Spotted dining together tonight at Trump Doral’s BLT Prime, on eve of this week’s RNC meetings here: RNC chair Ronna McDaniel, Trump 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale, and Lara Trump.
— Henry J. Gomez (@HenryJGomez) May 2, 2018
CAESAR SALADS FOR EVERYONE! E coli fears are for cucks!
But seriously… the Trump Occupancy is such a never-ending fountain of bullshit and criminality we no longer have time to even notice the ongoing penny-ante grifting which the Repubs nonchalantly accept as Donny Dollhand’s due…
"Here's how much the Republican Party pays to meet at Trump's resort in Miami," by the Miami Herald's Alex Daugherty: "The [RNC] spent $234,000 on venue rental and catering at Trump National Doral Miami since the beginning of this year, where it will… https://t.co/9jO5RJaDei
— Dennis Futoryan (@dfutoryan) May 1, 2018
The Republican Party is coming to South Florida this week, and the GOP is spending its money at a familiar haunt: President Donald Trump’s golf resort in Doral…
… Trump’s U.S. businesses, which include resorts and hotels across the country that are frequently used for conferences and meetings, have received at least $15.1 million in revenue from political groups and federal agencies since 2015, according to a report released earlier this month.
The RNC spent $424,000 at Trump-owned properties during the first two months of 2018, according to Federal Election Commission documents. Trump Doral, a sprawling resort with four golf courses, was also used by the Trump campaign for fundraisers and press conferences during the 2016 presidential election…
Various groups and associations with business before the White House have held fundraisers and conferences at Trump properties since he became president. An interest group that represents the payday lending industry held their annual conference at Trump Doral earlier this month as they push to roll back a rule that required payday lenders to determine up front whether people can afford to pay their loans…
Of course old-fashioned gumshoe reporter Dave Fahrenthold was on it, back in March…
It's the RNC's money to spend however they want!
The interesting thing to me is how fast it's increasing: last year RNC emphasized that they only spent abt 5% of their events budget at @realDonaldTrump properties. This year, its up up up. https://t.co/PipEDz7u9D— David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) March 21, 2018
The fact that the RNC is throwing events at the Doral in Miami suggests to me that that Trump’s most important golf resort is having problems and needs cash infusions.
— Joe Nocera (@NoceraBV) March 20, 2018
We have no visibility into the Doral's financial health. It's one of @realDonaldTrump's biggest investments — $150M — and it depends on a steady flow of big (non-political) conventions and golf tourneys. The RNC can't replace that if it dries up. https://t.co/gSPtpDVWnZ
— David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) March 21, 2018
Was teetering before he bought it in 2012. Donald Trump Buying Doral Golf Resort And Spa For $150 millionhttps://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/28/donald-trump-buying-doral_n_1306193.html
— Doug Hanks (@doug_hanks) March 21, 2018
Patricia Kayden
Can you imagine the outcry if President Hillary Clinton charged the DNC for functions at her estate in NY? Trump has gotten away with so much nonsense and blatant grifting that it’s unbelievable how far he has pushed the envelope.
EveryDayIHaveTheBlues
Good morning! Anyone have any thoughts in how to vote in the OH primary in May8? Corddray and Brown, obviously but any suggestions on the Rethug side?
(My first primary vote, so I’m not sure if OH had an open primary. When the League of Women’s Voters registered me after the Nat. Ceremony, I wasn’t asked for party affiliation. Does this mean I can vote for anyone/both sides?)
In one I’d the other threads, perhaps a few days ago, someone was expressing their distaste for Kyrsten Sinema. Well, I caught her interview on the Pod Save America podcast yesterday… it was not inspiring or enjoyable. DINO? She would obviously be a better choice than any R, but whew! It was clichéd and painful.
EveryDayIHaveTheBlues
@Patricia Kayden: Good point! OTOH, it’s kinda sad that this one of the less harmful corruptions.
