Even Ben Shapiro and Rand Paul says Trump is taking bribes
Submitted by gjohnsit on Tue, 05/13/2025 - 10:27am
We can add MAGA cucks Laura Loomer and Tim Pool to this list.
But will anyone on C99P other than me admit this is corruption?
Comments
I suppose that
the gift of the 747 from the royal family of Oman or Qatar or whereever (that Trump is taking as a gift to himself, not to the office of the President) might have finally been a big enough bit of corruption for the mainstream media to finally take notice.
Of course, no one from the Uniparty in any position of power will take any action to restrain or correct this, so to that extent he's home free. The precedent of endless grift for all minions of the Uniparty was set long ago, and Trump is simply taking it to its logical conclusion. In short, I suspect that many of us here have been taking notice of this. We simply can't do much about it.
However, I've now very deliberately flicked that chip right off off your shoulder. So feel free to prate on about the error of my ways in not being more up-in-arms about it, and argue with whatever strawman you decide to conjure to try to Make Me Hate Him As Much As You Do. I already do, but don't let that stop you- that's your schtick.
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
We simply can't do much about it.
oh, but we can fuss and fume about it. The shadow boxing Dems in Congress have shown the way. Take a picture of yourself "fighting" for democracy and the rule of law. Then gripe out everybody who did not join in the photo shoot for not standing up.
I cried when I wrote this song. Sue me if I play too long.
I'll take it
If the price of getting people here to agree that Trump is clearly taking bribes, is that I'm a total asshole for pointing it out. That's a cost that I'm willing to accept.
First off Trump hasn’t accepted the plane
The justice department is still looking into whether it’s legal for him to do it. It might not happen.
The Trump sons are in Saudi Arabia making deals to expand the Trump empire by building another hotel with his name on it and building a golf course. The right went apeshit when the Hunter Biden deals were exposed and rightly so. However I don’t remember you saying that the Bidens were corrupt and taking bribes. The republicans spent lots of time proving that they were corrupt. I don’t remember you covering that, but my memory is faulty so maybe I missed it. Surely you can show where you did if you did.
Joe Biden threatened Ukraine that unless they fire the prosecutor who was going after Hunter he would not release the $1 billion in aid. He even bragged about it and said, “son of bitch they fired him” which we discussed here numerous times and provided the video. Where were you? Oh that’s right you don’t read what others here write.
Biden, Pelosi, Hillary and many other democrats were taking kickbacks from Ukraine even before the war started. We discussed that too. Did you write about it?
Bush, Clinton, Obama and Biden all set the precedent that Trump is just continuing, but the media didn’t cover it like they do everything Trump does. I posted a link on this a few weeks ago from the black agenda report. I guess you missed that too?
Okay I agree with you that Trump is corrupt. Happy? Does that change anything?
Of course he’s not alone in taking bribes. Big pharma, defense, AIPAC and other Israeli lobbyists and many foreign countries’ lobbyists all bribe congress at every level and yet no one seems to care that government puts donor’s interests above we the people.
Most of congress go to Israel every year to swear fealty and the country just yawns. 8 republicans went to Russia ONCE in 2017 and shitlibs are still saying that the whole Republican Party are beholden to Putin, but it’s apparently okay that almost every member of Congress has an Israeli babysitter to make sure they do Israel’s bidding according to Massie. Yet they’re silent when both parties act like clapping monkeys when Netanyahu comes to town and tells them that they have to authorize war on Iran.
Just like voting for the lesser evil is still voting for evil just because Trump is corrupt doesn’t mean he is more corrupt than the rest of the presidents and most of congress. Why can’t you see that?
Apparently holocaust denial is not an issue anymore. Lots of people are denying the one in Gaza with absolutely no repercussions.
The definition of bribery
involves an act of corruption by giving something of value to a government official in return for an official act to the benefit of the entity paying the bribe.
Problem: it hasn't been accepted.
Problem: The is no evidence Qatar is getting anything in return.
We will not know if this is a gesture of respect until Qatar gets something in return. Only then is it a bribe.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
It may not be bribery
by the usual and accepted definition, but it is proscribed by the Constitution just the same- and that is regardless of the presence or absence of any quid pro quo. From the above link:
If we are truly in a post-Constitutional society, and I regret that we now are, this teensy-tiny little gift will go sailing by without a peep. I'll bet a beer that it will: who has standing to say "Hey, wait a minute!"? Certainly nobody from the dem party- they are waiting for their next turn at the trough... So we will very likely end up flying the bastard around on his new toy at our expense for the rest of his natural life. Hope he can fit his gold toilet into the would-be demigod's private head.
