Once again, since we know Trump had committed tax fraud, when can we expect to see some consequences of this for him? As well as of his recent offer of a bribe to the oil companies, which, as I understand it, is a felony? I am sure I am not the only person in the United States (or in the world) tired of waiting.
If it was you or me, our butts would have been behind bars years ago and the IRS would have been calling us in for an audit if our taxes were less than $100.00 off. I'm so damn sick of this.
Exactly. I was thinking the same thing. The "but the extraordinary situation and the nature of the suspect" excuse only goes so far. It's been YEARS. Enough is enough. He is a thief, a fraud, a danger to national security, and a rapist. He belongs in jail.
Remember Al Capon? Great Bootlegger right? Original Teflon Don right? Guess who brought him down to size. Was it the Feds? No the IRS they did once and they can do it again I have faith in them!! plus prayers that would help keep the faith believe in karma and all will be well
I see this as his primary reason for running for office in 2016. It remains a primary reason, along with grifting and selling his influence. Anything to make a lot of money.
Yeppers. And, once again, I'm really tired of Merrick Garland's slow rolls. I realize that the Justice Department has a track record to protect in that almost all the cases they bring to indictment win. There's a lot "i" and "t" crossing. But this almost seems intentional. And for the life of me, I can't figure out why.
I know. I was so angry when Mitch McConnell refused to even let Garland get a hearing in the Senate, and so happy for him when Pres Biden made him Attorney General. It's been nothing but disappointment since then. Garland's gotta go. I'd like to see Jack Smith made AG for Pres Biden's second term. He seems like a good bulldog.
Being a great prosecutor doesn’t mean being a great (or even good) administrator. I’m *not* saying he would NOT be, he has to do administrative work in his current role. But being a politician (AG has to be that some of the time) and not getting to practice actual law may turn him off entirely.
Death eventually gets us all. Can't get around that. Worrying about how we die is a pretty fruitless endeavor anyway, but prosecutors who worry about Trump getting them is about as pitiful a worry as there is in life. I sure hope that's not a consideration. If it is, they should resign now.
It’s not that long ago that the Republicant’s were screaming about Hunter Biden’s taxes. I expect their outrage over this Trump issue to begin in… never. It will never begin. :-(
The sad truth that I see is that likely the IRS case, the current trial for campaign finance fraud, (which absolutely should be referred to as such instead of a hush money trial because that in and of itself lets him off the hook, but I digress), IF there is ever a trial for the theft and intentionally hiding of classified documents, and IF there is a trial in Georgia for his involvement in the conspiracy to attempt to fraudulently coerce and be involved in interference in the election; what if is found guilty of even one case, let alone all of them?
I for 1 would be elated beyond words in any language to describe, however, we all know damned well that his cult will never believe any of the proof and will never admit their Mango Mousilli has done wrong.
Do we really believe, deep down, that he will be actually held accountable, knowing the absolute hell that will be unleashed by his cult?
I'm so disgusted and it makes me feel so incredibly defeated to admit that I have absolutely NO confidence that he will ever face any actual jail time, not even for continuing to obstruct the gag order in the current trial, because I firmly believe no one will have the courage to make the decision to put his worthless ass in jail, for fear of the fallout for doing the right thing. 😪
There is literally no end to his corruption.... and he keeps doing this stuff, such as the recent bribery ploy to the oil execs, because not once in his life has he been held accountable. Well except for the Carroll case which he's trying to appeal so we can't really count that as "accountable" yet. And due to this lack of accountability it makes it that much easier for his base to brush it off as not real. I mean I get his entire base thinks with only 1 brain but still. I just want to see him held accountable for something. It makes me sick to my stomach we are still talking about him as a candidate for president.
If he hadn’t been held accountable, he wouldn’t have two judgments worth $530+ million, 88 charges, four indictments and one current criminal trial. Let’s celebrate where we have gotten so far at least!
I appreciate the value of positive attitude but, not to put too fine a point on it, he hasn’t paid a dime yet, still is free to move about the world at will, and, as far as I can tell, faces neither a firm timeline for when he might actually have to pay any judgements, nor a time when to expect an actual trial for crimes blatantly committed in the public view.
