Maybe he should have helped cater Jared and Ivanka’s wedding.
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Absolutely. I doubt the GOP gives a rip about Russia. But they are desperate to hold onto the official power that makes them valuable to their wealthy paymasters. Russia’s money spends as well as Sheldon Adelson’s (once it has been laundered by Trump).
I seem to recall that, when I was a kid, the Republican party was vociferously anti-Russia. I guess that was a combination of Cold War mentality and being in the pockets of the weapons industry. I don’t yet have a coherent narrative that describes the shift away from that, except to say that the GOP has been eager to offset its diminishing popular support with financial support, and so has naturally gravitated towards the small cadre of astronomically wealthy donors, and the tunnel vision they have for cash has gradually replaced sincere statesmen with pliable agents-for-hire.
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Hmmmm… Looking to gain further inroads to the military market for the future?
“Calk was little known in political circles, even in Chicago. He built a mortgage business in Kansas with his brother John by focusing on military veterans. He moved the bank’s headquarters to Chicago in 2014 after being promised millions in grants and tax credits from the city.”
Or maybe he wanted the job as a stepping stone. He’s clearly presidential material!
“In a 2015 deposition in the lawsuit, Lorber described Calk as difficult to work with and reluctant to take responsibility for his shortcomings. At one point in his deposition, Lorber called Calk’s version of events ‘completely delusional.’”
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What if the scantily clad women are Russian spies?
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Mister Roth? He would say, “Business is business.”
I’m sure he was eminently qualified. Playing Call of Duty and all that. Probably aced the game.
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I think I’ve figured out the Judge’s game. He wants to be seen as a crusty old codger, and in the end will throw the book, the bookshelf, and the whole bench at Manafort.
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If Steven Calk knew the Manafort loan was fraudulent and he isn’t scheduled to testify at this trial, they must have other evidence supporting that. It might also mean that Calk himself is in legal jeopardy.
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I believe this is what’s known as “being presidential.”
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The GOP has fully absorbed the demographic formerly known as the Dixiecrats. They are the philosophical and actual descendants of the Confederacy, and for about 100 years were inconditionally members of and voters of the Democratic Party because of their spite over Abraham Lincoln being a Republican. But, when LBJ managed the passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts in the mid 60s, the demographic began its migration to the Republican Party, and Ronald Reagan accelerated this migration. Being that they are white nationalists and have always been of split loyalty (as they no doubt accused Japanese US citizens of being), and being hardball realpolitik types, once Russia passed from Communism to Laissez Faire Capitalist Darwinist Kleptocracy, the GOP writ large has no problem with accepting Putin Regime Money to advance its hold on power in this country notwithstanding its lack of a majority . Anyway, my not very humble theory.
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Ellis said that if they are photos of them at a cocktail party with scantily-clad women, that such evidence would not be allowed, apparently speaking hypothetically.
Call me paranoid, but this seems to me to be yet another instance of Judge Ellis projecting a Trump protective position of prejudicial evidence. Because, while I have never ever seen a picture of Paul Manafort with a scantily clad woman (or man, for that matter), I have seen …a number of pictures of Donald Trump with scantily clad women. So again, Judge Ellis, WTF?
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This development supports your thesis.
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Oy.
Not to self-promote, but I would be interested to hear your take on this recent post of mine.
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Absolutely. Also—questioning prosecutors’ motives—wtf?! Just wondered how many times he’s done that when prosecutors are trying to get low level drug dealers to flip on higher ups. Fox News sure reveled in this guy’s earlier proclamations. Can’t help but wonder if they know something we don’t.
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What if the pictures are of scantily clad Manafort and Yanukóvich? Would those be allowed?
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The list of government exhibits includes a bunch of emails from late July and early August regarding Calk and TFSB, beginning with document requests for Manafort’s financials and ending with requests for Calk’s resume and professional bio. Hmmmmm.
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No. Unless you want projectile vomiting, heads popping off necks, and blood gushing from…well, everywhere…
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Submitting fraudulent information to qualify for said loan is prosecutable. That’s the bank fraud charge.
FDIC protects our deposits in case of bank failure, etc.
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