The Saudi Payments to Trump Are More Important than the Suspected Egyptian One

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As you know, I was calling on the press to focus on the suspected $10 million payment Egypt made to Trump before it was cool — since even before the WaPo significantly advanced the story over a month later.

In the aftermath of Trump’s shitshow presser last week, a slew of people have started calling on the hand–picked set of journalists who’ll attend today’s presser to focus on the Egyptian payment.

It is important that Trump face questions about it.

But, in my opinion, that’s not the most important financial windfall to question. The ongoing Saudi funding of Trump is.

There are four payments of interest:

  • The $2 billion investment in Jared Kushner’s investment fund after Mohammed bin Salman overrode the recommendations of advisors who pointed out he’s unqualified and was charging too much.
  • The LIV golf tournaments hosted at Trump properties; while Forbes has estimated the tournaments were a minimal part of Trump Organization revenue, they put Trump at the center of a Saudi influence-peddling racket that was too toxic for even Vivek Ramaswamy.
  • The freebie branding deal for a development in Oman, for which Trump has already pocketed $5 million.
  • The more recent deal — with the same government-connected construction firm as the Oman deal — for a Trump Tower in Jeddah.

There are a bunch of reasons why the Saudi payments are more important.

First, while the Egyptian payment does seem to have coincided with increased coziness on Trump’s part for Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the Saudi/Gulf influence-peddling was orchestrated even earlier by Tom Barrack (and assisted by Paul Manafort). There’s good reason to suspect the autocrats of the world are at least chatting openly about efforts to reinstall Trump, because he will undermine democracy and human rights.

The Jared investment, especially, looks like a quid pro quo for America’s help downplaying the Jamal Khashoggi assassination. That is, that payment, at least, looks like a specific payoff, a payoff for letting Mohammed bin Salman chop up a US resident journalist with a bone saw.

As noted, Trump’s involvement in LIV really legitimized a clear Saudi influence-peddling racket.

The branding deals in Oman and Jeddah parallel the free money Moscow Trump Tower deal that was fairly clearly an attempt to purchase Trump (and put Trump back in the business of selling money laundering vehicles to corrupt people again).

The branding deals are especially troubling given the closer involvement of Eric and Don Jr in Trump’s campaign this time. Will Trump do what he did the last time, and install his children in the White House and give them access to classified records they would otherwise never be cleared to access?

And finally, there are the missing stolen documents. According to the indictment, Trump took boxes of documents with him to Bedminster after he hid them from Evan Corcoran (and he had the classified Iran document with him the previous summer in Bedminster). As ABC reported last month, Trump snuck back to Mar-a-Lago, a trip witnesses described was an effort to check on his stolen documents. Then, weeks later, the Saudis arrived for their golf tournament. By all accounts, there must be documents outstanding, and one possible explanation for their disappearance is they left the country.

Finally, and most simply, Trump has not (as far as I’ve seen) even remotely addressed what he will do with his existing Saudi deals if he is elected in November. Even if he agreed to shelter himself from the business (assuming, of course, that he doesn’t give either Don Jr or Eric a job in the White House), we would have to assume he was lying, just like he lied the last time.

We literally do not know whether Trump would enter the White House as a business partner, an employee, or an unregistered foreign agent of the Saudis.

The Saudi financial tie is ongoing and prospective. That makes it a far more urgent issue than a payment that may have been made over seven years ago.

Update: Amicus12 adds another reason to worry about the Saudi deals: Trump’s past efforts to strike a nuclear deal with the Saudis, which could be used to get nukes.

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96 replies
  1. Tom Richardson says:

    And yet, for any other candidate, a $10 million campaign payment from a foreign country would tank their campaign

  2. Amicus12 says:

    There are two other prior items worth considering.

    Trump, Tom Barrack, Flynn and Manafort proposed to transfer US nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia outside the restrictions of the Atomic Energy Act and the associated non-proliferation commitments for such transfers. While dressed up as a nuclear power plant deal it appeared to many as a pathway for the Saudis to develop nuclear weapons.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/19/white-house-saudi-arabia-nuclear-technology-house-oversight-inquiry-report

    And let us not forget Kushner (Trump’s) apparent green lighting of Mohammed bin Salman’s coup.