History suggests he will get the fines reduced or eliminated on appeal. Judge Cannon seems to have won her battle to indefinitely delay any accountability for what should have been the easiest prosecutions ever for getting caught stealing Nat’l Security documents, lying in sworn statements about having them, and conspiring with others to hide them, including storing them in a public toilet.
I’m thankful for the “can do” attitude — it helps get me through the day, but it gets harder every day to beat back the cynicism.
My positive attitude actually died when he was elected POTUS. I'd been studying trump since the eighties, and to acknoweledge that nearly half our neighbors hired a criminal to Lord over us was the end of any positivity I was able to locate within myself. And now here we are, all these years later, with nearly half our neighbors rooting for the same criminal to Lord over me yet again. It's just too much for me to even think about. And of what the future for the younger generation will look like. trump is nothing but a symptom of our disease. I can't imagine what lesson is being taught here, except....He did it, so I can too. ....Teach The Children Well. as the song states.
I am truly alarmed at how “parenting” seems to be given over to “screen time”! A big big kick in the head is what this country seems to be rooting for.
Jean, I fear that "kick" needed will be much more forceful than many may be able to accept. Perhaps, as so many other things are rapidly changing in this era, we're due our implosion. Empires always fail, history proves this.
I too am sick of this whole ridiculous phony matinee of what!!!!!!????? A slimy crook flipping all of us the “finger”and the so called “law community” supporting the crook. They are all complicit in making this country go down the toilet. I hope they have a plan on where they can hide… I actually feel really sorry for those who have dollar signs where a heart belongs. The greatest sadness is to really believe you are better because you know how to steal from the whole world. Sad sad simpletons.
"They" are doing nothing that "We" aren't allowing. All of our complaints fall flat without enough voices to squelch the opposition, followed by never allowing it to happen again. I don't have a simplistic answer, but I know we (the majority) allowed trump his 4 years rule.
The majority of our population, that voted, of course did not vote trump into the hired help position of POTUS. Unfortunately, the majority of our neighbors allowed his scams to continue. If enough of a populace would rise up then our Kings and Queens would be forced to, at the least, try new tactics to fool We Peasants.
Ok lhe has been held accountable and i appreciate that but I agree with Michael- he's faced no real consequences yet. He has judgements but paid nothing. His bond money was yet another scam and still no consequences. He just kerps kicking that can down the road fo as long as they allow him . We all know none of us "real" people would be walking free and running for president. And it's my opinion that lack of consequences/accountability is going to gain him $1 billion from oil execs.
I get it, we need patience. And reading your articles remind all of us that his walls are closing in. But there is still a real possibility we have him as president again and that would really be a kick in the gut to us all. I do have some hope, some days more than others. I think we are all just tired of him.
@jaykuo Having the financial judgments against him definitely signaled what we all already knew, that he is guilty as hell.
My fear is that having to make the decision to sentence him to actual jail time will be where he gets away with no real consequence, yet again.
Whoever will be in the position to impose serving time, likely the judge in the campaign finance fraud case, will not have the courage to make that decision. I don't believe it will be due to not being 100% convinced he is guilty but more for fear of the repercussions, from his cult members of making that decision and the impact that will have on the safety of everyone involved in his prosecution, the potential for riots and damage to the city, etc.
Are you aware if there is a mandatory minimum for the charges that the judge would be required to impose if he is convicted for this or any of the other crimes, in other locations, if there are, in fact additional trials that actually happen?
I can absolutely see this case being a conviction and I, for one, would feel so much more comfortable knowing that there is absolutely no way out of imposing jail time and what that jail time would look like.
Oh he was held accountable in the Carroll case…Twice actually, in terms of damages. Appeal is irrelevant if he hasn’t won it, and when will he have the time, lawyers and money to pursue said appeal? (Insert my evil laughter) Only his base refuses to hold him accountable, and if they win in this they will ultimately lose their freedom to make a living bc he’s going to tax them to the teeth. Dumb suckers.
