Daily Kos: Donald Trump was bailed out of bankruptcy by Russia crime bosses

[Botany]

Among the powerful facts that DNI missed were a series of very deep studies published in the [Financial Times] that examined the structure and history of several major Trump real estate projects from the last decade—the period after his seventh bankruptcy and the cancellation of all his bank lines of credit. ...

The money to build these projects flowed almost entirely from Russian sources. In other words, after his business crashed, Trump was floated and made to appear to operate a successful business enterprise through the infusion of hundreds in millions of cash from dark Russian sources.

He was their man.

snip

The Trump Organization was a hollow shell and Trump was bankrupt, but Donald Trump the public figure was a “successful businessman,” a screen behind which criminal activity could be carried out on a massive scale. Throwing his name at every scheme in existence wasn’t a strategy, it was a fire sale on Trump’s respectability. Steaks? Water? Vodka? Fake real estate school? You pony up the cash, and Trump will slap his name on it. Because by the early 2000s, Trump wasn’t just broke, he had nothing left to pawn. He wasn’t a successful businessman, but he still played one on TV. His image had more value than his real estate portfolio.

But the apartments and buildings where Trump held some degree of ownership could be turned into value again. All it took was partnering with foreign crime bosses looking for a place to stash their cash. To inflate the value of his portfolio, Trump had to do nothing other than look away as the dirty money poured in from one LLC to the next. Citizens in Russia, Kazakhstan, and other former Soviet states lost hundreds of millions, but Trump got a cut as looted funds flowed through offices and apartments in buildings that carried those critical gold letters.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/9/1618540/-Was-Donald-Trump-bailed-out-of-bankruptcy-by-Russia-crime-bosses?detail=emailclassic

[Raster]

1. And this is why tRump* is fighting tooth and nail...

...to keep his financial records secret. HE. IS. OWNED. BY. RUSSIA*.

[bluestarone]

2. SO TRUE!

This what it's all about! (how many RETHUGS are in the same boat)? I'll answer that, ALL of them

[certainot]

25. not just money to politicians. feeding talk radio since at least 2008, but what's the payback

they were looking for?

there's no way they would invest in him and in the republican party without expecting big payback

rachel madow's book suggests putin put all his eggs into the oil and gas basket - which would lose big if we got serious about global warming. instead they not only got trump in - likely past their wildest expectations, but they've delayed action on global warming big time since "climategate", which started from a russina hack and used putin's most important media tool - liimbaugh - to sell it.

[Botany]

6. And who backed the make believe TV show, "The Apprentice?"

Russia. Russia had to sell the idea* that he was big successful businessman because the
truth would have been devastating for they asset, Donald Trump.


* To a certain % of gullible Americans.

[unitedwethrive]

9. But I find it hard to believe that he would have been at all truthful with the IRS.

I grew up with a father who was a tax attorney, and saw time and again that it is surprisingly easy for people to cheat the IRS. And even if they get caught, they can usually strike a deal where they only pay a small fraction of what they actually owe.

Really though, if you are laundering money for the Russian mafia, are you going to keep records?

[Blue_playwright]

12. That's where I keep going too...

Would you put that shady stuff in your legal tax returns?

[paleotn]

26. That's the thing about money in the 21st century.

It's damn near impossible not to leave a trail. A circuitous and convoluted trail is still a trail. And it's got to be electronic. Hundreds of millions in cash is inconvenient in the extreme.

[oldsoftie]

29. Which is why Europe & others use a sales tax. Cant hide from that.

You're right; its very easy to hide income if you dont get W2s or 1099s. If cost estimates I've seen are right, we could raise enough for free college from just a 1% sales tax.
But nobody cares.

[Moostache]

51. Debt-free education is better than "free college" for messaging

I know its a minor nit...but we need better messaging on critical needs...

They are paid into programs, not "entitlements".
Healthcare is a RIGHT, not a privilege...and NO ONE LOVES their insurance, they love their care givers and treatments
Income inequality is NOT caused by a lack of effort or bootstraps to pull up by, they are imbalances.

And improving education is not "free" - we are not seeking a cheapen or dumb down education either...we are trying to avoid crippling young people with 6-figures in debt at age 22, putting them behind forever.

And on the topic at hand, OF COURSE Trump can't allow his taxes to be seen while he is still a resident in the USA, it will only be after he flees the country that the full truth is exposed...but it should doom his idiot kids' political ambitions and maybe THAT is the best we can hope for now...

[mr_lebowski]

56. + 1000 ... I also promote calling it 'Early Medicare Buy-In'

not 'Medicare for All'.

It's 100x more palatable of a name, and concept.

But NO!

[ancianita]

35. Also, he might have had it revealed if he'd taken a salary as prez and had to file for that.

I knew he wasn't turning down that salary out of the goodness of his heart. The tax filing as president would probably have revealed much more, such as all his other "income" from his domestic and foreign businesses.

[renate]

48. Oh my gosh! What a great point!

Is making the president's income tax return public required at all or is it just a custom, or is it only required if the president actually takes a salary?

