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DonViejo

(60,536 posts)
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 10:13 AM Sep 2016

Every Major Florida Newspaper Just Demanded A Criminal Investigation of Trump

Florida’s three largest newspapers – the Miami Herald, the Tampa Bay Times and the Orlando Sentinel – just called for a federal investigation of Republican nominee Donald Trump’s payoff to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, which forced the Republican nominee to pay an IRS fine and re-ignited media coverage of the Trump University scam and cover up. To date, 827 Floridians have joined the New York Attorney General’s lawsuit against Donald Trump.

The Tampa Bay Times wrote a tough editorial entitled “Feds should investigate Bondi-Trump connection”:

Federal prosecutors should investigate whether there is any connection between the decision by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office not to pursue fraud allegations against Trump University and a $25,000 campaign contribution he gave her. Since Florida prosecutors will not touch this mess, the Justice Department is the only option. The appearance of something more than a coincidence is too serious and the unresolved questions are too numerous to accept blanket denials by Bondi and Trump without more digging and an independent review.


The Miami Herald’s editorial board laid out the most obvious observation about unequal media coverage which has nearly excused Trump’s pay-for-play scheme to avoid prosecution, saying that Trump’s ‘gift’ to Bondi “deserves a closer look”:

Unlike the faux scandal over the Clinton institution, there were actual victims here — people who paid good money to Trump University and feel they were duped. Why is Pam Bondi not investigating that?

That the gift was given and received is not in dispute. The transaction took place. After the IRS action, Mr. Trump reimbursed the foundation and paid the $2,500 fine personally, according to a spokesman for the Trump Organization. The rest remains murky, and, so far, riddled with contractions and misdirection. More serious are the questions about why the money was given and how it came about.


-snip-

http://occupydemocrats.com/2016/09/12/every-major-florida-newspaper-calling-criminal-investigation-trumps-bribe-pam-bondi/
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Every Major Florida Newspaper Just Demanded A Criminal Investigation of Trump (Original Post) DonViejo Sep 2016 OP
And that's just the tip of Trump's bribery iceberg ffr Sep 2016 #1
he did the exact same thing in Texas elehhhhna Sep 2016 #36
Somehow it Texas politics and media, it is expected? Crash2Parties Sep 2016 #40
Thank you for mentioning it They_Live Sep 2016 #52
Lawmakers need to increase the fine to 10 or 100 times the bribe/illegal donation. This 10% shit TeamPooka Sep 2016 #44
like a clueless gangster, he's been bragging about bribing annabanana Sep 2016 #2
By the time an investigation starts, the trump nightmare will be long forgotten yeoman6987 Sep 2016 #3
I agree with you - After all, this is Florida packman Sep 2016 #4
This is why they are calling for a federal investigation. Investigate Scott too. Coyotl Sep 2016 #12
Oh, I don't know. Let's hope that running for president Hortensis Sep 2016 #13
I totally, totally, agree Cheviteau Sep 2016 #22
Absolutely. Ligyron Sep 2016 #26
Didn't triron Sep 2016 #35
Is this the reincarnation of Nixon, with orange hair ? turbinetree Sep 2016 #5
Nixon was corrupt PatSeg Sep 2016 #9
Agree. maddiemom Sep 2016 #18
I couldn't stand the man PatSeg Sep 2016 #21
I am sure Ed Cox thinks so! whistler162 Sep 2016 #23
:) napkinz Sep 2016 #54
I wish I could cut and paste on this site turbinetree Sep 2016 #56
Very strong editorials karynnj Sep 2016 #6
Our media is too busy ripping on Hillary for getting sick -like all humans do on occassion. Shamefu riversedge Sep 2016 #7
RIGHT - THIS is the fucking story of this cycle Cosmocat Sep 2016 #8
Yep. Not a word about this on the msm. Just endless, stupid speculating about "flu-gate" anneboleyn Sep 2016 #17
Also, I heard he coughed. Helen Borg Sep 2016 #10
And, who hacked the DNC? Coyotl Sep 2016 #11
WHY does the media refuse to cover this story? n/t Brainstormy Sep 2016 #14
This is all well and good to raise the red flag asiliveandbreathe Sep 2016 #15
" Let's start a WH petition - someone know how to do that" Ligyron Sep 2016 #27
Congress critters - asiliveandbreathe Sep 2016 #30
The parade of trials will be Trump reality at its finest. anamandujano Sep 2016 #28
Can't you just see the Hollywood producers right now asiliveandbreathe Sep 2016 #31
As Hillary said regarding the misogyny of this campaign, anamandujano Sep 2016 #32
Woohoooo lillypaddle Sep 2016 #16
Oh no that is not going to happen before the election, that would be rude LiberalLovinLug Sep 2016 #19
but will the national media report on it? book_worm Sep 2016 #20
Don't be silly. They are well paid to look the other way on all Trump corruption. anamandujano Sep 2016 #33
Delicious.Someday Carl Hiaassen is going to fold these events into one of his hilarious mysteries. Hekate Sep 2016 #24
Will there be a monkey? alfredo Sep 2016 #45
Without a doubt the one clinging to The Donald's head! Hekate Sep 2016 #46
Ha! alfredo Sep 2016 #50
Please shenmue Sep 2016 #48
:) alfredo Sep 2016 #51
Excellent news! And about damn time. nt rivegauche Sep 2016 #25
Where is the investigation on this? UCmeNdc Sep 2016 #29
Department Of Justice Complaint Filed Against Trump And Pam Bondi In Bribery Scandal napkinz Sep 2016 #55
He's guilty of enough trashy crimes to rate this Portland_Anni Sep 2016 #34
This is a good thing! ncjustice80 Sep 2016 #37
K & R Scurrilous Sep 2016 #38
Fingers crossed this sprouts legs.... AgadorSparticus Sep 2016 #39
K&R napkinz Sep 2016 #41
K & R FailureToCommunicate Sep 2016 #42
And nothing will happen ... left-of-center2012 Sep 2016 #43
K & R my2sense Sep 2016 #47
foundation? yorkie77 Sep 2016 #49
Lock Him Up! napkinz Sep 2016 #53
Stay with it. nt oasis Sep 2016 #57
yep, NO LETTING UP! napkinz Sep 2016 #58
enough with "the damn" distractions (Dr. Oz) ... time to get back to TRUMP SCANDALS! napkinz Sep 2016 #59

