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Author Topic: Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2  (Read 290733 times)

Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2
« Reply #5944 on: September 22, 2022, 10:11:48 AM »
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'A sham built on lies': CNN's John King delivers blunt summary of NY AG's accusations against Trump

CNN host John King on Wednesday bluntly summed up New York Attorney General Letitia James' allegations leveled against former President Donald Trump's business practices.

Speaking after James announced her civil lawsuit against Trump that alleged decades' worth of tax fraud, King said that the lawsuit portrays Trump's business as a wholly illegitimate enterprise.

"Letitia James, outlining a nearly 300-page lawsuit filed against the former president of the United States, Donald Trump, and his children, alleging that the Trump Organization is a sham built on lies," he said. "Lies to banks, lies to insurance companies, lies to the state of New York about the valuation of Trump Organization properties."

Legal analyst Shan Wu later chimed in to note how meticulously the lawsuit had been put together over the span of several years, and he particularly zeroed in on the detail that Trump had tripled the reported size of his own Penthouse in Trump Tower in order to justify giving it a higher-than-merited valuation in financial documents.

"What really strikes me about this complaint is how well documented this is," he said. "There are facts you can't spin your way out of. Claiming that the penthouse, for example, is three times the square footage that it is, there's no way that you can spin your way out of that."

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Re: Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2
« Reply #5944 on: September 22, 2022, 10:11:48 AM »


Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2
« Reply #5945 on: September 22, 2022, 10:16:13 AM »
A possible criminal case against Trump 'looks like a good case so far': former White House lawyer



Former acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal addressed New York Attorney General Letitia James's recent announcement that she was filing civil charges won't land Donald Trump in prison. One of the things that James said while giving her briefing about the 200-page legal filing is that there are criminal actions that could be charged and that she was referring it to the Southern District of New York for their investigation.

Speaking to MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace, Katyal explained that there might be serious criminal probes forthcoming.

"On page two, the attorney general isolated a list of federal crimes she thought were potentially violated," he said. "And the thing this lawsuit did was collect all the reporting from our friends on this show, but then add to it all the evidence from the accountants, the evidence from the CFO and others, and it's tremendous. It's a case based on a huge amount of paperwork, which is unlike a lot of the other investigations that trump has faced, where his allies can just make up stories to protect him. This is based on cold facts with paperwork that is under the Trump Organization."

He referred back to the reports that Trump was flushing documents down the toilet at the White House and it clogged the pipes requiring plumbers. Katyal joked Trump probably wishes he could flush some financial statements down the toilet again.

"There's a big difference between what's going on in this attorney general suit and a criminal one," Katyal explained. "And one part of it is the burden of proof. Which, in a criminal case, is beyond a reasonable doubt. The very high standard that the prosecution has to show for all sorts of good reasons before you can put someone in jail. But there's a -- and the civil case is just a preponderance of the evidence, 51 percent or something like that. As I say, this New York one is a civil case, so, the standard of proof is lower, but the other piece about it is all these times that Donald Trump and his family took the fifth amendment. Hundreds of times in the new york attorney general's investigation. In a criminal case, because of our Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination, you can't have some sort of inference when someone takes the Fifth Amendment, but in a civil case, you can."

So, Katyal suggested, that a prosecutor might let the civil lawsuit unfold before taking the next steps.

"It seems like a good criminal case at this point, based on what I'm seeing in the complaint," he closed.

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Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2
« Reply #5946 on: September 22, 2022, 10:22:29 AM »
Key detail in Trump's NY fraud case is 'particularly damning': legal expert



One of the key details alleged in New York Attorney General Letitia James' civil lawsuit against Donald Trump will make it incredibly difficult to defend against, a legal expert explained on CNN on Wednesday.

The attorney general's lawsuit "alleges that Donald Trump, with the help of his children Donald Trump, Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Eric Trump, and senior executives at the Trump Organization, falsely inflated his net worth by billions of dollars to induce banks to lend money to the Trump Organization on more favorable terms than would otherwise have been available to the company, to satisfy continuing loan covenants, to induce insurers to provide insurance coverage for higher limits and at lower premiums, and to gain tax benefits, among other things."

One detail concerned Trump's personal apartment in Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

"Valuations of this property relied on objectively false numbers to calculate property values," the attorney general's office argued. "For example, Mr. Trump’s own triplex apartment in Trump Tower was valued as being 30,000 square feet when it was 10,996 square feet. As a result, in 2015 the apartment was valued at $327 million in total, or $29,738 per square foot. That price was absurd given the fact that at that point only one apartment in New York City had ever sold for even $100 million, at a price per square foot of less than $10,000, and that sale was in a newly built, ultra-tall tower. In 30 year-old Trump Tower, the record sale at that time was a mere $16.5 million at a price of less than $4,500 per square foot."

