This one seemed like a no-brainer to me, but people were shocked yesterday. It seems like the National Enquirer’s CEO David Pecker has TURNED. Of course he’s turned. The feds got to Michael Cohen. Ronan Farrow’s reporting exposed Pecker’s relationship with Donald Trump and Cohen, and everyone had accepted the information that Pecker was openly in cahoots with Trump for years. The Enquirer, as we now know, was paying Trump’s mistresses for their stories and then refusing to publish those stories. And now Pecker has gotten an immunity deal:
The National Enquirer kept a safe containing documents on hush money payments and other damaging stories it killed as part of its cozy relationship with Donald Trump leading up to the 2016 presidential election, people familiar with the arrangement told The Associated Press.
The detail came as several media outlets reported on Thursday that federal prosecutors had granted immunity to National Enquirer chief David Pecker, potentially laying bare his efforts to protect his longtime friend Trump. Five people familiar with the National Enquirer’s parent company, American Media Inc., who spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because they signed non-disclosure agreements, said the safe was a great source of power for Pecker, the company’s CEO.
The Trump records were stored alongside similar documents pertaining to other celebrities’ catch-and-kill deals, in which exclusive rights to people’s stories were bought with no intention of publishing to keep them out of the news. By keeping celebrities’ embarrassing secrets, the company was able to ingratiate itself with them and ask for favors in return.
But after The Wall Street Journal initially published the first details of Playboy model Karen McDougal’s catch-and-kill deal shortly before the 2016 election, those assets became a liability. Fearful that the documents might be used against American Media, Pecker and the company’s chief content officer, Dylan Howard, removed them from the safe in the weeks before Trump’s inauguration, according to one person directly familiar with the events. It was unclear whether the documents were destroyed or simply were moved to a location known to fewer people.
Pecker’s immunity deal was first reported Thursday by Vanity Fair and The Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous sources. Vanity Fair reported that Howard also was granted immunity.
None of this surprises me. I’m guessing that the Vault of Secrets also includes a ton of dirt about people like Tiger Woods, Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and various political figures. The practice is somewhat common for the lower-tier media outlets, and frankly, it wouldn’t surprise me if a few other outlets get caught up in this at some point (there has to be a reason why it feels like TMZ is in bed with Trump, right?). As for Pecker… he saw the writing on the wall and cut a deal for immunity, which makes him disloyal in Trumpland. But what other secrets does Pecker know? I’m guessing that Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal are just the tip of the iceberg.
Cover courtesy of the NYDN, photo courtesy of Getty.
Sexual assaults -if not outright rape, abortions, underage girls, domestic violence. My guess is that it is a big, deep iceberg.
Indeed – the Dump’s swamp is toxic and the snakes who inhabit it are fleeing as they can see the drainer coming. EZ has a LOOOOOONG history of sexual assault and violence – he was a violent child whose parents couldn’t control him to sent him to military school where he was violent to classmates. It goes far beyond pee tapes with hookers – am convinced that the Russians or TMZ/Pecker has evidence of him and Ivanka. We’ve all seen with our own eyes they way he behaves towards her.
I never heard he was a violent child (though I wouldn’t doubt it!). Where’d you find this out??
He admits he punched his second grade teacher in Art of the Deal. While that could be a lie, he was moved to military school because of his behaviour. The Washington post has a few articles about his schooling but I can’t link them.
Yes, Trump was disturbingly violent as a child. When he was very young (maybe as young as four, possibly five or six), he was caught lobbing rocks at the toddler next door who was in a playpen. The ex-toddler was asked about it more recently, and he said parents in the neighborhood warned their kids to stay away from Donald, who as an older child still had the reputation of going after smaller children. He also easily got into fights with children more his age.
He was sent away to military school when only 13, very unusual for the son of a businessman. I suspect a judge or possibly his school had issued an ultimatum – judges had a habit of ordering military school or military enlistment or else they would incarcerate the unruly progeny. But maybe his parents just couldn’t deal with him. He probably had reached his full height by then. There are rumors about violence against siblings.
