Trump

Donald Trump’s real estate organization rented New York office space from 1998 to 2003 to an Iranian bank that U.S. authorities have linked to terrorist groups and Iran’s nuclear program.

Trump inherited Bank Melli, one of Iran’s largest state-controlled banks, as a tenant when he purchased the General Motors Building on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, according to public records reviewed by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and the Center for Public Integrity. The Trump Organization kept the bank on as a tenant for four more years after the U.S. Treasury Department designated Bank Melli in 1999 as being controlled by the Iranian government.

U.S. officials later alleged that Bank Melli had been used to obtain sensitive materials for Iran’s nuclear program. U.S. authorities also alleged that the bank had been used between 2002 and 2006 to funnel money to a unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that has sponsored terrorist attacks — a period that overlapped with the time the bank rented office space from Trump.

The Trump Organization’s dealings with the Iranian bank shed more light on Trump’s wide-ranging business interests, which sometimes stand at odds with his blunt declarations on the campaign trail. Trump has denounced Iran as a “big enemy,” blasted Hillary Clinton for not taking a harder line against the Iranian regime and charged that donations from foreign governments to the Clinton Foundation amounted to evidence of corruption. His five-year stint as Bank Melli’s landlord provides an example of the Trump Organization itself doing business with a government hostile to the United States.

“It’s a pretty hypocritical position to take,” said Richard Nephew, who served from 2013 to 2015 as principal deputy coordinator of sanctions policy at the U.S. State Department and spent nearly a decade working on Iran sanctions in the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. “It suggests that his principles are pretty flexible when it comes to him getting paid.”

A court document obtained by ICIJ indicates that Bank Melli’s rent on more than 8,000 square feet on the GM Building’s 44th floor may have topped half a million dollars a year.

The legal ramifications of the Trump Organization taking rent payments from Bank Melli are unclear.

Cliffy6745 said:

https://twitter.com/anamariecox/status/782969673067421697

PJ_Soul said:

Gern Blansten said:

PJ_Soul said:

mrussel1 said:

PJ_Soul said:

But that's my point. For most people talking about this online and on the news, etc, it IS about how he didn't pay those taxes.

Not because it's a crime, but it damages his personal narrative that he tries to sell. Remember Warren Buffet made this a huge deal several years ago. He came out and said he was upset because he paid a lower income tax rate than his secretary. Trump could have done the same thing six months ago and made it part of the 'rigged system' argument. But he didn't. Probably because of the billion dollar loss. But now he has to face it head on.

I disagree that him using an accountant to get the most put of his tax filing damages the narrative. If anything, the whole thing is damaging Hillary's campaign, because it is a glaringly meaningless "accusation" that Hillary supporters have all jumped on, while there are so many more important things they should be trying to hammer into people's brains. Things that actually would be damaging to his personal narrative. This is just another pointless distraction. I bet Trump is thrilled it's sticking around for as long as it is. I mean, if him committing fraud and giving campaign donations to his kids doesn't make a dent, and if racist propaganda and threats of nuclear war don't affect his numbers, etc etc etc, why would anybody think this non-issue would? This is the most bland thing he's been attacked for in months.

To me the issue is that he isn't successful. He sucks.

Okay ... but that isn't connected to this not paying income tax thing. Two separate issues. And FWIW... I don't really think it can be said that Trump isn't successful. I mean... as much as I can't stand him, and as fucked up as his finances may or may not be right now, I'm not sure if one of the most famous people in the world (gag gag) who is heavily invested in so many properties and developments and side businesses can be called unsuccessful. He is 100000000% unqualified to be a politician/President, and his business practices are a big reason behind that, but still, Trump isn't an unsuccessful person overall. I'd say he's still more successful than most other people on the planet... and more awful, too.

InHiding80 said:

dimitrispearljam said:

Ha ha charade he is.

PJ_Soul said:

Gern Blansten said:

PJ_Soul said:

mrussel1 said:

PJ_Soul said:

But that's my point. For most people talking about this online and on the news, etc, it IS about how he didn't pay those taxes.

Not because it's a crime, but it damages his personal narrative that he tries to sell. Remember Warren Buffet made this a huge deal several years ago. He came out and said he was upset because he paid a lower income tax rate than his secretary. Trump could have done the same thing six months ago and made it part of the 'rigged system' argument. But he didn't. Probably because of the billion dollar loss. But now he has to face it head on.

I disagree that him using an accountant to get the most put of his tax filing damages the narrative. If anything, the whole thing is damaging Hillary's campaign, because it is a glaringly meaningless "accusation" that Hillary supporters have all jumped on, while there are so many more important things they should be trying to hammer into people's brains. Things that actually would be damaging to his personal narrative. This is just another pointless distraction. I bet Trump is thrilled it's sticking around for as long as it is. I mean, if him committing fraud and giving campaign donations to his kids doesn't make a dent, and if racist propaganda and threats of nuclear war don't affect his numbers, etc etc etc, why would anybody think this non-issue would? This is the most bland thing he's been attacked for in months.

