Trump Crime Family Members To Begin Testimony In New York Fraud Case

 

At long last, members of the Trump Crime Family will begin to testify in the New York civil fraud trial starting today:

... The relationships between Trump and his three eldest children are likely to be on display over the next two weeks, as Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka are all scheduled to take the witness stand in the civil fraud trial in New York over the Trump Organization’s business practices. Donald Jr., 45, is up first, scheduled to appear on Wednesday; Eric Trump, 39, is scheduled to appear the following day, and Ivanka Trump, 42, on Nov. 8. Trump himself is scheduled to testify on Monday.  [snip]

Trump’s adult sons are co-defendants and will probably face questions on the stand about whether they knew of or participated in efforts to pump up the value of company properties on financial statements. Ivanka Trump is likely to be asked about, among other things, her and Deutsche Bank’s role in helping the Trump Organization redevelop the Old Post Office property in D.C. into a luxury hotel.

Control over at least part of the siblings’ collected fortune could be on the line. James has asked that a judge bar Trump and his three eldest children from running New York businesses, buying real estate and taking out loans, and fine them $250 million.

A lawyer for Ivanka Trump did not respond to a request for comment, and a lawyer for Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump declined to comment...

We fully expect the crime family members to take a leaf from the Malignant Loser's playbook in their appearances:

In his initial deposition before the attorney general, Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions for fear of self-incrimination more than 400 times, using it for every question.

Can you say "I take the fifth," or "I don't recall," or "I'm a concrete guy"? 

Of course, as Judge Engoron has repeatedly pointed out, the determination that the Trump Crime Family organization engaged in fraud has already been established.  This phase of the trial is to determine how much of a financial bath to give the organization, and ultimately the shutting down of its operation in the State of New York.

That, as many have pointed out, is what gnaws at the Malignant Loser most:  the kneecapping of his business "empire" and hit to his "fortune." (Recall that he went ballistic recently when Forbes dropped him from their list of the wealthiest 400 Americans, again.)   His claims that the suit is "hurting his children" is risible, since he's a raging sociopathic narcissist who would gladly throw any or all of them under a bus to save his worthless orange hide.

Let the testimony games begin --

Happy Trump Family Starts Testifying in Their Fraud Business Trial Day to all who celebrate 🎉

— Karen Schwartz (@pithywidow) November 1, 2023

 

Boy, I tell you: if the fate of MY financial empire rested on the testimony of slack-brained Don Jr. and Eric trump, LMAOOOOOOOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/C7TadEVBhK

— BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) November 1, 2023

 

 

Monday Reading

As always, please go to the links for the full articles/ op eds.

Yesterday, we noted the determination of simpleton Donald "Rump" Trump to escalate his trade war with China.  It seems the public mood in China is to fight back hard:

A dock worker from the eastern port city of Ningbo said he wants China to stand unflinchingly against President Trump’s demands.  

A salesman in Beijing hopes his country will keep punching back in the commercial ring — even if it hurts his wallet. 

And a coffee shop owner in the Chinese capital said Trump’s tariffs have inspired her to retaliate at the store: She’s swapping U.S. products for Chinese brands. 

As the trade war between the world’s two largest economies unfolds on the international stage, analysts say Trump’s brash approach to try to win concessions from Beijing has provoked a public fury that could ultimately thwart his efforts.  (our emphasis)

The damage the malignant fool causes in every sphere he touches will last long after he's gone.

Keep digging, you irredeemable, hypocritical bastards:

President Donald Trump’s team plans to attack the credibility of professor Christine Blasey Ford, who came forward with her account of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s alleged sexual assault on Sunday, by emphasizing that the accusation has surfaced at the end of the confirmation process and that Ford didn’t tell anyone about the alleged attack at the time, according to a Sunday Bloomberg report. [snip]

Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley has already laid the foundation for the White House’s plan, saying through his spokeswoman in a statement that is is “disturbing that these uncorroborated allegations” have come to light just before the planned committee vote on Thursday. 

The allegation is corroborated, both with detailed notes from Ford’s therapy session years ago and with a passed polygraph test administered by the FBI.

It's the go- to Republican playbook: smear attacks on the victim to "win" at any cost.  Let's make sure the cost is the House and Senate this year.

