The Juggler said:

Wonder if this has something to do with Parscale's suicide attempt?  This article was from over the summer but maybe another big shoe is about to drop?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/07/28/non-partisan-watchdog-accuses-trump-campaign-of-laundering-170-million/#71c935c61283

Non-Partisan Watchdog Accuses Trump Campaign Of ‘Laundering’ $170 Million

The Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan campaign finance watchdog group, filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission Tuesday accusing the Trump campaign of “laundering” $170 million through numerous companies, some with connections to former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale.

LEXINGTON, KY - NOVEMBER 04: Brad Parscale, campaign manager for U.S. President Donald Trump, ... [+]

 GETTY IMAGES

KEY FACTS

“The Trump campaign and Trump Make America Great Again Committee disguised nearly $170 million of campaign spending by laundering the funds through firms,” the complaint claims.

It adds that the firms are “headed by Trump’s recent campaign manager, Brad Parscale, and/or created by Trump campaign lawyers.”

The complaint alleges that the Trump campaign paid millions of dollars to campaign-connected vendors without reporting those payments to the FEC, specifically honing in on American Made Media Consultants (AMMC), a firm created by Parscale, which has been paid over $106 million, making it the campaigns largest vendor.

AMMC was ostensibly created to circumvent media buyers, but the complaint points to FCC records that show the campaign has used media buying firm Harris Sikes to place some of its ads, alleging the campaign is “failing to report payments to the firms and is instead using AMMC as a conduit for its payments to the firms.”

The complaint also points to an app called Phunware, which Parscale has said was created and is “directly owned” by the campaign, but which has never appeared in the campaign’s spending reports because, as the complaint alleges, it was paid through AMMC.

 campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh denied the charges made in the complaint, telling Forbes, “The campaign reports all payments to AMMC as required by the FEC. The campaign complies with all campaign finance laws and FEC regulations.”

CRUCIAL QUOTE

By failing to report payments to the campaign’s true vendors and employees, the Trump campaign and Trump Make America Great Again Committee have violated, and continue to violate, federal law’s transparency requirements,” the complaint asserts, adding that such activities “undermine the vital public information role that reporting is intended to serve.”

KEY BACKGROUND

Parscale was named as Trump’s campaign manager in February 2018 but was replaced in that role by Bill Stepien earlier this month. Parscale’s firms have long been the object of media scrutiny for receiving large sums from the Trump campaign and for Parscale maintaining a lavish lifestyle well beyond the means of most presidential campaign managers.

CHIEF CRITIC

"Voters have a right to know how campaigns are spending money to influence elections," CLC founder and President Trevor Potter, a Republican and former FEC Chair, told CNN. "This scheme flies in the face of transparency requirements mandated by federal law, and it leaves voters and donors in the dark about where the campaign's funds are actually going."

NEWS PEG

The allegation comes amid reports that the Trump campaign also moved millions in campaign funds to Trump’s private business interests. Forbes’ Dan Alexander and Michela Tindera reported earlier this month that the Trump campaign has pushed nearly $7 million towards Trump’s businesses since the president entered office.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

The complaint asks the FEC, which regulates campaign finance, to “conduct an immediate investigation” and “seek appropriate sanctions for any and all violations, including civil penalties sufficient to deter future violations.”

The Juggler said:

Gern Blansten said:

The Juggler said:

Wonder if this has something to do with Parscale's suicide attempt?  This article was from over the summer but maybe another big shoe is about to drop?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/07/28/non-partisan-watchdog-accuses-trump-campaign-of-laundering-170-million/#71c935c61283

Non-Partisan Watchdog Accuses Trump Campaign Of ‘Laundering’ $170 Million

The Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan campaign finance watchdog group, filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission Tuesday accusing the Trump campaign of “laundering” $170 million through numerous companies, some with connections to former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale.

LEXINGTON, KY - NOVEMBER 04: Brad Parscale, campaign manager for U.S. President Donald Trump, ... [+]

 GETTY IMAGES

KEY FACTS

“The Trump campaign and Trump Make America Great Again Committee disguised nearly $170 million of campaign spending by laundering the funds through firms,” the complaint claims.

It adds that the firms are “headed by Trump’s recent campaign manager, Brad Parscale, and/or created by Trump campaign lawyers.”

The complaint alleges that the Trump campaign paid millions of dollars to campaign-connected vendors without reporting those payments to the FEC, specifically honing in on American Made Media Consultants (AMMC), a firm created by Parscale, which has been paid over $106 million, making it the campaigns largest vendor.

AMMC was ostensibly created to circumvent media buyers, but the complaint points to FCC records that show the campaign has used media buying firm Harris Sikes to place some of its ads, alleging the campaign is “failing to report payments to the firms and is instead using AMMC as a conduit for its payments to the firms.”

