The Grift Thread

[kalm]

Grifting deserves its own thread. Hunter, Pelosi, Hilary, the Trump family crime syndicate, Kushner….

Fire away!

[kalm]

[Caribbean Hen]

Trumps kids make money because they are building tangible golf courses and hotels

Hunter was finger painting and now in hiding from the IRS in S Africa

[UNI88]

Trumps kids make money because they are building tangible golf courses and hotels

Hunter was finger painting and now in hiding from the IRS in S Africa

[Caribbean Hen]

Trumps kids make money because they are building tangible golf courses and hotels

Hunter was finger painting and now in hiding from the IRS in S Africa

You liked it!

[UNI88]

You liked it!

Yes, I did. It was so absurd that it was lmao funny.

[Caribbean Hen]

You liked it!

Yes, I did. It was so absurd that it was lmao funny.

The cover-up of Hunters illegal activities were absurd

[UNI88]

Yes, I did. It was so absurd that it was lmao funny.

The cover-up of Hunters illegal activities were absurd

Yes, it was but not nearly as absurd as MAQA yahoos willingness to ignore the illegal activities of trump and his minions.

[UNI88]

[kalm]

Great point here. It’s not hidden. It’s illegal. It’s being normalized. This is not ok.

- was reported for likely insider trading worth nearly $1 billion

All of the obvious things to say about this are true. It's bad. Nobody even tries to defend it. The closest thing to a defense you get is something about how "but Democrats suck" and "woke was also bad," which is not a defense, but rather a kind of moral blank check made out to the administration to give them the right to do anything.

But what I'm most curious about is whether this sort of lurid corruption creates a countermovement that successfully returns government to rule of law or whether it's establishing a norm of executive imperialism that every future administration will use to achieve its ends, which can always be justified by the moral blank check of "the other side is worse, so let us do whatever we want."

[Caribbean Hen]

Let me guess

Little Derek is wearing a suit and tie?

Dems don’t think enforcing the law is a good idea

[UNI88]

Great point here. It’s not hidden. It’s illegal. It’s being normalized. This is not ok.

- was reported for likely insider trading worth nearly $1 billion

All of the obvious things to say about this are true. It's bad. Nobody even tries to defend it. The closest thing to a defense you get is something about how "but Democrats suck" and "woke was also bad," which is not a defense, but rather a kind of moral blank check made out to the administration to give them the right to do anything.

But what I'm most curious about is whether this sort of lurid corruption creates a countermovement that successfully returns government to rule of law or whether it's establishing a norm of executive imperialism that every future administration will use to achieve its ends, which can always be justified by the moral blank check of "the other side is worse, so let us do whatever we want."

CH nailed it ...

These guys aren’t paying any tax and never intended to

This is what happens in the system that’s not paying attention and doesn’t have enough investigators for all the corruption

[kalm]

Great point here. It’s not hidden. It’s illegal. It’s being normalized. This is not ok.

CH nailed it ...

These guys aren’t paying any tax and never intended to

This is what happens in the system that’s not paying attention and doesn’t have enough investigators for all the corruption

[UNI88]

Big Tobacco gave Trump PAC $5 million — and 5 days later, the FDA cleared flavored vapes.

On April 30, a subsidiary of tobacco giant Reynolds American cut a $5 million check to MAGA Inc., the main super PAC backing President Donald Trump.

Two days later, a top Reynolds executive and two of the company's lobbyists had lunch with Trump at his Jupiter, Florida golf club. Two executives from rival tobacco company Altria joined them. The tobacco representatives expressed dissatisfaction with FDA regulation during the meal, according to The New York Times. Trump interrupted the conversation to call FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary. When Makary didn't pick up, Trump dialed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services head Dr. Mehmet Oz. Three people briefed on the meeting told The New York Times that Trump complained to them about the agency's regulation of e-cigarettes.

Days after that $5 million donation, the FDA issued new guidance opening the door to flavored vapes — bypassing the agency's normal rulemaking process. A few days after that, Makary resigned, telling associates he could not in good conscience lead an agency that backed such a policy.

[kalm]

[Gil Dobie]

Minnesota!

[UNI88]

Oklahomastan!

[UNI88]

Mississippistan!

[UNI88]

Alabamastan!