Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Edge-]

Major Trump stan Diamond of the "Diamond and Silk" grifter duo has died.

Ultimate irony would be if it was Covid after all of their coronavirus misinformation.

They were still alive?

[Breccia]

Major Trump stan Diamond of the "Diamond and Silk" grifter duo has died.

Before anyone says anything, yes this is a Trump-related topic, he broke the news of the death almost as soon as they did.

NPR demonstrates how Trump handled it:

On Monday, Trump called Diamond's death "really bad news for Republicans and frankly, ALL Americans" in a post on Truth Social. He said she died at home in North Carolina with Silk by her side.

"There was no better TEAM anywhere, or at any time!" he wrote, adding that "our Magnificent Diamond ... will be greatly missed."

Trump also called her death "totally unexpected" but offered up a theory of his own: "probably her big and precious HEART just plain gave out."

Ret. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security advisor, described the duo as "wonderful, beautiful women" and said Diamond will be missed.

And Roger Stone, a controversial Republican operative and Trump ally, shared several tweets mourning Diamond's death and celebrating her life. Among them was a video clip of them cracking up together during a show, which he called "Diamond and Silk's greatest moments."

Now, here's where it gets dicey.

MyPillow CEO and longtime Trump supporter Mike Lindell, who hosts the video series, confirmed to The Daily Beast after Hardaway's death that she had been sick, without specifying an illness.

Lindell is possibly even less trustworthy than Trump, but on the one-in-a-million chance he's telling the truth and she was sick...yeah, I'd bet on COVID.

Also, there's a website fundraiser for a memorial, and I'm just going to say it'll end up being just taken and kept.

[jonnysensible]

she defo had covid her sister (cant remember which one is which) said 'pray for x she has covid' a while back.

can you keep the grift alive with just one of them, bit like the chuckle brothers, ant and dec or dick and dom, can they really work without the other?

[Drutt]

she defo had covid her sister (cant remember which one is which) said 'pray for x she has covid' a while back.

I am not a gambling man, but if I was I'd put money on it. Not announcing the illness/cause of death is suspicious as fuck.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, there's a website fundraiser for a memorial, and I'm just going to say it'll end up being just taken and kept.

I just checked out said fundraiser, and it doesn't even say what the funds are for. Not even a promise (that'd be broken) to create a lasting memorial.

It basically just says "she died, send money" with no reason for raising funds provided. A bold faced grift by any standard.

https://www.givesendgo.com/DiamondandSilk

[Myradin]

https://www.givesendgo.com/DiamondandSilk

Yeah, definitely looks sus.

The memory of her passing should forever remain in our hearts.

And not in like a memorial, that would cost money.

founded on her passion and love for the entire race of humanity.

So are dems/gays/trans/foreigners/people concerned about public health no longer human?

[Drutt]

This is... this is it?

Yep, that's it. In all its sad, sad, grifty glory.

[Masark]

Yeah, they're pocketing that money (nearly 50k atm) in one final grift.

Hah, "final".

[gondrin]

So, how much jail time did Weisselberg get? 5 months due to a plea deal.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...4460c4b59733f3

Longtime Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg sentenced to 5 months in jail

Allen Weisselberg, one of former President Donald Trump's most trusted and loyal employees, was escorted out of court in handcuffs Tuesday after being sentenced to five months in jail for evading more than $1.7 million in taxes on unreported income in the form of company-provided perks that included the rent on his Manhattan apartment, the leases on cars for himself and his wife and tuition for his grandchildren.

Weisselberg, 75, was sentenced to five months on Rikers Island, New York City's notorious jail complex, followed by five years' probation, after he pleaded guilty in August to orchestrating a 15-year tax scheme while working at the Trump Organization as chief financial officer.

He appeared for his sentencing dressed casually in blue pants, a white T-shirt and an olive green fleece jacket.

"He is obviously dressed the way he is dressed because he expects to be remanded today," defense attorney Nicholas Gravante told the judge.

As part of a plea deal, Weisselberg testified over three days in November against the Trump Organization at its criminal trial, which resulted in a conviction against the company for paying the personal expenses of some executives without reporting them as income, and for compensating them as independent contractors instead of full-time employees.

He was promised a sentence of five months in jail and five years' probation in exchange for his testimony, and agreed to repay nearly $2 million in taxes owed.

"The People believe that Mr. Weisselberg provided truthful testimony about the underlying facts of his allocution and plea," a prosecutor, Susan Hoffinger, said.

Weisselberg walked a fine line during his testimony in the Trump Organization trial. He conceded he evaded $1.7 million in taxes by taking part of his compensation in off-the-books luxuries like rent, car leases and private school tuition. He also said the scheme benefitted two entities of the Trump Organization -- Trump Corporation and Trump Payroll Corporation -- by causing them to have a lower payroll tax burden. However, he said nothing to implicate Trump himself in the scheme.