In military school, we know he was pulled off a command position because he was destroying morale, and “promoted” to a job with less opportunity to do so. We also know that he tried to throw another cadet out the window during a fight, but was restrained by two others. The structure probably kept a lid on sone of his tendencies, but he was still simmering underneath
His transfer from Fordham to UPenn seems suspicious to me. He got a garden variety economics degree which any school could grant. He was a poor student. At UPenn, professors at the Wharton graduate school were shared with the undergraduate program. One of his Wharton teachers (a fellow who had written a textbook) was fond of saying, every time Trump popped up in the news after graduation, “Donald Trump was the dumbest goddamn student I ever had.” My suspicion is that the Jesuits at Fordham threatened to expel him for something. Maybe he was flunking out, maybe he was caught cheating, maybe he was being his usual violent self. But at UPenn, he was going home to NYC every weekend, so why transfer from a school much closer to home? The school accepted him without vetting as a favor to his family. His fellow students said he was never prepared and seemed to never read anything, so I also wonder if he squeaked by using the rich guy shortcut of hiring other people to do his work. He had to stay in school only because of the draft.
I think in public, Trump switched to verbal abuse to avoid incarceration (so he learned something from five years in military school). But behind closed doors – I wouldn’t trust him. When Don Jr was in college, Donald Sr came for some sports event. When he saw Jr wearing casual clothes rather than a coat and tie, he punched his son in the face in front of astonished witnesses.
I didn’t realize he was that violent as a young child although I knew there were instances as a teen. Seems to fit the bill of being a psychopath in so many ways.
This is exactly why I am a strong advocate of supporting families with high needs children, and why I work to promote mental health understanding, especially in children.
Hearing about 45’s childhood makes me think that if he had had mental health supports and empathy as a child, he wouldn’t have turned into such a monster. We really have to do more to nurture children so that they become better adults.
Alas, the old school way to deal with high needs children was to beat the spirit out of them and ship them of to military academy! 🙁
Even sadder, all the caged immigrant children are being set up for similar mental health and behavioral catastrophes. 🙁 🙁
I always thought, at the very least, president born-again pro-life must have paid for one abortion at some point. He’s a cliché all the way.
Oh at the very least. Thing is, his evangelical base won’t even care. As long as he puts an anti abortion judge on the supreme court they are fine with anything he’s done/ does.
There will be several – he has bragged about not using protection., i’d throw in STD’s.
His base and the evangelicals are now saying that his personal life doesn’t matter – it won’t matter what he does as long as he gives them what they want and for now he is.
I’m thinking more than one sexual assault. Ivana accused him of it and was then forced to withdraw the accusation.
Rick Wilson estimates about 12 at least from his contacts. Not that his base cares. They are a cult worthy of Kim Jong Un. Without the military inducements.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a LOT of shit on a LOT of the GOP. And that is why they’re covering Dump’s stink. Remember, before the latest takeover, the Enquirer is the rag that broke the John Edwards story, and Gary Hart, too. All this dirt on politicos is pretty much buried now for qui pro quo.
I was about to postulate on the same theme- we’ve heard beyond disgusting things re trump. Pecker might have the russian treason receipts along w other concerns.. Allegedly trump fouled the bed in moscow with prostitutes- mainly because the Obamas’ had slept there. These gross racist acts & MORE might come to light- I’m scared to have the news on around my children!
So this person who was supposed to be a good friend of 45, kept damaging information about him in a safe? I would have thought that Pecker(that name is made for late night comedy skits) would give the material to 45 to destroy. It sounds more like he was saving the information to use later or to ask a favour of 45. There is a lot more to this story
Someone apparently relatively recently did remove the contents of the safe. Nobody seems to know if they were just moved to another place or destroyed.
So many shady and untrustworthy characters connected with this administration
NO ONE like that “destroys” leverage. I would be everything I own that it’s just moved to a more secret location. And that Mueller has copies now.