ffr

(22,649 posts)
1. And that's just the tip of Trump's bribery iceberg
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 10:20 AM
Sep 2016

The more you see the more you're appalled by the sheer audacity and obviousness of his actions.

He gives. He calls. They kiss his ass. His own words.

They_Live

(3,222 posts)
52. Thank you for mentioning it
Tue Sep 13, 2016, 10:16 AM
Sep 2016

I try to do the same whenever the opportunity presents itself. Keep talking about it, along with all the other corruption. There are news stories out there about the Texas version of this same bribe, but it hasn't caught fire like the Florida case.

TeamPooka

(24,156 posts)
44. Lawmakers need to increase the fine to 10 or 100 times the bribe/illegal donation. This 10% shit
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 10:46 PM
Sep 2016

won't stop anything. That just becomes a round error/cost of doing business part of the bribery process.

annabanana

(52,791 posts)
2. like a clueless gangster, he's been bragging about bribing
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 10:29 AM
Sep 2016

people his whole life...

Time for the chickens to come home to roost. .

 

packman

(16,296 posts)
4. I agree with you - After all, this is Florida
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 10:53 AM
Sep 2016

Repuke controlled by the head puker - Rickitee Scott. Things move s..l..o....o....o...o......w.....l......y , oh so slowly in Florida - especially when it comes to government corruption.

 

Coyotl

(15,262 posts)
12. This is why they are calling for a federal investigation. Investigate Scott too.
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 11:39 AM
Sep 2016

This is a conspiracy to obstruct justice and Scott is part of it.

Hortensis

(58,785 posts)
13. Oh, I don't know. Let's hope that running for president
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 11:40 AM
Sep 2016

will turn out to have been a fatal mistake.

Trump goes to trial on unfortunately civil charges on November 28 for Trump U, but I'm pretty sure bribing government officials is a felony in every state it happened. And these papers calling for Justice Department involvement may get things moving, even in Florida. The problem with moving against a political candidate now is, of course, interference with the election.

Cheviteau

(383 posts)
22. I totally, totally, agree
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 12:32 PM
Sep 2016

Trump has insulted and pissed-off too many people for him to walk away free. He will regret forever having ridden down that escalator and announced his candidacy A thousand times he will wish for that moment back.

maddiemom

(5,106 posts)
18. Agree.
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 12:19 PM
Sep 2016

I hated Nixon during the time he was in office, but despite being a strange man, he looks better and better in terms of his achievements---compared to the Republicans these days.

PatSeg

(46,804 posts)
21. I couldn't stand the man
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 12:29 PM
Sep 2016

and was happy to see him brought down, but he was more liberal than any republican today and more than some blue dog Democrats. He was even for universal healthcare.

karynnj

(59,475 posts)
6. Very strong editorials
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 11:10 AM
Sep 2016

I hope this becomes a bigger issue as it speaks directly to unethical and illegal actions on many levels. First there is the Trump University that took advantage of people who trusted Trump because of his fame and purported wealth .. and he scammed them to the tune of thousands of dollars they really could not afford to waste. Then there is what clearly looks like bribing an AG with a campaign contribution. For good measure, he adds insult to injury by using his "charitable" foundation to make the contribution. (The Washington Post is doing an excellent job at looking at how little Trump money went to charity through this foundation. )

Given that Florida will also be voting on the AG, one question is whether she is as much the target as he is. She took a bribe and it looks like she did him the favor of closing a case that thousands of Floridians deserved to have had litigated.

