What if Donald Trump is in the same boat as Paul Manafort?

[kentuck]

Except that he owes his "creditors" 100 times more than Manafort?

After all, we have never been able to see his tax returns. We have no idea whether he is in debt up to his eyeballs?

It would explain why he is trying to make every dollar he can off the Presidency. It would explain his behavior when he is around Vladimir Putin.

The sad fact is that we don't know what he is worth or how much he might be in debt?

But, this is a possibility we should not overlook.

[Pachamama]

1. Bingo....I believe that is EXACTLY what Trump faces...

[JenniferJuniper]

2. I'd assume this is the case

And I think he'd rather be known as a Russian conspirator than a broke loser.

[dem4decades]

6. Well to his credit he would be the greatest Russian conspirator of all time. For once his bragging

would be true. He'll brag about it, he loves to be the greatest at anything.

[erronis]

27. I pity his cellmates!

(Fortunately the spellchecker caught my "sellmates.&quot

[empedocles]

3. 'a possibility'?

[Squinch]

4. Whatever financial problems he has, the Russians will make him whole. Just like Qatar just

bailed Jarvanka out of their billion dollar 666 Park Avenue debacle.

And the commodity the trump junta is selling for all this largesse is us.

[dalton99a]

5. +1

[dawg day]

37. Why has Qatar bailing Jared out not become a scandal?

I swear, every WEEK there is some horrific event that would have caused mass resignations, indictments, and Congressional hearings in any other administration. And this happens-- Qatar is pretty much forced into lending little Ahole Jared many millions to keep Trump from damaging their country further-- and it vanishes without a blip.

We need more than Manafort. We need a Democratic Congress that will investigate some of this. It's beyond too far. The president's relatives are not just profiting off their posts in the WH, they are corrupting US foreign policy.

[canetoad]

42. I just checked on this

Qatar was making noises about a bailout back in May but it didn't come off. It really looked like a done deal before it failed.

The company that has bought the lease of the office space is Brookfield Asset Management Inc., a Toronto based company.

[Maraya1969]

46. Brookfield is linked to Qatar

https://shugerblog.com/2018/05/21/brookfield-the-fund-saving-kushner-is-linked-to-both-qatar-and-uae/

[canetoad]

47. Thank you Maraya1969

I looked for a link between Brookfield and Qatar and didn't find one. Interesting article.

[democratisphere]

7. drumpf's boat will sink beneath the waves of truth!

[kentuck]

8. That is why it is so important to see the tax returns and financial records of candidates...

...So we do not find ourselves in this kind of crisis.

Congress still hasn't fixed it.

[malaise]

9. Remember when he screamed that followings the money was off limits

He knows why he didn't want Mueller to follow the money. It's why he hasn't released his tax returns all now.

[kentuck]

11. He has bragged that he is the "King of Debt".

He has always been in debt.

[shanny]

15. And yet more recently he started buying property

and paying in cash. Oddly.

[kentuck]

16. Money launderers like to pay in cash.

...and sell at extremely high prices.

[shanny]

17. Yup.

A side point is that it isn't his money.

[Lonestarblue]

24. More money laundering for Russians.

Pay cash for properties, sell at big profit, new clean money made from real estate. The question is, what’s the source of so much cash? Trump licensing deals have been cancelled in Toronto and Panama and probably other places. He hasn’t been able to sell condos in Trump Tower. The organization did not pay its property taxes on time this year, paying late fees. So either Russia is providing the money, or the governments of other countries are in the form of under-the-table bribes. Want to meet with the president to gain a change in foreign policy toward your country? That’ll be $5 million to the Trump Organization please.

[erronis]

29. The kremlin $100 bill printing presses must be going 24x7 now.

Wonder how many suitcases of diplomatic mail need to go through Dulles/JFK airports....

[Laura PourMeADrink]

10. They said at some point manafort became extremely

Cash poor and couldn't borrow. Bet trump couldn't borrow anymore either. They said he oddly switched from his practice of always use other people's money to putting cash into deals instead. Have no idea what all this means but it is curious.

[LiberalBrooke]

12. It means someone gave him money.

[kentuck]

13. One of his sons said they got most of their financing from Russia.

This would help explain the behavior and the lies of Donald J Trump.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

19. Well, went back and re-read story. Trump's switch

From using other people's money to paying cash started back in 2006 with the most cash spent in 2012 and 2014. So not sure if this means anything now. Unless the Russian's actually own part of all the Trump's holdings?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/politics/as-the-king-of-debt-trump-borrowed-to-build-his-empire-then-he-began-spending-hundreds-of-millions-in-cash/2018/05/05/28fe54b4-44c4-11e8-8569-26fda6b404c7_story.html

[Grammy23]

14. He manages to keep all the trappings of great wealth.

Multiple extravagant homes, private planes, lifestyle of the rich and famous. The boobs that follow him with such adoration don’t even think to ask how he maintains the life he lives. They are just dazzled and in awe of what he has. It would never occur to them that it is a lot of smoke and mirrors. His true situation is a lot more precarious than they know.

