Oldbear83 said:

---

Bitter and deluded, you are.

Much you will resent next year's election.

---

There are a lot of stupid people who vote poorly. We know this from our corrupt President in the White House.

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Oldbear83 said:

---

Bitter and deluded, you are.

Much you will resent next year's election.

---

There are a lot of stupid people who vote poorly. We know this from our corrupt President in the White House.

---

Where is the corruption?

Doc Holliday said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Oldbear83 said:

---

Bitter and deluded, you are.

Much you will resent next year's election.

---

There are a lot of stupid people who vote poorly. We know this from our corrupt President in the White House.

---

Where is the corruption?

---

Are you serious?

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Oldbear83 said:

---

Bitter and deluded, you are.

Much you will resent next year's election.

---

There are a lot of stupid people who vote poorly. We know this from our corrupt President in the White House.

---

Hillary lost, thought you knew that?

Iraqi sheikh who has been pressing the White House and the State Department to take more aggressive steps to overthrow the government of Iran recently "checked into the Trump International Hotel in Washington and spent 26 nights in a suite on the eighth floor a visit estimated to have cost tens of thousands of dollars."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/a-wealthy-iraqi-sheikh-who-urges-a-hard-line-us-approach-to-iran-spent-26-nights-at-trumps-dc-hotel/2019/06/06/3ea74c5e-7bf9-11e9-a66c-d36e482aa873_story.html?utm_term=.ed0ef765b285

• ProPublica reports that the payday loan industry, which was desperate to shelve a rule developed during the Obama administration that would make it harder for them to exploit desperate poor people by making them even more desperate and poor, has for the last two years held its annual meeting at the Trump National Doral golf course, at a tab of around $1 million. The rule they were so worried about is now in limbo, no longer a threat for the moment.
• The president has made a point of visiting his properties as often as possible and at significant government expense. Politico reports that these visits seem to produce higher revenue for the properties, likely from the attendant publicity. On his way back from a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day, Trump is making a detour to visit the money pit of a golf course he owns in Ireland.
• The 2020 Trump campaign is maintaining expensive office space in the struggling Trump Tower, meaning that when you donate to get him reelected, part of the money literally goes in the president's bank account.
• Likewise, the Republican Party and GOP candidates have booked millions of dollars worth of events at Trump properties since he became president, because the best way to show your loyalty to him is to let him wet his beak. So if you donate to the party or another candidate, it's a fair bet you put money in Trump's pocket.
• The State Department has allowed seven foreign countries to rent luxury condos at another of Trump's buildings in New York. I suspect the president is well aware of who they are.
• While T-Mobile was awaiting government approval of a merger with Sprint, its executives spent nearly $200,000 at Trump's Washington hotel.
• Attorney General William P. Barr, in the ultimate show of loyalty to the president, very publicly had a meal at Trump's hotel, thereby slipping him some cash.

And that's just this at his properties this year.

https://www.vox.com/2019/2/5/18211600/trump-inauguration-investigation-subpoena-sdny

Quote:

---

President Trump's inaugural committee received a sweeping subpoena from the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York meaning criminal investigations into the inauguration's money are heating up.
The scope of documents requested in the subpoena and potential crimes investigators are probing are both remarkable investigating everything from false statements to money laundering. Investigators are said to be interested in the inaugural committee's spending, its donations, whether any donations came from illegal foreign sources, and potential corruption involving favors for donors.
Since last year, there have been reports that special counsel Robert Mueller was investigating potential foreign donations to the inaugural committee. But in December, news broke that federal prosecutors in New York were overseeing a broader probe into the inauguration and its money.
Trump's inaugural committee raised a truly astonishing $106.7 million, double the previous record set by Barack Obama's 2009 inaugural, and there have long been many questions about where that money came from, and where it went.
Rick Gates, the former Trump campaign aide who helped run the inaugural committee and struck a plea deal with Mueller in February, has also been cooperating with SDNY prosecutors, per the Wall Street Journal. Michael Cohen, who helped fundraise for the inaugural, is another major figure, though it's not entirely clear whether he's helping out with the investigation or whether he's a target of it.
What the subpoena demanded from Trump's inaugural committee
The Wall Street Journal reports that the documents the government is demanding from the inaugural committee include:

• "All documents related to the committee's donors and vendors"
• All records related to "benefits" provided to donors
• Documents related to the financier Imaad Zuberi and his company Avenue Ventures LLC. (He is the only donor specifically named in the subpoena. The Daily Beast has previously reported on Zuberi's connections to Michael Cohen.)
• Documents related to donations "made by or on behalf of foreign nationals," including communications about possible donations from foreign individuals
• Documents related to "donations or payments made by donors directly to contractors and/or vendors." (The Journal reports that there was some discussion on the inaugural committee about having donors pay vendors for the inauguration directly which could violate disclosure laws.)
• The New York Times reports that the subpoena also asks for documents about Stripe, a startup that processes credit card payments, for which Jared Kushner's brother is an investor.

Meanwhile, CNN reports that the subpoena specifically names several different offenses that investigators are probing:

• Conspiracy against the United States
• False statements
• Mail fraud
• Wire fraud
• Money laundering
• Inaugural committee disclosure violations
• "Violations of laws prohibiting contributions by foreign nations and contributions in the name of another person, also known as straw donors."

What we know about the investigations into Trump's inauguration
Three Justice Department offices have reportedly been investigating aspects of Trump's inauguration.

1) Special counsel Robert Mueller: Between April and June of last year, both CNN and ABC News reported that Mueller's team was questioning witnesses about potential foreign donations to the Trump inaugural specifically, about "donors with connections to Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar," per ABC.
It is unclear if Mueller is still investigating this, and he may have since referred some or all of it to another Justice Department office.
2) SDNY US Attorney's Office: In April, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York had Michael Cohen's residence and office raided for documents. SDNY's current probe into the Trump inauguration grew out of this investigation and raid and is being led by the public corruption unit, per the Wall Street Journal.
SDNY sent the subpoena to the inaugural committee this week, and appears to be leading the investigation.
3) EDNY US Attorney's Office: To complicate matters further, New York Times reportedthat the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York "is separately investigating whether inaugural officials helped foreigners illegally funnel donations to Mr. Trump's inaugural committee using so-called straw donors to disguise their donations."
Rick Gates and Michael Cohen are key figures
The inaugural committee was chaired by billionaire real estate investor Tom Barrack, a longtime close friend of Trump. But according to reports at the time, Barrack turned to Rick Gates Paul Manafort's right-hand man, who remained on the Trump campaign after Manafort was fired to handle much of the fundraising and planning work.
Eventually, Mueller indicted Gates for financial and lobbying crimes connected to his work with Manafort. And in February 2018, Gates cut a deal pleading guilty and pledging his full cooperation with the government. This cooperation has reportedly included providing information about the Trump inauguration.
Another key figure is Michael Cohen, who also cut a plea deal with prosecutors but his role in the investigation may be somewhat different.
Cohen pleaded guilty to financial and campaign finance violations brought by SDNY in August, and to lying to Congress related to the Russia investigation in November, but he never committed to cooperate with the government.
Instead, Cohen said he would voluntarily provide information, rather than committing to testify accurately about any crimes he might know about. This became a sticking point during his sentencing; Mueller's office said they found Cohen's information useful, but SDNY chided him for not fully committing to cooperate.
And notably, Imaad Zuberi the only inaugural donor mentioned in the subpoena by name discussed his inaugural contributions with Cohen and talked with him about business afterward. So it's not entirely clear whether Cohen is helping out with this investigation of the inauguration or whether he's a target of it.

---

Then there's the obstruction of justice (so much of it).

And that's just SOME of his stuff.

Then we can start talking about his cabinet, if you want.

Chao created special path for McConnell's favored projects

A top Transportation official helped coordinate grant applications by McConnell's political allies
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/10/mcconnell-elaine-chao-1358068

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Doc Holliday said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Oldbear83 said:

---

Bitter and deluded, you are.

Much you will resent next year's election.

---

There are a lot of stupid people who vote poorly. We know this from our corrupt President in the White House.

---

Where is the corruption?

---

Are you serious?

---

Show me.

So BBL can find bad things said about Trump from leftist websites.

