Is This The Smoking Gun That Finally Takes Down Trump?
If true, I think the answer is yes.
“If true.” These are the words that Lawrence O’Donnell used over and over again tonight. And he emphasizes that it’s only a single source so far. But he cites the source as being with the Deutsche Bank.
And his source tells him that the reason that Trump was able to get those Deutsche Bank loans is b/c he had two co-signers. And they were–Russian oligarchs with close ties to Putin.
If the documents, which are currently being litigated in court, confirm this, I see no way that even Rethuglicans can give him cover. In fact, I think their survival instincts will tell them that they have to jettison him ASAP. BTW, the documents also reportedly show that Trump paid virtually no taxes for several years. But that’s the dog bites man story.
When you think about it, the story makes total sense. Trump’s financial and political survival depend on keeping his ties to financial oligarchs from Russia secret. If true, I think he’s toast.
Trump supporters can rationalize away anything. I can hear Lindsey Graham.
“Well, a’course he had two co-signers because he is ah smart business man who knows how to avoid financial risks. So what if they wur Russians.”
Here’s a link that includes the report from O’Donnell:
https://www.rawstory.com/2019/08/deutsche-bank-has-trumps-taxes-and-loan-application-cosigned-by-russian-oligarch-report/
Why the hell was this not in the Mueller Report? Isn’t this exactly the kind of thing Mueller spent all that time looking for?
They couldn’t get access to the Deutsche Bank records. This is the result of a subpoena from the House Judiciary Committee, and it was only yesterday that, as a result of a judge’s ruling, Deutsche Bank FINALLY admitted that they had some of Trump’s tax returns. And, according to this source, Trump’s loan documents.
The Trump rope-a-dope of delaydelaydelay worked with Mueller. Probably b/c Bill Barr had taken out his metaphorical axe. Mueller had to wrap things up, meaning the investigation was incomplete.
The fact that he’s supposedly become a billionaire but paid no taxes is not unexpected (at least by most people paying attention) but that doesn’t make it less of a story. It is indisputable evidence that he has spent his entire life enriching himself through artifice and loopholes.
You could make up some BS about the signatories, “That’s the way international business gets done.” Or some such nonsense, but everyone files a 1040.
I don’t think you can make up BS concerning the signatories. It explains everything about Trump’s tilting towards Putin. It establishes that Trump has been representing Russia’s interests b/c they had a huge sickle hanging over his head. He’s been Putin’s president for three years. I don’t think that even the Rethugs can stand with him. If true.
Whatever happened to the stuffy, rule-following Germans?
Nah. Sorry, man. It probably is true. It will not matter.
When it breaks, he’ll do something like ignite a fight to remove birthright citizenship. or start a right wing campaign demanding RBG retires. Maybe the trade war with china will take on a military aspect.
The GOP is completely tied to trump’s fortunes now. Honestly, if im a republican, Im pushing for massive voter disenfranchisement, outright slander and deep faked attack videos against ever dem, and banking on a squeaker of a trump win next year.
If i were to go after The Chosen one, i’d be instantly primaried… or maybe targeted by 3%ers or some shit.
If trump loses, and leave office w/o starting a civil war, the GOP can say THEY TRIED. they weren’t conservative and united enough. Switch back to “opposing the president is the highest form of patriotism”.
These people have no soul, dude.
It’s not a matter of no soul. It’s a matter of political survival. All these Senate races where R’s are favored for reelection–they go down the tubes if Trump loses by something like 10 or more points.
If Trump is officially revealed as a (s)pawn of Putin, they will have reached the point where there is no turning back. I am far from convinced that Trump (or any of his primary ‘challengers’) will be the Rethug nominee in 2020.
Som, not to be a dick, but you were convinced he’d be out of office by xmas 2017 right?
