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I am disappointed in the thread title change, unless @Bozeman Bruiser is the one who changed it, which I doubt. These sorts of things should be recorded for posterity.
There are a handful of posters around here that are consistently strident, snide, rude and condescending in the way that they treat those with an opposing opinion. Also, they are invariably completely unresponsive or just deflect or play whatabout when presented with ANY facts that contradict their opinions. So when they create a title like that, and it blows back on them, I take umbrage with revisionism that lets them off the hook.
I'd also like to take a moment to say thanks for this place, Joe. And I'm sorry that I and others sometimes make you and the other mods jobs difficult, especially during football season. I really appreciate this forum and because of that you can keep my subscription money even if there's no season. I'll include next season in that sentiment as well. I kind of wish you'd just sell lifetime subscriptions. I'd gladly pay you a few hundred bucks right now for one.
@Widbil83 (respect your choice to not post Wid, just attributing you here) used to make some good points about Bannon. Take everything away here, Bannon's role in the Russian scandal, the transition and early White House, and this and his (other) criminal activity, he probably does some good share of credit for Trump being in the WH. There was the Access Hollywood tape, the campaign trail madness, but reality is that once Bannon took over he really crafted the nationalist message. Trump is completely incoherent, personally, but if there was ever a "message" or a theme it was nationalism and that was almost entirely packaged by Bannnon. His departure - stamped with the original thread here - was a turning point for this administration and the ongoing, never ending campaign that has been Trump. Trump of course hated the reality of that, that people said it both inside and outside the WH.
But do the donors really feel that they were "ripped off"? I would not be surprised if many if them, if not the majority of them, still consider their donations to be "money well spent".
From their POV, the "We Build The Wall" campaign was more than simply a fundraiser to literally build a wall; it was a campaign to fight the endless fight against the liberal elite; a symbolic show of support for Donald Trump and the true conservative cause; an opportunity to be part of a movement. Just because the deep state says that Kolfage can't buy a boat, that doesn't mean that it's morally wrong for him to have that boat. Because if that boat helps him to advance their cause, even in a small way, then it is justified. If the government is going to permit Bill Gates to use his yacht to lobby the government to forcibly inject people with his unproven vaccine with an embedded microchip in it, then shouldn't Bannon and Kolfage be allowed to lobby for a morally righteous cause?
From the POV of many donors, IMO, Bannon and Kolfage are being unfairly targeted -- just like all those conservative charities were unfairly targeted by the IRS. Why isn't the post office investigating the Clinton Foundation and Hunter Biden and Uranium One?!?
Plus, have people forgotten that Kolfage was injured in Iraq? If an injured war vet needs a little extra money to take care of needs that aren't being met by the VA, is that so wrong? Have we become that heartless?
But do the donors really feel that they were "ripped off"? I would not be surprised if many if them, if not the majority of them, still consider their donations to be "money well spent".
From their POV, the "We Build The Wall" campaign was more than simply a fundraiser to literally build a wall; it was a campaign to fight the endless fight against the liberal elite; a symbolic show of support for Donald Trump and the true conservative cause; an opportunity to be part of a movement. Just because the deep state says that Kolfage can't buy a boat, that doesn't mean that it's morally wrong for him to have that boat. Because if that boat helps him to advance their cause, even in a small way, then it is justified. If the government is going to permit Bill Gates to use his yacht to lobby the government to forcibly inject people with his unproven vaccine with an embedded microchip in it, then shouldn't Bannon and Kolfage be allowed to lobby for a morally righteous cause?
From the POV of many donors, IMO, Bannon and Kolfage are being unfairly targeted -- just like all those conservative charities were unfairly targeted by the IRS. Why isn't the post office investigating the Clinton Foundation and Hunter Biden and Uranium One?!?
Plus, have people forgotten that Kolfage was injured in Iraq? If an injured war vet needs a little extra money to take care of needs that aren't being met by the VA, is that so wrong? Have we become that heartless?
