 million raised went to just two vendors.

Whole lot of grifting going on.

by Anonymousreply 47December 13, 2018 10:23 PM

[quote]The event planner/Melania advisor story is that Trump and Melania had already drafted a divorce agreement to be filed shortly after he lost the election...when he won, they re-negotiated....supposedly they paid the planner 26 or 27 million and 25 million went straight to Melanias bank account as part of the agreement to stay.....

SHE GOT $3.5MM OF THAT $26MM PAYOFF?

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by Anonymousreply 48December 13, 2018 10:27 PM

So basically the inauguration was a Bialystock/Bloom production.

"Prisoners of love, blue skies above!" Let 'em hear you in solitary!

by Anonymousreply 49December 13, 2018 10:27 PM

So is being alleged that about $25-25 million of Trump's inauguration donation, which are supposed to be non-profit went to pay off personal payments to Melania for some of his pre-nup in advance of a postponed divorce? Hope they find the checks, though Cohen probably has them and thus Mueller and/ir NY Feds have them.

by Anonymousreply 50December 13, 2018 10:29 PM

$25-26 million, I mean

by Anonymousreply 51December 13, 2018 10:29 PM

It's been a long day. Can someone give me the short version? Who exactly is being accused of what?

by Anonymousreply 52December 13, 2018 10:32 PM

More donation fraud by Trump and family. Why do folks give that grifter and con-woman money? It always seems to wind up in Don's or his kids pockets.An their greed will be their downfall. Hillary Clinton was right.

by Anonymousreply 53December 13, 2018 10:32 PM

[quote]Why do folks give that grifter and con-woman money?

They're buying the government. Sheldon Adelson has given so much to the Republican party because he wanted the tax cuts and he wants licenses to build casinos in Japan or China. These people have been getting everything that they have wanted since Trump has been POTUS. Our federal lands are now up for sale. Banned chemicals are being reversed and allowed to be used again,etc

This truly is a corrupt Administration that has been given free reign by the Republicans.

by Anonymousreply 54December 13, 2018 10:37 PM

[quote]So basically the inauguration was a Bialystock/Bloom production.

Hold me! Touch me!

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by Anonymousreply 55December 13, 2018 10:42 PM

R53, they are investigating pay-for-play allegations--i.e., people gave to Trump's "inauguration committee" with the expectation that they would receive specific favors from Trump when he was President.

by Anonymousreply 56December 13, 2018 10:49 PM

Thanks r57

by Anonymousreply 57December 13, 2018 10:50 PM

The FBI, NY state law enforcement incl their AG, federal law enforcement, House and Senate, and others have a LOT to answer for in all this. They all looked the other way for decades while layers and layers of corruption were built on our backs.

Didn't anyone like Lee Atwater or Oliver North or Paul Manafort or Roger Stone or Kushner or *rump family syndicate trigger alarm bells on the deep and dirty corruption rampant in the political system? They were begging for any foreign capital they could put their hands on, no matter whose hands they were. How were they allowed to metastasize like this?

All of these guys, Mike Flynn et al? They are steeped in dirty dealing with zero consequences. It is only because *rump won the election and couldn't help but flag down law enforcement with his every move that we are even learning about this separate world of the elite and how they are robbing this country and its people blind.

by Anonymousreply 58December 13, 2018 10:52 PM

With all due respect R59, you're not getting what the crux of this is all about. IT'S FEAR! The election of Obama caused massive fear among many White people. Then you have all of the POC that are in the country who are holding really top-notch jobs and commanding massive salaries. These people went to school and educated themselves and therefore availed themselves to opportunities that Americans obviously did not want. Then you had Hillary--a woman, who was slated as a shoe-in.

It was just too much for the White American male. Therefore you have more than a few who want to put a break on all of this!