If it's the latter, that would explain why a man who once cashed a check for eight cents or something like that turned down $400,000 a year out of the goodness of his heart. That is SO unlike him for two reasons: venality and no good heart.

[SergeStorms]

60. One of the few....

campaign promises he actually kept. Do you think there was a reason for that?

[ProfessorGAC]

45. Even Worse...

...to DOLTUS, that he was essentially broke and the whole myth of "self-made" financial genius billionaire gets blown away.
Ego too big to get exposed like that!

[Newest Reality]

3. Great Article! K&R!

Considering that this article is a couple of years old now, it makes you wonder why the mainstream seems to be rather blind to information like this, considering the importance and ramifications that it has. Do important things get so easily lost in the wash as the news cycle turns, or what? Back in the day, this would have been a major scandal, methinks. What's up with THAT?

Why doesn't Trump want his tax situation to be public? Well, there are many possible reasons, (all bad for him) but they would most likely link directly to that financing as well as his real financial condition and even some loopholes and questionable cheating.

All of that combined shows the real Picture of Dorian Grey that the Orange Fistula has in his attic, not that the false, public facade version is easy on the eyes.

[wnylib]

42. Mainstream media are part of huge

corporations with multiple financial and political tentacles. This could be why some news is played down or ignored.

[stopdiggin]

50. although this HAS been fairly well covered in the mainstream

It really isn't the Post or Times' fault that people simply don't READ any more.

[wnylib]

57. People read what they want to read, according

to their own political preferences. Outside of DC and NYC, there are many people who are not reached by those papers, unless their local ones pick up the story and reprint it. I'm in NYS, but the opposite end from NYC. Warren Buffet's Buffalo paper carries articles 'from those papers, but most people in my commmunity read only.the.local small town, very conservative paper--if they read a paper at all.

I read about this info long ago. So, yes, it was covered. But I have seen tweets from the orange creep get more coverage -- days at a time-- when a casual mention would be enough. More serious news often gets light, brief coverage in broadcast media as well as print. Media are mindful of ratings and what draws people in, as well as being mindfull of who runs them.

[stopdiggin]

58. I think what you point to is

a deplorable lack of interest among the citizenry (they read the small town local, can't be bothered with much else) rather than a conspiracy within the media. If people chose to pay for Hannity and Limbaugh .. and WON"T pay for the Times ...
I believe the argument has already been made. Why would the media tailor their content towards a public that won't listen .. and won't pay?

[wnylib]

61. OK, you're right about people not reading much

any more, except their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

I do not believe that the media are in a conspiracy. But it is a fact that some are liberal and some are conservative. Their editorials reflect that and their perspective can creep into how they handle the news as well, e.g. what gets emphasized and what gets less attention.

Who owns the media also affects decisions on coverage. Several years ago, in the Bush Jr years, when Greg Palast published his article (in a Guardian subsidiary) about voter suppression in FL in 2000, he also had a website. (or an e-mail link. I forget which now. I know I had some e-mail discussions with him when he responded to my questions.) But it was his discussions about media ownership, bias, and their concern for bottom line $$ as well as for corporate political connections that made me aware of the differences in how news (not just editorials) is covered.

[YOHABLO]

52. I agree.

[UCmeNdc]

4. K&R

[Wounded Bear]

5. K & R...for visibility...

Fact is, everybody basically knows this is true, just looking for the paper trail that confirms it.

As always, follow the money.

[Veritaski]

7. Isn't Trump the most sued man in the world?

Does anyone have the link that shows all the court cases in which Trump was named as a defendant?

[DesertRat]

34. I'm sure you can google them

Welcome to DU, Veritaski!

[ancianita]

36. Wikipedia's got a pretty complete list.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lawsuits_involving_Donald_Trump

[Ms. Toad]

8. 2017 article. n/t

[Wellstone ruled]

10. If you had read the

Steele dossier,names dates and places were all laid out. When one of the big contributors to the RNC,who btw ordered the first Dossier,would not go there,you know damn well how this whole Scam was about to turn out.

Amazing how the Blackmail Campaign used on the Senators and Congress-Persons,is just now be exposed. The FSB and GRU pulled off the crime of the Century.

[YOHABLO]

53. I'm beginning to see that the Steele dossier is more relevant than

the media, the Republicans, and even some Democrats, are willing to acknowledge.

[Wellstone ruled]

55. Watched Maddow interview Simpson and his pattern

last week. This Dossier was just the tip of the Criminality and how Putin used our Political System to stave off a major pending Financial disaster in Russia.

The Crime of the Century was committed in plain sight.

[rainin]

11. What is the statute of limitation on money laundering, I wonder?

[grandpamike1]

13. DJT has

forever been backed not only by Russia money, but Mob money as well.

[LiberalLovinLug]

14. Do we even have to ...."What if it were Obama?"

Being bailed out by the left equivalent of a hostile government, say Venezuela?

It is beyond absurd now to even do that exercise.

