Author: Dave

Gas Stove Ban- News Frenzy

by Dave

“The great enemy of the truth is very often not the deliberate, contrived, and dishonest—but the myth: persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the clichés of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought. Mythology distracts us everywhere—in government as in business, in politics as in economics, in foreign affairs as in domestic affairs.” John Kennedy, Yale University commencement speech, 1962.

If it bleeds, it leads. If you want to get notice on Instagram or Facebook, just make stuff up. On Fox News, it’s usually blowing something totally out of proportion, and then blaming Biden for what some agency did or didn’t do.

Yes, there is no gas stove ban. This one began early in January 2023, and we are in September 2023. I don’t know how much longer Republicans can push this non-issue. But, honestly, there are a number of situations where electric is a better choice.

Now, a few facts. January 9, 2023, CNN news story headline, “A US federal agency is considering a ban on gas stoves.” It went on to state, “Richard Trumka Jr., a US Consumer Product Safety commissioner, set off a firestorm this week by saying in an interview with Bloomberg that gas stoves posed a “hidden hazard” and suggested the agency could ban them.” Yes, if something is really dangerous, like a toy that could injure a child, then this action is justified.

So, the Republicans went ballistic and soon it all became much more fiction than fact. “THEY are going to be sending in the FBI to seize your gas stoves, or maybe some documents like THEY did to poor Donald.”

Gas stove pollution can affect children with asthma. The pollutants given off by gas stoves can exacerbate repiratory problems, and cardiovascular illnesses.

So, I am grateful, not angry at Commissioner Richard Trumka, for raising this issue and good research. As much as I like cooking with gas, my electric range is just fine. And I’ve got an air purifier too.

Gas stoves significantly contribute to climate change. Massive heat waves occurred in the US and Europe this summer. Approximately 115 people died in the Maui fires. Wild fires are popping up all over Canada. Evacuation orders and alerts have been issued for British Columbia. Hurricane Lee is a product of warmer Atlantic Ocean waters, and I am so glad it turned. But, the people in Bermuda may not be so lucky. It is a monster.

Global warming is the inconvenient truth that was presented in the 2006 movie. So much of what was predicted in this film is a reality today 17 years later. I will post more on this later.

Bans are very limited. New York City banned gas stoves in new apartment in 2021. New York State is banning gas stoves and furnaces in new homes by 2026. They will be banned in apartments over 7 stories high by 2019. Restaurants and other businesses are exempt. Berkley, California banned gas stoves in 2019, but a recent court decision found the ban illegal.

It is unfortunate that Republicans at both the state and federal level have made such a big deal of this. What began as a health warning has suddenly become a rallying cry for Republicans. President Biden announced he has no plans to ban gas stoves.

So, all this is pure politics, all started in January when an agency director had the nerve to warn the public of health hazards associated with gas stoves.

Climate activists are right in that we have to take real action in our own country to bring down fossil fuel consumption. Global problems need global solutions, but if we don’t start in our own backyard, we’ve got no chance in convincing other countries to do the same.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Link: https://www.bonappetit.com/story/gas-stove-ban-new-york-state

The CREW Disqualification Lawsuit in Colorado

by Dave

Just as I completed the last posting on disqualification, a lawsuit was filed by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) to disqualify Donald Trump from being on the ballot in Colorado. The lawsuit is filed against the Secretary of State of Colorado for accepting Donald Trump as a qualified candidate for the Colorado primary to be held on March 5, 2024.

In the prior posting, both conservative and liberal law professors have concluded that Donald Trump must be disqualified as a candidate because he “engaged in insurrection.” Other very well known law professors have concluded that Donald Trump is eligible to run for president.

The plaintiffs in this case are ordinary voters, who claim they have been harmed, along with the other voters in Colorado, because having an ineligible candidate on the ballot, will diminish the chances that other eligible candidates could win the primary.

See link: https://www.citizensforethics.org/news/press-releases/lawsuit-filed-to-remove-trump-from-ballot-in-co-under-14th-amendment/

Note at the bottom of this webpage, there is a link to the filed lawsuit.

I honestly don’t know if this lawsuit “has legs” meaning can it be accepted by the court as a valid legal challenge. Legal analysis by Northwest University Professor Steven Calabresi suggested that injury or harm could be claimed by one of the other Republican candidates running for president.

Another group called Free Speech for People are allied with Mi Familia Vota Educational Fund, has written letters to the secretaries of state of many states, urging them to invoke Section 3, and disqualify Trump from the ballot.

Professor Calabresi said those administrators must act. “Trump is ineligible to be on the ballot, and each of the 50 state secretaries of state has an obligation to print ballots without his name on them,” he said, adding that they may be sued for refusing to do so.

I would imagine if similar challenges succeeded in several states, the Supreme Court would accept to hear this issue. In this case, they may rule that he is eligible, given the Griffin precedent.

When Democrat secretaries of state disqualifies Donald Trump, making judgements on his actions and using their interpretation of Section 3 and case law, they are passing the will of the electorate in their state.