What? Americans should speak more than one language in order to do business in the world? Please...

by Anonymousreply 59December 13, 2018 11:01 PM

^^^^ What r59 said.

by Anonymousreply 60December 13, 2018 11:02 PM

It’s not the donations they’re looking at, it’s the SPENDING. Almost half of the $107 million collected seems to have disappeared.

by Anonymousreply 61December 13, 2018 11:03 PM

Republicans (or those of the 1%) have deployed MASSIVE amounts of money to put a stop to this globally. They have spent TONS of money to try and destroy the Obama presidency. But, Obama had a very successful presidency. Now, whether you want to give him credit for that or not is another issue. But, many turned a blind eye to all of this that is going on. Trump is a manifestation of what has been going on for years to put a stop to globalization and who should be in power.

by Anonymousreply 62December 13, 2018 11:06 PM

The shit is really hitting the fan now!

by Anonymousreply 63December 13, 2018 11:10 PM

About fucking time. Rachel Maddow raised this issue right after the election and several times thereafter about the huge amount of money in the inaugural fund that nobody could account for.

by Anonymousreply 64December 13, 2018 11:11 PM

Rachel Maddow should really rerun her one hour show that she did on this matter way back in 2017. She questioned all of this missing money back in March or April of 2017.

by Anonymousreply 65December 13, 2018 11:13 PM

R13 I have to disagree with you - No, Trump won't resign. That would be admitting he's a "loser" and his narcissistic personality won't allow him to do that. I believe he is going to hold on to the Presidency right up to the bitter end and even when or if the law comes to remove him from office he will go berserk and refuse to leave. But I do not believe he will ever resign. He never admits to any wrongdoing, never admits to any mistakes or faults. In his diseased mind I expect he actually believes he can beat this. He is not rational, he does not grasp reality. If the day comes that he finally does realize that he is going down then he will try his best to bring the entire United States down with him. He is *that* evil. I would not put anything past him. Never underestimate how low he can go. He truly is a textbook psychopath.

by Anonymousreply 66December 13, 2018 11:14 PM

[R67] Hyped up on Addy

by Anonymousreply 67December 13, 2018 11:15 PM

Yup, r7. She was always curious about that slush fund.

by Anonymousreply 68December 13, 2018 11:15 PM

More popcorn coming right up!

by Anonymousreply 69December 13, 2018 11:15 PM

I'd chill. Irregularities in campaign spending and reporting are common place and usually result in fines for the campaign chairman. Who was that ? Who could that possibly have been? When it wasn't Corey Lewandowski, it was Paul Manafort or it was Kelly Anne Conway. All three have legal hazard over the FEC filings.

Sure, Manafort's thinking "Bitch, please!". Corey's thinking "I'm immune! I'm BATMAN!" because he's dumber than a bag of bricks . He's quite possibly stupid enough to think Trump offered him immunity which is a felony if he did. Conway is the only one who's smart enough to know how serious this is and she'll flip faster than a cheerleader at the top of a human pyramid to save herself from this clown car.

Sloppy reporting has hurt any number of candidates over the years and campaigns have a window of time to true up their reporting. The problem with spending is they have to account for all the money that's come in as well. If the spending exceeds what they reported and the final public accounting of the account doesn't match what they claim they took in - there's serious issues. Really serious.

For example, no candidate can accept money from foreign interests. This gets complicated fast because the campaign can accept money from US citizens living abroad, but not non-citizens living in the US or outside the US. A common tactic is to wash the money by having a strawman donation that goes through a US citizen or organization. Coordination of illegal donations is problematic and usually a fine. The personal who orchestrates the donations is the one who gets prosecuted unless there's evidence the campaign knew the donations were illegal. That's hard to prove.

There are methods by which candidates can roll over collected funds to their next campaigns but they have to be a declared candidate with the campaign in place first and the books closed with the final report to the FEC first.

As the reports are supposed to be public, these should have been publicly available some time ago but ... I have little hope this will be so.

by Anonymousreply 70December 13, 2018 11:16 PM

[quote]I'd chill. Irregularities in campaign spending and reporting are common place and usually result in fines for the campaign chairman.

Nuh-Uh. Not with this amount of money that can't be accounted for. Look... Ray Charles, dead and blind, wouldn't need Stevie Wonder's help to figure out what happened here. More than Rachel questioned this from the very beginning. It just didn't make sense. 2 +2 was not equaling 4

But, Republicans refused to open up any type of investigation. It's been the voices of the people that have put pressure on the government that got the ball rolling.

by Anonymousreply 71December 13, 2018 11:20 PM

I do remember Maddow talking about this.I bet Cohen showing NY AG where the monies were spent.

