Tag: Florida

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Donald Trump Russia

FBI Raids Condo Owned By Two Russians At Trump Towers In Florida

Though the Trump Tower in New York is probably much more well-known than any other property that carries the name of the indicted and twice-impeached former president/sex offender, all of the attention this week has been on Trump Towers located at Sunny Isles Beach in Florida.

On Thursday, according to The Miami Herald, FBI agents raided Trump Tower III in Florida, which just so happens to be owned by two Russians.

A squad of FBI special agents, assisted by local police, descended on Trump Tower III at 15811 Collins Ave. to carry out a search of unit 4102. It’s owned by a shell company, MIC-USA LLC, that is controlled by two Russian businessmen, Oleg Sergeyevich Patsulya and Agunda Konstantinovna Makeeva, according to state corporation records.

On Friday, a spokesman for the FBI’s Miami field office said it “was conducting court-ordered law enforcement activity in the vicinity of that location,” but provided no other information.

Sunny Isles Beach has been called “Little Moscow” because it serves as a home to a large number of Russian expatriates, some of whom expressed worries when Russia invaded Ukraine last year. In response, the U.S. government began cracking down with sanctions against oligarchs who are believed to hide their wealth by purchasing real estate in South Florida and other U.S. locations.

Trump agreed to have his name placed on the three Sunny Isles Beach condos before he became president in 2016. It was believed doing so would help promote sales of the units.

The Herald also reports that “MIC-USA … acquired the three-bedroom, three-bath condo residence at Trump Tower III for $1.65 million a decade ago, according to Miami-Dade property records.

In 2020, BAC Florida Bank, which provided financing for the purchase, sued Patsulya and Makeeva, claiming they defaulted on their $975,000 mortgage. The dispute was resolved later that year, though it’s not clear how from the court records. MIC-USA, controlled by the two Russians, continued to own the 41st-floor unit at Trump Tower III.

Though he has denied any connections to Russia, the former president’s son, Eric, said in 2014 that the Trump Organization got significant funding from Russian sources, according to The Hill:

”I said, ‘Eric, who’s funding? I know no banks — because of the recession, the Great Recession — have touched a golf course. You know, no one’s funding any kind of golf construction. It’s dead in the water the last four or five years,’”  the writers told WBUR.

“And this is what he said. He said, ‘Well, we don’t rely on American banks. We have all the funding we need out of Russia.’ I said, ‘Really?’ And he said, ‘Oh, yeah. We’ve got some guys that really, really love golf, and they’re really invested in our programs. We just go there all the time.’”

 

Categories
GOP Whining Social Media

Marco Rubio Gets Pilloried On Twitter After Whining ‘They’ Haven’t Fixed Florida’s Gas Shortage

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) decided he’d post a video of himself on Twitter whining about the four-day gas shortage in the Sunshine State that has been caused by the torrential rains that have led to widespread supply chain issues in portions of the state.

However, in his video, Rubio suggested that he didn’t understand why “they” haven’t fixed the problem, even though he’s a senator and has major pull in Florida. Oh, and he’s also buddies with the state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, who has been on an extended out of state publicity tour for his new book and expected run for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

In the video, Rubio says:

“What’s happening right now in Miami and to Fort Lauderdale with gasoline is crazy. You can’t find gasoline anywhere.”

Rubio also remarked, “This has been going on since Sunday. And they’re blaming it on the floods that impacted the ports, and I know that was a factor but it’s been four days. This should have been figured out by now. “They keep saying it’s going to get better but it’s not. They got to get this thing fixed. This is crazy.”

Can’t find gasoline anywhere? That’s a lie, according to Patrick De Haan, head of Gasbuddy’s petroleum analysis, who notes there are “millions of gallons of gasoline still waiting to be delivered.” However, CBS News reports that it will “take about a week for things to get back to normal.”

DeHaan also mocked Rubio and his absurd video.

“glad there’s no denial here that there’s a *lot* of stations without gasoline in SE FL. yes, pumps should have been put back in order by now and facilities brought back. but unfortunately that hasn’t happened yet. we have data and insights, but no one in Florida has asked for it.”

But it was the reference to “they” that drew the most comments on social media, where the Florida senator was reminded that “they” are him and DeSantis.

https://twitter.com/DadScribe/status/1648879272394735616?s=20

https://twitter.com/TheyCallMeDaymz/status/1649031776810209281?s=20

Categories
Business GOP

DeSantis Says He May Build A Prison Next To Walt Disney World In Orlando

Proving yet again that he’s an immature and insecure manbaby, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is now threatening to build a prison next to Walt Disney World in Orlando as payback for Disney daring to oppose his draconian “Don’t Say Gay” law.