Professor McConnell writes: “We must not forget that we are talking about empowering partisan politicians such as state Secretaries of State to disqualify their political opponents from the ballot, depriving voters of the ability to elect candidates of their choice. If abused, this is profoundly anti-democratic.”

I agree, but would just say that this will be vehemently considered an abuse of voting rights by about half the country (Republicans), which the secretaries of state are sworn to uphold.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Donald Trump is still eligible to run for President

by Dave

Voila- I put the conclusion as the title of this posting. It isn’t what I want happen. It is a topic that received a flurry of attention among constitutional law professors in the last month.

It is ironic that convicted felons in my state of Florida can not vote, but they can run for president. It’s never happened before, but this is becoming a possibility. The idea of a convicted felon running our country probably never came up during the creation of our Constitution. It was just too preposterous.

Bottom line: Voters have to decide who our next president, not the courts. Trump may be ahead in the polls, but a lot can change from now to November 2024. I hope enough people see the light, and do not send a twice impeached and four times indicted candidate to the White House.

Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution provides the basis to disqualify a candidate for government office if they have engaged in insurrection or rebellion. It became part of the Constitution after the civil war. There were excellent opinions written by law professors and posted on the internet both supporting his eligibility and also supporting disqualification.

From a critical examination of the wording of Section 3, as provided by Professors Baude and Paulsen (link given at the end of this posting), Donald Trump should be disqualified from both the primaries and the general election. Their legal arguments are in a manner that conservatives usually prefer to interpret the law, referred to as originalism and textism. They argue that Section 3 is self executing, and any government official involved in the election can invalidate Trump’s candidacy. They are joined by Professor Laurence Tribe and former judge J. Michael Luttig. See video clip below.

Link: August 19, Laurence Tribe and J. Michael Luttig make the case for Trump’s Disqualification

I agree with the counter arguments by Professors Noah Feldman and Michael McConnell, that Donald Trump is eligible to run for president even if he encourage protesters on January 6 to be highly aggressive. I note Trump did not take any action as the Capitol was being ransacked. It is deplorable but not proof he engaged in insurrection.

Professor Noah Feldman cites two problems with Professors Baude and Paulsen article. First, is there never has been a real Supreme Court case to let the government officials know the proper interpretation of the key phrase to “engage in insurrection.” Secondly, the only precedent is the Griffin case, decided in a circuit court, which ruled that the legislature must first make Section 3 operable before actions can be taken. Professor Feldman emphasizes the importance of case law.

Link: Alas, Trump Is Still Eligible to Run for Office

Professor McConnell writes: “We must not forget that we are talking about empowering partisan politicians such as state Secretaries of State to disqualify their political opponents from the ballot, depriving voters of the ability to elect candidates of their choice. If abused, this is profoundly anti-democratic.”

Prof McConnell Opinion

I agree. Trump’s supporters will claim this as an egregious abuse of power. Disqualification would disenfranchise millions of voters and the action of a one person, the Secretary of State, could determine an election for the country, if it was close enough.

Further, disqualification in any state would be a disaster. It would simply feed into the ultra-right wing narrative that the Biden administration is afraid of Donald Trump, and is finding ways to derail his candidacy.

Much of Trump’s ardent supporters have swallowed whole wild conspiracy theories, that the Department of Justice, FBI, attorney generals from Manhattan and New York State are all after Trump. Now it would include the Secretaries of State. The attacks get very personal against judges, even one he appointed (Judge Aileen Cannon).

And if Biden were to be re-elected, the legitimacy of the election would forever be questioned because a secretary of state would not allow his name on the ballot in a particular state.

Disqualify Trump, No. Vote him out, Yes.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Additional link:

Link: Forbes, Can Trump Be Disqualified From The Presidency? Why Even Conservative Legal Experts Are In Favor Of It

Section 3, 14th Amendment states:

Section 3 Disqualification from Holding Office
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

section-3-1Download

Trump’s Cases: Just the facts

by Dave

On the right side of my site, I have created a separate page on the four criminal indictments of Donald Trump. It is very short. I have included the best links I could find tracking these cases. If I stick with just the court rulings, it makes things a lot shorter. Sort of like reporting the final score of a football game, and not the action on the field.

The one getting the most attention is the Georgia election interference case with 19 defendants. It is referred to as the Georgia inquiry case, Fulton County case or the Fani Willis case. All defendants have pleaded not guilty, had their mug shots taken, and posted bond.

The 19 defendants are not speaking with one voice. Fani Willis wanted a start date in March 2024, while Trump wants more time. The judge has not yet decided. But, one defendant, Kenneth Chesebro, asked for a start date of October 23, 2023 and the judge apparently accepted this date. Sidney Powell filed a similar motion. The New York Times reported that they learned from John Eastman’s lawyers, that he also may opt for an early start date.