Heads up/Wow Kushner out of running for Chief of Staff

Newt Gringrich and Matthew Whitaker now being considered per WH....wow

by Anonymousreply 72December 13, 2018 11:21 PM

r71....the inauguration committee chairman was Tom Barrack....one of Trumps best friends...and a billionaire.

by Anonymousreply 73December 13, 2018 11:21 PM

Presumably some of these guys who've been convicted confirmed to Mueller the disappearance of the money. It isn't surprising that it's taken a year for it to come to light. So what if Rachel fucking Maddow mentioned it a year ago. She mentions a lot of things.

by Anonymousreply 74December 13, 2018 11:21 PM

R75 = ESL ?

by Anonymousreply 75December 13, 2018 11:27 PM

Inauguration chair likely had little to do with this, honestly. The inauguration itself is mostly public money. The events that occur coterminous with the inauguration are fundraising events and the state's political parties often use them as combination victory laps/fund raisers. That didn't happen this time. It was the deplorables ball in all senses. It was a terrible inauguration put together by people who clearly had no sense of what the inauguration is and didn't care. It's pretty much set the tone.

What Barrack can be blamed for - is a shitty inaugual event that had few balls (insert joke here), no glitz, no glamour, no celebrities and very few events. It was flat as a belgian pancake and everybody went home early. Their defense is going to be "you're complaining we didnt spend money?"

by Anonymousreply 76December 13, 2018 11:28 PM

He's gonna die in prison. It may not happen soon enough to our liking, but it's gonna happen.

by Anonymousreply 77December 13, 2018 11:29 PM

No GLAMMA. No MISTEEK.

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by Anonymousreply 78December 13, 2018 11:30 PM

Must be Thursday !

by Anonymousreply 79December 13, 2018 11:30 PM

What? You don't get this, R77. Let me try and help you; The inaugural committee took in $2K. The event looked as if it only cost $100 at most. The committee accounted for $300-400. Where did the rest of the money go?

by Anonymousreply 80December 13, 2018 11:31 PM

Its not campaign funding and spending, it’s INAUGURATION SPENDING. A whole separate money matter. Inauguration spending is governed by law. It’s supposed to be a strictly non-profit enterprise. By law, every cent raised has to be accounted for. Once the orange turd was elected, they were able to quickly raise $107 million for the inauguration festivities. Almost half of the $107 million went to 2 vendors - the hinky Wolcoff dame and her hastily set up event planning outfit, and one other event organizer. What exactly did these people deliver for that kind of payout?

by Anonymousreply 81December 13, 2018 11:32 PM

Democrats have to be VERY CAREFUL here. I believe that Republicans are already putting together a strategy campaign that will define Democrats as obstructionists and sore losers. They're going to try to create a narrative that Democrats are doing nothing for the people but instead spending all of their time investigating Trump.

by Anonymousreply 82December 13, 2018 11:37 PM

R83 except you know Mueller is a Republican, Rosenstein is a Republican, etc,etc...

by Anonymousreply 83December 13, 2018 11:38 PM

This isn't "the Democrats" investigating Trump.

by Anonymousreply 84December 13, 2018 11:39 PM

I know that, R84. But, the Republican machinery is already at work on them. They are RINOs. They are the swamp. Your average American, (who doesn't know the name of the Vice President), wouldn't know or would it resonate that Mueller and Rosenstein are Republican. It's information that FOX does not tell them.

In the meantime, it's; "WALL! WALL! WALL!" and the threat of brown people crossing the border. Simply put, it's brainwashing

by Anonymousreply 85December 13, 2018 11:43 PM

R84 That's honestly irrelevant. Most law enforcement leans more conservative. Despite efforts to demonize them in Congress, there have been remarkably few incidents of corruption by the FBI since the stink of Hoover's corpse was laid to rest and his cronies were finally pushed out.

by Anonymousreply 86December 13, 2018 11:48 PM

Jesus. Southern District of Manhattan trying for a two pointer again?

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by Anonymousreply 87December 13, 2018 11:52 PM

No wonder Melania went to Hannity yesterday with her "Media boolies me!" nonsense. It would be hilarious if her greed fucked up her future plans as an insanely rich housewife.

by Anonymousreply 88December 13, 2018 11:56 PM

Everyone bemoaned the "low grade talent" that ended up performing at the Inaugural. It was assumed that all the big talents turned Trump down, and that pathetic country music band, (et.al) was the best they could do. Now I wonder if they deliberately didn't hire expensive talent acts so that there'd be more cash left to pocket.

by Anonymousreply 89December 14, 2018 12:06 AM

Her timing is off. Just as things are raining down on Tiny she plays the dutiful steadfast wife and even wades into politics.