Speaking of irredeemable bastards:

.@DonaldJTrumpJr is making fun of an alleged sexual assault victim. The next time a Republican friend asks me why their party is having trouble with women right now, I may direct them to this Instagram post. pic.twitter.com/9tXjUUajaD

— Nick LaFave (@NickLaFave) September 17, 2018

The greasy f*ckwad didn't fall far from the tree.

The WaPo has a visual story on the absolute devastation in the Carolinas from Hurricane Florence, with still pictures, video and text.  Please take a few minutes to click through, and remember, whether it's the Carolinas or Puerto Rico, we have to be all our brother's keepers.

Protests involving national anthems isn't just an American phenomenon.  In this case, it's someone you might not expect in a place you might not expect (found via Infidel 753):

Now new headlines are made by someone who refuses to stand when an anthem is played, but this time it’s a nine-year-old girl in Australia who protests against the content of the anthem itself. The schoolgirl was given detention last week for “blatant disrespect” over her failure to participate with classmates during assembly when the song was rendered at Kenmore South State School in Brisbane. 

Harper Nielsen has stirred controversy after refusing to stand for Australia’s national anthem in protest to “institutional racism”; she claimed the song “Advance Australia Fair” ignored the nation’s indigenous people, taking issue with the opening lyrics to the anthem, which read: “Australians all let us rejoice, for we are young and free. “When it says ‘we are young’ it completely disregards the Indigenous Australians who were here before us for over 50,000 years,” she said. “When it was originally written, Advance Australia Fair meant advance the white people of Australia,” she added.

The Aussie national anthem was written by Peter Dodds McCormick in 1878, so you can believe young Nielsen's interpretation as being on the money.  Her stance has, of course, agitated the local loons on the Aussie right.  ("F*ck your feelings.")

Speaking of Infidel 753, we would again refer you to his comprehensive link round-up, where you can find "various interesting stuff" he came across over the past week, like the item above.  Always a good destination.

Firehose Fatigue, Cont.

Some recent items out of the daily blast of WTF from the Trump regime firehose, presented with minimal comment:

American Lyin'

President Trump boasted in a fundraising speech Wednesday that he made up information in a meeting with the leader of a top U.S. ally, saying he insisted to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the United States runs a trade deficit with its neighbor to the north without knowing whether that was the case. [snip]

The Office of the United States Trade Representative says the United States has a trade surplus with Canada. 

Very Stable Genius, cleanup on aisle PA-18:

While in St. Louis, he [Trump] told donors, "The young man last night that ran, he said 'oh, I'm like Trump. Second amendment, everything. I love the tax cuts, everything.'" 

"He ran on that basis," Trump further claimed. "I said is he a Republican? He sounds like a Republican to me."  [snip]

Conor Lamb campaigned:
1. For universal health care
2. Against Trump’s tax cut 
3. For expanded background checks
4. For stronger unions
5. Against cuts to Social Security
6. For a woman’s right to choose
7. For medical marijuana

“Conservative Democrat.” Ok. Cool.

— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) March 14, 2018

He Only Plays An Economist On TV

It was the eve of the biggest economic collapse since the Great Depression. Many on Wall Street worried that a recession loomed and that the housing bubble was bursting. 

And then there was Larry Kudlow, the man President Trump just tapped to be his top economic adviser. [snip] 

“There’s no recession coming. The pessimistas were wrong. It’s not going to happen,” wrote Kudlow. “ . . . The Bush boom is alive and well. It’s finishing up its sixth consecutive year with more to come. Yes, it’s still the greatest story never told.” 

If that was the greatest story, this should be a close runner-up: Trump has just put the country’s economic fate in the hands of the man who has arguably been more publicly and consistently wrong about the economy than any person alive.

Trouble In Paradise?

Donald Trump Jr. and his wife Vanessa will be getting divorced, reports Page Six.

Run, Vanessa, run fast and far and don't look back!