?BillinGlendaleCA
I guess the Trump National in PV doesn’t have a hotel, Trump stayed in the Intercontinental at the Wilshire Grand in DTLA when he was here. The Wilshire Grand is owned by Korean Air.
MomSense
Cohen was the trump organization attorney. Cohen was the point person on Trump Tower Moscow during the campaign. Giuliani may not have gone haywire by admitting trump knew and paid Cohen back. Cohen may have needed the sign that he wasn’t forsaken. Have I turned into a conspiracy nut or does this make a bit of sense?
I hate all of this. I hate all of these people.
Neldob
Republicans hate democracy. I hope the help puts rat droppings in their salad.
Neldob
And, by the way, has anybody heard how the person with the unhealing groinal wound is doing?
JPL
@MomSense: I have no idea.
Schlemazel
@EveryDayIHaveTheBlues:
If you can hang around until ‘kay’ shows up she can help you out there. She is active in Ohio politics. There may be others but I don’t recall.
Renacci is a Trump-kisser and Gibbons is a businessman with no political history that I know of who talks in Trumpian BS phrases.
EveryDayIHaveTheBlues
@Schlemazel: ok. Thanks! I would like to vote for the most extreme RW nut job in hopes of a fiery crash in the general.
satby
@EveryDayIHaveTheBlues: debbie is also an Ohioan, as is Ohio Mom. They should wander by soonish.
@MomSense: the Irish kept a conflict going on a tiny island for 1000 years, so we know how to hate. And my hatred for the kleptocrats and contempt for the banally evil voters who put them in office is limitless and will ensure for the remainder of my life.
SFAW
I, for one, am glad that, with all the
griftingshrewd business dealing, Lying Littledick may finally reach his goal of being an ACTUAL millionaire, instead of a low-life, penny-ante con man.Which is what he is, Charlie, let’s face it..
JPL
@MomSense: Maybe LAO will wake up soon, and help us figure out what the heck is going on. Giuliani is going to be on Fox and Business this morning, and I’ll sure he’ll praise the asshole.
Bobby Thomson
@EveryDayIHaveTheBlues: Why would you vote in the Republican election? Cordray deserves a massive showing.
SFAW
@satby:
I was under the (quite possibly mistaken) impression that things didn’t really kick into high gear until the English took over.
Schlemazel
@EveryDayIHaveTheBlues:
Ah . . . do you remember saying that in 2015?
SFAW
@JPL:
She might be sleeping off the bender she went on after Jacob DeGrom hurt his elbow last night.
Adam K
@EveryDayIHaveTheBlues: You can only vote once in an Ohio primary. They ask if you want a Dem or Rep ballot, and that’s what you take into the voting booth.
gene108
@EveryDayIHaveTheBlues:
Get the Dem candidate you want across the finish line, before ratfucking the Republican primary. From what I gather the Dem primary doesn’t have a sure shot front runner.
JPL
@SFAW: I am curious to hear about the mood in the room when the news about Giuliani broke.. I assume that Giuliani said Trump repaid Cohen because they were trying to get in front of the news. The other option is that Giuliani is as crazy as his boss.
also go Braves!
John S.
Trump Doral is a dump.
I was dragged there last year by a client. Prime BLT has unimpressive, overpriced fpod. The facilities are mediocre with gaudy decorations. Every square inch of the walls are adorned with Trump’s face. And validated parking cost a whopping $20.
So it’s exactly like Trump.
gene108
@John S.:
Trump’s stuck in what was considered gourmet dining in the 1960’s and 1970’s, when getting fresh ingredients was harder, orange juice was a luxury drink that came from concentrate, and salads only had iceberg lettuce.
From what I gather the menu at Mar-a-Lago, and I guess Doral, reflect this.
In short, even when it comes to food, Trump is tasteless and vulgar.
MomSense
@satby:
Never forget and never forgive. I’ll never get over this rage.
