47 Days

Follow the Money:  Yesterday, Wisconsin’s highest court rejected another Trump attempt to get hundreds of thousands of Democratic ballots tossed into a bonfire.  With the electoral college due to meet on December 14, Trump is running out of time but he isn’t done suing yet because telling your dedicated base that you need their contributions so that you can overturn a fraudulent, rigged election is a really lucrative scam.  So far Trump has raised in excess of $200 million, a good portion of which can be applied to Trump expenditures other than election lawsuits, recounts and Rudy’s $20,000 a day legal fees. Talking about scams, first daughter Ivanka is just a wee bit defensive about reports that she’d been deposed in that lawsuit filed by Washington DC Attorney General Racine.  Racine alleges that under Ivanka’s watchful eyes Trump’s Washington hotel steeply overcharged what was supposed to be a “non-profit” inaugural committee for event space to illegally line the Trump family coffers. Griping that she had been deposed for “five plus hours,” time that she could have put to better use on things like massages, hair treatments or lobbying on behalf of disadvantaged young Republican girls, Ivanka tweeted out that “this ’inquiry’ is another politically motivated demonstration of vindictiveness,” and being Daddy’ Trump’s favorite she knows a lot about vindictiveness.  Ivanka shared a brief email that she insists proves that she had directed that the inaugural committee be charged only a “fair market rate,” a trail that seems all to convenient to be credible.  Unfortunately for Ivanka, AG Racine who was none too pleased by Ivanka’s twitter outburst, appears to have evidence that the hotel charged the inauguration committee an exorbitant amount that was a multiple of those fair rates. Wonder if Ivanka realizes that civil cases can result in criminal charges when lying is involved?

Some Details: In other legal news, the NY Times provided some more details about that Justice Department probe into the “bribery for Trump pardon scheme.”  Apparently, the case involves a referral by Trump fundraiser Elliott Broidy of a San Francisco based real estate developer/Republican donor named Sanford Diller to son in law Kushner’s once reputable lawyer Abbe Lowell for advice on how best to secure clemency for his friend, psychologist Hugh Baras who was found guilty and jailed for tax evasion and social security fraud.  Broidy first came to our attention In one of the earliest episodes of the Trump chronicles for engaging Trump’s one time fixer Michael Cohen to help him pay off his pregnant for a minute Playmate girlfriend; he’s since pleaded guilty to violating foreign lobbying laws as part of an effort to influence the Trump administration on behalf of Chinese and Malaysian associates. The pardon-bribe scheme appears to have been uncovered during a review of his electronic devices.  Anyway, real estate developer Diller has since died and tax evader/Social Security cheater Baras never got his commutation which doesn’t mean that something inappropriate didn’t happen or that the investigation is over because for some reason Beryl Howell, the Federal judge involved with this case, really wanted information about the pardon scheme released into the public domain.  A warning to someone in the White House, perhaps?

Guns and Rifles: On another front, Business Insider reports that Donny Jr is considering a run to take over the leadership of the National Rifle Association from its embattled chief Wayne LaPierre. Putting aside the frightening thought of Don Jr being in charge of a gun advocacy organization, it’s not even clear if Don Jr can take over leadership of any “charitable” entity given his previous involvement with the now disbanded Trump charity.  Donny’s misplaced aspirations might explain why his father is seeking to pardon him, his siblings, Rudy and according to Politico more than twenty other people from his crime family universe before he steps down.  As to that stepping down thing, Trump hasn’t and probably will never concede so no one should tell him that Georgia Senator/alleged insider trader David Perdue told a group of Republican donors that they should help him get reelected because with Biden taking over the presidency it was important for Republicans to retain control of the Senate. Trump is scheduled to travel to Georgia tomorrow to campaign for Perdue and his cohort/ QAnon sympathizer Senator Kelly Loeffler. That should be interesting.

Lining Up:  For those who were concerned, virus guru Fauci isn’t going anywhere.  He zoomed with Joe Biden yesterday who asked him to stay on in his current role and to also assume the position of chief medical advisor to his administration.  Biden plans to retain FBI Director Chris Wray as well, assuming Trump doesn’t fire him first.  Though we still don’t know who Biden is planning to select to serve as Attorney General, it’s possible that current AG William Barr will be gone before inauguration day, apparently Trump is really furious that Barr hasn’t delivered him the gift of election fraud proof, real or imagined.  One more thing, check out this neat NY Times link to get an idea as to where you stand in the vaccine line:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/03/opinion/covid-19-vaccine-timeline.html 

While you’re waiting, stock up on masks, Biden plans to ask us to keep wearing them for 100 days, that’s 100 days from January 20^th.