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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDemocracy Now! David Cay Johnston's New Book on Trump Reveals his Extensive Criminal Activities
Today the good people at DemocracyNow! interviewed David Cay Johnston about his new book The Making of Donald Trump. I havent had a chance to read it yet because it has just been published, but Amy Goodmans and Juan Gonzales interview of the Pulitzer Prize winning reporter was very enlightening. Johnston revealed much about Trumps strikingly and ongoing depraved and criminal behavior. The podcast is well worth a look
www.democracynow.org/ If you want to jump to Johnstons interview its about 20 minutes into the podcast. The following bit of transcript should infuriate you and whet your appetite to learn more.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: David, I wanted to ask you about this issue which we discussed previously with Wayne Barrett, as well, on the issue of Donald Trumps relationship to the mob and his connections over the years to mobsters. And youve also looked into that, as well.
DAVID CAY JOHNSTON: Yes, and its not just the traditional Mafia families in New York. First of all, Donald Trumps father had a business partner who was a mob guy. Im sure Wayne talked about that. But Donald has done business with people with the Russian mob. Hes done business with con artists. The guy who supplied his helicopters and managed his personal helicopter, called the Ivana, from his first wife back then, was a major cocaine trafficker, who actually handled the drugs. And after he went to prison, Donald wrote a letter pleading for mercy for him, so he got 18 months as the head of the ring. The little fish who delivered the drugs, they got 20 years. Donald continued to do business with him after he was indicted. Donald has done business all his life with mobsters and criminals, because its a way to make money.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about Joseph Weichselbaum?
DAVID CAY JOHNSTON: Yes, thats the guy. Joseph Weichselbaum is this mob associate. He oncehe used to do Cigarette boat racing in Miami, and he once wascame in third, right behind Charles Keating, the infamous financier who ripped off people for a billion dollars. And Weichselbaum provided helicopters to the Trump Organization, even though there were better-capitalized, better-run companies. Donald rented an apartment to Weichselbaum and his brother under very unusual circumstances.
When Weichselbaum was indicted, it was for a drug operation that went from Miami to Ohio. When he agreed to plead guilty, the case was mysteriously moved to New Jersey. And who did it come before? Federal Judge Maryanne Trump Barry [emphasis added], Donalds older sister. No one knows how this happened. Now, she removed herself from the case, but imagine, Amy, that you, or one of the listeners, youre the chief judge, and the judge comes to you and says, "Oh, I cant handle this case, because I fly in this drug traffickers helicopters. My husband flies in them every week. My children have flown in this drug traffickers helicopters." You know, it helps explain how this guy got a light sentence.
And the question we have to ask is: Why did Donald Trump need to write that letter, which could have cost him his casino license? Because he needed this guy to be his friend and not his enemy. What was going on that Donald Trump needed a drug trafficker to be his friend and not his enemy? And thats a question no one in the news media has been asking.
MORE:
http://www.democracynow.org/2016/8/10/donald_doesnt_know_anything_author_david
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/8/10/1558895/-DemocracyNow-David-Cay-Johnston-s-New-Book-on-Trump-Reveals-his-Extensive-Criminal-Activities
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Democracy Now! David Cay Johnston's New Book on Trump Reveals his Extensive Criminal Activities (Original Post)
kpete
Aug 2016
OP
Mc Mike
(9,115 posts)1. Good segment.
Excerpt:
"DAVID CAY JOHNSTON: Donald Trumps grandfather, Frederick, when he turned 16 in 1885, was subject to mandatory military service in Germany, so he fled the country and came to America. And then he followed Horace Greeleys advice: "Go West, young man." And he went into the whorehouse business. And he ran bordellos in Seattle, in Everett, Washington, and in the Yukon Territory, until the Royal Canadian Mounted Police showed up."
Draft dodger donnie doesn't like 'criminal, illegal mexican sex criminals', though his draft dodging grand dad was one.
lindysalsagal
(20,726 posts)2. "Donald doesn't know anything."
DAVID CAY JOHNSTON: Donald doesnt know anything. And if you listen carefully to what he says, it becomes apparent. He was asked by a Hugh Hewitt during one of the debates, the right-wing radio talk show host, about the nuclear triad. Thats the capacity of the U.S. to deliver a nuclear bomb from a submarine missile, a land-based missile or an airplane. His answer indicated he had no idea. Well, it turned out Hugh Hewitt had asked the same question months earlier on his radio show, and Trump didnt learn in between. Trump talks as if the presidents a dictator. When he ran casinos, he didnt know the games, he didnt know the odds, he didnt know how to handle customers. All he knew how to do was take money out of the organization, which weakened it, and thats why his casinos were among the first to fold.
I hope this guy has the $$ for good security, and he starts the media circuit today.