@JPL:
I think Ghouliani created more problems for both Cohen and Trump but I’m not sure he wasn’t trying g to send a message that Trump isn’t going to let him take the fall alone. But how the hell can we tell? Are they stupid? Yup. Arrogant? Yup. Entitled? Yup. Unused to being held accountable table? Absolutely.
I hate them. I just hate them.
Quinerly
Big tweet storm by “Trump” this AM.
Quinerly
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA. These agreements are…..
6:46 AM – May 3, 2018
8,605
6,653 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Quinerly
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
…very common among celebrities and people of wealth. In this case it is in full force and effect and will be used in Arbitration for damages against Ms. Clifford (Daniels). The agreement was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair,……
6:54 AM – May 3, 2018
7,742
5,675 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Quinerly
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
…despite already having signed a detailed letter admitting that there was no affair. Prior to its violation by Ms. Clifford and her attorney, this was a private agreement. Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no roll in this transaction.
7:00 AM – May 3, 2018
6,840
7,141 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Quinerly
I don’t think Trump wrote this morning’s tweets.
Kay
@Quinerly:
This is true. The funniest thing about the Team Trump paying people off to keep silent is we’re told again and again “no one cares” about these things. Someone cares a lot. Donald Trump cares a lot. He wanted it hidden.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Quinerly: Nope, no way in hell Trump wrote that.
clay
@Quinerly: Sooooooo…. Trump had Stormy Daniels sign an NDA so she wouldn’t talk about them NOT having an affair?
And then “someone” paid her $130k to, again, keep quiet about this non-existent affair?
Checks out.
debbie
@EveryDayIHaveTheBlues:
I’m not Kay, but I have to say there is zero anyone to support on the GOP side. If you watch the TV ads, they’re very busy eating each other’s hearts out. For instance, Pat Tiberi is retiring. Allegedly, he’s been a wonderful Congressperson, a Trump booster (once it was obvious Kasich was going nowhere), and has always won by large margins. He’s supporting Troy Balderson and he’s even paid for an ad supporting Balderson. At the same time, the Club for Growth is running an anti-Balderson ad, calling him an Obama supporter who won’t work with Trump. I find this conflict very surprising.
Meanwhile, every GOP candidate for every office is running ads touting their Conservative cred. Larry Householder, especially, garbed in camo which barely covers his substantial belly, shooting up televisions (“dark money”) with a camo-painted rifle; yet, his opponents are painting him as pro-Clinton, anti-Trump.
It’s all very humorous, but bottom line: Vote straight Democratic.
gene108
@Quinerly: @Kay:
All Donald Trump has to say is why he has an NDA with Ms. Clifford in the first place. It would end all this idle speculation and put the whole matter to rest.
Clearly, Donald would never do anything wrong that he would need to cover up.
SFAW
@Quinerly:
Why? Just because it was coherent?
debbie
@Quinerly:
Oh, to be a fly on the wall when Trump lays into Rudy this morning!
Quinerly
I was wondering where everyone went. Has anyone discussed Rudy calling Comey a pervert and his Nazi storm trooper reference?
MomSense
@clay:
Dear dog, I cannot handle his level of stupidity.
MomSense
@Quinerly:
FFS can you believe that’s not the headline? Which circle of hell is this?
Kay
@gene108:
Can any candidate do what Trump is doing? Get around campaign finance laws by saying payoffs to keep damaging information out of the public eye during a campaign is a private contractual matter?
They will, now. He’s really setting the precedent for corruption.
Part of the problem with Trump- the reason there haven’t been more disclosures of the stuff he kept buried during the campaign- is all the people he hires are themselves dishonest and often engaged in sleaze of their own so they’re lousy whistleblowers. Working for him is a kind of sorting process- it sorts for dishonesty and sleaze and illegal acts- so the universe of possible whistleblowers is a tiny set.
The best way to keep people quiet about the boss’s crimes is to hire people who have something of their own to hide. That’s the actual process- the way one ends up with systemic corruption. The sleaziest people don’t just all magically end up working together- they’re hired for it.
