Law Day 2024

May 1, 2024: Happy Law Day. This day is celebrated around the world as Labor Day (or even Labour Day!), but in the USA we think that’s just for commies who don’t know Labor Day is in September, when last year’s cars go on sale and men burn meat over charcoal outdoors in gratitude.

The 34th president, Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, officially established May 1st as Law Day in 1958, and the 45th, former Republican president and felony defendent Donald J. Trump, is celebrating it in 2024 by spending the day in a New York courtroom. Citizen Trump is accused of disguising hush money payments to a porn star and to others through the National Enquirer as legal expenses when they were undeclared campaign expenses, designed to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. From what we know of the Trump Organization, maybe he claimed the adulterous payoffs as business expenses on his tax returns, too.

Donald Trump claims he is as innocent as Jesus Christ and Alphonse Capone, two of his idols.

More:

“Trump’s ‘Hush Money’ Payment Isn’t Illegal In Itself—Here’s Why He’s Actually On Trial,” Alison Durkee, Forbes

“How a hush money scandal turned into a criminal case: The whirlwind history of People v. Trump,” Erica Orden, Politico

Related:

“Trump’s Lawyer Claims the President Is Above the Law,” Jonathan Chait, New York Magazine

“Above the Law,” written by Betty Wright and Angelo Morris, recorded by The O’Jays, 2018.

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George Santos: The GOP Is Too Embarrassing

Former Congressman George Santos, booted from Congress after a House Ethics Committee report found he used campaign funds for Botox treatments, lavish Atlantic City trips, and designer clothing, says he’s leaving the GOP to run for re-election as an independent candidate. He says Republicans have become too embarrassing.

🚨Announcement🚨

After today’s embarrassing showing in the house I have reflected and decided that I can no longer be part of the Republican Party…

The Republican Party continues to lie and swindle its voter base. I in good conscience cannot affiliate myself with a party that…

— George Santos (@MrSantosNY) March 22, 2024

This is the man who shamelessly lied about his volleyball prowess, grad school, religion, race, family history, work history, finances, owning 13 real estate properties, knee replacements, his yacht brokerage, appearing on Hanna Montana, developing carbon capture technology, film acting, losing employees in the Pulse nightclub shooting, getting mugged, being a drag queen, having a brain tumor, running a pet rescue charity, past marital status, getting COVID, and his own mother’s death.

Mr. Santos (aka Anthony Zabrovsky, Anthony Devolder, Kitara Ravache, and George Devolder), the sixth congressman kicked out of the House in two centuries, will run for his old seat as an independent. Makes sense. After all, his words have always been pretty independent of the truth.

The Santos campaign, like that of his lying idol Donald Trump, will take place in the courtroom. He’ll be running for office while facing trial on 23 federal charges.

More:

“The Republican Party Is Too Embarrassing for George Santos, Nia Prater, New York Magazine

“Lyin’ ex-Rep. George Santos leaving GOP, will run for Congress as independent,” Josh Christenson, New York Post

“George Santos will leave ’embarrassing’ Republican Party and run in New York as independent,” Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner

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George Santos: A Fond Farewell

The United States House of Representatives has voted to expel GOP Rep. George Santos (and also Anthony Zabrovsky, Anthony Devolder, Kitara Ravache, and George Devolder). It became easier for members to boot him after the House Ethics Committee issued a 55-page report with compelling evidence that the Republican Congressman representing New York’s 3th District had committed all kinds of naughty behavior with campaign funds, using them to obtain Botox treatments, lavish Atlantic City trips, and designer clothing and such, then trying to obscure the money trail. The House expulsion ended George Santo’s remarkable run as the luckiest liar in Congress.

The now-defrocked Mr. Santos, the sixth member kicked out of the House in two centuries, has a new career, as a defendant in the federal court system. He faces a 23-count federal indictment that includes accusations he stole political donations and falsified campaign filings. A special election to replace him will be held in a few months, and his Long Island district could easily elect a Democrat to replace him.

More:

“Republican Rep. George Santos expelled from Congress after scathing fraud allegations,” Ken Tran, USA Today

Indicted Republican lawmaker George Santos expelled from U.S. House,” Makini Brice, Reuters

“Republican George Santos expelled from Congress in bipartisan vote,” Martin Pengelly, The Guardian

“George Santos Expelled from U.S. House in Overwhelming Vote, 11 Months After Swearing-In,” Kyler Alvord, People

Related:

“The bellwether that could determine which party has the upper hand in 2024,” Ally Mutnick, Politico

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The Honorable George Santos (R, NY-3)

Although a body named the “House Ethics Committee” seems like a contradiction in terms, said committee issued a report on GOP Rep. George Santos, whose many aliases (Anthony Zabrovsky, Anthony Devolder, Kitara Ravache, and George Devolder) could form a committee of their own.

