Trump Administration - Festering Skidmarks

[goldenvalley]

A yes vote for the name change to festering skidmarks. Clearly we'll be reading about this nonsense for the years it will take to track it all down.

The gift bags that just "fell off the truck" into the arms of Trump Admin people were just part of old-fashioned political patronage...your brother in law is appointed road commissioner for your county so you get some gravel for your lane. I'm sure they're convinced that all administrations have done it. Some few probably have but that's no excuse.

[LFC]

Festering it is. Done!

[pnwguy]

Oct 19, 2021 14:16:09 GMT LFC said:

Festering it is. Done!

Does that mean we should refer to you as Uncle Fester? 

[AnBr]

I don't know. Does LFC look like Jackie Coogan?

[goldenvalley]

Trump, as long suspected, is perhaps trying to create his own media company.  

Former President Donald J. Trump said on Wednesday that he had lined up the investment money to create his own publicly traded media company, an attempt to reinsert himself in the public conversation online from which he has largely been absent since Twitter and Facebook banned him after the Jan. 6 insurrection.

If finalized, the deal could give the new Trump company access to nearly $300 million in spending money.

In a statement announcing the new venture, Mr. Trump and his investors said that the new company would be called Trump Media & Technology Group and that they would create a new social network called Truth Social. Its purpose, according to the statement, is “to create a rival to the liberal media consortium and fight back against the ‘Big Tech’ companies of Silicon Valley.”

And who runs this investment company that will help Trump?

Mr. Trump’s partner is Digital World Acquisition, a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. These so-called blank-check companies are an increasingly popular type of investment vehicle that sells shares to the public with the intention of using the proceeds to buy private businesses.

Digital World was incorporated in Miami a month after Mr. Trump lost the 2020 election.

*snip*

Digital World’s chief executive is Patrick F. Orlando, a former employee of investment banks including the German Deutsche Bank, where he specialized in the trading of financial instruments known as derivatives. He created his own investment bank, Benessere Capital, in 2012, according to a recent regulatory filing.

Digital World’s chief financial officer, Luis Orleans-Braganza, is a member of Brazil’s National Congress.

Mr. Orlando disclosed in a recent filing that he owned nearly 18 percent of the company’s outstanding stock. Mr. Orlando and representatives for Digital World did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

This is not Mr. Orlando’s first blank-check company. He has created at least two others, including one, Yunhong International, that is incorporated in the offshore tax haven of the Cayman Islands.

Blank check investment...get in on the ground floor of...something unknown.  That is a pitch that won't work with me but I don't have money to burn or need losses to offset my taxes.

[goldenvalley]

More on Trump's machinations to create a media company from the Wall Street Journal (my bold)

Investors piled into shares of the special-purpose acquisition company taking former President Donald Trump’s new social-media platform public on Thursday, igniting a buying frenzy reminiscent of the SPAC craze from early this year.

Shares of Digital World Acquisition Corp. more than quadrupled to $44 in afternoon trading in the first trading session following the deal announcement. Trump Media & Technology Group said late Wednesday it would combine with the SPAC and soon launch a new social network called Truth Social. The deal values the Trump media company at about $875 million, including debt.

The unveiling of the new company comes after Mr. Trump’s access to several social-media platforms including Twitter Inc. and Facebook Inc. was restricted following the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol. He held discussions with a number of different platforms throughout the year to find a new online megaphone. Mr. Trump had nearly 89 million followers on Twitter.

Digital World Acquisition and its stock ticker, DWAC, were trending on some social-media platforms Thursday with traders rushing to buy the shares.

Such sharp share-price increases for companies going public with SPACs were common early this year, when such stocks were popular among day traders. The big gains have become less common in recent months with many companies that go public this way struggling to meet their growth targets.

Also called a blank-check company, a SPAC such as Digital World Acquisition is a shell company that raises money and trades on a stock exchange to merge with a private firm like Mr. Trump’s and take it public. The private company then replaces the SPAC in the stock market. SPAC mergers have become popular alternatives to traditional initial public offerings, especially for startups that can make business projections. Those aren’t allowed in typical IPOs.

Still, many stocks that soared after deals were announced or even completed have since tumbled, sticking individual investors with losses while many company insiders are protected through unique incentives.