When you read those stories about how “everyone knew and no one did or said anything” they’re always presented as if this is some random sample of the population. But it’s not. Corrupt bosses hire corrupt people because corrupt people won’t whistle-blow because they themselves are vulnerable. It’s systemic.
JPL
@Quinerly: That was disgusting and Joe mentioned it. The tweets sound like Trump dictated them with the commas inserted at points where Trump paused.
Quinerly
@MomSense: I’m so old that I long for the days of Obama being blamed (somehow) for the Boy Scouts dropping the word, “Boy.”
Quinerly
@JPL: Daily Beast is actually covering the pervert remark in a headline.
Kay
@gene108:
I went to this juvenile justice seminar on the “cash for kids” scandal. That was where the 2 juvenile judges and a lawyer conspired to keep a private detention facility full because they were owners or investors or had been paid off by the facility. The largest judicial scandal in US history.
So the question was “my God, where were all the good people?” The “good people” weren’t hired. There was a null set of possible “good people” who might “do the right thing”- by design. Not a random group of people, so not a reflection of “people” in general. A corrupt group of people. Systemic.
MattF
About Rudy’s (paragraph-long) slip of the tongue– I’d wait for Daniel’s lawyer to comment on it. He seems to know what he’s doing.
And suspicions of complex conspiracies? You’ve got an unstable, pathologically dishonest, abusive asshole at the top of the management tree. Don’t even bother.
Luthe
@Neldob: Well, I called the local wound care clinic and made an appointment. At which point the thing started making progress all on its own. I am going to call and reschedule the appointment for next week just to be safe, since I don’t want to leave it if it stops healing but I don’t want to go either if it going finally close.
Elizabelle
@Kay:
I never thought about that. You’re right. Not random.
Kay
I wouldn’t be so confident of this if I were a sleazy, corrupt rich person turned politician. I don’t know that it’s been tested in courts.
We have an ongoing government corruption scandal in Ohio that (now) involves an NDA. Apparently the employees believed they were not permitted to report lawbreaking because their employer had them sign some crap contract- the employer used it as a threat to keep them quiet. I don’t think courts are going to enforce a private contract if the private contract bars employees from talking about a contractor stealing 80 million dollars from the public.
If the burgeoning “sleazy sector” are relying on these contracts as a kind of get out of jail free card they’re not getting great advice. I know they believe they are accountable to no one and don’t have to obey laws, but this “we had a contract!” defense has limits. They can’t contract their way around prosecution. There are public interest exceptions and illegality exceptions, it doesn’t matter if they say they’re immune in the contract. The whistleblower in the Ohio case said he only felt free to talk about the theft because he had refused to sign the NDA, but any one of them could have reported it, NDA or no NDA, and there isn’t a judge in this state that is going to enforce that against them.
MattF
@Elizabelle: True. Just consider Trump’s hiring criteria, (criterion, I should say) and he’s been doing this all his life, not just as President.
ETA: Try googling ‘reichswehreid’, just for grins and giggles.
Quinerly
Rudy on Fox and Friends this AM saying Trump made the $130,000 payment to save his marriage.
Kay
Why did Donald Trump care so much if people found out about his affairs or his paying sex workers? His voters don’t care. Religious conservatives don’t care. Why are they so worried about it, especially now that everyone knows and it’s just accepted as the new lower standard?
I personally think he’s afraid people will find out he pays for sex. Not because it’s wrong or illegal but because it’s humiliating.
MattF
@Kay: And using pharmaceutical assistance.
Quinerly
@Kay: Rudy this AM. Payment made to save Trump’s marriage:https://thinkprogress.org/giuliani-contradicts-self-cohen-payment-campaign-contribution-bfc6ec5d1e45/
Quinerly
Rudy essentially has accused Stormy and her atty of extortion on Fox and Friends this AM.