Ok sure but what have the consequences been so far? He hasn't paid a dime, he hasn't paid his bond to appeal. It's a game that keeps kicking the can down the road.
What I can't understand is what his base expects to achieve from their support of him? Is it a belief that he really wants to fulfill our democratic ideals?
As someone who has had my own dealings with the IRS, let me just say, they actually will bend over backwards to help you if you communicate with them honestly. This write up leads me to imagine "accounting nerds", with pocket protectors and calculators working in the background to keep this thing going. To them I say, "salute!".
Shoot, I’d like to scream that from the rooftops — the IRS as a whole is underfunded, underpaid, overworked & gets WAAAY too much abuse. I know because I’ve watched my dad “discuss” his own interpretations of the tax code 😳 & I’ve seen the responses from them 😁
Absolutely! I worked for CPAs for years. When there was a problem (perceived or otherwise) with the IRS, they worked diligently to get it right and without inflicting maximum stress. They were a lot nicer than the State (Idaho) Tax Commission.
I don't think most people have given much thought to just how dangerous it would be to have someone with THIS MUCH financial liability in the Oval Office. As POTUS, he would have access to every state secret there is. And they would all be for sale.
Some of us already considered all this back in 2016. He had already shown that he was compromised. It's why we wept when he won. I have no doubt he's already sold state secrets and probably done worse than we all can imagine. Those boxes at MaraLago weren't there by chance and it's been said that there seems to still be some missing.
Yeah, but you can't disqualify the president -- POTUS is the ultimate classification authority. And he can override clearance decisions (see also: Jared Kushner).
Yeah, but he can’t declassify stuff “just by thinking about it,” and the Intel community was less than thrilled about the forced clearance for his crimer-in-law.
At some point in the future, and unfortunately it will be long after Trump kicks the bucket, the scope and scale of Trump's criminal enterprise will shock us all. He will go down in history as the most immoral, corrupt President in our history, and history will be equally harsh on those who supported him.
I don’t need to wait. I’m sufficiently shocked now, not by the scope and scale, of which I think we’d seen plenty of evidence for a very long time, but by the ways in which he has consistently maneuvered his escape from consequences. And by his apparent amazing success in parlaying what must be hundreds of millions of dollars of legal expenses by now into an investment with a positive yield.
I think few of us would be shocked by now by any new information about illegal and immoral actions or non-actions of Trump. I wouldn’t be shocked to learn that he was the Zodiac.
A rare example of the New York Times doing good work where Trump is concerned. (Given that they’ve been covering him for close to 50 years, you’d think they’d be in the front rank of critics, but I digress.)
Anyway, if anyone tries to tell you Trump is rich, just laugh. He’s flat broke.
He lives off of cash flow - which he passes through something like 500 shell corporations. The only reason to have this many is to make it nearly impossible to follow the cash. He is nothing so much as a New York mobster.
His 2015 taxes came out at some point years ago and according to what I saw, he paid less than 60% of what he should have.
I prepared taxes for six years professionally, for the record. Everything about this dude's finances is shady and that's why he fights like mad when people go looking.
I’m pretty sure you read about that in the New York Times, which ran one story about it and has never allowed it to interfere with their unquestioning reinforcement of Trump’s self-definition since. Thank goodness ProPublica is involved with this story.
I would hope the Dems not only win the next election, including the White House and Congress, but win BIG in order to keep funding the IRS well enough to catch ALL billionaire and millionaire tax cheats. I have a feeling, especially after Trump's recent offer to oil execs (and no subsequent outrage from them), that Trump is very much not alone in his extensive cheating. It would be interesting to know just how many shell corporations actually exist in this country... and to find some way to curb that practice. I also wonder just how many CPAs and attorneys make a generous living off cheating the IRS and ultimately, those of us who actually pay their taxes. How quickly could the national debt be paid if these practices were curbed?
It's interesting to note that the national debt is about the same as the growth in wealth of the top 5% since around 1980 when "Reaganomics" started the big rip off.
