Tag: Trump crimes

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Crime Donald Trump The Trump Adminstration

New York AG Tish James Puts Trump On Notice About His Many Alleged Crimes

New York Attorney General Tish James has been on a roll lately when it comes to her ongoing investigation of Donald Trump and his many alleged crimes.

Not long ago, a judge in the Empire State ruled the Trump Organization has to turn over records involving a property that’s currently the subject of a civil investigation by the AG’s office, according to the Washington Post:

“The documents and communications at issue could help investigators answer questions about a conservation easement that was granted several years ago at the Seven Springs estate in suburban New York’s Westchester Country, a move that netted President Trump’s company a $21 million tax deduction. The materials, which Trump’s lawyers had sought to shield, include messages exchanged between an engineer and a land-use lawyer who worked on Trump’s behalf.”

Additionally, James released a letter she and 15 other state attorneys general had sent to White House Counsel Pat Cipollone before the Trump administration came to an abrupty end reminding the White House they were required to “preserve and maintain” all records — including tweets, notes from private conversations, and emails from private servers that might have been used to conduct government work:

“The Trump Administration shouldn’t have to be told that they need to comply with the law and keep all records of official business, but the last four years have shown that the president needs to be constantly reminded what the law is and how he must comply with it. Even the president’s tweets, the private conversations he had with Russian President Putin, and Ivanka’s private email server must be archived. Every bit of this information belongs to the American people and the White House cannot deprive the public of this information.”

The letter from James to the White House counsel is particularly important because it means that every member of the administration was been placed on notice: If you destroy anything at all, you will be a party to obstruction of justice, which just so happens to be a felony.

But the letter is even more significant because it makes clear that James and many of her associates in other states are actively investigating and could charge Trump and his associates with crimes they committed while conducting their “official” duties.

The biggest danger to Donald Trump has never been from federal charges or courts. It’s the states that will be handing down indictments against the president, his family, his business, and members of his administration. And no presidential pardon can exonerate any of the guilty parties. They will have to stand before the bar of justice and answer for their crimes.

Be afraid, Donald. Be very afraid.

 

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Crime Donald Trump

Former Solicitor General: New Lawsuit Filed By Capitol Police Proves ‘Trump Is In Serious Trouble’

A federal lawsuit was filed recently by two D.C. police officers — James Blassingame and Sidney Hemby — that accuses former President Donald Trump of inciting the pro-Trump rioters who inflicted physical and emotional injuries when they stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

The Washington Post reports that the lawsuit clearly places blame on Trump:

“’The insurrectionist mob, which Trump had inflamed, encouraged, incited, directed, and aided and abetted, forced its way over and past the plaintiffs and their fellow officers, pursuing and attacking them inside and outside the United States Capitol, and causing the injuries,’ the suit states.”

“At least 81 Capitol Police officers were assaulted on Jan. 6, according to filings by federal prosecutors, The Post’s Tom Jackman reported. About 65 D.C. police officers also suffered injuries during the Capitol siege, including several concussions from head blows from various objects, including metal poles ripped from inauguration scaffolding, police officials said.”

This latest lawsuit, according to former Obama administration acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal, is a big deal and it’s the worst possible news for Trump, who recently lied and said that his supporters were hugging and kissing the cops as they ransacked the Capitol.

Katyal appeared on MSNBC and noted:

“This is what the complaint said today: ‘The officer attacked relentlessly, bleeding from a cut less than an inch from the eye, cuts, and abrasions on the face and hands and his body was pinned against a large metal door fending off attacks.’ So when Donald Trump said they were kissing and hugging the guards, my God.”

Host Nicolle Wallace then read more of the suit, making it clear that the insurrectionists were out of control and that Trump did absolutely nothing to stop them once the rioting started:

“For several hours after the mob stormed the Capitol, Trump had the continuing ability to issue statements through traditional and social media but refused. Refused to communicate anything to the followers that might discourage the assault and battery. Trump thereby ratified the conduct of the followers and ensured that the assaults on the officers last much longer, worsening the injuries of the plaintiffs and other officers. Late in the afternoon, Trump ratified the conduct, and again said that the election had been stolen by fraud and by announcing support, praise and love for his followers.”

Wallace then asked Katyal if the Blassingame-Hemby lawsuit had put Trump in even greater legal jeopardy. Katyal said it most certainly did:

“Absolutely. If you could short Donald Trump right now it would be a good time to do so. Everything you’re saying, Nicolle, is absolutely right. This, in conjunction with new developments going on in New York, with respect to Weissberg and the like. Donald Trump is in serious trouble. The difference between now and the past is that the Republican Party and senior officials are inviting the trouble and saying there’s merit to it.”

In time, Donald Trump may wind up being charged as an accessory to murder. He could be charged criminally for that and other crimes in Washington, D.C.

Serious legal trouble? That’s putting it mildly.

Here’s Neal Katyal on MSNBC:

 

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Crime Donald Trump

Manhattan DA Lining Up Witnesses To Testify Against Trump At Upcoming Trial: Report

Based on a new report from Bess Levin of Vanity Fair and confirmed by reporting from Reuters, it now appears that Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. is moving along at a rapid pace with his investigation of failed, one-term former President Donald Trump and is lining up witnesses who will testify against Trump along with others who will help explain to a jury the exact crimes Trump and his company, the Trump Organization, may have committed.

According to Levin:

“In the last several months, the D.A. has brought on the attorney who put John Gotti and other white-collar criminals behind bars, has reportedly been working to flip the Trump Organizations longtime CFO, and, most crucially, obtained Trump’s much sought-after tax returns, documents that the Queens-born real estate developer has gone to such extreme lengths to keep secret that some people have gotten the impression they contain extremely incriminating information.