Trump HAS been officially revealed as putin’s dog. GOP voters responded by praising Putin. They love Kim Un now… because The Chosen One says so. These people… that 38% of our fellow Americans… WANT a North Korea style dictatorship with trump in charge. they want it. some of them are literally killing for it. More will. GOP pols will NEVER abandon that.
Here’s my prediction. not ONLY will trump be the nominee, but Walsh will roll over again for belly rubs as he stoically, but prayerfully endorses his leader because “the democrat is just too much of a socialist”. Loo
This “we’re doomed” feeling isn’t fun, but it hasn’t been wrong yet.
And I haven’t been right yet on this yet. But even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and then. And I’ve got me a hankerin’ for some acorn…
What Ben is saying (and I agree BTW) is that Trump has made himself scandal proof with 38% of voters. If they coerce/force/persuade some % of Dem voters to stay home, Trump wins. Therefor all manner of massive voter disenfranchisement, outright slander and deep faked attack videos against every dem is currently in play.
So many people voted for Trump b/c they held their noses and opted for what they saw as the lesser of two evils. Poll after poll show that he has lost so much support in the swing states that not even nominating Hillary could screw the D’s. In fact, if anybody is gonna stay home, it’ll likely be those soft Trump voters.
That’s why Biden is the one guy I worry about. He’s the one candidate who almost matches Trump when it comes to low enthusiasm.
This isn’t about the effect on elections. This is about the effect on GOP politicians, who say things in private that show they are not part of Cult 45.
Will I get banned if I call you a moron? B/c if you think THIS is what brings him down you’re a moron. Nothing is buzzing on Twitter. The president is slamming Puerto Rico. It’s a nothing burger.
Nothing buzzing on Twitter? Oh noes.
Most news orgs won’t touch this yet is why it’s not buzzing on Twitter. They need more sources before they’ll run anything.
oh yeah that’s what they need. My bad. I’ll wait here while they mount more evidence that he’s a crook, is laundering money, and works with the Russians. Totally this one new ground breaking news is what breaks the camels back.
Welp. So much for that
What are you talking about? Trump’s lawyers demanded a retraction, which means nothing unless you’re going by past practice, which would indicate it’s true.
Lewy-o all but retracted the story. This is gonna be like “collusion proven” all over again. Hes a fucking hack…. Just heir to the self-important throne of Keith Olberman and Ed Schultz.
No one or no big THING is going to save us.
Who’s Lewy-o?
If it’s true, it’s not retractable. If it’s false it doesn’t matter. Why are you making up your mind before we know either way, and why is busting a criminal so unimportant to you?
Defeating him at the polls does nothing to end this corruption. I want him punished for his crimes, not just defeated in an election.
Lawerence O’Donnell…. the guy who broke.. then retracted the story.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/msnbcs-lawrence-odonnell-retracts-story-on-trump-finances-as-trump-lawyers-demand/
He rolled over instantly. which means he has nothing further to add. Meaning a lot of people got played. again.
This post is why we lose. You probably also thought calling him Donald Drumpf was going to take him down too.
More boomers watching MSNBC every night and missing the point.
What a poorly thought out comment.
This is about busting a criminal, not winning an election.
pessimistic as you usually are, I’m kind of shocked you think Donald or his family, will EVER see justice… esspecially while still in the WH.
Alby, wrote:
Oh, puhleeze! Of course it’s about winning an election; would you say, “OK, they were right, we should all vote for Donald Trump” if the ‘story’ turns out to be false? Mr O’Donnell has already retracted it.
Thing is, even if the story was true, it wouldn’t be about busting a criminal, because getting someone, even a couple of Russian oligarchs to co-sign a loan, isn’t illegal. It might look bad, politically, but unless there are illegal terms within the agreement, it isn’t criminal.
An obvious point: you guys on the left have been every bit as insistent that Mr Trump is a criminal, and the next allegation will get him locked up, as some on the right have been that Hillary Clinton and James Comey and James Clapper and Peter Strozk and Lisa Page already have one foot in the jailhouse door. My guess: come December 31, 2030, not a single one of them will have spent a single night in jail.
youre right on that count.