@Jan90067 — Yes, yes, yes! There is no way he destroyed it. He moved it to PROTECT it. And he was smart, because now it’s become his “Get Out of Jail Free” Card.
No way a greasy bastard like Pecker would destroy a gold mine like that. He didn’t get to be the head of the National Enquirer by getting rid of sleazy dirt on powerful people. He would have kept it, 100%.
I saw yesterday that this guy was a close to an actual friend as he has. If that guy has flipped, there’s no one left to take a bullet for him.
Good.
I hope to god that’s true.
There’s his kids. Being the honourable and admirable people they are, I’m sure they would lay down their freedom for his😂
I pray on my knees every night that the next one who gets an immunity deal is Melania. (Yes, I’m well aware that there is a spousal privilege that would prevent that.) But Don Jr? He’s sleazy enough to flip on his father. Ivanka might. ***JARED certainly would.*** You note that all of this shit is coming down in a flurry, almost as a F-YOU courtesy by Mueller to Trump, so as not to violate the September 1 “guideline” — remember Rudy said that if Mueller didn’t pull the trigger by then, it would be construed as interfering with the midterms, and the Trump team would “come down on them like a ton of bricks”. LOL! Looks like Mueller is obliging them! I’m sure there are bricks involved, but Trump is shitting them! Couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy!
as seen on the interwebz – “shitting so many bricks that he can build his wall”.
Annie – spousal privilege just means that Melania can choose not to testify against Donald if she so chooses. She can choose to testify if she wants. There may be some restrictions, but maybe not when criminal activity is involved. It’s like nondisclosure agreements – they cannot be enforced to keep someone quiet about illegal activity.
I’ve heard about one other guy – T. Barrack – who was head of the inaugural committee. You know, the committee that raised many millions, and had many millions left over (reportedly unaccounted for).
Wasn’t there a rumor that a video existed of Trump beating Melania? I’ll bet Pecker has it. And other stuff just as bad.
But Pecker also contributed to the Trump campaign by not only catching and killing negative stories about Trump also putting forward negative stories about his opponents. What’s the The Inquirer the one that had the “Ted Cruz’s dad killed JFK” story? And they still continue to print alot of horrible stories about Hillary. And Obama.
I thought that was TMZ?
I would like to see Harvey Levin brought down. I would bet money he is involved in some way. That man is vile
Yes RBC Harvey Levin makes my skin crawl, he seems psycho evil.
Ditto, RBC. That would be a good day indeed. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if that guy ended up murdered or the victim of an attempt.
I’m old enough to remember when Levin was the Legal Analyst for the local NBC network in L.A. My, how he has fallen. Truly, he’s just slimy now.
No, it was the Inquirer that spread the false story about Ted Cruz. That was when Cruz was the only opponent to Trump left in the primary.
I doubt it, I don’t think he beat Melania, he’s too old and lazy. I’d guess paying ladies to have abortions
Ivana wrote a book saying the dotard raped her and pulled her hair in a fight. Later, she denied the rape, I guess after he paid her off to keep the secret. But yes, she wrote he raped her, it’s in print somewhere. I believe a reporter asked Cohen about the rape and he threatened him\her not to write the story or else.
He sued her and the publisher to keep it out of the book. I remember that, too. I also remember that Ivana said something about how he was in pain from his latest hair transplant, and he was angry because it wasn’t “taking”, so he took it out on her (the rape).
They discuss Ivana’s book briefly in the tape Cohen released. In addition to paying off Stormy.
Look at that angry man at his rallies; I absolutely believe that he hits or beats Melania when he’s so inclined.
i actually wouldn’t be surprised at all if that came out too, awful as it is. Besides Ivana’s old claims of violence and rape against him, I can’t help but think of that clip during the campaign wherein he wanted Melania to get to a podium and talk to a crowd or something, and she’s standing there shaking her head no, and he does this sort of threatening arm-jerk that i totally interpreted as a threat that she then responded to, stepping forward to the mic and making an effort to say something to the crowd.