Weisselbarg "knew and thought in his mind that there were benefits to the companies," Hoffinger told the judge.

Though the plea agreement called for a predetermined five-month jail term, Gravante asked for an additional reduction, citing Weisselberg's lack of criminal history, his military service, his full acceptance of responsibility and, the attorney said, the lack of danger he posed to the community.

"Each month makes a big difference when you're 75 years old, because each week you're incarcerated represents a larger percentage of his life," Gravante said.

"I think the words expressed by Mr. Gravante express my thoughts and my feelings," Weisselberg said.

The judge declined, saying an even stiffer sentence would be appropriate for conduct "driven by greed."

"I would be imposing a sentence much greater than that," Judge Juan Merchan said, citing evidence in the trial of the Trump Organization that Weisselberg arranged a $6,000 payment for his wife so she could later claim Social Security benefits.

"At a time when so many Americans work so hard in the hope they might one day benefit from their contributions to Social Security, your client found a way to get his wife a $6,000 payroll payment so she could one day receive the benefits to which she was not entitled," Merchan said.

Weisselberg, while no longer the Trump Organization's chief financial officer, remained employed with Trump's family real estate firm and expected to make more than $1 million last year in salary and bonuses, according to his testimony at trial.

He pleaded guilty in August to one count of grand larceny in the second degree; three counts of criminal tax fraud in the third degree; one count of scheme to defraud in the first degree; one count of conspiracy in the fourth degree; one count of criminal tax fraud in the fourth degree; four counts of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree; and four counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

"Allen Weisselberg admitted in Court that he used his position at the Trump Organization to bilk taxpayers and enrich himself," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at the time of his guilty plea. "Instead of paying his fair share like everyone else, Weisselberg had the Trump Organization provide him with a rent-free apartment, expensive cars, private school tuition for his grandchildren and new furniture -- all without paying required taxes."

Weisselberg testified at the trial of the Trump Organization that he reduced his reported salary by the total amount of personal expenses paid and that the company benefitted by paying less in payroll taxes. He also testified his primary motive was greed.

As part of this testimony, he told a story about sitting with Trump in his office on the 26th floor of Trump Tower one day in 2012 when Donald Trump Jr. walked in with checks for his father to sign to cover tuition payments for Don Jr.'s children.

Trump looked over at Weisselberg with a chuckle and said, "I might as well pay for your grandkids too," according to Weisselberg's testimony.

Trump then began paying $100,000 a year for Weisselberg's two grandchildren to attend Columbia Grammar School. Weisselberg did not declare it as income and never paid taxes on it, he testified.

Trump, who was not a defendant in the case against the Trump Organization, denied any wrongdoing and called the case "a continuation of the Greatest Political Witch Hunt in the History of our Country."

[Drutt]

So, how much jail time did Weisselberg get? 5 months due to a plea deal.

Seems ridiculously short to me unless he really gave up the goods elsewhere.

5 months for 15 felonies and millions of dollars of ill gotten gains? Doesn't seem like much of a penalty at all.

[Breccia]

Seems ridiculously short to me unless he really gave up the goods elsewhere.

Which he may have, but the public evidence is he refused to testify against Trump -- just the company and its employees.

[DarkTZeratul]

Seems ridiculously short to me unless he really gave up the goods elsewhere.

That is, in fact, exactly why:
"He was promised a sentence of five months in jail and five years' probation in exchange for his testimony, and agreed to repay nearly $2 million in taxes owed."

The judge even specifically noted that absent that deal, he would have given him a longer sentence.

[Cthulhu 2020]

Reading Twitter is depressing. Every thread about the Biden classified documents is just 96% "TRUMP WAS PRESIDENT AND COULD DECLASSIFY DOCUMENTS WHILE BIDEN WAS VP AND COULDN'T DECLASSIFY!"

These people are so fucking stupid. Trump "could" declassify documents, but he can't retroactively declassify them, and he couldn't declassify them with his mind either. But they all seem to think this shit is true. American stupidity on full display.

[Breccia]

These people are so fucking stupid. Trump "could" declassify documents, but he can't retroactively declassify them, and he couldn't declassify them with his mind either. But they all seem to think this shit is true. American stupidity on full display.

The solution is as obvious as it is hilarious: Trump declassified the things Biden took with telepathy.

Good luck disproving that one

[swiftowner]

The solution is as obvious as it is hilarious: Trump declassified the things Biden took with telepathy.

Good luck disproving that one

Or, hear me out, Trump didn’t declassify anything, and both mishandled classified documents. Both could be punished for that, and maybe should be to set an example?

