In falsehood-filled video, Trump voices worry about N.Y. investigations targeting his finances
By CHRIS SOMMERFELDT

He’s in a New York State of fright.

President Trump released a lengthy, falsehood-filled video on Wednesday in which he expressed worry about the various fraud investigations that await him in New York once he leaves office.

Trump spent the better part of the 46-minute video recycling his baseless claims about “fraud” in the 2020 election, but about halfway through the fact-challenged rant, the outgoing president went off on the myriad investigations that have shadowed his time in office.

“The investigations never stopped. They went on for four years, and I won them all, I beat them all. Russia, Russia, Russia, the impeachment hoax and so much more,” he said.

Apparently cognizant of the fact that he’ll be out of office on Jan. 20, Trump continued, “These same people that failed to get me in Washington have sent every piece of information to New York so they can try and get me there.”

The only New York prosecutor Trump called out by name was State Attorney General Letitia James, who’s investigating the president and his namesake company over allegations that he inflated and deflated his assets to secure illegal tax breaks and bank loans.

“The New York attorney general who recently ran for office campaigned without knowing me, stating we will join with law enforcement and other attorneys general across this nation in removing this president from office. I never met her,” the Queens-born president said. “All it’s been is a big investigation in Washington and New York and any place else that can investigate.”

James fired back within minutes.

“Unlike the president and the unfounded accusations he hurled today, we are guided by the facts and the law, and the politics stop at the door. Period,” the state AG said in a statement.

James isn’t the only New York prosecutor Trump has to worry about, though.

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Jr., has signaled in court papers that he’s investigating Trump and his company over various bank, insurance and tax fraud allegations that span decades.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, meanwhile, named Trump in court papers as a conspirator in a criminal pre-2016 election hush money scheme, in which ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen paid off women who were threatening to go public with allegations about extramarital trysts with the soon-to-be president.

Trump’s concerns about New York comes as he’s reportedly mulling whether to issue preemptive pardons for his three adult children, son-in-law and personal attorney Rudy Giuliani. Trump — who won’t be protected from prosecution once he’s no longer president — has also been rumored to be considering a pardon for himself.

However, unlike the Cohen-linked hush money probe, the James and Vance investigations involve state crimes, which cannot be pardoned, preemptively or otherwise.

In an apparent effort to rally his supporters, Trump said the web of investigations are meant “to take, not me, but us down.”

“That’s what they want to do,” he said. “We can never let them do that.”

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politi ... story.html

So we've got Eric deposed over the Virginia property with the flexible values and now Ivanka for the inauguration con. Both of them are probably thinking, "This is unfair. Laws apply to the little people, not to us." The sad thing is they're probably right. If anybody goes down for these shenanigans it will be some clerk somewhere, not the mighty Trumps.

What jim said.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/03/trump-considers-more-pardons-442727?utm_campaign=wp_the_daily_202&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_daily202


Trump mulls preemptive pardons for up to 20 allies, even as Republicans balk

The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, meanwhile, named Trump in court papers as a conspirator in a criminal pre-2016 election hush money scheme, in which ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen paid off women who were threatening to go public with allegations about extramarital trysts with the soon-to-be president.

I've always been curious about this. Why would it be illegal? Seems to me it would just be a contract between two individuals. You constantly hear about settlements where the parties have Non Disclosure Clauses and nobody calls them illegal.

Because there were questions about campaign finance laws

Don't want to start a new thread

Trump campaign and the GOP dumped over a million dollars at his properties as his election prospects bottomed out: report/
By TOM BOGGIONI

According to a report from the Washington Post, Donald Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee spent just over a million dollars at properties owned by the president while his election prospects foundered in the polls presaging a loss at the polls.

With the report noting that the Trumps enriched themselves to the tune of $6.7 million from donors that funneled into the properties over four years, it appears the spending accelerated in the last three months.

“The filings from Trump Victory — a fundraising committee managed by Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee — show $1.06 million in new spending at Trump properties in September, October and November. Trump’s own campaign, which files a separate spending report, reported spending another $66,000,” the report states while noting that details — so far — remain sketchy about where the money was specifically spent and for what.

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The report goes on to state, “…there were several bills in excess of $100,000 for facility rental and catering.”

“Trump visited his own properties nine times in the last weeks of his campaign: He held fundraisers at his golf clubs in Bedminster, N.J., and Doral, Fla.; announced endorsements at his hotel in Las Vegas; and spent nights at the Las Vegas and Doral properties, as well as his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., between campaign stops,” the Post reports. “Those trips were the final stops in a long series of trips that allowed Trump to convert campaign donations into revenue for his own company — which has struggled with empty rooms, lost customers and declining revenue at some properties since he took office. Trump’s first 2020 fundraiser, held back in June 2017, was at his hotel in Washington.”