Mel—As a former IRS employee, please know that we always wish the money was there to go after the big tax cheats. Computerized document matching programs catch “math errors“ and that is why it seems like taxpayers are billed for small amounts. Forensic accounting is expensive!
I’m sorry I have difficulty reading this amount of most likely deliberate fraud!!! And it has taken how many years for reporters now to dig deep enough to see how rotten this enterprise was…. And not even the IRS??!!??!!??whose job it was to flag such behavior. Thank god for a few investigative reporters we have left!!!!
But privately, Trump enterprises appear to have been skating IRS protocols, I’m not
Concerned it be public but seems they. Should have been doing serious audits for years. Don’t think this happened all though T said he couldn’t disclose anything because of audits??? So this is confusing. Ms James
Fully intending to beat this dead horse... WHY is he not imprisoned? If any lowly lay-folk even so much as miss a due date, we are penalized into near extinction. Our country is run "Of the Rich, By the Rich, and For the Rich."
Don't be poor. Don't be sick. Don't be old. Don't be homeless. And--above all--don't be female or non-white. If you are any of those unacceptable things: know your place.
My husband had an LLC and paid quarterly taxes. He got ill and then died a few years ago. I knew nothing about the quarterly taxes until last year. The IRS had threatened to seize my bank account because I have penalties, late fees, and taxes they say are due them of approximately $1600-2000. I’m a retired and on a fixed income. My tax issues are mistakes from being uninformed yet that MoFo has effectively deceived the IRS for decades to the tune of millions and billions. Leave me alone. I’ll pay what I owe and I always have. Use the people hounding me to work on Trump’s tax crimes. Thank you for letting me rant.
FWIW, Republicans defunded the investigation arm of IRS that goes after big dogs like Trump. Deliberately, to please their 1%er masters. The IRS bill expands that group, but Repub Congress is still sitting on the funds.
Thanks for explaining this, Jay. So when Trump complains about the "deep state," he's really complaining about civil servants deeply committed to deeply following the law and deeply identifying and holding to account tax cheaters and liars.
I'm curious about all the accountants and attorneys working for Trump who did the detail work, if not all the actual devising and arranging, for this tax fraud. Do they face consequences for their lies and malfeasance?
Of course, even if the IRS actually makes a demand for payment, Trump can decline to pay and shift the matter to court where it can linger for years. This is especially so, since the tax issues are less than clear. As an election issue, this one is not a priority because it is too obscure for the average voter.
The IRS needs to require a bond, similar to the one NY State required, before Trump can appeal the judgment. Why? On the grounds that he is a serial tax fraud.
Once again, since we know Trump had committed tax fraud, when can we expect to see some consequences of this for him? As well as of his recent offer of a bribe to the oil companies, which, as I understand it, is a felony? I am sure I am not the only person in the United States (or in the world) tired of waiting.
If it was you or me, our butts would have been behind bars years ago and the IRS would have been calling us in for an audit if our taxes were less than $100.00 off. I'm so damn sick of this.
Exactly. I was thinking the same thing. The "but the extraordinary situation and the nature of the suspect" excuse only goes so far. It's been YEARS. Enough is enough. He is a thief, a fraud, a danger to national security, and a rapist. He belongs in jail.
Prison!
Strip his assets, cancell his citizenship and deport him permanently. Nothing less will do.
None of the despots who might provide sanctuary would be interested once he's penniless.
Remember Al Capon? Great Bootlegger right? Original Teflon Don right? Guess who brought him down to size. Was it the Feds? No the IRS they did once and they can do it again I have faith in them!! plus prayers that would help keep the faith believe in karma and all will be well
I think Sean Connery & Kevin Costner also helped!
Sorry no laugh button but that's a very good one and made my day. But the IRS did bring down Capon .
Sooo incredibly tired of waiting.
I see this as his primary reason for running for office in 2016. It remains a primary reason, along with grifting and selling his influence. Anything to make a lot of money.
I think he's really only running to stay out of jail at this point. God help us if he wins.
Well need the Devil too, if he managed to cheat his way into office again.
