Trump’s Finances Under Scrutiny

Trump’s Finances Under Scrutiny July 22, 2017

DonaldTrumpHeadshotPresident Donald Trump has been trashed the American news media throughout his campaign for the U.S. presidency last year and during his now six month tenure as president. So, he rarely grants interviews with journalists or holds press conferences. But last Tuesday evening, he summoned three editors with the The New York Times–a newspaper he constantly claims is full of lies and “fake news,” which is so unbecoming of a president of this “land of the free”–and gave a rambling, private interview in the Oval Office that he allowed to be afterwards made public.

Now, special counsel Robert Mueller, a former director of the FBI for twelve years, is conducting an investigation into whether or not there was collusion between the Russian government and the Trump presidential campaign to get Trump elected president. However, Mueller’s mandate is pretty wide in scope, including matters might be related to collusion or just improper dealings of some sort. The Justice Department oversees his investigation. Yet the Constitution grants the president authority to nominate both the attorney general and a special counsel/prosecutor. Conversely, the president also has the authority to fire both of them. But he must have a legitimate reason for doing so or Congress can intervene to stop such departures.

So, in this interview Tuesday, President Trump told the Times editors that Mr. Mueller had better not investigate Mr. Trump’s financial empire, which surely would include his tax returns, perhaps bank accounts, and other related matters. It was clearly a threat, as if Trump will fire Mueller if he crosses this “red line” as Trump called it. That has always been Mr. Trump’s style as a businessman, of bombast and threatenings. But Mueller probably has already been investigating Trump’s finances. Money laundry reportedly could be an issue, especially with Russian oligarchs. I don’t think Trump’s threats toward Mueller will play well with Congress in the long run even though the Republicans have a majority in both houses. In saying this, President Trump is obviously testing the limits that Congress will put up with before reigning him in.

In my post on May 10th this year, entitled “The Black Whitehouse Is Turning Me into a Democrat,” I state, “If this story [about collusion with the Russians] has legs, Congress could tell Mr. Donald Trump, “You’re fired.” But there is another alternative. I’m going to make a prediction: Donald Trump will resign the U.S. presidency within a year. In doing so, I think he could throw up a smokescreen, giving as the sole reason for his departure that the federal government is treating his financial empire unfairly. That is another investigation that has just begun.

Trump’s refusing to reveal his tax returns is another issue that makes him suspicious of something he does not want America to know. But if he resigns, that may not be the end of Trump’s problems with the U.S. government. If it proves Mr. Trump himself, not just his people, colluded with Russians to win the presidency, the government for the people, of the people, and by the people may be yelling, “lock him up.”


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