China spent over $5.5 million at Trump properties while he was in office—CNN

[Roger Wilco]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/04/politics/trump-properties-china-foreign-payments/index.html

Seems bad.

 

[K1052]

The funny thing I guess is that he's a really cheap date if you flatter him sufficiently.

 

[brycejones]

Can we talk about the real scandal though of Hunter Biden showing his dick?

 

[eelw]

The funny thing I guess is that he's a really cheap date if you flatter him sufficiently.

Lol yup. He’s too stupid to know these world leaders treated him like a 2 bit whore than actually respecting him

 

[Jaskalas]

You make it sound like they paid for services a business (Hotel) provided.
Now demonstrate that they paid over a fair value for services rendered.
The difference between actual cost and payment would be the bribe, or money delivered.

When determining that, ask, does it matter if it is one cent? One dollar? A hundred, or a thousand?
At what point does it raise red flags and become wrong? I would argue that million(s) DO count.

Then if we want to go so far down the rabbit hole... ask what, exactly, Trump gave them in exchange.
With explicit detail and proof of a connection. That is, after all, the standard laid down to protect Biden from his family "business" with foreign money, yes?

 

[HomerJS]

But...but....but...Hunter!!!

China isn't the only country spending mucho bucks at Trump properties. Saudis as well

 

[fskimospy]

You make it sound like they paid for services a business (Hotel) provided.
Now demonstrate that they paid over a fair value for services rendered.
The difference between actual cost and payment would be the bribe, or money delivered.

When determining that, ask, does it matter if it is one cent? One dollar? A hundred, or a thousand?
At what point does it raise red flags and become wrong? I would argue that million(s) DO count.

Then if we want to down so far down the rabbit hole... ask what, exactly, Trump gave them in exchange.
With explicit detail and proof of a connection. That is, after all, the standard laid down to protect Biden from his family "business" with foreign money, yes?

I think it's very important to note that regardless of whether you or I think China and other foreign governments were bribing Trump, THEY definitely thought they were bribing Trump.

There's a reason why all the business at the Trump hotel suddenly disappeared after he lost - the reason to stay there was to bribe him.

 

[Brainonska511]

You make it sound like they paid for services a business (Hotel) provided.
Now demonstrate that they paid over a fair value for services rendered.
The difference between actual cost and payment would be the bribe, or money delivered.

When determining that, ask, does it matter if it is one cent? One dollar? A hundred, or a thousand?
At what point does it raise red flags and become wrong? I would argue that million(s) DO count.

Then if we want to down so far down the rabbit hole... ask what, exactly, Trump gave them in exchange.
With explicit detail and proof of a connection. That is, after all, the standard laid down to protect Biden from his family "business" with foreign money, yes?

Not all bribery is explicit, and they could have just "directed" their business to Trump-owned properties as part of a plan to curry favor, instead of using different hotels and whatnot. They didn't have to be paying over market rate to do this.

Also, perhaps the president shouldn't be openly running his business when also being president. When we look at conflicts of interest and corruption, we need to consider the appearance of actions as much as the actions themselves.

 

[Fenixgoon]

You make it sound like they paid for services a business (Hotel) provided.
Now demonstrate that they paid over a fair value for services rendered.
The difference between actual cost and payment would be the bribe, or money delivered.

When determining that, ask, does it matter if it is one cent? One dollar? A hundred, or a thousand?
At what point does it raise red flags and become wrong? I would argue that million(s) DO count.

Then if we want to down so far down the rabbit hole... ask what, exactly, Trump gave them in exchange.
With explicit detail and proof of a connection. That is, after all, the standard laid down to protect Biden from his family "business" with foreign money, yes?

It's important not only to avoid impropriety, but also the *appearance* of it. Trump maintaining control over his hotels gives the appearance of impropriety even if none exists.

However, we know USG officials *did* stay at trump properties, paying more than required for lodging, and above market rates. Remember Pence's trip to Ireland? That is entirely an abuse of the office and power of the presidency solely for enriching trump.

In a hypothetical world, it's quite possible that tons of foreign entities legitimately paid for and spent money at trump properties without any interest or expectation of influence.

In the real world, the emoluments clause exists to prevent the president from being influenced by foreign entities (not that it was followed/enforced in spirit during Trump's tenure).

In order to show lack of benefit/influenced by foreign entities, one method is a presidential candidate releasing their taxes. Guess who hasn't done that? Donald Trump. Guess who has? Joe Biden.

 

[fskimospy]

Not all bribery is explicit, and they could have just "directed" their business to Trump-owned properties as part of a plan to curry favor, instead of using different hotels and whatnot. They didn't have to be paying over market rate to do this.

Also, perhaps the president shouldn't be openly running his business when also being president. When we look at conflicts of interest and corruption, we need to consider the appearance of actions as much as the actions themselves.

That's why:

1) The emoluments clause exists. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Emoluments_Clause
2) Why the terms of the lease for that hotel explicitly barred any member of the government from profiting off it.

All these things were of course ignored.