    By all means, shine a spotlight on Trump and the Saudis.

    • Peterr says:

      With the growing Christian Nationalism, both in the narrow MAGA world and in the US more generally, Michael Flynn worries me more and more. Christian Nationalism used to be whispered about, not publicly celebrated.

      • Twaspawarednot says:

        I wonder if to many uninformed people Christian Nationalism sounds benign. Would Christian Nazism be a more apt title?

        • earlofhuntingdon says:

          “Christian Nationalism” and “Christian Nazism” are contradictions in terms. Jesus did not seek to supplant an occupying Roman army’s physical and political power. He wanted it to allow his followers to practice their faith in spite of it.

          Religion and government are separate spheres. Stephen Jay Gould described religion and science similarly. They are “non-overlapping magisteria.” They represent facts vs. values. They can inform but not replace each other.

          Religion and government represent values vs. earthly power. Values can inform the way power is expressed – Harris//Vance’s inclusionary governance vs. Trump/Vance’s menacing retribution. Power, however, tends to corrupt values. Medieval, Renaissance, and early modern era religions wars exemplify the contradiction.

        • Ebenezer Scrooge says:

          Some people use the word “Christianist” instead of “Christian” in this context. This parallels the word “Islamist”, and for the same reason: these far-right movements use religion as a mask.

      • gmokegmoke says:

        Christian Nationalism will work about as well, over the long term, as Jewish Nationalism seems to be working in Israel. I don’t know how you have a Jewish/Christian/Moslem/Hindu…. state with equal rights for all citizens, even the ones who aren’t Jewish/Christian/Moslem/Hindu….

        • John Lehman says:

          “ I don’t know how you have a Jewish/Christian/Moslem/Hindu…. state with equal rights for all citizens, even the ones who aren’t Jewish/Christian/Moslem/Hindu….”

          Something the whole world needs to come together and figure out, whether religious or not.

          Working with the U.N. would help.

      • ShallMustMay08 says:

        Me too. I was 17 when Iran took over with their stuff and have never let my eye off them. Much like HC Richardson reminds/helps us understand the south with the legal compromising in the halls of power before Sumter. My own opinion but J6 was first shot. We have a reactionary country from our start.

        First I’ve seen in my life a possibility of another path forward: the calling out the BS and contrary class clearly and promptly. I see as the most progress and I am not pulling back in courtesy ever again.

    • Rayne says:

      The Trump administration also attempted to terminate a tracking program for extracted resources roughly about the time Kushner attended a pajama party with MBS in fall of 2017.

      U.S. Office of Natural Resources Revenue sent a letter to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a multinational effort to reduce corruption by increasing transparency around payments made by fossil fuel companies to foreign governments. The U.S. had been an implementing member since 2014.

      There was a LOT more the Trump administration attempted to do on behalf of KSA. I just don’t think we’ve gotten a grip on all of it.

    • Bugboy321 says:

      Not to put a military jargon spin on this (sorry, not sorry!) but it’s a “target rich environment”, which might be a feature not a bug? You can’t put us all in jail! (My inner voice says “wanna bet?”)

    • Error Prone says:

      The Saudi nuclear power plant situation continues. Item from Sept. 2023 — https://www.csis.org/analysis/saudi-request-us-nuclear-cooperation-and-its-geopolitical-quandaries

      That item suggests competition for the Saudi business is still ongoing, and Saudi non-processing of spent fuel rods matters. Plutonium in the rods can be extracted, bomb ready, without enrichment of uranium as the Iranians are doing. Currently only Russia is doing commercial fuel reprocessing, US activity re Plutonium being non-commercial. https://www.lemonde.fr/en/energies/article/2022/12/03/russia-owns-the-only-plant-in-the-world-capable-of-reprocessing-spent-uranium_6006479_98.html suggests Russia has the only reprocessing now. Hanford had done reprocessing, and during the Soviet Union collapse nuclear weapons were removed by Russia from Ukraine positioning and Russia sold Plutonium to the US from downsizing its nuclear force, in order for Russia to have foreign exchange. The Yeltsin years. https://www.lemonde.fr/en/energies/article/2022/12/03/russian-nuclear-energy-the-industry-that-has-gone-unsanctioned-by-the-west_6006474_98.html indicates Russian reporcessing has not been sanctioned. Vox in 2017 published that Flynn envisioned U.S. and Russian companies cooperating to build out Saudi nuclear power plants – https://www.vox.com/2017/12/6/16743476/michael-flynn-russia-sanctions