"Can Somebody Help Find Donald Trump, Jr.'s, Missing Emails?" (UPDATED)

As we noted yesterday, Donald "Uday" Trump, Jr., -- greasy spawn of nitwit Putin poodle Donald "Rump" Trump -- was trying out some multi- dimensional lawyerin' language in testimony before the House Intelligence Committee. It also seems Uday is having a problem disclosing some critical email traffic concerning collusion with Russia. Stephen Colbert looks for a "concerned citizen" to help us get to the bottom of this:

TONIGHT: Donald Trump Jr. is treating all of us to a lesson in privilege, since he's an authority on the subject. #LSSC pic.twitter.com/sCGyWxlyOe

— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) December 8, 2017

UPDATE:  CNN is reporting it has its hands on yet another email linking Rump, Uday and others in Rump's campaign to hacked WikiLeaks documents:

Candidate Donald Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr. and others in the Trump Organization received an email in September 2016 offering a decryption key and website address for hacked WikiLeaks documents, according to an email provided to congressional investigators. 

The September 4 email was sent during the final stretch of the 2016 presidential race -- two months after the hacked emails of the Democratic National Committee were made public and one month before WikiLeaks began leaking the contents of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's hacked emails. 

The email came less than three weeks before WikiLeaks itself messaged Trump Jr. and began an exchange of direct messages on Twitter. Trump Jr. told investigators he had no recollection of the September email.

As Uday would explain, "Look, I never got an email, and furthermore I don't remember what was in all those emails I got."

UPDATE II:  CNN has updated its original story.

Today's Collusion Reading - Guess Who Came To The Meeting (UPDATED)

That centipede is dropping those shoes all right.

-- NBC News is reporting a new, significant detail from the meeting between oily spawn Fredo Donald "Usay" Trump, Jr., and the Russian lawyer in June 2016:

The Russian lawyer who met with the Trump team after a promise of compromising material on Hillary Clinton was accompanied by a Russian-American lobbyist — a former Soviet counter intelligence officer who is suspected by some U.S. officials of having ongoing ties to Russian intelligence, NBC News has learned. 

NBC News is not naming the lobbyist, who denies any current ties to Russian spy agencies. He accompanied the lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, to the June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower attended by Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort. 

The Russian-born American lobbyist served in the Soviet military and emigrated to the U.S., where he holds dual citizenship. (our emphasis)

Interesting detail that the "transparent" Fredo Usay omitted there. We wonder who's spilling the beans =cough= Paul Manafort =cough= and why =cough= the Feds flipped him =cough=.

-- Fredo Usay was also a phone pal with Putin- connected oligarch Aras Agalarov, who (allegedly!) set up the June 2016 meeting via his son's manager Rob "Rob" Goldstone, during the campaign:

In a late-night interview with CNN’s Jim Sciutto and Pamela Brown, Scott Balber — the attorney for Russian oligarch Aras Agalarov and his son Emin — confirmed the Agalarovs spoke President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr during the campaign. (our emphasis)

Does the intelligence community already have these conversations?

-- Despite claims by pathological liar and Putin puppet Donald "Rump" Trump, it appears at a minimum his legal team knew of Fredo's Uday's damaging email chain weeks ago:

President Trump’s legal team was informed more than three weeks ago about the email chain arranging a June 2016 meeting between his son Donald Jr. and a Kremlin-connected lawyer, two sources familiar with the handling of the matter told Yahoo News. 

Trump told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday that he learned just “a couple of days ago” that Donald Jr. had met with the Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, hoping to receive information that “would incriminate Hillary” and was “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.” A day earlier, on Tuesday, Donald Jr. released the email exchanges himself, after learning they would be published by the New York Times. 

Trump repeated that assertion in a talk with reporters on Air Force One on his way to Paris Wednesday night. “I only heard about it two or three days ago,” he said, according to a transcript of his talk, when asked about the meeting with Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower in June 2016 attended by Donald Trump Jr., Paul Manafort, then Trump’s campaign chief, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. (our emphasis)

What are the odds Rump's lawyers didn't give him a head's up?

There's nothing but rot at the heart of the Trump regime, just as there's nothing but rot in a Republican party that blindly stands for this abuse and treachery to our nation, all in order to further line the pockets of the wealthy and knee-cap the only obstacle to their plans -- the institutions of our national government.

UPDATE:  Turns out the mysterious attendee, Rinat Akhmetshin, masterminded an international hacking conspiracy.  What a coincidence!

UPDATE II:  Uday may have been caught in yet another lie about that meeting, according to Comrade Akhmetshin's account.

