Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Breccia]

What he has left might not be much because I read earlier Deutsche Bank is looking to foreclose and seize his assets as well now that he lost.

We've talked about this. Yes, Deutsche Bank is in a much stronger position to collect -- it's one of the reasons Trump is believed to start his own media group, to get some quick cash from investors and advertisers to pay them.

Which brings us right back to, of course, the NYState investigations. @cubby will correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm fairly sure if you use an asset as collateral and lie about its value, you just broke your contract with the loaning bank. Cohen was very clear (as in "said under oath") that Trump said one value on his taxes and another to insurers. He cannot possibly have told Deutsche Bank both. If Deutsche Bank wants the property or their money, they might want to hurry. Otherwise it's forseeable that Trump will lose one or the other on the way to the figurative gallows.

If it sounds like old news, it partially is. More info in this 24-hour old NYTimes article.

The investigation has been stalled since last fall, after the president filed a lawsuit to block a subpoena for his tax returns and other financial records.

The legal fight is before the United States Supreme Court for a second time, with a ruling expected soon. Prosecutors have suggested in court filings that their investigation has expanded far beyond the hush money and is focused on a number of potential financial crimes, including insurance and bank-related fraud, tax evasion and grand larceny.

Mr. Trump has said the investigation is part of “the greatest witch hunt in history.” Both Mr. Vance and Ms. James are Democrats.

Ms. James’s civil investigation is focused on the Trump Organization’s business practices, though she can make a criminal referral and can seek authority from Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration or the state comptroller to bring charges on her own.

Her inquiry began last year in March, after Michael D. Cohen, the president’s former lawyer, told Congress that Mr. Trump had inflated his assets in financial statements to secure bank loans and understated them elsewhere to reduce his tax bill. In August, the attorney general’s office asked a judge to force the president’s son Eric Trump to testify in the inquiry, and he did so last month. Eric Trump is an executive vice president at the Trump Organization, running its day-to-day operations.

Investigators in Ms. James’s office have scrutinized a widening array of transactions. One of them is a 2010 financial restructuring of the Trump Hotel & Tower in Chicago, when the Fortress Credit Corporation forgave debt worth more than $100 million. The attorney general’s office said in court documents filed in August that the Trump Organization had thwarted efforts to determine how that money was reflected in its tax filings, and whether it was declared as income, as the law requires in most instances. The Times’s analysis of Mr. Trump’s financial records found that he had avoided federal income tax on almost all of the forgiven debt.

Now that bolded? That could be some very interesting 4D chess. If Trump's debts were forgiven, if he was then supposed to pay income tax on that forgiven debt, if he didn't, and if he now owes a bunch of money or he loses everything and goes to jail...I'm not saying Deutsche Bank would come out ahead, but they might get their money back after all, despite fears they wouldn't.

[Thekri]

So Giuliani is flailing around making a fool of himself, but I can't help but thinking it is all a sleight of hand, and Giuliani has been tasked with keeping all the attention on himself. Meanwhile, the members of Trump's administration that are actually competent have been terrifyingly quiet.

Pompeo and Barr are the two I am terrified of. Both run their offices closely, we don't get many leaks or insights into what they are doing, and what we do see is scary. I don't think either have any interest in saving Trump, they are Varys to his Joffrey. Pompeo was apparently involved in a secret meeting between Netanyahu and MBS. Which is just a list of people that is terrifying to have in the same room, and it really reads like extremely bad news for Iran, I am concerned about an "incident" spontaneously arising in the near future. The "Madison dinners" remain concerning, this isn't the Trumpsphere, this is the actual competent neocons running the world while Trump golfs. These are the people who are going to keep owning Washington, while Trump entertains the mob.

Meanwhile Barr is... quiet. Really quiet. There was no October surprise from the DOJ, no crazy schemes popping up, yet we have seen the lengths he is willing to go to before. Barr has to know what is coming when he turns over the keys, I am extremely concerned about what has been going on in the DOJ the last few months. My guess is that the apparatus is going to be broken so badly, and the evidence buried so deep that it will be next to impossible to prosecute people from the Trump administration. I doubt either Barr or Pompeo care about Trump per se, but it is in neither's interest to see him jailed.