There are a handful of posters around here that are consistently strident, snide, rude and condescending in the way that they treat those with an opposing opinion. Also, they are invariably completely unresponsive or just deflect or play whatabout when presented with ANY facts that contradict their opinions. So when they create a title like that, and it blows back on them, I take umbrage with revisionism that lets them off the hook.
I'd also like to take a moment to say thanks for this place, Joe. And I'm sorry that I and others sometimes make you and the other mods jobs difficult, especially during football season. I really appreciate this forum and because of that you can keep my subscription money even if there's no season. I'll include next season in that sentiment as well. I kind of wish you'd just sell lifetime subscriptions. I'd gladly pay you a few hundred bucks right now for one.
That's interesting. Do you have a link? It's an age old "who gets the credit?" question. It's fascinating and intriguing. Across all platforms. It's why so many people are interested in Tom Brady to Tampa Bay? Was the Patriots success Brady or Belichick? That kind of thing.
When Bannon left the White House, he had this heroic vision of himself, where he was going to marshal this slate of nationalist candidates, like Roy Moore, that was going to wreck the G.O.P. establishment
The difference is that Bannon initially had an elevated sense of his own grandeur, and that he was some kind of a historical figure who could be as large as Trump, or larger
That's interesting. Do you have a link? It's an age old "who gets the credit?" question. It's fascinating and intriguing. Across all platforms. It's why so many people are interested in Tom Brady to Tampa Bay? Was the Patriots success Brady or Belichick? That kind of thing.
This is a great debate between David Frum and Steve Bannon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poq5ZrAc7pk. I think it is a good example of how Bannon believes that he is a leader in populism.
Court case details work of Elliott Broidy and the alleged fraud mastermind who paid him to lobby the Trump administration
************QUOTE
A senior Chinese government official enlisted the help of a top fundraising official at the Republican National Committee to lobby the Trump administration in 2017 to return a Chinese businessman living in the U.S. who has long been sought by Beijing, according to a court document filed in Hawaii last week.
Sun Lijun, China’s then-vice minister of public security, met in a hotel suite in Shenzhen in May 2017 with Elliott Broidy, a venture capitalist and, at the time, national deputy finance chairman of the RNC, according to the document. At Mr. Sun’s request, Mr. Broidy agreed to seek to use his influence with the Trump administration to advocate for the removal of Guo Wengui, a Chinese businessman living in New York, the document said.
Details of the meeting and other efforts Mr. Broidy made on behalf of the Chinese to remove Mr. Guo show the lengths to which China has gone to pursue a priority that had stalled through official diplomatic channels.
Beijing considers Mr. Guo a fugitive from bribery and other allegations in China but has been unsuccessful in persuading the U.S. to hand him over. Since moving to an apartment in a Manhattan hotel after fleeing China in 2014, he has publicized salacious and unproven allegations against senior members of the Chinese Communist Party. He has denied the Chinese allegations and described the attempts at his removal as a corrupt exercise by Communist Party officials.
An account of China’s and Mr. Broidy’s alliance was contained in a federal criminal charging document filed against one of Mr. Broidy’s business partners, Nickie Lum Davis. She is charged with violating a law that requires lobbyists for foreign governments or nationals to register that work with the Justice Department. A lawyer for Ms. Davis didn’t return requests for comment.
***********END
********************
- Basically while Bannon was working for and with Wengui, RNC Finance Co-Chairman Elliott Broidy and a business partner were hired by a lead Chinese security chief to influence the Trump administration to deport him to China.
On or about June 27, 2017, Person B texted Person H's spouse regarding the removal of PRC National A. Person B knew that Person H, an internationally successful businessman and frequent contributor to political campaigns with close access to the President, had immediate access to and influence with the President and could be effective in seeking the removal of PRC National A. Person B texted Person H ' s spouse, "On another note, I would like to meet with Person H tomorrow morning and on important and sensitive matter. Is there a time tomorrow morning that would be convenient or perhaps for lunch? Looking forward to seeing you at the[] Hotel! Regards, [][.]"
