Matt Blaze2d ago

So Trump (president) has settled with Trump (citizen) for a $ 1.7 billion slush fund he can dole out to his friends and supporters plus a permanent get out of jail (and audits) free card from the IRS.

One of those two must be a very good negotiator. The other one, not so much,.

Show threadDave Wilburn 1d ago

@mattblaze

I don't know what, short of impeachment and removal, any of us can do to stop it.

I know I'm reaching here, but maybe someone with standing (who?) could file suit to have the courts intervene, maybe under the theory that this is an end-run around Congress's power of the purse, and that this kind of settlement paying taxpayer money out of the Judgment Fund to the president's allies is best seen as an unconstitutional bypass of congressional appropriations?

Show threadDave Wilburn 1d ago

@mattblaze

This is apparently the DOJ memo from acting AG (and former Trump personal attorney) Todd Blanche establishing the Anti-Weaponization Fund and directing that it be drawn from the Judgment Fund.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1441086/dl?inline

Show threadMatt Blaze1d ago
@DaveMWilburn Because this is all perfectly legal and normal, they had to include paragraphs G and H, which explain how all this is perfectly legal and normal, just in case the reader didn't see how perfectly legal and normal all this is.
Show threadMatt Blaze
@DaveMWilburn One thing I'm curious about is how large a kickback recipients of the fund payments will have to send back to Trump. 40% seems fair, but I'm not sure what the going rate is these days.
May 19 at 9:03pmWeb
Show threadLeon P Smith1d ago
@mattblaze @DaveMWilburn 40% is likely very low compared to what Trump will be demanding.
Show threadLog 🪵1d ago

@mattblaze @DaveMWilburn Apple got 30% on App Store purchases. Is he greedier than AAPL?

Right, so that'd be the lower bound.

Show threadGerrit 🇪🇺🌍🍉🔻1d ago

@mattblaze @DaveMWilburn

If you have to ask, you are not paying back enough. 🫠

Show threadThomas Lee ✅ 1d ago

@mattblaze @DaveMWilburn what? You mean they keep 40%??

That seems ge aroused of Trump.

Show threadTodd Knarr1d ago

@mattblaze @DaveMWilburn 120%

This is Trump. Do you think he does anything without making a profit?

Show threadRich Stein (he/him)1d ago

@mattblaze @DaveMWilburn
In past international economic work we used to use ~50% as the cost of corruption/grift for any projects to be completed in so-called "banana republics."

Welcome to the crowd??

Show threadarceuthobium1d ago
@mattblaze @DaveMWilburn I’m thinking the deal is Trump keeps all of it.
Show threadHankB1d ago

@mattblaze @DaveMWilburn

I'm curious if there will be anything left to distribute once Trump has claimed his share.

Show threadcurtosis1d ago

@mattblaze I think it was in Federalist 70 that Hamilton wrote “this being established, why shouldn’t the Executive wet his beak?”

@DaveMWilburn

Show threadAccordionBruce1d ago

@mattblaze @DaveMWilburn @inthehands
Here’s hoping someone (like Epstine) keeps receipts which can be used later to track them all down for future tax-evasion at least

Should be enough to throw them all back in hypothetical prison if our country ever gets the guts to jail rich people as much as its thrilled to jail the poor