To me the issue is that he isn't successful. He sucks.

Okay ... but that isn't connected to this not paying income tax thing. Two separate issues. And FWIW... I don't really think it can be said that Trump isn't successful. I mean... as much as I can't stand him, and as fucked up as his finances may or may not be right now, I'm not sure if one of the most famous people in the world (gag gag) who is heavily invested in so many properties and developments and side businesses can be called unsuccessful. He is 100000000% unqualified to be a politician/President, and his business practices are a big reason behind that, but still, Trump isn't an unsuccessful person overall. I'd say he's still more successful than most other people on the planet... and more awful, too.

rgambs said:

PJ_Soul said:

Gern Blansten said:

PJ_Soul said:

mrussel1 said:

PJ_Soul said:

But that's my point. For most people talking about this online and on the news, etc, it IS about how he didn't pay those taxes.

Not because it's a crime, but it damages his personal narrative that he tries to sell. Remember Warren Buffet made this a huge deal several years ago. He came out and said he was upset because he paid a lower income tax rate than his secretary. Trump could have done the same thing six months ago and made it part of the 'rigged system' argument. But he didn't. Probably because of the billion dollar loss. But now he has to face it head on.

I disagree that him using an accountant to get the most put of his tax filing damages the narrative. If anything, the whole thing is damaging Hillary's campaign, because it is a glaringly meaningless "accusation" that Hillary supporters have all jumped on, while there are so many more important things they should be trying to hammer into people's brains. Things that actually would be damaging to his personal narrative. This is just another pointless distraction. I bet Trump is thrilled it's sticking around for as long as it is. I mean, if him committing fraud and giving campaign donations to his kids doesn't make a dent, and if racist propaganda and threats of nuclear war don't affect his numbers, etc etc etc, why would anybody think this non-issue would? This is the most bland thing he's been attacked for in months.

To me the issue is that he isn't successful. He sucks.

Okay ... but that isn't connected to this not paying income tax thing. Two separate issues. And FWIW... I don't really think it can be said that Trump isn't successful. I mean... as much as I can't stand him, and as fucked up as his finances may or may not be right now, I'm not sure if one of the most famous people in the world (gag gag) who is heavily invested in so many properties and developments and side businesses can be called unsuccessful. He is 100000000% unqualified to be a politician/President, and his business practices are a big reason behind that, but still, Trump isn't an unsuccessful person overall. I'd say he's still more successful than most other people on the planet... and more awful, too.

I think he is living in a house of cards and getting into this election was a bad move because it is about to collapse.
I suppose his past successes don't just get negated if he crumbles now.

Gern Blansten said:

PJ_Soul said:

Well shit. I wish I could be as unsuccessful as Trump then. I'd be a multi-millionaire!
I understand about all the speculation about Trump's actual worth, etc. But we actually know nothing, and no matter where his businesses stand, the dude is still a rich mofo and has a looooooooong business career where billions were bought and sold, and had a long-running hit reality show to boot. It's not like he's now destitute. I assume he did waste a whole shit load of his own money on this election though. I bet he regrets that.

Hold on....unsuccessful doesn't necessarily mean he is flat broke

I'm just stating the obvious. If someone loses $1billion dollars in a year they lose the right to call themselves successful.

PJ_Soul said:

Gern Blansten said:

PJ_Soul said:

Well shit. I wish I could be as unsuccessful as Trump then. I'd be a multi-millionaire!
I understand about all the speculation about Trump's actual worth, etc. But we actually know nothing, and no matter where his businesses stand, the dude is still a rich mofo and has a looooooooong business career where billions were bought and sold, and had a long-running hit reality show to boot. It's not like he's now destitute. I assume he did waste a whole shit load of his own money on this election though. I bet he regrets that.

Hold on....unsuccessful doesn't necessarily mean he is flat broke

I'm just stating the obvious. If someone loses $1billion dollars in a year they lose the right to call themselves successful.

Not if he had 2 billion. I guess I just don't consider a person unsuccessful overall just because he suffers a big business failure here and there but keeps on going. If that had ended his entire career and forced him to sell off all of his assets and then retire, I'd agree with you. But when someone with a massive financial/property empire has a really bad year but keeps on going and immediately launches a recovery, I definitely don't consider that person unsuccessful. I consider it a successful person who had a really bad year. I'm sure things like that happen to most of the world's billionaires. All of these suffer failures in their worlds of big business.
And the reason I'm "defending" this position is because I want criticisms against Trump (and Clinton) to be honest, righteous criticisms. I don't think that is happening with either candidate, and it fucks up the whole election process IMO.