Person B later continued: Hi [], [Person H] asked me to send this information to you via text. I have a number of items I will be sending to you regarding the fugitive [PRC National A]. The first is an Interpol red notice .... The highly time sensitive matter is that [PRC National A]'s visa to stay in the US expires on June 3Qt11• It is critically that his new visa application he immediately denied. He must also be placed on the DHS no fly list. .. . The order would need to come from the very top as [PRC National A] is well connected with former FBI who are on his private security detail. The President of the PRC mention to [the President] at Mar-A-Lago that he would like [PRC National A] returned. [PRC Minister A] met with me and requested help with regard to [PRC National A]. ... He promised to return certain US citizens held hostage by [the PRC] and would accept a very large number of [the PRC] illegal immigrants for deportation back to [the PRC]. Finally he offered new assistance with regard to North Korea
...............
On or about August 19, 2017, Person B met with Person Hon Person H ' s yacht. During their time together, Person B asked Person H about the matter involving PRC National A, and Person H suggested that they call the President. Person B and Person H then called the President, asking about PRC National A' s status within the United States.
Person H is Steve Wynn. So this is one RNC Finance co-chairman, Wynn, and another RNC Finance cochairman, Broidy, calling the President of the United States from a yacht on behalf of a Chinese security official to see what they could do to get a wanted Chinese billionaire extradited. The billionaire is Wengui, whose yacht Bannon was arrested on.
Person H is Steve Wynn. So this is one RNC Finance co-chairman, Wynn, and another RNC Finance cochairman, Broidy, calling the President of the United States from a yacht on behalf of a Chinese security official to see what they could do to get a wanted Chinese billionaire extradited. The billionaire is Wengui, whose yacht Bannon was arrested on.
Person H is Steve Wynn. So this is one RNC Finance co-chairman, Wynn, and another RNC Finance cochairman, Broidy, calling the President of the United States from a yacht on behalf of a Chinese security official to see what they could do to get a wanted Chinese billionaire extradited. The billionaire is Wengui, whose yacht Bannon was arrested on.
So we’ve got two RNC Finance Co-Chairs involved. We know everything Cohen was up to and the last remaining member is now trying to destroy the USPS for the benefit of the President. Maybe the question we should be asking is what were these guys working on?
Federal prosecutors are preparing to charge longtime GOP fundraiser Elliott Broidy in connection with efforts to influence the U.S. government on behalf of foreign interests, according to people familiar with the matter, a result of a sprawling, years-long investigation that involved a figure who helped raise millions for Donald Trump’s election and the Republican Party.
Broidy is under scrutiny for his alleged role in a campaign to persuade high-level Trump administration officials to drop an investigation of Malaysian government corruption, as well as for his attempt to push for the extradition of an outspoken Chinese dissident back to his home country, according to the people, who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe an ongoing investigation.
He has been in discussions with the Justice Department and could ultimately reach a plea deal, they said.
The case has intensified in recent weeks, with prosecutors securing a guilty plea Monday from one of Broidy’s business associates, Nickie Mali Lum Davis, who admitted to taking part in what prosecutors have described in charging documents as a “back-channel lobbying campaign” to end the Malaysian corruption investigation and to return Chinese exile Guo Wengui to his home country.
Guo is a vocal online critic of the Chinese government who was once allied with that country’s government elite but is now wanted by authorities in Beijing on charges of fraud, blackmail and bribery. He has denied those charges and said they are politically motivated.
According to a charging document filed in her case, Davis admitted she aided and abetted the efforts of two others involved in the influence campaigns, identified only as Person A and Person B. People familiar with the matter identified them as former Fugees rapper Pras Michel and Broidy, respectively.
During a virtual hearing Monday before a federal judge in Honolulu, where Davis entered her guilty plea, prosecutors told a judge that charges may be filed against additional defendants in the case.
The Justice Department declined to comment. An attorney for Broidy declined to comment.
A previous attorney for Broidy has said he has “never agreed to work for, been retained by nor been compensated by any foreign government for any interaction with the United States government, ever.” Broidy told the New York Times in 2018 in a statement: “This whole narrative is a fabrication driven by hackers who want to undermine me.”