Yeppers. And, once again, I'm really tired of Merrick Garland's slow rolls. I realize that the Justice Department has a track record to protect in that almost all the cases they bring to indictment win. There's a lot "i" and "t" crossing. But this almost seems intentional. And for the life of me, I can't figure out why.
I know. I was so angry when Mitch McConnell refused to even let Garland get a hearing in the Senate, and so happy for him when Pres Biden made him Attorney General. It's been nothing but disappointment since then. Garland's gotta go. I'd like to see Jack Smith made AG for Pres Biden's second term. He seems like a good bulldog.
Jack Smith would be great based on what little I know.
Being a great prosecutor doesn’t mean being a great (or even good) administrator. I’m *not* saying he would NOT be, he has to do administrative work in his current role. But being a politician (AG has to be that some of the time) and not getting to practice actual law may turn him off entirely.
I honestly think they're all fearful for their lives.
Death eventually gets us all. Can't get around that. Worrying about how we die is a pretty fruitless endeavor anyway, but prosecutors who worry about Trump getting them is about as pitiful a worry as there is in life. I sure hope that's not a consideration. If it is, they should resign now.
It's their families that are threatened also.
Well, that's a fair point.
Garland is scared sh*tless. Someone has something on him or he fears death.
It’s not that long ago that the Republicant’s were screaming about Hunter Biden’s taxes. I expect their outrage over this Trump issue to begin in… never. It will never begin. :-(
The sad truth that I see is that likely the IRS case, the current trial for campaign finance fraud, (which absolutely should be referred to as such instead of a hush money trial because that in and of itself lets him off the hook, but I digress), IF there is ever a trial for the theft and intentionally hiding of classified documents, and IF there is a trial in Georgia for his involvement in the conspiracy to attempt to fraudulently coerce and be involved in interference in the election; what if is found guilty of even one case, let alone all of them?
I for 1 would be elated beyond words in any language to describe, however, we all know damned well that his cult will never believe any of the proof and will never admit their Mango Mousilli has done wrong.
Do we really believe, deep down, that he will be actually held accountable, knowing the absolute hell that will be unleashed by his cult?
I'm so disgusted and it makes me feel so incredibly defeated to admit that I have absolutely NO confidence that he will ever face any actual jail time, not even for continuing to obstruct the gag order in the current trial, because I firmly believe no one will have the courage to make the decision to put his worthless ass in jail, for fear of the fallout for doing the right thing. 😪
He also broke his gag order from Judge Chutkan- not suppose to commit any further crimes , state or federal !
The courts will probably put them at the back of a Long line of court dates. OR...
Since so many have been paused for whatever excuse, there may be openings available!
There is literally no end to his corruption.... and he keeps doing this stuff, such as the recent bribery ploy to the oil execs, because not once in his life has he been held accountable. Well except for the Carroll case which he's trying to appeal so we can't really count that as "accountable" yet. And due to this lack of accountability it makes it that much easier for his base to brush it off as not real. I mean I get his entire base thinks with only 1 brain but still. I just want to see him held accountable for something. It makes me sick to my stomach we are still talking about him as a candidate for president.
If he hadn’t been held accountable, he wouldn’t have two judgments worth $530+ million, 88 charges, four indictments and one current criminal trial. Let’s celebrate where we have gotten so far at least!
I appreciate the value of positive attitude but, not to put too fine a point on it, he hasn’t paid a dime yet, still is free to move about the world at will, and, as far as I can tell, faces neither a firm timeline for when he might actually have to pay any judgements, nor a time when to expect an actual trial for crimes blatantly committed in the public view.
History suggests he will get the fines reduced or eliminated on appeal. Judge Cannon seems to have won her battle to indefinitely delay any accountability for what should have been the easiest prosecutions ever for getting caught stealing Nat’l Security documents, lying in sworn statements about having them, and conspiring with others to hide them, including storing them in a public toilet.
I’m thankful for the “can do” attitude — it helps get me through the day, but it gets harder every day to beat back the cynicism.
