BREAKING: A senior Deutsche Bank executive who signed off on major Trump loans killed himself in CA

[Roland99]

Link to tweet

BREAKING: A senior Deutsche Bank executive who signed off on major Trump loans killed himself in California last week, authorities say.

[malaise]

1. or was he suicided?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

[mfcorey1]

5. My thoughts too!

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

14. I'm reminded of two things.

First is a bit from the novel Cetaganda, by Lois McMaster Bujold:

“It was suicide, wasn't it?"

"In an involuntary sort of way," said Vorob'yev. "These Cetagandan political suicides can get awfully messy, when the principal won't cooperate."

"Thirty-two stab wounds in the back, worst case of suicide they ever saw?" murmured Ivan, clearly fascinated by the gossip.

"Exactly, my lord.”

The second is an actual historical incident. The French Admiral Villeneuve, who lost the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar, was out of favor with Napoleon because he had lost the battle. About a year later, he was found in a hotel room with six knife wounds to the lungs and one to the heart. The official cause of death was suicide.

[underpants]

15. How did the prisoner die? He fell down.

He fell down?
Yeah, about 38 times.

[malaise]

16. I've heard about some of those

and not from novels

[ck4829]

23. Good question

[jberryhill]

25. So, how corrupt do you believe is the Democratic administration of LA County?

And Dr. Lucas in particular?

Do you believe that he is stupid, a coward, or simply corrupt?

https://mec.lacounty.gov/2018/press-releases/lucas-named-new-l-a-county-medical-examiner-coroner/

Dr. Lucas, 49, has worked for more than 15 years for the County of San Diego, where he first served as deputy medical examiner and then as chief deputy medical examiner. Prior to that, he was a medical examiner in New York City.

Dr. Lucas has distinguished himself as an expert on a range of issues, including illicit drug-related fatalities. During his career, he has personally performed more than 4,000 autopsies.

Do you frequently believe Democratic administrations are corrupt?

[Tipperary]

61. Good question.

I wonder if you will get many replies.

[jberryhill]

62. Unlikely

People don’t like science-based reasoning when it conflicts with their pet knee jerk.

[FM123]

56. I don't know, but I heard that everything donald trump touches dies....

[bobGandolf]

67. Well, that is an interesting question...

got to love this response,

malaise (198,755 posts)
1. or was he suicided?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

[Ilsa]

2. Hanged himself. Very sad, only 55.

I wonder why he was so intent on killing himself? He's the supervisor of the banker who loans to trumps and kushner.

[ck4829]

24. Because he's the supervisor of the banker who loans to trumps and kushner

[Mike 03]

3. Don't know if it's related at all, but...

There is a book coming out in February (see below). Maybe this issue is about to heat up, or explode? Notice the suicide-by-hanging in the book's description.

Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump, and an Epic Trail of Destruction by David Enrich

A searing exposé of the most scandalous bank in the world, including its shadowy ties to Donald Trump’s business empire

On a rainy Sunday in 2014, a senior executive at Deutsche Bank was found hanging in his London apartment. Bill Broeksmit had helped build the 150-year-old financial institution into a global colossus, and his sudden death was a mystery, made more so by the bank’s efforts to deter investigation. Broeksmit, it turned out, was a man who knew too much.

In Dark Towers, award-winning journalist David Enrich reveals the truth about Deutsche Bank and its epic path of devastation. Tracing the bank’s history back to its propping up of a default-prone American developer in the 1880s, helping the Nazis build Auschwitz, and wooing Eastern Bloc authoritarians, he shows how in the 1990s, via a succession of hard-charging executives, Deutsche made a fateful decision to pursue Wall Street riches, often at the expense of ethics and the law.

