LGBTQ news and entertainment
Get ready for an angry statement from ‘the former guy’ as the Department of Justice announced today that Donald Trump’s tax returns must be released by the IRS to Congress. Continue reading “Justice Dept Says Trump Tax Returns Must Be Released To Congress”
Donald Trump continues to push the Big Lie that the 2020 election was “stolen” from him (it wasn’t), but officials in Arizona say the Donald should “move on.” Continue reading “Arizona Sec Of State To Trump: ‘Take Your Loss, Move On’”
Donald Trump (image public domain/White House)
“We want to understand what did you want when you said ‘go up there’?” Leonnig says in the recording, referring to Trump saying that he was going to march with the crowd to the Capitol.
“I would have said that you will show — not to go in, although they were ushered in by the police. I mean, in all fairness, the Capitol Police were ushering people in. The Capitol Police were very friendly, hugging and kissing — you don’t see that, but there’s plenty of tape on that too, the Capitol Police, that’s the way it is. I wanted — personally, what I wanted is what they wanted. They showed up. Just to show support. Because I happen to believe the election was rigged. At a level like nothing has ever been rigged before. There’s tremendous proof. There’s tremendous proof. Statistically, it wasn’t even possible that he won. I mean, things such as in Ohio, Iowa, there’s never been a loss.”
“Did you need better lawyers because they took it to court—?” asked Rucker.
“I needed better judges. The Supreme Court was afraid to take it, don’t forget,” said Trump.
Read more at Alternet.
Donald Trump (screen capture)
According to reporter Jose Pagliery, during a Zoom call with investigators on June 25, Jennifer Weisselberg, who was previously married to Allen’s son Barry Weisselberg, told investigators that she was in Trump’s office at Trump Tower during a January 2012 meeting in which the real estate developer discussed compensation with Allen and Barry, explaining that while the latter would not be getting a raise, his children’s private school tuition, which clocked in at more than $50,000 a year per child, would be paid for.
According to Jennifer Weisselberg, Trump turned to her and allegedly said, “Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered.” While that might sound like an instance of the ex-president being an uncharacteristically generous guy, prosecutors have claimed that Allen Weisselberg was awarded numerous fringe benefits over the years—like a free apartment, cars, and, yes, private school tuition—for the express purpose of avoiding paying taxes. Which, according to the indictment against him, he did, to the tune of $900,000.
Prosecutors are also pulling information from previous sworn statements for their investigation. In his 2018 divorce deposition, Barry Weisselberg said that “his salary had remained flat for years, while his father ensured other aspects of his lifestyle were covered, including an apartment on Central Park South and later one on the Upper East Side.” Read more at Vanity Fair.
Report: Prosecutors Have Obtained Damning Information Allegedly Implicating Trump in His Company’s Crimes https://t.co/5Ghmg32HVd via @VanityFair
— Samia Dockery (@samiadockery) July 20, 2021
Donald Trump (public domain)
“Where would he be without me? I saved his life. He wouldn’t even be in a law firm. Who would have had him? Nobody. Totally disgraced. Only I saved him.”
For Kavanaugh to not do Trump’s bidding on the matter of ultimate importance — overturning the election — was, in Trump’s mind, a betrayal of the highest order.
Wolff writes that Trump feels betrayed by all three justices he put on the court, including Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, but “reserved particular bile for Kavanaugh.”
Recalling the brutal confirmation fight, Trump said: “Practically every senator called me … and said, ‘Cut him loose, sir, cut him loose. He’s killing us, Kavanaugh.’ … I said, ‘I can’t do that.'”
“I had plenty of time to pick somebody else,” Trump continued. “I went through that thing and fought like hell for Kavanaugh — and I saved his life, and I saved his career. At great expense to myself … okay? I fought for that guy and kept him.”
Trump unloads on Brett Kavanaugh for his Supreme Court votes: "Where would he be without me? I saved his life. He wouldn't even be in a law firm. Who would have had him? Nobody. Totally disgraced. Only I saved him." https://t.co/Y1AGAkYLMK
— Axios (@axios) July 13, 2021
CNN’s Jim Acosta began a segment today showing clips of ‘the former guy,’ Donald Trump, hugging the American flag at past appearances at CPAC. “Now, the same man who gripped the Stars and Stripes won’t let go of something else: the idea that he’s still president,” said Acosta. Mediaite has the transcript:
“A couple of weeks ago I compared Trumps’ comeback tour to the circus, full of sideshow acts and clowns. I later got an email from an expert on the circus industry. This person pointed out that comparison actually was not fair.
