Monday, May 12, 2025

Chump takes a really big bribe

Donald Chump.  The convicted felon who cannot stop breaking the law.  Robert Reich observes:


Trump is overplaying his hand.

Not just by usurping the powers of Congress and ignoring Supreme Court rulings. Not just abducting people who are legally in the United States but have put their name to opinion pieces Trump doesn’t like and trucking them off to “detention” facilities. Not just using the Justice Department for personal vengeance. Not just unilaterally deciding how much tariff tax American consumers will have to pay on almost everything they buy.
Polls show all these are tanking Trump’s popularity.

But one thing almost all Americans are firmly against — even many loyal Trumpers — us bribery. And Trump is taking bigger and bigger bribes.

Yesterday it was reported that he’s accepting a luxury Boeing 747-8 plane worth at least $400 million from the Qatari royal family, for use during his presidency and for his personal use afterward.

Trump just can’t resist. He’s been salivating over the plane for months. It’s bigger and newer than Air Force One — and so opulently configured that it’s known as “a flying palace.” (No report on whether it contains a golden toilet.)



This is notable for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the attorney general’s recent professional background: Bondi used to work as a registered lobbyist for foreign clients, including the government of Qatar — the same government that’s apparently preparing to reward Trump with a jet. (Soon after Senate Republicans made her the nation’s chief law enforcement official, Bondi also disbanded the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force.)

It’s important to emphasize that the specific details of this arrangement are still coming into focus, and a spokesperson for Qatar’s government said that plans are not yet final. “The possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under consideration between Qatar’s Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense, but the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made,” Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar’s Media Attaché to the U.S., told Politico.

The intended beneficiary of Qatar’s apparent generosity, however, characterized the developments as a “fact” in an overnight missive published to his social media platform.

“So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane,” Trump wrote. “Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!! MAGA”

But, as Lee Moran (HUFFINGTON POST) notes, it is not just Democrats objecting to the grifting Mr. Chump is conducting:

On the other side of the aisle, conservative radio host and pundit Erick Erickson posted on social media: “The Qatari government is not our friend, cooperates with Iran and its proxies, and funds terrorism and pro-terror propaganda around the world.”
And far-right conspiracist Laura Loomer, usually a vocal supporter of Trump slammed the move.

“I love President Trump. I would take a bullet for him. But, I have to call a spade a spade,” she wrote, adding it is “really going to be such a stain on the admin if this is true. And I say that as someone who would take a bullet for Trump. I’m so disappointed.”

It is disgusting.  And I would call it out no matter who was doing it.  




It is a bribe and Mr. Chump is corrupt enough to take it.  Back to Mr. Reich:

The U.S. Constitution clearly forbids officers of the United States from taking gifts from foreign governments. It’s called the “emoluments clause.” (See Article I, Section 9.)

Anyone viewing Bondi as a neutral judge of what’s legal and what’s not when it comes to Trump can’t be trusted to be a neutral judge of Bondi. Recall that she represented Trump in a criminal proceeding. Presumably he appointed her attorney general because he knew she’d do and say anything he wanted.

Oh, and she used to lobby for Qatar.

So, what does Qatar get in return for the $400 million plane? What’s the quid for the quo?

This week Trump takes the first overseas trip of his second presidency. He’ll land in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, followed by a visit to Qatar, and then to the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E).

That’s a big boost for Qatar right there.

Trump also just did what Qatar has been wanting done for years — announcing that the Persian Gulf (as it’s been known since at least 550 B.C.) will henceforth be known as the Arabian Gulf.

Trump’s company has just announced a new golf resort in Qatar, reportedly partnering with a company owned by the royal family.

Qatar is also pushing the Trump regime to lift sanctions on Syria.


And Sophie Clark (NEWSWEEK) notes A.G. Pam Bimbo, er, Bondi and her links to Qatar:

Attorney General Pam Bondi's links to Qatar are under scrutiny again following reports that President Donald Trump will be gifted a luxury plane from the Qatari government.

