28 Comments

As Sarah Kendzior writes, trump is figure head of a transnational crime syndicate. Which seems to have major media in its grip.The moment seems ripe for dismantling this syndicate. Your analysis extremely valuable and pertinent.

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1. I assume you have a way to get this analysis to Robbie Kaplan and Carroll?

2. I hope you have taken steps to keep your private residence unknown to the public.

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I just don't understand what is going on with the MSM.

What are they doing- or better yet, why haven't they investigated Trump's ties to Russia.

Still...after all these years.

Nothing.

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author

I am sad to say that I no longer expect anything from them.

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The MSM has, and continues, to perform a disservice to the American people! They are provided 1st Amendment protection, so they can report the truth without fear.

Unfortunately, they continue to put clicks and profits above their duty to inform the public.

The constant disinformation is destroying America and our democracy!

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founding

Truly criminal as the necessities of democracy with the 4th estate. Morally bankrupt.

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Thank you so much, Seth. I couldn't understand why Carroll's lawyers had the opportunity to approve the bond. U.S. law is so different from ours and I'm frequently out of my depth but it made no sense if the bond was posted and the money was in the bank to collect if Trump lost. It all makes perfect sense now, knowing it isn't even posted yet.

I am always concerned where Trump finds his money. Heariing that he was in talks with Musk a few days ago to secure finance didn't do anything for my nerves either! I was hoping he'd offer Trump a place on his next rocket out of here... As someone recently posted on social media, every road leads back to the Kremlin and that scares the heck out of me, especially if Donny ever gets back into power.

What is positively amazing, though, is that one woman and her equally feisty legal team have brought Trump to such a crisis point. He thought he was untouchable yet Ms. Carroll stood up to him. He couldn't shut his mouth and she wouldn't sit down so he lost the second duel too. Now, he appears to be bankrupt, deserted by the financial sector and some Republicans are coming round to what he is: a crook. By the time of his next appearance in criminal court, he has to find over half a billion dollars, not a mere hundred thousand. A mere fortnight away.

I pray his bid for the White House is over in the spiring so we can all sleep easier in our beds. Thank you for bringing us the truth, Seth. It's painful but we need to know it.

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The American people should sue tfg for ruining our country. There’s be plenty of damages.

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TY TY TY! Now I understand the desperate urgency of Trump wanting to rake over the RNC: part of a "Criminal Conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws and steal money from the Republican Party". And the media wanting to report 2024 as a horse-race is laughable, when in actuality it's a race between one champion thoroughbred and an un-trainable, mentally deranged, useless, feeble, loser gelding.

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I'm not a lawyer, in fact I'm a retired contractor and casework builder so . . .

Isn't an important first question who approached who?

Did Trump approach the Greenberg's, only the Greenberg's? Or did he or his bankers dragline any and all sources for this bond? If the Greenberg's came to Donny Boy that really puts the fat in the fire.

Second, I see virtually no point in this bond unless he has arranged the second, much larger one, some 500 million, which is another huge bridge to cross if he really is broke, which looks to be the case. Unless he still has documents and if elected can gain many more documents.

Of course if reelected he can just send trucks to the Bullion Repository at Fort Bragg, Kentucky - who could or would stop him?

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author

David, everything about how the bond came about is shrouded in mystery at present, and were I Judge Kaplan (and once upon a time I was on a judge track as an attorney) I would want to know almost the entirety of that story from start to finish.

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founding

As would we all as citizens.

It has often been reported that if Trump was found guilty in any of his criminal trials that something like 60-65%? Of voters think this would eliminate him from their voting chose. ( honestly, THATis the line in the sand, excuse me while I slap my forehead, sheesh...)

All the collusion information and the many Russian involvements, too numerous to mention as they fill Seth's book, Craig Ungers Sarah Kendizor (sp?). How much information does it take to make a dent in the Trump fan club. Something has to fill the noses of this folks by now as Trump is rotten? And not just a diaper.

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Wow! Thank you for this.

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Incredible reporting, Seth. Is there anyway that you can get on MSNBC or a show like Deadline White House in order to get this message widespread?

