I am amazed by this, and if one of you can explain it I'll be interested in knowing the answer...
So a hard core of about 5 right wing posters were emotionally invested in the Sussmann trial over the past 2 weeks, posting the tweets of a correspondent from the Epoch times and voicing your outrage over what amounted to whether a lawyer lied to the FBI about being part of the Clinton team in a Sept 2016 meeting with the FBI prior to the election, which btw Trump won. I know for some of you , the idea that hero of the common man Don Trump might possibly have been picked on by rich elites is something you take personally- apparently the owner of a multitude of businesses and buildings like Trump Tower is someone you regard as one of the guys? But let's set that idiocy aside for a moment...
Now at the same time the Sussmann trial in DC was grabbing all of those posters interest, another trial was playing out in Federal Court in NYC. A man named Tim Shea was on trial, but the same folks who were so invested in Sussmann's fate, seemingly had no interest in Shea's situation. And given who Shea is accused of defrauding, I find that total indifference fascinating...
So a little background on an issue that as far as I can tell has not been pointed to as an outrage by any of the right leaning folks on this board- I'm not sure if you're even aware of it...
www.cbsnews.com
So when for whatever reasons Trump was unable to fulfill his promise to build a wall with Mexico that Mexico would pay for, a group of MAGA loyalists (led by Steve Bannon) stepped into the breach and promised that they would solicit contributions from fellow Trump enthusiasts to build the wall using privately donated funds. So presumably this would not in any way involve Dems, lefties, liberals etc... This was just voluntary contributions from massive amounts of super patriots to finally get the wall built. Basically your kind of folks...
The principals, in addition to Bannon were an Air Force veteran amputee named Brian Kolfage, as well as Andrew Baldolato, and Timothy and Amanda Shea. The Sheas own a pro-Trump energy drink company, and all 5 were remarkably adept at utilizing social media to build their brand and fill their coffers. Kolfage set up a "go fund me" initially, but as word of mouth spread and the precursor to "Let's Go Brandon" gained widespread popularity in MAGA circles, untold thousands of MAGA faithful opened their pocketbooks to contribute. A NYT article on the "NON-PROFITS" rapid growth...
www.nytimes.com
In total WBTW raised $ 25 MILLION, and that resulted in (by mid 2020, prior to the election) THREE Miles of new wall being erected. Now I know nothing about the cost of wall construction and the materials needed, but $8 MILLION+/ mile strikes me as a tad pricey.
Others agreed, and when authorities investigating the WBTW team dug deeper they uncovered what they believed was a giant plot to defraud donors and divert the money to personal use. So in case it wasn't clear at the time to folks on the right in the midst of all the upcoming election hullabaloo, the arrest of Bannon and the others in Aug 2020 was because they had attempted to DEFRAUD MAGA VOTERS/DONORS. Not sure how it was covered by Fox at the time, but THAT is why Steve Bannon was arrested. Not pranking Dems, not dirty tricks or engineering threats of violence against Dems. He was arrested with his buddies because they stole $25 Million from pro-Trump cash cows...
So when Trump issued his blanket pardon for Bannon in Jan 2021, he was essentially pardoning Bannon for ripping off Trump's own voters to the tune of $100,000s. In light of Jan 6 and Bannon's role many in MAGA world likely believed Bannon was being pardoned to prevent Dems from persecuting him as a "political prisoner". But Bannon had been charged and indicted while Trump was POTUS, and essentially Trump put his personal loyalty to Bannon (actually Bannon's fealty to Trump) above the financial welfare of Trump's own voters/supporters.
Bannon is still grifting and likely still making $$ off of some of the same types of people he previously ripped off in his "wall" con...Not sure I've ever heard a pro-Trump poster on this board ever have a negative thing to say about Bannon. He certainly still seems to retain his hero status in MAGA world. Maybe they've convinced themselves that all the folks he ripped off were "lefties"?
Now to the trial which (shockingly, imho) has not resulted in a single post or even any acknowledgement from the same folks who were obsessed over Sussmann. Are you guys not outraged at least as much by con men who ripped off your fellow MAGAs as you are by the imagined slights you feel your hero DJ has suffered? It's true none of you have ever done anything but defend Trump blindly whenever his multiple grifts have been exposed, so I guess the same behavior by friends of his trading on his name and influence to rip off common MAGA people is OK as well?
