Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

DonViejo

(60,536 posts)
Mon May 29, 2017, 12:43 PM May 2017

Kushner's Charmed Life Comes to Screeching Halt

May 29, 2017 By Taegan Goddard

Walter Shapiro: “Even under the benign theory that Kushner thought that a secret back channel was like a small boy’s tin-can telephone, his life in the coming months and maybe years will be a study in misery. He will probably spend more time with his personal lawyer, Clinton Justice Department veteran Jamie Gorelick, than with Ivanka or his children. Whether it is an appearance under oath on Capitol Hill or the inevitable FBI interview, every sentence Kushner utters will bring with it possible legal jeopardy.”

“Kushner may have once thought that he established his tough-guy credentials when he stared down angry creditors and impatient bankers over his ill-timed 2007 purchase of a $1.8bn Fifth Avenue office building. But the worst thing that can happen to an over-leveraged real-estate investor (as Trump himself knows well) is bankruptcy. When the FBI and special prosecutor Robert Mueller get involved, the penalties can theoretically involve steel bars locking behind you.”

###

https://politicalwire.com/2017/05/29/kushners-charmed-life-comes-screeching-halt/

41 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Kushner's Charmed Life Comes to Screeching Halt (Original Post) DonViejo May 2017 OP
By stepping into the political spotlight, the Trump family MineralMan May 2017 #1
Well said SHRED May 2017 #2
+1 Chemisse May 2017 #3
+ 1000 MBS May 2017 #4
A well-deserved end dalton99a May 2017 #5
And if Trump's bruised ego from President Obama's jokes at the WHCD CakeGrrl May 2017 #8
Brilliant CakeGrrl.. "ODS gets you nowhere good" Cha May 2017 #31
They may not have had a choice Mme. Defarge May 2017 #10
Ditto this! Lots of conniving and skulduggery going on. erronis May 2017 #21
Correct. Russians are trading $$ for D.C. political influence.nt Barack_America May 2017 #37
I suspect he thought of the Presidency as some kind of 'get out jail free' card... Wounded Bear May 2017 #12
Trump is no longer a clever young businessman, MineralMan May 2017 #13
Exactly so Hekate May 2017 #25
Yep not fooled May 2017 #28
Remember Gerald Ford's first act as POTUS Fritz Walter May 2017 #23
That could result in a silver lining though flibbitygiblets May 2017 #30
Those could be done without pardons of Trump, et al... nt Wounded Bear May 2017 #32
Yeah, I remember, and we've suffered for it since...nt Wounded Bear May 2017 #33
The arrogance and hubris of the criminal is also... Eyeball_Kid May 2017 #17
Indeed they are. MineralMan May 2017 #19
They thought the federal government was just another business they could buy... Hekate May 2017 #24
Yep, excellent observation not fooled May 2017 #27
"...Kushner thought that a secret back channel was like a small boys tin-can telephone..." Snarkoleptic May 2017 #6
LOL! Hey, can his eyebrow stylist visit him in prison? leftstreet May 2017 #7
LOL SunSeeker May 2017 #20
No kidding. He needs to refer Donald -- but then Donald's a slob these days Hekate May 2017 #26
I wish he would give the name of his eyebrow threader to his japple May 2017 #29
... sheshe2 May 2017 #11
The overt and the covert faces of evil. WinkyDink May 2017 #15
It's a secret can. Trump can hear them pissing into it from the other end. erronis May 2017 #22
oh, nice one! dixiegrrrrl May 2017 #35
This article is why I always liked Walter Shapiro -- he has always seemed to see politicians and karynnj May 2017 #9
I do not wish an easy time or success for Jamie Gorelick, either. The word "quisling" comes to mind. WinkyDink May 2017 #14
Kushner may I introduce you to Miranda! Miranda: "Every word you say- I'll be watching you!" Madam45for2923 May 2017 #16
Alas... Scurrilous May 2017 #18
Finally found some actual video of him talking. Seasider May 2017 #34
Thank you for giving us his voice...I was wondering. dixiegrrrrl May 2017 #36
My guess is that Trump CanonRay May 2017 #38
Just as most lottery winners are ruined, this fiasco should ruin this mob family. lindysalsagal May 2017 #39
waiting for the "afluenza" defense in court Takket May 2017 #40
Okay celebrity whiz kid, here's where real "accounting" begins. oasis May 2017 #41

MineralMan

(146,192 posts)
1. By stepping into the political spotlight, the Trump family
Mon May 29, 2017, 12:48 PM
May 2017

has exposed its dirty underbelly to close inspection. All kinds of detritus and noxious waste has accumulated there, and will now be examined in minute detail by law enforcement officials.

