So in my opinion this move by the Democrats actually could do a lot to secure the investigation of Mueller for a longer period of time. If Mueller starts issuing subpoenas for things like Trumps tax returns I think it's only a matter of time before Trump yanks Mueller and chaos insues. Putting this lawsuit out there first could do everyone a favor and uncover out in the open what the hell is up with the finances of Trump and the Trump org. Let the Democrats take the hit cause it won't matter. This could help take the heat off of the more important investigation with the special prosecutor and do his work for him to get his finances out in the open.
Save money?... naw... but upgrade his status on the billionaire world stage... hell yes he's concievably in it for that. You do know that Putin is known as likely the richest man in the world right? You don't think he idolized mega billionaires like Putin? You don't think he's insecure about his finances where he goes to the point of suing a biographer who claims he's actually not a billionaire? Trump org is a holdings company and I sincerely doubt he's liquid. While he might be "holding" assets in the billions, I doubt his company is truly valued what he claims it is. Keep in mind how holdings companies actuality work to understand how he's essentially just a middle man for financiers doing the heavy lifting financially for Trump properties. Jumping to president of the US is a big jump up for him and allows him to have a stake in more oil deals, arms deals, etc that if he was an authoritarian like Putin could actually be netting the mega dollars he likely never sees in NYC turn and burn real estate deals where he has to cut a majority of the profits to the lender who allowed him to do the transaction on their behalf. Luckily for us, we have protections against our president trying to become an authoritarian such as the emoluments clause. Sadly though Trump is trying his hand at being Putin light at the moment and he's testing the limits of our regulations on power. I think you are crazy if you don't see his motive to try it out and see what he can do to pursue the Putin model of becoming an actual billionaire ... not just one that plays one on TV.
Lots of conclusions not in evidence here, indicative of the mindset of the left. *Could* Trump be trying to emulate Putin? Perhaps. It would fit the perception of Trump (I don't think any of us really have any insight into what/how he actually thinks, we just see the public persona he portrays). Do we *know* he 'is trying' to do so? Absolutely not. Not only do we not know that, there isn't really even any evidence currently that he is. Then the assumption that one is crazy for not just buying into all this supposition as if it were proven fact, when not only is that not the case, there really isn't any evidence it is at this time...when the reality, given the lack of evidence, is that one is more crazy for assuming it is the case than for not doing so.
You're right I don't have any idea what is going on in his mind, and what he thinks about strongman authoritarians. Only what he says, and what his words mean. Spoiler: Trump strongman thoughts Also there were these actions- Then there are all of the things Trump has said about Putin- http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/28/politics/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-quotes/index.html But what are his actions telling us what he wants to do financially? I don't know but I have questions about the Saudi arms deal he and Jared helped broker, and also the intentions to lift sanctions on Russia so Exxon can fulfill their investment in the Arctic just as a few areas of concern that he could get his hands on potentially without proper oversight. So sure the financial gain is speculative, but lets not act as if there isn't a pattern of praising authoritarians like Putin who don't just have their hand in the cookie jar but control the cookie jar. I don't think Trump or anyone could get away with that type of behavior now, but its imperative these laws are allowed to be upheld in order to prevent these types of behaviors. Trump isn't Putin by any stretch, but he's certainly looking to test our laws and institutions that are incredibly important to what our country will be like in 40 or 50 years when over time leaders might gather more power over time.
Questions and speculation are fine. I agree with some, think some are overblown. We all have opinions on them. Let's just keep speculation/opinions and facts separated, is all. There isn't, as I indicated, really any evidence indicating Trump is actually doing any of this. Is he? Back to making claims not in evidence. Is he probably the biggest businessman to take the office? Yes. Does that inherently test some of our laws? Probably. Will that happen more in the future? Personally, I hope so. I greatly prefer business people in office to lawyers and politicians. Will some clarifications likely need to be made to accommodate that? Yes. But I don't really see Trump out there intentionally looking to test our laws and institutions. He is looking at them, and determining what, if any actions he needs to take due to them. Just as any other President has done when taking office, as well. Personally I find the rules around business ties, particularly his, more perception than reality...and all the questioning he is getting backs this up. People want the President to be free of any encumbrances to remove the potential of perceived motivations, moreso than the removal of any actual corrupt activity. Is Trump really going to sign, for example, a multi billion dollar deal selling arms to the Saudis because of a few nights stay at one of his hotels? That seems pretty far fetched. It is also ironic that all of those questioning Trump on these things tend to be the very ones giving the Clintons (and other Dems) a pass on the very thing they say they are concerned about. There is a lot more currently around corruption with the Clinton Foundation than there is about any Trump actions...yet everyone wants to give that a pass. As with most things political, the ire only seems to be directed at people on the other side, not the actual actions being criticized...because those same actions are given a pass if they side with the people doing them.