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
The footnotes to that link are incredible!
Designer gowns, a home, money...They are all crooks!
I m both shocked and dismayed! /s
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
It is a good reference
for times such as these.
Bribes can take many forms, and for those persons blessed with a certain lack of moral compass, they are as essential to life as the air we breathe.
Only time will tell if this particular insult, among the many, can generate any traction.
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
Of all things, I was offered a bribe today!
I prepared a will and other estate documents for a man on his death bed. All chats with him were via phone.
He gave everything to a neighbor who had helped him get to drs. and so forth for years, while his only living relative, had ignored him for decades. He sued to set aside the will, I stepped out to be a witness, gave a deposition as to his mental competence, and the lack of coercion. and undue influence. Out of the blue, the nephew called me this afternoon (didn't know who he was when I took the phone call), said he wanted to make an offer that was mutually beneficial to us both. I said no, was hanging up, and he screamed, "If you don't want to benefit, then I will turn you in to the State Bar!"
That, friends, is a bribe if I had taken it.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Ouch.
Just ouch. Be safe out there….
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
Because that's what arab governments do
They give individual people $400 million gifts and ask for nothing in return.
And cynical people like yourselves say this all the time.
I focus on evidence.
There is none. Nothing to do with my disposition. I need proof before an accusation is made.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Let's do this
Because this Justice Department has spent so much time telling Trump "no".
You are right, for a very simple reason - Hunter was never a member of the federal government. As far as I'm concerned he wasn't a partisan cause either way.
Sure, I'll play this game, but according to different rules.
Was this anything like Trump's "perfect phone call", where he blackmailed Ukraine unless they dug up dirt on Biden?
Nope. Did you comment on Trump's selling pardon's for cash?
Yes, I missed that.
Did you comment on Trump selling access through his meme coin scam?
Did you write about how Trump defanged the SEC specifically so he could scam people with his meme coin?
Or maybe you noticed how the first thing Trump did was gut the foreign corrupt practices law, thus leading directly to the Qatar plane bribe.
And while we are it, let's talk about Qatar's former lobbyist - Bondi.
Do you know me? Have you ever read anything I've wrote.
Sigh
Trump is the only president that sold pardons? Were you born yesterday? You think ex presidents get paid high speaking fees because people actually value what they say? Clinton destroyed banking legislation and even though he left the WH broke he was given a sweetheart loan to buy a house. Just out of the bank’s goodness of heart I guess.
Obama didn’t prosecute the banks that destroyed the global economy, but he got high speaking fees and a $65 million book deal for reasons.
So you have no problem with the Trump sons doing deals with the Saudis that will benefit their dad too? You think Hunter worked in a vacuum? Remember when he worked for MBNA while Biden was fulfilling their wish to change bankruptcy laws?
Or that the deals Hunter made with China and Ukraine also put money in Joe Biden’s pocket?
As for the bitcoin thing of course I didn’t write about it. I don’t write about things that I don’t understand.
But nice game of whatever you’re playing. Instead of answering my questions you throw yours at me. Isn’t that something you frown on? Or can’t you? Or just don’t want to?
The plane won’t be ready to use for years, but if you want to get your panties in twist go ahead. I said it was going to be a long 4 years if you focus on everything that outrages you about Trump while you had overlooked Biden’s corruption. Seems I was right. Knock yourself out.
Apparently holocaust denial is not an issue anymore. Lots of people are denying the one in Gaza with absolutely no repercussions.
Double sigh
Not like this. Never before like this. You could click on the link if you wanted to know why.
It's not the same for two reasons: 1) because Trump never cut himself off from his business. 2) because Twump's family had positions in the federal government.
No, but I do know that was years before Biden was in the WH.
Which isn't true.
Trump's memecoin. Slightly different. I wrote about it, but it isn't complicated. It's just selling access to foreign governments. Straight up.
I'm just doing EXACTLY what you are doing. Nothing different.
Not true.
I will.
Sure
Biden was vice president, but that doesn’t count as in the WH in your mind?
Back to only orange man and his family that are bad.
Apparently holocaust denial is not an issue anymore. Lots of people are denying the one in Gaza with absolutely no repercussions.
The bankruptcy bill passed in 2006
Good lord
He still was in the government back when he used Hunter to get the bankruptcy bill passed. But his bribery of Ukraine happened when he was veep. In the White House.
