So, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office has said that it’s investigating the Trump Organization for for possible fraud and for bank fraud. I have no idea if they have the evidence or can prove the case. I do feel near-certain that from the first this has been Trump's biggest nightmare, as I've written about here for a while. This isn't even New York State, but a city D.A. (which must be even mortifying to Trump -- the most powerful man in the world). It means that he can't be protected by his consigliere Attorney General William Barr, or by the Department of Justice. It also means that if that if others in his organization -- especially his children -- are under threat, he can't dangle a pardon in front of them. Worse, it means that if he himself is found guilty, he can't be pardoned. Also, not knowing whether there is evidence here, or whether it can be proven, I would suggest that it is believably likely that the charge Trump exaggerated his assets to qualify for high loans at lower rates and diminished his assets on his IRS tax returns to pay lower taxes. Why do I think it's believably likely? Because his former lawyer Michael Cohen said so under oath. Because we've seen how Trump operates for the past 3-1/2 years (actually decades longer). Because Trump has judgments against him for fraud. And because he's been fighting like a wounded lion to keep from releasing his tax returns ever since promising in 2015 that he'd release them soon, when his supposed "audit" was finished, even though it's perfectly fine to release the information at any time. No, none of this is proof that he did lie about those two things. But it's why presuming so is believably likely. And this doesn't include all the other charges the Manhattan D.A. might be persuing. Even better, what a lawyer friend said is that oral arguments have to be completed by mid-August, and documents that are needed to support their positions should all be public. Whether the deadline for those documents are the oral arguments in two weeks, or written arguments that are later, I don’t recall. But I’m pretty sure he said the oral arguments. In the Be Careful What You Wish For Department, Trump’s lawyers had complained that the Manhattan A.D. subpoena several weeks back wasn’t specific enough. So…oops, okay -- they got specific. Also important news yesterday– Deutsche Bank announced that it was starting an internal investigation into Trump's the longtime personal banker and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.. The bank is looking into their own employee Rosemary Vrablic after she and two colleagues bought an $1.5 million apartment in 2013 from the same company that Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump have a partial ownership in. Further, Kusher and Trump were both clients of Ms. Vrablic and got $190 million in loans from Deutsche Bank the same year she bought the $1.5 million condo -- and later got several hundred million in loans from the bank. None of this may be illegal. The apartment purchase could have totally above board. Jared Kushner could have nothing to do with decisions made by the company. But Trump family history seems that's a thin wire to dance on, and it seems reasonable to think that if a bank employee was facing jail time, that person might be willing provide evidence to prosecutors that would be helpful in this and in other cases. Or not. Who knows? But it certainly is the wrong time to overlap with the Manhattan D.A. if you're the one dancing on the wire. Which, it only follows, brings us to Rodgers & Hart, and a few updated lyrics for Ella Fitzgerald.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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