The complaint also points to an app called Phunware, which Parscale has said was created and is “directly owned” by the campaign, but which has never appeared in the campaign’s spending reports because, as the complaint alleges, it was paid through AMMC.

 campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh denied the charges made in the complaint, telling Forbes, “The campaign reports all payments to AMMC as required by the FEC. The campaign complies with all campaign finance laws and FEC regulations.”

CRUCIAL QUOTE

By failing to report payments to the campaign’s true vendors and employees, the Trump campaign and Trump Make America Great Again Committee have violated, and continue to violate, federal law’s transparency requirements,” the complaint asserts, adding that such activities “undermine the vital public information role that reporting is intended to serve.”

KEY BACKGROUND

Parscale was named as Trump’s campaign manager in February 2018 but was replaced in that role by Bill Stepien earlier this month. Parscale’s firms have long been the object of media scrutiny for receiving large sums from the Trump campaign and for Parscale maintaining a lavish lifestyle well beyond the means of most presidential campaign managers.

CHIEF CRITIC

"Voters have a right to know how campaigns are spending money to influence elections," CLC founder and President Trevor Potter, a Republican and former FEC Chair, told CNN. "This scheme flies in the face of transparency requirements mandated by federal law, and it leaves voters and donors in the dark about where the campaign's funds are actually going."

NEWS PEG

The allegation comes amid reports that the Trump campaign also moved millions in campaign funds to Trump’s private business interests. Forbes’ Dan Alexander and Michela Tindera reported earlier this month that the Trump campaign has pushed nearly $7 million towards Trump’s businesses since the president entered office.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

The complaint asks the FEC, which regulates campaign finance, to “conduct an immediate investigation” and “seek appropriate sanctions for any and all violations, including civil penalties sufficient to deter future violations.”

That's what I'm thinking...I saw a theory that he may have received a target letter yesterday that set him off.  Innocent people don't commit suicide.

I can't imagine the level of anxiety Trump is under trying to keep so much shit out from the public eye. 

The Juggler said:

Gern Blansten said:

The Juggler said:

Wonder if this has something to do with Parscale's suicide attempt?  This article was from over the summer but maybe another big shoe is about to drop?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/07/28/non-partisan-watchdog-accuses-trump-campaign-of-laundering-170-million/#71c935c61283

That's what I'm thinking...I saw a theory that he may have received a target letter yesterday that set him off.  Innocent people don't commit suicide.

I can't imagine the level of anxiety Trump is under trying to keep so much shit out from the public eye. 

The Juggler said:

OnWis97 said:

The Juggler said:

Gern Blansten said:

The Juggler said:

Wonder if this has something to do with Parscale's suicide attempt?  This article was from over the summer but maybe another big shoe is about to drop?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/07/28/non-partisan-watchdog-accuses-trump-campaign-of-laundering-170-million/#71c935c61283

That's what I'm thinking...I saw a theory that he may have received a target letter yesterday that set him off.  Innocent people don't commit suicide.

I can't imagine the level of anxiety Trump is under trying to keep so much shit out from the public eye. 

And all it probably amounts to is an ego hit because it indicates he might not be as rich as he claims.  But to him, this kind of thing is huge. I kind of enjoy that he gets all worked up about this stuff.  In a week it will be forgotten and he'll have gotten all wound up over nothing.  Then, repeat with something else.

I think hiding the fact that he owes over $300,000,000 to (most likely) foreign banks that are coming due in the next few years might eat at him a little bit too. Just a little bit.

Going bankrupt (again) is never fun. Especially for a former president. 

The Juggler said:

How much you wanna bet Trump trots our Tara Reade tomorrow night?

Halifax2TheMax said:

The Juggler said:

How much you wanna bet Trump trots our Tara Reade tomorrow night?

Tara who?

HughFreakingDillon said:

The Juggler said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

mrussel1 said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

The Juggler said:

So Trump owes more than $300M? Seems like an enormous conflict of interest. Pity for him this news comes out right before the debates.

Folks, you see, most people are sitting around dreading an October surprise that will damage Biden.....they're forgetting that Trump has more skeletons in his closet than most in Washington combined. I'd expect more of this to to come. Biden should really pounce on it tomorrow night.

I also saw a report that the Durahm thing might not come out until after the election.

2020 is not 2016.

nothing seems to stick to don, though. we have what seems to be scandal exhaustion, so everything that would singularly take any other politician down, we are so used to it with him, it won't. 

It does stick though.  That's why his numbers are terrible, amongst plenty of other reasons. 

he is still polling at about the same numbers as hillary was in 2016, who most of us thought was going to win, after everything that's come out about him. i'd say he's pretty teflon. 

But Biden is polling about 5% higher than Hillary. That's a huge difference. 

You could argue that Biden is more teflon considering the sheer amount of garbage the Trump campaign has thrown at him and he's still sitting at 50% while Trump's floundering in the low 40's....

anyone other than trump would be polling in the low 30's with everything that has come out over the last 5 years. actually, they probably would have been primaried.