Yes, blatant corruption is the new business model, sanctioned by the fpotus and the SC, and ignored by the obviously irrelevant Congress. No more regulations, no more sanctions, no more accountability, IF you bend the knee to fpotus. Outright bribes A-OK. The idea that fpotus could ever "drain the swamp", root out the "deep state", and eliminate waste in government spending was ludicrous to anyone with a brain. Double-think at its finest took over the maga masses, and Republican politicians reveled in the gullibility of their constituents. While stoking their white supremacist bigotry. It's a huge challenge to change bigotry into tolerance. And get this massively corrupt administration out of power ASAP.
FCPA has a five year statute of limitation for violations. And it can be extended. So any company incorporating palm greasing into their business strategy better hope the republic collapses by 2028. (Maybe not an unreasonable bet.). Also, there is authority that FCPA risk must be disclosed in securities filings, another little landmine for aspiring malefactors. Of course, Rep. Jeffries and the Democrats, if ever returned to power, might want to avoid upsetting anyone, and leave it up to the Skyman on the chair to address violations.
He got the “gratuity” AFTER the trucks were purchased? So it’s kosher? Whah? So tit-for-tat deals are ok if the order in which the kickback is paid is correct? Hmmm. Sounds not right.
When I was in middle school our Spanish teacher, who grew up in Mexico, told us the correct etiquette for bribing a Mexican policeman into not giving you a ticket. An important life skill! I have never been to Mexico and it is just as well as I have forgotten the protocol.
My buddy and I got stopped in Baja by a corrupt cop and shook down for $ based on his assertion that how we were towing our boat was not legal which it was he was just being taught the “mordida” techniques by his captain who sat back in the patrol car and watched.
When we mildly protested he said he could accompany us back to the station if we wanted which sounded just slightly but ominous and while I started fishing around for the $20 to hand over my buddy decided it was time to go Rambo and jumped out of the car to argue.
The cop put his hand on his gun and my friend kept advancing and for a moment I thought we were going to have a bloody confrontation.
Fortunately I was able to talk down my friend and the cop didn’t lose his cool and we went on our merry way still alive just chastened.
We ran into a couple federal cops a little later and they laughed ruefully at our story and confirmed that what they pulled on us was totally illegal but hey crooked cops oh well it’s Mexico!
TBF, American companies are gonna NEED to be able to bribe foreigners to do business with them by the time Trump is done ass-fucking U.S. competitiveness.
I had honestly forgotten that Blago had only gotten a commutation instead of a pardon last time.
Making bribery great again is certainly in line with the SCOTUS, who have been trying to legalize it since the McDonnell case in Virginia. Gee, I can’t image why (looks over at Clarence Thomas).
Maybe Bob Menendez can offer Stinky a few gold bars for a pardon. That will make democrats finally love him!
Combined with Robert Reich's warning and this blatant corruption, all of whose sole purpose is to enrich trump and cronies, I'm starting to freak out about the economy. His previous 4 years he actually worried about losing voters. Please note he has no such concerns now. That means red states will pay as well as blue. It also means it is likely they know how to steal an election, and therefore unconcerned that he could lose. How very annoying that the wingnuts and paranoids who hoarded gold will probably be the safest financially out of all of us.
Nothing is going to help those loons when the SHTF, what are they going to do with their gold? Hand it over to the better armed citizen (with greater numbers of backup) demanding their compliance?
Add in the fact that Cheeto has made sure that this time, he’s surrounded by people who won’t ever say no to him, no matter how stupid, corrupt, or destructive his ideas are, and we’re fucked.
There are 2 dynamics going on here. Trump is purposely making the corruption as blatant and public as possible to bludgeon the population into submission by demonstrating his power & the fact that “the people” cannot do Jack shit about it.
The other dynamic is a bit more complex and cancerous to our legal system and is rooted in an overlooked SCOTUS ruling nobody has paid attention to. Some years back, the Governor of Virginia & his wife were the recipients of bribes, money and a new car for wifey, from a Virginia heath food products businessman. He was also banging the Gov’s wife, as well. .They were all prosecuted , by Jack Smith, & convicted. And they appealed to SCOTUS. The SCOTUS decision on this case was seemingly particularly egregious and puzzling. And this was not unpuzzled until years later. I will get to that. The Court overturned the conviction, claiming that there was no established, proven evidence that there was a direct connection between the money & gifts and the donor receiving benefits, I.e. Quid pro quo. The Court defined the gifts as gratuities & not as bribes, make it all legal. And, it also involved the definitions & parameters of the concept of “official acts”. Therefore, the convictions were vacated, overturned. It always stuck in me why SCOTUS defended egregious bribery so vigorously in this case. And, whoa la, along comes the disclosures of Clarence Thomas’ & Alito’s outrageous bribes. Explain’s it all.
Nice AC/DC reference.
Yes, blatant corruption is the new business model, sanctioned by the fpotus and the SC, and ignored by the obviously irrelevant Congress. No more regulations, no more sanctions, no more accountability, IF you bend the knee to fpotus. Outright bribes A-OK. The idea that fpotus could ever "drain the swamp", root out the "deep state", and eliminate waste in government spending was ludicrous to anyone with a brain. Double-think at its finest took over the maga masses, and Republican politicians reveled in the gullibility of their constituents. While stoking their white supremacist bigotry. It's a huge challenge to change bigotry into tolerance. And get this massively corrupt administration out of power ASAP.