I am not really even sure what my point is here, other then to recommend you keep you eyes on the most dangerous threats, not the noisiest ones. These guys are too good at their job to spill their secrets all over the front page.

[Orange Joe]

Not a Trump fan but I love how upset he gets you people. He basically controls your minds.

Translation = I'd suck Trumps dick if he stuck it in my face.

[Benggaul]

I am not really even sure what my point is here, other then to recommend you keep you eyes on the most dangerous threats, not the noisiest ones. These guys are too good at their job to spill their secrets all over the front page.

Of course, the problem there being that you can't really keep an eye on the dangerous threats when they, as you say, are being quiet and "hidden". "We" can't really do jack shit about that. It's up to the people in the administration who still have some semblance of loyalty to country over self-interest.

[Cthulhu 2020]

Exit poll caveats apply, but Trump won 54-42 among families making over $100K.

- - - Updated - - -


Same exit poll as above, Trump won among people that work full-time for pay, Biden won handily among people that don't.

Yeah people who are getting fucked over by the current system want to vote for an improvement. Those who go "I got mine, fuck you" tended towards Trump. Shocker.

[Thekri]

Of course, the problem there being that you can't really keep an eye on the dangerous threats when they, as you say, are being quiet and "hidden". "We" can't really do jack shit about that. It's up to the people in the administration who still have some semblance of loyalty to country over self-interest.

Well to some extent you can. The media focuses on the noise and drama, because that is what sells. The more interested people are in the actual news, the more they will prioritize going after it. Journalism isn't dying because journalists aren't what they used to be, Journalism is dying because tabloid crap is more profitable.

Just focusing your clicks on news articles on important pieces about subjects you care about does make a difference. If less people clicked on stories about the fly on Pence's head, and more people clicked on stories about the Houthi's striking Saudi oil fields, then there would be more pressure on the government to stop fucking over Yemen.

[Benggaul]

Well to some extent you can. The media focuses on the noise and drama, because that is what sells. The more interested people are in the actual news, the more they will prioritize going after it. Journalism isn't dying because journalists aren't what they used to be, Journalism is dying because tabloid crap is more profitable.

Just focusing your clicks on news articles on important pieces about subjects you care about does make a difference. If less people clicked on stories about the fly on Pence's head, and more people clicked on stories about the Houthi's striking Saudi oil fields, then there would be more pressure on the government to stop fucking over Yemen.

Naturally, but that also relies on those stories being reported. If they're as quiet and hidden and "locked down" as you suggest then there might not be anything leaked to report on. And I'm sorry, but if any of those jokers are doing anything shady you can bet your ass it's going to be reported regardless of "clicks". Particularly if it's "gearing up for another war" shady.

- - - Updated - - -

In other news...are Texas and California currently engaged in some sort of "race to the bottom" slugfest or something? Good grief.

[cubby]

We've talked about this. Yes, Deutsche Bank is in a much stronger position to collect -- it's one of the reasons Trump is believed to start his own media group, to get some quick cash from investors and advertisers to pay them.

Which brings us right back to, of course, the NYState investigations. @cubby will correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm fairly sure if you use an asset as collateral and lie about its value, you just broke your contract with the loaning bank. Cohen was very clear (as in "said under oath") that Trump said one value on his taxes and another to insurers. He cannot possibly have told Deutsche Bank both. If Deutsche Bank wants the property or their money, they might want to hurry. Otherwise it's forseeable that Trump will lose one or the other on the way to the figurative gallows.

If it sounds like old news, it partially is. More info in this 24-hour old NYTimes article.

Fraudulent claims on a contract immediately void the contract. Trump is absolutely fucked if Deutsche Bank decides to foreclose and seize assets. Moreover, if those tax documents indicated fraudulent activity, NYState has the authority (and the moral obligation) to investigate ALL of Trump Organization holdings, including those not in NY.