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I just want to make one comment. Let's be clear that no one can hate Trump more than I do. I don't think his net worth is even close to $1B. BUT there is a distinction between lack of liquidity and being bankrupt. Theoretically, Trump doesn't have the liquidity to post the bond and/or he wants to maintain his liquidity in order to deal with the NY AG bond in a couple of weeks. A lot of people would rather pay for a bond rather than tie up liquid assets (adding together E. Jean's judgment and the NYAG judgment). So I think it is jumping the gun a bit to say he is bankrupt rather than illiquid.

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author
Mar 9·edited Mar 9Author

100% there is a difference between a lack of liquidity and bankruptcy. The problem, as pointed out by Pulitzer Prize-winning Trump biographer David Cay Johnston, is that Trump is widely understood to be the most leveraged businessman in American history. It is not clear that he would even be in a position to turn any of his illiquid assets into liquid assets, to the point that Johnston surmises (and unlike me he has focused on Trump’s finances rather than his political career) that personal bankruptcy may be the only option Trump has left to try to delay or discharge some of his debts. Check out the recent D.C. Report article by Johnston about this.

Essentially, the lack of liquidity we are seeing from Trump right now is the patina atop an immovable, wildly leveraged iceberg that Trump can essentially do nothing with.

There is a reason he is hawking $400 sneakers that have a 1,000-item-only limited run—it’s because $400,000, or whatever portion of that he will see after overhead, is actually quite useful to him. No one with his portfolio should need chump change like that unless, they’re in dire financial straits.

The same goes for his NFTs, which sold out quickly but also made him only a few million at a time when I have to think even just his debt servicing is in the many millions per month.

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Thanks for responding. I agree that the leveraged state of his properties (and ridiculous overvaluations of everything including his penthouse and MAL) makes it nearly impossible for him to liquidate them. We know that his investment in one building (is it with Vornado?) cannot be accessed. However, I believe that if he filed for bankruptcy protection, he might possible have enough assets to by a ranch home in Boynton Beach, FL. (LOL) Chubb (especially given its probable ties to the Kremlin) might be will to take a lien on the net value of some of his properties.

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I’ve been thinking something similar. If I were him I would preserve capital at all costs. He’s running out of options, but he can still cause serious problems.

I’m in Boynton. We’ve already got enough of these type of people already. Perhaps he can move in with his daughter.

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Haha. Sorry. I didn't mean to impose on the people in Boynton Beach. I just went there since it's in Palm Beach County. Maybe somewhere outside Tallahassee or Orlando?

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founding

Pretty scary options. And even scarcer that people still would elect him for President.

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To have an out-right traitor shoving KOMPROMAT through the legal system was once unthinkable. Now, the RNC provides backing. The RNC has become a MOBBED organized crime syndicate with fascist billionaires, Domestic and Foreign, installing puppets at every level of government. Charles Koch’s & his Fascist billionaires plan to destroy out constitution. “Citizens United” was a big step—we must revoke.

And we need to sweep up the Libertarian Traitors in league with Koch’s Gang—put them in the prisons built by THEIR corporate parasitic friends.

Those planes used by Abbott and DeathSantis? Fill them with the trumps, the musks, the Greenberg’s, etc, and send them to Russia. One way.

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Incredible... that the GOP is the vehicle and that the media is the road for this disaster zone of an American citizen and human being.

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founding

Please transfer my pd account to this email address.

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No one mentions the elephant in the room. Trump’s bond came to fruition just as Viktor Orban showed up.

Also, Trump defamed Ms Carroll again last night, which should be against the terms of ANY bond agreement.

Thirdly, Lara Trump has a financial interest in having the RNC cover Trump’s expenses or else she and Eric will have nothing to inherit when this scourge on humanity finally dies.

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Pretty sure the FBI counterintelligence and National Security guys know exactly who is working with Putin to undermine America. Russia gave the NRA $30M in the last election, all of which was passed thru to satan, except for the suits that were purchased for CEO La Pierre. In fact, one of the big guys in NYC FBI counterintelligence just went to jail, in bed with Russians!! And yet, nothing is done. Does anyone in our govt even listen in on their phones??? I bet Putin has promised satan $1B for his election and his swiss bank acct, win or lose.

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Is there a reason why E. Jean Carroll might not accept the bond? If yes, would a rejection of the bond have a benefit for Trump in some way? Would it allow him to show that he tried and needs more time?

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