FCPA has a five year statute of limitation for violations. And it can be extended. So any company incorporating palm greasing into their business strategy better hope the republic collapses by 2028. (Maybe not an unreasonable bet.). Also, there is authority that FCPA risk must be disclosed in securities filings, another little landmine for aspiring malefactors. Of course, Rep. Jeffries and the Democrats, if ever returned to power, might want to avoid upsetting anyone, and leave it up to the Skyman on the chair to address violations.
The "Law and Place Your Orders" party.
Ta, Marcie. I don't know whether or not anyone has mentioned this, but Blagojevich appeared on The Apprentice.
He got the “gratuity” AFTER the trucks were purchased? So it’s kosher? Whah? So tit-for-tat deals are ok if the order in which the kickback is paid is correct? Hmmm. Sounds not right.
I thought “quid quo pro” was bad?
It’s fine, so long as the quid is as good as the pro.
When I was in middle school our Spanish teacher, who grew up in Mexico, told us the correct etiquette for bribing a Mexican policeman into not giving you a ticket. An important life skill! I have never been to Mexico and it is just as well as I have forgotten the protocol.
My buddy and I got stopped in Baja by a corrupt cop and shook down for $ based on his assertion that how we were towing our boat was not legal which it was he was just being taught the “mordida” techniques by his captain who sat back in the patrol car and watched.
When we mildly protested he said he could accompany us back to the station if we wanted which sounded just slightly but ominous and while I started fishing around for the $20 to hand over my buddy decided it was time to go Rambo and jumped out of the car to argue.
The cop put his hand on his gun and my friend kept advancing and for a moment I thought we were going to have a bloody confrontation.
Fortunately I was able to talk down my friend and the cop didn’t lose his cool and we went on our merry way still alive just chastened.
We ran into a couple federal cops a little later and they laughed ruefully at our story and confirmed that what they pulled on us was totally illegal but hey crooked cops oh well it’s Mexico!
And….what is it for Gods sake?
Pammy sent that check right back to Drumpf Industries!
Where it was then just as promptly sent back to Pammy's campaign for processing.
TBF, American companies are gonna NEED to be able to bribe foreigners to do business with them by the time Trump is done ass-fucking U.S. competitiveness.
I had honestly forgotten that Blago had only gotten a commutation instead of a pardon last time.
Making bribery great again is certainly in line with the SCOTUS, who have been trying to legalize it since the McDonnell case in Virginia. Gee, I can’t image why (looks over at Clarence Thomas).
Maybe Bob Menendez can offer Stinky a few gold bars for a pardon. That will make democrats finally love him!
Time to tuck that $100 bill in your wallet, right behind your driver's license.
Blago's appearance on letterman is classic letterman.
https://youtu.be/lzmZ6ezXXJU?si=N68XLa_akRGw7d7J
Jeez……whose dick do you have to suck around here to get indicted for taking a bribe?
Combined with Robert Reich's warning and this blatant corruption, all of whose sole purpose is to enrich trump and cronies, I'm starting to freak out about the economy. His previous 4 years he actually worried about losing voters. Please note he has no such concerns now. That means red states will pay as well as blue. It also means it is likely they know how to steal an election, and therefore unconcerned that he could lose. How very annoying that the wingnuts and paranoids who hoarded gold will probably be the safest financially out of all of us.
Nothing is going to help those loons when the SHTF, what are they going to do with their gold? Hand it over to the better armed citizen (with greater numbers of backup) demanding their compliance?
Add in the fact that Cheeto has made sure that this time, he’s surrounded by people who won’t ever say no to him, no matter how stupid, corrupt, or destructive his ideas are, and we’re fucked.
Good and hard, without lube.
Just a reminder for when we return to the rule of law: Extortion is not a core presidential power.
Clarence Thomas, et. al.: not yet!
Alito- “Hold my Flag”
There are 2 dynamics going on here. Trump is purposely making the corruption as blatant and public as possible to bludgeon the population into submission by demonstrating his power & the fact that “the people” cannot do Jack shit about it.
The other dynamic is a bit more complex and cancerous to our legal system and is rooted in an overlooked SCOTUS ruling nobody has paid attention to. Some years back, the Governor of Virginia & his wife were the recipients of bribes, money and a new car for wifey, from a Virginia heath food products businessman. He was also banging the Gov’s wife, as well. .They were all prosecuted , by Jack Smith, & convicted. And they appealed to SCOTUS. The SCOTUS decision on this case was seemingly particularly egregious and puzzling. And this was not unpuzzled until years later. I will get to that. The Court overturned the conviction, claiming that there was no established, proven evidence that there was a direct connection between the money & gifts and the donor receiving benefits, I.e. Quid pro quo. The Court defined the gifts as gratuities & not as bribes, make it all legal. And, it also involved the definitions & parameters of the concept of “official acts”. Therefore, the convictions were vacated, overturned. It always stuck in me why SCOTUS defended egregious bribery so vigorously in this case. And, whoa la, along comes the disclosures of Clarence Thomas’ & Alito’s outrageous bribes. Explain’s it all.
https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/579/15-474/
anyone who wants to know anything more about the courts - also a soupcon of popular culture - should be listening to strict scrutiny.
There could not have been a better title for this article than the one written here.