She should have stayed a pretty blank dumb model whore. That would have been her best protection.

by Anonymousreply 90December 14, 2018 12:07 AM

[R85]

DL conservat-ho's won't acknowledge that.Its above their level of comprehensive skills....

I mean they are still insisting Hillary Clinton/Obama are President.An everything Trump does is Hillary's fault.Bitches is straight up delusional and makes me think these Frau's and their Klan men are on drugs too.Just like their President.

by Anonymousreply 91December 14, 2018 12:15 AM

If I understand this correctly, there are two issues under investigation. The first is where the money went. And the second is whether any of that money was "pay for play." And did the Trump administration actually provide that "play"?

by Anonymousreply 92December 14, 2018 12:42 AM

250 donors shelled out $100k or more for Trump’s inauguration, providing 91% of funds

[quote]Skybridge Capital, LLC was founded by Anthony Scaramucci; it donated $100,000 the day after he stepped down as partner. A week earlier, Trump announced he would appoint Scaramucci to the director of the White House Office of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs, though he eventually appointed George Sifakis instead: Scaramucci had recently sold SkyBridge Capital to HNA Group, a Chinese conglomerate that reportedly has strong ties to China’s ruling Communist Party, and clearing him of potential ethics conflicts would have taken months. Scaramucci and his wife, Deidre, gave Trump’s campaign $5,400, while pro-Trump super PAC Rebuilding America Now received $100,000 from them. They also gave $5,400 each to Bush and Walker.

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by Anonymousreply 93December 14, 2018 12:47 AM

Companies that funded Trump’s inauguration came up big in 2017

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by Anonymousreply 94December 14, 2018 12:49 AM

Isn't it quite telling that when the Russians came looking for groups of people who would sell out their own nation for power and money, they decided the Republicans and the NRA would be good candidates for treason.

by Anonymousreply 95December 14, 2018 12:52 AM

What a shit show. Democrats always clean up after the dumps Republicans take on the country.

by Anonymousreply 96December 14, 2018 1:29 AM

[quote]What a shit show. Democrats always clean up after the dumps Republicans take on the country.

Which should tell Democrats that there is something wrong. Democrats for some reason can't get a proper message out, lose touch with the people, and/or become lazy. It shouldn't have to be like this.

by Anonymousreply 97December 14, 2018 1:46 AM

A good amount of Southern District of Manhattan’s investigation work has been for financial fraud that can be prosecuted at the state level.

That works out well in some senses. While on the surface there’s nothing obvious that’s back to the Grifter in Chief, let’s say it does and charges get filed. You know it’ll get held up until he’s out of office. Lots of other people might may get sent down the river - Trump won’t. Not yet.

But let’s say there’s a big hullabaloo and everyone gets convicted in NY. There’s a referral to FBI and Congress and the House takes up Impeachment.

Sure, why wouldn’t it. Senate needs 20 additional votes to convict beyond the Democrats.

He can’t pardon state convictions, but he’s a honey badger. He’d nasty and he don’t give a shit. Everyone else can go to jail as long as it isn’t him.

by Anonymousreply 98December 14, 2018 2:02 AM

How many people still dont get it ? All this campaign violation bullshit is just that....bullshit. When Mueller comes for Trump, and he will, this will look like a ticket for jay-walking. That Fat Fuck is facing conspiracy, espionage, computer crimes, money laundering, etc...up to and even including TREASON. There is no way that the Senate will look the other way when the shit hits the fan. Even the most corrupt Senators will see the writing on the wall and do whats right for the country. They wont have a choice.

by Anonymousreply 99December 14, 2018 3:30 AM

The one good thing about Trump is he has exposed the culture of corruption of the 1%.

by Anonymousreply 100December 14, 2018 3:32 AM

[quote]There is no way that the Senate will look the other way when the shit hits the fan. Even the most corrupt Senators will see the writing on the wall and do whats right for the country.

‘I Don’t Care’

Senator Orrin Hatch

by Anonymousreply 101December 14, 2018 3:35 AM

The bigger (and fatter) they are, the harder they fall

by Anonymousreply 102December 14, 2018 3:46 AM

Now, foreign donations might be involved....

That's a no-no...

by Anonymousreply 103December 14, 2018 3:49 AM

Yes, R104.

NYT: Trump Inaugural Fund and Super PAC Said to Be Scrutinized for Illegal Foreign Donations

Federal prosecutors are examining whether foreigners illegally funneled donations to President Trump’s inaugural committee and a pro-Trump super PAC in hopes of buying influence over American policy, according to people familiar with the inquiry.