Not in Fulton County, please! Five defendants (Meadows, Clark, Shafer, Still and Latham) want “removal” to federal court. New York Times reports that Trump will also likely request removal to federal court. The case will still be held in Georgia, but it will be moved outside of Fulton County, which is heavily Democratic. If it is in federal court, Meadows and Clark will likely argue that they should not be tried at all, because they have immunity, as they were federal government employees performing their duties to the president.

So, the Georgia case is getting messy. A hearing has been set for August 28, to discuss these issues. The Judge’s focus will be on ensuring a fair trial, with sufficient time for defendants to prepare their defense and have an unbiased jury.

And Judge Chutkan in Washington, has set a hearing for August 28 to discuss the start date for the January 6 case. Jack Smith wants January 2, 2024 while Trump’s lawyers want April 2026. Big difference.

Four cases, Hush Money, Jan 6, Georgia and the Documents case are all going forward. Wheel of justice turn slowly.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Feedback

by Dave

If you have stumbled on to my website and read some of my postings, I want to say thank you for your interest. I do not post often, and I try to research as well as possible my topics.

Your comments are always of interest. You can also click on “like” if you feel I have done a good job of explaining the topic at hand. The last posting was a comparison between two ex-presidents, Bolsonaro and Trump, and I did not have much good to say about either of them.

I could use some feedback to know how best to continue.

Thank you for your support.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Part II: The legacy of Jair Bolsonaro and Donald Trump

by Dave

This post will be more meaningful if Part 1 is read first.

Ex-President Jair Bolsonaro greatly admired Donald Trump, and his form of right wing populist politics. It was a very passionate love of country and religion, an emotional attachment that voters could easily embrace. Bolsonaro attacked the socialist views of Lula da Silva, comparing him to Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro, who wrecked the economy of Venezuela and Cuba, respectively.

He continued his attack on the Federal Election court and the election in which he lost. While still in power, Bolsonaro met with foreign ambassadors in July 2022, in which he spread false information about Brazil’s electoral system. Thus he was laying the foundation to challenge the entire election process. The meeting was livestreamed by official television channels and on YouTube.

A lawsuit was filed by Brazil’s Demcratic Labor Party. On June 30, 2023, the federal election court barred Jair Bolsonaro from running for president until 2030. Bolsonaro plans to appeal the judgement. Per the CNN link:

Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who presided over the court, cast his vote last. “Let us reaffirm our faith in our democracy and the rule of law,” he said after voting in favor of the guilty verdict. Moraes added that with the vote Brazilian authorities would show they do not tolerate “criminal extremism attacking the powers of the state, fake news, disinformation to try to deceive voters.”

There are many other cases pending against Bolsonaro. Most recently has been the Saudi rolex watch scandal. The accusation is that Bolsonaro gave the watch to an aide to sell and then deposit the money back into his account. It is not a lot of money ($70,000) but the Superior Court has now permitted inspection of Jair Bolsonaro and Lt. Col. Mauro Cid bank accounts in the US on August 18, 2023.

This is a rapidly developing story, as on August 18, 2023, seven high-ranking military police officers were arrested in connection with the Jan. 8 attacks. I suspect more will follow, including possible connections between the violence on January 8, 2022 and ex-president Jair Bolsonaro. Also, there is considerable speculation in the media, that Bolsonaro and his son, Flavio were enriching themselves through government graft. It will be the court that have to decide whether guilt based on facts, not speculation in the media.

Link: ABC News: Brazil’s Bolsonaro accused by ex-aide’s lawyer of ordering sale of jewelry given as official gifts

What if Bolsonaro’s comments were not livestreamed and broadcast, and also captured on You Tube? Perhaps the Superior Court would have acted differently.

There is no equivalent in the US to the 7 member panel overseeing the election and corruption in Brazil. Some may consider it gives too much authority, as only a simple majority can deny a candidate from running for office. Our First Amendment rights are very broad, while a president is in office. However as Donald Trump has discovered, defamation lawsuits against an ex-president can be won as in the E. Jean Carroll lawsuit.

___

Trump at present has four criminal cases against him. The Federal January 6 case and Georgia case involve his direct involvement to interfere with the results of a fair election, before the election and afterwards, leading up to the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. The classified documents case relate to actions after he left office on January 20, 2021. Trump will be formally arrested in the Georgia election interference case on August 24, 2023.

A commonality of the US and Brazilian system is, no matter how high or low a person’s social status, there is equal justice and accountability for all. We have no privilege class. The prisons of our country and Brazil, were not created to house the poor or illiterate, but those found guilty of crimes by a jury in court of law where the rights of the defendant are enforced. A second principle is that the electorate decides who will govern the country in free and fair elections. Every four years, in the US and Brazil, only the electorate who can be their president.

Both Bolsonaro and Trump have legal rights and can petition a higher court to appeal their sentences. This is another example of

I feel no matter, what occurs, their legacy will be that they truly believed that truth did not matter. Everything depended on the dissemination of false information via social media and cable stations to maintain their base.