      As to Kushner greenlighting the coup, I’ve seen reporting, but did not try to retrace it. Just that they had talks before Royal Family members were sequestered in that luxury hotel until each was on track with MbS and allowed out, presumably each under terms and conditions.

      • Lit_eray says:

        France has recycled nuclear fuel for a long time. Stopped in 2013 and resumed in 2018 and recently started a reactor on 100% recycled fuel. https://{space } world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/French-reactor-using-full-core-of-recycled-uranium

      • xxbronxx says:

        How will the Israelis react to nuclear-power in Saudi Arabia? I remember Project Opera where the Israelis destroyed a reactor deal inside Iraq. With the Saudis a major-player in state-sponsored terrorism, I think Israel would need major concessions, what ever they may be, before they’d allow a. nuclear Saudi Arabia.

    • Fred Zimmerman says:

      The nuclear deal is a side issue. Saudi Arabia can purchase nukes from Pakistan anytime it wants, if it has not already done so.

      • Lando314 says:

        IMO I think Pakistan gets more leverage and money by keeping their nukes. I recall a general saying that they had Saudis back with the nukes.

    • zscoreUSA says:

      As far as “Kushner (Trump’s) apparent green lighting of Mohammed bin Salman’s coup.”… I think it’s wayyyy more interesting than what is generally discussed.

      The Saudi coup took place days into the Q posts that just began on 4 Chan. A Saudi “Storm”, as Q pressed the 4 Chan crowds desire for “The Storm” to occur by Trump against his enemies.

      Days earlier, Kushner jetted away to Saudi Arabia, likely arming MBS with intelligence needed to wage the Saudi Storm.

      But something else that I think is even more interesting, which I noticed while researching into the origins of Qanon.

      I believe that Kushner received intelligence from the CIA, to trade to MBS, in exchange for Trump agreeing to not not declassify all of the JFK Files. And this is one reason why Roger Stone hates Kushner.

    • Ginevra diBenci says:

      To me, the most disturbing aspect of Trump and Elon’s bro-chat was their blithe dismissal of nuclear war and its repercussions as any big deal. After referencing those alive now in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Musk concluded “it’s not so bad” to drop a bomb or two…You know, wherever.

      I’ve been surprised at how little (none that I’ve seen) comment this interchange generated. If you’re a multi-billionaire, or even a faux one like Trump, apparently you imagine you can insulate yourself from the literal fallout–much the way Trump’s rich backers believe they will be immune to the worst consequences of his prospective return to office.

      • Rayne says:

        Trump, Musk, and their fascist ilk don’t believe a nuclear bomb will ever affect them directly. Just like all their other policies will never affect them negatively. They believe they are the default and only the irregular or marginalized will be affected.

        It’s not just that these dudes with resources believe they can save their butts with a pricey bunker. It’s that they can’t ever see themselves as the bad guys, the targets, those who may be damaged by whatever they cook up. Look at the marks who have been persuaded to buy Trump University and Tesla trucks — neither Trump nor Musk actually use and rely on these products.

    • Savage Librarian says:

      Something to keep in mind is our military relationship with the Saudis (and Emirates.) I think this might have had an impact on why Bill Barr hired Michael Sherwin. It’s my understanding that the two of them first met in Pensacola, FL after the terrorist attack on the naval air station there in December 2019.

      I have only a very tenuous understanding of our relationships in the Middle East, but I do know they are very complicated. For some examples see below:

      “In a milestone for military partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia, the first class of Royal Saudi Air Force officers completed an intensive electronic warfare training course March 5, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas.”

      https://www.aetc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3724765/jbsa-graduates-first-cohort-of-saudi-electronic-warfare-officers/

      “US to Provide Military Training to Saudi Arabia Under $1B Deal”

      https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/12/26/us-military-training-saudi/

  3. ToldainDarkwater says:

    My take is that the MAGA crowd do not think they can win via legitimate efforts. But their sense of righteousness demands that they must win. So they must cheat. And that makes Trump a perfect candidate for them, since he apparently gets away with cheating all the time.