My positive attitude actually died when he was elected POTUS. I'd been studying trump since the eighties, and to acknoweledge that nearly half our neighbors hired a criminal to Lord over us was the end of any positivity I was able to locate within myself. And now here we are, all these years later, with nearly half our neighbors rooting for the same criminal to Lord over me yet again. It's just too much for me to even think about. And of what the future for the younger generation will look like. trump is nothing but a symptom of our disease. I can't imagine what lesson is being taught here, except....He did it, so I can too. ....Teach The Children Well. as the song states.
Exactly Glen.
I am truly alarmed at how “parenting” seems to be given over to “screen time”! A big big kick in the head is what this country seems to be rooting for.
Jean, I fear that "kick" needed will be much more forceful than many may be able to accept. Perhaps, as so many other things are rapidly changing in this era, we're due our implosion. Empires always fail, history proves this.
I too am sick of this whole ridiculous phony matinee of what!!!!!!????? A slimy crook flipping all of us the “finger”and the so called “law community” supporting the crook. They are all complicit in making this country go down the toilet. I hope they have a plan on where they can hide… I actually feel really sorry for those who have dollar signs where a heart belongs. The greatest sadness is to really believe you are better because you know how to steal from the whole world. Sad sad simpletons.
"They" are doing nothing that "We" aren't allowing. All of our complaints fall flat without enough voices to squelch the opposition, followed by never allowing it to happen again. I don't have a simplistic answer, but I know we (the majority) allowed trump his 4 years rule.
What constitutes the majority? What percentage of the electorate turns out at the poles? This is why many, over the years, have said that
democracy is a figment of our imimagination.
The majority of our population, that voted, of course did not vote trump into the hired help position of POTUS. Unfortunately, the majority of our neighbors allowed his scams to continue. If enough of a populace would rise up then our Kings and Queens would be forced to, at the least, try new tactics to fool We Peasants.
Ok lhe has been held accountable and i appreciate that but I agree with Michael- he's faced no real consequences yet. He has judgements but paid nothing. His bond money was yet another scam and still no consequences. He just kerps kicking that can down the road fo as long as they allow him . We all know none of us "real" people would be walking free and running for president. And it's my opinion that lack of consequences/accountability is going to gain him $1 billion from oil execs.
I get it, we need patience. And reading your articles remind all of us that his walls are closing in. But there is still a real possibility we have him as president again and that would really be a kick in the gut to us all. I do have some hope, some days more than others. I think we are all just tired of him.
@jaykuo Having the financial judgments against him definitely signaled what we all already knew, that he is guilty as hell.
My fear is that having to make the decision to sentence him to actual jail time will be where he gets away with no real consequence, yet again.
Whoever will be in the position to impose serving time, likely the judge in the campaign finance fraud case, will not have the courage to make that decision. I don't believe it will be due to not being 100% convinced he is guilty but more for fear of the repercussions, from his cult members of making that decision and the impact that will have on the safety of everyone involved in his prosecution, the potential for riots and damage to the city, etc.
Are you aware if there is a mandatory minimum for the charges that the judge would be required to impose if he is convicted for this or any of the other crimes, in other locations, if there are, in fact additional trials that actually happen?
I can absolutely see this case being a conviction and I, for one, would feel so much more comfortable knowing that there is absolutely no way out of imposing jail time and what that jail time would look like.
It thinks with one brain that has been pickled inside a jar shared with brainworms.
And it’s still more coherent than tffg’s brain which isn’t saying much; said brain is in the last stages of dementia. No coming back from this fact.
LOL
Oh he was held accountable in the Carroll case…Twice actually, in terms of damages. Appeal is irrelevant if he hasn’t won it, and when will he have the time, lawyers and money to pursue said appeal? (Insert my evil laughter) Only his base refuses to hold him accountable, and if they win in this they will ultimately lose their freedom to make a living bc he’s going to tax them to the teeth. Dumb suckers.
Ok sure but what have the consequences been so far? He hasn't paid a dime, he hasn't paid his bond to appeal. It's a game that keeps kicking the can down the road.