Seems about right for a Trump enterprise.

[AnBr]

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Attachments:

[andydp]

Speaking of Festering Skidmarks

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[LFC]

To be fair Sean Spicer was a festering skidmark long before he went to work for Trump.

Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer lashed out at current White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki after she was complimented by a Fox News host.

During a Fox News broadcast on Friday, host Chris Wallace called Psaki "one of the best press secretaries ever."

Spicer pushed back during a Monday appearance on Newsmax.

"I've always been partial to Ari Fleischer," Spicer said, referring to former President George W. Bush's press secretary. "Ari guided us through 9/11 with the calm, professional reassurance that was really needed."

"I'm not really sure what Jen has done to deserve this," he added, "other than not take serious, tough questions. It's interesting from a guy who purports himself to be a tough reporter to sort of hold that up as an example isn't really what I would have expected."

I remember listening to Ari Fleischer quite well. He was Kellyanne in drag. (Or is she Ari in drag?) He was a master at half-truths, fierce spin, and avoidance. He helped usher in the Republicans' post-truth society.

[goldenvalley]

Looks like maybe someone wanted Pence to have some skid marks on him.  

As Vice President Mike Pence hid from a marauding mob during the Jan. 6 invasion of the Capitol, an attorney for President Donald Trump emailed a top Pence aide to say that Pence had caused the violence by refusing to block certification of Trump’s election loss.

The attorney, John C. Eastman, also continued to press for Pence to act even after Trump’s supporters had trampled through the Capitol — an attack the Pence aide, Greg Jacob, had described as a “siege” in their email exchange.
“The ‘siege’ is because YOU and your boss did not do what was necessary to allow this to be aired in a public way so that the American people can see for themselves what happened,” Eastman wrote to Jacob, referring to Trump’s claims of voter fraud.

I doubt they (whoever they may be) actually wanted Pence physically lynched but they certainly wanted him to fold under the pressure. I hope the Select Committee delves into whatever intersections of Giuliani, Bannon, the various militia groups, the Trump Administration exist.  It's looking decidedly not coincidental...more coordinated than Trump's people would have us believe.  And then there's Tucker's version...false flag stuff. 

[LFC]

Trump lamented that Israel no longer owns Congress. His words, not mine. Bold mine.

The twice-impeached one-term president complained that Israel's influence over the U.S. government had waned, and indulged an old trope that suggests Jews conspired behind the scenes to control world events, reported Haaretz.

"The biggest change I've seen in Congress is Israel literally owned Congress — you understand that — 10 years ago, 15 years ago, and it was so powerful," Trump told the conservative Ari Hoffman Show last week. "It was so powerful, and today it's almost the opposite"

"You have between AOC and [Rep. Ilhan] Omar — and these people that hate Israel, they hate it with a passion — they're controlling Congress, and Israel is not a force in Congress anymore," he added. "I mean, it's just amazing. I've never seen such a change, and we're not talking about over a very long period of time, but I think you know exactly what I'm saying. They had such power, Israel had such power — and rightfully — over Congress, and now it doesn't. It's incredible, actually."

[goldenvalley]

Although I hold him in contempt for his activities on behalf of Trump and himself, Giuliani never fails to entertain.

From a deposition, I think this is in reference to the hair dye running down his face press conference:

"We had a report that the heads of Dominion and Smartmatic, somewhere in the mid-tweens, you know 2013, 2014, whatever, went down to Venezuela for a get-to-know meeting with (President Nicolás) Maduro so they could demonstrate to Maduro the kind of vote fixing they did for (former President Hugo) Chavez," Giuliani said during his deposition.

"You say the heads of Dominion and Smartmatic," Coomer's attorney begins, before Giuliani interjects.
"Yes, that's what I was told. ... Before the press conference I was told about it," he said. "Sometimes I go and look myself -- when stuff comes up. This time I didn't have the time to do it."

He continues: "It's not my job, in a fast-moving case, to go out and investigate every piece of evidence that was given to me. Otherwise, you're never going to write a story. You'll never come to a conclusion."

Hard to believe he was an Assistant Atty. General.

[jackd]

Just because a lawyer holds a job does not mean he/she is competent. Judges would tell you, as I think you know, that bad lawyering is common, sometimes at the "best" of firms.