Trump in particular has portrayed his legal problems on a corrupt legal system, but this is another lie. He is the cause of the four criminal indictments.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Ex-Presidents Trump and Bolsonaro: Part 1

by Dave

“You shall reap what you have sown” old proverb, meaning you will suffer the consequences of your actions.

When Donald Trump in Nov 2020 and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in October 2022 lost their bids for re-election, they refused to accept their loss. Both of them concocted lies which attacked the integrity of election. It was all very planned out and in both cases, within a few months, violence broke out in the capitals of their country. US Capitol attack occurred on January 6, 2021 and the federal buildings in Brasilia were attacked on January 8, 2022, encouraged by unfounded claims from the ex-Presidents.

But both Trump and Bolsonaro maintained a lie that the elections were rigged, and they were the legitimate winners of the election. Both perpetuated these lies by fabricating “evidence” of fraud. It is exactly what many of their supporters wanted to hear. Many people in the US and Brazil are in prison for the violence. Five people are dead as a result of the violent attack on the capital, and many police officers were injured as a result of the violence.

Trump schemed with other White House officials to have Mike Pence dismiss the results of the election in states where he lost by a narrow margin and prepared a slates of false electors. This is, in part, why he is facing charges of conspiracy in Georgia. We have the freedom of assembly and speech in the US, but when the communications are at the foundation of plans to break the law, then this becomes part of the crime.

At the local, state and federal level of government, violations of election laws can be investigated. Volunteers also act as observers and can report any violation. The courts heard more than 50 challenges from Trump’s team of lawyers. None of them were successful in changing the results of the election. On December 23, 2020, the US Attorney General, William Barr, announced that no fraud had been found that would change the results of the election. Similar conclusions were reached by the Director of Cyber Security, Chris Krebs, who was then fired by Trump.

In Brazil, just days prior to the election, Bolsonaro reduced fuel prices to gain favor with Brazilian truckers. On election day, truckers formed blockades to prevent voters from going to the polls in the Northeast region of Brazil, where the worker’s party with Lula Da Silva as the presidential candidate, was favored to win. The police set up checkpoints, causing more difficulties for voters. The federal justices which oversee the election process, voted to end the blockade and police checkpoints on election day. As a result, voters were delayed but not denied the opportunity to vote.

Link: AP Press Brazilian truckers protest Bolsonaro loss, block hundreds of roads

In Brazil, political parties have recourse in the judicial system (federal election court, headed by Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes) to hear their complaints of an unfair election and take appropriate actions. So Bolsonaro’s party presented to the court their arguments that the machines which tallied the votes were flawed and should be disregarded. The discrepancy was very minor, and did not affect the actual tally. The court quickly rejected the allegations of Bolsonaro’s party.

CNN Link: Brazilian court rejects election challenge from outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro

So, both Trump and Bolsonaro challenged the election results through the courts, but failed to show any convincing evidence of fraud. Trump should have conceded to Biden after the formal voting of electors on December 14, 2020. Bolsonaro should have conceded to Lula da Silva after the federal election court rejected the baseless claim of fraud on November 23, 2022.

Instead of recognizing the importance of election integrity and national unity, they continued their attack on the election which they clearly lost. The legal system has caught up with both leaders.

This will be discussed in Part 2 of this posting.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Patriot Legal Fund

by Dave

Attention Patriotic Americans: Donald Trump needs you to pay for his legal fees. The Patriot Legal Fund is a charity solely devoted to paying Trump and others legal fees.

He has an incredible track record of losing trial cases, so this requires extra cash to fund the appeals. So, if your initial reaction is, you’ve got to be kidding, that’s exactly right.

His legal problems are something he brought on himself. And Trump has been skirting the law for decades. It took a long time for the law to catch up with him.

Recently, he tried to move the Stormy Daniels hush money case to federal court. So, trying to connect hush money payments to his official duties of president failed.

Trump will have his day (or really months) in court, to defend the accusations against him. He has already siphoned off millions of dollars from the Save America superpac to hire the best lawyers in the country to defend him.

No one should break the law, and pressure government officials to find roughly 11,000 votes to change the election results in Georgia. No one should take then and hide classified documents. Obstruction of justice is a real crime.

So, do not send money to this fund. Let him pay for his own legal defense.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Hunter Biden Plea Agreement Hearing, July 26, 2023

by Dave

I will make this simple as possible.

Hunter Biden broke the law in 2018 and 2019, by not filing taxes. He broke the law again in 2018 by failing to acknowledge he was using illegal drugs at the time he applied for a gun permit. Obviously, if he had filled out the form honestly, the application would have been rejected and it would be headline news that he was addicted to drugs.

Biden reached an agreement with the Department of Justice to plead guilty to the late filings of taxes, and DOJ would drop gun application after he had been on probation for 2 years. Biden has paid all the money he owes including interest and fines.