The inquiry focuses on whether people from Middle Eastern nations — including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — used straw donors to disguise their donations to the two funds. Federal law prohibits foreign contributions to federal campaigns, political action committees and inaugural funds.

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by Anonymousreply 104December 14, 2018 3:50 AM

He is in so much shit right now he'll never dig himself out.

by Anonymousreply 105December 14, 2018 4:05 AM

That is a flawed law then. Inaugural funds are not campaign finance or a PAC. The election was over. Inaugural funds are basically raising money for a big party. It’s like giving a host 10 bucks towards a keg. Anyone from anywhere should be allowed to chip in.

by Anonymousreply 106December 14, 2018 4:08 AM

Rachel was one of the first people to investigate this. She also had footage of Russian oligarchs showing up for the inauguration who were given chocolate replicas of the White House and US Capital(!) as presents.

Russia funneled money into the US inauguration. If there's evidence of that it's something that even the most braindead deplorable can understand as a Bad Thing.

by Anonymousreply 107December 14, 2018 4:12 AM

R83 'Cult 45' has already created that narrative.

And they've already taken a defensive stance and are digging their heels in and also claiming Dems can't accept that our candidate lost, even though that's not what this is about.

R67 Well said. I agree with everything you said. With an ego the size of the Grand Canyon and drunk on the power, he isn't going to give up easily. He's going to fight to the bitter end and enlist the aid of his cult members. Because at this point that is really all they are -- a brainwashed cult.

On another note, I think that Pence, being a covert psychopath, will be worse. The problem there is, unlike Trump, Pence has control of his emotions. I hope Trump gets thrown out of the WH and into a jail cell (wishful thinking, I know) but at this point he's a known devil, Pence is an unknown devil. That's my concern.

by Anonymousreply 108December 14, 2018 4:19 AM

R100, except that corrupt Republican (excuse the redundancy) Senators have a "party first, country second" mentality.

by Anonymousreply 109December 14, 2018 4:24 AM

To everyone praising Rachel Maddow...you really need to broaden the scope of your news habits. It was all over the media since practically the inauguration. Pick a source...WaPo, NPR, NYT etc. They all had it.

by Anonymousreply 110December 14, 2018 4:28 AM

[quote]No, Trump won't resign. That would be admitting he's a "loser" and his narcissistic personality won't allow him to do that.

Yes, it's true that people here have been predicting from Day 1 that Trump will resign any minute.

Trump has had a better instinct for survival than many of us thought.

Let's wait & see how this develops before getting our hopes up that Trump will be gone soon.

by Anonymousreply 111December 14, 2018 4:30 AM

In the end, he's going to have to choose one of these options:

1. Resign and hope Pence pardons him to stay out jail.

2. Run for reelection and win so he can run out the statute of limitations on his crimes.

3. Run for reelection and lose where he goes directly to jail without passing Go and collection $200.

Option 1 is his best and safest option. So when it comes to decision time, he'll choose that and make it out to be a winning option in some way to assuage his fragile ego.

by Anonymousreply 112December 14, 2018 4:59 AM

Don't forget the other story today -- Trump was at the August 2015 meeting about the hush money payments.

by Anonymousreply 113December 14, 2018 5:02 AM

I had an uncomfortable thought while reading this thread when it was mentioned trump decided to run for president after the night Obama shamed him at the Correspondent's Dinner.

trump is such a sick, narcissistic hateful maniac that he's likely happy with the damage he is doing to our country. He's has nonstop media attention and has inflicted anguish and pain. He's hurt and stolen from too many people to count. Separated children from parents, turned back environmental regulations, enriched the obscenely wealthy. His twisted greed, hate, and anger know no bounds.

Even if he goes down in flames his sick mind will find take pleasure in the damage he's inflicted. His malignant ego will be satisfied with the destruction. Nothing will ever satisfy him, and certainly not an ordinary life in a quiet oasis. He must be the center of a whirlwind at all times, no matter who and what is damaged.

Oh, how i wish President Obama just simply ignored him that night. It was like poking the angriest hive of bees ever.

by Anonymousreply 114December 14, 2018 5:02 AM

Trump is going to prison. No pardons for state charges. He is fucked and I love it.

by Anonymousreply 115December 14, 2018 6:38 AM

He probably beat off tonight thinking about that 7 year old Guatemalan girl who died from exhaustion and dehydration while being detained by border patrol.