Out of curiosity, I looked at who these papers endorsed in the last three elections. Of the three papers, the most interesting is the Orlando Sentinel, which endorsed Romney in 2012 after endorsing Kerry in 2004 and Obama in 2008. The other two endorsed Democrats in all three years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_newspaper_endorsements_in_United_States_presidential_elections



Cosmocat

(14,543 posts)
8. RIGHT - THIS is the fucking story of this cycle
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 11:14 AM
Sep 2016

Of all the 100 or so things that SHOULD have ended this freakshow, THIS one is the worst ...

And the media ... chattering about Hillarie lack of transparency over her health.

asiliveandbreathe

(8,203 posts)
15. This is all well and good to raise the red flag
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 12:06 PM
Sep 2016

high - request a Federal inquiry - Independent for sure - in unison -

The DOJ , just a whisper, will look like they are politicizing the pay-for-play - which it is...I am sure they are working behind the scenes and gathering ALL the information - to make their case - it takes a huge amount of time and resources to gather doc's, and bring in witnesses for deposition...

Let's start a WH petition - someone know how to do that....

Ligyron

(7,592 posts)
27. " Let's start a WH petition - someone know how to do that"
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 01:34 PM
Sep 2016

This is a great idea and one of the things which needs to be done to get more attention paid to this for real scandal. Unfortunately, I don't know how this is done either.

That and write to the DOJ, the WH and appropriate congress critters too

asiliveandbreathe

(8,203 posts)
31. Can't you just see the Hollywood producers right now
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 02:01 PM
Sep 2016

creating a Documentary - all in one place..not like it hasn't been done before...I would love to see a Mark Garafolo type run with it....

Like too big to fail - or Spotlight - or All the Presidents Men -

anamandujano

(7,004 posts)
32. As Hillary said regarding the misogyny of this campaign,
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 02:11 PM
Sep 2016

there will be dissertations on it for years to come.

I agree there are going to be endless takes on Trump's twisted travails.

LiberalLovinLug

(14,154 posts)
19. Oh no that is not going to happen before the election, that would be rude
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 12:20 PM
Sep 2016

A Democratic appointed DOJ would never be so impolite as to begin such an investigation as it would be unfair. Folks will appreciate how considerate that is. The Republicans wouldn't do such a thing if the situation was reversed would they?........Oh wait.

anamandujano

(7,004 posts)
33. Don't be silly. They are well paid to look the other way on all Trump corruption.
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 02:17 PM
Sep 2016

They fill their pockets while they betray our country.

napkinz

(17,199 posts)
55. Department Of Justice Complaint Filed Against Trump And Pam Bondi In Bribery Scandal
Tue Sep 13, 2016, 03:08 PM
Sep 2016

By Jason Easley
Sep 7th, 2016

A complaint has been filed with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division against Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump over allegations that Trump bribed Bondi to get her drop an investigation into Trump University.

The complaint filed by the Democratic Coalition Against Trump asks for a DOJ investigation into Trump and Bondi, “The complaint read: “We believe that Pam Bondi, Florida Attorney General, and Donald Trump have violated federal voting laws including but not limited to bribery across state lines by way of a $25,000 campaign contribution from Trump to Bondi during her 2013 election by way of the Trump Foundation in return for AG Bondi dropping an investigation into Trump University. We ask the DOJ to investigate this matter and appreciate their rapid response. Thank you.”

Calls for a criminal probe are growing on both the left and the right. Conservative columnist Jennifer Rubin of The Washington Post asked why Trump wasn’t already under investigation for bribery.

Rubin wrote, “One cannot miss the giant red flag. Why is a charity giving money to aid a pol with whom the foundation’s head has pending legal business? Recall that after the gift was received an official act occurred, the very act Trump had been seeking, namely the decision not to proceed with the case against Trump University. Right there you have a prima facie case of bribery– a payment (an illegal one at that) and a quid pro quo.”

read more: http://www.politicususa.com/2016/09/07/department-justice-complaint-filed-trump-pam-bondi-bribery-scandal.html

Portland_Anni

(164 posts)
34. He's guilty of enough trashy crimes to rate this
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 03:03 PM
Sep 2016

This monster would be toxic as POTUS to our Republic and thus I welcome this investigation as an idea way long overdue.

ncjustice80

(948 posts)
37. This is a good thing!
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 03:50 PM
Sep 2016

President Obama should IMMEDIATELY do a press release announcing the FBI is opening an investigation and withdraw Trump's Secret Service protection pending the outcome of the investigation!

left-of-center2012

(34,195 posts)
43. And nothing will happen ...
Mon Sep 12, 2016, 10:18 PM
Sep 2016

Trump is the Teflon candidate. Nothing sticks to him. Nothing hurts him.

I fear for November.



yorkie77

(87 posts)
49. foundation?
Tue Sep 13, 2016, 06:42 AM
Sep 2016

What kind of foundation can give money to a political cause? That is real tax evasion in addition to bribery. He's going on about the Clinton foundation-it's the Trump foundation that needs to be investigated!

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