Bondi worked as a foreign lobbyist for the nation of Qatar, earning $115,000 a month in the role which she held in 2020 and in the run up to the World Cup in 2022.
In this role, she lobbied Congress on behalf of Qatari interests. She also worked in a separate lobbying position for the Washington, D.C.-based firm Ballard Partners, where she also lobbied on behalf of Qatari interests and several conglomerates including Amazon.

Her links to Qatar were previously raised by Democratic members of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary in January, who accused Bondi of failing to disclose her ties to the nation.



Now one more topic, what was Mr. Chump's promise with regards to Ukraine? Remember?  Within 24 hours of taking office, he repeatedly stated, he would end the war within 24 hours of being sworn in.  Not only did he not do it in 24 hours, his 100 days has passed and the war has not ended.  Falyn Stempler (IRISH STAR) notes:


U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Ukraine to join the negotiating table with Russia, with a date set - Thursday, May 15.

Trump wrote Sunday afternoon on Truth Social, "President Putin of Russia doesn’t want to have a Cease Fire Agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the BLOODBATH. Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY."

He is nothing but a failure.  He was a failure in the business world.  He is a failure as president.  He will go down in history for two things: Corruption and failure. 



This is C.I.'s "The Snapshot" for today:


Monday, May 12, 2025.  Chump wants to suspend habeas corpus, he's not arresting mayors, and threatening to arrest members of Congress, he's taking a multi-million dollar gift from a foreign government, and so much more.


Just a reminder to start the day, "According to a recent ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll, 45% of respondents give him a failing grade, while only 23% view his presidency positively."


Donald Chump is a failure.  A corrupt and crooked failure.  Yesterday, the world was rocked by the news of just what a whore Donald Chump actually is. Peter Wade (ROLLING STONE) reports:


The Trump administration is getting ready to accept a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar to replace Air Force One until Donald Trump's second term ends, when ownership of the plane will be shifted to his presidential library foundation, ABC News reported, citing sources familiar with the agreement.

  Trump is scheduled to visit Qatar next week where the gifted plane - which has been described as "a flying palace" worth $400 million - is anticipated to be announced. If the deal goes through, it would be the most expensive gift ever offered to the United States by a foreign government. Trump personally toured the plane in February when it was at West Palm Beach International Airport.

The emoluments clause of the Constitution bars federal officeholders from "accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State" without approval from Congress. But administration lawyers have given the gift the green light.


That's what happens when someone slaps a ten cents sticker on Chump's saggy, fat ass. 


No real president has ever done that, nor would they.  Because in the past, we've never had such a cheap, dirty whore in the Oval Office.  He degrades the country with his very presence.  His greed knows no bounds.  Everything is for sale with this whore. 


Yasmeen Hamadeh (THE DAILY BEAST) notes both Dems and Republicans in Congress are outraged by the Slut In Chief and Chump paused in the midst of his Walk of Shame to to ran and rave but whatever he had to say was ignored as everyone noticed the semen leaking out of his ass.

 

Chump responded with nonsensical anger that no one could understand.  That might have been in part due to Pam Bondi and Pete Hegseth douching him at the time in an effort to thwart a pregnancy after Chump spread for Qatar.  Maybe Karoline Levitt can update us all on that this afternoon?


In the meantime, Sarah Fortinsky (THE HILL) quotes US House Rep Jamie Raskin stating, "Trump must seek Congress’ consent to take this $300 million gift from Qatar."  Yamiche Alcindor, Gordon Lubold, Vaughn Hillyard and Garrett Haake (NBC NEWS) quote US House Rep Richie Torres, "Rather than enforcing ethics, the Attorney General has affixed the Department of Justice’s seal of approval to a transaction that flagrantly violates both the letter and the spirit of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause."  Franco Ordoñez (NPR) quotes Senator Chris Murphy,  "This isn't a good idea even if the plane was being donated to the U.S. government. But Trump GET TO KEEP THE PLANE??? It's simply a cash payment to Trump in exchange for favors. Just wildly illegal."  Julianne McShane (MOTHER JONES) adds:


Obviously, despite the administration’s apparent self-delusion that they are not running afoul of any laws or ethics guidelines, questions abound about the ethics of the gift of the new plane—and what Qataris will expect in return. The Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, for example, prohibits any person holding elected office from accepting gifts “from any King, Prince, or foreign State.” Several Democrats—including those on the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.)—pointed to that rule as evidence that accepting the gift would be illegal. Kathleen Clark, a law professor at the Washington University School of Law, told the Associated Press the news is “outrageous,” adding that the gift is the “logical, inevitable, unfortunate consequence of Congress and the Supreme Court refusing to enforce” the Emoluments Clause.

But as we well know by now, the possibility of breaking laws does not seem to deter the president—who was found guilty on 34 felony counts in the hush-money case in which he covered up payments to Stormy Daniels—from doing whatever he wants.


 

The Democratic National Committee issued the following:


Donald Trump is preparing to accept a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar — possibly “the most valuable gift” ever extended to a U.S. president. While working families brace for higher costs and empty shelves, Trump is still focusing on enriching himself and his billionaire backers. 

NEW: Donald Trump is set to receive a luxury jet from Qatar — which may be the “biggest foreign gift ever.”

ABC News: “In what may be the most valuable gift ever extended to the United States from a foreign government, the Trump administration is preparing to accept a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar — a gift that is to be available for use by President Donald Trump as the new Air Force One until shortly before he leaves office, at which time ownership of the plane will be transferred to the Trump presidential library foundation, sources familiar with the proposed arrangement told ABC News.

“The highly unusual — unprecedented — arrangement is sure to raise questions about whether it is legal for the Trump administration, and ultimately, the Trump presidential library foundation, to accept such a valuable gift from a foreign power. …

“According to aviation industry experts, the estimated value of the aircraft Trump will inherit is about $400 million …”

Trump gutted anti-corruption enforcement on Day One and installed a loyalist in key oversight positions, while enriching himself and his billionaire Cabinet. 

Associated Press: “[Trump is] opening his second term by rolling back prohibitions on executive branch employees accepting major gifts from lobbyists, and ditching bans on lobbyists seeking executive branch jobs or vice versa … 

“Trump issued a Day 1 executive order that rescinded one on ethics that former President Joe Biden signed when he took office in January 2021.” 

CBS News: “President Trump on Monday removed the director of the Office of Government Ethics, the independent agency responsible for overseeing ethics rules and financial disclosures for the executive branch. …

“Mr. Trump [tapped] Doug Collins, a Republican former member of Congress and current Department of Veterans Affairs secretary, to be the acting director of OGE.”  

Vox: “Trump’s for-profit presidency” 

New York Times: “The move by Mr. Trump and his family was immediately condemned by ethics lawyers who said they could not recall a more explicit profiteering effort by an incoming president.

“‘It is literally cashing in on the presidency — creating a financial instrument so people can transfer money to the president’s family in connection with his office’ said Adav Noti, executive director of Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit ethics group. ‘It is beyond unprecedented.’”

Many Americans who bought Trump’s meme coin are losing money — while Trump and his billionaire friends profit off them. 

Washington Post: “At least 67,000 new or small-time crypto investors like Davis have bet on Trump’s meme coin, pouring $15 million into the volatile venture endorsed by Trump and benefiting his personal wealth, a Washington Post analysis found. 

“But virtually all of them bought near the coin’s peak, just before the inauguration, and 80 percent of them have seen the value of their holdings nosedive, The Post’s analysis shows. One buyer who spent $10,000 has already lost, on paper, more than $8,000. … 

“The firm [Chainalysis] told The Post that 58 investors have so far made more than $10 million each in profits from the coin, for a total of roughly $1.1 billion — but that 764,000 other investors, most of whom had small holdings, have lost money on the coin. … 

“Three Trump-affiliated wallets have received about $43 million in fees since the coin’s debut, according to a Post analysis of data from Flipside. Those wallets have also made roughly $312 million in crypto sales.” 