So, the two parties, DOJ and Biden came to the court house, thinking the hearing will be perfunctory as agreement had been reached, and the judge just had to sign off on it. Judge Noreika would not sign off on it, because it would make her the arbitrator of the terms of an agreement which she had no involvement in creating. In her words, it would plop her in the middle of this case.

Earlier in the hearing, the Judge asked about the future investigations of Hunter Biden and in particular about a failure to register as a foreign agent. The specific law is called FARA, Foreign Agents Registration Act. This sparked some confusion as the sides differed, but after a brief recess, DOJ and Biden’s team came to an agreement that additional charges could be brought.

Judge Noreika asked DOJ and Biden to submit briefs addressing her concerns within 30 days. Hunter Biden entered a plea of not guilty on all charges. The hearing was dismissed. No one is sure how long the Hunter Biden saga will drag on. The New York Post headline, “Stunned onlookers gasp as Hunter Biden’s Sweetheart Plea Deal Crumbles.”

I believe the deal will ultimately approved by the Judge Noreika, with some additions to the plea agreement which minimize the role of the judge as arbitrator of the agreement. I also believe that FARA violation charges will be resolved with another out of court settlement or simply dropped by DOJ.

Many Republicans want the plea deal tossed out by the judge. Without a plea agreement, this case would go to court and drag on for years. They view it as a sweetheart deal, giving special privileges to Hunter Biden. Representative Jason Smith, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, submitted an Amicus Brief (Friends of the court) hoping to sway the judge to reject the deal, which would result in a court case, and keep the issues going through next years. The brief focuses on IRS whistleblower testimony to Congress, suggesting inappropriate and possibly biased investigation. The whistleblower testimony was not brought up during the hearing by the judge.

The DOJ has offered to allow David Weiss, Federal Prosecutor in Delaware, who has lead this case since it began, to testify in Congress. However, now that the deal is in limbo, I am sure DOJ will postpone any testimony.

Many subpoenas will be issued for testimony from DOJ officials involved in this case, from House Committees, because of politics. Officials can not comment on ongoing investigations. House members will be upset, and claim DOJ is stone-walling their investigation.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Part 2: Brian Kolfage, Guo Wengui and others

by Dave

In my prior blog, I began with Steve Bannon. I did not explain how We Build the Wall began, and how the others became involved. This second part ties up a few loose ends.

Brian Kolfage is a war hero. He lost both legs and an arm in the Iraqi war, serving in the Air Force.

We Build the Wall founder Kolfage has been sentence to 51 months in prison for his part in the scam. Timothy Shea partnered with Kolfage, and is described as a Colorado business man. He skimmed $350,000. He went to court and got 63 months sentence.

Trump had complained that he couldn’t get funding from Congress to build the wall, so Brian Kolfage thought of a charity to raise one billion dollars to build a wall. It started in December 2018 and was an instant success on GoFundMe, with 9 million dollars raised in the first 3 days. The problem was there was no way to transfer the money to the federal government to help “Trump’s wall.”

Some sections of a border barrier were built by We Build the Wall on private lands, but the nonprofit is now defunct.

Kolfage decided to form a 501(c)4 corporation in January 2019. This is where Andrew Badolato and Steve Bannon join in the effort. Oh, the sweet smell of money. As provided below, Steve Bannon headed the advisory board. Some sections of a border barrier were built by We Build the Wall on private lands, but the nonprofit is now defunct.

Wikipedia Link: We Build the Wall

The Advisory Board is provided in the above link. No one on the Advisory Board has been charged with skimming money from the charity, except Steve Bannon. But this could change as Bannon’s trial date nears. The current Attorney General of Kansas was on the board.

I could not find any biographical information on Andrew Badolato. I suspect his role was less as he received the lowest sentence of 3 years.

—-

The initial blog had a picture of Steve Bannon, arrested in Aug 2020, and the yacht Lady May owned by billionaire Guo Wengui (AKA Miles Guo, Han Wan Kwok) an exile from China. Lady May is a beautiful 152 ft yacht.

Now the Bannon-Guo connection, from Wikipedia:

G News is a website owned by Guo Media – a company associated with Guo – operating in collaboration with Steve Bannon, a former executive chairman of Breitbart News and former advisor to the Trump administration.[70][71] Guo Media paid Bannon $1 million in exchange for consulting services from August 2018 to August 2019,[72] and Bannon has an office in Guo Media’s headquarters.[15] Both Guo and Bannon are regularly featured in G News videos that criticize the Chinese government.[71] Guo and Bannon later co-founded GTV Media Group in 2020,[73] which operates the Chinese video website GTV.[74]

In August 2020, when Steve Bannon was arrested, Guo responded that the charges were “fabricated” and claimed that they were part of a plan by the Chinese Communist Party to “take Mr. Bannon down” [11]” Sure. See Wikipedia link:

Wikipedia, GTV Media

GTV Media specialized in conspiracy theories and spreading misinformation.