What I can't understand is what his base expects to achieve from their support of him? Is it a belief that he really wants to fulfill our democratic ideals?
On and on it goes. Is any of this possible without ethically compromised lawyers?
As someone who has had my own dealings with the IRS, let me just say, they actually will bend over backwards to help you if you communicate with them honestly. This write up leads me to imagine "accounting nerds", with pocket protectors and calculators working in the background to keep this thing going. To them I say, "salute!".
Shoot, I’d like to scream that from the rooftops — the IRS as a whole is underfunded, underpaid, overworked & gets WAAAY too much abuse. I know because I’ve watched my dad “discuss” his own interpretations of the tax code 😳 & I’ve seen the responses from them 😁
Absolutely! I worked for CPAs for years. When there was a problem (perceived or otherwise) with the IRS, they worked diligently to get it right and without inflicting maximum stress. They were a lot nicer than the State (Idaho) Tax Commission.
I don't think most people have given much thought to just how dangerous it would be to have someone with THIS MUCH financial liability in the Oval Office. As POTUS, he would have access to every state secret there is. And they would all be for sale.
Exactly that. All secrets for sale.
As in, why did he take those papers from the first time he was in office? He knew this would be coming up. 😠
Some of us already considered all this back in 2016. He had already shown that he was compromised. It's why we wept when he won. I have no doubt he's already sold state secrets and probably done worse than we all can imagine. Those boxes at MaraLago weren't there by chance and it's been said that there seems to still be some missing.
Every woman I know wept, but most especially those over 50.
I know deep debt would disqualify you or me for a security clearance.
Yeah, but you can't disqualify the president -- POTUS is the ultimate classification authority. And he can override clearance decisions (see also: Jared Kushner).
Yeah, but he can’t declassify stuff “just by thinking about it,” and the Intel community was less than thrilled about the forced clearance for his crimer-in-law.
At some point in the future, and unfortunately it will be long after Trump kicks the bucket, the scope and scale of Trump's criminal enterprise will shock us all. He will go down in history as the most immoral, corrupt President in our history, and history will be equally harsh on those who supported him.
I profoundly hope so, Dennis.
I don’t need to wait. I’m sufficiently shocked now, not by the scope and scale, of which I think we’d seen plenty of evidence for a very long time, but by the ways in which he has consistently maneuvered his escape from consequences. And by his apparent amazing success in parlaying what must be hundreds of millions of dollars of legal expenses by now into an investment with a positive yield.
I wonder how many are scrambling to distance themselves & others trying to cover for him...
Or how many were part of the original crimes with him! For once, I hope he stays healthy & cognitive to see it all unfold.
I think few of us would be shocked by now by any new information about illegal and immoral actions or non-actions of Trump. I wouldn’t be shocked to learn that he was the Zodiac.
This is a masterpiece of honest storytelling. It's complex, but you've explained all the intricate details and twists wonderfully.
A rare example of the New York Times doing good work where Trump is concerned. (Given that they’ve been covering him for close to 50 years, you’d think they’d be in the front rank of critics, but I digress.)
Anyway, if anyone tries to tell you Trump is rich, just laugh. He’s flat broke.
He lives off of cash flow - which he passes through something like 500 shell corporations. The only reason to have this many is to make it nearly impossible to follow the cash. He is nothing so much as a New York mobster.
Russian Mob. Mogilevich.
His 2015 taxes came out at some point years ago and according to what I saw, he paid less than 60% of what he should have.
I prepared taxes for six years professionally, for the record. Everything about this dude's finances is shady and that's why he fights like mad when people go looking.
I’m pretty sure you read about that in the New York Times, which ran one story about it and has never allowed it to interfere with their unquestioning reinforcement of Trump’s self-definition since. Thank goodness ProPublica is involved with this story.
I've thought so for years. Not only broke, but deep in the red.
People think he’s running to stay out of jail. He’s running to stay out of the trunk of someone’s car.
I've got a nice big trunk. I volunteer my car, though somebody's got to clean that orange stuff off his face first.
