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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Trump: Bottled in Bond

Trump: Bottled in Bond

by Tom Levenson|  March 18, 202411:19 am| 326 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Trump Indictments

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Seems our favorite adjudged rapist and fraudster is having a spot of bother raising half a billion:

Trump: Bottled in Bond

[That link leads to Friedman’s feed, as the post itself seems to be visible only to Bluesky users.]

TL:DR–no one in the rather small universe of insurance companies that provide such bonds will take on such an enormous sum without cash or cash-equivalent collateral.

Trump: Bottled in Bond 1

What I found particularly interesting was the remark in an insurance broker’s affirmation that most of the handful of companies that do handle transactions on this scale cap their exposure at $100 million.

That suggests to me that even if Judge Engeron were to reduce the bond to, say, the principle amount without interest (high in the $300 millions) or even just to cut the demand in half ($232 million) Trump would still have a big hill to climb. And even at the lower amount, he’d still be on the hook for a 4% premium, or over $5 million in ready money.

[ETA: to repeat, I am not a lawyer, but if I’ve read actual lawyers correctly, the bond has to cover 110% of the judgment, so if Engeron does not drop the amount required Trump needs to raise or get surety for over $500 million.  That’s kinda of a lot of money even for a real billionaire.]

Not to mention that Trump and his attorneys did not exactly ingratiate themselves with this judge.  That shouldn’t and maybe won’t make a difference to Engeron’s engagement with the merits of their argument, but (recalling that IANAL) it seems likely that the quality of mercy may be just a bit strained in this instance.

In possibly unrelated news, popcorn futures opened significantly higher in the morning markets.

As open as Trump’s books aren’t, this thread is.

Image: Victor Dubreuil, Barrels of Money, c. 1897

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    326Comments

    1. 1.

      Mousebumples

      March 18, 2024 at 11:23 am

      Oh, what’s that? The consequences of Trump’s own actions?

      Couldn’t happen to a more deserving individual.

      Reply
    2. 2.

      PaulWartenberg

      March 18, 2024 at 11:23 am

      Now that trump has pulled his hostile takeover of the RNC, does THAT get considered an asset that AG James can seize? (evil laugh)

      Reply
    3. 3.

      Splitting Image

      March 18, 2024 at 11:24 am

      At least he still has his good looks and charm.

      Reply
    4. 4.

      Kosh III

      March 18, 2024 at 11:25 am

      Awwww….poor baby…….Maybe he can sell Melania to Elon.

      Reply
    5. 5.

      gratuitous

      March 18, 2024 at 11:25 am

      Why didn’t Mr. Shart of the Deal negotiate a settlement instead of going through a protracted trial (in which his participation was minimal). He rolled the dice and he lost, bigly. It is now time to face the consequences for his own freely chosen actions.

      Reply
    6. 6.

      Scout211

      March 18, 2024 at 11:27 am

      NBC
      “Defendants’ real estate holdings — including iconic properties like 40 Wall Street, Doral Miami, and Mar-a-Lago, — greatly exceed the amount of the judgment. Such assets are impossible to secrete or dispose of surreptitiously, leaving the plaintiff effectively secured during the pendency of an appeal,” the filing said.

      Ha ha.  Just believe us that all of Trump’s properties are worth effectively 400 beeeeelion dollars!  Just ask Trump!

      Reply
    7. 7.

      syphonblue

      March 18, 2024 at 11:27 am

      But I thought he was so rich and had all the money!

      Reply
    8. 8.

      sdhays

      March 18, 2024 at 11:29 am

      @Scout211: And believe us that they’re not effectively owned by someone else (a bank, for example).

      Reply
    9. 9.

      E.

      March 18, 2024 at 11:29 am

      Presumably his Supreme Court will find new love for the 14th Amendment and find a way to extract him from this but who knows.

      Reply
    10. 10.

      MattF

      March 18, 2024 at 11:32 am

      I suppose just getting the money from Vlad isn’t an option.

      Reply
    11. 11.

      sdhays

      March 18, 2024 at 11:33 am

      @gratuitous: I doubt it mattered in the end since the client is a moron who wouldn’t listen to reason anyway, but you really got the feel that his lawyers hadn’t gamed anything out about this trial and basically had no strategy other than hamfisted intimidation. Their “strategy”, such as it was, seemed to be jury focused, even after they stumbled upon the fact that these kinds of trials in New York aren’t heard by juries.

      The only idea they had was intimidating the judge (fail) and jury nullification (hard fail), and they just kept going with that.

      Reply
    12. 12.

      Sid

      March 18, 2024 at 11:34 am

      @Kosh III:

      Indecent Proposal meets C.H.U.D.

      Reply
    13. 13.

      Omnes Omnibus

      March 18, 2024 at 11:35 am

      @sdhays: To be fair to his lawyers (I know, I know!), their client did not give them a lot to work with.

      Reply
    14. 14.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 11:36 am

      The art of the steal!  All he has to do is open another casino, build that tower in Moscow, beg and steal more from his cult, design some more sneakers and non-fungible tokens, and sell more real estate!  It’ll be fine! 🔥😆 Maybe another cancer charity and a university?

      Reply
    15. 15.

      sdhays

      March 18, 2024 at 11:36 am

      @E.: The Supremecist Court doesn’t have many options when it comes to this case since it involves NY state law.

      Reply
    16. 16.

      SiubhanDuinne

      March 18, 2024 at 11:36 am

      Great thread title, Tom!

      This news is likely to have me smiling all day.

      Reply
    17. 17.

      Jeffro

      March 18, 2024 at 11:38 am

      maybe he can use Jared’s $2B slush fund from the Saudis as collateral?

      Reply
    18. 18.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 11:38 am

      Whar Alina Habbit now?

      Reply
    19. 19.

      Sid

      March 18, 2024 at 11:39 am

      I guess this is where Trump finds out who his friends are, i.e. Putin, the Saudi royals, etc.

      Reply
    20. 20.

      Scout211

      March 18, 2024 at 11:39 am

      @Omnes Omnibus: What are the chances that the judge will grant the request to delay posting the bond until his appeal of the case is over?

      Reply
    21. 21.

      sdhays

      March 18, 2024 at 11:40 am

      @Omnes Omnibus: True. But we also know that at least one of his lawyers just isn’t very bright because she bragged about it on the Tee Vee.

      I still haven’t really wrapped my mind around that one.

      Reply
    22. 22.

      Omnes Omnibus

      March 18, 2024 at 11:40 am

      What I found particularly interesting was the remark in an insurance broker’s affirmation that most of the handful of companies that do handle transactions on this scale cap their exposure at $100 million.

      What we have to remember is that Trump has already ready posted a bond for around the $100 million mark.  That means that he has probably pledged the assets that are least encumbered.

      Reply
    23. 23.

      Omnes Omnibus

      March 18, 2024 at 11:41 am

      @Scout211: Let me ask this, why would he?

      Reply
    24. 24.

      oldster

      March 18, 2024 at 11:42 am

      The judge should just say:

      This man is a convicted serial fraudster. These appeals are another attempt to commit fraud. Hand over the money or go to jail.

      Bang!

      Reply
    25. 25.

      NotMax

      March 18, 2024 at 11:43 am

      Repeating.

      Dolt 45’s new rallying cry?
      //

      Reply
    26. 26.

      devore

      March 18, 2024 at 11:44 am

      Sounds like the state of NY will be getting an airplane soon.   Just need to get ready to do a quick paint job to get you know what removed.

      Reply
    27. 27.

      p.a.

      March 18, 2024 at 11:44 am

      Maybe he can monetize his gibberish speeches?  Given his audience: vhs tapes of the proceedings.  The MAGAts can choose to invest in them, their oxygen tanks, or their cartons of Marlboros.

      Reply
    28. 28.

      Percysowner

      March 18, 2024 at 11:45 am

      @gratuitous: that would’ve involved, admitting he was wrong about something. Trump will never admit he’s wrong about anything.

      Reply
    29. 29.

      Dangerman

      March 18, 2024 at 11:46 am

      Can we arrange for the not rich fucker (Elon has half a billion in his couch cushions) to pick up trash along the highways and byways of NY to work it off? I recognize that it would be raining dog shit (extra credit for hitting him in the ass) but couldn’t we call it a fertilizing project, too?

      Reply
    30. 30.

      frosty

      March 18, 2024 at 11:49 am

      You come up with the perfect art for your posts!

      Reply
    31. 31.

      MazeDancer

      March 18, 2024 at 11:52 am

      Fire sale on Fifth Avenue!

      Alas, something will happen.He can find the money, he just doesn’t want to, so he’s asking, as usual, for special treatment.

      Reply
    32. 32.

      sdhays

      March 18, 2024 at 11:52 am

      @Dangerman: Elon has half a billion in his couch cushions

      Elon is pretty heavily leveraged. That’s why he wants Tesla to shovel billions in cash his way.

      It’s hard to conceive how the super rich live lavash lifestyles almost entirely on credit. It’s very different from the rest of us.

      Reply
    33. 33.

      Thor Heyerdahl

      March 18, 2024 at 11:53 am

      Tough. Shit. Donny.

      Reply
    34. 34.

      JoyceH

      March 18, 2024 at 11:54 am

      Let’s remember that he testified in a deposition to this case that he had at least $400 million in cash reserves. Assuming he put up the &90 million in the Carroll case, that still leaves him &300 million, so he only needs to finance about $165 million. After all, surely he didn’t lie under oath!

      Reply
    35. 35.

      Miss Bianca

      March 18, 2024 at 11:54 am

      @sdhays: Seems to me you have summed up the situation accurately.

      Reply
    36. 36.

      Almost Retired

      March 18, 2024 at 11:54 am

      I may soon be able to obtain the gold-plated toilet I’ve always coveted on QVC.  Happy Anniversary Mrs. Almost Retired!!

      Reply
    37. 37.

      Ruckus

      March 18, 2024 at 11:56 am

      @Mousebumples:

      THIS.

      @gratuitous:

      It is now Way Past time to face the consequences for his own freely chosen actions. FIXITFY

      Reply
    38. 38.

      trollhattan

      March 18, 2024 at 11:57 am

      Donny’s bloodbath has been there all along, listed under “Liabilities.”

      Reply
    39. 39.

      RaflW

      March 18, 2024 at 11:57 am

      He has always claimed that he has tons of wealth locked up in all that real estate. But he obviously has pulled out all the equity to support his lifestyle, and the insurance companies & banks know that, particularly after pledging assets to get that other bond, there’s net nothing left.

      He’s functionally broke. At least in terms of being a ‘billionaire’.

      Reply
    40. 40.

      NotMax

      March 18, 2024 at 11:59 am

      “We ask the court to grant an extension of the time to post bond pending the upcoming launch of Truthcoin.”
      //

      Reply
    41. 41.

      fancycwabs

      March 18, 2024 at 11:59 am

      Shouldn’t he be able to find half a billion dollars in the hamberder-fart-filled couch cushions at Mar-a-Lago? It’s either that or mint a special Trump NFT that’s “worth $500M.”

      Reply
    42. 42.

      Dupe1970

      March 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm

      @Scout211:

        But why would Trump lie about the value of hid assets? It’s not like he has history of distorting his asset value for his own personal gain……

      Reply
    43. 43.

      Ruckus

      March 18, 2024 at 12:01 pm

      @E.:

      That is one obvious possibility.

      It is also possible that they may be looking at this as a complete and utter fucking disaster and really, really, letting him suffer is better than them getting involved.

      And SFB is doing enough on his own to sink the Titanic several times over, does he really need help?

      Reply
    44. 44.

      geg6

      March 18, 2024 at 12:03 pm

      HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

      *deep breath*

      HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

      That is all.

      Reply
    45. 45.

      Baud

      March 18, 2024 at 12:04 pm

      @Scout211:

      Defendants’ real estate holdings — including iconic properties like 40 Wall Street, Doral Miami, and Mar-a-Lago, — greatly exceed the amount of the judgment. Such assets are impossible to secrete or dispose of surreptitiously, leaving the plaintiff effectively secured during the pendency of an appeal,” the filing said.

       
      If so, why couldn’t he get a bond using the properties as collateral?

      Reply
    46. 46.

      Dorothy A. Winsor

      March 18, 2024 at 12:05 pm

      @gratuitous: Exactly. If you can’t do the time, Donny, don’t do the crime.

      Reply
    47. 47.

      geg6

      March 18, 2024 at 12:06 pm

      @Scout211: ​
       
      Not to mention that could it possibly be that he hasn’t used them as collateral for all his other financial shenanigans? I’m sure he’s in hock for every penny of their real worth and, based on this particular case, more.

