The fact that Donald Trump never really cared about the Presidency was made clear by his poor performance of that sacred job. Yesterday’s public hearing on the January 6 insurrection and Trump’s culpability therefor made clear that he didn’t really care about the integrity of the Presidential election; he bought Rudy Giuliani’s drunken plan to fabricate victory out of defeat and scream election fraud just because he wanted to keep fleecing his deplorables:
The Trump campaign sent “millions” of emails to Trump supporters about how they needed to “step up” to protect election integrity, according to the Jan. 6 committee. The money would go to the so-called the “Official Election Defense Fund” — which doesn’t appear to have actually existed, according to testimony.
The fund — which, again, did not actually exist — raised $250 million, most of which did not go to election litigation, but to Trump’s newly created Save America PAC. The PAC then made contributions to Mark Meadows’ charity, to a conservative organization employing former Trump staffers, to the Trump Hotel Collection, and to the company that organized the rally that preceded the attack on the Capitol last Jan. 6.
“The evidence developed by the select committee highlights how the Trump campaign aggressively pushed false election claims to fundraise, telling supporters it would be used to fight voter fraud that did not exist,” said Amanda Wick, a lawyer for the Jan. 6 committee. “The emails continued through Jan. 6, even as Trump spoke on the Ellipse. Thirty minutes after the last fundraising email was sent, the Capitol was breached” [Ryan Bort, “Trump Scammed Supporters Out of $250 Million for Nonexistent Fund,” Rolling Stone, 2022.06.13].
Trump views his political supporters the same way he views his business partners, contractors, employees, and taxpayers: as marks to be conned for Trump’s personal profit. The only fraud in the 2020 election was Trump’s claim of election fraud, a lie told to keep money flowing into his pockets.
The thing modern behavioral observational technology allows us to understand about this whole process is that the people he is fleecing (still) are paying attention to none of this – and he is perfectly aware of that.
Noem is doing the same thing Trump did by scamming money out of people. Noem constantly tries to scare people about the “radical left” and how she needs people’s money to protect you from ……
$15 million raised to date, considerably more than she should ever need to campaign to get re-elected, yet she is still raising more money. Where will all that money go?
The January 6th Select Committee handed a $250 million class action law suit to the deplorables, if any of them are able to reform themselves.
It’s likely a similar class action lawsuit could put noem in its sights . . . soliciting funds for one professed cause, then spending funds on another cause . . . sounds like fraud. Take it to federal court . . . for better justice.
Personally, I don’t recall ever claiming magats are smart, or even conscious. Wonder if those donations were tax deductble.
Sheila Kennedy expressed her concerns that bthwe only election fraud she has seen was perpetrated by magats. So why are magats allowed to live in polite society with they exhibit all the characteristics of rabid animals?
My arthritic fingers can’t spell worth a damn and I get tired of correcting them. Humblest apologies for them. They haven’t got the guts or the grace to apologize for themselves, thwe little bas….
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-stop-the-steal-2657506192/
Official says it looks like text book case of wire fraud.
Benghazi!
Well…he raised 250 million and spent no more than 10….5 million went to a company going by the name of “Event Strategies” apparently to organize the “Stop the Steal Rally”. Didn’t look like a 5M event to me unless the company recruited and paid the expenses of various “Proud Boys” type organizations to attend. More scrutiny required…not only is it a fraud, it is the recruitment of a mercenary army to assault the police, trash the Capitol, and, if necessary and possible, Hang Mike Pence.
Not a total expert on the IRS just a taxpayer. Wouldn’t anyone who wrote off a donation to a noncompliant political PAC (Save America PAC) have committed a mistake on their tax return and have to refile with the deduction removed and the amount not donated noted in another category?
Trump cares about Trump — and ONLY about Trump.
Anyone or anything that can be put to use enriching Trump will be. That has been a maxim from before his presidency; it held true during his presidency; it will be true long after his leaving office in disgrace. Equally axiomatic: his followers will line up around the block to line his pockets.
MFI, my tried old joints feel/share your pain.
Feds convicted Al Capone on tax evasion. Trump has refused to reveal taxes. His debts to foreign entities remains large. His biggest crimes have centered around his greed and dishonesty from failed Trump University to casinos. The presidency was to him a way to expand his brand, to increase his wealth, and to forge international opportunities.
dahlia lithwick (https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/06/jan-6-hearings-bill-barrs-testimony-election-subversion-donald-trump-silly.html) sees through to the real bill barr who invented a new narrative under Jan 6 Commission’s subpeona to avoid accountability for the GOP attack on democracy he and Mitch McConnell lead, with the help of Putin’s puppets Trump and Fox News (Rupert Murdoch). Distraction and confusion artists! Barr did it to Mueller and is trying to do it to the Jan 6 Commission.
These are some serious developments. Barr is a lot like the right wing Trump advisor (hawk w/ a mustache) at State who bailed and wrote his book (name escapes). Thune and his boss, Mitch, as well as Barr, are on the inside track of the GOP cabal, walking a razor’s edge skirting responsibility for seditious actions their GOP perpetuates. This is Lynn Cheney’s neighborhood too. Dangerous place, dangerous people. Perhaps Dahlia will someday comment. (See https://www.lawfareblog.com/dahlia-lithwick-cheney-torture)
It’s clear Herr Trump put out a contract on Mike Pence and Republicans like John Thune aided and abetted their leader during an attempted assassination.