Michel has similarly denied wrongdoing. His attorney declined to comment.
The investigation puts a renewed focus on efforts by people close to the president to shape the fate of Guo, who has succeeded in remaining in the United States.
In the past few years, the Chinese billionaire has been closely aligned with Stephen K. Bannon, Trump’s former campaign chief and top White House strategist. Bannon was on Guo’s yacht off the coast of Westbrook, Conn., when he was arrested last month on charges he fleeced donors who supported a group that claimed to be building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
The investigation of Broidy has its roots in a massive probe of theft from a Malaysian government development fund that has come to be known by the shorthand “1MDB.” In previous civil and criminal cases, federal prosecutors have alleged that stolen money that made its way into the United States was used to buy pricey real estate and even fund the award-winning movie “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak was accused of being involved in the corruption. He was convicted in July and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
At the center of the case is a Malaysian businessman named Low Taek Jho, who was indicted in 2018 and accused of funneling tens of millions of dollars into the United States in part to get the Malaysian corruption investigation dropped. Low, who is facing multiple federal indictments, is believed to be in China, outside the reach of U.S. authorities. He has denied the allegations and said they are politically motivated.
According to court documents filed in association with Davis’s guilty plea this week, Broidy allegedly lobbied to have Guo removed from the United States at the request of Low and a Chinese government official.
Davis admitted she met with the Chinese official — who people familiar with the matter identified as Sun Lijun — and the two people identified as Broidy and Michel in a Hong Kong hotel suite in May 2017, and Broidy soon launched a campaign that reached the top of the administration, court filings show.
According to the documents and people familiar with the matter, Broidy allegedly made various entreaties to people in the administration or close to it, including President Trump’s then-chief of staff, Reince Priebus; his former deputy campaign chairman, Rick Gates; and the president himself.
At one point, Broidy also tried to enlist the help of casino magnate and Trump friend Steve Wynn, according to the documents and the people with knowledge of the case. In August 2017, Broidy and Wynn called Trump from Wynn’s yacht and asked about Guo’s status.
Davis also admitted in court that she connected multiple calls between Wynn and Sun.
Reid Weingarten, an attorney for Wynn, declined to comment but said his client has been cooperating with investigators and continues to do so.
Wynn and Broidy worked together as finance chairman and deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee after Trump’s election.
Wynn made his own attempt to pass a message about Guo directly to Trump from Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to two people with knowledge of the episode. In a private meeting around June 2017, Wynn told Trump why Xi felt so strongly about the United States returning Guo to China, handing Trump two pictures of Guo, the people said.
At the time, Wynn had significant business interests involving China, operating a major casino in Macao.
Trump was eager to extradite Guo, as the Chinese wished, telling aides in an Oval Office meeting that he supported the plan, according to a former administration official familiar with his views.
Priebus passed along the extradition request to the National Security Council, where it was vetted by a senior White House lawyer, John Eisenberg, who conferred with then-White House Counsel Donald McGahn, the official said.
White House lawyers agreed that extradition, which was opposed by the Justice Department, would not be appropriate, according to the official. McGahn later told aides who asked about the status request, “We killed that,” the official said.
McGahn did not respond to requests for comment. A White House spokesman referred questions about the episode to the National Security Council. An NSC spokesman declined to comment and referred questions to the Justice Department.
During the 2016 campaign, Broidy, a Los Angeles-based investor, helped corral big donors to support Trump’s campaign. After the election, he was appointed to serve as a national deputy finance chairman for the Republican National Committee.
Broidy resigned from that post in April 2018 in the wake of a report that he had paid a former Playboy model $1.6 million in exchange for her silence about a sexual affair. Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen — another RNC fundraiser — helped arrange the settlement, Broidy acknowledged at the time.
As part of the Malaysian corruption probe, the U.S. government has previously alleged that Michel and a former Justice Department employee, George Higginbotham, opened U.S. accounts to move Low’s money into the United States and fund the lobbying effort.