      Reply
    48. 48.

      Ruckus

      March 18, 2024 at 12:08 pm

      @Sid:

      They aren’t his friends, the only thing they likely wanted was an insider in the WH and while he looked like one, he’s done his usual fine job of being not worth a shit to anyone and everyone. He’s the guy that AWAYS makes everything worse. He likely used to be good for a laugh from them, but no one is laughing now. IOW they do not want any part of the shit show that is djt, especially now that his true colors have been seen.

      Reply
    49. 49.

      Tom Levenson

      March 18, 2024 at 12:09 pm

      @Baud: The insurance broker’s affirmation said that bond surety companies generally don’t take real estate as collateral because (in essence) they don’t know what to do with it should they have to seize some property.

      Reply
    50. 50.

      Baud

      March 18, 2024 at 12:10 pm

      @Tom Levenson:

      Thanks.

      Reply
    51. 51.

      marcopolo

      March 18, 2024 at 12:11 pm

      A little SCOTUS news:

      The Supreme Court declined Monday to hear the appeal of a former New Mexico county commissioner who was removed from office because of his role in the January 6, 2021 insurrection – a case that was similar to the one the high court recently decided involving former President Donald Trump.

      So at least at the state level (for state and local offices) the insurrection clause still works.

      Reply
    52. 52.

      Mousebumples

      March 18, 2024 at 12:11 pm

      https://bsky.app/profile/nycsouthpaw.bsky.social/post/3kny46gl3wl2f

      Reading between the lines of this affidavit, particularly the “countless hours of negotiations,” it sounds to me like at least one insurer—presumably Federal Insurance/Chubb—did put an appropriately sized deal on the table with the real estate as collateral, and Trump rejected it.

      Seems plausible.

      I feel like he pulled something similar in the E Jean Carroll bond case.

      “this isn’t fair! I need more time!”

      Got a No in response, and still managed to put up a bond.

      I’m thinking he has an offer he didn’t like, she he wants an out.

      Reply
    53. 53.

      E.

      March 18, 2024 at 12:11 pm

      @sdhays: Oh but they do. He challenges the NY bond requirement as unconstitutional and Bob’s your uncle!

      Reply
    54. 54.

      Anoniminous

      March 18, 2024 at 12:11 pm

      @sdhays:

      Article III Judicial Branch

      Section 2 Justiciability

      Clause 1 Cases or Controversies

      The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority;—to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls;—to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction;—to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party;—to Controversies between two or more States;—between a State and Citizens of another State,—between Citizens of different States,—between Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under Grants of different States, and between a State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens or Subjects.

      Trump is a citizen of Florida.

      Reply
    55. 55.

      Ruckus

      March 18, 2024 at 12:12 pm

      @Dangerman:

      Why does one get extra credit for hitting such a large target, you know, one that can clearly be seen from outer space…. Besides, isn’t he all ass?

      Reply
    56. 56.

      geg6

      March 18, 2024 at 12:14 pm

      @Anoniminous: ​
       
      IANAL, but wasn’t he a citizen of NY at the time of the violations? Pretty sure he was.

      Reply
    57. 57.

      Ruckus

      March 18, 2024 at 12:16 pm

      @JoyceH:

      After all, surely he didn’t lie under oath!

      Heavens to murgatroyd no! He lied? He’s such an honorable pile of shit, why would he lie?

      Reply
    58. 58.

      Dangerman

      March 18, 2024 at 12:17 pm

      Seems to me, related to 29, that BJ’s contribution to this FO exercise is to find a way to properly launch Great Dane shit (I assume there is some quantity and quality involved there) at a person such that he gets knocked on his sorry ass.

      Potato gun? My favorite House MD episode BTW.

      Reply
    59. 59.

      NotMax

      March 18, 2024 at 12:17 pm

      Next: claiming it’s cruel and unusual punishment.

      Reply
    60. 60.

      trollhattan

      March 18, 2024 at 12:17 pm

      @JoyceH: Channeling George Costanza: it’s not a lie if you believe it’s true.

      Reply
    61. 61.

      Ruckus

      March 18, 2024 at 12:18 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus:

      I believe that one has to have been dead for at least 3 weeks not to see that.

      Reply
    62. 62.

      Ruckus

      March 18, 2024 at 12:20 pm

      @Sid:

      They are not his friends, they just assumed that they could get something from him. But all he’s got to give them they flush away daily and don’t really need more.

      Reply
    63. 63.

      Another Scott

      March 18, 2024 at 12:20 pm

      @devore:

      That plane is worth a fortune. It has a gen-u-ine Renoir on it, you see…

      Curious, O’Brien asked Trump about the painting: was it an original Renoir? Trump replied in the affirmative. It was, he said. “No, it’s not Donald,” O’Brien responded. But, once again, Trump protested that it was.

      “Donald, it’s not,” O’Brien said adamantly. “I grew up in Chicago, that Renoir is called Two Sisters on the Terrace, and it’s hanging on a wall at the Art Institute of Chicago.” He concluded emphatically: “That’s not an original.”

      Trump, of course, did not agree, […]

      [groucho-roll-eyes.gif]

      Cheers,
      Scott.

      Reply
    64. 64.

      Doug R

      March 18, 2024 at 12:22 pm

      @gratuitous: Yeah, E Jean probably would have settled for $100 million or less, problem dodged.

      Now it’s going to be the E Jean Carroll Tower.

      Reply
    65. 65.

      Dorothy A. Winsor

      March 18, 2024 at 12:22 pm

      Presumably there are people and countries who could give Trump this money. But they didn’t. Does that mean they think he won’t be reelected? (I’m looking for hopeful signs)

      Reply
    66. 66.

      scav

      March 18, 2024 at 12:22 pm

      Why aren’t his devoted followers out en masse flogging their grandchildren’s teeth to support him?  (The bank of the tooth fairy is always open.)

      Reply
    67. 67.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 12:23 pm

      @NotMax: his raison d’etre

      Reply
    68. 68.

      Omnes Omnibus

      March 18, 2024 at 12:23 pm

      @Anoniminous: If Trump was a citizen of FL when the case was filed, he could have sought removal to federal court.  He didn’t (or wasn’t eligible because he lived in NY at the time).  He waived the right or never had it.

      Reply
    69. 69.

      Greg

      March 18, 2024 at 12:24 pm

      I thought that in a sworn deposition, that Trump said he had $400M in cash. Seems like a good starting point for a response. If he wants to admit to perjury, that is on him.

      Reply
    70. 70.

      RaflW

      March 18, 2024 at 12:24 pm

      @Mousebumples: Was gonna post this skeet.

      But, yeah it fits Trump’s M.O. It looks like in addition to having to cough up 120% of the bond as collateral, Donnie would have to pay 2%, or about $18.5M, in fees. And if the bond has to be extended for a second year, that premium to Chubb has to be paid again.

      He’s such a fucking cheapskate that he is running to the court of appeals to save what should be chump change to a billionaire.

      Reply
    71. 71.

      Anoniminous

      March 18, 2024 at 12:24 pm

      @geg6: ​
       

      Trump became a resident of Florida on September 2019. The NY trial stated October 2023. So one can argue they have jurisdiction.

      I’m not saying they will take the case. I’m saying they could take an appeal. Remember the Robert’s Court decided Democracy is Boring, actually counting votes is not only tedious but unnecessary, and gave the 2000 election to Shrub.

      Reply
    72. 72.

      Doug R

      March 18, 2024 at 12:26 pm

      @JoyceH: I think the Russians gave him about $700 million about a decade ago-I doubt he’s got much more than $100 million left.

      Right now, Jared’s going “New phone, who dis?”

      Reply
    73. 73.

      Mousebumples

      March 18, 2024 at 12:26 pm

      @RaflW: yup. Point being, as much as I’d love to see assets seized, I’m not counting on it happening this month, until the date passes without a bond being presented.

      Reply
    74. 74.

      karen marie

      March 18, 2024 at 12:26 pm

      @sdhays: SCOTUS nullified a 100-year-old NY State law regarding guns.  I would not put it past them nullifying the state laws Trump violated.

      Reply
    75. 75.

      marcopolo

      March 18, 2024 at 12:27 pm

      One more piece of OT good news: the UAW has recruited enough workers (they say ~70%) at the Chattanooga VW plant to file to hold an election to join the union there.

      The UAW said a supermajority of eligible workers at the VW plant have signed union cards in about three months. The workers have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board seeking a vote to join the union. It would be the third time in ten years that the UAW has sought to represent VW Chattanooga workers.

      I have been totally impressed with Shawn Fain.  Getting workers in southern states organized has always seemed like a pipe dream.  I’m sure there’s a good story there in regards to how he became UAW’s president (after so many years of less than exciting and often dysfunctional leadership).  Guess I should go find out if it’s been written already!  Everyone have a nice day!

      Reply
    76. 76.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 12:27 pm

      Will no one think of his Brand?  It’s so very valuable!  Value added!  Every time he signs a document 🤣

      Reply
    77. 77.

      Jackie

      March 18, 2024 at 12:27 pm

      Makes the contents stored in those mysterious banker’s boxes at his Bedminster property more meaningful. What Top Secret documents are valuable to foreign dictators – such Hungary, for example?

      Reply
    78. 78.

      Dorothy A. Winsor

      March 18, 2024 at 12:27 pm

      @Doug R: Also, say what? Can’t raise the bond? That sounds like a you problem, Donny.

      Reply
    79. 79.

      Ruckus

      March 18, 2024 at 12:28 pm

      @sdhays:

      A dollar and a half per hour does not purchase a lot of much any decent lawyering. And all things considered I’d bet that he really doesn’t have a dollar and a half per hour to cough up.

      Reply
    80. 80.

      geg6

      March 18, 2024 at 12:29 pm

      @Anoniminous:
      That was the trial.  It was not the start of the case.​
       

      ETA: From Wikipedia:

      AG Letitia James began investigating the organization in early 2019, with public litigation beginning in August 2020 to support her subpoenas in the inquiry.

      Reply
    81. 81.

      NotMax

      March 18, 2024 at 12:29 pm

      @Another Scott

      “Of course it’s an original. Look closely at the signature — Floyd Renoir. Wait until you see my Pancho Picasso in the next cabin.”

      Reply
    82. 82.

      Omnes Omnibus

      March 18, 2024 at 12:31 pm

      According to some of our commenters, Trump is apparently an unstoppable force that can never be defeated.

      Reply
    83. 83.

      Mousebumples

      March 18, 2024 at 12:31 pm

      @marcopolo: agreed! Good news!

      More on topic…

      https://bsky.app/profile/ratelimitexceeder.bsky.social/post/3knyazrmnhk2a

      Bondsman: “Well, we’ve made half-a-billion loans before, under certain conditions.”
      Trump: “Excellent.”
      Bondsman: “Oh what is it you did again?”
      Trump: “Lied on loan paperwork, allegedly.”
      Bondsman: blinks
      Bondsman, shuffling papers: “yeah I think we’re gonna do our own appraisals this go around.”

      Reply
    84. 84.

      rumpole

      March 18, 2024 at 12:33 pm

      Credibility of the client (and counsel) really could hurt him here.  All the judge cares about at this point is not getting reversed.  That’s it.  And the stay’s going to be a pretty forgiving standard.  That standard (plus the fact that the defendant engages in fraud in a manner the court found to be nigh-on “pathological” gives him an awful lot of room to say no.

      Reply
    85. 85.

      Memory Pallas

      March 18, 2024 at 12:34 pm

      IANAL, but I am a NYer. I think the case in NY is against Trump, his sons, several employees and the Trump Organization collectively, so that may complicate his “citizen living in another state” status. He tried to move some of the ownership of properties to Florida sort of surreptitiously recently and the judge (and I think the financial monitor) called that out.

      Reply
    86. 86.

      PaulWartenberg

      March 18, 2024 at 12:34 pm

      @gratuitous:

      Why didn’t Mr. Shart of the Deal negotiate a settlement instead of going through a protracted trial (in which his participation was minimal).

      Because unlike the previous civil trials where trump bullied and delayed his way into negotiations they were against relatively poor plaintiffs who didn’t care how trump was running his business as long as he paid up what was owed. THIS time it was against a state attorney’s office look to ferret out corrupt practices that trump refused to give up.

      Any negotiation would have involved allowing a guardianship to control the company financials to ensure, which happened anyway when the judge ruled against trump and co. There was no way trump could get out of this one without any form of accountability attached.

      Reply
    87. 87.

      trollhattan

      March 18, 2024 at 12:35 pm

      @Another Scott: Also, all that gold-colored shit? Real gold. You could look it up.

