Remember how former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows voluntarily shared a bunch of emails and texts with the January 6th committee, then suddenly clammed up? New FEC filings highlighted by NBC News may shed some light on what hushed his yap:
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump’s political action committee donated $1 million to the conservative nonprofit organization where his former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, is a senior partner, according to a campaign finance report filed Monday night with the Federal Election Commission.
In December, the House voted to recommend that the Justice Department pursue contempt of Congress charges against Meadows over his refusal to cooperate with an investigation into the Trump-inspired Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The tax-deductible seven-figure contribution to the Conservative Partnership Institute is by far the largest chunk of $1.35 million in donations Trump’s “Save America” PAC made to political allies over the last six months of 2021, according to the campaign finance report.
We know from previous investigations into his epic corruption on the “charitable giving” front that Donald Trump doesn’t donate a nickel without expecting a hefty return. He turned #2 failson’s childhood cancer charity into a profit center for his tacky resorts and converted his family’s namesake foundation into a personal slush fund, earning a ban from “charitable” activities in New York.
There’s no way Trump wrote a $1 million check to “build and unite the conservative movement” — a movement he’s spent years knocking down and tearing apart for personal gain. He bought Meadows’ silence, and since rich shitheads write most of our laws, it’s probably all perfectly legal unless someone confesses or incontrovertible evidence emerges to prove the donation was hush money.
Even incontrovertible evidence wouldn’t necessarily make a difference. Trump skated on a clear-cut case of violating federal election laws when the statute (not an actual sculpture) of limitations expired in October on the Stormy Daniels hush money incident. Anyhoo, I thought the timing was interesting. Open thread!
trollhattan
Mitch, playing the game. Trump’s not smart but he can hold a grudge, so hold somebody’s beer and watch.
The Dangerman
Stormy wants a do over (on the hush money amount).
SiubhanDuinne
!
:-)
MattF
Some details about the Trump ‘social media’ project. The SEC has questions. Probably not legal.
Gin & Tonic
@SiubhanDuinne: That’s the one next to the blindfolded lady with the scale, right?
Ruckus
Betty, you are correct, SFB never spends a dime on anything that does not directly benefit him. I believe that he would spontaneously combust if he even thought about doing that. However, I doubt he has to worry about that, or even if he is capable of having even a fleeting moment of doubt that every dollar in the world should be his due to his self endorsed greatness.
Old School
Could be, but I think Meadows stopped cooperating in December. The “charitable contribution” was made in July.
If he keeps holding rallies, Trump probably will confess.
The Moar You Know
The core problem is that this sort of bribery – and that is what it is – is totally legal.
Jim Appleton
Can he just please stroke out? Please?
The larger problem is the zombies who idolize him. But with him gone at least their momentum gets dampened.
Ruckus
@Old School:
Could be that Mark, behind closed doors, was willing to let it be known that his continued silence could be bought.
Baud
Yeah, no way Trump gave away half his wealth for nothing.
Origuy
One more request for help for my friend Susan, whose cat Tabitha had five teeth pulled. Susan rescued an entire litter of kittens a few years ago and now they are cats with medical problems. She needs help with the bills and any help you can give would be appreciated by Susan, Tabitha, and her sisters Sandtoes, Dixie, Dusty, and Snickerdoodle, and their brother Braveheart. Susan is still paying off the expenses for their sister Stevie, who passed away last year. Here are some kitty pictures, and a shot of the bill.
Contributions can be sent via PayPal or Zelle to me at jlanam AT comcast DOT net or to my Venmo account at @Jeffery-Lanam. Thanks to those who have already donated. Anything is appreciated. My earlier appeals have gotten $310 and $165, but the total vet bill was $2300.
Anonymous At Work
Even worse, under current Supreme Court precedent, the bribery is legal even if it is brazen but for areas such as this. Trump could have written, “Bribe payment for not testifying against me as required by law.” Supreme Court in McDonnell vs US said that it isn’t corruption if it isn’t an official, in-the-official-powers act. For things like this, it’s “sparkling dishonesty”.
Sure Lurkalot
@Old School:
I know I’m cruisin’ for a Balloon Juice bruisin’, but it seems that he admitted to election tampering, bribery, incitement, obstruction…just in the last rally…and we still appear to be arguing whether anything he does is illegal, indictable, intentional.
I know…patience, grasshopper.
germy
Jim Appleton
We may have a problem far worse than 1938 Germany. Enough of us don’t need convincing.
Betty Cracker
@SiubhanDuinne: Goddamnit, that’s almost as embarrassing as pubic vs. public…
raven
Our new tenants arrived today, they flew in from LA on the redeye. They are really nice people and they love the house!
Jeffro
TPM reporting that NM senator Lujan had a stroke last week, requiring hospitalization.
It’s all hanging by a thread, Dems. Hurry. Up. Retirements, judicial nominations, prosecutions. Let’s. Go.
germy
He’s expected to make a full recovery, fortunately.
sdhays
@Jeffro: Holy fuck. At least New Mexico has a Democratic governor.
When then hell is it going to be Moscow Mitch’s turn?
Betty Cracker
@Old School: My guess is Meadows didn’t realize Trump would find those texts problematic, but as soon as Trump got wind of it and told him to STFU, he did, risking a contempt referral. Isn’t Meadows the same dude who called his own book “fake news” after Trump objected to portions that got publicized? (I may be confusing him with another minion…)
germy
Betty Cracker
@Jeffro: Jesus, and he’s among the younger senators in the caucus, IIRC.
sdhays
@Betty Cracker: No, that was him.
catclub
pubic is the new public. Library, nuisance, intellectual
WaterGirl
@Betty Cracker: I blame autocorrect.
WaterGirl
@raven: I bet they do! Who wouldn’t????
