Comrade Trump

[frank ryan]

The numbers are incarcerated people at a point in time. If the terms are short, more people are being convicted. So I'm not sure where you're going with that. For what Manafort was convicted, how long would you like to see him serve time? As for the living conditions in prison, I'd call that a separate issue.

He faced 24 years for his long term egregious criminal behavior. He was dishonest and lied to investigators. I would have happy with 9 or 10 years.

I’m not sure if you understand. Part of my compliant is how easy these guy get off compared to other criminal behavior. It’s pretty obvious the system is tilted in the favor of the wealthy and white. If you don’t see that, I don’t know what to tell you.

[Bo Diddley]

He faced 24 years for his long term egregious criminal behavior. He was dishonest and lied to investigators. I would have happy with 9 or 10 years.

I’m not sure if you understand. Part of my compliant is how easy these guy get off compared to other criminal behavior. It’s pretty obvious the system is tilted in the favor of the wealthy and white. If you don’t see that, I don’t know what to tell you.

Ok, you convinced me. Let's all do that stupid Trump chant. "Lock him up! Lock him up!" Oh wait. He already is. Just know that if I'd broken the same laws as Hillary did, I'd be in prison. And no, I'm not advocating to lock her up either.

[Walter Sobchak]

Prosecution/sentencing in the US Justice system depends on your proximity to power.

See James Clapper. Lied to the Senate, admitted it, kept his job... now, ironically enough, hired by CNN ("The most trusted name in news").

Counter examples are nearly innumerable, as frank notes.

Read this excellent book by Chris Hayes... A Colony in a Nation.

[frank ryan]

Ok, you convinced me. Let's all do that stupid Trump chant. "Lock him up! Lock him up!" Oh wait. He already is. Just know that if I'd broken the same laws as Hillary did, I'd be in prison. And no, I'm not advocating to lock her up either.

That wasn't all that relevant. Weird subject to be testy about.

[frank ryan]

Sounds like the owner of that rub and tug in Florida where Bob Craft and others got in trouble is a big time GOP donor. She sells access to Trump to Chinese businessmen.

A Florida Massage Parlor Owner Has Been Selling Chinese Execs Access to Trump at Mar-a-Lago

The latest Trump political donor to draw controversy is Li Yang, a 45-year-old Florida entrepreneur from China who founded a chain of spas and massage parlors that included the one where New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft was recently busted for soliciting prostitution. She made the news this week when the Miami Herald reported that last month she had attended a Super Bowl viewing party at Donald Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club and had snapped a selfie with the president during the event. Though Yang no longer owns the spa Kraft allegedly visited, the newspaper noted that other massage parlors her family runs have “gained a reputation for offering sexual services.” (She told the newspaper she has never violated the law.) Beyond this sordid tale, there is another angle to the strange story of Yang: She runs an investment business that has offered to sell Chinese clients access to Trump and his family. And a website for the business—which includes numerous photos of Yang and her purported clients hobnobbing at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private club in Palm Beach—suggests she had some success in doing so

Yang, who goes by Cindy, and her husband, Zubin Gong, started GY US Investments LLC in 2017. The company describes itself on its website, which is mostly in Chinese, as an “international business consulting firm that provides public relations services to assist businesses in America to establish and expand their brand image in the modern Chinese marketplace.” But the firm notes that its services also address clients looking to make high-level connections in the United States. On a page displaying a photo of Mar-a-Lago, Yang’s company says its “activities for clients” have included providing them “the opportunity to interact with the president, the [American] Minister of Commerce and other political figures.” The company boasts it has “arranged taking photos with the President” and suggests it can set up a “White House and Capitol Hill Dinner.”

https://www.motherjones.com/politics...at-mar-a-lago/

[Pelado]

Sounds like the owner of that rub and tug in Florida where Bob Craft and others got in trouble is a big time GOP donor. She sells access to Trump to Chinese businessmen.

A Florida Massage Parlor Owner Has Been Selling Chinese Execs Access to Trump at Mar-a-Lago



https://www.motherjones.com/politics...at-mar-a-lago/

Were the donations in cash or in kind?

[Uncle Ted]

He faced 24 years for his long term egregious criminal behavior. He was dishonest and lied to investigators. I would have happy with 9 or 10 years.

Maybe this will make you happy, Frank... This same judge gave Congressman Freezer Cash 13 years:

U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III said he did take Jefferson's life history into account but that public corruption must be dealt with severely.


"Public corruption is a cancer on the body politic," said Ellis, who lamented that so many other congressmen have been convicted on similar charges. "There must be some sort of greed virus that attacks those in power."

I am guessing Judge T.S. Ellis III saw something good in Manafort and his "otherwise blameless life." So he cheated on his taxes a little... one out of nine Americans believe it is OK to fudge on taxes. Maybe even the Judge has done that a little now and then.