The 55-page Ethics Committee report found compelling evidence that the Republican Congressman representing New York’s 3th District had committed all kinds of naughty behavior with campaign funds, using them to obtain Botox treatments, lavish Atlantic City trips, and designer clothing and such, then trying to obscure the money trail. This follows a 23-count federal indictment that includes accusations that he stole from his donors and falsified campaign filings.

The Ethics Committee report gives Republicans cover to overcome their initial reluctance to pressure Mr. Santos to resign. GOP Congressman Michael Guest (R, MS-3), Ethics Committee Chair, introduced a bill to expel Mr.  Santos from Congress, even though his Long Island district could easily elect a Democrat to replace him. The House vote will probably take place tommorrow, ending George Santo’s run as the luckiest liar in Congress.

More:

“House Ethics chairman introduces resolution to expel George Santos from Congress,” Haley Talbot, Lauren Fox and Clare Foran, CNN

“Santos ethics report finds ‘substantial evidence’ of criminal wrongdoing,” Katherine Tully-McManus, Sarah Ferris, and Olivia Beavers, Politico

“11 of the most scathing allegations in the House ethics report about Santos,” Mariana Alfaro and Maegan Vazquez, Washington Post

“NY Rep. George Santos won’t seek reelection after scathing House ethics report,” Brigid Bergin and Giulia Heyward, Gothamist

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Donald Trump: Gold-Plated Fraud

Following December’s criminal convictions of The Trump Organization for tax fraud and falsifying business records, a New York State civil court judge has found Donald Trump’s personal business guilty of business fraud, using wildly inflated property valuations to obtain larger bank loans. Judge Arthur Engoron agreed with the prosecution claim that Mr. Trump overstated his wealth to lenders and insurers by as much as $3.6 billion.

The Trump Organization, an amalgam of Trump family real estate, hotel, and golf course holdings, had its licencing revoked, and its New York State assets will be administered (and possibly liquidated) under receivership. They include 40 Wall Street, an estate in Westchester County, Trump Tower, Trump Park Avenue, and a Westchester golf club. Donald Trump can no longer pretend to be a legitimate businessman, except perhaps on televison (fun fact: he is a former SAG-AFTRA member).

Trump businesses are due to go on trial for further charges of civil fraud again on Monday. New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking a $250 million judgment on one of those claims.

More:

“Judge rules Donald Trump defrauded banks and insurers while building real estate empire,” Michael R. Sisak, Associated Press

“Why a fraud finding is like ‘corporate death penalty’ for Trump,” Zachary B. Wolf, CNN

“Trump’s Habit of Lying About Everything All the Time May Cost Him Trump Tower,” Bess Levin, Vanity Fair

“Trump’s Absurd Property Valuations Confirm His Disregard for Reality,” Jacob Sullum, Reason

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Fundraiser for Liar George Santos Also Arrested for Fraud

Sam Miele, former fundraiser for indicted serial liar and Republican Congressman George Santos (AKA Anthony Zabrovsky, Anthony Devolder, George Devolder and Kitara Ravache), was himself indicted on federal charges of impersonated a high-ranking congressional aide while soliciting contributions for the Santos campaign. Prosecutors said Mr. Miele sent “fraudulent fundraising solicitations” to more than a dozen prospective donors between August and December of 2021, signing the emails with the name and title of Dan Meyer, chief of staff to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who was then minority leader.

The case seems to overlap with the case against Mr. Miele’s client. Rep. George Santos is charged with 13 counts of fraud and financial crimes.

More:

“A former fundraiser for Rep. George Santos has been charged with wire fraud and identity theft,” Jake  Offenhartz, Associated Press

“Aide for Rep. George Santos accused of defrauding donors,” Shayna Jacobs, Washington Post

“Santos Aide Who Impersonated McCarthy Staff Member Faces Federal Charges,” Michael Gold and Grace Ashford, New York Times

Update:

George Santos says ex-fundraiser caught using a fake name tried a new tactic: spelling it backwards,” Jake Offenhartz, Associated Press

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Image by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com. Download a copy here. Note: Politifact has only fact-checked George Santo’s statements once. Maybe the flood of falsehoods is too overwhelming. Or too obvious.