Does that mean Hannity or Limbaugh are valid for retorts?

Please child, grow up and change your diapers.

Oldbear83 said:

---

So BBL can find bad things said about Trump from leftist websites.

Does that mean Hannity or Limbaugh are valid for retorts?

Please child, grow up and change your diapers.

---

TDS is a very serious mental disorder and I fear there is no cure for it.

BrooksBearLives said:

---

riflebear said:

---

---

The Mexican National guard doesn't exist yet, LOL.

Every single thing in this "agreement" was already agreed to months ago.

This is an absolute joke. You're kidding with all this, right?

Trump got played again. And all of his supporters are just going along with it.

---

LOL - I'm glad we have someone on this board who is in this administration and was able to sit in on these negotiations and help negotiate this awful deal. Thanks for giving us this secret inside info that you know better than all the people in the state dept and who negotiated the deal. I guess you missed the part where their Foreign Minister said this. Do you Cinque SchMUCK 47 Tommie and others get together every morning and draw straws on who will post the most false stories or commentary?

Mexico will deploy its national guard to its southern border with Guatemala, the Mexican foreign minister said on Thursday, as part of the country's bid to stem Central American migration that has drawn U.S. President Donald Trump's ire.

"We have explained that there are 6,000 men and that they will be deployed there," Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told reporters in televised remarks as he left a meeting with U.S. officials in Washington.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-mexico-southernborder/mexico-foreign-minister-says-national-guard-to-deploy-to-southern-border-idUSKCN1T7318

Doc Holliday said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Doc Holliday said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Oldbear83 said:

---

Bitter and deluded, you are.

Much you will resent next year's election.

---

There are a lot of stupid people who vote poorly. We know this from our corrupt President in the White House.

---

Where is the corruption?

---

Are you serious?

---

Show me.

---

^^^ Awe Doc, you made little BBL disappear again

riflebear said:

---

---

^^^ Notice how he often uses U.S. or United States of America?

He does it on purpose to drive globalist democrats insane

And it does too!

Florda_mike said:

---

Doc Holliday said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Doc Holliday said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Oldbear83 said:

---

Bitter and deluded, you are.

Much you will resent next year's election.

---

There are a lot of stupid people who vote poorly. We know this from our corrupt President in the White House.

---

Where is the corruption?

---

Are you serious?

---

Show me.

---

^^^ Awe Doc, you made little BBL disappear again

---

If they can't put up, they usually shut up.

Oldbear83 said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

GolemIII said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

Oldbear83 said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

"Okay Mexico, you either stem the flow of illegal immigrants or I am going to tax the Hell out of the American people so all of your stuff is more expensive!!!"

Actually, DOC, the American people are winners with NO tariffs.

---

RD2's grandad, June 6 1944:

"This invasion is just crazy. It's going to kill lots of Americans and cost I don't know how much in money we could be using for jobs in the US!"

---

Interesting that you think hating tariffs is un-American. You missed my point. You don't beat the crap out of the cat when the dog poops on the living room floor.

Once again, tariffs are a tax on the American people and American companies. I do not like them. You do. We will once again agree to disagree.

---

The argument against tariffs (as applied by Trump) is similar to the argument against enhanced interrogation. The naysayers claim the latter doesn't work because it only yields false confessions...when it's not confessions it's intended to yield, but actionable intelligence. The former is denigrated because long term use of tariffs under the guise of protectionism is bad (and it is) but that's not what short term targeted tariffs are being used for.

The tariffs you hate are straw men. Trump uses them to hurt foreign opponents in the short run and, like it or not, they work extraordinarily well in the short run for that purpose.

---

After the Trump administration, our elected politicians will have a new weapon. They can just package and present new taxes as "tariffs". Americans hate taxes. They cost George H. Bush his second term for President. New tariffs are a sure fire way to increase tax revenue since most everybody,(even Republicans) seem to just love them.

---

Debbie Downer, ladies and gentlemen. She will be here posting as RD2 through January 2025.

---

The name is Jim, not Debbie. Yes, God willing I will be posting here in January of 2025. Once again, it is not a requirement to worship every single decision of Donald Trump to support him. I think overall, he has done a good job as President. That being said, tariffs still suck.