Yeah, you guys on the fringes of the left are just as bad as the fringes of the right were under Obama. It's just one "birther" conspiracy theory after another thus far.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/china-overturns-rejections-trump-trademarks-48032027 The Chinese government has granted preliminary approval for nine Donald Trump trademarks it had previously rejected, in whole or in part, The Associated Press found, a turn that is likely to fuel further allegations that Beijing may be giving the president's family business special treatment. Trump's decision to retain ownership of his global branding empire has sparked criticism over perceived conflicts of interest and three lawsuits, including one filed Wednesday by nearly 200 Democrats in Congress, which allege violations of a constitutional prohibition against accepting gifts from foreign governments. Trademarks lie at the heart of these complaints because they are granted by foreign states and can be enormously valuable — whether they are intended as groundwork for future business activity or defensive measures against squatting to protect the value of the brand. Publicly available records do not indicate why the nine applications were initially rejected, nor why the trademarks were then granted provisional approval eight to 15 weeks later. "The speed with which these appeals were decided is mind-blowing," said Matthew Dresden, an intellectual property attorney at Harris Bricken in Seattle. "I have never seen any decisions made that quickly. That suggests special treatment. But that's just procedural. Substantively, it's impossible to say whether any of this is unusual." China's Trademark Office did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday. The new provisional approvals further shore up the president's brand in China, conferring potential rights to the use of Chinese versions of his name for beauty salon services, socks, human resources consulting and advertising, among other things, and the Trump brand, in English, for jewelry and watch repair. If there are no objections, the marks will be formally registered after 90 days. China has also granted formal approval for dozens of Trump trademarks in the last few weeks, bring to 39 the total number of official registrations China has given the Trump family business since President Trump took office, according to records from China's Trademark Office. Those marks include branded spa and massage services, golf clubs, hotels, insurance, finance and real estate companies, restaurants, bars, and a trademark class that covers bodyguards, social escorts, and concierge services, according to Chinese records. You Yunting, a partner at DeBund Law Offices in Shanghai, said that it's not unusual for trademark rejections to be overturned on appeal. He noted that the Trademark Office database contained no indication Trump's lawyers had actually appealed the trademark rejections, but said it can take months for such actions to be noted in the public database. He also said that if the initial denial was only partial, the Trademark Office might have let some elements of the applications progress without an appeal from the trademark holder, in which case reversals can be swift. "Considering the political element, the authorities are definitely not going to admit special treatment, but the possibility cannot be excluded," You said. "Even if the Trademark Office helped Trump, it would be very difficult to find the wrongdoing on the surface." China has defended its handling of trademarks belonging to the president and his daughter, Ivanka Trump, who has also been expanding her collection of Chinese trademarks, as fair and in line with Chinese law. Ivanka Trump's brand has won provisional approval for at least seven new trademarks since she took on an official role at the White House. Right around the time she formalized her position as an adviser to her father, her company, Ivanka Trump Marks LLC, applied to the Chinese government for at least 14 new trademarks. Her brand has said the trademarks were all filed defensively, to protect her name against squatters. The Trump Organization now has at least 125 trademarks in China formally or provisionally approved, according to Chinese public records. Just four were invalidated, back in 2013. Three more have been rejected, with appeals pending, and one application is dead, according to China's Trademark Office database. Three applications were subsequently split so the number of individual trademark decisions is slightly higher than the number of applications in Chinese records. Trump Organization lawyer Alan Garten said the company has made aggressive efforts to defend its brand in China, "a haven for trademark infringement," and has made no effort to use Donald Trump's political career to influence Chinese trademark officials. "The Company has not authorized anyone to discuss and is not aware of anyone having discussed Donald J. Trump's status as either a presidential candidate, President-elect or President of the United States with any representative of the Chinese government in charge of or with the authority to grant trademarks," Garten wrote in a June 9 letter to eight Democratic senators who have raised conflict-of-interest questions about the president's ongoing China trademarking activity. The data Garten gave to Congress in that letter, however, is at odds with public records in China. Garten wrote that the company had filed 117 trademark applications in China and said that while some trademarks had been granted provisional approval none have been formally registered since 2015. But records from China's Trademark Office indicate that from Feb. 14 through June 7 of this year, 39 trademarks have been formally registered. In addition, the public database lists a total of 126 trademark applications made by Donald J. Trump and four applications in the name of his company DTTM Operations LLC. Garten said in an email that ownership of 122 Chinese trademarks had been transferred to DTTM Operations in January, but did not explain how that was possible if only 117 applications had been filed. He also cautioned that China's trademark database can be unreliable. "That database is not frequently updated and is widely known to contain a multitude of inaccuracies," he said in an email.
Well shiet, we're not going to war with China or Russia anytime soon. Could Congress just give a billion in millitary appropriations to Trump and cut the rest to "save the budget"?
Coming from different directions... Trump Firms Must Save Records for AGs' Emoluments Lawsui https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...to-get-retention-subpoenas-in-emoluments-case
Good. The dude clearly has time for copious golf and political campaigning that has nothing to do with the day-to-day functioning of government.