That detail was noted by Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, who was interviewed by CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

"Where does this fall in the scope of current and potentially looming lawsuits against the former president?" Blitzer asked.

"Well, Wolf, this is a big deal and although it's not a criminal case and people will focus on the Mar-a-Lago investigation, because that could lead to criminal charges, this could still lead to hefty fines and the possible disillusion of the Trump Organization," Aronberg replied. "Remember, the reason why Donald Trump's charity, the Trump Foundation, isn't around anymore is because the attorney general, Letitia James, is the one who sued to dissolve it."

"And this case does appear strong and pretty compelling and I think the extent and magnitude of these incorrect valuations couldn't be mistakes or rounding errors and one thing I think is particularly damning the allegation that he inflated the square footage of his own apartment from 11,000 feet to 30,000 feet," Aronberg noted.

"People lie, but tape measures don't," he concluded.

In 2017, Forbes magazine published a story by Chase Peterson-Withorn titled, "Donald Trump Has Been Lying About The Size Of His Penthouse." Peterson-Withorn went on to be subpoenaed by the Manhattan District Attorney.

Petson-Withorn noted the New York attorney general's lawsuit came, "seven years to the day after then-candidate Trump insisted to me that his penthouse was 33,000 square feet."

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Re: Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2
« Reply #5946 on: September 22, 2022, 10:22:29 AM »


Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2
« Reply #5947 on: September 22, 2022, 10:41:46 AM »
NY AG James @NewYorkStateAG

Today, I filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump for engaging in years of financial fraud to enrich himself, his family, and the Trump Organization.

There aren't two sets of laws for people in this nation: former presidents must be held to the same standards as everyday Americans.

Actions have consequences. We're seeking to:



➡️Make Trump pay $250 million.

➡️Ban the Trumps from running NY businesses for good.

➡️Ban Trump and Trump Org from buying commercial real estate in NY for 5 yrs.

➡️We're making a criminal referral to the U.S. Dept of Justice.


With the help of Donald Jr., Eric, Ivanka, and other defendants, Trump variously unlawfully inflated and deflated his net worth by billions to obtain and satisfy loans, get insurance benefits, and pay lower taxes.

In short, he lied to gain massive financial benefits for himself.

We found that Trump, his family, and the Trump Org used fraudulent and misleading asset valuations over 200 times in 10 years on his annual financial statements.

These statements were then used to obtain hundreds of millions of dollars in loans and insurance coverage.

Trump's crimes are not victimless.

When the well-connected and powerful break the law to get more money than they are entitled to, it reduces resources available to working people, small businesses, and taxpayers.

Our suit against Donald Trump and the Trump Org alleges a years-long financial fraud scheme.

Here’s how Trump generated false and misleading values on his annual financial statements, which were then used to pay lower taxes, guarantee loans, and get better insurance rates:



➡️Using objectively false numbers to calculate property values.

For example, Trump's apartment in Trump Tower is 10,996 square feet.

Yet, he said it was 30,000 square feet to value it at $327 million. A New York City apartment had never sold for that much.


➡️Ignoring legal restrictions on properties.

At Trump Park Ave, he valued 12 rent-stabilized units at market rate, inflating the value by 65 times.

At Mar-a-Lago, he ignored development restrictions to claim the property was worth $739 million.

Its value is about $75 million.


➡️Using schemes to increase the values of his golf clubs.

One such scheme was to add an inflated 15-30% Trump “brand premium,” but then claim that a brand premium was not included on his financial statements.


➡️Claiming he had cash available to him that he did not. 
 
For several years, Trump reported money in a partnership as liquid cash. In truth, he was a minority owner with no control of the money.

statements.


➡️Using fraudulent values to inflate net worth and gain benefits.

Trump’s annual financial statements included fraudulent values and were used for his own financial gain.

For example, he saved about $150 million by receiving favorable interest rates based on the statements.


Actions have consequences. Along with referring the criminal violations we uncovered to the U.S. Department of Justice, my office is seeking to:

- Ban Donald Trump, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric from serving as an officer or director in any New York business.

- Ban Trump and the Trump Org from acquiring real estate in NY for at least 5 years.

- Force Trump to pay $250 million in profits made from this fraud.

- Install a monitor to oversee the Trump Org's financial dealings for at least 10 years.

- Bar Trump and the Trump Org from applying for loans from any financial institution chartered in NY for at least 5 years.

As Attorney General of New York, I made a promise to ensure the rule of law applies equally to everyone, even a former President of the United States.
 
No one is above the law.


https://twitter.com/NewYorkStateAG/status/1572626241756217347

Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2
« Reply #5948 on: September 22, 2022, 02:59:30 PM »
Trump's family ran 'a fraud business with a sideline in real estate': Trump University investigator

On Wednesday's edition of MSNBC's "The ReidOut," Tristan Snell, the former New York official who helped investigate Trump University, broke down the severity of the civil allegations against the former president and members of his family announced by state Attorney General Letitia James.

