Politics

Show Only ...
Maps - Photos - Videos

Trump spent his business career swindling people. Nothing’s changed.

Trump spent his business career swindling people. Nothing’s changed.

"Having gotten in the habit of lying regularly about matters big and small, Trump has set new records for mendacity while in office. The Post reports that he has made more than 3,000 false or misleading claims since the inauguration, and that his rate of deception has increased from 4.9 to 9 falsehoods a day. Does any of this matter? From a political perspective, probably not. Voters knew what sort of huckster Trump was when they elected him. But it should give us pause to consider what it says about America, circa 2018, that so many of us are so ready to accept a Jordan Belfort or Frank Abagnale β€” a con man, in other words β€” as our leader."

The 18 donors who’ve given Cuomo more than $100K

The 18 donors who’ve given Cuomo more than $100K

"In the 32 months since Gov. Andrew Cuomo won a second term in office, 18 donors have given his campaign committee over $100,000. That’s double the number at this point in his first term. As was the case during his first four years in office, Cuomo has been dependent on real estate for his campaign money. Most donors are limited to $65,100 but a company that controls multiple limited liability companies can give this amount for each of them, a system the governor has derided as β€œa pure loophole in the campaign finance law.” It particularly benefits real estate developers, as they often have one LLC for each property. As a result, each of Cuomo’s seven largest donors and of 11 of his top 18 are involved in real estate. "

April 20, 2018 10:53 am Update

According to my Variable Message Sign Clock at my desk, there are:

60 days until Petitioning Starts on June 19
200 days until Election Day on November 6

That and, “always identify your target and what is beyond it.”

In ‘A Higher Loyalty,’ James Comey Describes An ‘Unethical, And Untethered’ President

In ‘A Higher Loyalty,’ James Comey Describes An ‘Unethical, And Untethered’ President

"A Higher Loyalty, by far the most consequential book yet in the literature of the Trump presidency, is arriving as political conflict roils every aspect of that presidency. Former FBI Director James Comey's scathing review will not settle the arguments about President Trump, nor will it calm the controversy over its author. But it will furnish mountains of ammunition for combatants on all sides. Comey fires countless fusillades against the president who fired him in May 2017, summing up at the end: "[T]his president is unethical, and untethered to truth and institutional values." Trump's leadership, Comey says, is "transactional, ego driven and about personal loyalty. He compares Trump's insistence on a "silent circle of assent" to the code observed in the Mafia crime family that Comey helped bust as a young prosecutor in New York City."

Donald Trump has never been in more trouble than right now

Donald Trump has never been in more trouble than right now

"Making this more problematic, Trump isn't someone who played close to the line a time or two, or once did a shady deal. He may well be the single most corrupt major business figure in the United States of America. He ran scams like Trump University to con struggling people out of their money. He lent his name to pyramid schemes. He bankrupted casinos and still somehow made millions while others were left holding the bag. He refused to pay vendors. He exploited foreign workers. He used illegal labor. He discriminated against African-American renters. He violated antitrust laws. He did business with the mob and with Eastern European kleptocrats. His properties became the go-to vehicle for Russian oligarchs and mobsters to launder their money."

"So it was no accident that when he ran for president, the people who joined him in his quest were also a collection of grifters, liars, and crooks β€” people like Paul Manafort. Those were the kind of operators Trump has attracted all his life. Honest, upright people with a deep respect for the law don't go to work for Donald Trump."