When he whored as a private citizen, that was one thing.  When Chump whores as president of the United States, it turns the entire country into a whore house.  He's disgusting.  Simon Tisdall (GUARDIAN) explains:


Donald Trump is accustomed to getting his own way. That could change next week when he’s confronted by the mess he’s making in the Middle East. As he begins a three-day trip to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, the US president is promising great things. As ever, he’s delusional. The reality is that reckless, incoherent and neglectful US regional policies are failing across the board. A fundamental course correction is urgently required.

Gulf leaders have the leverage to set Trump straight, if they decide to use it. He relies on them to an unprecedented degree – far more than on Europe – as diplomatic interlocutors, security partners and financial backers. His approach to Palestine, which is on the brink of a second Nakba (catastrophe), is a mix of prejudice, cruelty and sheer ignorance. Without Arab help, the US and Israel may remain trapped indefinitely in a destructive policy cul-de-sac.

Trump knows he cannot afford to ignore the views of the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and his Gulf counterparts on Gaza, Syria and Yemen. They oppose war with Iran, as previously threatened by the US and Israel. Trump needs them as allies in his trade and tariff feud with China. Gulf diplomats hosted the Ukraine-Russia peace talks he personally promoted. He is desperate to keep oil prices low. And he covets multibillion dollar Middle East investment deals and arms sales.


Remember, Gulf leaders, Chump puts out!


For foreign leaders, anyway.  Not for the American people.  He just screws them over.  Peter Aitken (NEWSWEEK) notes, "Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick hit the Sunday morning talk shows to reassure Americans that President Donald Trump's tariff plan is going to work out in the long term as dock workers and truckers report job cuts due to falling imports. [. . .] Lutnick dismissed concerns about lost jobs and long-term economic outlook and pointed to a recent agreement with the United Kingdom as proof that Trump's plan is working -- slowly, but surely."  That deal was already in place.  And is Lutnick or Chump going to cover your bills while you wait for the economy to turn around -- while you wait for the economy Chump destroyed to turn around?

Christopher Bucktin (IRISH STAR) observes:

Donald Trump has decided to cease his trade war with China following warnings from American business leaders that US store shelves could be empty within weeks. This reversal comes as the White House is increasingly pressured over the economic impact of its tariffs.

Trump's assault on foreign trade had nearly halted activity at major US ports and left retailers scrambling to secure goods for the crucial summer season. In a joint statement today, the US and China declared a 90-day suspension of mutual tariffs while negotiators attempt to reach a more comprehensive deal.

As part of this agreement, America will lower tariffs on Chinese goods from 145 per cent to 30 per cent, and China will reduce its duties on American imports from 125 per cent to 10 per cent. This action follows urgent pleas from US CEOs, who have recently warned Trump that supply chains are freezing up and that store shelves could start going empty within a month.



 Kaitlan Collins, Samantha Waldenberg and Tierney Sneed (CNN) report:


President Donald Trump has been personally involved in discussions inside the administration over potentially suspending habeas corpus, a legal procedure that allows people to challenge their detention in court, two people familiar with the consideration told CNN.

One of Trump’s top aides, Stephen Miller, confirmed publicly Friday that the administration was “actively looking at” suspending habeas corpus, adding that it “depends on whether the courts do the right thing or not.”

Both the private discussions and Miller’s public comments show this is under serious consideration inside the West Wing. 



Shania Shelton (CNN) explains:


Lee Kovarsky, law professor at the University of Texas and expert on habeas corpus, said it would be a “national historical disaster.”

“The executive could just detain you, and there would be no recourse,” he said. “Obviously they would do it to try to detain certain non citizens, but there’s no reason why it’s limited to them.”

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Friday the administration was “actively looking at” suspending habeas corpus and it “depends on whether the courts do the right thing or not.”

But the Constitution allows habeas corpus to be suspended only when “in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.”

“The Constitution makes clear that suspension of habeas corpus is to be reserved for actual rebellion or invasion posing the most dire threats to public safety. And Congress has never passed a law authorizing deportations without any court involvement, as Miller suggests,” CNN senior legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Elie Honig said.