[goldenvalley]

Well, well Steve Bannon was indicted for contempt of Congress.  He's probably been waiting for this...another test case to take to the Trump Supreme Court.

[andydp]

Let's go with a violation of the Logan Act by the "Trump Aministration"

Trump's 'Envoy' to Kosovo Draws White House Eye-Roll

It was a diplomatic mission, albeit a non-commissioned one, and the White House was less than pleased with the unofficial overture.

Despite the Trump-granted honorific, Grenell is a private citizen and therefore not authorized to conduct diplomatic negotiations of any kind on behalf of the United States. Hence, the first words out of his mouth at a press conference along the border. "I want to start by saying that I am no longer with the U.S. government. I come here as a private citizen," said Grenell, who had also previously served as ambassador to Germany. He added, "I am here solely as a private citizen from the Trump administration." ***


www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-s-envoy-to-kosovo-draws-white-house-eye-roll/ar-AAQDaYi?ocid=msedgntp

*** For those that are on the Planet Twilo: Trump Administration ended at Noon on January 20, 2021

[LFC]

Trump is once again getting the sheeple to open their wallets in a most Trumpian way.

When a president leaves office, it’s normal for their minds to turn to the writing of a memoir that will help to sculpt their place in history. Donald Trump’s first post-presidency tome will be a picture book—although, in fairness, he has written some of the captions all by himself. The book, Our Journey Together, is available for pre-order on Trump’s website at the absurd price of $229.99 for a signed version or $74.99 without the scribble. The picture book will contain hundreds of photos to help MAGA fans “relive the unforgettable moments” of Trump’s presidency, and will start shipping in December, making it the ideal Christmas gift for the dumbest members of the family. Speaking of which, Donald Trump Jr. has spoken to Axios about the book, boasting to the site: “My father picked every single photo in this book, wrote all the captions, including some by hand.”

[LFC]

Look who's paying Trump's personal legal bills. Interestingly they're not paying those related to what he did as president.

The Republican National Committee has been spending party funds on helping ex-President Donald Trump pay his defense lawyer amid New York Attorney General Letitia James’ and Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance’s investigations into the Trump Organization.

• There hasn’t been any indication that the New York probes involve Trump’s presidency or his campaigns.

• The RNC paid out $121,670 to Trump’s attorney in October.

• The pretext? James vowed to crack down on the former president and his shady business practices, a source told the Washington Post.

• The RNC reportedly isn’t footing the bill for Trump’s legal battles with the House Jan. 6 select committee over White House records connected to the events of the Capitol insurrection.

[AnBr]

Michael Cohen Says Prosecutors ‘Are Going After Donald, Don Jr., Eric, and Ivanka’

[jackd]

From his lips to God's ears but it's hard to know how much stock to put in Cohen as a source.

[goldenvalley]

Nov 30, 2021 23:23:35 GMT jackd said:

From his lips to God's ears but it's hard to know how much stock to put in Cohen as a source.

The man loves to hear himself talk.  He was all in with Trump for years, now he's all in on taking Trump down.  

[LFC]

A good summation of what was found happening between Trump and Russia. You'd have to be an idiot or a lying partisan hack not to realize just how corrupt he is.

Trump had been seeking to do business in Russia for years and was found to have lied throughout the campaign about that, saying that he knew Vladimir Putin, that he didn't know him, that they were "stablemates," that he couldn't comment because it would betray Putin's confidence all the while heaping over-the-top praise on the Russian leader. During the course of the Russia investigation, it was revealed that Trump had elaborate plans for Trump Tower Moscow, which he had assigned to none other than his personal lawyer and his daughter Ivanka. He lied repeatedly about this too, even in one of the presidential debates in the fall of 2016.

Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller and his team found that they could not prove a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russian government in regards to the interference in the 2016 election and the hacking of Hillary Clinton's campaign. He indicted a bunch of people, including Trump's campaign chairman Paul Manafort, for passing campaign data to a Russian operative associated with an oligarch to whom he owed a lot of money. There were strange fringe players all over that campaign including the famous "coffee boy" George Papadopoulos who were also indicted by Mueller and confirmed by the bipartisan Intelligence Committee report to have been the one who actually tripped the investigation by the FBI. His loose lips to an Australian diplomat about Russian activities on behalf of Trump happened months before anyone had heard of Christopher Steele's dossier.