Guo Wengui became rich in China as a result of real estate development in China. His long biography is listed below:

Wikipedia, Guo Wengui

Per Wikipedia:

Guo was arrested on March 15, 2023 in New York by Federal authorities, for conspiracy to defraud his online followers out of more than $1 billion.[83][84] These included $452 million in unregistered offering and $150 million in loans for GTV, in addition to $250 million for membership programmes and $262 million for the Himalaya Exchange cryptocurrency project.[85]

So, as I understand it, it was a cryptocurrency scam.

—

Guo is bankrupt. His 152′ boat went up for auction. Herb Chambers, 81 years old, is the new owner. Herb Chambers became rich by working hard, selling cars.

Wikipedia: Herb Chambers

He still works, going to work in his helicopter. So Bannon and Guo are headed for trial, Herb Chambers can be tooling around Dorchester Bay in the Lady May. If he has time.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Steve Bannon and Others: We Build the Wall

by Dave

Steve Bannon is smart. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School. He has a master’s degree in national security from Georgetown University. He has been an investment banker and held high positions in numerous companies.

He developed a strategy to get Trump elected, focusing on very emotional issues likely to get Republicans pumped up enough to vote for Trump. About a third of Americans don’t vote.

One theme was that the elites in Washington don’t care about working families. And of course that illegal Mexicans are taking jobs from good Americans, so we need to build a really high wall. And Trump added a twist, in that it wasn’t going to cost taxpayers a cent as Mexico was going to build it for us. Trump said this repeatedly, with intense conviction.

In addition to being smart, Bannon is corrupt. He is a grifter. Trump fired him as the Chief Strategist in the White House in August 2017. After this, Bannon was involved in many conservative organizations and was even a consultant to President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil and his son.

I have no idea what advice Bannon gave to Bolsonaro, but after losing the Brazilian election on October 31, 2022, he did not concede the election and cast doubt whether the election machines accurately recorded the votes. There was no evidence of faulty election machines, and the federal electoral court on June 30, 2023 barred Bolsonaro from running for president until 2030 for discrediting the election process:

https://apnews.com/article/brazil-bolsonaro-ineligible-court-ruling-vote-99dee0fe4b529019ccbb65c9636a9045

Bannon promoted the “We Build the Wall” movement. The idea was that if Democrats in Congress would not fund Trump’s wall, then Steve Bannon and other Republicans would. A total of 25 million dollars was raised.

It was a scam. Some of the money was used, but the organizers were taking substantial sums for their own personal use. The donors were die-hard conservatives, who would without a second thought, send money to help build the wall. The organization was ripping off Trump’s MAGA supporters.

In August 2020, Steve Bannon was arrested on board the Lady May, owned by Guo Wengui, a billionaire and one of the top 10 on China’s most wanted list. We will get to Guo Wengui in Part 2 of this blog. Also a bit about the Lady May. It is no longer owned by Mr. Wengui.

Based on evidence presented to a grand jury, Bannon and three others were indicted on defrauding donors. The three others are Andrew Badolato, Brian Kolfage and Timothy Shea. Badolato and Kolfage pled guilty and have been sentenced to 36 and 51 months on April 26, 2023. Shea pled not guilty and was sentenced to 63 months in prison on July 25, 2023.

Southern District of New York Colorado Man Sentenced To Prison For “We Build The Wall” Online Fundraising Fraud Scheme, July 25, 2023

Steve Bannon was able to avoid a trial because Trump gave him a pardon on his last day in office. This didn’t work. While charges were dropped in Federal Court, Manhattan DA, Alvin Bragg charged Bannon with money laundering, conspiracy and scheming to defraud donors on September 8, 2022.

Prior to his pardon, he was accused of stealing over one million dollars. Per the link below, “if convicted on the top charge, he faces a maximum 5 to 15 years in prison, according to Bragg.”

Politico, Steve Bannon charged with money laundering, conspiracy

Given Shea conviction, there is no chance of a plea bargain. It is expected to go to trial in 2024.

Bannon has been convicted for a failure to appear at the Jan 6 Congressional Hearing on October 21, 2022 and has been sentenced to four months in jail and pay a fine of $6500. He was allowed to be free on bond until the appeals are complete.

The link below gives more details of Steve Bannon. Per the link below, ‘In his memoir, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner recalled having an abrasive relationship with Bannon and two occasions in which Bannon threatened him, including one in which he threatened to ‘break Kushner in half’ after he accused Bannon of leaking to the press.[272][273] Also in his memoir Kushner writes “Bannon single-handedly caused more problems for me than anyone else in my time in Washington. He probably leaked and lied about me more than everyone else combined. He played dirty and dragged me into the mud of the Russia investigation”.’

Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Bannon

So, Donald Trump and Steve Bannon will be in Manhattan to face charges in 2024. Trump is facing criminal charges on the Stormy Daniels Hush Money case and Bannon on the Build the Wall fraud scheme.

What was going through Trump’s head when he pardoned Bannon, knowing he ripped off his followers and leaked lies about his son in law to the press. I can only believe that Bannon had a lot of ammunition to use against Trump.

