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[Chmpocalypse]

Can we have a separate thread about this? It's getting lost in the Sessions stuff.

Watch the segment here
It's long, but I think this kind of investigative reporting is necessary to understand Trump's connections with Russia.

Summary:
Russian oligarch wants to spread assets to offset losing money in divorce settlement
Same Russian oligarch is a vice chairman in Bank of Cyprus
Other vice chairman (and single largest shareholder) in bank is Wilbur Ross (just confirmed as Secretary of Commerce)
Trump sells a property to the oligarch for $100 million (a clean profit of $60 million)
Trump and Russian oligarch deny having direct contact with one another
Maddow lines the dots that Ross may have been the intermediary (a long time, close friend of Trump)

Trump was in financial straits at the time, Maddow suggests this 'mysterious windfall' for Trump was a part of a bigger story in which Trump was blackmailed (remember the 35 page dossier?) for his financial ties with Russian oligarchs who were stashing money abroad (Trump was helping them hide their money, for a profit, and Putin knew about it).

Is this money laundering? Sounds like it.

 

[NiiloPielinen]

Is this money laundering? Sounds like it.

Sounds very much like it. Could it be that Trump was desperate enough to launder some Russian money to avoid yet another bankruptcy?

 

[BrassDragon]

Interesting follow-up to the OP (and great use of open sources by the investigative reporters):

Examining the flight paths of Trump's plane and the private jet of Dmitry Rybolovlev (the 'Fertilizer King' oligarch who put millions into Trump's pocket with lopsided deals), there appear to be several occasions when both planes were at the same airport on the same day in the same time slot. Before we go to 'fake news', this data can be verified using plane spotter pictures and open source flight path data.

So contrary to the first report, Trump and his 'angel investor' may actually have met... not before the ridiculous sale that saved Trump from his debt but:

- in Las Vergas on the day of a Trump rally in Las Vegas
- in North Carolina on the day of a Trump rally in the same city, 5 days before the election
- same day in Miami when Trump was at Mar-a-lago with the Japanese PM

So. Yeah.

 

[OrangeGrayBlue]

The one thing I don't understand is, if you're trying to cover up ties to Russia, why are you appointing all these people with direct ties to Russia to positions that put them under intense scrutiny? Why is there no effort to "lay low" here? If I were trying to eventually be caught for being compromised by Russia, I would do everything Trump is doing right now. It just seems mysterious that he's making so little effort to cover tracks here.

 

[Stinkles]

Is this money laundering? Sounds like it.

It's a twofer. Money laundering and bribery.

 

[BlazinSkatinAxel]

The one thing I don't understand is, if you're trying to cover up ties to Russia, why are you appointing all these people with direct ties to Russia to positions that put them under intense scrutiny? Why is there no effort to "lay low" here? If I were trying to eventually be caught for being compromised by Russia, I would do everything Trump is doing right now. It just seems mysterious that he's making so little effort to cover tracks here.

Villains never believe they will get caught.

 

[EatinOlives]

Trump is a modern mob boss
His name is his "vig" you want the name no trouble with unions etc you pay him the cut.
That trump tower of his introduced him to a long list of sleazy international types particularly from Russia as New York real estate is the favored place to stash ill gotten gains. With no banks in USA willing to deal with him he got entangled with them and people close to putin as well, now he has been invested in. Putin owns him even if he doesn't have tapes - and ffs that's the easiest to believe out of all of this - putin knows his finances, much better than anyone else.

Yep.

At this point I kinda wish the country "only" elected an ill-tempered racist. What we actually got is a literal Putin puppet with just enough money to be influential but not enough smarts so as to not compromise himself with the Russian oligarchs.

Republicans are scared shitless because he keeps roping GOP members into this bullshit. But they can't admit they've been played, they can't kick out the president or their own party will unravel. But they can't keep quiet because this is unraveling on its own.

What I do know is that we're getting close to a tipping point, and one we reach it this entire thing will collapse in on itself in a matter of days once everyone turns on each other.

 

[ClosingADoor]

Next to getting rid of Trump, can we just break up Deutsche Bank already? I swear, every major shady dealing or scandal has them at the center.

 

[antonz]

Money Laundering absolutely seems to be how Trump got involved with the Russians and other Mobsters over the years. His Casinos were key elements to it

 

[rjinaz]

Villains never believe they will get caught.