He would, wouldn't he?

by Anonymousreply 116December 14, 2018 7:15 AM

Donated funds for access? What does that mean? You mean people donated money for access or Trump donated money?

by Anonymousreply 117December 14, 2018 7:43 AM

People donated money to trump through his inaugural fund and super PAC. The people who donated were foreign nationals who bought access to trump though their donations. That is my understanding.

by Anonymousreply 118December 14, 2018 7:50 AM

This shit needs to stop immediately! They need to arrest all in question. At the rate we're going (almost daily now), there's massive damage being done least of all to the reputation of this country. Imagine if these were everyday citizens. They'd be shot down already. But these fools simply laugh at our system of law and order. Can we really wait a few more weeks? I often wonder how.

by Anonymousreply 119December 14, 2018 8:28 AM

R109, Pence has no power unless he has Trump’s type of control over The Base. But The Base may see him as a traitor if he replaces Trump.

R119, I think there are two layers to the story here: the donations to the inaugural fund by foreign nationals were illegal per se, and the donations by US persons were illegal if they were made to induce Trump to take specific acts to benefit the donors.

by Anonymousreply 120December 14, 2018 8:36 AM

Which is the bigger crime: the illegal foreign donation, the legit donation meant to induce the Turd (hard to prove I’d say) or the leftover funds presumably lining the Turd’s pockets ?

by Anonymousreply 121December 14, 2018 9:27 AM

[quote] The one good thing about Trump is he has exposed the culture of corruption of the 1%.

I think in a weird awed way, it's another expression of American genius that we are seeing such a thorough investigation of the highest official and the corruption at the top. My admiration of Mueller knows no bounds

Has any other country investigated corruption at this level and to this degree?

by Anonymousreply 122December 14, 2018 12:18 PM

Trump will have his Waterloo moment soon enough. He works on impulse and gut feeling. The thing is as President, he does have real legitimate power. He will fire Muller in the first quarter of 2019 and our response (via The House) must be brutal.

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by Anonymousreply 123December 14, 2018 12:30 PM

We must stay focused here. Trump will be handled bu Mueller. But, we all should be voicing our OUTRAGE over how Republicans allowed this. Checks and balances failed here.

by Anonymousreply 124December 14, 2018 12:37 PM

Yes r125 this has been a long time coming. Since Reagan I would say.

by Anonymousreply 125December 14, 2018 12:39 PM

Reagan? I'd say since Nixon. Cheney/ Rumsfeld and others got their stripes in that shop. They in turn taught ther current crop of wicked Republicans how to screw over the American People for their own benefit.

by Anonymousreply 126December 14, 2018 5:58 PM

Hard to believe but true. Even with this shit show unfolding, delusional Trump has himself at a 50% approval rating! And he says it would be much, much higher, possibly 75%, if it weren't for all of the unfair fake news floating around out there. He says the only reason his approval rating isn't well over 50% is because of all the lies being spread about him.

He couldn't be much more out of touch with reality than he is, meaning he's in full-blown psychosis. At this point, the only difference between him and a psychotic maniac running around naked in public shrieking "the world is ending tonight" is that he's aware of his immediate surroundings and his short-term memory is still somewhat intact. He craves power and doesn't want to give up his power. All that said, this could get dangerous in the coming weeks for Delusional Donald.

by Anonymousreply 127December 14, 2018 7:42 PM

I agree w R128. Corner an animal into a corner and it'll lash out. He might pull a Cersei Lannister on us and put a bomb in the Congress or something. As his own Chief of Staff says, we've entered crazytown with this one.

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by Anonymousreply 128December 14, 2018 7:49 PM

I'm terrified for Our Beautiful First Daughter. She is caught up in this mess. Will she go to prison?

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by Anonymousreply 129December 14, 2018 7:51 PM

Whose paying for all of these lawyers???

by Anonymousreply 130December 14, 2018 7:55 PM

R128, Trump’s approval rating is where it always is, between 46 and 48 per cent.

by Anonymousreply 131December 14, 2018 7:58 PM

R131 Me, you, and all of the other American taxpayers. There's a fund set up just for that, which is funded with taxpayer money.

by Anonymousreply 132December 14, 2018 7:59 PM

The adderall Trump takes gives him a high opinion of himself.He takes it because he heard it was the "smart pill"....and believes it.Just like Nixon.

by Anonymousreply 133December 14, 2018 8:02 PM

Trump's personal lawyers are paid out of his re-election campaign fund. He opened his re-election campaign on the day he was inaugurated, and has been soliciting donations ever since. He’s raised over $100 million so far, and spent $1.5 million on legal fees in July-September of this year alone.