      Reply
    88. 88.

      trollhattan

      March 18, 2024 at 12:36 pm

      @NotMax: Pancho Picasso was never called an asshole.

      Reply
    89. 89.

      Omnes Omnibus

      March 18, 2024 at 12:38 pm

      @trollhattan: Not in New York.

      Reply
    90. 90.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 12:39 pm

      Jeff Tiedrich
      @jefftiedrich
      A fun fact: actual billionaires can raise half a billion dollars in a heartbeat. deadbeat fraudsters can’T.

      Reply
    91. 91.

      trollhattan

      March 18, 2024 at 12:39 pm

      @Doug R: Hope she budgets $20mil, minimum, just for extermination services.

      Are there bulk deals on exorcists?

      Reply
    92. 92.

      Anoniminous

      March 18, 2024 at 12:39 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: ​
       
      Rights are whatever five USSC justices say they are. If four justices vote to hear an appeal the USSC will hear the appeal.

      I’m not saying they will hear an appeal. I’m saying they could, under strict interpretation, hear an appeal.

      Reply
    93. 93.

      NotMax

      March 18, 2024 at 12:39 pm

      Tour guide on a Fifth Avenue bus.

      “And to your right is the infamous Liening Tower of Sieza.”

      Reply
    94. 94.

      BR

      March 18, 2024 at 12:41 pm

      As I wrote yesterday, I think we need to double down on “he’s a loser” and “he’s a whiner” messaging. In a cult of “strength” and “dominance” there’s nothing worse than constantly hearing that your guy lost the last election and that hurt his feelings and now all he’s got is whining that if he loses again he’s going to be sad and go whine online again. And now he’s a loser in court and is broke.

      Reply
    95. 95.

      Chris Johnson

      March 18, 2024 at 12:41 pm

      @Dorothy A. Winsor: So go with me on this one, we’ll go on a little journey.

      Let’s suppose Trump has always been totally fake, and all of his wealth is either fake or Russian. He’s a Potemkin man used to entrap others. Somewhere along the line he got compromised: he thought he could do real estate deals in Russia and not pay them, and that was it really. Let’s suppose that.

      This implies that Russia (i.e. Putin, who runs it) either could, or could not, bail him out. Since their failure of a war they’re kind of up against it, especially now that NATO has expanded to face them, so maybe they literally can’t spare the rubles. Or nobody is willing to work with them in getting the money to him plausibly, which might be another obstacle. He might have to call on real, non-criminal people.

      But maybe they can: they sure have enough friends in Congress, even now. In that case it suggests that they don’t want to, even though he was their guy. That implies he is of no further use to them, which is a big statement considering how hard he tried to be useful to them in the past. (Being a Russian spy has a really, really shitty retirement plan).

      But that doesn’t mean the end of the story, because there are plenty of other countries! Plenty of other oligarchs, right-wing maniacs. There’s the guy in Argentina. There’s Orban in Hungary. There are any number of people and countries who would be able to spare that amount of money just to more securely have an ex-President in their pocket, to secure the allegiance (not loyalty, but they’d be able to extort him) of the man who will run, if not the United States, then the terrorist cell intended to spur civil war inside it. There’s plenty of people out there for whom that would be valuable.

      Crickets.

      And that means that not only does nobody consider him worth helping, but on top of that nobody thinks currying favor with Russia is worthwhile enough to pitch in and help their guy in his plight. They may know he’s a total sham, or they may take him at face value (sorta), but they’re like ‘nah, we’re good’.

      And THAT to me seems revealing. It’s not just that Putin won’t put his thumb on the scale for a useless servant. It’s that nobody is willing to curry favor with Putin by doing it. The lot of them can just fuck all the hell off. I will toast marshmallows on their pyre.

      Reply
    96. 96.

      scav

      March 18, 2024 at 12:41 pm

      Thought of a name for his legions of patriotic and devoted can-rattling minions in search of donations.  March of Dims.

      Reply
    97. 97.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 12:41 pm

      @NotMax:

      https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k_ihxd0bZlU

      Reply
    98. 98.

      Anonymous At Work

      March 18, 2024 at 12:42 pm

      None of the 30 companies want the whole enchilada or trust TFG enough to handle a piece of it.  If 10 companies each handled $50 million each, they’d have to trust that TFG didn’t use the same $50 million in non-liquid assets or that TFG wouldn’t default on all of them and then play them off each other.

      Oh, and the appeal of “even publicly-traded companies” is rich.  They can and do put up bonds and stock holdings, i.e. actual ownership stakes.  Public companies cannot disappear into the night (or Qatar, Bahrain, Moscow, etc.) quite as easily as a private company with one owner.

      Reply
    99. 99.

      lafcolleen

      March 18, 2024 at 12:43 pm

      @marcopolo:

      What happened was direct elections of UAW leadership.

      The US AG Office investigation into corruption eventually led to a civil case against the UAW. The case was settled and a monitor appointed.

       

      one of the terms of the settlement was for the monitor to adminster a referendum on whether to switch to direct elections of UAW leadership.  Up to the point, union leadership was elected at its regular convention.

       

      The referendum was held in 2021 and it passed.

       

      Direct elections were held (mail ballots) and Shawn Fain was the head of the outsider/reform ticket. A run off needed to be held between Fain snd the prior president and it was absolutely a nailbiter!

      the uaw monitor site lays a lot of it out.  https://www.uawmonitor.com/

      Reply
    100. 100.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 12:43 pm

      @scav: 👍

      Reply
    101. 101.

      Jackie

      March 18, 2024 at 12:44 pm

      @marcopolo: Wasn’t another BIG DIFFERENCE he had ALREADY been tried and convinced? If TIFG had already been tried and convicted for his J6 role, the Supremes might have ruled differently – and TIFG may have been unqualified to run for federal election on ALL FIFTY states.

      Reply
    102. 102.

      yellowdog

      March 18, 2024 at 12:44 pm

      @Dorothy A. Winsor: I think it means the financial monitor wouldn’t allow it.

      Reply
    103. 103.

      Omnes Omnibus

      March 18, 2024 at 12:46 pm

      @Anoniminous: Under a strict interpretation, no, they couldn’t.  Should they choose to be completely lawless, they could.  They won’t though.

      Reply
    104. 104.

      JPL

      March 18, 2024 at 12:46 pm

      Former Lt. Gov. of GA passes on a no labels runs.   phew    Because Kemp is a popular governor, GA is going to be difficult for Biden without Duncan peeling away votes.

      Reply
    105. 105.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 12:46 pm

      @Chris Johnson: I like your style.

      Reply
    106. 106.

      Harrison Wesley

      March 18, 2024 at 12:47 pm

      @Ruckus: “Trump?  Can’t say I know him – maybe he brought me coffee once…”

      Reply
    107. 107.

      Betty

      March 18, 2024 at 12:47 pm

      @TBone: Does Jared have any loose change he could toss in?

      Reply
    108. 108.

      NotMax

      March 18, 2024 at 12:48 pm

      @TBone

      :·)

      Reply
    109. 109.

      Chris Johnson

      March 18, 2024 at 12:49 pm

      @TBone: The one part of that speculation I’m most certain about is that Trump is a giant fake.

      I mean, who knows, it could have been Saudi oil barons, or British royals, who got his number. I don’t think so, I think it was Russia and Putin, as everyone knows ‘cos I’ve been griping about waaaaay before it was fashionable.

      But the part I’m completely sure about is that Trump is completely fake. He’s NEVER had money. He’s some kind of puppet and it’s all gilt and tinsel and bullshit, and it all follows from that. There’s a puppetmaster.

      And where are they now?

      Reply
    110. 110.

      marcopolo

      March 18, 2024 at 12:52 pm

      @Jackie: Well, the issue comes down to who has the mojo to try and convict in a case involving a presidential run (though if I’m not mistaken enough MAGA justices signed on to extend their ruling to all federal elections).  I think SCOTUS said that only Congress, through the act of impeachment (or some other mechanism), could do that for someone running as president across all 50 states.  A state court wouldn’t cut the mustard.  And if it were a federal court, it’s just going to be appealed up to SCOTUS in the long run anyway.

      Reply
    111. 111.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 12:52 pm

      Beat sweetener

      https://payuptrump.com/

      Reply
    112. 112.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 12:54 pm

      @Chris Johnson: *chef’s kiss and TBone seal of approval 💋

      Reply
    113. 113.

      marcopolo

      March 18, 2024 at 12:55 pm

      Bad day for asbestos (good day for our lungs):

      The US Environmental Protection Agency said Monday that it is taking a “historic” step by banning ongoing uses of asbestos, which has long been linked to multiple types of cancer.
      The final rule applies to chrysotile asbestos, the only form of asbestos currently being used or imported to the United States. This type of asbestos is used in car parts such as aftermarket automotive brakes and linings and other vehicle friction products and gaskets.

      Hard to believe it hadn’t been totally banned until today, but then I remember how many lead water pipes there still are out there.

      Reply
    114. 114.

      West of the Rockies

      March 18, 2024 at 12:56 pm

      Ugly toad really doesn’t want to sell real estate assets. Can the judge force that?  You get a golf course,  you get a golf course, you get a golf course!

      Reply
    115. 115.

      Harrison Wesley

      March 18, 2024 at 12:56 pm

      All anybody needed to know about Trump’s business acumen is that he owned a casino that went broke.  In Atlantic City.

      Reply
    116. 116.

      NotMax

      March 18, 2024 at 12:56 pm

      @Chris Johnson

      Oh, he had money when daddy dearest kicked the bucket. And could have comfortably coasted through life.

      Greed and hubris (grubris?) is a lethal cocktail.

      Reply
    117. 117.

      TeezySkeezy

      March 18, 2024 at 12:57 pm

      @PaulWartenberg: Nah, when it comes to doing real immediate damage, SCOTUS will IMMEDIATELY intervene on Trump’s behalf with a stay and then schedule the hearings for 3 months later.

      We only have the narrow path of winning the election *clearly* and then fighting off the inevitable unrest from his base when he gives them the signal. What will decide the outcome of *that* branch of things is how many in law enforcement will do their fucking jobs instead of joining them.

      Reply
    118. 118.

      Ruckus

      March 18, 2024 at 12:57 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus:

      That means that he has probably pledged the assets that are least encumbered.

      Or are all that he actually has.

      Reply
    119. 119.

      RaflW

      March 18, 2024 at 12:59 pm

      @marcopolo: Trump reversed some of the asbestos restrictions to benefit Russian producers.

      He really is and has been in hock to Putin & his oligarchs (2018 WaPo link headline – not kidding ~ ‘Approved by Donald Trump’: Asbestos sold by Russian company is branded with the president’s face)

      Reply
    120. 120.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 1:00 pm

      @Harrison Wesley: I saw Robert Cray at that very casino, years before this anthem to ball gargling thunder twat was written. He prolly never got paid for that gig either 🎶

      https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k03dsRUVbcQ

      Reply
    121. 121.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 1:01 pm

      @RaflW: JFC

      Reply
    122. 122.

      Scout211

      March 18, 2024 at 1:02 pm

      @Baud:If so, why couldn’t he get a bond using the properties as collateral?

      No underwriters are that gullible will accept his properties as collateral.

      CNN:

      Potential underwriters are seeking cash to back the bond, not properties, according to Trump’s lawyers.

      Reply
    123. 123.

      Villago Delenda Est

      March 18, 2024 at 1:03 pm

      Too motherfucking bad, orange asshole.   Suffer.

      Reply
    124. 124.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 1:04 pm

      He already had my undying love 😉 but this fabulous story solidified my admiration for all time!

      https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/15/politics/rolling-stones-keith-richards-donald-trump/index.html

      Reply
    125. 125.

      Miss Bianca

      March 18, 2024 at 1:05 pm

      @Mousebumples: heh heh heh

      Reply
    126. 126.

      NotMax

      March 18, 2024 at 1:05 pm

      @Harrison Wesley

      Not just a casino.

      By the early 1990s, the financial situation of Trump’s casino empire had become critical. Multiple bankruptcy filings ensued: the Trump Taj Mahal in 1991, followed by Trump Plaza and Trump Castle in 1992 and later Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts Inc. in 2004. These filings were a clear indication of the dire state of his casino ventures.
      [snip]
      In 2009, Trump resigned as chairman of Trump Entertainment Resorts, just before the company filed for bankruptcy protection again.… Source

      Reply
    127. 127.