Bill Arnold
@MattF:
As I recall, one will not be allowed to criticize Trump, or Trump-affiliated enterprises, until after the heat death of the universe. Right?
narya
But look at Turtle’s phrasing: no reduced sentences for those who pled guilty. That does not include anyone who is found guilty. So, keeping your yap shut, getting convicted, will get you a pardon.
MattF
@Bill Arnold: Depends on whether the proton has a finite lifetime.
mrmoshpotato
@trollhattan:
And what say does that turtle-faced, fascist motherfucker in that?
waspuppet
Where did Trump get this money? He doesn’t have any. Every cent goes straight to Uncle Vlad, the Chinese he borrowed money from, and God knows who else he owes $221 million over the next four years to.
Maybe he knows he’ll never get that money, and he’s going all in on getting “elected” president again, so he has secrets to trade for debt relief. That’s it, isn’t it?
SiubhanDuinne
@Gin & Tonic:
Alphabetically, yes!
ETA: Oops, my turn to be embarrassed! I confused Lady Justice with the Statue of Liberty!
MattF
Building with 500 tons of ammonium nitrate is on fire in Winston-Salem.
HeleninEire
@Baud: Yeah I guarantee that the true worth of his assets minus his debts makes him poor. Like in the negatives poor. Bankruptcy poor.
Betty Cracker
@waspuppet: It was from a PAC he controls, so presumably the money is from the type of idiots who would give money to Trump.
SiubhanDuinne
@MattF:
Yikes!
mrmoshpotato
@WaterGirl: I blame pubic libraries.
schrodingers_cat
Trump has money to give? That’s news to me.
Mike in NC
So, a million dollar bribe to make Meadows shut his face. Probably the least surprising thing any of us will learn about today.
More stuff in the NYT today about illegal plans to seize voting machines. Basically, Trump did almost nothing in his last two years but plan every conceivable way to steal the election.
WaterGirl
@narya:
That’s a very smart take.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Betty Cracker: A 49 YO mountain biker, per Garret Haake just now on MSNBC
Sure Lurkalot
@raven: How could they not? The renovation came out beautiful and homey.
That they are pleasant is just icing!
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@schrodingers_cat:
to quote the play that was turned into Gregory Peck’s last movie, the name of which escapes me: “Other People’s Money”.
and the title of the play and movie was in fact, Other People’s Money.
mrmoshpotato
@Mike in NC:
Haha, so he thought he was gonna lose even before COVID came along and said, “Hi shitstain! I’m a virus! Threaten to sue the shit out of me, you fat, orange, fascist dumbfuck!”
debbie
@trollhattan:
Totally O/T, but someone’s still using “pled”! Yay!
Sure Lurkalot
@waspuppet:
If Dog forbid the fucker gets “elected”, he’ll find another Federalist society hack as his personal AG who’ll say he’s immune from any prosecution for anything, past, present and future.
Roger Moore
@Old School:
Good catch. I’ll stick by my interpretation. From the information we’ve seen, it seems like Meadows was trying to give out information only on people he wanted to hurt. When the committee demanded he turn over everything, even on the people he wanted to protect, he stopped cooperating.
Edmund Dantes
@Jeffro: I’ve been beating this drum every time people act like we have time to dick around or take our time.
mrmoshpotato
@debbie: fleded
Suzanne
This Throwdown at the Golden Corral feels like America in microcosm.
Omnes Omnibus
@debbie: In a legal context, pleaded is strongly preferred.
The Pale Scot
Good Japanese joke –
Cyndi Lauper interview w/ Johnny Carson
All her Carson appearances are great
Kalakal
@WaterGirl: I blame people who shop at Home Despot and buy their groceries at Pubics
mrmoshpotato
@Suzanne: All I want is for all of this trash to be drown in beef offal.
Frank Wilhoit
@SiubhanDuinne: Well, there has been a good deal of limitation of statues lately.
prostratedragon
@mrmoshpotato: Narya above you might have it. He’s delivering a message.
Ruckus
@Mike in NC:
How else would he win when enough people saw who he really is?
Sure his fans would vote for him, he justified in their minds, every single shitty thought they ever had about who they are and who they hate.
mrmoshpotato
@prostratedragon: Yeah, I saw that. McTurtle The Fascist can still throw himself into the Sun though.
debbie
@Omnes Omnibus:
I know the usage has changed, but it was nice to see someone talk good.
prostratedragon
@mrmoshpotato: Seconded.
Steve in the ATL
@Omnes Omnibus:
While Steve Earle remains my most favoritist songwriter ever, I always thought he should have said “dragged” rather than “drug” to go with “pleaded”
Miss Bianca
@debbie: I use “pled”!
Gin & Tonic
@Miss Bianca: What’s the past tense of “knead”?
Kalakal
@Gin & Tonic: Kneaded or whatever rhymes with the music.
hmm fun really fled, bled, pled, led. I like pled but bleeded is beyond the pale
James E Powell
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
With Danny DeVito. That man’s a treasure.
debbie
@Miss Bianca:
Bless you!
Miss Bianca
@Gin & Tonic: Tell you what, wise guy…I’ll tell you that if you’ll tell me what the past tense of “lead” is.
Ella in New Mexico
@Jeffro: @germy: @sdhays: @Betty Cracker:
Ben Lujan is such a great Senator, wishing him a super speedy recovery.
We have a great Neuro ICU program here at UNMH and I’m thinking because the was moved so urgently from Santa Fe to Albuquerque and they got him into neursurgery fast he’ll recover quickly. His stroke was in the cerebellum, so no interference with cognition or language, more balance and coordination. Hopefully that will resolve fast.
Ella in New Mexico
@Steve in the ATL:
He’s Steve Earl that that would have been antithetical to his very existence
He also wouldn’t use the word “antithetical”. :-D