Florda_mike said:

---

As a result of past catches of Cinque socks, I now find myself questioning newfound anti-Trumpers on this site and others

Right now I'm questioning Aliceinbubble and RD2

It might be wrong but we're dealing with a lowlife in this
Cinque/Jinx/Quash/etc character

---

C'MON MANNNNN!!!!!!!!!. I am a pretty conservative dude, Mike. I am not anti-Trump. I am anti-tariff. I held my nose and voted for him in 2016 and the way things are shaping up I will more than likely vote for him again in 2020. To lump me in with the Looney Tune Liberal bunch hurts my feelings.

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

Florda_mike said:

---

As a result of past catches of Cinque socks, I now find myself questioning newfound anti-Trumpers on this site and others

Right now I'm questioning Aliceinbubble and RD2

It might be wrong but we're dealing with a lowlife in this
Cinque/Jinx/Quash/etc character

---

C'MON MANNNNN!!!!!!!!!. I am a pretty conservative dude, Mike. I am not anti-Trump. I am anti-tariff. I held my nose and voted for him in 2016 and the way things are shaping up I will more than likely vote for him again in 2020. To lump me in with the Looney Tune Liberal bunch hurts my feelings.

---

I agree - RD2 is cool and tells it how it is. I don't like Tariffs either but if that's our last resort to help turn around this illegal immigrant crisis then might as well try it because we know the Dems have done a complete 180 on the issue and will do nothing to fix it.

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

Florda_mike said:

---

As a result of past catches of Cinque socks, I now find myself questioning newfound anti-Trumpers on this site and others

Right now I'm questioning Aliceinbubble and RD2

It might be wrong but we're dealing with a lowlife in this
Cinque/Jinx/Quash/etc character

---

C'MON MANNNNN!!!!!!!!!. I am a pretty conservative dude, Mike. I am not anti-Trump. I am anti-tariff. I held my nose and voted for him in 2016 and the way things are shaping up I will more than likely vote for him again in 2020. To lump me in with the Looney Tune Liberal bunch hurts my feelings.

---

Tariffs weren't the goal.

Leverage was the goal and it worked.

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

Oldbear83 said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

GolemIII said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

Oldbear83 said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

"Okay Mexico, you either stem the flow of illegal immigrants or I am going to tax the Hell out of the American people so all of your stuff is more expensive!!!"

Actually, DOC, the American people are winners with NO tariffs.

---

RD2's grandad, June 6 1944:

"This invasion is just crazy. It's going to kill lots of Americans and cost I don't know how much in money we could be using for jobs in the US!"

---

Interesting that you think hating tariffs is un-American. You missed my point. You don't beat the crap out of the cat when the dog poops on the living room floor.

Once again, tariffs are a tax on the American people and American companies. I do not like them. You do. We will once again agree to disagree.

---

The argument against tariffs (as applied by Trump) is similar to the argument against enhanced interrogation. The naysayers claim the latter doesn't work because it only yields false confessions...when it's not confessions it's intended to yield, but actionable intelligence. The former is denigrated because long term use of tariffs under the guise of protectionism is bad (and it is) but that's not what short term targeted tariffs are being used for.

The tariffs you hate are straw men. Trump uses them to hurt foreign opponents in the short run and, like it or not, they work extraordinarily well in the short run for that purpose.

---

After the Trump administration, our elected politicians will have a new weapon. They can just package and present new taxes as "tariffs". Americans hate taxes. They cost George H. Bush his second term for President. New tariffs are a sure fire way to increase tax revenue since most everybody,(even Republicans) seem to just love them.

---

Debbie Downer, ladies and gentlemen. She will be here posting as RD2 through January 2025.

---

The name is Jim, not Debbie. Yes, God willing I will be posting here in January of 2025. Once again, it is not a requirement to worship every single decision of Donald Trump to support him. I think overall, he has done a good job as President. That being said, tariffs still suck.

---

You remind me of the student in Tax Law who disputed what the professor said in an early lecture. His argument was that it was not reasonable. The professor explained that he was quoting from the IRS tax code, to which the student said it was still wrong.