  4. Memory hole says:

    I don’t understand how Donald Trump can even get the security clearance to do the job of President. When I try to look up felons getting the clearance, it seems that financial crimes are one of the larger red flags due to possibility (higher likelihood) of future compromise. And that is before all these financial and nuclear smoke trails that emptywheel tracks around him.

  5. afisher_27JUL2024_1159h says:

    MSM has decided that they must now focus on Harris because she has not had a press conference, so sadly, they are proving they appear incompetent to addressing the selling of US to Saudi’s. :-(

    [Welcome back to emptywheel. SECOND REQUEST: Please choose and use a unique username with a minimum of 8 letters. We have adopted this minimum standard to support community security. Because your username is too short it will be temporarily changed to match the date/time of your first known comment until you have a new compliant username. Thanks. /~Rayne]

    • JanAnderson says:

      Harris should make them wait, and wait again, she’s busy. Very very busy.
      Let their clown guy shoot himself in the foot meantime.
      After all they got what they wanted hounding Biden relentlessly for weeks.
      Time for a slap back. Fuck ’em.
      Biden did a great thing meantime re prescription drugs.

  6. earlofhuntingdon says:

    Forbes may consider the LIV golf tournaments a “minimal” part of the Trump Organization’s revenue. But it could only conclude that by relying on Trump’s unaudited claims about his finances. As Rayne might say, Trump’s golf course finances are a hot mess and quite possibly centers for money laundering.

    But cash from LIV is found money, for a guy whose liquidity has always been frail. Politically, though, as EW emphasizes, the LIV revenue puts Trump at the center of Saudi influence-peddling. Toxic is Trump’s middle name.

    • Rayne says:

      It’s not just the money laundering through the golf resort business.

      Imagine what it takes to set up a tournament event — lots of trucks. Nobody watching the trucks. Trucks that could carry contraband and pallets of cash.

      • earlofhuntingdon says:

        Absolutely. Trump considers disciplined organization a weakness, largely because it’s beyond him. He,rather LIV, will probably have outsourced such things to competent vendors. Otherwise, players, agents, advertisers, and broadcasters would abandon the tournaments.

        But imagine the opportunities. As you say, tents, marquees, trucks and transportation are everywhere. Tons of equipment moving in and out. (Trump could probably move Ivana’s coffin half a dozen times without being noticed.) A lot of vendors being paid – or stiffed. Endless opportunities to network among sponsors, advertisers, and agents. Money everywhere, and within networks of movers and shakers, like IMG, that make millions though aggressive tax…planning for their clients.

      • e.a. foster says:

        Nukes for Saudi, what a wonderful idea. Just what the world needs another country with a mind set of the stone age having nuclear weapons. Of course as a business person and lacking some sort of moral center, Trump just is about the money and power. If Americans are dumb enough to re elect him, they will get what they deserve. On the other hand, children don’t vote and they’ll be impacted the most. The world will not be a better place if Trump winds up in the White House. I don’t wish him ill health but on the other hand I’m not wishing him good health either.

        As to that term, “christian nationalist”, don’t know why its used. It does not make any sense unless the idea is to promote christianity above all other religions. Their belief system is so out of wack with reality, yes it makes sense that people who believe that b.s. will believe anything.

        Interesting about the golf courses all those trucks, tents, etc. a few years ago, the blog announced it was a “free for all” day and people started suggesting how money could be laundered via golf courses. It was a fun time. Don’t think the Saudi golf thing had transpired yet. Oh, well perhaps if the Saudi’s get tired of Trump he too will wind up like the journalist.

    • Rugger_9 says:

      I’m also not so sure that Forbes also considered the overseas courses as well as US ones. IIRC, Convict-1 bought these in cash with obscure funding that triggered the Green Party in Scotland to agitate for an Unexplained Wealth Order investigation.

