Trump: "Hey! Guess what? The economy just crashed, and I'm gonna give you back half."

[Miles Archer]

The Washington Post reporter appeared Monday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” to discuss his latest investigative work with his colleagues Jonathan O’Connell and Jack Gillum, who found the self-proclaimed “king of debt” went on a “buying binge” about a decade ago using at least $400 million in cash.

“There’s so many benefits to buying with debt,” he said. “Trump himself has continued to tout it. ‘Debt’s the way to do it, I’m the king of debt,’ but he’s privately spending all cash on properties. The explanation, which we got from Eric Trump, was we decided in 2006 we wanted to be more conservative — that’s their explanation. I don’t have any other at this point.”

Farenthold agreed it was possible the Trump family became more financially prudent and plowed income from “The Apprentice” and licensing deals into their real estate holdings, but he said their investments were unusual.

“Golf courses don’t produce that much revenue, they’re not big moneymakers,” Farenthold said. “The only people they usually see buy golf courses in all cash, it’s two categories, one is like a really rich guy who would buy a small golf course as a trophy for himself, spend $1 million, $2 million just to sort of have a place to hang out and rule the roost or, in the big purchase, the people who buy big golf courses with cash are people like sovereign wealth funds — the sovereign wealth fund of Dubai or sovereign wealth fund of Norway, who have so much money they don’t need individual transactions to make money, they’re just looking for a place to basically park their money and diversify.”

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/05/money-nothing-pulitzer-prize-winning-reporter-explains-latest-bombshell-trump-turning-debt-cash/

[C_U_L8R]

1. Perfect for Russian money laundering

Is that overstating the obvious?

[Takket]

6. Mueller knows....

[Miles Archer]

8. He's got to be off the rails today, because this is what's on the other side of his "red line."

If it weren't for his ego, he might have realized that running for President would put every bit of his dirty laundry in the public eye.

But no, he needed to be worshiped and adored, so here we are.

It's one of those "careful what you wish for" scenarios.

[Wounded Bear]

2. We still need to trace out where that money came from...

Making lots of big cash deals smells a bit like money laundering.

Keep digging.

[tblue37]

7. A bit? nt

[Jim__]

3. How much is $400 million in rubles?

[rickford66]

10. Engineers usually mentally convert money to beer and pizza.

But it's probably a lot of rubles.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

4. Interesting...and from this he is hinting

That he's been laundering ? Why would he do that? Because someone helped him pay off his debt? Now he is beholden? Or is that a big "duh"

[gratuitous]

5. Hey now, there's a red line there, mister!

You don't want to get in big trouble, do you? Lord Littlehands' financial arrangements and entanglements are none of anyone's business. So stop poking around there, or else!

[Johonny]

9. Meanwhile we have young Americans drowning in college loan debt

because the rules are different for the little people.