And what frightens and enrages him most of all is that Mueller will reveal the truth about his finances AND what he was willing to do to maintain the facade on his phony wealth. Treason covers it nicely but it will be a bitter pill for his fans to swallow. Sadly, a significant portion, if not all of them, will resist the truth and tRump will do (and is doing) everything he can to brainwash them to reject the truth.

[malaise]

18. I am convinced that most of his base are fellow

Last edited Sat Aug 4, 2018, 10:30 AM - Edit history (1)

Con men and women. They'd do the same without blinking an eye.

[Kurt V.]

31. my first hand experience

is his base are just like him. racist, egotistical, thin skinned and see every human as a potential mark.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

41. And, probably in debt up to their eyeballs.

Explains some of the fear that is so pervasive in these folks......

[kentuck]

44. I borrowed your quote...

[Laura PourMeADrink]

21. Remember "what about Kansas"..the crux of it was

that the people like trumpsters felt the liberals treated them like they were stupid. And we do. We let "cling to their Bible's and guns" and "deplorables" slip. I know I do...think we are infinitely smarter.

Republican politicians do too...they just have figured out how to manipulate them. Trump treats them like the best and brightest. That's why they like them.

Beto has figured all this out. He doesn't ridicule..but goes to every single red Texas county and treats them with respect and appeals to common interests....why don't we have the best schools in the country? Things like that...playing to their love of Texas and their thoughts that Texas is the best place in the world.

[kentuck]

22. Nobody likes to be called stupid.

That is true.

[smirkymonkey]

23. +1000

I think he is more frightened of being exposed and having his image destroyed than anything else. He has no core, no soul. Without his carefully crafted image he is nothing. He will crumble.

[Grammy23]

40. Exactly. He will do anything including lie, cheat, steal or swindle

To preserve the image/brand he has worked his whole life to build. Did I mention commit treason? He is not above that either.

If and when he is exposed as a fraud, he will fight tooth and nail to stop the exposure. We ain’t seen crazy like he will display. In the end, it will be a sad, pathetic Donald J. tRump that is left in the ashheap of his life. I imagine that a great cheer of relief will be heard around the world. He has it coming.

[dalton99a]

20. Real billionaires don't hustle steaks and scam people using a fake university

and steal from charities:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2017/06/06/how-donald-trump-shifted-kids-cancer-charity-money-into-his-business/
How Donald Trump Shifted Kids-Cancer Charity Money Into His Business

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-funneled-kids-cancer-charity-money-businesses-621927
Trump Funneled Cancer Charity Money to His Businesses, Associates: Report

[Laura PourMeADrink]

28. He's probably the worse billionaire there is. He's

motivated by a sick mind. You raise an interesting point. What motivates the super wealthy to amass more and more wealth. What motivates celebrities to buy more and more mansions? When is enough enough? Suspect it runs the gamut from people like Gates to people like trump and the Kardashians.

Wouldn't you love the have zillions and just spend each day of your life thinking of ways to help people? Reminds me of that movie with Bridget Fonda when she won the lottery and went down to the subway and handed out cash. Can't think of anything that would be more fun.

[Moral Compass]

25. I've argued that he's broke

I’ve posted on a number of sites including Twitter that I believe that he’s broke—as in owes way,way more than his cash flow can support.

The Trump companies own some very expensive real estate that is in some cases we know is losing money (Turnberry).

[leanforward]

26. He is.

I would like to compliment your thought process, because that's my read of the Manafort model related to pRezident dRumpf.

Russian money has been used to prop up his business enterprises/LLCs for years. I would imagine he has done everything that the Prosecutors have shown for Manafort.

So Manafort has/had how many offshore accounts?

[Wounded Bear]

30. It was true in the 70's, it's true now...

follow the money.

[tinrobot]

32. That debt never showed up on Manafort's tax returns.

That's why he is being charged with felony tax evasion.

I would suspect Trump's returns would also qualify as felonies.

[TheCowsCameHome]

33. Launch the torpedos.

[3Hotdogs]

34. What if.....? Take out "What if" and the title of the thread makes perfect sense.

[bucolic_frolic]

35. Barely making monthly payments and trading favors for incremental cash flow

a business run off tax deductions, tax credits, debt, and cash flow. An enterprise so big it can no longer grow. It's about managing red ink.

My guess is this is a strategy born in the early 1900s or 1920s with many participants over the years.

[mysteryowl]

36. I really don't see how trump could be legally clean.

His character and the known egregious acts display but a fraction of what is underneath.

[barbtries]

38. i'm pretty sure he is.

a billionaire in debt only. who never works, just sits at his desk moving money around. it's no wonder he's close to the cracking point.

[Pope George Ringo II]

39. I'm still trying to figure out if this is misdirection, PR, or what, but he's done one thing right.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-obama-salary-donations/

[KY_EnviroGuy]

43. Manafort is a rank amateur compared to tRump.

Mr. Mueller probably has a super computer just to help de-tangle all the threads of corruption, including lots of historical ones.

I seriously think tRump was so stupid it never occurred to him all his hubris and corruption would be exposed to the sunlight if he won the election. We're now seeing his reaction to that and it is not pretty.

........

[kentuck]

45. What a tough job for Mr. Mueller...

It's like investigating the "deep state"...