Friday, October 11, 2019

Trump Rolling Downhill: Faster than a Snowball Heading Straight to Hell

X Marks the Spot: Rudy’s crooked pals indicted as 
Trump plays dumb
(Never met them, doesn't know them ditto Pence)

Update (October 10, 2019): Rudy Gee up to his eyeballs in corruption and a lot based on this CNN story and more specifically here from Law and Crime (GOP-connected):

Rudy Giuliani‘s friends, clients, and Ukrainian hatchet men Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman and others listed below face several felonies over their roles in various conspiracies and efforts to defraud the U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC) by allegedly misrepresenting the source of funds and for unlawfully soliciting foreign campaign contributions.

Before it all fell apart, however, Parnas and Fruman were ascendant backdoor power players in GOP politics across the country. Starting in late 2016, Parnas began spreading his financial largesse across the country by way of various state Republican Party groups.

Highlights and Introduction with this Headlines just before two were ready to board a plane, one-way tickets out of the U.S. – then taken into FBI custody and later charged in Federal court –

Two of Rudy Giuliani's business associates at the center of the Ukraine investigation will NOT comply with the impeachment inquiry, their lawyer John Dowd says

·       Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman are two former USSR-born real estate entrepreneurs 
·       They said they will not attend depositions this week or hand in any documents 
·       Their lawyer is John Dowd who defended Trump during the Mueller inquiry
·       Whistleblower who overheard the Ukraine phone call said “it was frightening”

Washington (CNN) – Two men tied to Rudy Giuliani's effort to solicit Ukrainian interference in the 2020 election have been arrested and charged with unrelated campaign finance violations.

The men, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, were already in the spotlight as House Democrats ramp up their inquiries and prepare for articles of impeachment against Trump.

Now they'll face legal problems of their own. They were named in a criminal indictment, just unsealed, along with two others who allegedly participated in the scheme – so, that Giuliani mess now totals five. 

Here's a breakdown of those four men and their alleged crimes at the CNN link.

Rudy Giuliani is a train wreck in the making and totally out control. This headline from The Independent (UK) is damn scary in and of itself:

To disrupt the world – Giuliani gives bizarre FOX News interview before posting angry 4:54 am tweet

Trump personal lawyer said his mission was “to disrupt the world” as he attempted to defend his involvement in the Ukraine scandal.

The former New York City mayor made the claim while being questioned about his role in pushing for an investigation into Trump’s potential rival, Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. 

Giuliani’s contact with Ukrainian officials on behalf of Trump is now at the center of the impeachment inquiry sparked by the release of a whistleblower complaint by an alleged CIA official who worked in the White House.

During an interview with FOX News, Giuliani was asked why he was involved, rather than the State Department or the AG.

Martha MacCallum FOX host asked:Why are you the president’s personal attorney? What is your personal mission?”

Giuliani responded “Wow,” then added:To disrupt the world.”

Then he continued:My mission is to defend my client in the best traditions of the legal profession.... It is in the best interests of my client to unravel the corruption in the Ukraine which involve mostly collusion in the election into which Joe Biden inserted himself.”

Giuliani, who has been subpoenaed for documents by the House Democrats, has repeatedly claimed that Biden acted corruptly in Ukraine on behalf of his son Hunter.

A former prosecutor in Ukraine said last month that the former vice president's son did not violate anything.



Giuliani claimed his investigation concluded before Biden announced he was running for president in 2020 – although the dates he gave suggested his investigation ended before it began saying:

I started the investigation in November 2018, I ended the investigation in March 2018. How could it possibly be to affect the 2020 election? How would I have known back then that he was going to run and why would I have not investigated him if he was central to the whole story?”

Several hours after the interview, Giuliani went online to accuse DEM Rep. Rashida Tlaib of suggesting that Trump, his lawyers, and other White House officials could be arrested by Congressional police.

In an apparently angry 4:54 am tweet, Trump made the baseless claim that it was:Evidence of a conspiracy to violate civil rights and to defraud us. Failure to cover it by blaring headlines shows you’re part of Corrupt News Network.”

My 2 cents: This Trump scheme is well-planned up to now is now running off the rails and that is something Trump never anticipated because he has always got his way and escaped prosecution and any jail time for his crimes, 

But, not this time. Drain the swamp Trump says, but hell, he is the swamp. And it runs deep.

“Gators are extra” — very hungry and unfriendly.

Thanks for stopping by.

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