Davis acknowledged that she helped route an $8 million retainer to Broidy for the influence campaign and that Low offered to pay a $75 million “success fee” as part of a contract with Broidy’s wife’s law firm if the 1MDB case was resolved within 180 days.
Higginbotham pleaded guilty in November 2018 to illicitly facilitating the transfer of tens of millions of dollars into the United States to finance the lobbying effort.
According to Davis’s criminal information and people familiar with the matter, Broidy met with Trump at the White House in October 2017 and told others that he raised the subject of the 1MDB investigation.
A former attorney for Broidy told the Wall Street Journal in 2018 that at no time did Broidy, his wife, “or anyone acting on their behalf, discuss Mr. Low’s case with President Trump, any member of his staff, or anyone at the U.S. Department of Justice.”
Text messages and emails quoted in Davis’s plea documents show that Broidy messaged Gates, Trump’s former deputy campaign chairman, and Priebus in 2017 about arranging a visit for Malaysia’s prime minister and a possible golf outing with Trump. An attorney for Gates declined to comment.
Priebus responded but was noncommittal, saying the NSC was working on the matter, according to court filings and the people. Priebus declined to comment.
The prime minister did visit, but he did not golf with Trump, according to the court documents. The meeting was meant in part so the Malaysian prime minister could press Trump about ending the 1MDB case, according to the documents.
I’m guessing the wall fraud was just the low hanging fruit and they’ve got bigger plans for Mr. Bannon. Unless Donnie has a pardon lined up for him, there’s no way he’s going down for him.
At the center of the case is a Malaysian businessman named Low Taek Jho, who was indicted in 2018 and accused of funneling tens of millions of dollars into the United States in part to get the Malaysian corruption investigation dropped. Low, who is facing multiple federal indictments, is believed to be in China, outside the reach of U.S. authorities. He has denied the allegations and said they are politically motivated.
According to court documents filed in association with Davis’s guilty plea this week, Broidy allegedly lobbied to have Guo removed from the United States at the request of Low and a Chinese government official.
Davis admitted she met with the Chinese official — who people familiar with the matter identified as Sun Lijun — and the two people identified as Broidy and Michel in a Hong Kong hotel suite in May 2017, and Broidy soon launched a campaign that reached the top of the administration, court filings show.
According to the documents and people familiar with the matter, Broidy allegedly made various entreaties to people in the administration or close to it, including President Trump’s then-chief of staff, Reince Priebus; his former deputy campaign chairman, Rick Gates; and the president himself.
At one point, Broidy also tried to enlist the help of casino magnate and Trump friend Steve Wynn, according to the documents and the people with knowledge of the case. In August 2017, Broidy and Wynn called Trump from Wynn’s yacht and asked about Guo’s status.
Davis also admitted in court that she connected multiple calls between Wynn and Sun.
Reid Weingarten, an attorney for Wynn, declined to comment but said his client has been cooperating with investigators and continues to do so.
Wynn and Broidy worked together as finance chairman and deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee after Trump’s election.
Wynn made his own attempt to pass a message about Guo directly to Trump from Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to two people with knowledge of the episode. In a private meeting around June 2017, Wynn told Trump why Xi felt so strongly about the United States returning Guo to China, handing Trump two pictures of Guo, the people said.
At the time, Wynn had significant business interests involving China, operating a major casino in Macao.
Trump was eager to extradite Guo, as the Chinese wished, telling aides in an Oval Office meeting that he supported the plan, according to a former administration official familiar with his views.
Priebus passed along the extradition request to the National Security Council, where it was vetted by a senior White House lawyer, John Eisenberg, who conferred with then-White House Counsel Donald McGahn, the official said.
White House lawyers agreed that extradition, which was opposed by the Justice Department, would not be appropriate, according to the official. McGahn later told aides who asked about the status request, “We killed that,” the official said.
McGahn did not respond to requests for comment. A White House spokesman referred questions about the episode to the National Security Council. An NSC spokesman declined to comment and referred questions to the Justice Department.