No one like tariffs, but they are in this case necessary. This was explained long ago and you are still throwing a tantrum about them, simply because you don't like them.

We understand you do not like tariffs. That was never the point.

Hence, you remain 'Debbie Downer' because of your continuing wail against reality on this point.

Oldbear83 said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

Oldbear83 said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

GolemIII said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

Oldbear83 said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

"Okay Mexico, you either stem the flow of illegal immigrants or I am going to tax the Hell out of the American people so all of your stuff is more expensive!!!"

Actually, DOC, the American people are winners with NO tariffs.

---

RD2's grandad, June 6 1944:

"This invasion is just crazy. It's going to kill lots of Americans and cost I don't know how much in money we could be using for jobs in the US!"

---

Interesting that you think hating tariffs is un-American. You missed my point. You don't beat the crap out of the cat when the dog poops on the living room floor.

Once again, tariffs are a tax on the American people and American companies. I do not like them. You do. We will once again agree to disagree.

---

The argument against tariffs (as applied by Trump) is similar to the argument against enhanced interrogation. The naysayers claim the latter doesn't work because it only yields false confessions...when it's not confessions it's intended to yield, but actionable intelligence. The former is denigrated because long term use of tariffs under the guise of protectionism is bad (and it is) but that's not what short term targeted tariffs are being used for.

The tariffs you hate are straw men. Trump uses them to hurt foreign opponents in the short run and, like it or not, they work extraordinarily well in the short run for that purpose.

---

After the Trump administration, our elected politicians will have a new weapon. They can just package and present new taxes as "tariffs". Americans hate taxes. They cost George H. Bush his second term for President. New tariffs are a sure fire way to increase tax revenue since most everybody,(even Republicans) seem to just love them.

---

Debbie Downer, ladies and gentlemen. She will be here posting as RD2 through January 2025.

---

The name is Jim, not Debbie. Yes, God willing I will be posting here in January of 2025. Once again, it is not a requirement to worship every single decision of Donald Trump to support him. I think overall, he has done a good job as President. That being said, tariffs still suck.

---

You remind me of the student in Tax Law who disputed what the professor said in an early lecture. His argument was that it was not reasonable. The professor explained that he was quoting from the IRS tax code, to which the student said it was still wrong.

No one like tariffs, but they are in this case necessary. This was explained long ago and you are still throwing a tantrum about them, simply because you don't like them.

We understand you do not like tariffs. That was never the point.

Hence, you remain 'Debbie Downer' because of your continuing wail against reality on this point.

---

You and I are obviously still in the get to know each other process, OldBear. Yes, I am very pleased with the end result. I tip my hat to President Trump for getting it done. I must say I also agree the student in tax law that the current IRS tax code SUCKS. So there you have it. Tariffs suck and the current IRS tax code sucks!

No temper tantrums or Debbie Downer here. 100 years from now, none of this will matter. For the record, I enjoy the discussion.

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

Oldbear83 said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

Oldbear83 said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

GolemIII said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

Oldbear83 said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

"Okay Mexico, you either stem the flow of illegal immigrants or I am going to tax the Hell out of the American people so all of your stuff is more expensive!!!"

Actually, DOC, the American people are winners with NO tariffs.

---

RD2's grandad, June 6 1944:

"This invasion is just crazy. It's going to kill lots of Americans and cost I don't know how much in money we could be using for jobs in the US!"

---

Interesting that you think hating tariffs is un-American. You missed my point. You don't beat the crap out of the cat when the dog poops on the living room floor.

Once again, tariffs are a tax on the American people and American companies. I do not like them. You do. We will once again agree to disagree.

---

The argument against tariffs (as applied by Trump) is similar to the argument against enhanced interrogation. The naysayers claim the latter doesn't work because it only yields false confessions...when it's not confessions it's intended to yield, but actionable intelligence. The former is denigrated because long term use of tariffs under the guise of protectionism is bad (and it is) but that's not what short term targeted tariffs are being used for.

The tariffs you hate are straw men. Trump uses them to hurt foreign opponents in the short run and, like it or not, they work extraordinarily well in the short run for that purpose.

