Traitor Watch - The 45 & 47 Thread

[The Mighty Mollusk]

Bet he thinks they can't go after him if he's not with the company anymore. Except they can still go after him for whatever he did while he was with it.

Of course, at this point I've long since given up any hope of seeing him actually face any comeuppance, but.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

NYT has more details.

Mr. Orlando had been discussing a deal with Mr. Trump since at least March, according to people familiar with the talks and a confidential investor presentation reviewed by The New York Times. That was well before his SPAC, Digital World Acquisition, made its debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange last month. In doing so, Mr. Orlando’s SPAC may have skirted securities laws and stock exchange rules, lawyers said.

It isn’t clear how Mr. Orlando initially connected with Mr. Trump, but the two Florida men enjoyed a strong personal rapport, according to a person who spent time with them. By the time they started working together in the winter of 2021, Mr. Orlando already had three SPACs trading on U.S. stock exchanges.

By March, Mr. Orlando and Mr. Trump were discussing a merger of Trump Media and Benessere, according to people with knowledge of the talks who were not authorized to discuss it publicly.

At some point, Benessere’s attractiveness as a financing vehicle for Mr. Trump’s venture faded, in part because its roughly $100 million war chest was considered inadequate, according to a person briefed on the matter. (Benessere is still looking for a company to buy.)

But Mr. Orlando had another, bigger SPAC that was preparing for liftoff. In May, Digital World announced plans for an I.P.O. Like Benessere, Digital World was created with the help of ARC.

Securities lawyers said that any conversations between Mr. Orlando’s and Mr. Trump’s teams anytime before the I.P.O. in September might constitute an indirect discussion of a potential deal and so would have needed to be disclosed.

Some bankers said they disagreed with that interpretation. They argued that Mr. Orlando having discussed a deal between Benessere and Trump Media wasn’t the same as him discussing a deal on behalf of Digital World. As a result, they said, Digital World wasn’t obligated to disclose Mr. Orlando’s prior talks.

Trump’s $300 Million SPAC Deal May Have Skirted Securities Laws

The former president began discussing a deal with a ‘blank check’ company early this year. Investors weren’t told.

www.nytimes.com

So it sounds like what the subpoenas are looking for is any paper trail showing Digital World definitely chose Trump Media as a target before going public. If all they have are the old Benessere talks it's not clear that the rules were broken, and it is not clear what the liability for Trump would be anyway, other than tanking the value of his company.

The more interesting part is that Trump left before the subpoenas. So did someone in the SEC tip him off that the subpoenas were coming?

 

[Paladin]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1548828749176741893

Yeah. Imagine...

 

[CoffeeHorse]

I got an email saying he wants to hold another rally.

In DC.

Do you think they'll give him a permit?

 

[KidTDragon]

I'd rather they give him a subpoena.

 

[wonko the sane?]

Por que pas dos?

Let's be real here: UNTIL he's actually found guilty of something, they have no real reason to deny him a permit. And since he's right there in DC anyway, it would be a laugh ******* riot if they served him right there, on stage, on camera.

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

Would be a good opportunity to actually round the bastard up. Not that I have any realistic hope of seeing him face anything resembling consequences, but.

 

[Paladin]

hey; if ANYBODY knows...

Joe Rogan Calls Trump a Drugged-Out ‘Man Baby’

The mega-popular podcaster laughed at Trump’s inability to focus on anything but himself in his latest episode.

www.thedailybeast.com

 

[Ironbite4]

Oh he's losing Rogan.

Ironbite-that's...not good

 

[Wheelimus]

Let their mobs fight.

*gets popcorn*

 

[wonko the sane?]

Y'all realize this all just so that desantis can become new trump, right?

 

[Ungnome]

Hopefully deSantis meets an untimely end when an alligator wanders onto the governor's mansion's grounds.

 

[NovaSaber]

Trump Tells Team He Needs to Be President Again to Save Himself from Criminal Probes

When Donald Trump formally declares he's running for president in 2024, he’ll also be running away from legal troubles and criminal charges

www.rollingstone.com

In recent months, Trump has made clear to associates that the legal protections of occupying the Oval Office are front-of-mind for him, four people with knowledge of the situation tell Rolling Stone.

Trump has “spoken about how when you are the president of the United States, it is tough for politically motivated prosecutors to ‘get to you,” says one of the sources, who has discussed the issue with Trump this summer.

 

[NovaSaber]

 

[Steevy Maximus]

My mother is pushing me to watch the Primetime January 6 hearing. but I only have it on the side. It's just affirming everyone I knew or suspected, and the people who NEED to hear this will either not watch or scoff at whatever is aired anyway.

 

[wonko the sane?]

Literally what I have been saying. While it IS making some of the less lost in the cult maga folks actually question some jive: it's largely political masturbation for the democrats and the few actual non-trumpist conservatives left. The vast majority are either not watching or taking it all in by way of fox news where they're just making fun.

 

[Pocket]

Tonight's hearing was pretty anticlimactic. They kept pushing the idea of "dereliction of duty", which, no matter what you might think about it, is a lot of steps down from "treason". It's almost like they're trying to send a message to the DOJ that well, actually, what he did really isn't worth prosecuting over since he's already lost the job he failed to do properly.

 

[Pocket]

There is one possible upside to continuing to drag our feet on this: If Trump continues to believe running is the only way to avoid prison (or worse), he'll have no choice but to run in 2024, even if he loses the primary to DeSantis. And he'll go hard. Hard enough that even if public sentiment in his own party continues to sour on him, he's guaranteed to split the vote and give Biden the win.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

I don't expect DeSantis to challenge Trump in 2024. He's young enough that he can afford to wait his turn.

 

[Rust]

If a member of the Republicult wins in 2024, there wont be a "turn" to wait. It'll be Game Over for term limits, and thereby free and fair elections, ever after.

If DeSantis wants it (and he does) he's gotta seize it now.