      As noted elsewhere, financial strain is a classic leverage method and for someone as feral as Convict-1 he will do whatever the pro quo is for the quid.

    • Spencer Dawkins says:

      I really like your characterization of the LIV payoff as “found money”. Trump does nothing that he wouldn’t do without being paid, and he collects checks. Excellent.

      I actually came here to snark about

      As noted, Trump’s involvement in LIV really legitimized a clear Saudi influence-peddling racket.

      Is “really legitimized” the right word? I’d gladly accept “gave cover for”, but “Trump” and “really legitimized” should never appear together in the same sentence.

    • commonphoole says:

      Being the best in anything involving golf also appeals to Trump’s vanity which may mean as much to him as money.

      • earlofhuntingdon says:

        It certainly appeals to Trump enough that he cheats at golf, on every hole, in order to claim that he’s good at it. He’s the best at lying. Anything else, not so much.

    • zscoreUSA says:

      The Saudi LIV project also has another angle to support Trump.

      To pay for the LIV golf association, and later takeover PGA, the Saudis had to raise oil prices. And we have all seen and felt the economic impact and US domestic political impact.

      So a double-whammy of Saudi support for Trump.

  7. Error Prone says:

    The Saudi thing is ongoing, a gift that keeps giving. For el-Sisi he might have just opposed Clinton, 2016. There was the Mubarak ouster, suggestions Huma Abedin had Muslim Brotherhood ties, the intervening government before el-Sisi ousted it, as cause he might have had to favor the non-Clinton candidate. Making it look more like a one-shot thing, if proven at all. Huma Abedin has all but disappeared from the face of the earth since the Clinton 2016 loss, in terms of any public persona.

  8. ApacheTrout says:

    The Supreme Court legalized bribery as long as it’s done after the fact. To me, the Saudi investment in Kushner’s portfolio fits that description perfectly.

  9. Thomas_H says:

    I recall an endorsement made by the Saudi government before the 2016 election. It stood out to me because it only mentioned that they trusted trump because he came from a good family, or words to that effect. The statement by the Saudi’s stands out to me more now given all the ties they have with Trump that are being uncovered by dogged work by Marcy. I’ve searched for the actual quote for the past several months without success. Does anyone here have a link to the quote?

  10. Spencer Dawkins says:

    Marcy,

    I always struggle to find the most important point you make in your posts, because there are so many candidates for “most important”. In this post, I’m focusing on

    The branding deals are especially troubling given the closer involvement of Eric and Don Jr in Trump’s campaign this time. Will Trump do what he did the last time, and install his children in the White House and give them access to classified records they would otherwise never be cleared to access?

    You said this in another post today:

    Whether the dossier was comprehensive matters (particularly given that a law firm also involved in Trump’s criminal defense completed it). It matters, most of all, because Trump has swapped the mediocre Ivanka as his primary familial advisor for the incompetent Don Jr, and the failson had a key role in picking JD.

    If Ivanka was the familial advisor in the first Trump administration, and if she doesn’t return, I’m more worried about Don Jr. and Eric in a second Trump administration – especially since Eric probably won’t have much to do as the figurehead for the court-supervised Trump Organization, so would be much more available to help Donald and Don Jr. make stupid choices as President.

  11. Sussex Trafalgar says:

    Excellent piece!

    Jared Kushner, his father Charlie Kushner, Netanyahu, Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump and Roman Abramovich, Putin’s closest personal oligarch friend, have been close friends for years.

    Abramovich and Putin have helped the Kushners, the Trumps and Netanyahu become business associates of MBS and the Saudi Royal Family.

    Organized crime syndicates, like Putin’s and MBS’s, by their nature, are authoritarian and anti-democratic.

    If necessary, MBS can remove the Trump name from any building in Saudi Arabia within two hours. And Trump knows that.

    As long as Trump has something to give of value to MBS other than the Trump name, MBS will continue paying Trump and the Kushners.

    The question has always been what thing or things of value does MBS covet that Trump can give him.

    The US secrets that Trump had access to as president of the US are coveted by MBS. So is loyalty to the Royal Family.

    • Clare Kelly says:

      Thanks for your comment.