Soon, the bank was manipulating markets, violating international sanctions to aid terrorist regimes, scamming investors, defrauding regulators, and laundering money for Russian oligarchs. Ever desperate for an American foothold, Deutsche also started doing business with a self-promoting real estate magnate nearly every other bank in the world deemed too dangerous to touch: Donald Trump. Over the next twenty years, Deutsche executives loaned billions to Trump, the Kushner family, and an array of scandal-tarred clients, including convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Dark Towers is the never-before-told saga of how Deutsche Bank became the global face of financial recklessness and criminality—the corporate equivalent of a weapon of mass destruction. It is also the story of a man who was consumed by fear of what he’d seen at the bank—and his son’s obsessive search for the secrets he kept.

https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Towers-Deutsche-Donald-Destruction/dp/0062878816/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Deutsche+bank&qid=1574848089&s=books&sr=1-1

Could be totally unrelated, I know. Just... wondering...

[Roland99]

4. Oh yeah. I think I even posted about that book months ago

Thanks for the reminder!


Edit. I was thinking of Broeksmit

[DeminPennswoods]

40. Have to put that book on my list

IIRC, Enright is the financial editor at the NYT.

[stillcool]

58. reminds me of the BCCI...

Republicans always seem to have major banking scandals when they're at the helm.

[Scarsdale]

6. Strange how anything or anyone

connected to tRump ends up either dead or in prison. More to come, no doubt. He is the personification of pure evil. No wonder the gop admires him so much. He is definitely their kind of guy.

[Grokenstein]

10. Look at me, Donald! It's all for you!

[Norbert]

11. When Hillary 'offed' people it was right wing fake talking points

When people around the orange monster end up dead it borders on reality , if not crossing that border.

[jberryhill]

17. It's the same knee jerk reflexive bullshit either way

It beats thinking.

[wnylib]

19. But it sure is suspicious. Two suicides by hanging

of people with personal or financial knowledge about Trump while he is under investigation. And Trump is known to have "business" connections with Russian oligarchs whose tactics are equivalent to a Russian mafia.

[jberryhill]

20. Suicide is one of the most common causes of death

Do you also find deaths by heart failure suspicious on a regular basis?

This is "Clinton Body Count" bullshit, but with the name changed.

Wait, wait, don't tell me.... the "Clinton Body Count" stuff isn't true, but the exact same idiotic mindset on the other side is true. Is that correct?

[wnylib]

33. How did the expression "on a regular basis" come

into this discussion? You are implying that it is a regular habit with me.

Regular basis? Of course not. And what is the analigy with heart attacks about?

At any rate, I did not give a definitive statement that this was not a suicide. I did say thst the circumstsnces look suspicious. It is not a matter of political favoritism with me, either. There was no reason to be suspicious in the circumstances of deaths the Clintons were outright accused of by political spinmasters, AFAIK.

But Epstein"s death aroused enough concern to be investigated. The death of a supervisor from a bank known for corrupt practices and for giving Trump loans when no one else would, as well as for Russian oligarch money laundering, does contribute to suspicious circumstances.

Suicides do arouse suspicion and investigation if the circumstsnces suggest it could have been staged or the person was under intense pressure or threat. Frequency statistics on suicide do not determine whether investigation should occur. Circumstsnces surrounding it determine thst.

[jberryhill]

36. "whether investigation should occur"

It was investigated by Ryan Benevidez-Parraz and Dr. Chris Young of the LA County coroner's department.

https://mec.lacounty.gov/case-detail/?caseNumber=2019-08698

What, in your opinion, since you have obviously reviewed their report and findings, did they get wrong?

Is it because they work for a Democratic administration that you are inclined to believe they are corrupt or incompetent?

Unless you want to provide a reasoned basis of your rejection of their report (which I'm sure you haven't purchased, but can here: https://mec.lacounty.gov/purchase-case-documents/?caseNumber=2019-08698 ) then this is not an exercise in "investigation" or even critical thinking.

It is mindless reflexive bullshit, which is simply a mirror image of the "Clinton Body Count" mouth-breathing idiocy.

