Exclusive: Trump Media saved in 2022 by Russian-American under criminal investigation
www.theguardian.com
Trump’s social media company went public relying partly on loans from trust managed by person of interest to prosecutors

Trump’s social media company went public relying partly on loans from trust managed by person of interest to prosecutors

Donald Trump’s social media company Trump Media managed to go public last week only after it had been kept afloat in 2022 by emergency loans provided in part by a Russian-American businessman under scrutiny in a federal insider-trading and money-laundering investigation.

The former US president stands to gain billions of dollars – his stake is currently valued at about $4bn – from the merger between Trump Media and Technology Group and the blank-check company Digital World Acquisition Corporation, which took the parent company of Truth Social public.

…

Through leaked documents, the Guardian has learned that ES Family Trust operated like a shell company for a Russian-American businessman named Anton Postolnikov, who co-owns Paxum Bank and has been a subject of a years-long joint federal criminal investigation by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) into the Trump Media merger.

  • Ranvier@sopuli.xyz
    0·
    7 months ago

    I agree with your sentiment, but first of all you said department of justice, that’s a federal agency. It’s a state civil case the bond was for, the department of justice has nothing to do with that. A state appeals court lowered the bond. The new york attorney General office (state equivalent to the department of justice) was absolutely ready to start seizing if the court hadn’t intervened.

    The Department of Justice is pursuing two criminal cases against trump (the jan 6th case and documents case) that are already going to trial. They have been held up time and time again by judges and the supreme court providing cover for Trump and helping him to delay things.

    If you try to blame everything on the department of justice incorrectly people may view your comment as a bad faith attempt to blame Biden for all of this. Be mad at the courts and judges that allow this crap.

    As to getting loans from people from other countries, not illegal to the best of my knowledge. Certainly could suggest a conflict of interest, and if Biden had done that the Republicans would be screaming about it 24/7. If Trump tried to get a security clearance he would get denied time and time again, but this is an election so it relies on voters seeing his conflicts of interest. As to emoluments clause while he was president, courts again didn’t let that happen. Campaign finance violations? Enforced by the FEC, basically powerless since there are three democratic commissioners, three Republicans, and the Republicans just veto anything relating to investigations of Trump. Not to mention they’re severely underfunded and ineffective even when they do try to take action with only slap on the wrist penalties.

    Anyways, plenty of people to get mad at, but I don’t think the department of justice itself has much to do with why you’re mad.

    • Optional@lemmy.world
      0·
      7 months ago

      Hey here’s one - how about the unredacted Mueller Report?

      Hm? They could do that. They could have done that day 1.

      So. Where is it.

        • Optional@lemmy.world
          0·
          7 months ago

          Previously secret ‘alternative’ Mueller report goes public

          Compendium of evidence gathered by the special counsel’s ‘Team M’ is heavily redacted.

          The subtitle of the article you linked says it’s “heavily redacted”.

          In fact, Mueller also wrote that the “investigation established that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome, and that the Campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts.”

          Mueller found other contacts with Russia, such as the sharing of polling data about Midwestern states where Trump later won upset victories, conversations with the Russian ambassador to influence Russia’s response to sanctions imposed by the U.S. government in response to election interference, and communications with Wikileaks after it had received emails stolen by Russia. While none of these acts amounted to the crime of conspiracy, all could be described as “collusion.”

          Myth: Mueller found no obstruction.

          Response: Mueller found at least four acts by Trump in which all elements of the obstruction statute were satisfied – attempting to fire Mueller, directing White House counsel Don McGahn to lie and create a false document about efforts to fire Mueller, attempting to limit the investigation to future elections and attempting to prevent Manafort from cooperating with the government. As Mueller stated, “while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.” Mueller declined to make a “traditional prosecution decision” about obstruction of justice. Because he was bound by the Department of Justice policy that a sitting president cannot be charged with a crime, he did not even attempt to reach a legal conclusion about the facts. Instead, he undertook to “preserve the evidence when memories were fresh and documentary materials were available,” because a president can be charged after he leaves office.

          https://time.com/5610317/mueller-report-myths-breakdown/

    • NegativeLookBehind@lemmy.world
      0·
      7 months ago

      You’re right, I apologize. I was incorrect. For many reasons I am just very frustrated by all of this and am just eager for some sliver of justice to be served. It just seems like all of the attempts at such are postponed, or otherwise reduced or outright removed.

      In no way am I blaming Biden for anything. I just want the legal system to have some sort of meaningful impact on an individual who’s obviously determined to destroy what’s left of our democracy.

      • Ranvier@sopuli.xyz
        0·
        7 months ago

        I agree with you and am frustrated too, just trying to point out where in the legal system all of this keeps falling apart. I have seen people state that Biden appointing Garland was the main problem, but Trump has two state civil cases, two state criminal cases, and two federal criminal cases ongoing against him right now. Prosecutors like in the doj launching cases against him isn’t really the problem here, they’ve done that plenty, but there are tons of other problems and weaknesses in the legal system he’s weaseling through. Mostly judges and especially the supreme court. Having four years in office to appoint his own judges and having one of the major political parties in the country providing constant cover has done a lot to help him in this regard too. In the end though, if people keep electing Trump and other Republicans the legal system won’t be able to stop them no matter how flagrantly criminal they act, they’ll use the power handed to them and keep warping the legal system around them.

        • Optional@lemmy.world
          0·
          7 months ago

          I hear you, but I also disagree. Arresting him and keeping him locked up is SO within their rights. Siezing Every Single Thing is also within their rights. Presidential Immunity is #1 a lie; #2 a dishonest interpretation, #3 needs to be shot down utterly if that’s what it takes and #4 WAS NEVER A DEFENSE for what we’re talking about.

          Remember - the “Justice system” does it to us, every day, all day. For so, so much less.

          Yet they don’t act. Sure, they don’t want the crazy MAGAts to get in their little flag trucks and drive around and yell, I understand. And they may face something simliar - as they are already doing with the 'Biden Impeachment" sad clown circus - when the traitorous shitheads get back in power, I get that too.

          But we’re talking about the most egregious and incompetent criminal politician in the history of this country, one who has outed spies (on purpose?) who has spilled any number of national security secrets, and who is already charged with selling them to other countries. Oh and who is so ludicrously incompetent that any one of his villanous sycophantic toadies would be ten times more effective in office without the destroying-democracy thing he does. God forbid another global pandemic happens on his watch.

          It calls out and questions every single three-letter agency who are supposedly sworn to uphold the Constitution and prevent what is happening from happening. What in the sweet fuck are they doing all goddamned day? Monitoring vegetarian communities?

          We have gone to war for much, much less. Trillions spent and thousands of soldiers for oil and ??? in Iraq. The DoJ is the instrument that the government has formed for this situation. It has been utterly ineffective. (for yes, reasons) And yet we should be nowhere near where we are now. To put us in such jeopardy is either idiocy or insanity. Trump’s ties to Russia are not only well documented and well known, they’re ALREADY SHOWN TO BE CHARGABLE OFFENSES in one of the longest most scrupulous investigations into a sitting president ever. So Do It Already.