      In terms of:
      “The question has always been what thing or things of value does MBS covet that Trump can give him.”

      Marcy wrote:
      “Update: Amicus12 adds another reason to worry about the Saudi deals: Trump’s past efforts to strike a nuclear deal with the Saudis, which could be used to get nukes”

      That resonates.

      Trump trashed the Iran Nuclear deal.

    • SteveBev says:

      Relatively minor matters in the grand scheme of Trumps subsequent interactions with Saudi Arabia, but Trump’s opening gambits in courting Saudi interest and money

      August 2015 creating 8 Trump Organisation subsidiaries with Jeddah in the title indicating vehicles for Trump hotel business ventures in the Kingdom

      “2015 campaign rally in Alabama on the same day that he formed four of the Jeddah companies, Trump said: “Saudi Arabia, I get along great with all of them. They buy apartments from me. They spend $40 million, $50 million. Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much.”
      Similarly, during a January 2016 Fox News interview, Trump stated in reference to any potential future Iranian incursion in the region, “I would want to protect Saudi Arabia. But Saudi Arabia is going to have to help us economically.””

      https://www.americanprogress.org/article/trumps-conflicts-interest-saudi-arabia/

      • earlofhuntingdon says:

        Pretty sure Trump was using the personal and royal “we,” and not referring to the US government’s national interests.

        • SteveBev says:

          I am pretty sure that ‘us’ is not ‘the U.S.’
          except in the Trumpian sense that it’s always Good for America
          when potentates shower benefits on me and mine.

  12. OldTulsaDude says:

    An oddity of his narcissism is that Trump can be subservient to MBS but view himself as the king of deal making because in the tit for tat his tat is no loss to him as it is not real money but US secrets.

  14. rattlemullet says:

    Many thanks for this post reminding all that TFG is a National Security risk. I feel that this is the most over looked story about the one man crime wave. He has absconded with some of the most sensitive National Security documents that America possesses and to date American jurisprudence has been impotent in its pursuit of justice. To me this represent a complete failure of the judicial branch of the Constitution. With the SC making up new laws about immunity for presidents only further exacerbates the failure of the Constitutions weakness in holding presidents to account. As pointed out in the comments the ruling seems tailor made to cover Jareds two billion dollar Saudi bonus check and provide immunity cover for his other financial crimes while in office. The man used the government to enrich himself while in office.

    Our only hope is a resounding defeat at the ballot box this November. That he and many of the republican office holders are swept from the field into ruin. I hold out very little hope for our judicial branch unless a resounding democratic victory wakes everyone up.

    One more point TFG is already laying out in full public view a second attempt at an insurrection. Will the press be as oblivious this time at last. America has a difficult time recognizing a coup not done as an arm rebellion.

    • Anna da Milano says:

      Aren’t there still documents missing? NARA should have received in Jan ’21 the complete list of documents the WH clerks gave to NARA and the list of documents the clerks knew were missing. FBI collects some of them from MAL, checks the list, and knows what’s still missing. Why haven’t we seen a search warrant for Bedminster?

  15. Matt Foley says:

    It’ll take a lot more than $billions to Trump to distract me from James Biden’s $40,000 paid to his brother. Nice try.
    /s

  16. timbozone says:

    Thanks for keeping on this point. Basically, Trump is for sale. The question than is if and where the installment payments are coming from. Definitely the Saudi’s seem to be buying…

  17. Clare Kelly says:

    “Column: The full truth of 9/11 is still emerging
    A lawsuit by 9/11 families has revealed new evidence of Saudi Arabian involvement. Congress should investigate — again. “

    [snip]

    “In the case’s latest development, the plaintiffs won a ruling in June that forced into public view material further implicating the Saudis. It’s material that the FBI inexplicably didn’t give the bipartisan 9/11 Commission created after the attacks.”

    Jackie Calmes
    LATimes
    August 15, 2024
    https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-08-15/sept-11-saudi-arabia-hijackers-world-trade-center-nancy-pelosi

  18. RitaRita says:

    Follow the money.