---

After the Trump administration, our elected politicians will have a new weapon. They can just package and present new taxes as "tariffs". Americans hate taxes. They cost George H. Bush his second term for President. New tariffs are a sure fire way to increase tax revenue since most everybody,(even Republicans) seem to just love them.

---

Debbie Downer, ladies and gentlemen. She will be here posting as RD2 through January 2025.

---

The name is Jim, not Debbie. Yes, God willing I will be posting here in January of 2025. Once again, it is not a requirement to worship every single decision of Donald Trump to support him. I think overall, he has done a good job as President. That being said, tariffs still suck.

---

You remind me of the student in Tax Law who disputed what the professor said in an early lecture. His argument was that it was not reasonable. The professor explained that he was quoting from the IRS tax code, to which the student said it was still wrong.

No one like tariffs, but they are in this case necessary. This was explained long ago and you are still throwing a tantrum about them, simply because you don't like them.

We understand you do not like tariffs. That was never the point.

Hence, you remain 'Debbie Downer' because of your continuing wail against reality on this point.

---

You and I are obviously still in the get to know each other process, OldBear. Yes, I am very pleased with the end result. I tip my hat to President Trump for getting it done. I must say I also agree the student in tax law that the current IRS tax code SUCKS. So there you have it. Tariffs suck and the current IRS tax code sucks!

No temper tantrums or Debbie Downer here. 100 years from now, none of this will matter. For the record, I enjoy the discussion.

---

Thanks RD2, I retract the 'Debbie' tag.

I sit in a unique position, I think. I'm not a Trump hater now, but I was during the early 2016 campaign, as many here know. I was convinced that Trump would damage the GOP message by his stunts, but when it was him or Hillary, I held my nose and voted for Trump.

Strangely, the Trump who won in 2016 proved to be very different from the clown I expected. From his judicial appointments to his instincts on the economy, Trump has actually been very effective and what's more, he's kept a lot of his promises and worked hard to keep more. Some people seem to be locked into the pre-election image of Trump conjured by the media, and they ignore the substance of what he has done.

I like it when progressives do that, because they are forcing independents to consider supporting Trump in 2020, because the Democrats cannot produce a reasonable alternative. But I hate how many Republicans still sell the hate against Trump, deliberately ignoring his successes as if Romney or Boehner were somehow getting more done.

As for the IRS code, it is what it is. Since Congress creates and amends the code, we can't expect sanity there for another couple years.

Doc Holliday said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Doc Holliday said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Oldbear83 said:

---

Bitter and deluded, you are.

Much you will resent next year's election.

---

There are a lot of stupid people who vote poorly. We know this from our corrupt President in the White House.

---

Where is the corruption?

---

Are you serious?

---

Show me.

---

The Trump Presidency Is Good News for Trump's Bottom Line
With the president giving Trump golf courses free publicity, and Kellyanne Conway telling citizens to buy Ivanka Trump products, business is good and ethics are dubious.

DAVID A. GRAHAM
MAR 10, 2017


Business is good, in generalthe stock market is booming, the economy is adding jobs, and consumer confidence is high.

But business is really good if you happen to be a member of the Trump family.

Exhibit A is Ivanka Trump's retail business. The brands of the president's daughter had been struggling, according to Nordstrom, which informed her in January of its intention to stop stocking her products. The company blamed sliding sales, although Nordstrom had been subject to a boycott designed to protest Donald Trump; it's unclear how much that boycott had to do with the sales dip.

Get the latest issue now.

Subscribe and receive an entire year of The Atlantic's illuminating reporting and expert analysis, starting today.

In any case, how are things going now? CNBC catches us up:

Sales of Ivanka Trump merchandise dropped 26 percent online in January compared to January 2016, but the trend reversed in February. According to Slice Intelligence, online sales of Ivanka Trump merchandise swelled 207 percent in February from the prior month.

According to an analysis of email receipts by Slice Intelligence from a panel of 4.4 million online shoppers, online sales of Ivanka Trump merchandise in February surged on Amazon, pushing the website from being the fourth largest seller of the brand to the first, replacing Nordstrom, which previously held that spot.

What made the difference? Perhaps Ivanka started offering a range of new products that suddenly appealed to more consumers. But the more likely reason is this: A top White House spokeswoman went on national TV and instructed people to buy Ivanka Trump products as an act of political activism and revenge. And they did.