*ack there’s so much crap on youtube from more recent days, i’m having a hard time finding it- it was real tho.
just- dude is angry and abusive verbally to people pretty much every damn day, like publicly and on record and all- i wouldn’t put it past him. one thinks also of the way her face fell after he turned and said something to her during the inauguration.
This could get interesting! Karen McDougal gets to tweet “How do you my now” this time.
McDougal’s atty tweeted: “Told you so.” The day after Cohen pleaded guilty.
Ha!
If he needs immunity, doesn’t that mean that he’s done something illegal with or for Trump? Has to be more than catch-and-kill, which is sleazy but probably not actually illegal or terribly so.
That’s what I was thinking – the Feds have big dirt on him and they are squeezing him for everything he has on Dump.
Oh I bet there are multiple felonies he authorized (to get stories/pics) such as wire-tapping, breaking and entering, theft of personal papers, etc. Also, I’d bet they also have him on tax evasion, and or money laundering through his paper (and I use that term loosely!), misappropriation of funds, etc.
That’s what I was wondering. What are they holding over him? I’m sure he’s not just freely giving up this info because it’s the right thing to do.
God all these people in Trump’s orbit are absolute scum.
You would think but I think it’s Orrin Hatch who « bravely » stated that Trump should not be judged and condemned because his friends and associates were…
No chiropractor will ever be able to untangle them from their pretzel shape when this bad skit of a presidency is over…
Yes. It could mean that he had knowledge of criminal activity – even if he didn’t know it. I’m guessing the campaign finance violations would fall under that category.
But, honestly – this guy probably knows SO. MUCH. Between he and Cohen, they likely have DT shaking in his ill fitted suit.
For sure. And Lanny Davis made it a point to say that Cohen made NO deal, that he has nothing to gain. Mueller is not an amateur. One of the reasons it’s taking « so long » (quoting reps) is that in this swampy swamp they will all play the unreliable card so you need to double or triple your source. Stupid Watergate is messy.
I would actually assume that someone who cut a deal to cooperate in order to get reduced sentences would be much more likely to tell the truth. One verified lie and the deal is over. I know the jurors didn’t give Gates much credibility, but they probably weren’t thinking about how his deal could be revoked for even a whiff of perjury.
I definitely think he has something to hide. If he’s 100% innocent of anything illegal, I wouldn’t think he’d need or want immunity
This was my question too. He’s not just an informant, he is someone who is implicated in a crime. Catch-and-kill doesn’t seem to be a crime, except I suppose, if the information he was receiving was information about crimes. (Would that be conspiracy after the fact?)
What he was doing probably amounts to illegal contributions to a political campaign. Past the giving limit, unreported, etc.
If he’s involved in the whole pay off and knew it was campaign money, that alone could be it. But I suspect there’s much, much more. People like that are dirty with a capital D.
Probably tax related
That mustache is a crime against humanity, maybe that’s why he asked to be made immune from prosecution.
Thanks for a much needed laugh! I bet that stash has its own tiny little comb….and a name…like Mr. Tillinsworth or Brantley Bingelton.
I bet that stash has its own tiny little comb….and a name…like Mr. Tillinsworth or Brantley Bingelton. <—— Hilarious!!
I imagine him talking to his mustache as he uses that tiny little comb: "There you go Mr. Tillinsworth, isn't that nice?" "Why Brantley Bingelton, don't you look handsome and smooth today?"
🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪😂😂😂
Catch and kill is only legal in a journalistic capacity. According to Ronan Farrow, Prosecutors have a fare case that The Enquirer wasn’t acting in journalistic capacity and therefore are not protected by the first amendment, making the catch and kill arrangement with a candidate for president a federal crime. ——> this is where the immunity comes in.
This should be out front and center. This information was NOT used in a journalistic way and NOT under the 1st amendment!! Nice, nice, nice!