This is the risk they took in stepping into the public sector. I hope they have a long time in which to regret that decision.

CakeGrrl

(10,611 posts)
8. And if Trump's bruised ego from President Obama's jokes at the WHCD
Mon May 29, 2017, 01:00 PM
May 2017

really was the motivation for him to run, then the last laugh, as usual, goes to President Obama.

ODS gets you nowhere good.

Cha

(295,926 posts)
31. Brilliant CakeGrrl.. "ODS gets you nowhere good"
Mon May 29, 2017, 04:06 PM
May 2017


President Obama was joking about trump's stupid on birtherism which was a damn lie.. I want them all to go down in flames for their lies to the American People.

Mme. Defarge

(7,982 posts)
10. They may not have had a choice
Mon May 29, 2017, 01:13 PM
May 2017

if Putin and his henchmen were propping them up financially in a quid pro quo cum "offer they couldn't refuse" arrangement with global implications. Commit treason or go down in financial ruin is the way I interpret the situation.

erronis

(14,955 posts)
21. Ditto this! Lots of conniving and skulduggery going on.
Mon May 29, 2017, 03:01 PM
May 2017

Pute owns the WH and maybe much of congress. Not sure his reach doesn't extend to the non-'uglicans.

Wounded Bear

(58,440 posts)
12. I suspect he thought of the Presidency as some kind of 'get out jail free' card...
Mon May 29, 2017, 01:54 PM
May 2017

and that it would help him paper over the family's worst offenses.

Instead, it will hopefully expose the whole rotten mess to public scrutiny and ruin them financially.

Hey, a guy can dream, right:

MineralMan

(146,192 posts)
13. Trump is no longer a clever young businessman,
Mon May 29, 2017, 01:57 PM
May 2017

if he ever was one. In 2017, he's an old, tired rich guy with a failing memory and no stamina. He's in way, way over his head, and his family isn't smart enough to help him compensate. In fact, they're making things worse.

It would be comedic if it were not so dangerous.

not fooled

(5,791 posts)
28. Yep
Mon May 29, 2017, 03:21 PM
May 2017

and it's telling--now that these rats are beginning to be cornered--that their first impulses are to respond by more lying and criminality, via threats and obfuscation, i.e. they think they can evade consequences for bad behavior by more bad behavior. You just know they have shredders and IT henchmen trying to erase their record of misconduct.

Fritz Walter

(4,281 posts)
23. Remember Gerald Ford's first act as POTUS
Mon May 29, 2017, 03:07 PM
May 2017

For those too young to remember, he pardoned Tricky-Dick Nixon for any-and-all crimes.

From Wikipedia: "In a televised broadcast to the nation, Ford, former Vice President to Nixon, explained that he felt the pardon was in the best interests of the country, and that the Nixon family's situation was 'a tragedy in which we all have played a part. It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must.' "

The possibility that Mike Pence would do the EXACT SAME THING, for the EXACT same reasons -- and extend the same full-and-unconditional-pardon to Jared et al. -- would completely subvert the justice system, legislative investigations and actions (laws), and ultimately leave us vulnerable to future election-tampering by Putin and his bots.

It's no exaggeration to say this would be the end of civilization as we know it.

On this Memorial Day, I cannot believe this is what true patriots fought and died to protect!

flibbitygiblets

(7,220 posts)
30. That could result in a silver lining though
Mon May 29, 2017, 03:36 PM
May 2017

The collective national anger at not getting justice for these alleged crimes could be parlayed into bipartisan calls for tighter election safeguards from OUTSIDE the US, (which should have the added benefit of finally exposing the ridiculousness of GOP claims that election fraud comes from inside this country vis-a-vis individual voters).

