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We're starting to see the scale of Trump's personal corruption -- and it's massive
This article is probably the subject of a thread elsewhere at DU, but I can't find it now.
We're starting to see the scale of Trump's personal corruption — and it's massive
Mandatory stops at Trump resorts are the tip of the iceberg. This president has been "wetting his beak" all along
HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
SEPTEMBER 9, 2019 1:20PM (UTC)
....
Last Friday, Politico reported that the House has been investigating a strange incident in which the Air Force made an unusual refueling stop at a small government-owned airport in Scotland that just happened to be next to Trump's failing golf course in Turnberry. The crew was befuddled at the order, and even more so when they ended up at Trump's pricey club, feeling out of place and without enough per-diem money to buy food and drink. It was, to say the least, unexpected.
....
The reporting shows that many millions of dollars were spent since 2017 at this out-of-the way little airport, and more than just those airmen were shuttled to Turnberry to funnel government money into Trump's pocket. The Guardian reported that that the airport gives complimentary rounds of golf and discounted rooms to some of the military personnel who stay at Turnberry, which suggests this is an orchestrated racket.
It's highly unlikely that Trump would have directly given an order to do this. As Mike Pence's spokesman said when the veep was criticized for staying at Trump's Doonbeg resort on his recent trip to Ireland, it's more like the president just "suggests" it. More likely people just know that pleasing Trump by putting money in his pocket is smart politics. He does love money.
It may be that this is not technically illegal. But it certainly appears to be massively unethical, especially if what the Guardian reports about the Scottish government's involvement turns out to be true:
The Scottish government knew all about this, apparently, clear back to Trump's presidential campaign. If anyone still cared about the Constitution, that emoluments clause would clearly be in play here. From the looks of it, that clause is only in effect for presidents who take bags of cash in a paper bag from a foreign potentate. Other than that it's no longer operative, and presidents are now allowed to take as much money from foreign governments as can be channeled into the businesses they refused to divest from when they became president. If the next Republican president isn't already a businessman, he'll have to set up some pass-through corporations so that he too can legally receive bribes from foreign governments.
....
Mandatory stops at Trump resorts are the tip of the iceberg. This president has been "wetting his beak" all along
HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
SEPTEMBER 9, 2019 1:20PM (UTC)
....
Last Friday, Politico reported that the House has been investigating a strange incident in which the Air Force made an unusual refueling stop at a small government-owned airport in Scotland that just happened to be next to Trump's failing golf course in Turnberry. The crew was befuddled at the order, and even more so when they ended up at Trump's pricey club, feeling out of place and without enough per-diem money to buy food and drink. It was, to say the least, unexpected.
....
The reporting shows that many millions of dollars were spent since 2017 at this out-of-the way little airport, and more than just those airmen were shuttled to Turnberry to funnel government money into Trump's pocket. The Guardian reported that that the airport gives complimentary rounds of golf and discounted rooms to some of the military personnel who stay at Turnberry, which suggests this is an orchestrated racket.
It's highly unlikely that Trump would have directly given an order to do this. As Mike Pence's spokesman said when the veep was criticized for staying at Trump's Doonbeg resort on his recent trip to Ireland, it's more like the president just "suggests" it. More likely people just know that pleasing Trump by putting money in his pocket is smart politics. He does love money.
It may be that this is not technically illegal. But it certainly appears to be massively unethical, especially if what the Guardian reports about the Scottish government's involvement turns out to be true:
An investigation by the Guardian has revealed Glasgow Prestwick airport is a base for live missions by the US Air Force, while its executives have highlighted its close relations with President Trump’s nearby resort at Turnberry to promote its bid to become a spaceport backed by the US government.
The Scottish government knew all about this, apparently, clear back to Trump's presidential campaign. If anyone still cared about the Constitution, that emoluments clause would clearly be in play here. From the looks of it, that clause is only in effect for presidents who take bags of cash in a paper bag from a foreign potentate. Other than that it's no longer operative, and presidents are now allowed to take as much money from foreign governments as can be channeled into the businesses they refused to divest from when they became president. If the next Republican president isn't already a businessman, he'll have to set up some pass-through corporations so that he too can legally receive bribes from foreign governments.
....
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