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by Anonymousreply 134December 14, 2018 8:18 PM

Has he found a lawyer to replace Cohen? They must be fleeing. Giuliani is away trawling Dubai for his security consultancy.

by Anonymousreply 135December 14, 2018 8:27 PM

One way the inauguration committee may have sent money to Trump was by overpaying for the use of Trump properties. This is tax fraud, btw. Bonus: Ivanka seems to have been involved in this.

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by Anonymousreply 136December 14, 2018 8:36 PM

You can clearly see the chin implant in R137's pic. LOL.

by Anonymousreply 137December 14, 2018 8:38 PM

[quote]He couldn't be much more out of touch with reality than he is, meaning he's in full-blown psychosis.

I can't go on with the scene, I'm too happy! Mr. Mueller, do you mind if I say a few words? Thank you... I just want to tell you all how happy I am to be back in the White House, making American great again! You don't know how much I've missed all of you. And I promise you I'll never desert you again! Because after 2020 I'll serve another term, AND ANOTHER TERM! Don't you see, this is my life... It always WILL be! There's nothing else. Just us... and the CAMERAS! And all those stupid Republicans out there in the dark...!

Alright, Mr. Mueller, I'm ready for my close-up.

by Anonymousreply 138December 14, 2018 8:54 PM

Witch hunt!

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by Anonymousreply 139December 15, 2018 3:53 PM

Everything they said about him is true. Does Trump have any redeeming qualities? Or is he really a despicable, vile human being?

by Anonymousreply 140December 16, 2018 1:07 AM

[R139]

You say as the police raid the palace,the light move in for your close-up.An your adoring fans all listen to that scary music representing the loss of your feeble mind.No pasty faced clown,this circus is about to be closed down.An the bit player ie your President is about to suffer his most crushing defeat.

by Anonymousreply 141December 16, 2018 1:37 AM

[quote]Does Trump have any redeeming qualities?

Nice hair. A happy, stable family life.

(kidding.)

by Anonymousreply 142December 16, 2018 7:27 PM

Well I see this went nowhere, as usual.

FUCK TRUMP.

by Anonymousreply 143January 7, 2019 3:19 PM

r144....dont bet on that....these things take time.

by Anonymousreply 144January 7, 2019 3:28 PM

[quote] Well I see this went nowhere, as usual. FUCK TRUMP.

This is not an episode of Law & Order. How many federal investigations conclude, got to trial and result in conviction, all in less than 30 days?

by Anonymousreply 145January 7, 2019 5:49 PM

I'm just so tired of things seeming to bounce off this asshole; he's like teflon. Really hope he doesn't drop dead before he gets what he deserves: prison time.

by Anonymousreply 146January 7, 2019 5:53 PM

Agreed! Instead of Teflon Don, let's call him Velcro Donnie Douchebro or something stickier!

by Anonymousreply 147January 7, 2019 6:32 PM

I have no idea why many of you are complaining. Things are sticking to Trump. He is eroding daily. You must have an airtight case! We're talking about the taking down of the POTUS here.

by Anonymousreply 148January 7, 2019 6:47 PM

Long, interesting article about Mark Burnett in last week's NEW YORKER. Lots of behind the scenes dirt about how THE APPRENTICE got off the ground. Burnett was involved in planning the inauguration and evidently went around begging talent to perform and was refused at every turn.

by Anonymousreply 149January 7, 2019 6:52 PM

Thanks for the link, R150.

by Anonymousreply 150January 7, 2019 6:53 PM

[quote]Burnett was involved in planning the inauguration and evidently went around begging talent to perform and was refused at every turn.

But, there were those who did not know any better and said... "yes"! This child here, is still crying....

Chrisette Michele Becomes 1st Black Woman to Cry White Tears After Label, Black People Kick Her to Curb

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by Anonymousreply 151January 7, 2019 6:58 PM

r152....WHO ?

by Anonymousreply 152January 7, 2019 7:04 PM

Trump's far too much of an egomaniac to resign. He would rather throw his kids under the Mueller bus than step down.

by Anonymousreply 153January 7, 2019 7:04 PM
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