      Ruckus

      March 18, 2024 at 1:06 pm

      @devore:

      Naw. He bought it after it was taken out of service at the limit of it’s commercial flight hours. It likely does not have a lot of service life left. The state might want it to just scrap it. But even then it’s not worth much. Less with it’s current paint job. There are acres of such planes sitting around just waiting for the scrap yard.

      Reply
    128. 128.

      JPL

      March 18, 2024 at 1:06 pm

      This needs to be front paged

      Biden/Harris

      Reply
    129. 129.

      Ruckus

      March 18, 2024 at 1:08 pm

      @devore:

      Paint won’t remove the stench….

      Reply
    130. 130.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 1:08 pm

      President Joe Biden: going up!

      Orange thunder twat: down escalator!

      Joe knows what to do! 🎶

      https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qEuV82GqQnE

      Reply
    131. 131.

      Ruckus

      March 18, 2024 at 1:11 pm

      @Dangerman:

      Let’s think about this.

      Would you want to be driving to work (or worse going out to dinner) and come across this along side the road?

      Reply
    132. 132.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 1:12 pm

      @Ruckus: I would. So much opportunity for good trouble!

      Reply
    133. 133.

      Ruckus

      March 18, 2024 at 1:14 pm

      @JoyceH:

      Shirley you jest!

      That n’t is doing a hell of a lot of work….

      But you knew that.

      Reply
    134. 134.

      dmsilev

      March 18, 2024 at 1:14 pm

      Let’s pause for a moment to giggle at the amount of pain that the RNC fundraisers must be feeling right now. They’re about to be tapped for half a billion dollars worth of paying-Trump’s-fines, and there’s nothing they can do about it.

      Reply
    135. 135.

      Ruckus

      March 18, 2024 at 1:16 pm

      @RaflW:

      He’s so very likely in hock right up to the padlocks on the doors.

      Reply
    136. 136.

      hueyplong

      March 18, 2024 at 1:18 pm

      Trump’s unwillingness to negotiate a deal to procure a bond isn’t really a reason to excuse him from having to get one.  If failure to post a bond meant that one was not required, no one would ever have to post a bond.

      It’s entirely reasonable for bonding outfits to decline to accept real estate collateral to secure an appeal bond for a case expressly finding that he has committed fraud in valuing the very properties at issue.  Anything else reeks of a cash contribution to Trump’s campaign, right, Chubb?

      Trump’s latest filing is nothing more than asserting for the Nth time that longstanding rules simply don’t apply to him.  We can expect the judge to mention that in the presumably curt order summarily denying relief.

      Reply
    137. 137.

      Frankensteinbeck

      March 18, 2024 at 1:21 pm

      @dmsilev:

      They’re about to be tapped for half a billion dollars worth of paying-Trump’s-fines

      Pretty sure the RNC has in the range of 10 million, and spends in the range of 150 million on an entire election.  They can’t save him, or come anywhere close.  Still, this does mean that every penny the RNC has is likely to be drained for Trump’s financial woes or personal lifestyle expenses.

      Reply
    138. 138.

      p.a.

      March 18, 2024 at 1:22 pm

      @dmsilev: Let’s pause for a moment to giggle at the amount of pain that the RNC fundraisers must be feeling right now. They’re about to be tapped for half a billion dollars worth of paying-Trump’s-fines, and there’s nothing they can do about it.

       

       

      … as the frog successfully reaches the shore of the river the scorpion crawls off its back and scuttles off with a cheery “thanks for the lift!”  The frog travels on its way, stopping at a nearby taco truck.  When the frog goes to pay, he finds his money, watch, and keys are gone…

      Reply
    139. 139.

      Harrison Wesley

      March 18, 2024 at 1:23 pm

      @NotMax: Only the best bankruptcies!  Bigly!

      Reply
    140. 140.

      Omnes Omnibus

      March 18, 2024 at 1:26 pm

      @Frankensteinbeck: “Fuck you, pay me.”  Couldn’t have happened to a nicer bunch of guys bigger group of assholes.

      Reply
    141. 141.

      patrick II

      March 18, 2024 at 1:27 pm

      It seems the jury believed Trump when he claimed to be a multi-billionaire.

      Reply
    142. 142.

      JPL

      March 18, 2024 at 1:29 pm

      @TBone: I already posted this earlier, but I think this is how Biden wins.

      Bloodbath in context

      Reply
    143. 143.

      prostratedragon

      March 18, 2024 at 1:30 pm

      @Harrison Wesley:  I think that meant that even back then he was someone’s puppet and they used him for a bustout.

      ETA NotMax @126 applies, and is further support.

      Reply
    144. 144.

      Eolirin

      March 18, 2024 at 1:31 pm

      @patrick II: There wasn’t a jury in this case.

      Reply
    145. 145.

      prostratedragon

      March 18, 2024 at 1:36 pm

      @dmsilev: They have stepped into a mudhole.

      Reply
    146. 146.

      Jackie

      March 18, 2024 at 1:37 pm

      @Frankensteinbeck:Every down ballot GQP candidate have to be privately FURIOUS at TIFG. They’re belatedly realizing they’re going the wrong way on the one way street — and TIFG doesn’t give a damn if they get elected or not. He only cares about avoiding prison – which means paying his attorneys to get those delays past Nov 5.

      Reply
    147. 147.

      Wapiti

      March 18, 2024 at 1:38 pm

      @Jeffro: I think Kushner’s $2 billion is an investment; while the Saudi’s expect that he’ll pull out a couple % each year in management fees, losing a quarter of the principle in a bad bet on Trump might see Kushner losing a hand or something.

      Reply
    148. 148.

      hueyplong

      March 18, 2024 at 1:38 pm

      @Frankensteinbeck: These gigantic civil judgments are doing significant damage to Trump and his campaign beyond the cash-starving aspect, in that they are pinning some serious loser stink on him.

      “He’s not really rich (successful)” is a theme that grows in intensity daily.  And it will more easily call to mind his other failures (i.e., his clownish “responses” to COVID).  It’s as important as his public mental acuity short-circuits, and the two things ought to have a synergistic effect that we’ll enjoy as we proceed down the long, long road to November.  Not sure the FTFNYT is capable of distracting attention away from it forever, and by the time “normies” start to focus, things might be happily beyond recovery for team Trump.

      Reply
    149. 149.

      Citizen Alan

      March 18, 2024 at 1:42 pm

      @Anoniminous: Uh, no. By operating a business in NY, Trump availed himself of New York law and made himself amenable to NY courts. Also, I assume the NY Trump organization is a party and that destroys complete diversity of the parties (i.e. it’s not federal jurisdiction if there’s a party on both sides from the forum state). The only way the federal courts can intervene is if there’s some sort of equal protections or due process problem. The size of the punitive award gives me pause because of Gore v. BMW, but that’s it.

      Reply
    150. 150.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 1:43 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: ❤️😆

      Reply
    151. 151.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 1:44 pm

      @JPL: I meant to react earlier but my accountant showed up for a meeting. He’s gone now.  That video smashes it! 💜🔥💙

      Reply
    152. 152.

      hueyplong

      March 18, 2024 at 1:45 pm

      @Eolirin: A jury was, however, involved in the Carroll judgments, and they kind of have to have assumed Trump was rich in order for the huge judgment to be required in order to deter him, which is how you’re supposed to go about assessing punitive damages.

      Of course, they might have had no opinion on the magnitude of his actual wealth and just decided to make Trump pay based on his bragging about his wealth, figuring that he had it coming whether he was rich or not.

      Reply
    153. 153.

      Citizen Alan

      March 18, 2024 at 1:45 pm

      @Anoniminous: That was not the Roberts Court. Indeed, the Roberts court only exists because the Rehnquist Court gave the election to Shrub.

      Reply
    154. 154.

      Omnes Omnibus

      March 18, 2024 at 1:45 pm

      @Citizen Alan: Good point about lack of complete diversity.  Also, did the kids change their residency?

      Reply
    155. 155.

      Mr. Bemused Senior

      March 18, 2024 at 1:47 pm

      @hueyplong: …and the two things ought to have a synergistic effect that we’ll enjoy [emphasis added] as we proceed down the long, long road to November.

      “Enjoy” is perhaps not the word I would choose. 😁 It’s going to be a long 8 months.

      Reply
    156. 156.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 1:47 pm

      @Eolirin: Habbit forgot to check the little box on the mandatory court cover page asking for a jury. Or not a jury. 😆. I used to have to type up those cover pages for every filing we did.  Never fucked up like that!

      Reply
    157. 157.

      Mousebumples

      March 18, 2024 at 1:48 pm

      https://bsky.app/profile/kilgoretrout.bsky.social/post/3knybqedizc2q

      trump behaving as if he refuses to consider liquidating his real estate & treating it as off-limits as a source of cash strongly suggests it is all buried in debt and effectively worthless without going through a bankruptcy, which in all likelihood is now going to be forced on him

       

      https://bsky.app/profile/kilgoretrout.bsky.social/post/3knybwv2lie2h

      I hope new york seizes his plane in the middle of an october rally in wisconsin and he walks out on the empty tarmac where they parked it freezing to death looking for it

      Reply
    158. 158.

      Omnes Omnibus

      March 18, 2024 at 1:49 pm

      @Mousebumples: ​
        Why strand him in our state? Ew.

      Reply
    159. 159.

      Citizen Alan

      March 18, 2024 at 1:49 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: I don’t think Trump is an unstoppable force that can never be defeated. But I do think he’s the public face of a literal death cult 75m strong that’s going to be very hard to permanently put down any time soon. I have accepted the fact that for the rest of my life, every federal election is going to be Russian Roulette. Is this the one where we finally get the GOP president who starts having us rounded up.

      Reply
    160. 160.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 1:49 pm

      @Betty: it’s rolling around in his lizard brain!

      Reply
    161. 161.

      Mr. Bemused Senior

      March 18, 2024 at 1:52 pm

      @Mousebumples:

      I hope new york seizes his plane…

      Can New York afford to seize the plane? Planes are very costly to maintain and as noted above, what is the resale value? /s

      Reply
    162. 162.

      Mousebumples

      March 18, 2024 at 1:52 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: Because he’s unlikely to be campaigning in Alaska?

      As the proverbial tipping point state, I’m guessing he’ll be here a lot. 😒

      Reply
    163. 163.

      hueyplong

      March 18, 2024 at 1:53 pm

      @Mr. Bemused Senior: Haha, I originally italicized “enjoy” but decided against it just before submitting.

      If Trump is suffering I will in fact enjoy these 8 upcoming months.

      There will be plenty of time to be miserable if things don’t work out.

      Reply
    164. 164.

      Barbara

      March 18, 2024 at 1:53 pm

      @Anoniminous: You have 30 days to remove a case to federal court after being served with a complaint.  ALL plaintiffs have to be diverse from ALL defendants.  Lots of plaintiffs try to defeat diversity by including a non-diverse defendant.  The time to remove is set by statute and cannot be “waived.”  The time period for removal has passed.

      Reply
    165. 165.

      Matt McIrvin

      March 18, 2024 at 1:53 pm

      What I don’t get is: the conventional wisdom is that Trump is going to win. Most “neutral” observers and Davos billionaires think he’s going to be President again, and probably something much more like a dictator than he was last time. He can use his powers to bust out the US government–simply loot the treasury. He will be as close to infinitely rich as a person can be, much like Putin’s situation in Russia.

      If people don’t want to bet on that being the case… does it mean they don’t believe it? Is the conventional wisdom cracking? Or do they just find the prospect distasteful all of a sudden?

      Reply
    166. 166.

      trollhattan

      March 18, 2024 at 1:53 pm

      @Mr. Bemused Senior: Can be converted to a freighter, just strip out the interior and bam, FedEx plane.

      Reply
    167. 167.

      Citizen Alan

      March 18, 2024 at 1:54 pm

      @Anoniminous: Well, yeah, of course. The dirty little secret of our system of government is that a President who has the absolute support of 37 Senators and 5 Justices is already a dictator in every way that matters. But if we’re to the point that there are five votes to redefine diversity jurisdiction as a concept (which has been around since 1790 give or take), we already have bigger problems than Trump winning on appeal.

      Reply
    168. 168.

      Scout211

      March 18, 2024 at 1:56 pm

      @Mousebumples: I hope new york seizes his plane

      But does he even own it? Or is it like all the other “Trump properties” that the finance companies actually own?

      Reply
    169. 169.

      Omnes Omnibus

      March 18, 2024 at 1:56 pm

      @Barbara: That commenter is basically arguing that the USSC will do whatever it wants and that that law as written doesn’t matter.  Not a position that is reversible by any logical or factual argument.

      Reply
    170. 170.