He is a criminal thought. He brags about it. You can take pride that your Chosen One commits crimes “for America”. Or that his big good brain is so big and good he can get away with anything.
But he’s still a fucking rapist (admitted) and a criminal (admitted).
The part I totally agree with you on is that he will NEVER answer for it. Not while he’s president, not after he’s been dragged from office after refusing to accept electoral defeat.
I never lose hope. I have no faith, but lots of hope.
Donald Trump has been a criminal since the 1980s.
If it’s true it’s an opening into the money laundering he’s been doing for the past 20 years.
The story was retracted because it’s from a single source, not because it’s untrue. We don’t know yet whether it’s true or not.
I have many years’ experience dealing with prosecutors. If it’s true it doesn’t lead directly to prison. It leads directly to opening up the Trump box of secrets, which will show lots of illegal activity.
The disgusting thing about all this is that Donald Trump was ripe for criminal investigation years ago, and those in power, both Democrats and Republicans, ignored it. Because he’s not the only person who operates this way, he’s just the only one egomaniacal enough to do it so publicly.
The problem for those on the right is that these people they obsess over were doing what any public servant in their positions should have — investigated the multiple ties between a presidential candidate and a hostile foreign power, or any foreign power, given that Saudi Arabia is an “ally.”
It’s simply inappropriate for any president to maintain his private business interests, especially when we don’t know what they are.
For context, this sort of shit goes unexamined all the time. Back in the late ’90s a guy got elected Mayor of Smyrna. He was connected to real estate developers, was a developer himself with a score of LLCs to hide his involvement. He went on a rezoning-building jag and made millions before citizens got fed up. He’s now plying his trade in Sussex. He was, IIRC, a Democrat.
This isn’t about partisan politics for me. People like this are using public office for private gain. It’s wrong no matter who does it. It’s one of the reasons I’m so anti-Clinton.
Alby wrote:
Donald Trump made some noises about running in 2012, and then announced his 2016 candidacy in 2015. President Obama controlled the government and wanted to protect his legacy, and the FBI was all in on promoting Hillary Clinton for President, yet you are telling us that the government didn’t seriously investigate Mr Trump?
It was obvious since March of 2016 that Mr Trump was probably going to win the Republican nomination, so, with more than half a year before the election, the government still didn’t investigate him?
You made a declarative statement that Mr Trump “has been a criminal since the 1980s,” yet somehow, some way, with political opponents galore, no one has been able to actually charge him with anything. Is it possible, just possible, that your statement is incorrect?
Very unlikely. The money laundering has been obvious for 20 years.
His lawbreaking wasn’t ignored because he got involved in politics. You apparently forgot he ran on the Ross Perot party ticket back in 2000.
The lawbreaking was ignored because many, many developers do that sort of thing and it’s pretty routinely ignored. Why do you think they all incorporate in Delaware? You don’t have to reveal corporate officers in Delaware is why.
Also, after 9/11, white collar crime was put on a far back burner by the FBI and US attorneys offices.
I don’t know what’s happened to you since you moved to Kentucky, but you persist in this partisan thinking. It’s not about that. This guy has been no good since birth, apparently. Lots of us knew back in the ’80s he was a lying sack, but that’s not against the law. That he has lied about every facet of his being apparently doesn’t bother you, either.
And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t call the piece of shit “Mr.” Do it again and I’ll edit it out.
But he’s part of the elite, as much as he pretends to be Red State Maga Hat Workin’ Man’s president, it’s all charade and showmanship. My point is, when do we ever see elites held to account? I’m not going to hold my breath. Meanwhile poor people shot down like dogs in the street every day, sometimes not even doing anything wrong. Remember Eric Garner? He wasn’t even selling loosies that day. And the store owner liked him.
I’m a boomer too, but I’ve been outlefting liberals for decades.