    For the most part, the corporate news media has been AWOL on investigating and reporting on Trump’s many actual and potential conflicts of interest. When John Bolton warned his subordinates to stay away from Trump’s drug deals, what did the corporate media think he was talking about? I believe it was John Bolton who said that Trump’s foreign policy was transactional, the transactions were meant to benefit Trump first and then, maybe the U.S.

    But the news media chases down the possibility that Hunter Biden used his father’s name to open doors.

    My current guess is that the journalists are just plain lazy. And their editors are not going to push them. If the facts that Trump’s long time CFO has been jailed twice and the Special Monitor issued a scathing report about operating failures don’t register on the media’s radar, I doubt that they will get excited about Trump’s selling foreign policy for his own gain.

    • e.a.foster says:

      Reporters work for large corporations who are in the business of making money and advancing their interests. The employer is not going to print anything which would interfer with that so why do the work to begin with and get fired.

  19. JanAnderson says:

    The nepotism, corruption, was right inside the WH on full display with the daughter and crooked son in law throughout Trump’s term. What the fuck?
    The media accepts, normalizes. For near 9 years. And now so do Americans – no not all, but too many.

  20. earlofhuntingdon says:

    Probably worth a read:

    According to his twice-delayed mandatory financial disclosure forms, “Donald Trump deep in debt while foreign money keeps coming….Trump reported debts between $346 million and $455 million throughout 2023, from a legal judgments and property mortgages.” The principal pot of gold he seems to have left, the value of which might fluctuate mightily, would be his holdings in his DJT media company

    Those debt numbers sound low. He owes E. Jean Carroll over $85 million, and the state of NY over $450 million. Both judgments are being appealed. Both amounts keep growing until paid, unless one or both are reversed or substantially lowered on appeal. His cash on hand seems to be between about $11.5 and 54.5 million. So, yeah, press reports notwithstanding, his LIV golf tournament income would make a big contribution to that.

    https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25045785/candidate-report-donald-j-trump-2024-part-3.pdf
    https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-financial-disclosure/
    https://apnews.com/article/trump-civil-fraud-verdict-attorney-general-cf9df608a576d561393b4ceeac4cae3a

    • earlofhuntingdon says:

      The Guardian’s assessment of Trump’s long-awaited financial disclosure form. Needless to say, the disclosure rules need tightening up and greater specificity to be useful – and they need teeth. Long delays receive earn no consequence, which defeats the purpose of the rules.

  21. harpie says:

    O/T I don’t like this AT ALL:

    Secret Service Pulls From Biden’s Protective Team to Guard Trump
    In the aftermath of an assassination attempt last month, the agency has shifted members of President Biden’s protective team to the Trump campaign. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/15/us/trump-secret-service.html Kate Kelly Aug. 15, 2024

    […] The reassignment of members of a president’s team to a candidate is unusual, said a Secret Service official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential policy matters. But the increased threat of violence against Mr. Trump, combined with Mr. Biden’s recent reduced travel schedule, made the step both necessary and feasible, the official added.

    A White House spokesman had no immediate comment, and a Trump campaign spokeswoman declined to comment. […]

      • Frank Anon says:

        His father, through Affinity, is buying up incredible amounts of apartment buildings all over the country. It was reported they bought half of the available apartments in Lake Charles, Louisiana which seems weird because a series of hurricanes made that place virtually worthless. Its the kind of transaction that makes you go hmmm. Apparently there are more like that

  23. zscoreUSA says:

    Good point about referencing the Mid East Marshall Plan to get nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia.

    Literally the first thing I thought of when nuclear information was brought up wrt Mar a lago docs. I recalled things like the naming of Qanon itself, Elijah Cummings report, and the firing of National Nuclear Safety Administration officials immediately after the 2020 election, which got scant coverage in the shadows of other election antics and Patel & Cohen-Watnick’s placements. One of the Nuclear Safety officials was replaced with Michael Pillsbury, of the Heritage Foundation, and also the man who, while Parnas was just arrested, confirmed & retracted to the Financial Times that Trump was seeking & receiving Biden election dirt from China.