Other possible silver linings in this fiasco could include mandatory tax refund sharing (remember another history lesson from the Nixon admin was Nixon's failure to pay taxes, which resulted in it being simply a "norm" for candidates to report their tax returns). Most people don't remember that, and sharing of candidates' tax returns needs to be mandatory now that we have such clear proof of WHY it is needed.

And then there's the issue of "leaks" being good or bad, and what to do about them. Yes, they are not ideal and could be damaging if done for the wrong reasons (i.e., political gain), as opposed to what we're seeing here, which is exposing a corrupt, inept and probably treasonous administration. There need to be safeguards in place that ensure that situations such as we're witnessing now are dealt with swiftly, and not subjected to the whims of whatever party happens to be holding the most votes.

Probably a lot more I'm not even thinking of yet.

Hekate

(90,202 posts)
24. They thought the federal government was just another business they could buy...
Mon May 29, 2017, 03:09 PM
May 2017

...with money conned from gullible marks.

not fooled

(5,791 posts)
27. Yep, excellent observation
Mon May 29, 2017, 03:17 PM
May 2017

Karma would be for them to suffer--from the greater scrutiny of their shady practices and outright law-breaking--to the same extent that they are attempting to inflict misery on the majority of Americans.

And, that their family names become universally reviled and that they go down in history under a dark cloud of scandal, misconduct, and convictions.

leftstreet

(36,081 posts)
7. LOL! Hey, can his eyebrow stylist visit him in prison?
Mon May 29, 2017, 12:59 PM
May 2017

I've never seen a guy with such spiffily coiffed eyebrows

japple

(9,773 posts)
29. I wish he would give the name of his eyebrow threader to his
Mon May 29, 2017, 03:22 PM
May 2017

father-in-law. tRUMP's brows are in need of an intervention.

karynnj

(59,475 posts)
9. This article is why I always liked Walter Shapiro -- he has always seemed to see politicians and
Mon May 29, 2017, 01:10 PM
May 2017

their staff as people. The full Guardian article available from the link (his name) has an observation that made me see the current mess a bit more humanly.

I have no sympathy for Jared Kushner, whose actions as head of a company that went after poor people to get money that they did NOT even owe him, are not "charmed" at all - not to mention, his privileged life had already been disrupted by the arrest, conviction and jail term of his dad. The "charm" of his being both Trump's right hand man and the "Ken" to Ivanka's "Barbie" is really pretty shallow.

However, one paragraph he wrote, speaking of our side of the partisan divide, did make me see that many people, who may not be totally evil, will check their conscience too late and will drown in the torrents of these scandals.


The Kushner news reminds me of the saddest person I ever saw coming out of the White House. It was a Clinton administration official, shuffling along with his downcast eyes focused on the sidewalk, who had been caught up in the exaggerated first-term scandal known as Whitewater.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/29/jared-kushner-charmed-life-screeching-halt

The big difference is where Whitewater was exaggerated, I suspect we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg on Trump's scandals.
 

WinkyDink

(51,311 posts)
14. I do not wish an easy time or success for Jamie Gorelick, either. The word "quisling" comes to mind.
Mon May 29, 2017, 02:25 PM
May 2017

"Hired gun," also.

Seasider

(165 posts)
34. Finally found some actual video of him talking.
Mon May 29, 2017, 04:54 PM
May 2017

Had to back to 2009. The good news is that he sounds a lot smarter than his father-law-law. But he just seems like your typical toddler CEO who thinks he's being innovative.

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)
36. Thank you for giving us his voice...I was wondering.
Mon May 29, 2017, 06:36 PM
May 2017

Ok..complete sentences, buzzwords, able to forward thoughts in his speech, obviously used to public speaking.
So far, wayyy ahead of his pa-in-law.

As far as his having good ideas, I have heard negative things said.
I have heard of his arrogant behavior and seeming lack of caring for employees.

I also can see why he can come across as smart, confident, until you get to know him better, and why Trumps does depend on him.

lindysalsagal

(20,444 posts)
39. Just as most lottery winners are ruined, this fiasco should ruin this mob family.
Mon May 29, 2017, 09:43 PM
May 2017

Their greed, narcissism and lack of grounding and morality will ultimately set them against each other. Liars, manipulators and thieves eventually eat their own.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Kushner's Charmed Life Co...