Speaking at a press conference Monday, DeSantis said that Republicans in the Florida legislature are working to introduce legislation that would overturn Disney’s control of the Reedy Creek Improvement District where the amusement park is located. The governor has been actively trying to strip Disney World of its current right to self-governance.

What might the governor do if and when he gains power over Disney and Reedy Creek? To that question, DeSantis responded, “So if you look at this whole special district, well, Disney Corporation obviously owns a lot of it, but the district owns other land. And you know, quite frankly, I wasn’t even thinking about that land.”

The led DeSantis to add:

“Oh, but come to think of it, now people are like, well, what should we do with this land?” he continued. “And so, you know, it’s like, okay, kids, I mean, people have said, you know, maybe, maybe have another, maybe create a state park, maybe try to do more amusement parks.”

Then came mention of building a prison next door to Disney World.

“Someone even said, like, maybe you need another state prison. Who knows? I mean, I just think that the possibilities are endless.”

That led to an outpouring of anger on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/snowmanomics/status/1648018881569497113?s=20

Categories
Immigration Ron DeSantis

Ron DeSantis May Be Charged With Kidnapping For Shipping Migrants To Other States

In his effort to make a political statement and draw attention to himself in his bid for re-election, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) decided he’d put some migrants on a plane and send them to Martha’s Vineyard.

CNN reports on the move by DeSantis:

It’s the latest in a series of moves by Republican governors to transport migrants to northern liberal enclaves to protest what they say are inadequate federal efforts on southern border security. Located off the coast of Massachusetts and long known as a posh summer destination for wealthy vacationers, Martha’s Vineyard provided an unusual and unexpected place for the migrants to be sent.

DeSantis defended his action:

“We are not a sanctuary state, and it’s better to be able to go to a sanctuary jurisdiction, and yes, we will help facilitate that transport for you to be able to go to greener pastures. Every community in America should be sharing in the burdens. It shouldn’t all fall on a handful of red states.”

But while the Florida governor may have gotten himself a day’s worth of free media coverage, he may also be guilty of kidnapping, according to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is urging the Justice Department to charge DeSantis with the crime.

In a letter he sent to the DOJ on Thursday, Newsom writes:

“Like millions of Americans, I have been horrified at the images of migrants being shipped on buses and planes across the country to be used as political props. Clearly, transporting families, including children, across state lines under false pretenses is morally reprehensible, but it may also be illegal.

“Several of the individuals who were transported to Martha’s Vineyard have alleged that a recruiter induced them to accept the offer of travel based on false representations that they would be transported to Boston and would receive expedited access to work authorization. The interstate travel at issue provides a basis for federal jurisdiction over this matter.”

And then Newsom cites the specific provision of federal law he believes DeSantis is in violation of:

“I strongly urge the U.S. Department of Justice (US DOJ) to open an investigation into possible criminal or civil violations of federal law based on this alleged fraudulent scheme. In particular, I urge US DOJ to investigate whether the alleged fraudulent inducement would support charges of kidnapping under relevant state laws, which could serve as a predicate offense for charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) provisions of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970.”

 

Categories
GOP Ron DeSantis Social Media WTF?!

‘Top Gun’ Ad From Ron DeSantis Goes Viral, But Not In The Way He Intended

It probably sounded like such a good idea when it was pitched: We’ll dress Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis up in fighter pilot gear, put him into a fighter jet, and call it “Top Gov.” Genius! Can’t fail!

Oh, but it has, and the fallout is making DeSantis look even more pathetic than he already was.

HuffPost reports:

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, this is your governor speaking. Today’s training evolution — dogfighting, taking on the corporate media,” DeSantis said while wearing a Tom Cruise-style leather jacket.

He then discusses how people should deal with those dreaded journalists who keep asking questions he doesn’t want to answer.

“The rules of engagement are as follows. No. 1: Don’t fire unless fired upon, but when they fire, you fire back with overwhelming force. … No. 2: Never, ever back down from a fight. … No. 3: Don’t accept their narrative.”

Throughout, the ad features clips of him refusing to answer media questions ― as though this were a positive thing.

The video has gone viral, but probably not in the way that DeSantis intended, because reaction on social media has been overwhelmingly negative, resulting in lots of mockery aimed directly at the Sunshine State governor.

https://twitter.com/ilyseh/status/1562080221309927424?s=20&t=idWdvHn4012ynpyt1KPfcQ
https://twitter.com/jimstinson/status/1561876888200613889?s=20&t=WVy4S8ZJTW4e79xJhgdReg