    11/6/20: https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-2020-election-results/2020/11/06/932376507/trump-dumps-3-agency-leaders-in-wake-of-election

    12/9/20: https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2440831/statement-on-new-appointments-to-the-defense-policy-board/

    MBS later vowed to Fox News he will do anything, including “sportswashing”, if it will lead to an increase in Saudi GDP.

      • harpie says:

        Thanks for the article link, SL!
        From that and the linked article re: RITTER

        1] SIMES [FBI search 8/13/24 to at least 8/16/24] …
        2] Nixon [and therefore, in my opinion, STONE] …
        3] TRUMP 2016 …
        4] SIMES mentioned more than 100x in 2019 Mueller Report …
        5] PUTIN 2023 …
        6] 8/6/24 Scott RITTER meets with JUNIOR Bobby
        7] 8/7/24 Scott RITTER – FBI raid in Delmar, NY “part of an ongoing investigation”

    • harpie says:

      Search for SIMES at Emptywheel:

      12] 12/18/17 Why Republicans Launched the GSA Email Attack Now
      11] 5/29/19 Mueller’s Emphasis: Russia’s Greater Than Two Efforts to Interfere in the Election
      10] 9/15/19 Mike Flynn and Jared Kushner Had Remarkable Success at Avoiding the CIA Asset
      9] 12/22/19 How Putin Got in Trump’s (And So, All of Our) Head
      8] 3/4/20 The Recruitment of Jared Kushner
      7] 10/12/20 Roger Stone’s Remarkable Interest in Donald Trump’s Foreign Policy
      6] 1/16/21 The Mike Flynn Interviews (Updated)
      5] 5/13/21 The Mike Flynn Interviews, with Backup
      4] 9/5/21 Rick Gates’ Interviews
      3] 9/9/21 How Rick Gates Used Maggie Haberman and Ken Vogel
      2] 9/22/21 John Durham is the Jim Jordan of Ken Starrs
      1] 4/24/22 Confirmed: John Durham Has Withheld Discovery That DOJ Already Disproved His Claims of Political Malice

    • harpie says:

      Maybe another FBI investigation target [again]: Erik PRINCE:

      BREAKING: Trump Insider Erik Prince is Being Investigated by the FBI for Illegal Arms Sales, Money Laundering, and Contacts with Foreign Military and Intelligence Agencies, Sources Say Over the past two decades, Blackwater’s founder has been investigated and charged many times, but never convicted. The feds are probing Prince again and are said to be moving fast.
      https://www.washingtonbabylondc.com/p/breaking-trump-insider-erik-prince
      Ken Silverstein Aug 16, 2024

      […] There’s no way to know if this time will be any different – or, I need to emphasize, if the present allegations are true as I have no direct evidence that shows that – but the feds are said to be pursuing the case aggressively. Whatever the ultimate outcome, it’s worth keeping an eye on how things develop with the latest investigation as Prince, the brother of former President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, is a major Republican donor and was an unofficial advisor to his victorious 2016 campaign when he defeated his challenger, the epicly hapless Hillary Clinton.

      If Trump defeats Kamala Harris in November and returns to the White House next year, Prince, who has close ties to MAGA World heavyweights such as Michael Flynn, Steve Bannon, and Roger Stone, would once again have a seat in the inner circle. Prince was seen holding court at last month’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where he was the main attraction at a dinner at a local steakhouse hosted by Personnel Policy Operations – motto: “We Arm, Prepare, and Defend Conservative, America First Public Servants” – which included a conversation about “the threat of political lawfare.” […]

  26. Savage Librarian says:

    JarDon Gate

    JarDon Gate,
    Wrought iron fate,
    The case that’s never closed.

    Spook the market,
    Spook the target,
    Spook the Holy Ghost.

    In like Flynn,
    Pretend to win,
    Mask what was supposed.

    Toss a Stone
    to Prince alone:
    A Bann on who will boast.

    Watch for Mitch
    to scratch the itch
    of butts that he likes most.

    Super-duper
    Barr abuser
    wormed into its host.

    Investigate,
    Subjugate,
    Bet on who will coast.

    Spook the market,
    Spook the target,
    Spook the Holy Ghost.

    JarDon Gate,
    Wrought iron fate,
    The case that’s never closed.

    May 16, 2020

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