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Liar George Santos Arrested on Federal Criminal Charges

Serial liar and Republican Congressman George Santos (AKA Anthony Zabrovsky, Anthony Devolder, George Devolder and Kitara Ravache) of New York’s 3th District was indicted by a Federal grand jury Tuesday on multiple federal counts of money laundering, stealing public money, wire fraud and making false statements to Congress in his House financial disclodures. He was arrested Wednesday, and arraigned at the Eastern District Federal Courthouse in Central Islip, NY. Mr. Santos pleaded not guilty, and was  set loose on a helpless public while awaiting trial. His $500,000 bond was secured by three unnamed individuals. His next court date is June 30. George Santos remains in Congress until his inevitable conviction.

The indictment charges that Mr. Santos solicited campaign donations, then used the funds for personal expenses, including luxury designer clothes and paying off his credit cards and and car payments. He also obtained unemployment benefits fraudulently.

Previously, George Santos lied about his: high school, college, ever going to college, volleyball prowess, grad school, religion, race, family history, work history, finances, owning 13 real estate properties, knee replacements, his yacht brokerage, appearing on Hanna Montana, developing carbon capture technology, film acting, losing employees in the Pulse nightclub shooting, getting mugged, being a drag queen, having a brain tumor, running a pet rescue charity, past marital status, getting COVID, and his own mother’s death.

His newest fib: he’s innocent and the trial is a ‘witch hunt.”

More:

“Rep. George Santos charged with 13 counts of fraud, financial crimes,” Devlin Barrett, Isaac Stanley-Becker, Shayna Jacobs, and Perry Stein, Washington Post

“George Santos charged with fraud, including stealing from campaign to buy designer clothes,” Jake Offenhartz and Michael R. Sisak, Associated Press

“Congressman George Santos Charged with Fraud, Money Laundering, Theft of Public Funds, and False Statements,” Press Release, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York

“Read the George Santos Indictment,” New York Times

“George Santos, Facing Felony Charges, Campaigned on Ensuring Criminals Do Time,” Rebecca Cohen, Business Insider

“George Santos Claims Arraignment Conflicts with His Role in N.B.A. Playoffs,” Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker

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Image by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com. Download a copy here. Note: Politifact hasn’t yet fact-checked George Santo’s statements. Maybe it’s too overwhelming.

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Herschel Walker’s End Run Around Finance Laws

Former Georgia Bulldog, New Jersey General, and The Apprentice TV loser Herschel Walker told lots of lies during his failed MAGA senate campaign, but his secret lie to a billionaire donor was worth over half a million dollars and, possibly, a federal conviction for wire fraud.

Instead of transferring the payments to his senatorial campaign fund, Walker asked Montana billionaire Dennis Washington to wire $535,200 directly to his private company, HR Talent, LLC. Mr. Washington did so, thinking this was a legitimate political contribution. Not so.

The hidden ball trick is legal in football, but not in campaign finance, or any kind of finance, except maybe organized crime. The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has asked the referees, The Federal Election Commission (about the campaign donation violation and Attorney General Garland (about the wire fraud issue), and it sure looks like a personal foul by Herschel Walker.

More:

“Emails Reveal ‘Jaw-Dropping’ Herschel Walker Money Scandal,” Roger Sollenberger, Daily Beast

“Emails show Herschel Walker nicked billionaire Dennis Washington for $500K,” Zoë Buchli, Missoulian

“Report: Herschel Walker’s Very Embarrassing Campaign May Have Also Committed Wire Fraud,” Caleb Ecarma, Vanity Fair

Top image: 1984 Topps bubblegum card. The New Jersey Generals team owner was Donald Trump. 

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George Santos (R, NY-3)

Republican Congressman George Santos (AKA Anthony Zabrovsky, Anthony Devolder, George Devolder and Kitara Ravache) of New York’s 3th District is now a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology (because he lied about developing carbon capture technology), and the House Committee on Small Business (because he lied about his business experience). At least he’s not on the Ethics Committee.

If you’re keeping score at home, George Santos lied about his: high school, college, ever going to college, volleyball prowess, grad school, religion, race, family history, work history, finances, owning 13 real estate properties, knee replacements, his yacht brokerage, appearing on Hanna Montana, developing carbon capture technology, film acting, losing employees in the Pulse nightclub shooting, getting mugged, being a drag queen, having a brain tumor, running a pet rescue charity, past marital status, getting COVID, and his own mother’s death. More is sure to come.

But as Jon Stewart observes: “The thing we have to be careful of, and I always caution myself on this and I ran into this trouble with Trump, is we cannot mistake absurdity for lack of danger, because it takes people with no shame to do shameful things.”