Remember Bannon got a pardon from Trump. But when Kolfage, Baldalato and Shea agreed to plead guilty they admitted to certain stipulations. Notice how Bannon is integral to the scheme...
"Kolfage, Shea, and Andrew Badolato face federal money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy charges for their alleged involvement in a scheme to steer money away from a nonprofit to fund Trump's border wall and toward them and Bannon, according to the August 2020 indictment out of New York federal court."
They admitted to spending $350,00 on travel, hotels and credit card debt. And it sounds like they studied Fraud at Trump U...
"To hide their misuse of the funds, they used a shell account and the accounts of associates, according to the indictment.
When they later learned that there was an investigation into their alleged fraud, the men took additional steps to conceal their crimes, according to the indictment. They began using encrypted messaging, and removed all language from their website that said they wouldn't be taking a salary."
www.businessinsider.com
Shea ended up withdrawing his plea and is being tried, with the jury currently deliberating. I saw that this morning, and that's what inspired this thread topic, since the Sussmann trial watchers have not been equally interested in this criminal trial.
I also wonder if amidst all the Madison Cawthorn hysteria, people realized that one of his least publicized transgressions was helping to defraud MAGA investors in the Let's Go Brandon crypto coin? Amidst all of the sexual/drug references, the real crime to me was his participation in the scheme to promote the coin and then when it's price increased to suddenly withdraw his holdings and contribute to the inevitable collapse and burning of other investors... I really don't mean to overgeneralize, but for a lot of MAGA fans there seems to be very little anger when people they admire rip them off. I kind of don't get it?
So a hard core of about 5 right wing posters were emotionally invested in the Sussmann trial over the past 2 weeks, posting the tweets of a correspondent from the Epoch times and voicing your outrage over what amounted to whether a lawyer lied to the FBI about being part of the Clinton team in a Sept 2016 meeting with the FBI prior to the election, which btw Trump won. I know for some of you , the idea that hero of the common man Don Trump might possibly have been picked on by rich elites is something you take personally- apparently the owner of a multitude of businesses and buildings like Trump Tower is someone you regard as one of the guys? But let's set that idiocy aside for a moment...
Now at the same time the Sussmann trial in DC was grabbing all of those posters interest, another trial was playing out in Federal Court in NYC. A man named Tim Shea was on trial, but the same folks who were so invested in Sussmann's fate, seemingly had no interest in Shea's situation. And given who Shea is accused of defrauding, I find that total indifference fascinating...
So a little background on an issue that as far as I can tell has not been pointed to as an outrage by any of the right leaning folks on this board- I'm not sure if you're even aware of it...
Deliberation continues in 'We Build The Wall' fraud trial
Former presidential adviser Steve Bannon was once a defendant in the case, but ex-President Donald Trump pardoned him as he left office.
www.cbsnews.com
So when for whatever reasons Trump was unable to fulfill his promise to build a wall with Mexico that Mexico would pay for, a group of MAGA loyalists (led by Steve Bannon) stepped into the breach and promised that they would solicit contributions from fellow Trump enthusiasts to build the wall using privately donated funds. So presumably this would not in any way involve Dems, lefties, liberals etc... This was just voluntary contributions from massive amounts of super patriots to finally get the wall built. Basically your kind of folks...
The principals, in addition to Bannon were an Air Force veteran amputee named Brian Kolfage, as well as Andrew Baldolato, and Timothy and Amanda Shea. The Sheas own a pro-Trump energy drink company, and all 5 were remarkably adept at utilizing social media to build their brand and fill their coffers. Kolfage set up a "go fund me" initially, but as word of mouth spread and the precursor to "Let's Go Brandon" gained widespread popularity in MAGA circles, untold thousands of MAGA faithful opened their pocketbooks to contribute. A NYT article on the "NON-PROFITS" rapid growth...