What’s the main reason the video duo don’t like the plane donations?
I’m betting that if Trump accepts the plane it will not be put into use before he leaves office making this whole discussion a snipe hunt.
Apparently holocaust denial is not an issue anymore. Lots of people are denying the one in Gaza with absolutely no repercussions.
That was Hunter
There is zero proof that the money went to the WH.
Duh …
The Qatar plane isn’t going to the White House either. I thought we were talking about the corruption of presidents?
But Biden getting the prosecutor to back off Hunter he got away with his corruption being on the Briana board and keeping the money he got by sending deals with the companies he owned.
This conversation is getting silly. I’m out. You can win the argument that Trump is the most corrupt president in history. No one else comes close.
Apparently holocaust denial is not an issue anymore. Lots of people are denying the one in Gaza with absolutely no repercussions.
Yes, it is
and then to the trump Library.
Didn't you know?
Trump is the only corrupt politician America has ever had. And America is a shining city on a hill -- except for Trump of course. /snark
"The Resistance will be patchwork at first, but we’ll find each other
quickly, a constellation flickering to life.." -- Malcolm Harris
Yeah…
I’m getting that vibe. No matter what we say it’s only orange man bad.
Apparently holocaust denial is not an issue anymore. Lots of people are denying the one in Gaza with absolutely no repercussions.
great post, Snoopy
You can't see anything unless you look.
I cried when I wrote this song. Sue me if I play too long.
Of course it is a Bribe
While nothing about foreign policy is ever out in the open, it is easily deduced through how people act. Our media has never mentioned who funded HTS (Qatar). Or who benefits from them running the show (Qatar). This is why the Jolani (terrorist with a 10,000,000 dollar bounty) is getting sanctions relief and a meeting with the President. He is now Ahmad Shar'a and is a respectable gentleman. That is what the 747 bought.
https://besacenter.org/the-syrian-pipeline-game-how-turkeys-plans-affect...
Nice pipeline going from Qatar, through Saudi, through Syria, to Turkey and Europe. Qatar really needed the sanctions lifted soon as Syria is broke and the money they could smuggle in was only keeping things on life support. Without a legal massive influx of money for Shar'a to pay his troops to keep them loyal, pay government workers, and get basic services back, he will collapse. All the foreign fighters who came for Jihad will not sit by while he cozies up to the West with nothing in return.
The constitutional proscription of such gifts
implies that it is a ethical breach. The statute I think, does the same. There is an appearance of impropriety. The purpose is to avoid corruption, and loss of faith in government.
The statute 5 USC 7342 also implies that receipt of gifts is unethical and improper unless de minimis. The Congress has the power to authorize them, however. I see that the 5.5 billion dollar real estate investment plan that his sons are involved in, exploits a loophole in the statute, which proscribes such influence peddling and self dealing through one's spouse and "dependents," rather than children or family members generally. This is my interpretation anyway.
There is no question that the self dealing is on an unprecedented scale, but obviously this sort of thing has gone on before. It's just on a larger scale here.
A fish rots from the head as they say.
語必忠信 行必正直
Can the acerbic language be toned down a bit?
.
.
I understand the frustration of dealing with this
and many other issues, but at some point, the community
responds better to a less harsh approach.
Cooler heads will prevail.
Zionism is a social disease
My solution is more practical.
gjohnsit should put in some good quality time sniping at gjohnsit.
It's the only way.
Alternate suggestion: let's all write a science-fiction novel, based on Isaac Asimov's The Gods Themselves. But, instead of an infinite source of cheap and clean energy coming from an alternate universe, in our novel the alternate universe supplies an endless amount of political integrity, because in their universe there is no Donald Trump.
"The Resistance will be patchwork at first, but we’ll find each other
quickly, a constellation flickering to life.." -- Malcolm Harris
I chose not to Go Fuck Myself
Respectfully.
Not funny.
n/t
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
I disagree
There is a half a dozen people here that say I'm the problem, eventhough none of them have actually read what I wrote, so they don't even know what I think. Nor do they even care to ask.
I find that to be hilarious.
I do. Boring.
Not funny.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Pssst….did you write about this?
.
We did, but again since you don’t read other essays on this site I’m guessing you missed that too.
Like I said corruption and bribery has been legalized in this country so why bother being surprised when bribery happens in the open?
Apparently holocaust denial is not an issue anymore. Lots of people are denying the one in Gaza with absolutely no repercussions.