"The defendant is a Category I in criminal history; that is, he has no criminal history. He is a graduate of a university and law school here, Georgetown for both, and he's lived an otherwise blameless life. And he's also earned the admiration of a number of people, all of whom have written the Court about him."

I wonder how many people wrote the judge with admiration about Representative Freezer Cash?

[frank ryan]

When does this stuff become a concern?

ELIJAH CUMMINGS SAYS DONALD TRUMP INVOLVED IN 'UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL OF STONEWALLING, DELAY AND OBSTRUCTION' IN HOUSE INVESTIGATIONS

"I have sent 12 letters to the White House on a half-dozen topics—some routine and some relating to our core national security interests," Cummings wrote. "In response, the White House has refused to hand over any documents or produce any witnesses for interviews.

"Let me underscore that point: The White House has not turned over a single piece of paper to our committee or made a single official available for testimony during the 116th Congress," Cummings said.

While President Donald Trump has accused Democrats and their committees of "presidential harassment," Cummings maintained that "this has nothing to do with presidential harassment and everything to do with unprecedented obstruction."

One of the most important investigations the House Oversight Committee is conducting is a review of White House security clearances, Cummings said. That review has been hampered by the White House's claims that Congress is not entitled to information about individual employees, Cummings said. That includes former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying about contact with Russians, current national security adviser John Bolton and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser.

"Instead, the White House offered to let us read—but not keep—a few pages of policy documents that have nothing to do with the officials we are investigating, along with a general briefing on those policies during which they will answer no questions about specific employees," Cummings said.

The Oversight Committee had also faced difficulties carrying out its probe into Trump's hush money payments made in the lead-up to the 2016 election to buy the silence of women alleging to have had affairs with Trump, Cummings said.

"Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen provided copies of reimbursement checks signed long after Trump became president during our hearing with him, but the White House has refused to turn over any of the documents we requested. Instead, officials let us read 30 pages, about half of which were already public or entirely blacked out," Cummings said.

He added that the White House had also refused to produce any documents or witnesses in response to other investigations being carried out by the oversight committee, including probes on White House officials' alleged use of personal email and allegations that the president may have violated the Presidential Records Act with the destruction of documents.

The House committee has also been investigating reports from whistle-blowers accusing the Trump administration of a rushed transfer of sensitive nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, potentially violating the Atomic Energy Act.

"As a reminder of what used to be 'normal,' previous presidential administrations turned over tens of thousands of pages of documents in response to Oversight Committee investigations under both parties just a few years ago," Cummings said.

For example, the White House under George W. Bush handed over more than 20,000 pages on Hurricane Katrina, the Oversight Committee chairman said. The Obama White House produced "many documents and emails" relating to the Solyndra controversy, "as well as witnesses and documents regarding the Benghazi, Libya, attacks, including communication between top White House officials and National Security Council staff.

"By contrast, the complete refusal by the Trump White House to produce any documents or witnesses to the primary investigative committee in the House reflects a decision at the highest levels to deny congressional oversight altogether," Cummings said

https://www.newsweek.com/elijah-cumm...uction-1368974

[BlueK]

When does this stuff become a concern?

[

It's not. We elected a king.

[falafel]

It's not. We elected a king.

A king with a defined shelf life.

[BlueK]

A king with a defined shelf life.

well, we hope. As we get closer to the election if the polls don't look good for him he's going to start up with his "election is rigged" garbage again.

[Bo Diddley]

well, we hope. As we get closer to the election if the polls don't look good for him he's going to start up with his "election is rigged" garbage again.

It's gotta be rigged. You telling me people actually elected him?

[Uncle Ted]

It's gotta be rigged. You telling me people actually elected him?

Electors elected him. I assume these "Electors" are actual people. (IDK, maybe they are robots that the Russians hacked?)

Drumpf won about 2,600 counties compared to Clinton's something less than 500... Of course, she won 88 of the 100 most populated counties. Texas, BTW, has the most counties with 254. Therefore, I think we should get more of those Electors.

[Pelado]

Electors elected him. I assume these "Electors" are actual people. (IDK, maybe they are robots that the Russians hacked?)

Drumpf won about 2,600 counties compared to Clinton's something less than 500... Of course, she won 88 of the 100 most populated counties. Texas, BTW, has the most counties with 254. Therefore, I think we should get more of those Electors.

I see you, Blaine County.

[falafel]

well, we hope. As we get closer to the election if the polls don't look good for him he's going to start up with his "election is rigged" garbage again.

I mean he won't be "king" any longer than 8 years max. And don't start that thing about him wanting to abolish term limits. That is not going to happen.