That like a rapist saying “somebody would have had sex with her one day anyway, right?” Pathetic excuse for graft. IOKIYAR personified.
6 Likes
I don’t think the DoJ’s argument about ownership stake leads to the conclusion that the DoJ’s lawyers think it does. Currying favor by “doing business” with members of an official’s family has been recognized as a form of influence-buying since long before the US existed. What they’re doing it is making clear that trump senior would be receiving an emolument (a thing of value) as long as any member of the trump clan has an ownership stake in the hotel.
17 Likes
1 Timothy 6:10 King James Version (KJV) 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
5 Likes
Other folk may want to waste their money in a sleazy trump establishment or maybe they’ll buy a trump steak or trump wine. I choose not to.
Emphatically so.
And a little OT… from cnn.com…
It would be my fond hope for Chris Cillizza to wake up to the proof of direct collusion between the trump campaign, in the person of Paul Manafort (when he was running trump’s campaign), giving internal polling data to Konstantin Kilmnik, a GRU guy. Chris says there is no direct proof. I disagree.
5 Likes
INDIRECTLY seems relevant here somehow …
1 Like
DOJ attorneys representing Trump in his capacity as president wrote in the brief.
And thus, my image of Saliva’s lyric is complete:
One hand on the Bible, the other in shit.
3 Likes
DOJ attorneys representing Trump in his capacity as president wrote in the brief.
Right here is the problem with this whole thing. DoJ should not be representing this Pissant in Chief in his capacity as a private business owner. Those profits he’s taking in are not being taken in his capacity as Pissident. He should have his own fucking lawyers fighting this case. My tax dollars are helping him defend his shady conflict of interests with a matter that was in the works before he became Chief Pissant. Now that he’s Pissident, that Post Office turned hotel should have been out of his reach in every fucking way and the lease terminated under his name. This representation by the DoJ is only muddying the matter further, by giving him the imprimatur to proceed with the government’s authority, and again, paid for with our tax dollars.
36 Likes
Obama’s books were not purchased by foreign governments in $100,000 increments.
20 Likes
Also he donated profits from his books and didn’t write them while in office.
15 Likes
I would like to remind people that Jimmy Carter had to sell his peanut farm to avoid any semblance of conflict. Sell it.
30 Likes
They come for the emoluments, they stay for the PeePee mattresses.
2 Likes
Why are DOJ Attorneys defending Trump? I don’t understand why DOJ would be responsible for defending Trump in this case. In fact, they should be defending the PEOPLE to protect us from being hoodwinked by a criminal.
10 Likes
Here’s your clear line, buddy: Obama didn’t own the publishing company.
18 Likes
Emoluments are basically tribute, and all the moral implications that come with it. Presidents are allowed to exchange trinkets of notional value but even that can have huge meaning. Finland’s long-serving president, Urho Kekkonen, had roomfuls of junk collected on his travels, which he had to keep as a conversation piece if the leader from the gifting country ever returned. He said his favorite gift was from Lyndon Johnson, who gave him a National Geographic Map set, which he kept on his office wall. In its day, it was the equivalent of Google Maps. The weirdest gift was from a central African head of state, an ashtray made from the hand of a mountain gorilla. Over the decades, the perversity of the gift only continues to sink in. I think those who pay tribute to Trump now need to be very conscious of the long-term problems raised by such gifting. It can put you on the wrong side of everything.
12 Likes
Yes, there is also the basic need for shelter–protection from the elements, and security from scoundrels and wild animals.
1 Like
Some our fellow TPM groupie/lawyers have suggested that the NY AG will go after the Trumpians under RICO. I can’t wait.
13 Likes
But it’s immigrant Mexican children who threaten our freedom.
10 Likes
They come for the 66 thread-count sheets and the stale mints swiped from other hotels.
8 Likes
That’s too awesome for words!
4 Likes