You get a standing "O" for this one, Jay! Grateful for the condensed version!
I would hope the Dems not only win the next election, including the White House and Congress, but win BIG in order to keep funding the IRS well enough to catch ALL billionaire and millionaire tax cheats. I have a feeling, especially after Trump's recent offer to oil execs (and no subsequent outrage from them), that Trump is very much not alone in his extensive cheating. It would be interesting to know just how many shell corporations actually exist in this country... and to find some way to curb that practice. I also wonder just how many CPAs and attorneys make a generous living off cheating the IRS and ultimately, those of us who actually pay their taxes. How quickly could the national debt be paid if these practices were curbed?
It's interesting to note that the national debt is about the same as the growth in wealth of the top 5% since around 1980 when "Reaganomics" started the big rip off.
VERY interesting....!
Mel—As a former IRS employee, please know that we always wish the money was there to go after the big tax cheats. Computerized document matching programs catch “math errors“ and that is why it seems like taxpayers are billed for small amounts. Forensic accounting is expensive!
I’m sorry I have difficulty reading this amount of most likely deliberate fraud!!! And it has taken how many years for reporters now to dig deep enough to see how rotten this enterprise was…. And not even the IRS??!!??!!??whose job it was to flag such behavior. Thank god for a few investigative reporters we have left!!!!
The IRS had no authority to make this public, for clear reasons.
But privately, Trump enterprises appear to have been skating IRS protocols, I’m not
Concerned it be public but seems they. Should have been doing serious audits for years. Don’t think this happened all though T said he couldn’t disclose anything because of audits??? So this is confusing. Ms James
seems to be the first to put any pressure on….
Fully intending to beat this dead horse... WHY is he not imprisoned? If any lowly lay-folk even so much as miss a due date, we are penalized into near extinction. Our country is run "Of the Rich, By the Rich, and For the Rich."
I predict a guilty verdict in Manhattan!
This is music to my ears!!!!! I pray he sees a jail cell
If guilty, what's the minimum jail time he'd receive? And could that be sidestepped?
His chops must be busting to get “ caught “ over a measly $130,000 accounting error!
Rules for living in the USA:
Don't be poor. Don't be sick. Don't be old. Don't be homeless. And--above all--don't be female or non-white. If you are any of those unacceptable things: know your place.
Could it be that DJT gets the Al Capone Tax Cheat Suite. Sweet.
That was the first thing I thought of. Is the particular law he broke punishable with jail time?
It was for Capone, but then he was a Democrat.
My husband had an LLC and paid quarterly taxes. He got ill and then died a few years ago. I knew nothing about the quarterly taxes until last year. The IRS had threatened to seize my bank account because I have penalties, late fees, and taxes they say are due them of approximately $1600-2000. I’m a retired and on a fixed income. My tax issues are mistakes from being uninformed yet that MoFo has effectively deceived the IRS for decades to the tune of millions and billions. Leave me alone. I’ll pay what I owe and I always have. Use the people hounding me to work on Trump’s tax crimes. Thank you for letting me rant.
FWIW, Republicans defunded the investigation arm of IRS that goes after big dogs like Trump. Deliberately, to please their 1%er masters. The IRS bill expands that group, but Repub Congress is still sitting on the funds.
Thanks for explaining this, Jay. So when Trump complains about the "deep state," he's really complaining about civil servants deeply committed to deeply following the law and deeply identifying and holding to account tax cheaters and liars.
I'm curious about all the accountants and attorneys working for Trump who did the detail work, if not all the actual devising and arranging, for this tax fraud. Do they face consequences for their lies and malfeasance?
Of course, even if the IRS actually makes a demand for payment, Trump can decline to pay and shift the matter to court where it can linger for years. This is especially so, since the tax issues are less than clear. As an election issue, this one is not a priority because it is too obscure for the average voter.
Yes. It will just hang over him for longer.
The IRS needs to require a bond, similar to the one NY State required, before Trump can appeal the judgment. Why? On the grounds that he is a serial tax fraud.
Thank you, Jay. 3 cheers for the IRS!