      Dangerman

      March 18, 2024 at 1:57 pm

      @Ruckus: Sure. I work at a nuclear waste repository* and some of that stuff can be handy (as is Donald with women). Dinner? I can share a few tomatoes for a good cause.

      *I don’t; if I did, i surely wouldn’t share.

      BTW, the Diablo Canyon tour is pretty cool (if still offered and you can get an invite; it’s not exactly public). Same with Vandyland, i.e. VAFB (Idon’t give a shit what new name Trump gave it)

      Reply
    171. 171.

      Jackie

      March 18, 2024 at 1:57 pm

      Some off topic good news:

      The final Emerson poll in Ohio finds Bernie Moreno (R) leading the GOP Senate primary with 38% of likely voters, followed by Matt Dolan (R) at 29% and Frank LaRose (R) at 12%.

      When undecided voters are asked which candidate they lean toward, Moreno’s overall support increases to 44%, Dolan to 40%, and LaRose to 16%.

      This is great for Sen. Brown!

      And…

      Saying he made a mistake, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop has rescinded his endorsement of Tammy Murphy, urging her to drop out of the race, and will instead back Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) for U.S. Senate, the New Jersey Globe reports.

      Said Fulop: “After watching the county conventions, I believe that Andy Kim has proven that he’s the better candidate, with a clearer message, and he brings a better chance of success in November. At this point, I don’t think it’s in the state’s best interest for Tammy to continue her campaign.”

      Let’s get Andy Kim elected as NJ’s newest senator!

      Reply
    172. 172.

      Hoodie

      March 18, 2024 at 1:58 pm

      @Mousebumples: Would make a great episode of Airplane Repo.  They come on board and find it littered with Big Mac wrappers and empty KFC buckets and the bathrooms sprayed with diarrhea.

      Reply
    173. 173.

      Citizen Alan

      March 18, 2024 at 1:59 pm

      @West of the Rockies: What Shitgibbon wants is irrelevant once somebody gets a perfected lien on the property. At that point, bankruptcy can only slow it down because all the judgments will be for nondischargeable torts and crimes.

      Reply
    174. 174.

      Mike S. (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!)

      March 18, 2024 at 1:59 pm

      Trump is trying to hold on until the SPAC (Special Acquisition Company) that is going to by Truth Social has its deal go through. He owns 73 million Shares in the deal and is hoping for a 4 Billion payout IF he can get the SPAC shareholders to agree to waive the 6 month holding period on him selling his shares. Although the last I heard the value of the SPAC shares was already dropping from its high of close to $50 a share.

      Reply
    175. 175.

      Matt McIrvin

      March 18, 2024 at 1:59 pm

      @Mr. Bemused Senior: Non-sarcastic answer: If I recall correctly it’s a Boeing 757, a discontinued but still beloved model that there’s still a surprising amount of demand for. Not the most fuel efficient plane but versatile.

      Reply
    176. 176.

      ascap_scab

      March 18, 2024 at 2:04 pm

      Time to issue the Trumpbucks. Everyone takes them, just ask Trump.

      Reply
    177. 177.

      lowtechcyclist

      March 18, 2024 at 2:09 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus:

      Why strand him in our state? Ew.

      So y’all can bury him bigly under a gigantic mound of the perfect Wisconsin cheese, only the best cheese. ;-)

      Reply
    178. 178.

      Matt McIrvin

      March 18, 2024 at 2:09 pm

      @ascap_scab: They’re good for Dole Whips at Mar-a-Lago

      Reply
    179. 179.

      Omnes Omnibus

      March 18, 2024 at 2:10 pm

      @lowtechcyclist: Why do you hate cheese?  Lactose intolerant?

      Reply
    180. 180.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 2:12 pm

      @Mousebumples: just like he left those rally goers freezing without transit shuttles to their cars one very cold evening.  The busses were only paid for a one-way trip for ingress, but not for egress, if I recall correctly.

      Reply
    181. 181.

      ...now I try to be amused

      March 18, 2024 at 2:13 pm

      @Matt McIrvin: Yep, it’s a 757. The type is high-powered and has a high-lift wing, so it can take off like a rocket ship and land on shorter runways than other jets of its size. I’ll bet it could be sold in the Third World if nowhere else.

      Reply
    182. 182.

      lowtechcyclist

      March 18, 2024 at 2:16 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus:

      Why do you hate cheese?  Lactose intolerant?

      I’m sure that even after burying Trump under a huge mound of Wisconsin cheese, there’d still be plenty left over for the rest of us to eat. Y’all produce plenty of cheese up there. Blessed are the cheesemakers!

      Reply
    183. 183.

      Omnes Omnibus

      March 18, 2024 at 2:18 pm

      @lowtechcyclist: We also have cows that produce the milk used to make the cheese.  Couldn’t we use cow manure rather than delicious cheese?

      Reply
    184. 184.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 2:20 pm

      @Mike S. (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!):

      https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2024/03/01/trump-media-co-founders-sue-their-company-in-delawares-chancery-court/72792404007/

      Shocking!  His troof social business partners are suing him for cheating!

      Reply
    185. 185.

      patrick II

      March 18, 2024 at 2:20 pm

      CNN:
      Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is in discussions to help with reelection effort

      Reply
    186. 186.

      Baud

      March 18, 2024 at 2:21 pm

      @Jackie:

      Andy Kim would be a huge upgrade for NJ.

      Reply
    187. 187.

      Baud

      March 18, 2024 at 2:23 pm

      @Matt McIrvin:

      Most people, both rich and non-rich normies, think they’ll be able to control the situation if it goes too far.

      Reply
    188. 188.

      Ironcity

      March 18, 2024 at 2:24 pm

      @p.a.: Marlboros and oxygen tanks at the same time.  What could go wrong.

      Reply
    189. 189.

      geg6

      March 18, 2024 at 2:24 pm

      @Mike S. (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!): ​
       
      I believe that sale is on hold due to two of the founders suing Trump. The legal nightmares never end with this fucking guy.

      Reply
    190. 190.

      Mr. Bemused Senior

      March 18, 2024 at 2:25 pm

      @patrick II: it’s déjà vu all over again. What next, a visit to Ukraine for Rudy? Nah, probably not.

      Reply
    191. 191.

      marcopolo

      March 18, 2024 at 2:26 pm

      @Jackie: I live in MO and am finding Andy Kim’s senate race energizing as hell (sorry Lucas Kunce).  Looking forward to him winning in November, fuck chickens, counting, eggs, and hatching.

      One of the more fascinating particulars of the race has been learning about the “county line” feature on NJ primary ballots.  Basically, the county party organization can endorse candidates who then all get listed in the first column on the ballot (here’s an article talking about the practice with an image of a county line ballot).  Other candidates for offices are then spread out over additional columns.  Honestly, take a look, these ballots wind up looking strange af.

      Anyway, Kim is suing to get rid of this practice since a fair number of NJ county D parties select their endorsed candidates in less than lower case “d” ways: the county party chair picks them or a small committee of party members).  That gives insiders tremendous clout which is even more noticeable this year with the NJ governor’s wife being Kim’s main rival for the Senate seat.  Said wife has limited credentials both as a politician and as a member of the Democratic party.

      Now, with the lawsuit coming to trial, the NJ AG has said their office will not defend the practice.  Break out the popcorn!

      A federal judge will hear arguments on Monday over New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim’s lawsuit to stop state ballots from using the “county line,” a unique system that gives preferential treatment to primary candidates endorsed by political parties.

      The county line system has come into sharp focus in the Democratic primary between frontrunners Kim and first lady Tammy Murphy for the U.S. Senate seat held by Bob Menendez, who faces a federal corruption indictment.

      “This Senate race has become in many ways a key pivotal moment in the fight to address New Jersey’s broken politics,” said Antoinette Miles of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance, one of the plaintiffs in a separate case also challenging the county line system.

      Many political activists and rank-and-file members of the party organizations united behind Kim after the powerful chairs of the state’s largest Democratic Party county organizations quickly endorsed the governor’s wife.

      The county line system is used in 19 of New Jersey’s 21 counties. Kim’s lawsuit names their clerks as defendants, and he’s seeking a court injunction to block use of the county line format before ballots are printed in this year’s primary.

      If U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi rules in Kim’s favor, a controversial feature of New Jersey elections and the power of the state’s political machines will likely change dramatically. But even if the judge rules against the congressmember, Kim’s Senate campaign has already put pressure on party bosses to reform the system.

      Reply
    192. 192.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 2:27 pm

      @patrick II: Direct line to Pooty.  Goddamnit.

      Reply
    193. 193.

      Ruckus

      March 18, 2024 at 2:27 pm

      @Chris Johnson:

      SFB has outlived his usefulness to the actual wealthy people he thought he was hanging out with. I believe that they were playing with the guy trying desperately to be one of them and proving on a regular basis that he’s really not all that and a box of cookies.

      Reply
    194. 194.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 2:28 pm

      @geg6: I refer you to comment #184 that has the deets.

      Reply
    195. 195.

      NotMax

      March 18, 2024 at 2:29 pm

      @…now I try to be amused

      Ms Carroll could kickstart financing to convert it into a traveling women’s health clinic.

      Reply
    196. 196.

      Paul in KY

      March 18, 2024 at 2:32 pm

      @MazeDancer: He can sell all his shit to come up with the money. Or it will be sold for him. Buwahahahahaha!!!!!

      Reply
    197. 197.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 2:33 pm

      @NotMax: stylish and with panache, I admire your thought process. 😊. They could airdrop Plan B into red states 🤣

      Reply
    198. 198.

      Paul in KY

      March 18, 2024 at 2:34 pm

      @JoyceH: Of course he didn’t lie! Probably has $700 million cash…just has to get to Iraq to dig it up…

      Reply
    199. 199.

      WV Blondie

      March 18, 2024 at 2:35 pm

      A little additional schadenfreude as the cherry on top of the piled-up turd cake that is TFG:

      Commercial real estate is really suffering, without a lot of prospects for turning around. Why? In large part because the pandemic – you know, TFG’s failed exercise in leadership that led to more than a million excess deaths – forced employers to allow all their employees to work remotely!

      So the Orange Stain’s alleged net worth is also not nearly as valuable as it used to be. I’m sure the creditors holding his second/third/fourth mortgages on those properties are already panicking at how underwater he is. Why would a bonding firm (Chubb or any other) want to get at the back of that long, long line?

      Reply
    200. 200.

      BethanyAnne

      March 18, 2024 at 2:35 pm

      @NotMax: “Arrogance and stupidity in one package. How efficient.” —Londo Molari, Babylon 5

      Reply
    201. 201.

      Barbara

      March 18, 2024 at 2:35 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: ​He needs to be told about the pause button that the Supreme Court often hits when it comes to an interpretation that would end up deluging federal courts with additional workload.

      Reply
    202. 202.

      wjca

      March 18, 2024 at 2:36 pm

      @Dupe1970:  But why would Trump lie about the value of hid assets? It’s not like he has history of distorting his asset value for his own personal gain……

      As long as we ignore the detail that the proximate cause of his needing all this money is a conviction for doing exactly that….

      Reply
    203. 203.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 2:36 pm

      @WV Blondie: seize them and convert them into abortion clinics and homeless shelters and migrant way stations!  NotMax has me on a roll.

      Reply
    204. 204.

      brendancalling

      March 18, 2024 at 2:37 pm

      Take him down to the studs, and then take away the studs. Let him live in a cardboard box.

      Reply
    205. 205.

      Paul in KY

      March 18, 2024 at 2:37 pm

      @Tom Levenson: Then he sells it to get the moolah.

      Reply
    206. 206.

      Tony G

      March 18, 2024 at 2:38 pm

      Donald Trump is a badly raised little boy in the body of an unhealthy old man.  He never had to grow up because there has always been somebody (starting with his daddy) who has been there to bail him out.  His luck may be coming to an end now.  Maybe the stress of this situation will kill him.  Thoughts and prayers.

      Reply
    207. 207.

      StringOnAStick

      March 18, 2024 at 2:38 pm

      @marcopolo: Ah, asbestos.  My dad the mining engineer managed an asbestos mine in CA when I was a kid; I played in piles of that stuff, fortunately not too many times.  The mine is now a Superfund site and he has COPD, no surprise.  I’m amazed he made it to 92 given his temper and that he smokes when he managed that mine.  Hard core R who voted twice for tRump and now hates him with a white hot passion over the classified documents case and January 6.

      Reply
    208. 208.

      PAM Dirac

      March 18, 2024 at 2:39 pm

      @TBone: The merger seems to be back on At least the guys suing him have said that a preliminary deal has been worked out.