Social Media Offered Bannon’s Group a Tool to Promote Ties to Trump and Raise Millions (Published 2020)
An encounter with an administration official. A photo with Donald Trump Jr. A chat with the president himself. Officials at We Build the Wall turned a stream of postings into a gusher of donations.
In total WBTW raised $ 25 MILLION, and that resulted in (by mid 2020, prior to the election) THREE Miles of new wall being erected. Now I know nothing about the cost of wall construction and the materials needed, but $8 MILLION+/ mile strikes me as a tad pricey.
Others agreed, and when authorities investigating the WBTW team dug deeper they uncovered what they believed was a giant plot to defraud donors and divert the money to personal use. So in case it wasn't clear at the time to folks on the right in the midst of all the upcoming election hullabaloo, the arrest of Bannon and the others in Aug 2020 was because they had attempted to DEFRAUD MAGA VOTERS/DONORS. Not sure how it was covered by Fox at the time, but THAT is why Steve Bannon was arrested. Not pranking Dems, not dirty tricks or engineering threats of violence against Dems. He was arrested with his buddies because they stole $25 Million from pro-Trump cash cows...
So when Trump issued his blanket pardon for Bannon in Jan 2021, he was essentially pardoning Bannon for ripping off Trump's own voters to the tune of $100,000s. In light of Jan 6 and Bannon's role many in MAGA world likely believed Bannon was being pardoned to prevent Dems from persecuting him as a "political prisoner". But Bannon had been charged and indicted while Trump was POTUS, and essentially Trump put his personal loyalty to Bannon (actually Bannon's fealty to Trump) above the financial welfare of Trump's own voters/supporters.
Bannon is still grifting and likely still making $$ off of some of the same types of people he previously ripped off in his "wall" con...Not sure I've ever heard a pro-Trump poster on this board ever have a negative thing to say about Bannon. He certainly still seems to retain his hero status in MAGA world. Maybe they've convinced themselves that all the folks he ripped off were "lefties"?
Now to the trial which (shockingly, imho) has not resulted in a single post or even any acknowledgement from the same folks who were obsessed over Sussmann. Are you guys not outraged at least as much by con men who ripped off your fellow MAGAs as you are by the imagined slights you feel your hero DJ has suffered? It's true none of you have ever done anything but defend Trump blindly whenever his multiple grifts have been exposed, so I guess the same behavior by friends of his trading on his name and influence to rip off common MAGA people is OK as well?
Remember Bannon got a pardon from Trump. But when Kolfage, Baldalato and Shea agreed to plead guilty they admitted to certain stipulations. Notice how Bannon is integral to the scheme...
"Kolfage, Shea, and Andrew Badolato face federal money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy charges for their alleged involvement in a scheme to steer money away from a nonprofit to fund Trump's border wall and toward them and Bannon, according to the August 2020 indictment out of New York federal court."
They admitted to spending $350,00 on travel, hotels and credit card debt. And it sounds like they studied Fraud at Trump U...
"To hide their misuse of the funds, they used a shell account and the accounts of associates, according to the indictment.
When they later learned that there was an investigation into their alleged fraud, the men took additional steps to conceal their crimes, according to the indictment. They began using encrypted messaging, and removed all language from their website that said they wouldn't be taking a salary."
2 of Steve Bannon's associates in the 'Build the Wall' fraud case agreed to take plea deals
Prosecutors accused the two men of conspiracy and wire fraud for allegedly working to steer Trump supporters' donations toward Bannon.
www.businessinsider.com
Shea ended up withdrawing his plea and is being tried, with the jury currently deliberating. I saw that this morning, and that's what inspired this thread topic, since the Sussmann trial watchers have not been equally interested in this criminal trial.
I also wonder if amidst all the Madison Cawthorn hysteria, people realized that one of his least publicized transgressions was helping to defraud MAGA investors in the Let's Go Brandon crypto coin? Amidst all of the sexual/drug references, the real crime to me was his participation in the scheme to promote the coin and then when it's price increased to suddenly withdraw his holdings and contribute to the inevitable collapse and burning of other investors... I really don't mean to overgeneralize, but for a lot of MAGA fans there seems to be very little anger when people they admire rip them off. I kind of don't get it?
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