The McDonnell line of Supreme Court cases isn't likely to save Bob Menendez; Hunter Biden sues Rudy Giuliani and Robert Costello, who is suing Rudy Giuliani; Judge Tanya Chutkan isn't going anywhere
I do think it's fair for the government to prosecute fraud that doesn't result in loss, because it's exposing the banks to risks they'd be otherwise unwilling to take, and ultimately the act is the same whether or not the gamble ends well.
Regarding Josh's question, "Is the Trump organization trial in NY fair?" I think "systematic risk to the system" is the issue that is being overlooked. This is just the sort of risk the AG SHOULD be acting to mitigate even if there isn't any individual victim. Perhaps all of the lenders are happy. Perhaps it is common to exaggerate the value of property or the square footage, but what happens to the value of real estate in a crisis? What happens when the underlying value, in the entire loaned market, is overestimated? What happens to the larger economy as a result? What sort of contagion or systematic risk does this create? It isn't just the banks who have something to lose - we will all be on the hook to bail those banks out - AGAIN! The point isn't that the banks were harmed in some way, but the entire interrelated financial system relies on collateral being real. When you have one prominent player engaging in fraud on this scale, how does that influence the choices of other similarly situated actors, as well as the valuation of other properties?
Note on the political context of Trump's gun store visit: according to Lucian Truscott, the store in question (Palmetto State Armory) is known for selling Boogaloo Boys merchandise, and is where the Jacksonville shooter purchased the guns he used in his massacre.
Off-topic but this is an update for those fascinated by the goat-killing, ballot-bankrupting, vaccine-averse antics of Shasta County, California in its bid to become Florida West.
As reported in The Guardian, the supervisors of 'Florida West' have "appointed Jon Knight, a hydroponics store owner and prominent figure in the local far-right movement, to serve on the board of the public health agency responsible for managing (mosquitoes), instead of the county’s former public health director, an epidemiologist."
Knight said; "“I know a lot about this stuff. I know a lot about some of these Bill Gates programs. This is not a conspiracy, this is a fact. There’s Japanese scientists who have created flying syringes that will mass vaccinate populations." He then added; “We live in an interesting sci-fi time. With my understanding of what’s going on with mosquitoes and my knowledge of pesticides, I think I could do a pretty darn good job.”
Your point that Trump drawing attention to himself ultimately resulted in trouble for his companies reminds me a lot of the Giudices on Real Housewives of New Jersey. Granted, the cases might not be that similar -- they're both fraud, but I don't follow the legal troubles of the reality TV stars closely -- but it seems like if you're committing crimes, maybe don't go on TV a lot. Come to think of it, this also applies to Chris Chrisley, and probably applied to other investigations of Trump.
I'm now idly curious if the financial fraud prosecution rate among reality TV stars is higher than their cohorts of similar net worth individuals.
So Apple has iCloud backups. You backup your device to the cloud. If someone hacks your password, they can clone your device by downloading all your info to a phone or laptop. I have suspected for a long time that someone set up two Hunter Biden laptops this way and left them at that computer shop. You know, the laptop with the Joe Biden sticker. This would explain 'laptop' appearing in quotes in the lawsuit.
So two questions: If it's not Biden's laptop, could he just be hesitant to claim the device, especially if there is manipulated evidence, (or of course shady/criminal evidence no one has realized yet). Isn't there a difference between claiming an original device is yours, and only claiming the data MIGHT be yours on someone else's planted device? What implications are assumed by the owner of the device?
Also, Apple has iCloud servers in Alameda. And a lot of other cities. Could Biden be gambling for the California server to be the one that held his data (or could his attorney find out for sure?), and would that allow California laws to apply?
I'm not sure what Josh is up to with these assertions that Tish James is going after Trump because of Trumps insurrection activities. Trump has been on a decades long biz crime spree in NY.
People have been predicting this for years -- "Why would Trump run for president? He's just going to attract attention from people who can prosecute him."
Oh, come on. If one of us peons lied like he did to get a loan, and got caught, you can bet your law degree the state would come after us. In the instance of a rich and powerful person/family having done so, and the state seeking penalties, everyone saying, "oh, no, this is unheard of!" is just because it is so unusual for the government to actually nail the wealthy guy. My mother worked for the IRS for years. They would pursue the small tax cheats to the end of the earth. The big ones, if pursued at all, might have to pay a fraction of what they owed. The only problem with the case is that it took so long for them to bring it, Trump and his father were probably engaging in those shenanigans for longer than I've been alive, and I'm 60.
I'm curious for your thoughts on Rob Blagojevich's conviction as compared with other more recent cases... to me it seems very much like "political bribery" (horse-trading) prosecution, of the sort that couldn't happen today.
Wasn’t trumps alleged fraud in both directions though? Not only overvaluing for the banks, but also undervaluing for tax purposes. In which case the harm would be directly to the state and other taxpayers.
It probably came out too late for y’all to address, but have you had a chance to listen to the Cheese’s lawyers previewing their case on Lawfare? It seems like he has a decent shot at acquittal (or at least mistrial), but I’d like to hear your take.
Bribery Is Still Illegal
Oh thank God, I was starting to go into withdrawal
I think the moral of the story is that they should have instead bribed Bob Menendez in novelty oversize Toblerone.
