1. #79881
    Weisselberg pleads guilty. Falls on the sword for The Angry Orange. I hope before he dies in prison that he gives up the goods on said Orange.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news...2bd2cdea75888b

    Allen Weisselberg—Longtime Trump Organization CFO—Pleads Guilty In Tax Scheme

    Allen Weisselberg, a longtime Trump Organization CFO, pleaded guilty to 15 criminal tax fraud charges on Thursday—admitting to conspiring in a scheme to avoid paying taxes on corporate benefits—marking a blow to the former president’s family business as it prepares for trial on related charges in October.

    Weisselberg, who was indicted on tax fraud charges last summer, is charged with grand larceny and avoiding tax payments on more than $1.7 million in corporate benefits from the Trump Organization over the 16-year scheme, including car payments, school tuition and rent.

    Under the plea deal, Weisselberg, who was facing up to 15 years behind bars for grand larceny under New York state law, now faces five months in prison, and is likely to serve as little as 100 days for good behavior, the New York Times reported (the grand larceny charge carries no mandatory minimum under state law).

    Donald Trump is not charged in the criminal investigation or accused of any wrongdoing.

    Weisselberg, who previously pleaded not guilty, also agreed in the plea deal to testify on his role in the corporate benefits scheme at trial in October—the first case out of a two-year investigation into the former president’s business—but refused to implicate Trump or his family, taking jail time rather than calling out the family he’s worked with for nearly 50 years and potentially delivering a blow to prosecutors who saw Weisselberg as their key cooperator into the Trump Organization’s business practices.

    Weisselberg, 75, got his start with the Trump family working for the former president’s father, Fred Trump, in 1973. He was charged, along with the company, with tax fraud, by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office last summer, one year into the civil investigation into Weisselberg and the Trump Organization. Trump and Weisselberg have called the investigation “politically motivated,” and in February requested a judge dismiss the criminal charges against them. Their request was denied. In July, Weisselberg and his lawyer surrendered to New York authorities at a courthouse in Manhattan, the New York Times reported.

  2. #79882
    The Unstoppable Force Kathandira's Avatar
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    When are we ever going to see Trump in front of a judge on live TV?
    RIP Genn Greymane, Permabanned on 8.22.18

    Your name will carry on through generations, and will never be forgotten.

  3. #79883
    Quote Originally Posted by gondrin View Post
    Weisselberg pleads guilty. Falls on the sword for The Angry Orange. I hope before he dies in prison that he gives up the goods on said Orange.
    It's doubtful he'll die there, but he will be staying at Riker's Island, so you never know!
    now faces five months in prison, and is likely to serve as little as 100 days for good behavior

  4. #79884
    Void Lord Breccia's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gondrin View Post
    Weisselberg pleads guilty.
    Weaselberg has a real problem coming his way -- the trial of Trump Org itself. As you pointed out, at time of writing, Weaselberg is due to testify again, can't change his testimony because perjury, and therefore, will leave himself few choices. He's going to have to say one of two things:
    1) Everyone was in on the tax fraud, except Trump, or
    2) I was the one in charge. Which his current plea deal suggests he can't do. You don't offer a plea deal to the head of the snake.

    I suspect strongly that NYState knows what we all know: nothing happened at Trump Org without Trump's direct say-so. Weaselberg clearly hasn't said that...yet. If Weaselberg turns on the other Trump Org execs, one or all of them will probably use that in their defense. Weaelberg could be outnumbered, and juries don't like it when everyone's story matches, except one. On the other hand, if Weaselberg says he was the ringleader, that's an admission of guilty for Trump Org, and the company won't get a plea deal. They'll get burned to the ground.

  5. #79885
    What I would love to know, but we may never really heard of, is why there even is a plea deal if it doesn't implicate Trump.
    If he wants to throw himself on a sword for Trump then give him the full sword, not a slap that effectively rewards him for not turning.
    Surely that sends the entirely wrong message.
    It ignores such insignificant forces as time, entropy, and death

  6. #79886
    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/carl-...b063894830e640

    Republicans: Merrick Garland should be executed!

    Also Republicans: lol, jk, it was a joke.

  7. #79887
    Quote Originally Posted by Breccia View Post
    They did, but probably didn't need to. The Texas plaintiffs surely would have handed them over for a "thank you".
    They openly stated they intended to, and when the defense objected to that, the judge remarked that she wasn't sure if they even had a choice.