"The stars have all aligned," Eric Trump, who is Donald Trump's son and executive vice president of the Trump Organization in charge of golf properties, told The New York Times. "I think our brand is the hottest it has ever been."

As reporters Eric Lipton and Susanne Craig note, there are reasons for that, too. The Trump Organization has an extremely visible surrogate in the president, who continues to patronize Trump golf courses, from New Jersey to Florida. He also appeared, for example, on the cover of Golf Digest as "Golfer in Chief," a nifty bit of marketing for Trump links.

Eric Trump told the Times that this was no different than the positive economic benefits that accrued to Crawford, Texas, when President George W. Bush visited his ranch there. But of course that analogy would only make sense if Bush had been the owner of the town of Crawford and stood to personally benefit from it, which he was not and did not.

Eric Trump then offered the paper a second defense, that the president is inextricable from his business interests, just the situation that conflict-of-interest rules are designed to answer. But the Trump family has in effect refused to reckon with those rules. Ostensibly, Donald Trump has stepped back from his businesses and turned them over to his children Eric and Donald Jr., as part of a plan to answer concerns about conflicts of interest. He claims that he will not speak to his sons about his business empire while in office. (Eric Trump posted a picture of himself at the White House Thursday, but you'll have to take the Trump family's word that business wasn't discussed.)

Ethics experts have dismissed that arrangement as entirely insufficient, and the story of Trump's golf properties prospering shows why, even if you take the Trumps at face value, the deal doesn't work. Obviously, the president knows that if he gives Trump Organization properties lots of exposure, it will be good for themand by extension good for him, since he didn't divest from the company.

But are the claims of booming business believable? The golf profits are impossible to verify, since the Trump Organization is privately held and doesn't have to make detailed disclosuresthough the publicity is real. The president of Ivanka Trump's line claims soaring sales, which is impossible to verify for similar disclosure reasons. (The Slice Intelligence figures quoted by CNBC provide a glimpse into the sales, but they cannot provide a full picture.) And the Trumps have a long record of misrepresenting the facts about their business. In The Art of the Deal, Donald Trump claimed to employ "truthful hyperbole," which is an amusing phrase insofar as what he meant was that he was not being truthful. In a 2007 deposition about his business practices, he admitted to falsehoods 30 times.



Still, it's entirely plausible that the Trump presidency has been very good for the Trump family business. Some analysts were warning from the start of the campaign that Trump was running for president as a publicity stunt; once he won the presidency, ethics experts warned that he could use the presidency as a tool of self-enrichment, turning the White House into the headquarters of the Trump business empire.

That provides a useful way to approach another recent news development. The White House aide who encouraged people to buy Ivanka Trump goods was Kellyanne Conway, during a February appearance on Fox and Friends. That comment appeared to clearly violate federal rules against government employees using their jobs to endorse products. The chair and ranking member of the House Oversight Committee wrote to the Office of Government Ethics, asking for an investigation and a recommendation of a punishment. OGE replied and recommended that Conway be disciplined.

The White House took a pass. "We concluded that Ms. Conway acted inadvertently and is highly unlikely to do so again," Stefan Passantino, Trump's top ethics lawyer replied. On Thursday, OGE wrote to the House Oversight members, expressing "concern" about the White House's inaction.

The Trump administration's blithe dismissal of the recommendation to discipline Conway is in keeping with its attitude toward ethics rules all along. But besides, if one goal of a Trump presidency is to bolster the Trump family's bottom lineor if, at the very least, the president is perfectly comfortable mixing public service and private profitwhy would Conway be chastised for furthering that cause?

riflebear said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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riflebear said:

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The Mexican National guard doesn't exist yet, LOL.

Every single thing in this "agreement" was already agreed to months ago.

This is an absolute joke. You're kidding with all this, right?

Trump got played again. And all of his supporters are just going along with it.

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LOL - I'm glad we have someone on this board who is in this administration and was able to sit in on these negotiations and help negotiate this awful deal. Thanks for giving us this secret inside info that you know better than all the people in the state dept and who negotiated the deal. I guess you missed the part where their Foreign Minister said this. Do you Cinque SchMUCK 47 Tommie and others get together every morning and draw straws on who will post the most false stories or commentary?

