I see you’ve worked in the financial world… 
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Other than taking money from them and influence.
He probably traded with intelligence agencies as well.
“ During this period, one of Epstein’s clients was the Saudi Arabian businessman Adnan Khashoggi, who was the middleman in transferring American weapons from Israel to Iran as part of the Iran–Contra affair in the 1980s.[5] Khashoggi was one of several defense contractors that he knew.[27][51]In the mid-1980s, Epstein traveled multiple times between the United States, Europe, and Southwest Asia.[52][53] While in London, Epstein met Steven Hoffenberg. They had been introduced through Douglas Leese, a defense contractor, and John Mitchell, the former U.S. Attorney General.[27]”
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People keep talking about bribes and blackmail like this is the professional criminal underworld you see in movies, but I suspect a lot of it is just compliments and party invitations like they’re emotionally stunted children.
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with recreational cannabis on the ballot in Florida-da this time, there has been adverts FOR it, saying both Harris and tRump would decriminalize.
the advert ends by saying, “Donald Trump will vote FOR amendment 3 to legalize recreational cannabis”.
i want to know how a convicted felon can vote at all?!
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Epstein didn’t have time to make a deal and flip on any of his “clients” once he was caught. Maxwell didn’t when later given her chance to make a deal with the authorities, an object lesson perhaps having been learned.
Quoting myself from The Old Place, Epstein was likely very devious in how he structured the racket…
he wasn’t the billionaire he had claimed to be. He probably had $250-million+, enough to keep up the appearance of being a billionaire without actually being one (cf. Biff).
The most compelling theory is that his investment banking service was indeed a front for the paedophilia blackmail racket. He’d video his marks with the girls Maxwell recruited and then offer to make it go away if they invested in his “hedge fund”.
Based on the reported returns, the “super amazing” fund was just a variation on a “set it and forget it” S&P index fund. The marks would get a modest return, immediately re-“invested”, and Epstein would collect his blackmail cash on an on-going basis from generous “management fees” (while he doing little actual wealth management).
So basically they succumbed because they could live with paying a relatively small opportunity cost on their investments not to be exposed as paedos (and in some cases maybe continue using him as their pimp)
As for the wealthy non-paedos who associated with him, flying on his jet and going to his island but not falling into his honeypot…
Epstein had to cultivate them to give his “hedge fund” and billionaire status an air of legitimacy and ensure that no-one looked too closely at what was really going on. If they say Epstein is a financial genius and billionaire, of course he must be.
Borrowing cachet is a standard part of these confidence games – see also Elizabeth Holmes, Bernie Madoff, and (again) Biff.
And finally, to be clear, I have no doubt that von Clownstick was one of those who “invested” in the hedge fund.
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Florida follows the rules of the state in which the individual was convicted. Trump was convicted in New York. Because he hasn’t yet been sentenced, he would be allowed to vote in New York, so he is allowed to vote in Florida.
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well, as hard as desantis fights to make the felons, who have done everything required by law after amendment 4 passed in 2018 (allowing parolees who meet requirements to regain their right to vote) to NOT be able to vote, i don’t believe tRump being allowed to vote in this state is not somehow a “favor” of one fascist governor to his idol.
that was a lot of double negatives just there. the point is, desantis has made it difficult for convicts - who have met the requirements set out in that law - to exercise that recently renewed right to vote.
that tRump has been convicted, yet not sentenced, would be an insurmountable obstacle for a floridian of less favor (read: POC) to vote as freely as the fat guy in Palm Beach County.
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Hopefully more talk than not, but the next few months are going to be scary.
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GOP being hypocritical. SURPRISE!
Glad to see a journalist doing things like this instead of letting it go unchallenged.
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Probably, but such a person also would have already been sentenced, so New York gets a share of the blame, too. And, of course, SCOTUS gets a huge helping of the blame for potentially granting him immunity for a lot of the charges against him, and doing that in a way that guarantees none of these other cases will even go to trial for at least another year, and that’s assuming Trump loses. The inequity in our criminal justice system cannot be blamed on DeSantis, or even just on Republicans. The problem is deep and intractable and will require electing justice reform candidates up and down the ballot to fix. Everyone who wants these issues fixed needs to vote in every election, from city council up to President, and stop getting fooled by “tough on crime” political ads. That’s partly how Eric Adams got elected mayor of NYC.
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Basically the frat boy “bro code” writ large.
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My “Vote Democracy 24” bag arrived. That was faster than I expected.
As a reminder, this is a canvas bag I bought from the Harris 2024 website. Depending on what happens in a few days it is merch that will serve as a reminder of a consequential election, or as a passive form of resistance.
What you can’t tell by the picture is that the Vote Democracy disk is printed in metallic silver ink. Almost mirror-like. I’m not sure how that will hold up, but it will certainly dazzle the Proud Boys for a little while.
@Lucy_Gothro1 It says “Made in America.” I’m not sure what that implies.
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The kids are alright!
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This is not something I ever expected.
Neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes turns on Trump after garbage comments: ‘Liberals are right’
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It implies that it wasn’t made elsewhere, unlike that other guy’s merch.
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I would certainly hope so. It’s obvious he’s going to try it.
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pretty sure he’s already declared victory. if not else by saying that any loss for him is fake. it’s all dime-store propaganda. what would be useful is if media folks would frequently underscore that with things like: “Of course we’ve all heard this nonsense from him previously. And if anything it’s just pathetic that all he has is unsubstantiated lies and attempts to get his cult to commit violence.” ok that’s probably expecting too much of “media folks” -sigh-
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Yes, I’d love to hear that too from corporate media workers, but they know too well how their bread is buttered. To keep their sweet paychecks coming, they have to participate in sanewashing Tromp and other MAGAts.
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