I do think it's fair for the government to prosecute fraud that doesn't result in loss, because it's exposing the banks to risks they'd be otherwise unwilling to take, and ultimately the act is the same whether or not the gamble ends well.
As Lin Manuel Miranda points out in Hamilton "Everything is legal in New Jersey".
Regarding Josh's question, "Is the Trump organization trial in NY fair?" I think "systematic risk to the system" is the issue that is being overlooked. This is just the sort of risk the AG SHOULD be acting to mitigate even if there isn't any individual victim. Perhaps all of the lenders are happy. Perhaps it is common to exaggerate the value of property or the square footage, but what happens to the value of real estate in a crisis? What happens when the underlying value, in the entire loaned market, is overestimated? What happens to the larger economy as a result? What sort of contagion or systematic risk does this create? It isn't just the banks who have something to lose - we will all be on the hook to bail those banks out - AGAIN! The point isn't that the banks were harmed in some way, but the entire interrelated financial system relies on collateral being real. When you have one prominent player engaging in fraud on this scale, how does that influence the choices of other similarly situated actors, as well as the valuation of other properties?
Note on the political context of Trump's gun store visit: according to Lucian Truscott, the store in question (Palmetto State Armory) is known for selling Boogaloo Boys merchandise, and is where the Jacksonville shooter purchased the guns he used in his massacre.
(Truscott's article on the subject: https://luciantruscott.substack.com/p/the-mainstream-media-completely-missed)
Off-topic but this is an update for those fascinated by the goat-killing, ballot-bankrupting, vaccine-averse antics of Shasta County, California in its bid to become Florida West.
As reported in The Guardian, the supervisors of 'Florida West' have "appointed Jon Knight, a hydroponics store owner and prominent figure in the local far-right movement, to serve on the board of the public health agency responsible for managing (mosquitoes), instead of the county’s former public health director, an epidemiologist."
Knight said; "“I know a lot about this stuff. I know a lot about some of these Bill Gates programs. This is not a conspiracy, this is a fact. There’s Japanese scientists who have created flying syringes that will mass vaccinate populations." He then added; “We live in an interesting sci-fi time. With my understanding of what’s going on with mosquitoes and my knowledge of pesticides, I think I could do a pretty darn good job.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/28/california-shasta-county-far-right-mosquito-vaccine
Your point that Trump drawing attention to himself ultimately resulted in trouble for his companies reminds me a lot of the Giudices on Real Housewives of New Jersey. Granted, the cases might not be that similar -- they're both fraud, but I don't follow the legal troubles of the reality TV stars closely -- but it seems like if you're committing crimes, maybe don't go on TV a lot. Come to think of it, this also applies to Chris Chrisley, and probably applied to other investigations of Trump.
I'm now idly curious if the financial fraud prosecution rate among reality TV stars is higher than their cohorts of similar net worth individuals.
Is Alina Habba a good lawyer?
So Apple has iCloud backups. You backup your device to the cloud. If someone hacks your password, they can clone your device by downloading all your info to a phone or laptop. I have suspected for a long time that someone set up two Hunter Biden laptops this way and left them at that computer shop. You know, the laptop with the Joe Biden sticker. This would explain 'laptop' appearing in quotes in the lawsuit.
So two questions: If it's not Biden's laptop, could he just be hesitant to claim the device, especially if there is manipulated evidence, (or of course shady/criminal evidence no one has realized yet). Isn't there a difference between claiming an original device is yours, and only claiming the data MIGHT be yours on someone else's planted device? What implications are assumed by the owner of the device?
Also, Apple has iCloud servers in Alameda. And a lot of other cities. Could Biden be gambling for the California server to be the one that held his data (or could his attorney find out for sure?), and would that allow California laws to apply?
Does anyone know what happened to Trump's tax case that was tied up for so long in the Joint Committee on Taxation? (107 mill or so)
I'm not sure what Josh is up to with these assertions that Tish James is going after Trump because of Trumps insurrection activities. Trump has been on a decades long biz crime spree in NY.
People have been predicting this for years -- "Why would Trump run for president? He's just going to attract attention from people who can prosecute him."
Oh, come on. If one of us peons lied like he did to get a loan, and got caught, you can bet your law degree the state would come after us. In the instance of a rich and powerful person/family having done so, and the state seeking penalties, everyone saying, "oh, no, this is unheard of!" is just because it is so unusual for the government to actually nail the wealthy guy. My mother worked for the IRS for years. They would pursue the small tax cheats to the end of the earth. The big ones, if pursued at all, might have to pay a fraction of what they owed. The only problem with the case is that it took so long for them to bring it, Trump and his father were probably engaging in those shenanigans for longer than I've been alive, and I'm 60.
I'm curious for your thoughts on Rob Blagojevich's conviction as compared with other more recent cases... to me it seems very much like "political bribery" (horse-trading) prosecution, of the sort that couldn't happen today.
Wasn’t trumps alleged fraud in both directions though? Not only overvaluing for the banks, but also undervaluing for tax purposes. In which case the harm would be directly to the state and other taxpayers.
It probably came out too late for y’all to address, but have you had a chance to listen to the Cheese’s lawyers previewing their case on Lawfare? It seems like he has a decent shot at acquittal (or at least mistrial), but I’d like to hear your take.