Mexico will deploy its national guard to its southern border with Guatemala, the Mexican foreign minister said on Thursday, as part of the country's bid to stem Central American migration that has drawn U.S. President Donald Trump's ire.

"We have explained that there are 6,000 men and that they will be deployed there," Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told reporters in televised remarks as he left a meeting with U.S. officials in Washington.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-mexico-southernborder/mexico-foreign-minister-says-national-guard-to-deploy-to-southern-border-idUSKCN1T7318

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Oh you poor dear.

The current Mexican President Obrador campaigned on the creation of a National Guard. He took office just before Christmas of last year. He's been in office for 6 months. What kind of National Guard do you think could be created in 6 months?

Come on, dude. You can do better.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/21/world/americas/mexico-lopez-obrador.html

Doc Holliday said:

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RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

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Florda_mike said:

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As a result of past catches of Cinque socks, I now find myself questioning newfound anti-Trumpers on this site and others

Right now I'm questioning Aliceinbubble and RD2

It might be wrong but we're dealing with a lowlife in this
Cinque/Jinx/Quash/etc character

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C'MON MANNNNN!!!!!!!!!. I am a pretty conservative dude, Mike. I am not anti-Trump. I am anti-tariff. I held my nose and voted for him in 2016 and the way things are shaping up I will more than likely vote for him again in 2020. To lump me in with the Looney Tune Liberal bunch hurts my feelings.

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Tariffs weren't the goal.

Leverage was the goal and it worked.

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This is what the anti tariff crowd doesn't get it seems

Tariffs aren't the endgame they're just a negotiating tool

And you should trust a negotiator in Trump that's looking out for the best interests of our country unlike democrats and many republican politicians

It's already worked with Mexico and China is in precarious position and is next domino to fall

And there's too many Americans that can't see the long game and are being led by nose by media propaganda

Hey hat tariff fellas, admit you were wrong about Trump, again!

TDS is alive in this kid's head isn't it

BBL, are you still throwing hissy fits over Trump in fear he'll eliminate your worthless Title 9 entitlement job

Florda_mike said:

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TDS is alive in this kid's head isn't it

BBL, are you still throwing hissy fits over Trump in fear he'll eliminate your worthless Title 9 entitlement job

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He knows he's on the losing side. It's mostly projection.

Doc Holliday said:

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Florda_mike said:

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TDS is alive in this kid's head isn't it

BBL, are you still throwing hissy fits over Trump in fear he'll eliminate your worthless Title 9 entitlement job

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He knows he's on the losing side. It's mostly projection.

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BBL reminds me of a spoiled brat narcissist

ALL carbon tax proposals from D.C Dems include tariffs.

But I don't see anyone tripping out over that.

So, our President agreed to a deal where Mexico is sending "troops" from a National Guard that didn't exist before last Christmas, and you're claiming this as a win?

You deserve to be fooled.

BrooksBearLives said:

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So, our President agreed to a deal where Mexico is sending "troops" from a National Guard that didn't exist before last Christmas, and you're claiming this as a win?

You deserve to be fooled.

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Dude, you're repeating claims already debunked in this thread.

You deserve to be mocked.

BrooksBearLives said:

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So, our President agreed to a deal where Mexico is sending "troops" from a National Guard that didn't exist before last Christmas, and you're claiming this as a win?

You deserve to be fooled.

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They're arresting women and children traveling on foot. I don't think 30 months of Navy SEAL training is a prerequisite.

The negotiating tactics of a chaos president:

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/08/trump-trade-deals-mexico-china-1358155

1) Spark a crisis by threatening harsh consequences if hazy, unspecified demands aren't met.

2) Torque the suspense as an artificial deadline approaches, while nervous observers warn of the dire consequences of going over the cliff.

3) Cut a vague, imperfect or constitutionally questionable deal at the last minute, claiming victory and savaging the critics.

America is winning.

Cinque is losing,

That is all.

Oldbear83 said:

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America is winning.

Cinque is losing,

That is all.

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Continue MakingAMA