It's Official, Trump's Team Full Contact with Russian Intelligence.

[Nadiru]

That seems like an easy case to do, especially when he build a Trump Tower in Azerbaijan with a Russian developer this decade.

To people who don't have a vested interest in finding Trump doing wrong, it's a harder sell. Insofar that I've found, the connections are "He sells real estate to Russians" and "Trump and Putin aren't overtly hostile to each other."

[Nadiru]

So conspiracy theories are not against the rules here?

Pretty sure that's just highly optimistic speculation.

[Belize]

Pretty sure that's just highly optimistic speculation.

I'm not sure I'd use optimistic.

Delerious maybe.

[Wyrt]

Kind of outside the bounds of even that expansive mandate, but sure, go nuts. I suspect Mueller will find that, like basically every New York housing magnate, Trump has sold apartment buildings to Russians.

Mueller is to go where the investigation leads him.

Trump just dropped a flashing neon sign telling Mueller to look at the finances.

[Breccia]

Trump just dropped a flashing neon sign

This one?


More serious point: let's say Mueller does what every credible report does, namely, check out Trump's fiscal dealings. Let's say he finds unrelated but still illegal activity while doing so. What happens then?

Also, as a reminder, Trump owes hundreds of millions through known Russian money laundering Deutche Bank.Who is possibly ratting Trump out as we speak.

[Poopymonster]

This one?


More serious point: let's say Mueller does what every credible report does, namely, check out Trump's fiscal dealings. Let's say he finds unrelated but still illegal activity while doing so. What happens then?

Also, as a reminder, Trump owes hundreds of millions through known Russian money laundering Deutche Bank.Who is possibly ratting Trump out as we speak.

Is the Buttery Male in question that fellow we keep hearing about, goes by the name of Ben Gazi?

[Wyrt]

This one?


More serious point: let's say Mueller does what every credible report does, namely, check out Trump's fiscal dealings. Let's say he finds unrelated but still illegal activity while doing so. What happens then?

Also, as a reminder, Trump owes hundreds of millions through known Russian money laundering Deutche Bank.Who is possibly ratting Trump out as we speak.

Well, Clinton was impeached for a blow job that was unrelated to the investigation so...

[Skroe]

To people who don't have a vested interest in finding Trump doing wrong, it's a harder sell. Insofar that I've found, the connections are "He sells real estate to Russians" and "Trump and Putin aren't overtly hostile to each other."

You're overlooking something important to the news report:

for the decade before Trump ran for President, New York (and London) have become places wealthy and connected Russians in particular, but also Arab Royal families (which are enormous), and Chinese-government connected figures have stashed money behind the reach of their authority. Emerging markets boomed. They got rich, oftentimes by stealing from their own country. And they sought to transfer as much of that wealth to the safest place there is, which is the world's two primary financial centers: London and New York.

So they bought real estate and turned the wealth into a tangible, durable asset. But let's be clear; many of these properties sit empty and their owners have never visited them. In essence corrupt individuals outside the US and UK have used real estate to launder stolen wealth.

Trump being a major New York City real estate figure, would have been at ground zero of this as it grew since the mid 2000s, which is almost certainly why he never opened up his books. This problem goes well beyond Trump, but the fact it is being looked at indicates how closesly Mueller is looking at Trump's Russian ties.

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This one?


Also, as a reminder, Trump owes hundreds of millions through known Russian money laundering Deutche Bank.Who is possibly ratting Trump out as we speak.

If Deutsche Bank collaborated with Russia and covered it up, they need to have their licence to operate in the US pulled permanently. It would probably cause the bank to collapse, but would be well deserved.

_every_ guilty party pays for this.

[Breccia]

If Deutsche Bank collaborated with Russia and covered it up

Aren't they already having licensing issues? I thought Brexit was another problem unrelated to them potentially being a criminal organization. Yeah, losing the US as a base would be dire, but being implicit in Russia as well would be something entirely different.

[Ripster42]

If Deutsche Bank collaborated with Russia and covered it up, they need to have their licence to operate in the US pulled permanently. It would probably cause the bank to collapse, but would be well deserved.

_every_ guilty party pays for this.

Depends what you mean by collaborated.

[Mormolyce]

Kind of outside the bounds of even that expansive mandate, but sure, go nuts. I suspect Mueller will find that, like basically every New York housing magnate, Trump has sold apartment buildings to Russians.

It may well prove pertinent to the case. We'll have to wait and see.

[Orbitus]

You'd have to make a case that selling apartments to Russians is equivalent to political collusion. Like I said, go for it, but I personally think it's a dead end.

When you sell a house like he did for 2.5 TIMES its listed value without upgrading to add value to the property, then yeah, its evidence of money laundering. Because a few years ago, Trump bought a house in Florida for $40 million, literally sat on the property for 2 fucking years, and then ended up selling it to a Russian Oligarch for $100 million, at a time when Trump needed money.

[Belize]

I like how Trump is looking to pardon people... including himself.

Fucking lols.

[Shadowferal]

I like how Trump is looking to pardon people... including himself.

Fucking lols.

Ya...was just reading that; Trump and his Legal Team looking into procedure for potential pardons


Gee, I wonder why?

[Wyrt]

Ya...was just reading that; Trump and his Legal Team looking into procedure for potential pardons


Gee, I wonder why?

Pretty sure he can't pardon himself, and I doubt he's generous enough to pardon others when he's going down. More likely to blame them.

[Kujako]

Pretty sure he can't pardon himself

Actually, he can. Nixon considered doing the same thing. Clinton promised not to before being impeached.

[Wyrt]

Actually, he can. Nixon considered doing the same thing. Clinton promised not to before being impeached.

That seems like a massive problem and the laws need to be changed immediately.

[Breccia]

I like how Trump is looking to pardon people... including himself.

It would be awesome if he was actually reserving that tactic for when it's too late to be told he can't use it.

EDIT: Read previous posts. Well, it wouldn't save his reputation, at least. Plus I as yet still don't see that coming. Closer, at best.

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Spokesperson for Trump's legal team resigns and nobody offers a reason.

The lack of reason given is horrible PR. It's like taking the fifth -- you can't legally force guilt, but it sounds bad.

[Adam Jensen]

You know what might be interesting.....

The story the NYT is sitting on is that Mueller is done with a preliminary investigation and is going to issue 3 indictments: John Brennan and Susan Rice for illegally unmasking Americans, then add in Ben Rhodes and indict all three on felonious release of classified information (leaking to the press.)

Then - the "gargantuan one" the WaPo is sitting on - will be the indictment of Barry for authorizing the above criminality.

Wouldn't THAT be a hoot!

And maybe I'll have sex with Scarlet Johansen.

[Celista]

Pretty sure he can't pardon himself, and I doubt he's generous enough to pardon others when he's going down. More likely to blame them.

He's going to have other people take the fall for him, then give them pardons.