The Senate's report made clear that the dossier was not the source of the government investigation. The Mueller Report did not rely upon it in any way. It was a side-show, at best, which had zero bearing on the findings of those two huge investigations which concluded that the Trump campaign's suspicious activities, including the numerous overt attempts to cover up and obstruct justice, were more than enough to justify the investigations that plagued him throughout his term.

All of these things and much more actually happened, including meetings overseas in which Donald Trump openly sided with Vladimir Putin over his own intelligence agencies. It wasn't just some made-up scandal. We had a president who was either so corrupt, so reckless or so vulnerable to blackmail that he spent his entire term essentially justifying the suspicions about his relationship with the Russian government with his bizarre behavior.

One of the most damning charges against the Trump campaign (which also had nothing to do with the Steele Dossier) was reported by the New York Times in July of 2017, revealing that Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort had met with a Russian attorney who was offering dirt on Hillary Clinton on behalf of the Russian government. According to the Senate intelligence report, the Russian government saw that as a signal that they were willing to play ball, particularly when Trump explicitly asked Russia to release Clinton's emails in a public press conference shortly afterward. That very night there was an attempt to hack the Clinton campaign and within a month, a cache of emails was released by Wikileaks on the eve of the Democratic National Convention.

[goldenvalley]

Making up s*&t and braying it loudly is profitable.  Powell the Kracken's organization raised about $14 million on the Big Lie.

Last week, The Post reported that federal prosecutors have subpoenaed financial and other documents related to Defending the Republic and a political action committee by the same name, also headed by Powell. The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection sees Powell as a leading beneficiary of election-related falsehoods and has been seeking to determine how much money she raised, said a person familiar with the committee’s work who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential conversations.

The group’s financial statement, publicly filed last month in Florida, shows the organization raised $14.9 million between Dec. 1, 2020, and July 31. Of that, it spent about $5.6 million, mostly on legal fees and unspecified awards and grants. It gave $550,000 to help fund the Republican-commissioned ballot review in Arizona, according to a separate accounting by the contractor that led the review.

The group’s assets at the end of that period included nearly $5.3 million in cash and $4 million in mutual funds, the audit says.
The report did not cover the period before Defending the Republic was officially established on Dec. 1. It remains unclear how much Powell, who began urging donations to her cause as early as Nov. 10, may have raised in those first weeks and whether that money was eventually transferred to Defending the Republic.

I doubt this revelation would make any dents in MAGA folks' perception of the Big Lie.  

[LFC]

Dec 6, 2021 16:56:47 GMT goldenvalley said:

Making up s*&t and braying it loudly is profitable.  Powell the Kracken's organization raised about $14 million on the Big Lie.

Excellent! So now we have an accurate target for how much needs to be taken away.

[goldenvalley]

Freudian slip?   

Former President Trump is drawing attention after giving an interview in which he admitted to firing ex-FBI Director James Comey and suggested that doing so allowed him to remain in office for four years.

"A lot of people say to me, how you survived is one of the most incredible things," Trump told Fox News host Mark Levin in an interview that aired Sunday night.

"Don’t forget, I fired Comey. Had I not fired Comey, you might not be talking to me right now about a beautiful book of four years at the White House, and we’ll see about the future. The future is going to be very interesting," Trump continued.

[LFC]

It's always all about loyalty. Sad.

Donald Trump did not mince words when asked about his friendship with former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday. Trump told Israeli journalist Barak Ravid that after Joe Biden defeated him in the 2020 presidential election, “Bibi could have stayed quiet. He made a terrible mistake.” He then lambasted his former ally for being disloyal. “He was very early. Like earlier than most. I haven’t spoken to him since,” Trump said. “Fuck him.” Trump then congratulated himself for helping Netanyahu, who is now leading the opposition while he also faces corruption charges. “Nobody did more for Bibi. And I liked Bibi. I still like Bibi,” Trump said. “But I also like loyalty. The first person to congratulate Biden was Bibi. And not only did he congratulate him, he did it on tape. And it was on tape.”
Read it at Axios