Kovarsky said the reason why suspension of habeas corpus is so restricted “is precisely because it’s so severe.”

“You have no right, to a court, to say that you’re being unlawfully detained. So in a way, the cash value of your substantive rights is zero if you don’t have a judge to evaluate them,” he said.



In other news, Donald Chump's no longer just arresting judges, he's now arresting mayors.  Former US Attorney General Eric Holder addressed the latest crisis on MSNBC.




And here is Mayor Ras Baraka speaking on his arrest.




Not only did they arrest the mayor, they are threatening to arrest members of Congress.    Tom Boggioni (RAW STORY) reports:




During an appearance on CNN Saturday morning where she was tasked with defendingthe questionable arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka by a mob of armed ICE agents outside of an DHS facility, a spokesperson for the agency stated there are plans to arrest more lawmakers in the coming days.

Speaking with host Victor Blackwell, Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at DHS and former advisor to failed GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, kept insisting that Mayor Baraka was arrested for "storming" the facility despite video showing him being taken into custody outside the chain-link gate.

After she grimly recited that the mayor and members of Congress who were also in attendance "put law enforcement at risk, this actually put the detainees, as well, at risk," she added more arrests would be forthcoming.

 


This is Chump Land where Alien Musk's Nazi salute becomes a little more common with each day.  

Meanwhile, meet the Enemy?  As we asked Saturday, exactly what outlet on the left is for Democrats?  We know it's not JACOBIN, we know it's not THE NATION, we know it's not IN THESE TIMES, we know it's not THE PROGRESSIVE, we know it's not COMMON DREAMS.  Those are all Socialists outlets.


So what does that leave us?


THE NEW REPUBLIC?


Good guess but there's a name on the masthead that's DSA.  And despite being DSA, before he joined THE NEW REPUBLIC, he worked for SLATE where, unknown to his editors, he was also DSA.  That matters because?  He took money to write about DSA and did so without ever disclosing he himself was DSA.  In fact, he pretends he's not DSA in the 'report' he wrote for SLATE.


Well that's just one person.  Right?


Right?


You know as a feminist, I try to be supportive women but I've never liked women who are overgrown girls that fall in love with their much older professor and marry them.


Wait!  Did someone just say Liza Featherstone!


That Democratic Socialist of America has already been deployed for 2028.


Liza's a curious satellite of her more famous husband Doug Henwood.  Professor Doug Henwood.  A professional scold who's had a very little listened to PACIFICA RADIO program for decades.  

If you don't know Liza, consider yourself lucky.  She's a 'feminist.'  She says she is, anyway.


But she's only deployed to attack women.  

THE NEW REPUBLIC has her attacking Kamala Harris.


When you read her column -- no link to trash -- you may recall THE YOUNG TURKS' Ana going off on the same rant.  Again, what all the people -- all of them -- covering THE YOUNG TURKS never tell you in all the hours they spend covering TYT is the Ana and Cenk were Socialists.  That's why Ana was the host of the JACOBIN podcast.  


MAGA is not a hard transition for DSAers.  Which is why John Fetterman might just be the next to transition. 


Liza wants you to know -- as Ana did before -- that it's a 'hell no!' to a second run for Kamala.  


As a feminist, you understand, Liza's against her.


All she does is attack women.  That's her whole con job. She's Alan Colmes on FOX "NEWS" but her act is to attack women.  She was never more cited and published than in 2016 when she was used non-stop to attack Hillary Clinton. 


Read her column in vain for the part where she discloses that she's not a Democrat, she's a Socialist.


Ask yourself why THE NEW REPUBLIC is publishing a Socialist attack on Kamala that's presented as a Democratic attack on Kamala?


Ask yourself why?


Who benefits from that?


Readers?


No, readers are lied to yet again.  


And Liza pops up yet again to start attacking women so that the men she serves can then hide behind her and lie with something like, "As feminist Liza Featherstone has noted . . ."


She's a con artist.  


The following sites updated:



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