      But on March 9, the threat from that lawsuit seemed to dissipate after the two sides reached a preliminary agreement during a hearing in Delaware Chancery Court. Per the New York Times, the deal “would preserve the two founders’ right to a significant equity stake in the parent company of Truth Social until a judge hears further arguments on the merits of their lawsuit.” The presiding judge, Vice Chancellor Sam Glasscock III, appeared to have no appetite for pushing back the March 22 vote date, saying that “No one is suggesting I should do anything to interfere with the closing,” and later remarking that “I’m pretty confident we can work something out.”

      Reply
    209. 209.

      LiminalOwl

      March 18, 2024 at 2:39 pm

      So a possibly stupid question: if the value of his holdings is less than the amount of the bond, why isn’t that prima facie proof of his guilt in the fraud trial?

      Reply
    210. 210.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 2:39 pm

      Every day gets worse and worse for him.  Here’s to that thought, big guy! 🎶😆

      https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aDQdjpWi5qA

      Even better

      https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aDQdjpWi5qA

      Reply
    211. 211.

      Enhanced Voting Techniques

      March 18, 2024 at 2:41 pm

      There is a good chance most of Trump’s wealth is tied up in commercial real-estate, which is in the process of crashing from a bubble that Trump helped create during his presidency by talking the Fed into lowering the prime to zero.

      Reply
    212. 212.

      Barbara

      March 18, 2024 at 2:41 pm

      @LiminalOwl: Because values change over time.

      Reply
    213. 213.

      Paul in KY

      March 18, 2024 at 2:43 pm

      @NotMax: He also has a Leonardo DiCaprio…

      Reply
    214. 214.

      Paul in KY

      March 18, 2024 at 2:46 pm

      @Chris Johnson: Good points. $400 million is a bunch of money to about any government (this side of PRC maybe) and even a despot has to be careful about shitting it away (as it will be if given to TFG).

      Reply
    215. 215.

      Seanly

      March 18, 2024 at 2:49 pm

      Well, if he uses the combined moneys of the RNC & his campaign to pay his debts/judgements/personal spending, then all Republican candidates will suffer.

      Reply
    216. 216.

      rikyrah

      March 18, 2024 at 2:56 pm

      Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) posted at 11:58 AM on Mon, Mar 18, 2024:
      JUST IN: Conservative influencer (and former Zeldin intern) Isabella DeLuca has been charged for breaching the Capitol on Jan. 6 and helping steal a table that was later used to attack police.

      https://t.co/PswBQO0IMN https://t.co/Ioq6zocVYP
      (https://x.com/kyledcheney/status/1769770343890055224?t=ocIXAeI_vqxV8qsZHXaKcg&s=03)

      Reply
    217. 217.

      Omnes Omnibus

      March 18, 2024 at 3:01 pm

      Millions have been imagining this moment as a cinematic one, but reality isn’t cinematic it’s slow and bureaucratic. Trump’s financial death won’t be televised the way we all desired, but it is most definitely still happening.

      Reply
    218. 218.

      West of the Rockies

      March 18, 2024 at 3:02 pm

      @TBone:

      Everyday,  things are gettin’ worser,  rollin’ faster than a burnt hamburder…

      Reply
    219. 219.

      trollhattan

      March 18, 2024 at 3:02 pm

      @WV Blondie: We have inner burbs with office vacancy rates in the mid-30s, admittedly none of them office “towers” but still, just sitting. Guessing unused retail is not far behind.

      Rental housing, however, quite in demand. It’s a mystery how that  all occurred.

      Reply
    220. 220.

      gvg

      March 18, 2024 at 3:05 pm

      @Chris Johnson: I think he started with money when his dad died. He did inherit real money, I am pretty sure. Dad was a better businessman. But my youth was full of stories about multiple bankruptcies that were kind of laughable in how bad at business decisions he was. Also, his dad bailed him out a few times before he died. so sometime in the 70’s I think he lost it and learned to coast on self advertising. I stopped watching TV mostly years ago, which is why I really did not understand that that show, the Apprentice, got some traction from people who should have known better.

      I am probably also prejudiced because I always thought the idiot had terrible taste with all the overdone baroque furniture and gold paint. Tacky, you know? Like the fake evangelical TV preachers’ congregations which Trump always seemed similar to, to me.

      Reply
    221. 221.

      Ironcity

      March 18, 2024 at 3:05 pm

      @…now I try to be amused: Get amused by this:

       

      B-757-200 N757AF is mfg s/n 25155 original airworthiness certificate 8/25/2010.  Registered owner is DJT Enterprises, an LLC, 251 Little Falls Rd Wilmington  DE

      Last airworthiness certificate 1/29/2000.  Airworthiness Certificates are good for 7 years after the last day of the month in which it was issued, so 1/31/2007 (?) (14CFR 47.4)  Must be some inaccurate information in the database (shocker).  And regardless of whether you have a current airworthiness certificate if the aircraft isn’t actually airworthy it is illegal and stupid, to fly it.

      Reply
    222. 222.

      trollhattan

      March 18, 2024 at 3:06 pm

      @rikyrah: WTF is with Republicans and their disdain for correct English punctuation?

      Reply
    223. 223.

      Bupalos

      March 18, 2024 at 3:07 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: Trump still owns and has the possibility to monetize one of the most valuable assets in the U.S. – The eyeballs of gullible, motivated right wing ideologues.

      FoxNews became such a valuable property because a FoxNews viewer on average is willing to buy 8 dimes for a dollar, just to stick it to the dusky lesbian hoards that are hiding in their outbuildings, waiting to murder them. The Donald isn’t going to bleed out financially until that special bond is broken.

      Reply
    224. 224.

      karen marie

      March 18, 2024 at 3:08 pm

      @Matt McIrvin:

      I wouldn’t bet on that pony.
       

      “In Davos, Donald Trump is already the president,” Open Society Foundations Chairman Alex Soros told a panel at the World Economic Forum on Friday.

      “That’s a good thing, because the Davos consensus is always wrong,” he said.

      Reply
    225. 225.

      Frankensteinbeck

      March 18, 2024 at 3:08 pm

      @Mike S. (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!):

      I’ve heard this, and it’s weird.  Something is missing, because Truth Social isn’t worth that much.  A few million, tops.  It’s not a huge, successful enterprise.

      Reply
    226. 226.

      ...now I try to be amused

      March 18, 2024 at 3:09 pm

      @Ironcity: Heh. Certification is for suckers and losers!

      Reply
    227. 227.

      Barry

      March 18, 2024 at 3:12 pm

      @Matt McIrvin: if he wins, and is the closest that the USA has had to a dictator, why would he pay?

      Reply
    228. 228.

      Omnes Omnibus

      March 18, 2024 at 3:14 pm

      @Bupalos: We’ll see, I guess.  Do you think that he is going to get enough cash from his dupes in the next week to post the bond? If he doesn’t, the State of NY start collecting.  That probably pushes him into bankruptcy.  Practically speaking, how does he avoid this in the next week?

      Reply
    229. 229.

      rikyrah

      March 18, 2024 at 3:15 pm

      Sarah Zhang (@sarahzhang) posted at 1:37 PM on Mon, Mar 18, 2024:
      DNA tests have uncovered the surprising prevalence of incest.

      A geneticist has found that 1 of 7000 people in the UK Biobank have parents who are themselves brother/sister or parent/child. The genetic genealogist @CeCeMoore told me she’s seen well over 1000 cases.
      (https://x.com/sarahzhang/status/1769795251193946597?t=ClI-ySwZmPU6ae21Rrnj-A&s=03)

      Reply
    230. 230.

      Chris Johnson

      March 18, 2024 at 3:16 pm

      @gvg: Oh, he inherited real money, yes. Nothing you’ve said is wrong or in any way inaccurate. You talk about him losing it sometime in the 70s, which is consistent with my sense that he went to Russia sometime in the 80s and tried to rip off the Russian mob.

      That’s when it really turned to the overdone baroque furniture and gilt everywhere: because that’s when it became totally, entirely fake, because that’s when he became a complete puppet of the Kremlin and started being entirely paid for by them, so he could be among the movers and shakers representing THEIR interests.

      Simple as that. He was always fake, from the 80s. There’s a reason he was seen so often with Epstein, there’s a reason why he ended up so effectively taking over the Republican party, there’s a reason Hillary hated him so hardcore and called him out quite literally. I mean she said it out loud, not that people were ready to see it at the time.

      Reply
    231. 231.

      NotMax

      March 18, 2024 at 3:16 pm

      Wondering how many shares of Pravda Social have been contractually pledged to Devin Nunes. AFAIK he’s still ostensibly “managing” the thing.

      Reply
    232. 232.

      Bupalos

      March 18, 2024 at 3:18 pm

      @Frankensteinbeck: A stock is worth what people are willing to pay for it. And the value of any given advertising mark is proportional to their manipulability multiplied by their disposable wealth. Truth Social is definitely a memestock but it also has some real world value.

      Reply
    233. 233.

      rikyrah

      March 18, 2024 at 3:19 pm

      Lisa Rubin (@lawofruby) posted at 11:13 AM on Mon, Mar 18, 2024:
      NEW: In his reply brief to a NY appeals court today, Trump argues that he is unable to procure a bond covering the $454-plus million judgment, which is still accruing interest. So he wants a stay of enforcement without a bond. But don’t sleep on what else he wants. 1/

      Lisa Rubin (@lawofruby) posted at 11:17 AM on Mon, Mar 18, 2024:
      You might remember that when he first sought a stay, he got some interim relief from a sole judge who decided that the provision barring Trump from borrowing money from any NY registered or chartered financial institution should be stayed. 2/

       

      Lisa Rubin (@lawofruby) posted at 11:17 AM on Mon, Mar 18, 2024:
      Trump asked for that provision so he could secure a bond, or so his lawyers said. 3/

       

      Lisa Rubin (@lawofruby) posted at 11:26 AM on Mon, Mar 18, 2024:
      But now, they are asking a full panel of the Appellate Division to stay enforcement of the money portion of the judgment without a bond while “maintain[ing] all other aspects of he interim stay.” 4/

      Lisa Rubin (@lawofruby) posted at 11:28 AM on Mon, Mar 18, 2024:
      In other words, Trump is saying to the First Department: “Give me a stay for free but let me keep borrowing money in the meantime.” John Sauer is a good lawyer—but I’m interested in how he squares this circle if and when an oral argument happens. FIN.
      (https://x.com/lawofruby/status/1769762701041869072?t=g4QThHxwBnL2iGAbkXjSbw&s=03)

      Jay Vegas (@j_nvegas) posted at 11:30 AM on Mon, Mar 18, 2024:
      What Trump wants is a stay without a bond. He doesn’t want to put up collateral or part with anything else he deems is his. I hope the appeals court will uphold the judgement and force Trump to come up with the funds. Trump needs to feel the financial pain or he won’t learn.

      Reply
    234. 234.

      topclimber

      March 18, 2024 at 3:22 pm

      @Mr. Bemused Senior: Maybe Romney can help with the forced liquidation, being a vulture capitalist and all.

      Reply
    235. 235.

      rikyrah

      March 18, 2024 at 3:22 pm

      Go Coco!

       

      NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) posted at 10:38 AM on Mon, Mar 18, 2024:
      The highest-ranked American woman in singles tennis is going to the #ParisOlympics.  https://t.co/jj0B962k41
      (https://x.com/NBCOlympics/status/1769750235666845911?t=SpErlPziwMVKDYqTZhzINw&s=03)

      Reply
    236. 236.

      lowtechcyclist

      March 18, 2024 at 3:22 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus:

      We also have cows that produce the milk used to make the cheese.  Couldn’t we use cow manure rather than delicious cheese?

      Definitely a better choice. What was I thinking? ;-)

      Reply
    237. 237.

      rikyrah

      March 18, 2024 at 3:23 pm

      Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) posted at 8:14 AM on Mon, Mar 18, 2024:
      We are sleepwalking toward autocracy, thanks to our major media. Former president and Republican nominee says immigrants are not people and says if he loses, there will be a bloodbath. Not even mentioned in the front section of the NYT, relegated to page 6 in the WaPo. Shameful.
      (https://x.com/NormOrnstein/status/1769713898574217460?t=N8kzn_4KclzX1S7zasC3Tw&s=03)

      Reply
    238. 238.

      Wapiti

      March 18, 2024 at 3:24 pm

      @Frankensteinbeck: I’m guessing they’re counting on foreign (oligarch) money to buy up the IPO and make Trump whole.

      Reply
    239. 239.