The report on self-dealing comes as first daughter Ivanka Trump is being scrutinized as part of the D.C. attorney general’s lawsuit probing potential misuse of the Trump 2016 inauguration fund.

You can read more here.

SOURCE

Safe to say he's running scared

Trump sues to stop New York Attorney General investigating him for fraud
The suit calls Letitia James' investigation "a thinly-veiled effort to publicly malign Trump and his associates"
By JON SKOLNIK

Donald Trump on Monday filed a lawsuit against Letitia James, the New York attorney general probing Trump's business practices, claiming that her entire investigation is politically motivated.

The suit, filed in federal court in upstate New York and first reported by The New York Times, broadly claims that James' civil inquiry violates Trump's constitutional rights and specifically asks a judge to put an end to the proceeding. The attorney general's mission, the suit says, "is guided solely by political animus and a desire to harass, intimidate, and retaliate against a private citizen who she views as a political opponent."

"The investigations commenced by James are in no way connected to legitimate law enforcement goals, but rather, are merely a thinly-veiled effort to publicly malign Trump and his associates," he suit adds.

According to CNBC, the offensive "paints Trump, his family and his business as victims of a 'bitter crusade' by James, who has 'tirelessly bombarded' them with 'unwarranted' subpoenas."

Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba, further claimed that James "has ....

https://www.salon.com/2021/12/20/sues-t ... for-fraud/

New York Attorney General eyeing early January deposition of Trump: report
Tish James wants to depose Trump over alleged fraud that "permeated the Trump Organization"
By JON SKOLNIK

ew York Attorney General Letitia James is looking to depose Donald Trump as part of the state's civil probe into the widespread fraud that allegedly "permeated the Trump Organization."

James has requested that Trump provide testimony on January 7 of next year in hopes of gleaning more information around claims that Trump overvalued many of his assets to secure underserved loans from various financial institutions, according to The Washington Post. Trump also allegedly lowered the value of his assets on tax forms in a bid to reduce the Trump Organization's tax burden.

Back in 2012, the Post reported, Trump told the IRS that 40 Wall Street – also known as the Trump Building – was worth $16 million. But in talks with lenders just a few months later, the former president claimed that the same property had a whopping $527 million price tag. Prosecutors are also apparently scrutinizing other properties owned by Trump in California – and their investigation appears to be extensive. For one of Trump's golf clubs in the Golden State, prosecutors have reportedly asked specialists for geology reports analyzing the sediment under the greenery, which may have impacted the property's total value due to multiple landslides.

James' office still has yet to personally accuse Trump of ...

https://www.salon.com/2021/12/09/new-yo ... mp-report/

From FB (Occupy Democrats)

“Donald Trump will be indicted for racketeering, tax-fraud, bank-fraud, and insurance-fraud in New York; he will be indicted for attempting to interfere with an election in Atlanta; and he will be indicted for sedition in Washington. Trump will be convicted in all three cities by the testimony of his closest associates.

The New York Attorney General, Leticia James, has subpoenaed Donald Trump to be deposed in a civil fraud investigation. It appears that prosecutors intend to indict Trump in both civil and criminal cases. Attorney General James has been working closely with The Manhattan District Attorney who empaneled the 1st Grand jury last May to hear evidence of the Trump Family’s criminal activities in New York. This Grand Jury, (empaneled by retiring Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus Vance,) indicted the Trump Organization—(of which Trump and his 3 eldest children are officers)—and also indicted the Trump Family’s Chief Financial Officer. The Trump Organization and its CFO were indicted for Tax-Fraud, Grand Larceny, and other felonies.

Since July, this Grand Jury has been busy hearing testimony from a parade of Trump employees. It is not yet known which of these employees have flipped and agreed to testify against their boss. Before the end of Vance’s term on December 31, this Grand Jury is expected to indict multiple employees, officers and members of the board of directors of the Trump Organization—including personal indictments of Donald, Ivanka, Junior and Eric Trump.

In early November, a 2nd Grand Jury was empaneled in Manhattan to investigate the difference between the value Donald Trump reported for each property on his tax filings and the value he claimed on the same property with insurance carriers.

The newly elected Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, will lead the prosecutions of those indicted by both the 1st and 2nd Manhattan Grand Juries.

Alvin Bragg has a successful history of holding the Trump Family responsible for fraudulent activity—including a principal role in shutting down the Trump Family Foundation after the Trumps “redirected” Not-For-Profit cash gifts donated to fight childhood cancer to Trump’s political campaign coffers.

A Grand Jury in Fulton County, Georgia empaneled to hear evidence that Donald Trump led a criminal enterprise to interfere with the counting of ballots in Georgia’s November 3, 2020 elections will end Trump’s Presidential aspirations.

Fulton County District Attorney, Fani Willis has a recording of Donald Trump committing the felony. She will put Brad Raffensperger—and every other Georgia Official that Trump pressured to change the vote—in the witness chair. She will subpoena Lindsey Graham, and each of Trump’s other co-conspirators. Most will flip and testify against Trump to avoid prison. Those that choose to avail themselves of their 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination, will be immunized by the court and directed to testify. It will not take long for Trump to be indicted in Georgia.