  8. #79888
    Quote Originally Posted by Edge- View Post
    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/carl-...b063894830e640

    Republicans: Merrick Garland should be executed!

    Also Republicans: lol, jk, it was a joke.
    If there was any justice in the world he would be arrested soon for publicly calling for execution.

    And he previously said that the US could use someone like Hitler?
    Man he is a true Republican. a Neo-Nazi fascist through a through.
    It ignores such insignificant forces as time, entropy, and death

  9. #79889
    Quote Originally Posted by Gorsameth View Post
    And he previously said that the US could use someone like Hitler?
    Man he is a true Republican. a Neo-Nazi fascist through a through.
    Why yes, yes he did. The GOP condemned it, of course, but it sure is curious that Nazi's and Nazi-sympathizers almost always seem to be or support Republicans. Not to argue that Republicans are Nazi's themselves, but you gotta wonder what about the Republican platform is so appealing to Nazi's?

  10. #79890
    Quote Originally Posted by Edge- View Post
    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/carl-...b063894830e640

    Republicans: Merrick Garland should be executed!

    Also Republicans: lol, jk, it was a joke.
    Am a New Yorker. I remember when that dude was threatening journalists with a baseball bat and stuff.

  11. #79891
    Banned cubby's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Breccia View Post
    Weaselberg has a real problem coming his way -- the trial of Trump Org itself. As you pointed out, at time of writing, Weaselberg is due to testify again, can't change his testimony because perjury, and therefore, will leave himself few choices. He's going to have to say one of two things:
    1) Everyone was in on the tax fraud, except Trump, or
    2) I was the one in charge. Which his current plea deal suggests he can't do. You don't offer a plea deal to the head of the snake.

    I suspect strongly that NYState knows what we all know: nothing happened at Trump Org without Trump's direct say-so. Weaselberg clearly hasn't said that...yet. If Weaselberg turns on the other Trump Org execs, one or all of them will probably use that in their defense. Weaelberg could be outnumbered, and juries don't like it when everyone's story matches, except one. On the other hand, if Weaselberg says he was the ringleader, that's an admission of guilty for Trump Org, and the company won't get a plea deal. They'll get burned to the ground.
    And if his testimony goes against what he agreed to in his plea deal, then the reduced jail time it out as well, and he goes to trial - AND all the evidence he gave to get his plea deal will be used against him. So he's already monumentally fucked.

    I can't see how he gets out of the situation though - meaning he's claimed, or rather, it's been claimed that he won't testify against Trump. But if he testifies against the Trump Org, and as you pointed out, he can't fall on the sword more, then it's only Trump that he can blame. Maybe one of the kids...?

    I also wonder if he's about to go into Witness Protection, and this plea deal is a front to get him to the Trump Org trial. Weaselberg testifies that Trump knew and approved of everything, and then he's off to Newfoundland or something. Pure guesswork on my part.

    I just hope someone is tasting his food.

  12. #79892
    https://www.rollingstone.com/politic...es-1234577566/

    A FEDERAL JUDGE in Florida has ordered the release of the affidavit that led the search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

    Judge Bruce Reinhart, who signed off on the search warrant the FBI executed last Monday, ruled on Thursday that the Justice Department has until next Thursday at noon to release a redacted version of affidavit.

    Judge Reinhart said he believes portions of the affidavit “could be presumptively unsealed, but that it wasn’t up to him to determine “whether those portions would be meaningful for the public or the media.”

    The surprising decision came after the Justice Department argued that the affidavit should remain sealed so as not to compromise its investigation, which Jay Bratt, head of the Justice Department’s counterintelligence division, noted is still in its “early stages” and involves “several witnesses.”

    “This is not a precedent that we want to set,” Bratt said of the potential unsealing of the affidavit.

    The Justice Department last week released the search warrant, which revealed that Trump is under investigation for potentially violating the Espionage Act. The affidavit, which led to the warrant, contains more details about the investigation, including information about witnesses. Trump and his allies have been pushing for the affidavit’s release, although his team did not present any argument in court on Thursday as to why exactly they feel it should be unsealed.
    Redacted affidavit coming out next week unless the DoJ tries to fight/delay it. We know it's already going to fuel every conservative conspiracy theory as they'll interpret redactions however best suits their victim narratives.