Basically. You do something long enough and get away with it you start to think nobody can touch you. And also he probably owed people favors to these people for setting him up with connections, working the deals, and what have you.

 

[pixelation]

Interesting follow-up to the OP (and great use of open sources by the investigative reporters):

Examining the flight paths of Trump's plane and the private jet of Dmitry Rybolovlev (the 'Fertilizer King' oligarch who put millions into Trump's pocket with lopsided deals), there appear to be several occasions when both planes were at the same airport on the same day in the same time slot. Before we go to 'fake news', this data can be verified using plane spotter pictures and open source flight path data.

So contrary to the first report, Trump and his 'angel investor' may actually have met... not before the ridiculous sale that saved Trump from his debt but:

- in Las Vergas on the day of a Trump rally in Las Vegas
- in North Carolina on the day of a Trump rally in the same city, 5 days before the election
- same day in Miami when Trump was at Mar-a-lago with the Japanese PM

So. Yeah.

O_O OH SNAP!!!

 

[Stinkles]

Basically. You do something long enough and get away with it you start to think nobody can touch you. And also he probably owed people favors to these people for setting him up with connections, working the deals, and what have you.

Here's the thing about Trump.


He's been sued by the government. And lost, yet didn't change anything.
He's gone bankrupt four times PERSONALLY.
His licensed goods have almost, to an item, failed disastrously.
Somebody else wrote the entirety of his one main success.
He pretends to be a thing that he actually just licenses his name to.
He escaped Vietnam and became a chickenhawk.
The only boss he EVER had was his DAD.
He's never had to answer to a single shareholder.
He paid his way out of a rape accusation.

And yet he's still rich. He managed to parlay all of the above into the ACTUAL PRESIDENCY. He failed upwards like a firework. He has no idea he sucks at all.

He has succeeded by failing for 70 years and he's a nutcase. He's going to combust very soon.

 

[royalan]

Interesting follow-up to the OP (and great use of open sources by the investigative reporters):

Examining the flight paths of Trump's plane and the private jet of Dmitry Rybolovlev (the 'Fertilizer King' oligarch who put millions into Trump's pocket with lopsided deals), there appear to be several occasions when both planes were at the same airport on the same day in the same time slot. Before we go to 'fake news', this data can be verified using plane spotter pictures and open source flight path data.

So contrary to the first report, Trump and his 'angel investor' may actually have met... not before the ridiculous sale that saved Trump from his debt but:

- in Las Vergas on the day of a Trump rally in Las Vegas
- in North Carolina on the day of a Trump rally in the same city, 5 days before the election
- same day in Miami when Trump was at Mar-a-lago with the Japanese PM

So. Yeah.

This should really be it's own thread. I know it's related to this story, but that a Russian oligarch was playing plane tag with Trump's jet throughout the campaign is such a big deal and it's surprising NOBODY caught that until now.

Rachel is like a damn bloodhound. When she gets a scent...

 

[Camwi]

I'm a straight guy. My girlfriend is a straight woman. We have discussed the fact that either of us would nope right out of the relationship for a chance with Rachel.

Sounds like a loving relationship.

 

[Creamium]

Interesting follow-up to the OP (and great use of open sources by the investigative reporters):

Examining the flight paths of Trump's plane and the private jet of Dmitry Rybolovlev (the 'Fertilizer King' oligarch who put millions into Trump's pocket with lopsided deals), there appear to be several occasions when both planes were at the same airport on the same day in the same time slot. Before we go to 'fake news', this data can be verified using plane spotter pictures and open source flight path data.

So contrary to the first report, Trump and his 'angel investor' may actually have met... not before the ridiculous sale that saved Trump from his debt but:

- in Las Vergas on the day of a Trump rally in Las Vegas
- in North Carolina on the day of a Trump rally in the same city, 5 days before the election
- same day in Miami when Trump was at Mar-a-lago with the Japanese PM

So. Yeah.

Oh wow this is huge. I wouldn't even have expected that they met regularly in person. Man how deep does this go. When at some point this all blows up... historic moment in the making.

 

[Quazar]

Maddow has been on fire lately.

Always has been...her team is great

 

[Bishman]

Rachel Maddow is doing work!