      Bupalos

      March 18, 2024 at 3:25 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: Unless he’s been seriously cooking books in all his businesses and losing money places we don’t know, I highly suspect that he really does have the cash to back the bond. He just doesn’t want to do it and/or hopes to lower the amount to reduce the fee.

      I mean, I hope that’s wrong and that we really are seeing the tip of an iceberg up close, but I don’t think it’s very likely.

      Reply
    240. 240.

      Chris Johnson

      March 18, 2024 at 3:25 pm

      @rikyrah: I mean, he won’t learn. That’s a given. He CAN’T learn. He is a complete fraud that owns nothing he claims he does, a puppet of Russia, and his entire life has been a fake. What’s to learn?

      Whatever happens has to happen with the understanding that Trump will act as if his whole existence depends on doubling down and never being found out or held accountable in any way ever, for anything.

      Because if the house of cards wobbles, it’s all so interdependent that it all collapses. If the truth about him comes out, he is more fucked than anyone can possibly imagine (barring the occasional jackal with a spectacularly excessive view of just how bad the man is and always has been, ahem)

      I mean, he might surprise even me. Doubtful, but it’s possible. He might be worse than _I_ think he is.

      Reply
    241. 241.

      NotMax

      March 18, 2024 at 3:25 pm

      @rikyrah

      “That’s it? The entire ruling? One word? Anyone know what FAFO means?”
      //

      Reply
    242. 242.

      Omnes Omnibus

      March 18, 2024 at 3:27 pm

      My name is Bond.  Cantaforda Bond.

      Reply
    243. 243.

      Barbara

      March 18, 2024 at 3:27 pm

      @rikyrah: ​I am surprised Iga Swiatek hadn’t “mathematically” clinched a berth for Poland first, but yes, Go Coco!!!

      Reply
    244. 244.

      RaflW

      March 18, 2024 at 3:28 pm

      @trollhattan: “It costs about $5.2 million to remodel a 757 for cargo” and I suspect that Trump’s maintenance routines are probably at the absolute lowest tolerated by the FAA.

      Conversion buyers likely have better sources for 757s, which are being retired from passenger service because they’re kind of gas-guzzly (which matters less for freight, since the stronger engines lift more cargo!)

      Reply
    245. 245.

      NotMax

      March 18, 2024 at 3:29 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus

      Letitia James Bond.

      Reply
    246. 246.

      Omnes Omnibus

      March 18, 2024 at 3:30 pm

      @Bupalos: ​
      Most very wealthy people do not keep money in cash or cash adjacent items. There is no profit in holding cash. His problem is he is illiquid and bond firms don’t like real estate as collateral (especially high leveraged real estate).

      ETA: This whole lawsuit is about him cooking the books.

      Reply
    247. 247.

      wjca

      March 18, 2024 at 3:32 pm

      @Frankensteinbeck: Something is missing, because Truth Social isn’t worth that much.  A few million, tops.

      Fraudulently pumping the value of a stock is definitely within TIFG’s skill set.

      Reply
    248. 248.

      NotMax

      March 18, 2024 at 3:34 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus

      “As greens fees at his golf courses suddenly skyrocket, Trump blames Biden.”

      Reply
    249. 249.

      Kathleen

      March 18, 2024 at 3:36 pm

      @rikyrah: NYT described his speech as “caustic” and “discursive”

      ETA Posted in earlier thread.

      Reply
    250. 250.

      Baud

      March 18, 2024 at 3:38 pm

      @Kathleen:

      I found it quite peripatetic.

      Reply
    251. 251.

      Bupalos

      March 18, 2024 at 3:39 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: I don’t mean literal cash, just more liquid investments. I don’t think he’s made any big splashy real estate deals since the Post Office thing, but has been reporting big time income. Even if a good portion of his income came in less liquid forms than free cash flow, I think it’s doubtful that practically all of it did or that he managed to squander a billion or two without anyone much noticing. I think he’s been getting cash from his dupes (meaning barrels of Saudi money laundered as golf resort earnings) for years.

      I am rooting for his dump empire to be a complete house of cards that just started caving in, I just kinda doubt it.

      Reply
    252. 252.

      Aziz, light!

      March 18, 2024 at 3:40 pm

      I don’t know how any this works, but if Trump inflated the value of his properties, then used them as collateral to obtain loans for more than said properties are worth, then their value is not enough to cover what he owes, and their sale is encumbered by all the financial complications. If he can’t make the bond, what does NY do?

      Reply
    253. 253.

      trollhattan

      March 18, 2024 at 3:40 pm

      @Chris Johnson:

      We should not forget back in the day, Trump was an acolyte of Roy Cohn and Roger Stone.

      Reply
    254. 254.

      Suzanne

      March 18, 2024 at 3:41 pm

      Does anyone know why Barack Obama turned up at 10 Downing Street today?

      Reply
    255. 255.

      West of the Rockies

      March 18, 2024 at 3:41 pm

      @gvg:

      I’ve never seen The Apprentice either.  It just seemed like…  meanness porn.  I don’t like any yelling shows (Gordon Ramsey, etc).

      Reply
    256. 256.

      catclub

      March 18, 2024 at 3:45 pm

      @hueyplong: “He’s not really rich (successful)” is a theme that grows in intensity daily.

       

      Compare him to Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife. She gives away $400M any day of the week.

      Reply
    257. 257.

      rikyrah

      March 18, 2024 at 3:48 pm

      Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) posted at 10:28 AM on Sun, Mar 17, 2024:
      Trump: We did a lot of things by killing Roe

      Fox reporter: Your justices to the Supreme Court made that possible

      Trump: They did. They did something that is extremely good https://t.co/fe187QY0eb
      (https://x.com/BidenHQ/status/1769385225128116331?t=EwMCqCj-IszZFl51uoWzkQ&s=03)

      Reply
    258. 258.

      Kay

      March 18, 2024 at 3:49 pm

      @Suzanne:

      No, but I think it’s hysterical you’re sleuthing this :)

      Reply
    259. 259.

      UncleEbeneezer

      March 18, 2024 at 3:49 pm

      @rikyrah: If only he had called them “Deplorable”…

      Reply
    260. 260.

      trollhattan

      March 18, 2024 at 3:51 pm

      BBC reporting avoiding the tempting “but, isn’t he just the silliest fun?” side comments, so far.

      Donald Trump cannot find a private company to guarantee the $464m (£365m) he has been ordered to pay in a New York civil fraud case.

      The former president must either pay the full amount in cash or secure a bond in order to continue his appeal. Mr Trump’s lawyers said on Monday that securing a bond of that size was a “practical impossibility”.

      For a fee, a bonding company would guarantee the full amount to the New York court. They would then have to pay it if Mr Trump loses his appeal and cannot do so himself. Mr Trump’s team spent “countless hours negotiating with one of the largest insurance companies in the world”, the lawyers wrote in a court filing, but concluded that “very few bonding companies will consider a bond of anything approaching that magnitude”.
      [Narrator: those hours are meticulously “counted.”]

      The lawyers said they had approached 30 companies without success. Mr Trump’s two eldest sons also must pay millions of dollars in the case. Along with ordering Mr Trump to pay the penalty, New York Judge Arthur Engoron banned him from running any businesses in the state for three years after he found the former president falsely inflated assets to secure better loan deals.

      A judge paused Mr Trump’s business ban last month, but denied his bid to provide a smaller bond amount, $100m, to cover the fine.

      In the latest filing, the former president’s lawyers included an affidavit from a president of a private insurance firm, who said that “simply put, a bond of this size is rarely, if ever, seen”. “In the unusual circumstance that a bond of this size is issued, it is provided to the largest public companies in the world, not to individuals or privately held businesses,” the lawyers also said.

      Mr Trump’s unprecedented legal situation makes it difficult to predict next steps, said former federal prosecutor Diana Florence, who also said that penalties on this scale are usually levied against large companies. His legal team has been playing a delay game as he appeals the verdict, she said, but now “he might be out of rope”.

      I have rope in the garage, which could be of some use here.

      Reply
    261. 261.

      trollhattan

      March 18, 2024 at 3:53 pm

      @Suzanne: Getting to the bottom of the Kate photos thing?

      Reply
    262. 262.

      Omnes Omnibus

      March 18, 2024 at 3:53 pm

      @Bupalos: Okay. You believe what you believe.

      Reply
    263. 263.

      ...now I try to be amused

      March 18, 2024 at 4:01 pm

      @West of the Rockies:

      I’ve never seen The Apprentice either.  It just seemed like…  meanness porn.  I don’t like any yelling shows (Gordon Ramsey, etc).

      I watched the first few seasons of The Apprentice. It wasn’t ritual humiliation, unlike some other reality shows. Trump was perhaps on his best behavior in the few minutes per episode he appeared on camera. He showed respect for graduates of the service academies, and Olympic gold medalist Angela Ruggiero.

      I suspect Trump seized the opportunity to launder his reputation with both hands and wasn’t about to screw it up by abusing contestants.

      Reply
    264. 264.

      geg6

      March 18, 2024 at 4:03 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: ​
       
      Can you give a summary? Bluesky won’t let me read.

      Reply
    265. 265.

      Omnes Omnibus

      March 18, 2024 at 4:04 pm

      @geg6: That was the full text.

      Reply
    266. 266.

      geg6

      March 18, 2024 at 4:05 pm

      @Ironcity: ​
       
      Hmmmm, a plane crash? I like it.

      Reply
    267. 267.

      geg6

      March 18, 2024 at 4:07 pm

      @rikyrah: ​
       
      As good an explanation for Brexit as I’ve ever seen. Could also explain MAGAts.

      Reply
    268. 268.

      geg6

      March 18, 2024 at 4:17 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: ​
       
      As for me, I believe that any guy that bankrupts at least 3 casinos is probably not the guy who you want to believe when he tells you about all the money he’s making.

      Reply
    269. 269.

      geg6

      March 18, 2024 at 4:18 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: ​
       
      Okay. Not much there to chew on.

      Reply
    270. 270.

      ...now I try to be amused

      March 18, 2024 at 4:19 pm

      @geg6: The end of the road for Trump was always going to be someone who had power over him and wasn’t buying his bullshit.

      Reply
    271. 271.

      trollhattan

      March 18, 2024 at 4:20 pm

      @geg6:

      “Virtually a license to legally print money, you can’t lose!”
      “Sounds great, I’m in.”
      Later that same week
      “We’re closin’ you down, pal, for failure to make payments.”

      Reply
    272. 272.

      Princess

      March 18, 2024 at 4:20 pm

      @rikyrah: These numbers of incest victims are completely unsurprising to me. Talk to any therapist – abuse is everywhere, and children are one result.  A more common one in the US in coming years, thanks to Dodd.

      Reply
    273. 273.

      Suzanne

      March 18, 2024 at 4:21 pm

      @Kay: No, I’m serious. There’s lots of memes about him looking for Kate, but I’m genuinely interested why he’s meeting with Sunak. I haven’t seen a reason reported.

      Reply
    274. 274.

      rumpole

      March 18, 2024 at 4:21 pm

      @Anoniminous: if you’re suggesting that this gives scotus jurisdiction that is just… wrong.

      This gives federal courts diversity jurisdiction over suits between folks from different states.  It does not -require- them to take it.  Thus a state case that starts in state court on a state law issue  generally stays there.  The NY Court of Appeals is the final word on state law, and without a constitutional claim Trump has no recourse.

      Whatever issues Habba may have preserved on appeal (likely some kind of due process argument) this provision of the constitution is irrelevant to that fight.

      Reply
    275. 275.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 4:22 pm

      Michael Steele just said the c word by accident while trying to say “continued” (referring to Rump) and then snickered before he was able to recover and correct himself. 😆

      Reply
    276. 276.

      trollhattan

      March 18, 2024 at 4:23 pm

      @…now I try to be amused: And now that he’s reelected with [checks notes] a mere 87% Vlad can go back to using Donny as one of his personal pinatas, or whatever kind of doll Russians whack with a stick.

      Reply
    277. 277.

      Princess

      March 18, 2024 at 4:28 pm

      @Suzanne: Interesting. Not clear if Obama was already in the UK or if he went there specifically to talk to Sunak. The one thing I’m certain of, it has nothing to do with Kate.

      Reply
    278. 278.

      Kay

      March 18, 2024 at 4:29 pm

      @Suzanne:

      I hope he’s somehow involved in hiding Kate. Michelle is giving her a decent meal somewhere.

      Reply
    279. 279.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 4:31 pm

      @PAM Dirac: is that the judge’s real name?  Are you pulling my leg? 😆😭

      Reply
    280. 280.

