Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
The White House Intervened to Get a $620M Deal for Donald Trump Jr (propublica.org)
9 points by simonebrunozzi 18 days ago
3 comments

Watching this from outside the US, what gets me is not that corruption exists (shocker!) but how brazen they are with doing all of this in the open. Somehow it seems to be working in their favour as it appears to be normalising such behaviour.
As Mel Brooks would say, “It’s good to be the king”.

Of course, in context, Mel was about to be seized by the angry rabble and sent to meet the guillotine.

This administration has certainly committed brazen acts of corruption, but this case looks like a more garden variety style "it's who you know" situation.

Don Jr. had invested two years ago, it says, and could deny he did so knowing his father would have influence on Pentagon loans at the time. The firm can be touted as "protecting national security" so the loan itself is justifiable.

It's all spun as "smart business thinking," and "everyone else does it," etc. And that's also not entirely untrue. If any Democrat politician were to make noise about it, the Republicans will probably go, Well, what about Hunter (Biden)? The libs will have been owned, mission accomplished.

People made a big deal about Hunter Biden trading on his family name, same team is now turning a blind eye. US politics is just a team sport now. And the citizenry are the losers.
(repost from 10 hours ago)

The administration is a grift fest, and with legislative and judicial capture, NOBODY CARES.

The possible blackmail factors will come out when the DOJ'S Epstein data comes out (and is not incinerated, electronically or otherwise) plus whatever extra goodies Putin, Netanyahu and Prince Bonesaw are holding onto, to make "The Greatest President Ever" twist and dance to their whims.