The indictments in Atlanta and New York will be followed by other criminal indictments. The District Attorney in Westchester, New York has opened a criminal investigation into Donald Trump’s finances at his Westchester golf club. Working with two former Trump insiders, the Westchester District Attorney has uncovered what is believed to be a Million Dollar Insurance Fraud.

The Congressional investigation of Trump’s attempt to overthrow the government on January 6, 2021, and Scotland’s investigation of money laundering brings the number of Donald Trump’s known criminal investigations to five. Prosecutors are preparing to indict Donald Trump in Atlanta, Manhattan, Westchester, Edinburgh, and Washington, D.C.”

- Donovan Marley

who is this mythical "we" and "us"?

Manhattan DA Subpoenaed a Forbes Editor – He Testified About Trump’s ‘Decades-Long Fixation’ With Reports on His Net Worth
David Badash

An editor at Forbes reports Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance subpoenaed him “to appear before the grand jury investigating Donald Trump.”

Randall Lane Friday morning reveals he “was asked to testify about the 2015 cover story I wrote chronicling his ...

https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.c ... net-worth/

Trump just can't stop losing. And it's set to continue.
Jessica Levinson

The familiar maxim “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” that we pass along to our children encourages resilience and perseverance in the face of failure. We have reason to think someone encouraged former President Donald Trump to take the expression to heart, and, unfortunately, he did.

There are few truisms in life, but here’s one: Trump is litigious. Very litigious.

The many lawsuits Trump and his allies filed in 2021, the vast majority of which he lost, provide a case study in perseverance. Trump persevered despite the fact that doing so was often irrational and immoral.

There are few truisms in life, but here’s one: Trump is litigious. Very litigious. Before the 2016 election, a USA Today analysis found that he and his businesses had been involved in 4,095 lawsuits over three decades, and in more than 2,100 of those suits as the plaintiff.

Lawsuits, even ones that are destined to fail, can still lead to ....

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... id=winp-st

Ivanka Trump and Don Jr. slapped with subpoenas, refuse to comply with fraud investigation
2022 is off to an apparent bang
By JON SKOLNIK

Donald Trump's eldest children have been subpoenaed by New York Attorney General Letitia James as part of her civil investigation into the Trump Organization's finances, asking both Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump to provide private testimony.

The subpoena was originally issued on December 1, according to a document filed Monday. As The New York Times points out, that is when it was first revealed that the former president had been asked to sit down with James' legal team. According to Monday's court filing, both Don Jr. and Ivanka Trump appear to be ...

https://www.salon.com/2022/01/03/ivanka ... stigation/

Just an aside but the "Trump" name has finally been scrubbed from the former "Trump International Tower" in Vancouver. Now the people owning the condos think they might be able to sell them though they will likely take a loss since they are still paying strata fees for the restaurant and hotel which have been closed for about two years.

the brand has negative worth at this juncture. at least among anyone with any business sense.

The only thing about "the brand" - Trump was smart enough to attach his brand to everything so if they bring him down all of those loans (billions of dollars worth) become worthless.

Reminiscent of the old saw about "If someone defaults on a $200 loan they're in trouble but the guy that defaults on a $200 million loan is too big to fail".

NY State AG refuses to back down from her Trump probe
Liv Barker

Former President Donald Trump has been out of the White House for nearly a year, but he continues to face investigations from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office to Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s select committee on the January 6, 2021 insurrection. Another is the continuing civil investigation of Trump’s finances by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. According to Rolling Stone, in a piece published on January 11, writer Peter Wade alleges that Trump and his attorneys are “pulling out all the brakes” to prevent James’ inquiry from proceeding.

James’ influence on Team Trump became clear on Monday, January 10, when Trump’s attorneys filed a lawsuit against ...

https://vozwire.com/ny-state-ag-refuses ... ump-probe/

Isn't a State Attorney General's job to "weaponize" her oath of office to root out and stop crime. I like the Trump brats response to being called to give depositions for the investigation... "oh, we can't do that. She'' find out we're crooks."

any progress on this case? this one interests me quite a bit.

New York AG Finds ‘Significant Evidence’ Donald Trump Committed Fraud — and Files Motion to Force Him to Testify
John Wright

The New York attorney general’s office filed a motion Tuesday aimed at forcing former president Donald Trump to testify as part of an ongoing probe into his company’s financial dealings.

In addition to the former president, the motion seeks to compel the testimony of his son Donald Trump Jr. and daughter Ivanka Trump, as well as the production of documents. According to a news release from the AG’s office, “each of the individuals was directly involved in one or more transactions under review.” The release notes that earlier this month, the Trumps filed a motion seeking to ...

https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.c ... o-testify/