 

[Brainonska511]

That's why:

1) The emoluments clause exists. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Emoluments_Clause
2) Why the terms of the lease for that hotel explicitly barred any member of the government from profiting off it.

All these things were of course ignored.

As we well know, laws and constitutions only mean something when people believe they mean something and take action to see that they are enforced. And Republicans are happy to ignore all that for the sake of pure power and punishing their political enemies.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

I think it's very important to note that regardless of whether you or I think China and other foreign governments were bribing Trump, THEY definitely thought they were bribing Trump.

There's a reason why all the business at the Trump hotel suddenly disappeared after he lost - the reason to stay there was to bribe him.

And of course, if he were to hold office again, would these 'hotel stays' resume.

 

[fskimospy]

And of course, if he were to hold office again, would these 'hotel stays' resume.

He actually sold the hotel after he left office. No point in having a bribe hotel if nobody wants to bribe you anymore.

https://www.npr.org/2022/05/12/1098469857/trump-sells-washington-hotel

 

[outriding]

Who cares. Biden is the one that needs to be investigated

Bank Investigator Raised Concerns About Money from China that Ultimately Funded $40,000 Payment to Joe Biden - United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability

United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability

oversight.house.gov

/s

 

[compcons]

You make it sound like they paid for services a business (Hotel) provided.
Now demonstrate that they paid over a fair value for services rendered.
The difference between actual cost and payment would be the bribe, or money delivered.

When determining that, ask, does it matter if it is one cent? One dollar? A hundred, or a thousand?
At what point does it raise red flags and become wrong? I would argue that million(s) DO count.

Then if we want to down so far down the rabbit hole... ask what, exactly, Trump gave them in exchange.
With explicit detail and proof of a connection. That is, after all, the standard laid down to protect Biden from his family "business" with foreign money, yes?

Ahh, yes. I had forgotten about all those Biden business entities that Hunter Biden funneled money into.

Could you please refresh my memory as to which actual Joe Biden owned businesses took money for the Biden Crime Family please?

 

[ivwshane]

I think jaskalas raises some good points but so does everyone else. Frankly, I’d rather hold our presidents to higher standards, not lower ones.

 

[eelw]

And while other nations may not have received anything in return, they know buttering up his orange ass definitely helped in any negotiations.

 

[manly]

I think jaskalas raises some good points but so does everyone else. Frankly, I’d rather hold our presidents to higher standards, not lower ones.

I guess he was doing "fine" until he dropped a load of BS Biden "family business" GOP talking point at the very end.

As far as this new report goes, is it really new or at all surprising? I could be mistaken but wasn't there plenty of prior reporting that foreign entities spent lavishly at Trump's D.C. hotel? My takeaway from previous reports is that some foreign entities were paying closer to "rack rate" than commercial rates you could get if you did a little planning. IF SO, they were absolutely putting extra money into the Trump Org to curry favor with the administration. Per WSJ:

Malaysia paid for a $10,000-per-night suite in Trump’s Washington hotel in September 2017 for then-Prime Minister Najib Razak while he was under a U.S. investigation for his role in a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal that ultimately helped topple his government. Malaysia’s spending caused a 70% jump in average nightly room revenue at Trump’s Washington hotel compared with other nights that month, the report said.

And a few months earlier, a Saudi delegation paid $2,000 for coffee table flowers and towers of cookies at the same hotel.

Even if it was actually all benign spending at a convenient watering hole, the intent to sway the Trump family still seems fairly clear. WSJ reports that Rep. James Comer has essentially cock blocked a thorough investigation, so these reported figures are likely a fraction of the full accounting.

 

[APU_Fusion]

The willful in your face corruption, grifting and hypocrisy is astonishing to behold. And the poor ignorant MAGATS Think they are getting over the libtard wokes while the rich MGATS laugh their asses off. Love the uneducated.

 

[trenchfoot]

The funny thing I guess is that he's a really cheap date if you flatter him sufficiently.

I'm thinking Trump is more like an over-the-hill skank whore with an ego that's totally out of sync with the line of work he's in.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

I think jaskalas raises some good points but so does everyone else. Frankly, I’d rather hold our presidents to higher standards, not lower ones.

Rungs of a ladder man, I'd love to be at the top of it but you gotta start where you are. Right now we're at Biden and Trump.

 

[HomerJS]

Just so I understand, Trump took money from China while President which violates the emoluments clause bs Hunter Biden who never worked in government and made money while Joe Biden was NOT in office.

Ever notice every crime Trump accuses of others he actually committed.

Projection at his finest.

 

[manly]

Just so I understand, Trump took money from China while President which violates the emoluments clause bs Hunter Biden who never worked in government and made money while Joe Biden was NOT in office.

Ever notice every crime Trump accuses of others he actually committed.

Projection at his finest.

And yet we still get rubes in this thread who ask #Whatabout Biden?

 

[soundforbjt]

Also this is ONLY for two years of trump’s term, we haven’t seen the other two years yet.

 

[hal2kilo]

Also this is ONLY for two years of trump’s term, we haven’t seen the other two years yet.

Because the majority Pubs in the HOR won't allow it.