Thanks for that explanation! Yes, that makes sense, since they weren’t publishing the information (or using it in any other journalistic sense) , it isn’t protected.
That makes sense. If it’s not in a journalistic capacity, then it’s just straight up blackmail, isn’t it.
Just like the safe the IRS head kept Nixon’s enemies list in during Watergate. The parallels between then and now are crazy. Somedays I can almost convince myself we are living in a cheap cable tv station reboot of Watergate. The pitch went something like this: “Hey, I know! What if we take Watergate but modernize it with dumber people?”.
Dumber and sleazier.
As we discussed in the Bewitched thread, the culture’s all about reboots right now!
John Oliver has been calling it Stupid Watergate..
The more that comes out the more than moniker fits.
Except that Nixon knew when the jig was up and stepped down. Trump’s ego would never allow him to do that, unfortunately.
Is this a deal or blackmail?
Like did they agree for Enquirer to buy so it didn’t look like they were burying their own stories? Or did Enquirer buy and blackmail that they’d bury the story if they got xyz? Immunity needed for #2 charges?
Sounds like #1 for Trump, but probably a #2 for some others too, no?
.
I’m trying not to get my hopes up too high for the potential (fingers crossed) downfall of this POS “POTUS” but would love for him to go down with lots and lots of flames! Patience is a virtue..
Someone on Twitter- I think it was Adam Khan- made the comment that Trump was going to have a hard time figuring out which pecker got him most in trouble🤣
lol
Might have been helpful if a major news outlet had published a story on the many, many National Enquirer covers that smeared Hillary–and surmised there might be coordination with the Trump campaign. Politico did one, but waited to publish it until after he was elected. Hmm. What other media giants may have done similar coordination? Also, do every one of Trump’s cronies look like they come from the villain mug book for Disney movies??
It really was ridiculous. I couldn’t stand in line at the grocery store without my eyes being assaulted by all that vicious nonsense on the cover about Hillary. She was their new alien baby.
Last night on Rachel Maddow they showed the front pages of the National Enquirer for the year before the 2016 election. Every single one had horrible stories about Hillary along with obviously edited photos. The headlines screamed that she had adopted a space alien baby, she had brain cancer, she had six months to live, she had gained more than 100 pounds, she ordered the FBI to spy on Trump, etc. Of course these were accompanied by complimentary articles about Bigly, beautiful photos of Ivanka, photos and articles about what an incredibly successful businessman he is. As Rachel pointed out, these cover stories with blaring lies about Hillary were at every check-out line in the country. Pecker and co. would make up all those horrible stories, and he even let Trump choose which ones to run. Pecker had a huge effect on the election. Thanks for nothing, Pecker old boy.
I thought Hillary gave birth to that alien baby. Guess I shoulda read the whole article, not just the headline.
🤣🤣
There’s a Twitter meme with all the covers together. It’s actually hilarious when viewed all together and Chelsea was laughing at it last night but it is also horrifying that people would influence our elections like this
It’s horrifying the voters are so damn stupid to believe such rubbish. Honest to God, there should be an IQ test administered in order to be able to vote AND run for office. That would eliminate a lot of dross.
Equally frightening was the glossy, pro-MBS (heir in Saudi) glossy magazine. Drumpf’s base doesn’t care about human rights, especially the rights of women, so they’re more open to embracing that Saudi heir and his “reforms”.
Maddow didn’t mention the curious coincidence about Jared’s activities with his Saudi buddies (he had a sleepover with the new prince just before the prince arrested all his competition and started torturing them, possibly with the help of Eric Prince’s old Blackwater crew). The anti-Qatar stuff seemed to come after Qatar refused to loan Jared money.
It’s even more offensive that the US just stood by and let Saudi Arabia go apeshit on Canada when they sent a tweet supporting the jailed blogger. The relationship with Canada used to be a better one and it remains the more economically important one but I guess Jared needs Saudi money more than the US needs a functioning economy.