[Dirty Socialist]

15. I read it here and here onl

The Daily Kos saved us from the abyss in this matter

[Dirty Socialist]

16. The House should pick up on this

[Progressive Jones]

31. It's quite possible the House HAS picked up on it. I hope so. NT

[Evolve Dammit]

39. We can surely hope. Pretty f'in obvious, given NRA laundering and Mueller testimony (if available)

[smirkymonkey]

17. K&R

[sandensea]

18. And drug money launderers like Joe Weichselbaum

Plus God knows who else.

[AllaN01Bear]

19. what is dni? thanks .

[Chiyo-chichi]

43. Director of National Intelligence.

This is referring to the DNI's January 2017 report on "Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections.”

https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/ICA_2017_01.pdf

[zentrum]

20. But this has been known

...for a long time.

Real Estate is immensely powerful in NY. Tall buildings are called Cashboxes in the Sky. It's where Russians, Arabs, Chinese mega-rich hide and clean their money.

Where has Vance been? Why wasn't something ever, ever, done about it?

[keithbvadu2]

21. Putting money into Trump was the best investment Putin ever made.

[DeminPennswoods]

22. Wouldn't be the least bit surprised if this is, in fact,

true.

[cilla4progress]

23. What I don't get is

this is widely known. Even doltish Eric said their money comes from Russia. How are they able to get away with this big lie?

[kacekwl]

24. "I've got no business dealings in Russia"

The guy has been a liar for decades. When they file impeachment charges they should display a list behind them of all the impeachable offenses. Have an aid read them aloud for the world to hear. That should kill an hour or so.

[C_U_L8R]

38. Yes, he has no business dealings in Russia.

It's Russia with business dealings in Trump. He bought and paid for.

[panfluteman]

27. If Trump Was Still a Private Citizen and Not President of the United States,

I wouldn't give a rat's @$$ about how he got money and stayed afloat. But being president changes everything, because the national interested should NOT be bought or compromised.

[eleny]

28. If we deposit $10000 cash in a bank account the transaction can be scrutinized

But if I buy a condo for $3 million in cash - the government doesn't bat an eye.

We've known about this real estate loophole for many years. Especially since Trump became a serious candidate for the presidency and his dealings with Russian oligarchs came to light. But the facts in this article are important. I'm glad to see all this surface with names, places and dates.

[oldsoftie]

30. But if you DID sell a condo for 3M cash, what would you do with the cash?

You cant even deposit or withdraw 10k without filling out a form.

[eleny]

32. If you make it your main residence I don't think anyone cares since the profit isn't taxable

There's a reason money is laundered through real estate. My guess is that they roll the profit into another piece of real estate. Around and around they go.

If they're not U.S. citizen what is the U.S, going to do about it? If your a Russian oligarch all you have to worry about, imo, is giving Putin his required cut out of your profits.

[moniss]

44. Because you

do everything through a "friendly" bank like Deutsche Bank that turns it's head and pretends not to see. Actually once the first transactions are made through DB then another "clean" property is purchased for a legit price using a line of credit from another bank. After a short while you "pay" the note off using a funds transfer from DB to the second "friendly lender". Now you own a multi-million dollar asset free and clear and you go to a more "legit" bank like Chase or BOA (yes I know that both have been caught laundering money as well but they aren't quite as far into the criminal class as DB) and you arrange either a sale or you get a line of credit and take the money that way. It should also be noted that reporting requirements on loans are different, as near as my old head remembers, than cash withdrawals. Also they can use "friendly" brokerage firms on Wall Street who will accept assets as collateral and then allow you margin accounts etc. Once you have that you can easily engage in buying and selling speculative investments originating or ending in countries and various financial institutions all over the world. Currencies, commodities etc. are typically used. Within a few days the transactions are so broken apart from the original and so complicated that tracing them back with certainty can be difficult. This modern world of financial criminality is really accomplished because, along with those willing to look the other way, all you really need to do is get electronically stored numbers from one computer to another and another. Once that's done it's just a matter of keeping yourself in countries that don't extradite or ask too many questions as long as the man in charge gets paid. You pay others to do your dirty work. Like Gooliani and Maria Butina.

[oldsoftie]

49. Thank you

[Dirty Socialist]

33. No link to facebook

[B Stieg]

37. And tRump's taxes would show this?

Or, at least, some of what clearly is money laundering?

[SammyWinstonJack]

40. One of the tRUMP brats said they get all the money they need from Russia.

[KPN]

41. And 62 million plus people in this used to be

great nation voted for this criminal scum! We will never be great again until he and all signs and tracks of his criminal administration are eradicated from our national landscape; and his bigoted base all crawl back under the decaying leaves, logs and rocks from whence they came.

[jimlup]

47. +1

yes yes yes

[Aristus]

46. None of this will matter to his followers, as they themselves have pointed out,

they'd rather be Russian than American.

[Baked Potato]

54. Definitely their "chosen one"

Lol

[SayItLoud]

59. Federal Crimes? He's gets pardoned and immunity. BUT

State crimes he gets nailed along with the #TrumpCrimeFamily, Kushners et al.

[trof]

62. OK, why don't we see this on the front page of WAPO or NYT?

[Botany]

63. This from January 2017

But everybody knew about this before the election but all the media talked about was Hillary's emails. The fix was in ... see Moscow Mitch and Merrick Garland.