[wnylib]

39. You have provided documentation of the

official record from the ME and investigator. Thank you for that. It is factual.

But you have also added personal commentary in dripping sarcasm that is not factual e.g. suggesting that I would distrust them "because they work for a Democratic administration."

You are correct that I have not purchased the entire report and so have not read it. So your claim that I have rejected it or found something wrong with it is also personal commentary that is dripping sarcasm.

But I stand corrected in the facts of the investigation, and the fact thst I should get more information before opining.

But I reject your self image as someone who sticks to facts and reason in discussions when you throw in sarcastic personal commentary. OTOH, I have been called far worse than "mindless" in my lifetime so I think I will hold up under your scathing opinion.

But I will suggest that you use more diplomatic means of correcting people and disseminating information. Regardless of your personal opinion of individuals, the posters here at DU are on the same team, politically, at least.

[MrsCoffee]

35. Did Hillary surround herself with thugs and criminals?

Have you counted the number of people in Trump’s circle who have pled/been found guilty or are still under investigation? Was Hillary the puppet of brutal dictators? Did she give speeches that incited incidences like Charlottesville? Did she invite Russians into the Oval Office with their phones and cameras? Have you listened to anything Michael Cohen or Trump’s victims say about how Trump threatens people?


It is not the same at all.

[triron]

44. Correct. Isn't this the both-sidism MSM seems to promote?

[jberryhill]

63. Is the coroner corrupt or stupid

Which one?

What makes you more qualified?

[uponit7771]

60. Wouldn't a child abusing, racist crook have people killed like this guy?

[dewsgirl]

27. +1000

[2naSalit]

7. K&R

[jberryhill]

26. Same website has Khashoggi working for "the Jews", so, sure, it must be legit

[gab13by13]

8. Justice Kennedy's son,

better have a good insurance policy.

[bucolic_frolic]

9. The history of Deutsche Bank has gaps

I searched a month ago and couldn't find much pre-1960s and post-WWII. Swiss banks were supposedly where all the banking secrecy was, but this seems under the radar too. Was it Hitler's bank, or did Schacht bank there or use it to stash funds? What happened to funds on deposit at the end of WWII? I think the Wikipedia article said DB did forensics in the 60s, and everything was cleaned up?? Haven't time to look at it more closely this morning. But it is a subject for research. Why were they lending to Trump, and what were the source of the funds? Was Russia using DB at any time before or after the war? Was it used to hide Nazi money like the Swiss banks were rumored to?

My mind goes back to a work of fiction, Robert Ludlum's The Holcroft Covenant where a modern New Yorker inherits billions that his dad a Nazi General dumped in a Swiss Bank. But hey, it's fiction, and Ludlum was a master spinmeister.

[samnsara]

13. i have money in that bank! well its thru my retirement fund but i get statements..

....with Deutsche Bank return address. what must my postwoman think!!?? lol

[blue_moo]

12. "Bowers didn't kill himself"

[ck4829]

22. A possibility

[jimmil]

18. Of course he killed himself...

They found two bullets through the back of his head. Definite suicide....

[ck4829]

21. K&R

[dewsgirl]

28. He was suicided.

[Brother Buzz]

49. Occam's razor might suggest it was a suicide because Bowers knew what was coming down the pike...

and it was going to be career ending UGLY.

Rosemary Vrablic still has the dirt. Now, if Rosemary Vrablic croaks, all bets are off

[getagrip_already]

29. why is it tagged "trigger warning"?

It's almost like the author is using rw terms.....

[exboyfil]

30. If Maddow was like Hannity we would

be hearing for six months how Trump allies killed him.

Maddow is not like Hannity, and those who watch Maddow are not like the critical thinking challenged audience who watches Hannity.

[dewsgirl]

53. Yeah we would.🙄

[getagrip_already]

31. Be very suspicious of this story.....

The only place this story appears is forensicnews.net, which is a political blog site founded earlier this year and has nothing to do with medical forensics.