“Now, Vance’s office has taken the next step in its criminal investigation: finding people who can explain to a jury why Trump is a possible crook.”

Specifically, Vance is looking for bankers, bookkeepers, and real estate experts who can help shed light on how Trump may have broken the law by inflating the value of his real estate holdings in order to get large loans from banks while simultaneously devaluing those same properties when paying taxes on them. Those two acts alone would constitute bank and tax fraud.

Prosecutors in Vance’s office also hope to present witnesses who have first-hand experience working on deals made by Trump to explain documents and how that data proves specific criminal acts by the former president and his company.

There’s also the matter of Trump’s tax returns, eight years of which Vance obtained thanks to a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court. It has long been believed that those returns are the Rosetta Stone that will unlock the secrets of how Trump has shifted and hidden money over the decades in an effort to skirt accountability and give the illusion that his net worth is larger than it actually is. Those returns may also contain proof of financial ties to countries and entities in nations hostile to the United States such as Russia and China.

And don’t forget about Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, who is expected to be a star witness against his former client:

“As for Cohen, whose credibility will surely be challenged by whatever lawyers Trump manages to scrounge up, said that “unfortunately for Trump, I have backed up each and every question posed by the district attorney’s office [with] documentary evidence.” If Vance’s team can corroborate Cohen’s testimony, Brodsky told Reuters, that would be “very powerful before a jury.” The government, he said, “loves people who plead guilty to crimes, take the stand and say,…‘I participated in a crime with that person sitting right there at the defense table, Donald J. Trump.'”

Evidence and witnesses are the key to any criminal case. It sounds like Vance has plenty of both, which is very bad news for Donald Trump.

 

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Crime Donald Trump

Trump Organization Insider Is Cooperating With Prosecutors – Says She ‘Refuses To Be Silenced’

As prosecutors in New York continue to look into Donald Trump and the Trump Organization’s finances, one man has moved into the spotlight and could play a key role as investigators move forward and grand juries prepare to hand down indictments.

 

Allen Weisselberg has been Chief Financial Officer of the Trump Organization for decades, and reportedly “knows where all the bodies are buried.” Will Weisselberg try save his own hide and that of his two sons and cooperate with prosecutors? That remains to be seen, but a person close to him is indeed talking with investigators and is making it clear she won’t be silenced, Business Insider reports:

“An attorney representing the former daughter-in-law of the Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg says she’s cooperating with prosecutors conducting an inquiry into Donald Trump’s finances and ‘refuses to be silenced.’

“‘Jennifer Weisselberg is committed to speaking the truth, no matter how difficult that may be,’ her attorney, Duncan Levin, told Insider in a statement. ‘She will continue to cooperate fully with the various law enforcement agencies that are investigating her ex-husband’s family and the very powerful interests they represent.’

“‘Jennifer refuses to be silenced any longer by those who are conspiring to prevent her from sharing what she has learned over the past 25 years,’ Levin added.”

Weisselberg’s former daughter-in-law has certainly been in a prime position to know exactly what goes on inside the former president’s business dealings, as she was married to one of his sons, Barry, until 2018, when they divorced. And she also knows Donald Trump:

“The couple received an apartment as a gift from Trump when they married in 2004, but Barry Weisselberg may have skipped out on paying taxes on it by categorizing it incorrectly in his tax filings, according to Bloomberg News. That apartment — as well as other numerous financial entanglements between the Weisselberg and Trump families — appear to be at the center of the effort to flip Weisselberg into cooperating.”

How close could Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance be to filing criminal charges against Trump and his corporation? According to Daniel R. Alonso, a former top Vance deputy:

“I’m sure he is absolutely pressing to have a decision made on whether to prosecute anyone, whom to prosecute, and for what charges, by the end of the year.”

Everywhere he turns, Donald Trump can see his freedom slipping away. About the only option he has now is fleeing to a country that doesn’t have an extradition treaty with the United States. That list is limited, and only one nation — Russia — seems the least bit likely to be of interest to the Donald. Problem is, even Putin may not want anything to do with Donnie anymore.

 

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Crime Donald Trump

New Evidence Provides Proof Trump Has Been Engaged In Racketeering: VIDEO

New evidence has been released that shows former President Donald Trump has indeed been engaged in racketeering and could now be facing at least 20 years behind bars.

The Wall Street Journal reports that a new audio recording has come to light in which Trump is heard talking to the lead investigator working for the office of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger:

“Then-President Donald Trump urged the chief investigator of the Georgia Secretary of State’s office to look for fraud during an audit of mail-in ballots in a suburban Atlanta county on a phone call he made to her in late December.

“During the six-minute call, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Trump repeatedly said that he won Georgia. ‘Something bad happened,’ he said.

“’When the right answer comes out, you’ll be praised,’ Mr. Trump told the chief investigator, Frances Watson.”

John Dean, who served as White House counsel in the Nixon administration, said Wednesday evening that the new audio is very bad news for Trump because it proves he was indeed involved in a criminal act:

“There may be other calls that were recorded and what they’re looking for is part of the RICO case they’re developing now that the Fulton County prosecutor has hired the best expert in the state who helped her with a prior RICO case. RICO cases are very serious. These are stack-on lots of penalties. So, I think that’s the case they’re building. These phone calls that they have multiple records of now, are going to be dynamite.”

The penalty for racketeering in Georgia is imprisonment for as long as 20 years.

Trump is also being investigated in New York, where at least one grand jury has been impaneled to determine if indictments should be issued against the former president for financial crimes such as insurance and tax fraud.

Things are getting worse for Donald Trump by the hour.