The suit is the culmination of years of investigation into the former president's family business, which has been accused by former Trump insiders of keeping two sets of books and lying to banks, government agencies, and insurers about the value of various assets and properties.

"How significant is this, and does Trump have any defense here?" asked anchor Joy Reid. "Because this seems like he was doing this in the open for a really long time."

"It really looks like the Trump family was running a fraud business with a sideline in real estate, as opposed to the other way around," said Snell. "Like, it actually might have been, like, disparities in the valuations of their properties may have been their biggest source of paper, revenue, or assets. Like, this is insane. The disparities that we're talking about here are not just 10 percent. It's not rounding up. It's not saying, oh, you know, this is worth $147 million, we're going to say it's worth $150 million. No, no, no, no. This was 1000 percent bigger. 3,300 percent bigger. If any of us did this, we wouldn't just be liable for fraud, we'd be headed to jail. This would be the equivalent of an American saying that the appraisal says your house is worth $300,000, and then you turn around and say, oh, it's actually worth $30 million, it's actually worth $100 million, and thinking you're going to get away with that."

Even worse for Trump, argued Snell, he has effectively already admitted to the wrongdoing that James is alleging in the lawsuit.

"The question that you had about, like, you know, exactly what defense does he have here, the problem is that escape hatch is really gone because he had to plead the Fifth," said Snell. "The fact that he pled the Fifth to 440 different questions means that he doesn't really have any legs to stand on here, because anything that he might say in defense, the AG's office is going to be able to say, well, you already basically admitted to it because every time he said, 'I plead the Fifth,' substitute the words, 'I did it, it was me, I confess.'"

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Re: Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2
« Reply #5948 on: September 22, 2022, 02:59:30 PM »


Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2
« Reply #5949 on: September 22, 2022, 10:02:33 PM »
Trump is 'bizarrely' making claims that may force Merrick Garland to indict him: Conservative analyst



On Thursday, writing for the National Review, conservative legal analyst Andrew McCarthy argued that last night's ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit nullifying Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon's block on the DOJ's classified document investigation may have actually been a blessing in disguise for the former president — by relieving him of the need to make spurious legal claims that only put him in further jeopardy.

"It would be hard to fathom a more conclusive rejection of Judge Cannon’s ruling, notwithstanding that the government’s appeal challenged just a slice of it," wrote McCarthy. "The Eleventh Circuit panel observed that on the most critical question before the court — namely, whether the government had exhibited a 'callous disregard' for Trump’s constitutional rights — even Trump did not claim such a thing, and Judge Cannon concluded there was no such evidence. That alone would have been sufficient grounds to deny Trump’s special-master petition, let alone to carve the classified documents out of it."

The ruling only addresses the Justice Department's narrow request to allow them to review the documents marked classified; the special master, Senior Judge Raymond Dearie of Brooklyn, will continue to review the other thousands of documents for privileged material. Nonetheless, it is a legal defeat for Trump, who has demanded the classified information be returned to him and privately raged to his attorneys about the loss of "my" documents — even though he doesn't actually own them.

Even so, argued McCarthy, the appeals court decision is "probably doing Trump a favor" in the long term.

"As I detailed in a column on Wednesday, Judge Dearie seemed poised to order Trump’s counsel to provide evidence to back up the claim that the former president declassified the documents," wrote McCarthy. "With the Eleventh Circuit panel having now concluded both that Trump failed to proffer such evidence and that, in any event, Trump had no cognizable interest in retaining the classified intelligence, the point is moot. Since Dearie will not weigh privilege issues in connection with the classified documents, there is no need for Trump to try to persuade him that the documents are not classified."

"Bizarrely, Trump is apt to take that as encouragement to keep publicly claiming that he has declassified the documents," wrote McCarthy. "In the long term, those assertions are likely to be used as evidence against him. In the short term, they strengthen the hand of Justice Department prosecutors who are trying to persuade Attorney General Merrick Garland that Trump should be indicted."

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https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/appeals-court-thoroughly-rebukes-federal-judge-in-ruling-on-mar-a-lago-files/

Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2
« Reply #5950 on: September 22, 2022, 11:41:24 PM »
Trump is 'done' and 'I'm not sure he's going to escape jail': presidential historian



A history professor who has predicted every presidential election correctly since 1984 said that he believes former President Donald Trump is "done" in politics and may not escape jail time after he was sued in New York for alleged real estate fraud.

American University history professor Allan Lichtman told The Irish Times that Trump cannot win another election because of his legal burdens.

“He's done,” Lichtman said. “He’s got too many burdens, too much baggage to be able to run again even presuming he escapes jail, he escapes bankruptcy. I’m not sure he’s going to escape jail.”