I couldn't find any other news stories on this death, or even a death notice.

I didn't look that hard, but this guy is real, so since he died a week ago you think it would be well reported given the connection.

[malaise]

32. Good point

Thanks

[jberryhill]

34. People believe any shit fed to them on Twitter

Good luck.

[Roland99]

46. David Enrich, author of Dark Towers....

Link to tweet

[Roland99]

47. Coroner report showing cause of death was Hanging

https://mec.lacounty.gov/case-detail/?caseNumber=2019-08698

[jberryhill]

55. Oh come now, what does a scientist know?

They make decisions based on expertise, facts and evidence.

What match are those corrupt and rank amateurs against the finely tuned sleuths here at DU?

[Roland99]

57. Damned deep state in LA County

[FM123]

54. I just read the story on Daily Kos

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/11/27/1902272/--A-senior-Deutsche-Bank-executive-who-signed-off-on-major-Trump-loans-killed-himself-in-California

[Frustratedlady]

37. Maybe Trump and Kushner were dangerously behind in their payments, which is their history...

He may have taken one chance too many with that pair with the hopes they would come through with their end of the deal.

Just sayin'.



I had an old friend who started his own bank and, against his better judgement and after attempts to talk his friend out of his idea for a new business, gave in and loaned his friend the money. As he predicted, his friend failed and was so embarrassed, he committed suicide.

Shortly after, my friend put a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.

It happens.

Having Trump and Kushner's names tied to this deal would naturally make things look suspicious. Not sure how I stand.

[Johonny]

38. accidentally cut his head off while shaving?

[gibraltar72]

41. That's convenient.

[albacore]

42. Hmmm.... same sort of thing in the recent past, too.

People who work for DB just keep killing themselves.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/30/business/dealbook/deutsche-bank-flew-and-fell-some-paid-a-high-price.html

[uponit7771]

43. Any confirmation on this story other than Forensic News?! Thx in advance

[Roland99]

48. Coroner report

https://mec.lacounty.gov/case-detail/?caseNumber=2019-08698

[UCmeNdc]

45. Witnesses die in America just like Mother Russia. Thanks Trump!

[Kid Berwyn]

64. Boris Berezovsky

UK cops said the oligarch committed “suicide.”

Berezovsky family coroner said, “can’t rule out murder.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/27/boris-berezovsky-inquest-open-verdict-death

[YOHABLO]

50. I'm going to wait this one out since I can't really get a verifiable account.

But it reeks of scandal. Anyone associated with Trump and loaning money has to be a scandal. Lots of connections: Justin Kennedy (former SC Justice Kennedy's son who had a hand in Deutsche Bank loans to Trump) and his father's sudden resignation, replaced by Kavanaugh, Trump's need for the loans to keep his ''empire'' alive etc. the implications of Russian money laundering. Now this. I'm trying to see where it all will lead. Maybe someone will connect the dots.

[Roland99]

51. What's more verifiable than the actual Los Angeles County coroner report?

[USALiberal]

59. Here

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/11/27/1902272/--A-senior-Deutsche-Bank-executive-who-signed-off-on-major-Trump-loans-killed-himself-in-California

[YOHABLO]

65. Just wanted to say thank you for the info. I hope we get more details soon.

[FM123]

52. Wow.

According to the article, he was going to be called before Congress regarding Trump’s relationship with the bank.

[smirkymonkey]

66. +1000

Now that is interesting. Too bad we will never know what he would have had to say.

[Roland99]

68. UPDATE... I'm gonna go with personal issues.

Link to tweet

Local Malibu adds detail on Tom Bowers' suicide.

"Bowers...was widowed in 2017, and reportedly became engaged this summer to a longtime Malibu local he had known since childhood...the two broke up shortly before Bowers committed suicide."

[cwydro]

69. Sometimes things are just what they seem.

As was pointed out in the thread earlier - suicide is a common form of death.

Sad, but true.