Part 2 will be shorter, as I will discuss the fall of Guo Wengui, a close associate of Steve Bannon.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Trump’s legal problems – Quick summary

by Dave

It’s 4+2, which stands for 4 criminal cases and 2 civil cases. They are well summarized in the link below:

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/what-are-the-legal-cases-against-donald-trump.html

Two simple principles must be understood: (1) No one is above the law and (2) Trump’s legal problems are of his own making.

Billionaire Trump will use campaign donations to pay for his legal expense. This is the height of audacity. He will claim he is the victim and the Biden administration is trying to lock him up so he can’t run.

The four criminal cases will take place in Florida, Georgia, NY and Washington DC. Can you name them and give their status?

They are the Mar-a-Lago Documents case in Florida, Election Tampering case in Georgia, Stormy Daniels hush money in NY, and Jan 6 and 2020 election aftermath in Washington DC.

Now, the status as of July 25, 2023: Documents case – trial scheduled for May 20, 2024, Georgia Election Tampering – indictment announcement likely between now and September 1, 2023, Stormy Daniels case- trial scheduled for March 25, 2024, Jan 6 and election aftermath, indictments likely very soon.

Ok for extra credit, match the prosecutor (Smith, Bragg and Willis) to each case.

The two civil cases are summarized in the link above. October 24, 2023 Trump goes on trial for business fraud in NYC and then on January 15, 2024, a trial is scheduled for the second defamation case against E. Jean Carroll. He does not have to appear for either trial.

Criminal cases can result in jail time. So, will Donald Trump do time? If found guilty, his lawyers will be fighting in court to keep him from ever serving time. Convicts have the right to be incarcerated in a place that guarantees their well-being. A lot is up to the judge in the case. It will not be like the movies. No one will parade Donald Trump in front of the news media. He has secret service protection for life, by law. House arrest is an option. It is unprecedented to incarcerate an ex-president and a presidential candidate. There will be many appeals.

Finally, the documents case will be in Palm Beach County, not far from where I live. Trials in the US are open to the public. How can I attend? Perhaps I have to camp outside in line. I think the accused (Donald Trump) must be present.

Sometimes, the accused have little chance to defend themselves in court, because they have to rely on public defenders. Billionaire Trump has access to the best legal minds in our country.

The wheels of justice turn slowly, but they appear to be going in the right direction.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Manned flight to Mars

by Dave

We are learning many reasons why the OceanGate submarine was not safe enough to go 13,000 ft below the sea to view the Titanic. Of course, there was little problem sending cameras and strobe lights down to these depths. In fact, advances in robotics now make it possible to explore extremely challenging environments.

I feel the same way about exploration of Mars. I really loved the latest headline from NASA, “The Ingenuity Phones Home” which of course, is about receiving communications from the Ingenuity helicopter, after a communications black out, because the helicopter communicates with the Perseverance Rover, which was behind a hill, and couldn’t receive communications. All that changed on June 28, and I am hoping for more images from the Martian surface.

Pictured above is Sara Langberg, an aeromechanical engineer at AeroViroment, and a member of the team which designed the Ingenuity helicopter.

“I’m honored and humbled to be a part of it,” said Langberg. “Hardware that I designed and built with my own hands is going to touch the surface of Mars and that’s just mind-boggling.”

Mars is not a place to be colonized. This is a ridiculous notion. Locking up six astronauts for two years and submitting them to unhealthy conditions (weightlessness and radiation) makes no sense. I want real research not headlines.

CNN Link: https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/25/health/biology-of-spaceflight-studies-wellness-scn-trnd/index.html

Red risks for a journey to the red planet: The highest priority human health risks for a mission to Mars

Mars is a planet to be explored. Send the robots, rovers, helicopters, and other devices with thousands of sensors.

By the way, Elon Musk isn’t going. Neither is Mr. “Multi-planet Species” Neil deGrasse Tyson. They are not taking a chance on their health. They are not subjecting themselves to 2 years of confinement.

I have commented on this topic before, and nothing really has changed my opinion.

Stay tuned,

Dave

What happens to Trump today?

by Dave

Donald Trump and Walt Nauta, his personal assistant, will voluntarily turn themselves in to the federal court in Miami today, June 13. The proceedings begin at 3:00 pm. They are expected to plead not guilty on all charges.

Trump and his associates will enter through an underground garage, so there will be no news coverage of him entering and leaving the building. He will not be required to post bail.

Trump will be accompanied by his lawyer, Todd Blanche. He can not practice law in Florida, but the Judge may allow him to represent Trump during the very brief arraignment. The arraignment will take place in the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Courthouse.

Also, Trump’s personal assistant, Walt Nauta, will be charged with 6 counts as he helped Trump hide boxes of documents and lied to the FBI. He previously served the US in the Navy. There is considerable speculation that he will flip on Trump, if prosecutors offer him a deal. But, this might not be the case, as the prosecution might not really need his cooperation.

