The Presidency of Donald J. Trump: No smocking guns. - Page 907 - Politics and Economics

A former Breitbart News writer alleged the site was acting as an illegal influence operation for its Washington, D.C. landlord, an obscure Egyptian politician cited this week by a Capitol Hill media association that denied Breitbart press credentials.

Two sources with direct knowledge, including one former Breitbart writer, say a reporter for the pro-Trump news organization was behind a complaint to the Department of Justice implicating then-chairman Steve Bannon and Moustafa El-Gindy, an Egyptian businessman and former legislator and the owner of Breitbart’s Washington office.

Quote:

Despite pleading ignorance on his tenants, El-Gindy has given interviews to Breitbart directly. A handful of stories in the two years before the complaint with DOJ was filed refer to him in positive terms, focusing mostly on opposition to Egypt’s Islamist political elements—and ignoring more controversial positions, such as his outreach to the terrorist group Hamas and support for state censorship of blasphemy against Islam. One Breitbart story labeled him a “senior Egyptian statesman” who “has played a pivotal role in the revolutions against former President Hosni Mubarak and the Muslim Brotherhood.”

Even as Breitbart gave him favorable coverage, the DOJ complaint alleged that the media site was likely paying El-Gindy below-market rental rates on the site. If true, that would have amounted to an in-kind payment and, taken with friendly coverage of El-Gindy, could be seen as payments from a foreign government official in exchange for supportive media coverage.

Quote:

The committee also expressed frustration that Breitbart may have “misled” or “lied” to them during an earlier conversation regarding the lease and zoning of the “Breitbart Embassy” near the Capitol in Washington where the website had previously based its operations. Zoning rules for the area do not allow for commercial leases, meaning that only businesses such as those run by, say, independent piano teachers giving lessons would technically be permitted to be run out of the “Embassy.”

Washington D.C. tax records confirm the property is zoned for residential use. They also show that the Embassy has been receiving a homestead property-tax deduction, which is only available for properties used as their owners’ primary residences, not for commercial buildings.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...e-the-law.html

03-29-2017 , 10:58 AM

#22652

yeSpiff

old hand

Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 1,313

03-29-2017 , 10:59 AM

#22653

einbert

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 14,911

It's like if you took the worst imaginable Upton Sinclair villain and made him President.

https://twitter.com/chicagotribune/s...80807041761280

03-29-2017 , 11:05 AM

#22654

yeSpiff

old hand

Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 1,313

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatkid

There is no possible way Spicey can keep this up. There will be blood.

03-29-2017 , 11:07 AM

#22655

raradevils

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 8,189

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trolly McTrollson

lol @ shooting hibernating bears. How small does your dick have to be for you to need to do that

how empty does your freezer need to be?

03-29-2017 , 11:11 AM

#22656

Trolly McTrollson

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 36,790

rara ofc leaping to the defense of the ****tiest people on the planet.

03-29-2017 , 11:16 AM

#22657

raradevils

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 8,189

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trolly McTrollson

rara ofc leaping to the defense of the ****tiest people on the planet.

No. I don't know anymore than you do when they are passing this law. You took the worst reason for it so I took the exact opposite.

I doubt the reason they are passing the law is for "trophy" hunting.

03-29-2017 , 11:18 AM

#22658

microbet

Solar Powered

Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 56,703

Lotta subsistence trophy hunters filling their freezers with grizzly bear meat.

03-29-2017 , 11:20 AM

#22659

TheHip41

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 27,047

All the laws they are passing or repealing

good for rich ****s

bad for poor people

03-29-2017 , 11:20 AM

#22660

microbet

Solar Powered

Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 56,703

Quote:

Originally Posted by raradevils

Of course it's for trophy hunters.

03-29-2017 , 11:28 AM

#22661

raradevils

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 8,189

Quote:

Originally Posted by microbet

Lotta subsistence trophy hunters filling their freezers with grizzly bear meat.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/poli...icle-1.3004994

Seems Alaska was pushing for this so they could mange the population.

03-29-2017 , 11:28 AM

#22662

aoFrantic

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Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 25,221

Quote:

Originally Posted by raradevils

What other explanation is there?

03-29-2017 , 11:29 AM

#22663

poconoder

journeyman

Join Date: Jan 2017 Posts: 370

Quote:

Originally Posted by Namath12

Also yes, this country is ****ed. I've been saying it since election day but the first time I really truly believed it deep down was yesterday after that committee voted not to force Trump to release his tax returns.

Ironic in a thread where internet privacy has been a hot topic recently you want to violate the privacy of a taxpayer so easily.

03-29-2017 , 11:32 AM

#22664

uDevil

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 6,941

Ha
https://twitter.com/DavidCornDC/stat...01908657549312

03-29-2017 , 11:35 AM

#22665

tomdemaine

Just tries harder

Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 20,065

I can just about understand the psychology of tracking a deer all day through the forest until you line up the perfect shot then storing and eating the result of your labours. It's kind of weird to want to do but I can basically get my head around the concept, you've got a small dick and want to kill something to feel like a big man. Better a deer than a person I guess. If you shoot a hibernating bear with cubs though you're an evil scumbag no matter what you do with the corpse. It's insane that that would ever be legal.

Last edited by tomdemaine; 03-29-2017 at 11:40 AM.

03-29-2017 , 11:36 AM

#22666

uDevil

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 6,941

Quote:

Originally Posted by raradevils

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/poli...icle-1.3004994

Seems Alaska was pushing for this so they could mange the population.

Jesus, isn't it enough that they shoot them and stuff them for display?

Typos are one of my main sources of entertainment these days.

03-29-2017 , 11:39 AM

#22667

watevs

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 4,170

Quote:

Originally Posted by poconoder

Ironic in a thread where internet privacy has been a hot topic recently you want to violate the privacy of a taxpayer so easily.

is the President a private citizen in this regard?

03-29-2017 , 11:43 AM

#22668

Max Cut

Guest

Posts: n/a

Quote:

Originally Posted by poconoder

Ironic in a thread where internet privacy has been a hot topic recently you want to violate the privacy of a taxpayer so easily.

I missed where he called for a law giving corporations the right to sell Trump's tax returns without his permission. Shame on him.

03-29-2017 , 11:45 AM

#22669

champstark

aka starkwired

Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 14,838

Quote:

Originally Posted by einbert

It's like if you took the worst imaginable Upton Sinclair villain and made him President.

https://twitter.com/chicagotribune/s...80807041761280

Virginia Foxx (on the right) is one of the low-key worst people in Congress

03-29-2017 , 11:46 AM

#22670

raradevils

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 8,189

Quote:

Originally Posted by uDevil

Jesus, isn't it enough that they shoot them and stuff them for display?

Typos are one of my main sources of entertainment these days.

good pick-up

03-29-2017 , 11:46 AM

#22671

Trolly McTrollson

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Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 36,790

Quote:

Originally Posted by microbet

Lotta subsistence trophy hunters filling their freezers with grizzly bear meat.

You always try to shoot mother bears so the kids have to fend for themselves. That's just smart substinence hunting.

03-29-2017 , 11:50 AM

#22672

FlyWf

It's the other way

Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 58,097

Uh, if Alaskans need to KILL GRIZZLY BEARS TO EAT, that's the strongest argument I can imagine for a universal basic income, or at the very least a massive expansion of the food stamp program

03-29-2017 , 11:50 AM

#22673

einbert

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Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 14,911

According to Trump, nature is just not producing the results we're looking for. It's going to be mostly liquidated as part of corporate-wide reorganization. It's gonna be part of the DMV now.