During the 2016 campaign, Broidy, a Los Angeles-based investor, helped corral big donors to support Trump’s campaign. After the election, he was appointed to serve as a national deputy finance chairman for the Republican National Committee.
Broidy resigned from that post in April 2018 in the wake of a report that he had paid a former Playboy model $1.6 million in exchange for her silence about a sexual affair. Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen — another RNC fundraiser — helped arrange the settlement, Broidy acknowledged at the time.
As part of the Malaysian corruption probe, the U.S. government has previously alleged that Michel and a former Justice Department employee, George Higginbotham, opened U.S. accounts to move Low’s money into the United States and fund the lobbying effort.
Davis acknowledged that she helped route an $8 million retainer to Broidy for the influence campaign and that Low offered to pay a $75 million “success fee” as part of a contract with Broidy’s wife’s law firm if the 1MDB case was resolved within 180 days.
Higginbotham pleaded guilty in November 2018 to illicitly facilitating the transfer of tens of millions of dollars into the United States to finance the lobbying effort.
According to Davis’s criminal information and people familiar with the matter, Broidy met with Trump at the White House in October 2017 and told others that he raised the subject of the 1MDB investigation.
A former attorney for Broidy told the Wall Street Journal in 2018 that at no time did Broidy, his wife, “or anyone acting on their behalf, discuss Mr. Low’s case with President Trump, any member of his staff, or anyone at the U.S. Department of Justice.”
Text messages and emails quoted in Davis’s plea documents show that Broidy messaged Gates, Trump’s former deputy campaign chairman, and Priebus in 2017 about arranging a visit for Malaysia’s prime minister and a possible golf outing with Trump. An attorney for Gates declined to comment.
Priebus responded but was noncommittal, saying the NSC was working on the matter, according to court filings and the people. Priebus declined to comment.
The prime minister did visit, but he did not golf with Trump, according to the court documents. The meeting was meant in part so the Malaysian prime minister could press Trump about ending the 1MDB case, according to the documents.
(Bloomberg)--Elliott Broidy, a former top political fundraiser for President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, has been charged as part of a wide-ranging federal probe into back-channel efforts to influence the U.S. government on behalf of foreign interests via @TheTerminal
(Bloomberg)--Elliott Broidy, a former top political fundraiser for President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, has been charged as part of a wide-ranging federal probe into back-channel efforts to influence the U.S. government on behalf of foreign interests via @TheTerminal
(Bloomberg)--Elliott Broidy, a former top political fundraiser for President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, has been charged as part of a wide-ranging federal probe into back-channel efforts to influence the U.S. government on behalf of foreign interests via @TheTerminal
I hope the state of NY realizes what they might have unleashed. It's a real possibility Bannon decides to leave the WAR ROOM (podcast studio), and GO MEDIEVAL (take the 5th) on his enemies.
Weak title change after your OP was already bad.
Nothing unleashed other than more proof of his awful behavior.
Why anyone would support someone like Bannon is beyond reason it seems.
Funny that stealing and laundering money from a fundraiser that bilked innocent people out of their donations is "political persecution." The mental contortions of MAGAs is an amazing thing. The people that he stole from were MAGAs.
"If there’s any confusion out there, let me clear it up: I’m leaving the White House and going to war for Trump against his opponents -- on Capitol Hill, in the media, and in corporate America".
I’m not glad he appears to be a criminal. I wanted Steve Bannon repudiated for his ideas, which are awful. Same with Trump. If these folks are corrupt then they deserve whatever punishment they’re going to get. But it’s their political philosophy, not their corruption, that is the real cancer to this nation.
I’m not glad he appears to be a criminal. I wanted Steve Bannon repudiated for his ideas, which are awful. Same with Trump. If these folks are corrupt then they deserve whatever punishment they’re going to get. But it’s their political philosophy, not their corruption, that is the real cancer to this nation.
I’m not glad he appears to be a criminal. I wanted Steve Bannon repudiated for his ideas, which are awful. Same with Trump. If these folks are corrupt then they deserve whatever punishment they’re going to get. But it’s their political philosophy, not their corruption, that is the real cancer to this nation.
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