Dem
47
GOP
53
Donald Trump is getting more and more brazen about his grift. The New York Times has a report that Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, of one of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates, "invested" $2 billion into World Liberty Financial, the Trump family's crypto scam. A couple of weeks later, the Sheikh received the "unexpected" good news that, per the Times, "the White House agreed to allow the UAE access to hundreds of thousands of the world's most advanced and scarce computer chips, a crucial tool in the high-stakes race to dominate artificial intelligence."
What are the chances there was no quid pro quo here? One in a million? One in a billion? One in 2 billion? Is there really any possibility whatsoever that the Sheikh really thought World Liberty Financial was a great investment and then, just by chance, received a GIANT concession from the White House? The only way this could be any more obvious is if the Sheikh had pulled up to the front door of the White House in a golden Lamborghini, and had handed Trump a suitcase full of $100 bills. Although your average suitcase will only hold about $2.5 million in hundreds, so it would actually need to be about 800 suitcases.
One can only hope that, one day when he no longer has the shield that is the United States presidency, Trump will be held accountable for his vast corrupt and illegal behavior. And, you know, it's not impossible. Democrats, with AG Merrick Garland being a prime example, were very cautious about going after Trump because of concerns about optics. But now, the office of the presidency, and maybe even the Constitution itself, are threatened. That, we would argue, leaves the next presidential administration no choice but to take action, the whining of Fox and Joe Rogan be damned.
We'll also point out one other thing. You know what Bob Menendez, Jair Bolsonaro, Rod Blagojevich, George Ryan, Jim Traficant, Edwin Edwards, Marion Barry, Nicolas Sarkozy, Ricardo Martinelli, Lee Myung-bak, Najib Razak and countless others had in common? They thought they were bulletproof... right up until they weren't. Trump is becoming so brazen and so aggressive in his grifting, it may well come back to bite him.
Meanwhile, in a development that is undoubtedly completely unrelated to the Times' reporting, Trump just filed a defamation lawsuit against the newspaper. It's another Monopoly-money lawsuit; he's demanding $15 billion. Here's his only-partly-comprehensible explanation:
Today, I have the Great Honor of bringing a $15 Billion Dollar Defamation and Libel Lawsuit against The New York Times, one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the History of our Country, becoming a virtual "mouthpiece" for the Radical Left Democrat Party. I view it as the single largest illegal Campaign contribution, EVER. Their Endorsement of Kamala Harris was actually put dead center on the front page of The New York Times, something heretofore UNHEARD OF! The "Times" has engaged in a decades long method of lying about your Favorite President (ME!), my family, business, the America First Movement, MAGA, and our Nation as a whole. I am PROUD to hold this once respected "rag" responsible, as we are doing with the Fake News Networks such as our successful litigation against George Slopadopoulos/ABC/Disney, and 60 Minutes/CBS/Paramount, who knew that they were falsely "smearing" me through a highly sophisticated system of document and visual alteration, which was, in effect, a malicious form of defamation, and thus, settled for record amounts. They practiced this longterm INTENT and pattern of abuse, which is both unacceptable and illegal. The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW! The suit is being brought in the Great State of Florida. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
We presumably don't need to remind readers that it's very difficult to defame a public figure (and the Times has very good lawyers who are there to make 100% certain it doesn't happen). And the notion that the placement of the Harris endorsement somehow constitutes libel against Trump is among the most laughable legal theories we've ever heard (and from an administration that has uncorked many laughable legal theories). Presumably he filed in Florida in hopes of drawing Aileen Cannon, or someone nearly as sycophantic. And surely he doesn't actually think he can get $15 billion out of the Times, because they don't have it. This is just another shakedown operation, though we doubt that the Times will play ball. After all, they don't have any federal research funds on the line, while at the same time their entire business model is wrecked if they cannot cover the President of the United States in exactly the manner they see fit. (Z)