Corruption

The Guardian’s Jon Swain broke the story on Monday that Cadre, a real estate investment firm in which Jared Kushner has as much as a $50 million stake, has received a mysterious $90 million infusion of cash from unknown and possibly foreign sources. At least $1 million came in from Saudi Arabia, according to Swain. […]

Corruption

Chickens Came home to Roost: US meddled in Foreign Elections for Decades

Tom Engelhardt

(Tomdispatch.com) – In this country, reactions to the Mueller report have been all-American beyond belief. Let’s face it, when it comes to election meddling, it’s been me, me, me, 24/7 here. Yes, in some fashion some set of Russians meddled in the last election campaign, whether it was, as Jared Kushner improbably claimed, “a couple […]

Corruption

The Seychelles Plot: Mueller on the UAE Role in Russian Influence-Peddling with Trump and Kushner

Juan Cole

The Mueller report sheds further light on the infamous Seychelles meeting in January, 2017, which appears to have aimed at establishing a back channel for the Trump administration to the circle of Russian President Vladimir Putin, brokered by Mohammed Bin Zayed of the United Arab Emirates. That is, this story is not about pre-election collusion […]

Corruption

Millionaire “Justice”: 5 Petty Shoplifting Charges sentenced more harshly than Manafort’s Hiding Millions

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Trump’s campaign manager, Paul Manafort, was given 47 months in prison for his crimes on Thursday, in a jaw-dropping ruling that treated him as a good family man without priors. He only didn’t have priors because white collar criminals are so coddled in an American firmly under the thumb of […]

Arms Sales

“Why Should we believe anything You Say?” How Ilhan Omar Nailed Elliot Abrams for Iran-Contra Lies

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Ilhan Omar (D-MN) grilled Elliot Abrams yesterday, holding his feet to the fire about his having lied to Congress (to two counts of which which he pleaded guilty) and about his support for far right wing forces in Central America responsible for massacres (forces Abrams characterizes as “democratic,” confusing oppressive […]

Corruption

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Has Ethics Cmte Play ‘How to Get away w/ Murder’ in US Politics

contributors

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | (Video Clip) – “Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s full hearing on U.S. campaign finance laws, corruption, PACs, and why America’s system is ‘fundamentally broken’.” Channel 4 News: “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on ‘fundamentally broken’ US finance laws – full speech”

Corruption

Top 10 Ways that the United States is the Most Corrupt Country in the World

Juan Cole

The US is so corrupt that our ruling, Republican Party, would even deny human-made climate change and adopt pro-carbon policies

Corruption

Was even Trump’s Inauguration a Corrupt Scam? And, Was Ivanka in the Middle?

ProPublica

Damelincourt responded with a new rate of $175,000 per day for use of the Presidential Ballroom and meeting rooms, offering a $700,000 charge for four days of use.

Corruption

Cohen: Trump Knew Illegality of Hush Money Payments to Porn Star, Nude Model

AFP

Washington, United States | AFP | – Donald Trump has said he never directed his former lawyer Michael Cohen to break the law. US President Donald Trump knew it was wrong to order election-eve payments to two women who claimed to have had affairs with him, his longtime lawyer Michael Cohen said in his first […]