@Nic919, perhaps Canada shouldn’t have been so sanctimonious and kept their opinion to themselves. Now the people in jail are going to be held even longer. Another stupid moves by the Liberal idiots. They are so out of there league.
Do not forget that the Clintons and Trumps were very friendly and that Chelsea and Ivanka were once good friends. I think they all smell to high heaven of bad people.
That headline gives me life! 😂
Do you mean to tell me that the ACTUAL Fake News is going to topple DUMP? Sweet…..
I closed my eyes in bliss when I read your comment. That would be so sweet if that were to happen.
Justice. Awesome. Hope this happens.
How amazing would that be?? OMG.
Fake news is not fake in 45’s world. Truth is not truth, in 45’s world. Anyone remembers during the primaries when every week the National Enquirer had a headline trashing Hillary, she’s dying, she’s an alien, she’s a corrupt, she will never serve out her time if elected because she is heading for prison, ect, ect. At the same same time the Dotard was getting all the best headlines in the Enquirer? There is no way Hillary would have won when she had so many of the Dotard’s dirty dealing working against her. I’m so happy the chicken are are coming home to roost. All I’m saying, be careful what you wish for 45, I bet the presidency doesn’t look to sweet today. Lock him up, lock him up, lock 🔒 him up.
I never forget when the dotard brought five women to sit on the stage during one of the debates to remind Hillary and his cult that a Bill was supposed to have sex with these women. The nerve of him when he was paying women off for the same thing having sex with
him. This man is truly heartless without a conscience, “Putin’s Puppet.”
I also think any Democrat would have received the same treatment. Putin wanted Trump to win badly because sanctions were hitting him in his personal pocketbook. Getting to shaft his nemesis Hillary Clinton was just a bonus.
HAHAHAHAHA!! Priceless!! I’m DYING!!😂🤣😂🤣
Another mind f*ck: When this whole thing is over and everyone has been exposed/taken down by Mueller, the “swamp” will actually be drained. So Trump kind of sort of IS “draining the swamp”.
I don’t feel very optimistic. Having Trump in power makes the media loooots of money. They may rail on him, but he is the best thing to ever happen to them from a financial standpoint. And we all know money is king… so…
This is the beginning of the end for, as I stated a year ago, hundreds (if not thousands) of criminals. So many people are going to be ensnared in this corruption that it’s going to blow minds.
Try to add it up:
Russians
Chinese
Some Democrats
Almost the entire Vladministration
GOP congress
FBI agents/NY field office
Some of the CIA, NSA, IC apparatus
Pecker’s tentacles/cohorts
Media members
Trump Organization/Foundation people
Trump allies/campaign/ transition
Trump family members
Judges and lawyers
Wait…what?
Ha, see my comment above. Our democracy may be dead but the Swamp may indeed get drained when this whole thing is over. Yay?
Eric, I thought 45’s firing of Comey was the beginning of the end. This feels to me like we are still long way to the end. I do have complete faith in Special Counsel Mueller and his ability to put together an airtight charges for treason and crimes committed drump and his mob family and administration.
I also hope drump’s relationship to Putin is revealed, gory details and all.
I think it’s Act III in a five act play. Cohen pleading guilty and implicating the orange one really puts it out there now that he committed a crime. Prior to that most sane people knew Dump was a crook, but it wasn’t evidence in a court transcript.
I’m wondering what the “favors” AMI got in return are that would make it worth killing all these stories. And why no one with stories to tell went to a legit news outlet (because they wanted/needed a payout?)
Trump organization’s CFO just received immunity.
Oh really? I better get back on twitter. This is what happens when I stop to work.
On the NY case involving Cohen. This pulls in Eric.
It pulls in ALL the kids — Including Princess Nagini. She has a HUGE roll in running the Trump Organization and doing dirty real estate deals with. . .Russia, mobsters, etc. — i.e. Felix Sater.
I know – I’m SO excited!!! The noose is tightening. Watch his tweets all weekend.