“Because unlike the chaos of Trump world, a circus is carefully composed and organized. That’s a great point. Comparing Trump to a clown is most definitely an insult to clowns. He’s more like one of those mask-hating customers at the grocery store.
“You’ve seen them. A Karen, or whatever the name would be in Trump’s case. You can almost hear him saying, ‘I want to talk to the manager about the election, I want to talk to the manager of Twitter or Facebook.’”
This is truly spot-on. Watch below – the report includes video of Trump’s press events which are carefully staged to pretend to be ‘presidential’ instead of being held in front of a golf club.
Donald Trump
This is the dumbest thing Trump has ever done. It’s wonderful. I remind you from personal experience that when you sue somebody you have to give a multi-day deposition on anything relevant to the topic…in this case, like your role inspiring the 1/6 Coup https://t.co/oUGBrWdgmN
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) July 7, 2021
This should be a nationally televised deposition…. Please schedule it next week. Don’t move to dismiss, which would be the normal move. Make him deal with the trap he created for himself. He will lose on the merits! https://t.co/fg46WsEXKV
— John W. Dean (@JohnWDean) July 7, 2021
He knows. This case will never reach the stage of depositions. He will fundraise off of the rubes as much as possible, try to bully the corps into settlements, then slither away as usual. BTW, I don't believe any of the corps will pay him anything to settle.
— soxfan4 (@wsoxfnjoe1) July 7, 2021
Donald Trump speaks at the White House (photo: public domain)
“People can’t get to the polls. It’s a national emergency. Right?” Trump was quoted as saying. Mark Meadows, then the White House chief of staff, stepped up to say that that was not a constitutional possibility, Wolff wrote.
But Trump seemed unconvinced. “I’m sure there might be a way, but … well …” he said, according to Wolff.
Trump again raised the idea a few days later at a debate-preparation session in Bedminster, New Jersey, with Chris Christie, according to Wolff.
“I’m thinking about calling it off,” Trump told Christie, the book says.
According to Wolff, Christie then told him, “You can’t do that, man,” adding: “You do know, you can’t declare martial law. You do know that, right?”
A spokesperson for Trump denied the stories via Twitter.
Trump was reportedly considering using the #COVID19 pandemic as an excuse to postpone the 2020 presidential election — once again showing how far in advance he was planning to disrupt the election to maintain his grip on power. https://t.co/d6HPcMTsKU
— Caroline Orr Bueno, Ph.D (@RVAwonk) July 7, 2021
Donald Trump (image public domain/White House)
Clint Hickman, then the chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, said in an interview on Friday that he let the calls — made in late December and early January — go to voice mail and did not return them. “I told people, ‘Please don’t have the president call me,’” he said.
At the time, Mr. Hickman was being pressed by the state Republican Party chairwoman and Mr. Trump’s lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani to investigate claims of fraud in the county’s election, which Mr. Biden had won by about 45,000 votes.
The Arizona Republic obtained the records of the phone calls from Mr. Trump and Mr. Giuliani after a Freedom of Information Act request.
There were no significant irregularities in Maricopa’s vote tallies, according to election officials there who have repeatedly refuted Trump’s claims.
Allen Weisselberg (image via Trump Organization)
Donald J. Trump’s long-serving chief financial officer, Allen H. Weisselberg, surrendered on Thursday to the Manhattan district attorney’s office as he and the Trump Organization prepared to face charges in connection with a tax investigation, people with knowledge of the matter said. As part of that inquiry, the prosecutors in the office of the district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., had been examining whether Mr. Weisselberg failed to pay taxes on valuable benefits he and his family received from Mr. Trump, including private school tuition for at least one of his grandchildren, free apartments and leased cars.
The prosecutors, who are also working with lawyers from the office of the New York State attorney general, Letitia James, have also investigated whether the Trump Organization failed to pay payroll taxes on what should have been taxable income.
You can see Weisselberg self-surrender today in the video clip below.
And here’s Trump’s CFO self surrendering pic.twitter.com/jvXN4HLbxq
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) July 1, 2021