Kay
@MattF:
That to me is the missing piece here, the part that seems like an obvious question but is sort of rude and also reflects poorly on the women so no one will ever ask it. He doesn’t keep them quiet with the NDA- the NDA is bullshit, a way to clean up an unlawful or humiliating transaction. He keeps them quiet with the fact they’re involved in the transaction too.
Cohen wasn’t “loyal” because he loves Trump or is part of some fiercely loyal “family”- that’s romanticized mafia movie nonsense. Cohen was loyal because Cohen is a crook too. If Trump gets investigated then Cohen’s dealings are exposed too, and that’s the real “NDA”.
? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?
@EveryDayIHaveTheBlues:
If you’re planning on voting in person just ask for a Democratic ballot. After checking in with the poll workers they will ask you this. Be sure to vote for Cordray and “yes” on Issue One. Most of the other state level offices are only being contested by a single Dem in our primary.
Kay
@Quinerly:
Rudy is an over-rated hack in a long line of over-rated hacks who were over-rated because they operated in the same geographical area as major media.
This esteemed former prosecutor also said yesterday that Hillary Clinton should be imprisoned. Clownish, sleazy hack who has benefited from media creating him in exactly the same way Trump benefited.
I knew Guiliania would stink up the Mueller probe. I knew we wouldn’t be permitted that one area of professionalism and seriousness. The low quality clowns are here now. They’re arrived.
We’ll end up missing Trump’s former lawyers after two weeks with the new, lower quality tier.
MomSense
@Quinerly:
I still can’t believe we went from hero to zero. Last night I watched the new John Mullaney special. He doesn’t usually do comedy about politics but in this new special he did in a really clever way. It felt good to laugh.
Kay
@EveryDayIHaveTheBlues:
You can’t vote on the R side, but thanks for voting for Cordray. I am doing what I can (not a lot!) to get him elected- I think he’s far and away the better choice v Kucinich and also honestly the highest quality candidate you will see on either side of the state races. He’s a cut above our normal pols. Really good. He could be great- not just acceptable but great. He has that potential.
Frankensteinbeck
@Kay:
I suspect the NDAs are because the women can reveal some sexual inadequacy on his part. It may be so minor we don’t notice or are only mildly amused, like Stormy saying she doesn’t find him attractive. To an insecure narcissist misogynist, this is nightmare territory.
@Quinerly:
Trump explicitly accused her of extortion in his tweets this morning. Defamation lawsuit, anyone?
SFAW
If there’s any justice in this world, Rudy will be thrown in jail for the rest of his unnatural life, for crimes against America. Racist, lying, evil shitbag who managed to turn one of NYC’s greatest disasters into his personal brand. Not bad for the son of a criminal, I guess.
And the big apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, also.
As the saying goes: Fuck him and everybody that looks like him.
? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?
@Kay:
What do you think of Schvoni? I voted for Cordray (absentee) but my local party endorsed the other guy in the primary.
Also, do you plan on voting yes for Issue One?
Kay
@EveryDayIHaveTheBlues:
If Cordray wins in Ohio he would be positioned to run as President down the road. That was the state GOP plan for Kasich but then their voters went insane. They drove them insane by lying to them constantly so it wasn’t a great plan, but that is what they said when Kasich was elected- “our next President” and they meant it at the time, again, pre mass insanity event.
SFAW
@Frankensteinbeck:
Hence the nickname “Lying Littledick.”
Kay
@? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?:
I met him at an event here and I actually really liked him personally. He’s charming. Sort of smiley and talky and over-bearing, but in a good way- like he’s just so excited to be standing in a community college dining hall that he can barely stand it :)
But I don’t know about governor. Your call. I was just basking in his blast of charm- I don’t even know what he said.
? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?
@Kay:
He certainly seems like an earnest, nice guy and having been Senate Minority Leader means he’s no slouch when it comes to executive leadership. I think Cordray has more potential, has held office before in Ohio, was endorsed by Obama, and of course was head of the CFPB counts for a lot in my book. I heard Kucinich the other day on the radio talking about how he supports a assault weapons ban in Ohio. I support that but I haven’t forgotten how much of a nut you are (UFOs and little green men).