This is huge. The CFO knows where all the money comes from. And if he needs immunity, it’s not looking good for the mob family.
Gotta love that DN headline..poison-pen pecker, what a loathsome character this guy is. I understand why these trump enablers are being given immunity, but it’s a shame they can’t all be locked up–surrounded by that big tall wall they want.
Yeppers — the swamp is getting drained…one big drip at a time.
This is perhaps the worst 72 hours in the history of the presidency, barring assassinations.
It couldn’t have happened to a nicer fella, amirite?
Goodbye Emperor Zero! And don’t worry…prison isn’t prison.
The icing on EZ’s takedown would be if they did asset forfeiture on him like they are trying for Paul Manafort.
BROKER than broke and dyin’ in jail–no gold toilets in there EZ!
It’s Christmas in August!
Anybody taking bets on which country Plastic Barbie and Balless Ken will flee to?
One with no extradition treaty with the US?
Just had a thought-jared might be the next to get immunity. I don’t sense any great love or loyalty there.
I have read speculation that Jared is wired. I can see this.
Jared? Is he really smart enough to pull off being wired and not giving it away?
And who is Ivanka more loyal to–Jared or daddy? Because I have a feeling she is going to have to pick…and soon.
How would Jared hide the wire, in his snug-fitting attire? I can just picture him saying (whining), “But the wire makes a crease in my shirt…”
Then again, he looks like a robot. Why don’t they just open his back panel and program him to record?
I always thought Jared and Ivanka would go to Israel since they can claim right of return. Israel doesn’t seem to routinely extradite people to the US.
My guess for Donald Sr. is Dubai. He can golf there and they don’t generally extradite either. Assuming he has money stashed offshore (big if, since he seems to be in hock to the Bank of China and Russian bankers, suggesting lack of funds), he can pretend to be a billionaire in Dubai probably until dementia kicks in completely.
Don’t know about Eric and Don Jr.
Eric may be in less trouble than the others, except for the charitable foundation. Getting banned from all charitable activities would hit him hard emotionally, I think. He seems to be sincere about wanting to raise money for St. Jude’s. His dad is the one who insisted that the charity pay for the Trump facilities, once he found out Eric was donating it.
Don Jr is in trouble, but unless they unearth evidence about involvement in the family business of money laundering and he has done a lot more with the Russians besides the obvious stuff centered around that meeting – he might wiggle away even without a pardon from his dad. But if I were Jr, I wouldn’t be too sure about a pardon. Sr. not be in a position to grant one and Pence may not want to do so.
They all really should skipperdee out of the country before their passports are lifted. I have expected Trump to just detour Air Force One to Dubai and resign by tweet from a golf course there, but he hasn’t so far. I think it would be hard for him to escape the country any other way while POTUS. He may not care enough to take the kids with him.
Melania may choose to have an event to attend… or just stay on the plane. I doubt that she is deeply involved with the family shenanigans (and if she is concerned about her liability, she can just offer to chat with Mueller and share whatever she may have heard or known about) and now her parents are also US citizens. Melania seems to just ignore Donald as much as possible and just follow orders when she feels she must (supporting his wackadoodle words and actions, for example). She doesn’t seem to be into it like Eric’s wife Lara, who may very well be at risk legally. She seems to be an enthusiastic co-conspirator. Eric defends his dad, but I don’t get a feeling of commitment to the illegal activities from him. Don’t see much of him, so could be wrong.
Saudi? UAE?
Chinnnaaaa (as Daddy Dearest pronounces it). The daughter speaks Mandarin, after all.
CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST OMG!!!!!!!!
I remember reading that Trump raped his wife. It had something to do with his hair transplant, that he viciously raped her ’cause he hated the results and she confided in friends that she had been raped.
If I was his daughter I would have sold him out a long ass time ago. It’s perfect, she’s privy to so much information, and has all the access. I wouldn’t even visit him in jail, just let him cry. If I don’t get orders to come forward I’ll just volunteer the information.