Brian R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images.
Oh my. There was a wire “tapp”. It was in 2013, in pursuit of Russian mobsters inhabiting Trump Towers. The Daily Kos has an excellent breakdown. Contrary to what Trumpholes might think, this isn’t, in any way, good news for the Tiny Tyrant. This simply highlights unsavoury and possibly illegal ties, and illuminates the nest of lies which pass for facts in Trumpland.
Via Daily Kos, ABC News reports that the FBI obtained a warrant to eavesdrop on “a sophisticated Russian organized crime money laundering network that operated out of unit 63A in Trump Tower” starting in 2011 and ending in 2013.
ABC News notes that the FBI’s investigation into the mobsters led “to a federal grand jury indictment of more than 30 people, including one of the world’s most notorious Russian mafia bosses, Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov.” Despite the fact that the scheme was being run out of Trump Tower, Trump himself was not implicated in the FBI’s indictment.
Although Tokhtakhounov evaded arrest in the early part of 2013, he did manage to publicly resurface later that year when he appeared at the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow in November — where he was spotted near Donald Trump in the VIP section.
Oh look, there’s Donnie, happily hanging with the other villains. Trump’s insistence that he “doesn’t know any of these people” is such a weak attempt at covering up, I’m surprised he’s trying it on. Ah well, Trumpholes will swallow anything.
Trump in 2013 took to Twitter to express excitement about attending the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow that year, and even wondered if Russian President Vladimir Putin would become his “new best friend.”
Yes. Look how that’s turned out. Tsk.
Via Daily Kos, ABC News, and Raw Story.
Trump also helped out his helicopter pilot/company owner who was pretty mobbed up. But that’s just doing business in New York.
Doorman has his hands in his pockets.
Unprofessional.
Marcus:
Yes, I guess all those Russian mobsters, who also own and inhabit a great deal of Trump branded property right by Mar a whatever are just really, really smart business guys! Yep. Jesus Christ.
Graham recently threatened Trump with impeachment if he brings back waterboarding. Here’s an idea: impeach the fucker because the election was illegal, and he’s an incompetent dumbfuck! How about that one?
It just gets to be more and more of a farce every day. In the Daily Kos thread, a couple people noted that trumpholes were posting the story as a vindication of the Tiny Tyrant.
WOW! I AM SO SHOCKED! CAN YOU TELL BY THE CAPSLOCK HOW SHOCKED I AM?!?
No… seriously though… I’m not surprised at all. It’s kinda funny in a sick, dark, twisted sorta way. What happens if he gets impeached, though? Mike Pence becomes President?
Or can we invalidate the whole election and have a redo?
Nathan, there was some discussion in the Kos thread about who would succeed. It likely wouldn’t be Pence, because he’d be knee deep in the Russia business, too. Basically, all the new regime people would be indicted.
All the way to Paul Ryan and beyond?
That’d be a relief…
Oh, I don’t think it would extend to Ryan, and given the current regime, even if there is an ouster, which I doubt, the rethugs would hang on to Pence for love and money.
Can you imagine the fucking fuss if it were Clinton or Sanders living side by side with Russian mobsters?
Speaking of Russia–hair furor connections, starting yesterday(?) the Grauniad is publishing the results of a new investigation they’re calling “Global Laundromat“, about British banks(? banks in London?) laundering huge sums of Russian money. I’m not up-to-speed with this investigation yet (having not yet read much of the material), but the latest article is Bank that lent $300m to Trump linked to Russian money laundering scam: “Deutsche Bank among western institutions that processed billions of dollars in cash of ‘criminal origin’ through Latvia”.
Latvia’s popular like that. Local news, though, insisted it was mostly Estonian banks (among the Baltic States, at least -- well, the headline said ‘Estonian banks’, the text mentioned Lithuanian banks, and the small type read ‘and maybe some Latvian ones, too… like one’). Not that pointing jealous fingers is something that happens.
Latvia–Estonia jealousy! An off-topic addition to the pouting and pride, 10 of the best things to do in Tallinn: “There’s a lot more to Estonia’s capital than cheap beer. The 1,000-year-old city has a modern vibe, with architecture, museums and cafes to match”.
Pfft. Riga is the hipster capital of the world.
Only, if would seem, if you have trunks full of notes in need of a scrubbing…
For our next entry in the Estonia–Latvia totally off-topic pride and pouting jealousy, Riga, a city revelling in its culture: “Riga has long been popular for city breaks, but the 2014 European Capital of Culture is also home to a thriving youth and alternative scene”.