  13. #79893
    Pandaren Monk masterhorus8's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Edge- View Post
    https://www.rollingstone.com/politic...es-1234577566/



    Redacted affidavit coming out next week unless the DoJ tries to fight/delay it. We know it's already going to fuel every conservative conspiracy theory as they'll interpret redactions however best suits their victim narratives.
    Can they just release a a version with all but the words a and the redacted?
    10

  14. #79894
    Quote Originally Posted by Edge- View Post
    https://www.rollingstone.com/politic...es-1234577566/



    Redacted affidavit coming out next week unless the DoJ tries to fight/delay it. We know it's already going to fuel every conservative conspiracy theory as they'll interpret redactions however best suits their victim narratives.
    I suspect lots of blacked out lines aside from a few words that have absolutely no context or meaning.

    Kinda feels like the Judge also thinks that when he adds its not up to him to determine if the unredacted portions will even mean anything.
    It ignores such insignificant forces as time, entropy, and death

  15. #79895
    Old God AntiFascistVoter's Avatar
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    For the nerds that actually like their cover sheets.

    Government Affiliated Snark

  16. #79896
    Quote Originally Posted by Midterm Voter View Post
    For the nerds that actually like their cover sheets.
    Yeah, this won't satisfy the Republicans, they want the names and faces so they can attack the agents themselves.

  17. #79897
    Ok, unknown if this is true or not as I cannot find anything outside of Reddit and a picture. Wouldn't surprise me if it is true.

    Introducing the Trump SMART card, where you can get monthly crypto, cash back on all "patriot purchases" and 10,000 Trump Coins.

    Continuing the grift like a true pro. Gotta fight the big money corporations that are stealing your money by giving it to a big money idiot who will most definitely steal your money.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/gammasecret...hecks_patriot/


  18. #79898
    X to doubt...but only a little bit.

  19. #79899
    Void Lord Breccia's Avatar
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    CNN posts some bullsh*t.

    In the days since the FBI seized classified and top secret documents from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump and his allies have claimed that Trump had a "standing order" to declassify documents he took from the Oval Office to the White House residence.

    But 18 former top Trump administration officials tell CNN they never heard any such order issued during their time working for Trump, and that they believe the claim to be patently false.

    Several officials laughed at the notion. One senior administration official called it "bullsh*t."
    I did warn you.

    Two of Trump's former chiefs of staff went on the record to knock down the claim.

    "Nothing approaching an order that foolish was ever given," said John Kelly, who served as Trump's chief of staff for 17 months from 2017 to 2019. "And I can't imagine anyone that worked at the White House after me that would have simply shrugged their shoulders and allowed that order to go forward without dying in the ditch trying to stop it."

    Mick Mulvaney, who succeeded Kelly as acting White House chief of staff, also dismissed the idea and told CNN he was "not aware of a general standing order" during his tenure.

    In addition, CNN spoke with former national security and intelligence officials as well as White House lawyers and Justice Department officials. Taken together, their tenure covers all four years of the Trump administration, and many served in positions where they would either be included in the declassification process, or at the very least, be aware of such orders.

    Official after official scoffed at the claim Trump had a standing order to declassify documents that left the Oval Office and were taken to the residence.
    "Total nonsense," one senior White House official said. "If that's true, where is the order with his signature on it? If that were the case, there would have been tremendous pushback from the Intel Community and DoD, which would almost certainly have become known to Intel and Armed Services Committees on the Hill."
    I mean, at this point, what's left? There is no record of Trump's standing order, except for Trump's proven worthless word. I still await any formal record, any evidence at all, that such a standing order exists...other than Trump said so. Which is not good enough. Trump lies all the time about everything.

    In related news, we keep seeing the story "Trump insiders think a close friend or family member ratted Trump out". The most recent one I've seen refers to the location of the leather box filled with miscellaneous mixed items. Now, I've already theorized these were Trump's favorites and he kept them in the safe. But I guessed that in retrospect. My earlier guesses were "nothing of criminal relevance is in the safe". Nor did I think the safe was in Melania's closet.

    Mary Trump and Cohen are trolling Trump with tales that a family member sold him out, but it seems pretty realistic that Mar-a-Leako has an FBI informant. And of course, we know about the seized video but not what's on it. Reports say that the DoJ are concerned that the door in question was watched and 60 days of footage were taken -- most likely people taking stuff from the room with all the classified info.

