Tag: Trump greed

Here’s what the location of the FBI headquarters has to do with Congress’ $1 trillion coronavirus relief bill

The great problem of legislation is, so to organize the civil government of a community . . . that in the operations of human institutions upon social action, self-love and social may be made the same.
— John Quincy Adams, Society and Civilization

AlterNet logoHerewith the questions of the week for savvy readers to ponder and, perhaps, answer.

What is, as of this writing, one of the Trump-inspired provisions in the $1 trillion coronavirus relief bill that, to Mitch McConnell’s surprise, has been included? Here’s a hint: the location of a government building.

Here is the next question: which government building? Here is the answer: the FBI headquarters. They are now located catty corner across from Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Ave. NW in D.C. Continue reading.

GOP under fire for slipping $30 billion Pentagon gift into coronavirus relief bill

AlterNet logoIn a floor speech late Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell described the GOP’s newly released coronavirus stimulus package as a “carefully tailored” plan to provide financial relief to desperate Americans.

But a look at the legislative text (pdf) released by Senate Republicans shows the HEALS Act is replete with massive gifts to the Pentagon and defense contractors that would do nothing to aid the unemployed, provide nutrition assistance to hungry children, prevent an avalanche of evictions, or stop the spread of coronavirus.

“Last time I checked F-35s don’t help families pay their bills,” Rep. Chuy García (D-Ill.) tweeted in response to the GOP’s proposal of $686 million in spending on new fighter jets. Continue reading.

The Trump campaign is the grift that keeps on grifting

Washington Post logoThere has long been an element of grift to political campaigns.

The guys who make the ads and the media buyers get rich by paying themselves a percentage of the amount that is spent on advertising. The same is true for those who put together the direct-mail operation. As one political consultant explained it to me: “It’s sort of like getting to grade your own homework.”

Hired fundraisers can make six-figure commissions by exaggerating their worth. Others get paid similar amounts for providing “strategic advice.” Continue reading.

Noam Chomsky: Trump’s love of ‘wealth and corporate power’ played a key role in country’s staggering coronavirus death toll

AlterNet logoPresident Donald Trump has been widely criticized on the left — as well as by centrist Democrats and Never Trump conservatives — for failing to take the threat of coronavirus seriously back in January and February. But left-wing author Noam Chomsky, in an interview with The Guardian, asserts that Trump’s culpability goes way beyond downplaying COVID-19’s severity: as Chomsky sees it, Trump’s love of corporate power is a fundamental reason why he has handled the crisis so badly.

The 91-year-old Chomsky told The Guardian that Trump’s cutting federal government funding for research on infectious diseases is “something that Trump has been doing every year of his term, cutting it back more. So, (his plan is): let’s continue to cut it back, let’s continue to make sure that the population is as vulnerable as we can make it — that it can suffer as much as possible, but will, of course, increase profits for his primary constituents in wealth and corporate power.”

Chomsky told The Guardian that for Trump, not doing enough to help governors who are tirelessly battling the pandemic in their states is “a great strategy for killing a lot of people and improving his electoral politics.” Continue reading.

Secret Service signs contract this week to rent golf carts in town of Trump club

Washington Post logoThe Secret Service this week signed a $45,000 contract to rent a fleet of golf carts in Northern Virginia, saying it needed them quickly to protect a “dignitary” in the town of Sterling, home to one of President Trump’s golf clubs, according to federal contracting data.

The contract was signed Monday and took effect Wednesday, records show. The Secret Service paid a West Virginia-registered company, Capitol Golf Cars and Utility Vehicles, to rent 30 carts until the end of September.

The new contract, which the Secret Service described as an “emergency order,” does not mention Trump or the golf club by name. But it closely mirrors past contracts signed by the Secret Service, for agents accompanying Trump to his golf clubs in New Jersey and Florida. Continue reading.

Trump takes immediate step to try to curb new inspector general’s autonomy, as battle over stimulus oversight begins

Washington Post logoIn signing statement, he signals he could restrict new watchdog’s independence

Immediately after signing the historic $2 trillion coronavirus aid package, President Trump sought to curb oversight provisions in the bill by asserting presidential authority over a new inspector general’s office.

The move could presage a major battle between the White House and Capitol Hill as the Trump administration moves to implement the new law.

In a White House signing statement released Friday evening, Trump questioned the constitutionality of the law’s requirement that a new Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery notify Congress immediately if the administration “unreasonably” withholds information requested by investigators. Continue reading.

Provision in coronavirus stimulus bill would ban companies owned by Trump or his children from receiving bailout money

AlterNet logoA massive coronavirus stimulus plan that the Senate and White House agreed to in the early hours of Wednesday morning would bar any companies owned or controlled by President Donald Trump, the president’s children, Vice President Mike Pence, or members of Congress from receiving any taxpayer bailout money, according to a summary of the legislation circulated by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

The sprawling $2 trillion bill, which has not yet been released in full, would “prohibit businesses controlled by the president, vice president, members of Congress, and heads of executive departments from receiving loans or investments from Treasury programs,” Schumer’s summary states.

“The children, spouses, and in-laws of the aforementioned principals are also included in this prohibition,” the document adds. Continue reading.

Secret Service has paid rates as high as $650 a night for rooms at Trump’s properties

Washington Post logoPresident Trump’s company charges the Secret Service for the rooms agents use while protecting him at his luxury properties — billing U.S. taxpayers at rates as high as $650 per night, according to federal records and people who have seen receipts.

Those charges, compiled here for the first time, show that Trump has an unprecedented — and largely hidden — business relationship with his own government. When Trump visits his clubs in Palm Beach, Fla., and Bedminster, N.J., the service needs space to post guards and store equipment.

Trump’s company says it charges only minimal fees. But Secret Service records do not show that. Continue reading.

Bolton’s lawyer contends his book does not contain classified material and asks White House for expedited review so he can testify if called

Washington Post logoAn attorney for John Bolton has pushed back against the White House’s assessment that his book manuscript contains classified material and asked for an expedited review of a chapter about Ukraine in case the former national security adviser is called to testify in the Senate impeachment trial.

The Jan. 24 email to the White House from Bolton’s lawyer, Charles Cooper, was in response to a letter from the National Security Council a day earlier warning that the manuscript contained “significant amounts” of classified material that could not be disclosed publicly.

“We do not believe that any of that information could reasonably be considered classified,” Cooper responded, according to a copy of the email he released Wednesday. Continue reading.

White House says Bolton book contains top secret information

Axios logoThe White House says that former national security adviser John Bolton’s book contains top secret information in a letter addressed to his attorney that was publicly released Wednesday.

The state of play: The development, first reported by CNN’s Jake Tapper, sets up a potential legal battle between Bolton and the White House over the book’s publication, which is currently scheduled for March 17.

  • The letter, dated Jan. 23, claims the book contains “significant amounts of classified information” that could “cause exceptionally grave harm” to U.S. national security.
  • It was signed by Ellen Knight, the National Security Council’s senior director for records, access and information security management.
  • The letter says, “the manuscript may not be published or otherwise disclosed without the deletion of this classified information” and that the White House will be in touch with “additional, more detailed guidance regarding next steps” on how to move forward.