Trump

2022 - 9 - 21

Letitia James

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Politico"

Financial fraud charges against Trump puts light on abusive tax ... (Politico)

A tax-gaming tactic that former President Donald Trump is accused of using to reap millions of dollars in fraudulent tax breaks has been in the crosshairs ...

“This case shows the importance of our investments to rebuild the IRS,” he said. County golf club, though the suit didn’t put a number on how much it boosted Trump’s tax break in that instance. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a former Finance chair, have sought to crack down on those schemes. Trump has claimed conservation easements on several of his properties. “Syndicated easements have basically weaponized the technology for widespread sale. A tax-gaming tactic that former President Donald Trump is accused of using to reap millions of dollars in fraudulent tax breaks has been in the crosshairs of the IRS and lawmakers for years.

'Trump Wanted Someone to Look More Like His Version of a Central ... (POLITICO Magazine)

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks. Despite a rocky start, former President Donald Trump and former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen got along during his ...

“I am confident that with Jay as a wise steward of the Federal Reserve, it will have the leadership it needs in the years to come.” Trump added a few words of praise for the departing Fed chair — “Janet Yellen, a wonderful woman who’s done a terrific job” — but he never explained why he had decided to dump her. Trump had called Yellen to deliver the news that he was going to choose Powell as her successor. When the conversation turned to how she ran the Fed and how the Federal Open Market Committee worked, Yellen used an analogy that she hoped the former real estate developer could relate to: “I explained to him that the FOMC was a committee. Yellen had also concluded that Trump had no intention of reappointing her but had only interviewed her as a courtesy. In reality, growth was limited to 2 to 3 percent at the time because the rate of population and productivity growth — the two key drivers of an economic expansion — were sluggish. Yellen recalled that Trump had previously met with a foreign minister from a developing nation, which was growing rapidly at the time, and asked her how rapidly the U.S. He was 64 at the time, classically handsome with a thick head of gray hair and close to six feet tall. Bush White House and later as a Fed governor from 2006 to 2011, during the depth of the financial crisis. Warsh, who was 47 at the time, had the opposite problem, according to a senior White House official. The financial industry surely would have responded with a resounding “Yes!” But she stood her ground and said, “Any adjustments to the regulatory framework should be modest.” He was known internationally for creating the “Taylor Rule,” a mathematical formula he argued the Fed should follow faithfully to set interest rates instead of using their personal judgment. and to a certain extent, I think she should be ashamed of herself.”

First Thing: Do the latest legal woes spell the end for Donald Trump? (The Guardian)

New York civil lawsuit accusing Trump family of 'staggering' fraud could derail presidential bid, experts say. Plus, the case for a 'marriage sabbatical'

Abortion rights drove voters to the polls in [deep-red Kansas](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/03/kansas-abortion-vote-state-constitution). The Democrats have passed [major legislation.](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/16/biden-signs-inflation-reduction-act-landmark-healthcare-climate-bill) There has been a sharp increase in women registering to vote after the supreme court [overturned Roe v Wade](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/24/roe-v-wade-overturned-abortion-summary-supreme-court). While previous studies have suggested our food preferences may begin before birth, the team says the research is the first to look directly at the response of unborn babies to different flavors. Only two companies control 40% of the global commercial seed market, compared with 10 companies controlling the same proportion of the market 25 years ago, according to the ETC Group, an eco-justice organisation. The international Meanwhile, Biden said on Monday the pandemic was ending – a message that [polling suggests](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3650684-why-biden-is-seeing-a-rise-in-the-polls/) Joe Biden is [on a roll](https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/president-biden-s-approval-numbers-on-the-rise-nbc-news-poll-shows-148840517702), reclaiming some of the ground he lost earlier in his presidency. The UK’s defense ministry says Russia needs the manpower to continue its fight. These are the largest protests since Putin launched his invasion in February. Could the New York civil fraud suit bring down the Trump Organization? “He’s got too many burdens, too much baggage to be able to run again even presuming he escapes jail, he escapes bankruptcy. But the cascade of criminal, civil and congressional investigations could yet derail that bid.

Trump claims presidents can declassify documents 'by thinking ... (The Guardian)

Ex-president tells Sean Hannity: 'Because you're sending it to Mar-a-Lago or wherever … There doesn't have to be a process'

There can be a process, but there doesn’t have to be. There doesn’t have to be a process. Does that change its status?’ are so speculative that their practical meaning is negligible. Trump also told Hannity “there was nothing that was hiding” when boxes were packed to be taken to Mar-a-Lago from the White House in Washington. Some were labeled top secret. [Speaking](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/21/trump-i-could-declassify-documents-by-thinking-about-it-00058212) to Sean Hannity of Fox News in an interview broadcast on Wednesday, the former US president said: “Different people say different things but as I understand it, if you’re the president of the United States, you can declassify just by saying it’s declassified, even by thinking about it.

Trump says presidents can declassify docs 'even by thinking about it' (The Washington Post)

During an appearance on Sean Hannity's Fox News show, Donald Trump provided no evidence that he had declassified documents seized from his Mar-a-Lago ...

[Trump issued a “standing order”](https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1558261235883311106) while in office that documents taken to his residence would instantly be declassified. His lawyers have resisted doing so in front of [special master](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/09/06/special-master-trump-documents/?itid=lk_inline_manual_18) Raymond Dearie, the U.S. A GSA spokesperson disputed that, saying while the office assisted with shipping boxes to Florida, it did not pack any. The task was mostly performed by General Services Administration employees, he said, referring to the office that plays a prominent role in presidential transitions. On Hannity’s program, Trump called the lawsuit part of a politically motivated “witch hunt” that has been brewing since he first ran for office. His appearance also followed an announcement earlier in the day that New York Attorney General Letitia James was filing a lawsuit accusing him and his three children of manipulating property values to deceive lenders, insurance brokers and tax officials.

Trump claims telepathic power to declassify 'by thinking about it' (MSNBC)

Donald Trump now claims he has the power to declassify secrets "by thinking about it." It'd be funnier if this weren't such a serious mess.

There can be a process, but there doesn’t have to be. He said he “declassified everything,” but his own team said he didn’t, his lawyers refuse to argue it, and even if he did, it wouldn’t matter. “That question, according to specialists in the law of government secrecy, is borderline incoherent,” the Times concluded. So even if we assumed that Plaintiff did declassify some or all of the documents, that would not explain why he has a personal interest in them.” He said he can declassify “by thinking about it,” but he can’t. And there doesn’t have to be a process. “There doesn’t have to be a process, as I understand it.... Trump is no longer denying that he took classified materials to his glorified country club. The New York Times recently published The Republican’s own lawyers [carefully avoided](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trumps-lawyers-still-refuse-echo-claims-mar-lago-case-rcna47257) repeating their client’s assertions — in large part because they knew he was lying. [a court-approved search warrant at Mar-a-Lago](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trumps-setback-mar-lago-case-happens-now-rcna48898), Donald Trump introduced a new claim neither he nor anyone on his team had ever floated before. Indeed, people probably should laugh because this is deeply foolish, even by Trump standards.