    But truth be told, Trump was so proven horrible with documents and such a showoff that it could be anyone. Yes, the FBI know and they trust whoever it was, but that could have been the agent they sent to inspect the joint as easily as it could be a random maid or Ivanka.

    While Trump waits for the inevitable court date, I hope his mind continues to drift back to that fact, over and over and over. He has a rat in the house, he has no idea who it is, and they know where the figurative bodies are buried.

    Sleep well, fatso. You probably won't be arrested today.

    - - - Carbon Dated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by cubby View Post
    And if his testimony goes against what he agreed to in his plea deal, then the reduced jail time it out as well, and he goes to trial - AND all the evidence he gave to get his plea deal will be used against him. So he's already monumentally fucked.
    Sounds like you read this summary article of how fucked he is, and by proxy, how fucked Trump Org is.

    1) Weaselberg was convicted of 15 counts and will need to pay $2 million.

    2) Weaselberg's agreement to cooperate will require that he give information of any other crimes he witnessed. Odds are this is light, because he was almost certainly part of a corporate conspiracy and was involved in all the crimes he saw. But if it is proven he knew of other crimes (including his own) and didn't mention it, well, there goes that plea deal, and it takes 15 years of his life with it. Well, sort of, read on.

    3) Weaselberg's plea and testimony are now evidence. Trump Org will have a very hard time saying "what happened is not a crime" if Weaselberg went to jail for it.

    4) Normally, Trump and his mafia allies would say "Of course he turned against us, you gave him a sweet deal! He's lying to save himself!" Of course, they're welcome to prove that...good luck. But beyond that, Weaselberg is so old, he's almost as old as Trump. It's unlikely he would have gotten 15 years. That excuse was always lame-ass and limp-dick, because if anyone lies on the stand to save themselves...they just get the entire sentence and then perjury on top. It's stupid to lie on the stand.

    Plus, he didn't testify against Trump, so, that excuse loses even more leverage.

    5) Weaselberg was not offered immunity. Hmm. Is the investigation ongoing? It's possible NYState knows full well more crimes were committed by Trump Org and therefore Weaselberg.

    6) Weaselberg has already pled guilty to many crimes. He can no longer take the Fifth about those crimes. He can't be tried twice, after all.

    We'll see what happens next, but, Trump Org is in a lot of trouble.

  20. #79900
    So, I wonder if they will revolt against Trump after this. I highly doubt it but still.

    https://www.insider.com/truth-social...e-print-2022-8

    Trump's Truth Social — where users called for violence against FBI agents — notes in its fine print that it would turn over user information to the feds

    Donald Trump's Truth Social — a social media platform designed to be a "inviting, nonpartisan 'Big Tent' of ideas" — was a hotbed of outrage after FBI agents searched the former president's Mar-a-Lago home last week.

    Some users made threats against the FBI or vowed that a "war" was beginning. But anonymous posts won't offer much protection against possible prosecution.

    According to the site's fine print, Truth Social will turn over user information in compliance with law enforcement — just like other social media sites.

    In its "guidelines for law enforcement," Truth Social states that it complies with court orders to reveal user information, restrict access to accounts, or preserve posts.

    The site also works with law enforcement on "emergency requests," where they quickly turn over user information when it appears there's an immediate threat.

    "If we receive information that provides us with a good faith belief that there is an exigent emergency involving a danger of death or serious physical injury to a person, we may provide any available information necessary to prevent that harm," the website states.

    Truth Social didn't respond to multiple requests by Insider for comment.

    Threats of "civil war," and violence against the FBI increased on sites like Truth Social after the agency's raid of Trump's Mar-a-Lago home.

    Ricky Schiffer, the man who authorities said tried to breach an FBI office in Cincinnati before being shot and killed by police on Friday, had apparently posted violent messages on Truth Social and urged others to kill federal agents.

    Truth Social's law enforcement policies are in line with the rules of other mainstream social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook.

    Both have dedicated departments for handling requests from law enforcement.

    Barbara McQuade, a former federal prosecutor, told Insider that social media companies must comply with court orders to turn over user information, including private information like IP addresses or linked email accounts.

    "If they get a court order, there's not much they can do about it," McQuade said.

    A Pennsylvania man was arrested for posts he made threatening FBI agents on Gab, another social media site that markets itself to users seeking less content moderation.

    The website turned over his user information, including his IP address, which led agents to him.

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