Frankensteinbeck
@SFAW:
If he was underendowed, I would have thought Stormy would mention it.
japa21
Mrs Japa and I were watching excerpts of the Rudy interview. For us, a major element was his attack on the Mueller investigations and Comey and the FBI. It was as weird as Trumps interview on Fox. We looked at each other when the Comey is a pathological liar and a very perverted man statements came up. We were both thinking the same thing. Comey could easily go after Rudy for defamation on those statements. I wonder if he will.
MomSense
@Frankensteinbeck:
Honestly, even if it were yuuuge do any of us think he could possibly be good at it? It would be completely out of character for him to be attentive or try to please someone else. She already said he bragged about himself so much that she asked him if that actually worked with anyone.
Plus the rest of him is so repulsive that I want to barf just thinking about it.
Karen
@SFAW: There goes the Mets winning streak. At least we still have Thor.
BarbaraG
@Kay: From someone who has always lived in that major media market: 100% agreement. But you leave out how the local media (yes, I’m looking at you, FTFNYT) covered for his messy personal life and disgraceful behavior as mayor — releasing information from sealed juvenile files when his Praetorian Guard (oops, I mean the NYPD) shot an innocent person dead. A totally despicable person.
Neldob
@Luthe: I’m glad it’s getting better.
J R in WV
Talking about primaries…!!!
The ad buys here in West Virginia are amazing. Donald Blankenship is throwing money down a rat hole and running third in a race with two non-entities running 1st and 2nd. His memos to his mine foremen about running coal to the exclusion of everything else, like safety work, convict him of murdering those 29 men in Upper Big Branch, so he brags about how many people he provided jobs, deadly jobs, too.
He’s also attacking Turtle McConnell of KY in his ads, calling him Cocaine Mitch with a hang on MS Chao’s truck rental business, and I don’t know why he thinks KY politics should have a place in a WV primary race. Maybe it’s because it comes closer to being a KY resident than a WV resident, and is actually a Las Vegas NV resident more than either KY or WV.
Of course the year spent living in California, at the Federal facility (prison) might make his a CA resident? He hasn’t lived mostly in WV since well before the explosion at Upper Big Branch.
Oh, yeah, Joe Manchin is actually running a few ads, just to let everyone know he’s still out there, keeping his ad agency warm. There’s probably an unknown running against him, I’ll find out next Tuesday. Can’t wait to go to school again to vote, always feel patriotic signing the register.
EveryDayIHaveTheBlues
@Bobby Thomson: Exactly! I don’t know how the primaries work in [email protected]Adam K: @gene108: Thank you for clarifying this. This helps. Yes, of course, Corddray is the first choice. @Schlemazel: Couldn’t vote in 2015. Became a citizen in April [email protected]debbie: Yes, I will. As was mentioned above, one gets either a R or D ballot. I didn’t know this.
Also to note, I see signs for Kucinich(!) in my fairly conservative area in Loveland. Wierd…@? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?: Got it. There are some houses on my drive to drop my son off at school, that have both the “Welcome Neighbors” sign (in English, Epanish and Arabic: I think John posted about it here a year ago), as well as Vote Yes on 1 signs. I figured they were the good guys, and plan to follow their lead.
@Kay: Thank you. Yes, I plan to vote for Corddray. I don’t know much about him personally, but there are a few factors that I do know that are in his favor: 1) Head of CPFB, has Warren’s support; 2) is a D; 3) Unlike Kucinich, does not or has not belittled the Russia investigation.
JDM
Let me guess; Donald overpaid for the Doral club.
A little Google-fu and I see the general concensus is that he overpaid by about $50 million.
debbie
@EveryDayIHaveTheBlues:
I know you’re long gone. You can in fact ask for an Independent ballot, but you’ll only be able to vote on the issues, which are also important.