[Zan15]

Over under on how many weeks after Jan that he goes on "vacation" overseas somewhere "weird"..wink wink.

I'd say 4 months

[Biglog]

The scorched Earth tactics of the Trump administration and GOP to try to "salt the ground" for the US under Biden's term to hurt Democrats in 2022/2024 is a sick greedy betrayal of our country and their duty as public servants. They are doing it assuming that Americans aren't smart enough to notice what's happening, or that your memory won't recall this long enough until the next election that the economic and foreign policy problems that he's creating *right now* were generated by Trump and not Biden. I hope that the American public holds anyone participating in it accountable in 2022. And some of it might actually be crossing legal thresholds.

Democrats and the GOP have never been buddies, but the Trump approach of "I'll destroy this country before I let it go to the other party" is an indefensible new low. I'm truly scared to find out after January 20th the stuff Trump has done in office that we didn't even know about. We're numb to it now, but this administration was so morally inept that nothing we find out about will surprise me. If it was 10x worse than we thought I'd be like yeah that sounds about right. Look at the Four Seasons Landscaping debacle and one can only imagine how many skeletons are in the closet of Trump, Giuliani, & company from the last 4 years that we don't know about.

[cubby]

Over under on how many weeks after Jan that he goes on "vacation" overseas somewhere "weird"..wink wink.

I'd say 4 months

That will be interesting, the first time he tries to flee leave the country. I would be his first destination will be his property in Great Britain. The governments reaction to that will be the interesting part.

[Poopymonster]

Over under on how many weeks after Jan that he goes on "vacation" overseas somewhere "weird"..wink wink.

I'd say 4 months

From Jan 21st? -1 week.

[Elegiac]

So, Parler just got hacked to the tune of its entire database. Which is funny for two reasons: 1) Parler requires a SSN for some of its services, so a lot of conservatives who rage quit Twitter or Facebook now have their identities stolen, and 2) apparently the hackers got a hold of the DMs of a number of prominent Republicans and they are reportedly quite nasty.

[Breccia]

NYState has the authority (and the moral obligation) to investigate ALL of Trump Organization holdings, including those not in NY.

Wow. Full speed ahead, then!

[Benggaul]

So, Parler just got hacked to the tune of its entire database. Which is funny for two reasons: 1) Parler requires a SSN for some of its services, so a lot of conservatives who rage quit Twitter or Facebook now have their identities stolen, and 2) apparently the hackers got a hold of the DMs of a number of prominent Republicans and they are reportedly quite nasty.

...WordPress?!

[Elegiac]

...WordPress?!

I'm more concerned about a social media website that requires a driver's license photo and a SSN for some of its functions, lul.

[Benggaul]

Something went wrong somewhere...oops.

[Waniou]

HAH, found it. Yep, she's on Parler. I bet she never posted but has a DM box full of indecent proposals.

Of course she does. I kept getting random Trump posts showing up on my Facebook prior to the election and in the comments, there was always a few guys randomly kinda harassing women in the comments (Nothing too bad, mostly just things like "excuse me but I wanted to let you know how beautiful you are" and things like that)

[Felya]

So, Parler just got hacked to the tune of its entire database. Which is funny for two reasons: 1) Parler requires a SSN for some of its services, so a lot of conservatives who rage quit Twitter or Facebook now have their identities stolen, and 2) apparently the hackers got a hold of the DMs of a number of prominent Republicans and they are reportedly quite nasty.

This seems like a hoax... sorry...

[beanman12345]

So, Parler just got hacked to the tune of its entire database. Which is funny for two reasons: 1) Parler requires a SSN for some of its services, so a lot of conservatives who rage quit Twitter or Facebook now have their identities stolen, and 2) apparently the hackers got a hold of the DMs of a number of prominent Republicans and they are reportedly quite nasty.

Sad we'll probably never see those DM's, since it's likely it's the identity info they are after and don't care about the rest of it.