See link for additional information:

Link: https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/13/politics/trump-court-appearance-what-to-watch/index.html

Today’s event is historic. Trump will likely have a press conference tonight and will likely call the arraignment a disgrace, and claim that Biden is trying to lock him up, so he can not run for president. He will claim there is a double standard, and he is being targeted unfairly.

The reason that Attorney General appointed a Special Counsel, is to shield the investigation from politics and go where the evidence leads them.

The indictment clearly shows that he personally was involved in taking top secret documents and later hiding them authorities and even his own lawyer. It is a total contradiction for Trump to claim that he had a clear right to the documents under the law, and then take part in an effort to hide them from everyone.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Lawsuits against Trump and his businesses

by Dave

There are two civil cases and four criminal cases against Trump.

See link: What are the legal cases against Trump?

On May 9, 2023, Trump was found guilty of defamation of E. Jean Carroll (Civil case) by falsely denying he sexually assaulted her and ordered to pay 5 million dollars. He continued the attack on her character after the verdict, and she asked that the judgement be raised to 10 million dollars. Trump is appealing the case.

Of all the six cases, the E. Jean Carroll case is probably the least of his worries, because it only involves money and 5 to 10 million dollars to Trump is no big deal. But, losing is a big deal to Trump.

The next civil case against Trump is from the New York State Attorney General, Letitia James, and it concerns business fraud in New York State committed by misrepresenting the value of property to lenders (high valuations) and tax authorities (low valuations). It is due to go to trial in October 2023, and the defendants in this case also include the Trump organization, Eric Trump, Donald Jr. and Ivanka. AG James seeks to permanently bar the Trumps from doing business in New York State, and for defendants to pay 250 million dollars.

Now, come the four “biggies” which should keep the Donald up at night because they are criminal and could send Trump to prison for years. He is due in court on June 13, 2023 to be arraigned on 37 counts in the Mar-a-Lago documents case. This is an evolving story and everyone is guessing of when the trial will take place. The case is being prosecuted by the Special Counsel, Jack Smith, who recently announced the grand jury indictment. It is likely Trump’s lawyers will ask for more time to prepare for a defense. The trial will take place in Florida.

Special Counsel Jack Smith is also investigating the possible criminal activities of Donald Trump in relation to the riot in the Capitol on January 6 and events following the attack. It is expected he will bring charges against Trump and others later this year.

Criminal charges against Trump for election interference in Georgia are expected by Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis, between July 11 to September 1, 2023. A grand jury has completed its work, but the details have not yet been revealed. See link above for details on this case.

Trump has been indicted in the Stormy Daniels Hush Money scandal and a trial is set to begin on March 24, 2023. The prosecutor will be Alvin Braggs, Manhattan district attorney.

All totaled 6 cases, of which I would think the two cases from Special Counsel and the one from Fulton County, GA have the highest potential for Trump to do some serious time in jail.

One last one on my list is an investigation of the deal to create Truth Social using a SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company), namely Digital World. The investigation is being done by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Industry Regulatory Agency. I don’t know if this is a criminal or civil case. A few details are given on the link below:

Link: Donald Trump’s Legal Issues

It will be hard to keep track of all these cases. Trials will be held in New York and Florida and most likely Georgia and Washington, DC. Trump and his lawyers will be busy.

Donald Trump may be his own worse enemy. This was clearly the case in the “Mar-a-Lago” Documents indictment, where his case is based largely on his statements, text message and photos from his staff. This evidence is very difficult to refute.

In the United States, the wheels of justice turn slowly. This is necessary to protect the innocent. Following an indictment, in general, Trump is quick to announce that he will win in court. Following a guilty verdict, Trump usually announces that he will appeal to a higher court. And of course, after that beg for a pardon if the next president is Republican.

Elizabeth Holmes is another billionaire judged by a jury in January 2022 to have broken the law, by falsifying results from her novel blood testing equipment. She was able to delay for 17 months the time until she reports to prison for her 11 year sentence. As a mother of two, I believe she will only serve a fraction of the time. The judge stated at sentencing:

“I suppose we step back and we look at this, and we think, what is the pathology of fraud? Is it the inability or the refusal to accept responsibility or express contrition in any way? Now, perhaps that is the cautionary tale that will go forward from this case.”

Trump will not accept responsibility. He will blame the Justice Department and the FBI. He will not likely mention that he appointed Christopher Wray as Director of the FBI. And of course, attack the judge presiding over his trial, who is also a Trump appointee.

Rich people can generally find the best lawyers money can buy. Case in point, Jeffrey Epstein who brought in famed attorney Alan Dershowitz to plea bargain his case in 2008 and got a “sweetheart deal” for abuse of underage girls.

No sweetheart deals for Donald Trump. His guilt or innocence will depend on the evidence.

Two important principles should be remembered. One is nobody is above the law. The second is until someone is found guilty in a court of law, they are presumed innocent.

Stay tuned,

Dave