How did he get elected in the first place? By telling Democratic and Republican voters in his district what each wanted to hear. As Bill Maher puts it: “He is the first one to realize that since we are all in our hermetically sealed media bubbles, now you can pretend to be everything to voters in both parties.”

The Republican majority is so slim that GOP members are reluctant to pressure Mr. Santos into resigning from the House. His district could easily elect a Democrat to replace him, so he’ll stay until the federal, state, Nassau County, Queens, and/or Brazilian courts catch up with him.

More:

“Rep. George Santos Appears to Have Ripped Off His Former Boss’s Resume in Crafting His Backstory,” Virginia Chamlee, People

“George Santos’ backers include a migrant smuggler, a big Trump donor and the cousin of a sanctioned Russian oligarch,” Clare Hymes and Graham Kates, CBS News

“Another Santos Money Mystery: He Struck a Curious Business Deal With a Veteran GOP Operative,” Noah Lanard and David Corn, Mother Jones

“Campaigns Linked To Santos Left Donors Feeling Ripped Off After Questionable Credit Card Charges,” Hunter Walker and Josh Kovensky, TPM

Update:

“Scientists Welcome ‘Astronaut,’ ‘Nobel Winner’ George Santos To House Science Committee,” Chris D’Angelo, HuffPost

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Image by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com. Download a copy here. Note: Politifact hasn’t yet fact-checked George Santo’s statements. Maybe it’s too overwhelming.

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

The Honorable George Santos (R, NY-3)

Outside of Hollywood, you’d think doing business with someone who is using an assumed name would raise concerns, but it didn’t. As a result, George Santos, AKA Anthony Zabrovsky, Anthony Devolder, Kitara Ravache, and George Devolder (of dubious investment firm Harbor City Capital) is now the newly-sworn-in Republican Congressman representing New York’s 3th District.

After he was elected, Rep. Devolder Zabrovsky Ravache Santos admitted to embellishing his résumé, but it’s all embellishment, no résumé. He lied about his: high school, college, ever going to college, volleyball prowess, grad school, religion, family history, work history, finances, owning 13 real estate properties, developing carbon capture technology, losing employees in the Pulse nightclub shooting, running a pet rescue charity, past marital status, and his own mother’s death. Other dirty shoes will probably drop.

George Santos makes Herschel Walker look like the very soul of probity. He should be an embarrassment to Congressional Republicans, but they are noted for lack of shame, and their majority is so slim they’re reluctant to pressure Mr. Santos into resigning from the House. His district could easily elect a Democrat to replace him, so he’ll stay until the federal, state, Nassau County, Queens, and/or Brazilian courts catch up with him.

Months before the election, some of George Santos’ falsehoods were uncovered by the local North Shore Leader newspaper, and some lies were known to Republican consultants. These red flags were ignored in the heat of the campaign.

New York Magazine calls George Santos “The Luckiest Liar in Politics.” If you want to congratulate him on his fabrication-based good fortune, send cards to: The Honorable George Santos, 1117 Longworth House Office Building, Washington DC, 20515-3203 or call him at 202-225-3335.

Constituent well-wishers may prefer to contact his District Office in Queens: 242-09 Northern Boulevard, Douglaston, NY 11363 (phone 718-631-0400).

Rep. Santos doesn’t have a public email address, but his Chief of Staff does.

Want George Santos to attend your new waste disposal service’s ribbon-cutting or your nephew’s bar mitzvah? Use this handy contact form.

Update:

George Santos has been appointed to two House committees. He will sit on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology (because he lied about developing carbon capture technology), and the House Committee on Small Business (because he lied about his business experience).

More:

“Keeping track of all of NY Rep.-elect George Santos’ lies, from his education to charity falsehoods,” Bruce Golding, New York Post

“Rep. George Santos Appears to Have Ripped Off His Former Boss’s Resume in Crafting His Backstory,” Virginia Chamlee, People

“George Santos’ backers include a migrant smuggler, a big Trump donor and the cousin of a sanctioned Russian oligarch,” Clare Hymes and Graham Kates, CBS News

“Another Santos Money Mystery: He Struck a Curious Business Deal With a Veteran GOP Operative,” Noah Lanard and David Corn, Mother Jones

“Campaigns Linked To Santos Left Donors Feeling Ripped Off After Questionable Credit Card Charges,” Hunter Walker and Josh Kovensky, TPM

 

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Image by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com. Download a copy here. Note: Politifact hasn’t yet fact-checked George Santo’s statements. Maybe it’s too overwhelming.

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.