Harvard University law professor Laurence Tribe said that the lawsuit has sent the Trump Organization into a meltdown because it seeks to bar many members of his family from running a business in New York.

Tribe said the lawsuit "involves things of particular significance to Trump and his family and his organization, namely their ability to defraud the public, to defraud banks, to defraud insurance companies, and to continue to subsist through corruption."

"Without all of that corruption, the entire Trump empire is involved in something like meltdown," he added. “Trump is probably more concerned with things of this kind than he is with having to wear an orange jumpsuit and maybe answer a criminal indictment … As a practical matter, this is probably going to cause more sleepless nights for Mr. Trump than almost anything else.”

Read More Here:

https://www.irishtimes.com/world/us/2022/09/22/hes-done-how-donald-trumps-legal-woes-have-just-gotten-a-lot-worse/



'When they go to trial, I see them waving a white flag': Trump biographer and legal expert warns heirs of legal danger



Biographer of Donald Trump, David Cay Johnston, explained Thursday that "The Donald" isn't the only one in a tough position as he heads into court over the fraud alleged by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Speaking to MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace, Johnston, along with former assistant Attorney General Harry Litman explained that the so-called children of Donald Trumps aren't minors, they're the executive vice presidents of his company. They had specific projects under the Trump Org. and were said to have taken over the business while Trump was in the White House.

"So, this is one of the things that James has really added to the public record," Litman explained. "People like David and Michael Cohen have given the general kind of parameters of the way they ran their business. But James has, you know, Eric and Ivanka -- by the way, took the 5th 500 times. So, all those problems for him. Ivanka, who, by the way, has political ambitions. So, that increases the pressure on her and Donald Jr. all have specific projects that Trump parcels out to them to take responsibility for. It's laid out in real detail in the 200-page complaint. So, it will be very hard to run away from."

Litman explained that there will be questions about whether the heirs can be peeled off and willing to save themselves up against their father or the other sibling. That could be difficult in this situation because the family is likely to split.

"They have not just the title but the responsibility and in the case of the fraud for the particular projects they were responsible for, the proof is very strong against them," he continued.

Johnston explained that one concern is likely whether the sons will be thrown under the bus by their father, "if it becomes convenient to do so." He noted that the elder Trump has never had a problem doing something like that if it means he can escape.

"And if push comes to shove, I expect he will do exactly that," said Johnston. "So, the two sons are not minor players here. They ran the business as Donald said. They worked with him for years. This is a complete change from when they were teenagers and his mom divorced their mother and they denounced him. But with very high-paying jobs, he drew them back. I don't think the two sons could go out in corporate America and get jobs with anywhere near the pay and methods that daddy has provided them with."

For Eric Trump, in particular, was allegedly involved in a lot of the deception that took place in the Trump Org.

this actually goes to trial," Johnston confessed. "If Trump agrees to close the Trump Organization, pay the discount of $250 million in penalties that are sought, then I think that's the more likely outcome in this because the factual case that Attorney General James laid out is apparent that key insiders walked away with the civil vision."

Litman noted that the next move would likely be a crazy legal motion just as he's had in previous cases.

"I think she can exact a very, very high price for them to settle," Litman also explained. "I think it has to be, and it may not be for a year or two. He always likes to delay. But when we're looking at trials, I see them waving a white flag."

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Re: Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2
« Reply #5950 on: September 22, 2022, 11:41:24 PM »


Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2
« Reply #5951 on: September 23, 2022, 04:07:19 AM »
Insider warns Trump's serious cognitive problems revealed in Hannity interview



Former President Donald Trump appears to be suffering from cognitive impairment, a former top Trump Organization insider explained on CNN on Thursday evening.

On Wednesday evening, Trump told Fox News personality Sean Hannity he could declassify documents telepathically. Trump's claim was met with scorn and derision, described as "obscenely reckless," and disputed by GOP senators.

For analysis, CNN's Sara Sidner interviewed Michael Cohen.

"There's something very different about Donald Trump today than the Donald Trump I remember at the Trump Organization," Cohen said.

"I think cognitively there's something seriously going on. He's so worried about what's going on, not just in this case but in all of the cases, that I really do believe that cognitively there's something going on there because nobody, even Donald -- he's not stupid enough to believe that you can mentally declassify documents," Cohen explained.

"He knew what documents were there. I mean, there's nuclear documents and we don't even know which ones that they are, we don't know what country they relate to," Cohen said. "And I believe he took those documents and all of them in order to use against the United States in the event that he is indicted or potentially incarcerated. "It's a 'get out of jail free' card. "

"There's nothing that he won't do to protect himself because he doesn't care about anyone else other than himself," Cohen said. "In fact, he'll let his kids go down before him. He'll let them fall on the sword the same way he let me fall on the sword. That's who he is."

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