      Dorothy A. Winsor

      March 18, 2024 at 4:31 pm

      @Kay: I admire your fantasy life.

      Reply
    281. 281.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 4:33 pm

      @West of the Rockies: 💙

      Reply
    282. 282.

      Sister Golden Bear

      March 18, 2024 at 4:36 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: I’m OK with I’d relish a death by a thousand cuts,
      as long as it happens before the election.

      Reply
    283. 283.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 4:38 pm

      @rikyrah: Dedicated to the DOJ 🎶 and all the poor widdle “hostages” they’re taking.

      https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pafY6sZt0FE

      Reply
    284. 284.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 4:39 pm

      @Sister Golden Bear: I’m licking my lips in anticipation of that denouement.

      Reply
    285. 285.

      Baud

      March 18, 2024 at 4:41 pm

      @Kay:

      It’s a live action version of Shrek!

      Reply
    286. 286.

      rikyrah

      March 18, 2024 at 4:42 pm

      @TBone:

      BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

      Reply
    287. 287.

      Sister Golden Bear

      March 18, 2024 at 4:43 pm

      @Dorothy A. Winsor: Kate Middleman is now in a small village, where she’s fallen in love the with artisanal baker and is learning the true meaning of Christmas 

      Reply
    288. 288.

      Eunicecycle

      March 18, 2024 at 4:45 pm

      @Sister Golden Bear: it’s the only thing that makes sense.

      Reply
    289. 289.

      SiubhanDuinne

      March 18, 2024 at 4:45 pm

      @TBone:

      I once knew a guy named Glasscock. His nickname (behind his back, but her must have known) was “Crystal Dick.”

      Reply
    290. 290.

      raven

      March 18, 2024 at 4:48 pm

      @SiubhanDuinne: There was a receiver at Mizzou named “Shorthose”!

      Reply
    291. 291.

      Tasha

      March 18, 2024 at 4:48 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: it’s theoretically possible to split the bond among multiple insurers. Someone (not TFG) might be able to get five companies to each supply a $100mm bond

      Reply
    292. 292.

      rikyrah

      March 18, 2024 at 4:50 pm

      @Tasha:

      @Omnes Omnibus: it’s theoretically possible to split the bond among multiple insurers. Someone (not TFG) might be able to get five companies to each supply a $100mm bond

      The likelihood where they would get their money back?

      LMAO!!!

      Reply
    293. 293.

      SNCO

      March 18, 2024 at 4:52 pm

      This is just my opinion . . .  but . . .    From a strictly practical (call it Machiavellian, if you like) standpoint, how does supporting a washed-up and fading populist serve the interests of Trump’s prior patrons?

      Why are we so sure these nefarious and shadowy types still find Trump useful enough to squander multiple millions of dollars on – when he is also clearly a documented spendthrift who doesn’t understand how to cut his losses and limit his own liability?

      His rallies – which used to be covered in their entirety (and unedited) – are now too boring for the networks to carry. His prior uncanny ability to channel the worst of aging working-class white rage has declined into purely personal grievances – that don’t even really interest any but his die-hard cultists. So . . . what is in it for his shadowy patrons?

      Why would they waste more money at this point?

      Reply
    294. 294.

      geg6

      March 18, 2024 at 4:53 pm

      @Kay: ​
       
      Lord, I hope not. I’d lose all respect for him forever.

      Reply
    295. 295.

      Mike S. (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!)

      March 18, 2024 at 4:53 pm

      @TBone :  @geg6:  I don’t think the sale is on hold, but it seems like it is unlikely to bring in the amount of money Drumpf is hoping for.

      Several episodes of Meidas Touch have talked about it. The SEC had apparently said the acquisition of “truth” social by the SPAC could go ahead. Here is Ben Meiselas talking about why he thinks is will not work for Drumpf.

      Has anyone seen info about the sale definitely being put on hold for the lawsuits or for any other reason? (eta is seems @PAM Dirac:  has found info that the deal is on.)

      Michael Popok on MT also had a discussion of the SPAC recently.

      Reply
    296. 296.

      geg6

      March 18, 2024 at 4:54 pm

      @SiubhanDuinne: ​
       
      The street I grew up on was Woodcock. I never heard the end of that one.

      Reply
    297. 297.

      raven

      March 18, 2024 at 4:55 pm

      @raven: And there is an undertaker in Appomattox named “Stiff”!

      Reply
    298. 298.

      SiubhanDuinne

      March 18, 2024 at 5:06 pm

      @raven:

      LOL

      Reply
    299. 299.

      SiubhanDuinne

      March 18, 2024 at 5:07 pm

      @geg6:

      Then there’s the Canadian musician, Bruce Cockburn.

      Reply
    300. 300.

      Yutsano

      March 18, 2024 at 5:11 pm

      @geg6: At least woodcocks are cool…

      Reply
    301. 301.

      patrick II

      March 18, 2024 at 5:15 pm

      @Suzanne: ​
       
      He’s still the President.

      Reply
    302. 302.

      Juju

      March 18, 2024 at 5:21 pm

      @geg6: What you ha-ed.

      Reply
    303. 303.

      LiminalOwl

      March 18, 2024 at 5:32 pm

      @RaflW: Craig Unger, “House of Trump, House of Putin,” (c) 2018, has lots of juicy details.

      Reply
    304. 304.

      Salty Sam .

      March 18, 2024 at 5:41 pm

      @SiubhanDuinne: I once knew a guy named Glasscock…

      There is a urologist in Austin who specializes in vasectomies- his name is Richard Chopp.  And yes, he goes by the usual short form of that first name.

      Reply
    305. 305.

      Odie Hugh Manatee

      March 18, 2024 at 5:50 pm

      @Dorothy A. Winsor:

      How about “If you don’t have a dime, you can’t appeal the crime.”

      I like that version!

      Reply
    306. 306.

      CaseyL

      March 18, 2024 at 5:52 pm

      Possibly this is a dead thread, but I don’t want to intrude on Tom’s delightful science thread up top:

       

      David Corn on Twitter reports that the Opperman Foundation, who give out the RBG Leadership Award, having so thoroughly shit the bed by giving the award to three people who in no way whatoever deserve it, has now decided it won’t.  The whole thing is cancelled, and their news release says they’re going to re-evaluate whether to keep going at all.

      Their statement is a steaming pile of crap, mostly (“Well, RBG was for EQUALITY, and we are supporting her calls for EQUALITY by giving this award to men who have spent years and fortunes promoting INEQUALITY.”). But at  least Murdoch and Musk won’t be getting the gd thing.

      Reply
    307. 307.

      Dorothy A. Winsor

      March 18, 2024 at 5:53 pm

      Maybe Trump can get a loan from Taylor Swift.

      Reply
    308. 308.

      karen marie

      March 18, 2024 at 5:59 pm

      This thread may well be dead – it’s certainly superseded – but I thought this would be of interest.

      Wendy Siegelman “compiled data on Individual-1’s cash/short term investments from 2013-2021 to reveal new information and insights and raised some new questions.

      (The “this” points to her article, her name links to her Mastodon account.)

      Reply
    309. 309.

      Suzanne

      March 18, 2024 at 6:01 pm

      @Salty Sam .:

      There is a urologist in Austin who specializes in vasectomies- his name is Richard Chopp.  And yes, he goes by the usual short form of that first name. 

      So.
      A couple of years ago, I was at work, and I went into a private room to schedule my annual well woman visit. I was told that my normal doctor was not available, but I could see the new doctor in the practice, Dr. Seaman. I was like, “BAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAAAHAAHAHAAAAA”. The poor receptionist tried to respond, “He doesn’t spell it like that, he spells it S-E-A….” and I was still like “BAAAAAHAHAAAAA.”

      Anyway, I come out of the private room, and I’m laughing so hard that I’m crying, and I told one of my woman colleagues/friends. And she said, “OH MY GOD, ME TOO, I just got a letter saying that there’s a new doctor at my gyno, DOCTOR ELIZABETH BEAVER.”

      More BAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAA.

      Reply
    310. 310.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 6:02 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: there is profit in cash when interest rates make it profitable. One of my financial advisors has me at something like 40% cash/cash equivalents (I’m retired) and sent me to my bank to buy some CDs when rates hit 5%.

      Reply
    311. 311.

      TBone

      March 18, 2024 at 6:05 pm

      @…now I try to be amused: It’s where the stories about his adult diapers come from.  One of his producers, I think.  I believe it.

      Reply
    312. 312.

      Juju

      March 18, 2024 at 6:09 pm

      @rikyrah: All you have to do to get some insight about that is to watch some episodes of “Midsomer Murders”.

      Reply
    313. 313.

      cain

      March 18, 2024 at 6:10 pm

      @Suzanne:

      It’s nice to know it’s not always men :D

      Reply
    314. 314.

      Snarki, child of Loki

      March 18, 2024 at 6:19 pm

      I hear that 29 of the 30 companies that TFG approached for a bond, replied with an audio file of the I Love Lucy laugh track.

       

      But it might have been all 30.

      Reply
    315. 315.

      Attempted Chemistry

      March 18, 2024 at 6:23 pm

      @TBone: In law school, you could always see him coming.

      Reply
    316. 316.

      Omnes Omnibus

      March 18, 2024 at 6:29 pm

      Not a good day in the NY courts for Trump.  In the New York election interference case, the judge has ruled on the motions in limine.  Trump did not do well.  

      Reply
    317. 317.

      Uncle Cosmo

      March 18, 2024 at 6:38 pm

      @lowtechcyclist: Cheetoh Benito, God-Emperor of Dung (GEoD)

      (Once upon a time I contemplated a parody of Dune, set on Albaraz, the 6-and-6/8th planet of the star Stronza Dreckonis , covered to an average depth of 99.44 meters in dessicated cow manure and commonly known as Dung, where the young Bowel Aturdes must confront his destiny as the Akil al-Qaraf to unite the Futzenmenschen of the Su-Azh Pwneds in their holy war against the Székrekedéses Császár Shytdam Insane and the evil Bony ExLaxu of Ecch,,.

      ,,,but I realized it was all crap and gave it up…;^p)

      Reply
    318. 318.

      karen marie

      March 18, 2024 at 6:39 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: “this argument will not be entertained again”

      Absofuckinglutely delicious!

      Reply
    319. 319.

      billcinsd

      March 18, 2024 at 6:40 pm

      @raven: There was a baseball player named Jack Glasscock. I believe he was one of the last MLB players to field without a glove. His nickname was Pebbly Jack because he went around the field picking up pebbles that alter the ball movement

      Reply
    320. 320.

      billcinsd

      March 18, 2024 at 6:46 pm

      Also, in my town we had a city councilman quit to get a sex change. In the next election he was replaced by a woman named Deb Hadcock.

      Reply
    321. 321.

      PST

      March 18, 2024 at 7:23 pm

      @Tasha:

      it’s theoretically possible to split the bond among multiple insurers. Someone (not TFG) might be able to get five companies to each supply a $100mm bond

      I used to be pretty familiar with the world of big-time insurance, although not at all with supersedeas bonds. Enormous risks gets sliced and diced into manageable layers and shares, so even multi-billion dollar risks get insured; they just have to be split up. That $100 million figure comes from an affidavit Trump submitted, so it is probably worded in a cagey fashion to make the difficult sound impossible. The question, of course, is whether Trump can provide acceptable collateral.

      Reply
    322. 322.

      Kenneth Fair

      March 18, 2024 at 8:22 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: Federal diversity jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1332 requires that none of the defendants reside in the state where the case is brought. Because several of the entities involved are NY entities, there is no federal diversity jurisdiction, regardless of where Trump resides.

      Reply
    323. 323.

      Denali5

      March 18, 2024 at 8:29 pm

      There used to be a Dr. Stopp in Rochester who specialized in giving vasectomies.

      Reply
    324. 324.

      Ruckus

      March 18, 2024 at 11:33 pm

      @Baud:

      I imagine that as SFB is a pretty sharp investor in real estate he likely has all of them leveraged to the hilt and can’t squeeze another dime out of them. I call it railroad leverage, he’s leveraged one for say living expenses, then another for monthly payments and then the next one and so on. He’s likely doing this to have any cash flow whatsoever.

      Reply
    325. 325.

      Ramona

      March 19, 2024 at 12:41 am

      @TBone: if they still voted for him after that, they are even stupider than I thought!

      Reply
    326. 326.

      JAFD

      March 19, 2024 at 12:56 am

      @trollhattan: ​
       Exorcisms are artisanal, you have to make sure the ritual you’re doing is for the particular demon that’s there.
      And you’d better pay their bill promptly.
      You don’t want to be re-possessed.

      Reply

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