Doing Time

Just a guess that this is not going to be one of those Time magazine covers that Putin chew toy Donald "Rump" Trump will be displaying:

"Corruption Galore" And The Fall Of Western Democracy's Phat Beat

Steven Colbert has a "skeptical" take on the events and cast of characters surrounding oily spawn Fredo Donald "Uday" Trump, Jr.'s meeting with the Russian mob lawyer last year.

Trump Junior Was Told Russian Government Wanted To Help His Father (UPDATED)

The New York Times drops another bombshell on the empty head of oily spawn Fredo Donald "Uday" Trump, Jr.:

Before arranging a meeting with a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer he believed would offer him compromising information about Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump Jr. was informed in an email that the material was part of a Russian government effort to aid his father’s candidacy, according to three people with knowledge of the email. (our emphasis)

He was told "that the material was part of a Russian government effort to aid his father's candidacy." He didn't call the FBI. He didn't tell the sender to pound sand. What he did was round up his father's campaign manager (the deeply compromised un-registered foreign agent Paul Manafort) and his brother- in- law (Jared "Mr. Ivanka Trump" Kushner) and hustle over to get his hands on what he was told was Russian government supplied dirt on Hillary Clinton.

Again, these details are coming from sources other than the investigators from Congressional committees and the Mueller investigation, likely the same three "advisors to the White House" that were the sources of this weekend's Times reporting. It would appear there's a lot more to be revealed -- even beyond what the federal investigators are digging up. The rot goes deep in the Trump crime family.

BONUS: More good reads here, here, and here.

BONUS II:  Steve M. has the low-down on Junior's recently- hired lawyer.  A good match for the Trump crime family.

UPDATE: Junior released the text of the email (knowing the New York Times was about to release); you can follow the train here.  What's that smell? Is that smoke from a gun?!

Tweet, Counter Tweet - Skittles Edition

When it comes to the smug, entitled spawn of neo- fascist sociopath Donald "Rump" Trump, the poison Skittle didn't fall far from the tree (h/t Mock Paper Scissors):

This image says it all. Let's end the politically correct agenda that doesn't put America first. #trump2016 pic.twitter.com/9fHwog7ssN

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 19, 2016

First, if the reference to "Syrian refugees" is in the context of the suspect in the New York/ New Jersey bombings, it's a typically stupid Trump lie (the suspect came to this country as a child from Afghanistan). More importantly, the statistics show that an American has (according to the far- right Cato Institute) a 1 in 3.64 billion chance of being killed in a terrorist attack by a refugee - far greater odds than of a person dying from eating a tainted Trump steak ("allegedly!").

Likening refugees from the horrors of war and terror to poisoned candy isn't just a Junior thing.  In fact, he borrowed this meme (as he has others) from the racist alt- right.

This seems like a more accurate analogy:

just found those three poison skittles. pic.twitter.com/PqOKnVZeKU

— tom fowler (@tomfowlerbug) September 20, 2016

Thanks For Clearing That Up, Junior (UPDATED)

Now we know the real reason we won't be seeing the tax returns of neo- fascist Putin Pal and Man of Charity Donald "Rump" Trump, as explained to us common folk by his spawn, Junior:

Donald Trump Jr. says that one reason for not releasing his father’s tax returns ― a tradition followed by every major party presidential candidate in the past 40 years ― is that it would simply invite too much scrutiny from ordinary people. 

“He’s got a 12,000-page tax return that would create … financial auditors out of every person in the country asking questions that would detract from [his father’s] main message,” Trump Jr. said in an interview with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review published Wednesday.  (our emphasis)

It's the same reason Rump won't release his medical information, information about his "charitable contributions," or anything else about his shady life or business ventures.  Too complicated!  Too much scrutiny! No questions! (Actually, given the media's track record of normalizing and fluffing Rump, they shouldn't worry too much.) Meanwhile, what portion of Eric and Donald Trump, Jr.'s DNA do you suppose is reptilian:

When guys who look like this whine about too many questions, someone usually ends up with their brake line cut. pic.twitter.com/91OTNp6VQn

— Bob Schooley (@Rschooley) September 15, 2016

UPDATE:  Looks like Junior was born with a silver foot in his mouth.