However; and here is the big difference, Biden’s people returned the documents as soon as they found them, and were like “Shit, this shouldn’t be here, we should probably give these back.” Without anyone asking for them, whereas team Trump lied and obstructed when asked politely to return literally hundreds of mishandled documents.

What generally happens when you say, “Hey sorry, apparently I committed a crime, here are theses things I shouldn’t have, and are also the evidence.” I would think you’d get a slap on the wrist and a “Thank you”

[The Stormbringer]

Reading Twitter is depressing. Every thread about the Biden classified documents is just 96% "TRUMP WAS PRESIDENT AND COULD DECLASSIFY DOCUMENTS WHILE BIDEN WAS VP AND COULDN'T DECLASSIFY!"

These people are so fucking stupid. Trump "could" declassify documents, but he can't retroactively declassify them, and he couldn't declassify them with his mind either. But they all seem to think this shit is true. American stupidity on full display.

Not even bringing up the fact that, A) Biden never said he declassified anything, B) The documents were secured properly, and C) As soon as they found out they had them (they were never asked to turn them over, so multiple people likely forgot they existed), they turned them over without hesitation the next day.

It's a completely different situation, but people are desperate to make excuses for Orange Man in the hopes he won't go to prison and they won't be a party to that.

[Breccia]

Or, hear me out, Trump didn’t declassify anything, and both mishandled classified documents. Both could be punished for that, and maybe should be to set an example?

However; and here is the big difference, Biden’s people returned the documents as soon as they found them, and were like “Shit, this shouldn’t be here, we should probably give these back.” Without anyone asking for them, whereas team Trump lied and obstructed when asked politely to return literally hundreds of mishandled documents.

What generally happens when you say, “Hey sorry, apparently I committed a crime, here are theses things I shouldn’t have, and are also the evidence.” I would think you’d get a slap on the wrist and a “Thank you”

Indeed, and by far most of us are already there. But there are still insane cultists who apparently think Trump is psychic, and throwing this back in their faces will really mess with them.

Yeah, the two cases are in no way comparable in the minds of a reasonable person. People claiming Biden's offense is worse than Trump's are not reasonable.

[bladeXcrasher]

Have they even released the classifications levels of the documents? Classified can be something as simple as the documents being labeled NOFORN (no foreign nationals)...we know Trump had TS/SCI documents.

[Belize]

Seems ridiculously short to me unless he really gave up the goods elsewhere.

5 months for 15 felonies and millions of dollars of ill gotten gains? Doesn't seem like much of a penalty at all.

Not to be cynical, but uh... When in American history has white collar crime *really* been punished consistently?

[Breccia]

Have they even released the classifications levels of the documents? \

"They had classified markings" is about all I saw. Because they were handed by Biden's lawyers to the National Archives directly, and I don't think either of them will speak out of turn in this case, we may never know.

But of course, that means nobody else will know, either. Trump's rabid fanbase might yell "It was nuclear codes!" but that's just wishful thinking. We know for a fact Trump had SCI.

[SoulForge]

Reading Twitter is depressing. Every thread about the Biden classified documents is just 96% "TRUMP WAS PRESIDENT AND COULD DECLASSIFY DOCUMENTS WHILE BIDEN WAS VP AND COULDN'T DECLASSIFY!"

These people are so fucking stupid. Trump "could" declassify documents, but he can't retroactively declassify them, and he couldn't declassify them with his mind either. But they all seem to think this shit is true. American stupidity on full display.

The whole line of thinking is irrelevant anyway. Even if he had declassified them they do not belong to him. He can't keep them. They belong to the US Government.

Any declassified documents also have all copies returned so the markings can be updated and the appropriate people notified. None of that happened in Trump's case. Despite being president for 4 years he apparently never sat through training related to classifications.

Anyone who has worked in government can tell you that beat that shit into your head. The same training is annually needed to be completed. No excuses.

Its hugely ironic they are screaming about this so much. Frankly, as an independent, I don't give a damn. If they want to hold both of them accountable and both are ineligible to run again I'd be fine with that. Both are too damn old and Trump is a moron.

EDIT;

Just saw this apparently posted on "Truth Social". Karl Rove was on Fox discussing how Trump's Situation was worst than Biden's.

Karl Rove was, as usual, wrong when he stated that then V.P. Biden’s HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL papers, which were in his office for many years, were in any way similar to the Secret Service guarded, & otherwise very secure, Mar-a-Lago papers. Biden was not then President, had no power to declassify, & came under the very tough Federal Records Act. I come under the much more generous Presidential Records Act, was having productive discussions with Radical Left NARA, & did everything right. A giant Scam.

This man is a fucking tool. There are no discussions to be had. Government documents do not belong to Trump! You return them. Period. They aren't yours. Period. Lock this man away and throw away the key.