Dr. Trump’s Last Prescription: Pardon Florida Healthcare Fraudsters

On January 20th, before fleeing to Palm Beach (where his neighbors don’t want him) lame duck grifter Donald Trump granted clemency to fellow Floridians convicted of engaging in the Sunshine State’s flourishing industry, Medicare and Medicaid fraud:

Philip Esformes, a nursing home system operator convicted of a $1.3 Billion Medicare fraud, largest in the the nation’s history, won comutation of his 20-year prison sentence.

South Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen was serving a 17-year sentence for a $73 million Medicare fraud conviction, was pardoned by Mr. Trump, a Florida neighbor.

Also pardoned: Todd Farha, Thaddeus Bereday, William Kale, Paul Behrens, and Peter Clay, former executives of Florida’s WellCare Health Plans, were convicted of defrauding the state’s Medicaid program of over $35 million.

This should make him welcome in his new retirement home, a state represented by a Republican senator once involved in a $1.7 billion Medicare fraud.

More:

“The doctors Trump pardoned for defrauding the government,” Anjalee Khemlani, Yahoo Finance

________________

Short link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-wzz

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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

Trump’s Parting Pardons

As lame duck Donald Trump prepares to flee Washington, he’s prepared a spreadsheet of around 100 co-conspirators to pardon. If he could legally pardon himself, he would. Of course, when did laws ever stop him?

More:

“Trump prepares to offer clemency to more than 100 people in his final hours in office,” Carol D. Leonnig, Josh Dawsey and Rosalind S. Helderman, Washington Post

“Trump to issue more than 100 pardons before Biden sworn in – reports,” Martin Pengelly and Luke Harding, The Guardian

“Trump probably can’t pardon himself. He may still try,” Zachary B. Wolf, CNN

“Capitol Rioter Tries To Nab Herself A Pardon As Trump Plans To Announce Final Bunch,” Kate Riga, TalkingPointsMemo

“Joe Exotic Hires Pick-Up Limo in Expectation of Trump Pardon,” Jamie Ross, Daily Beast

Update:

“‘Tiger King’ Star Joe Exotic Complains He Was ‘Too Innocent and Too Gay’ for Trump to Pardon Him,” Blake Montgomery, Daily Beast

Related:

“Prospect of Pardons in Final Days Fuels Market to Buy Access to Trump,” Michael S. Schmidt and Kenneth P. Vogel, New York Times

“White House Warns People Buying Pardons That Counterfeit Pardons Are Being Sold Online,” Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker

_____________

Shortlink: https://wp.me/p6sb6-wyz

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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

Trump’s Celebrity Pardons

U.S. President and reality show host Donald Trump ramped up the “wow!” factor on the latest episode of Celebrity White House yesterday with a presidential pardon for confessed federal felon Dinesh D’Souza, the conservative troll, Twitter abuser, conspiracy theorist, adulterer, and Christian college official who admitted to making illegal campaign contributions. Ted Cruz is “positively gleeful.”

Mr. Trump, who prefers to govern by fiat, discovered his federal pardon power when he sprang racist Joe Arpaio from the pokey, pardoned perjurer Scooter Libby, and pardoned Sly Stallone’s pal Jack Johnson, “a person that, when people got to know him, they really liked him,” as the president put it. The chief executive is also eyeing relief for federal felons and former Celebrity Apprentice stars Martha Stewart and Rod Blagojevich.

Donald Trump isn’t all that interested in celebrity justice; he’s sending a message to his indicted collaborators Michael Cohen, Michael Flynn, and Paul Manafort that he can bust them out of prison with the stroke of a pen if they keep mum.

One Liar Pardons Another

President Donald Trump, who makes six nonfactual statements a day, has pardoned convicted perjurer I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby Jr.  “I don’t know Mr. Libby,” said Mr. Trump, “but for years I have heard that he has been treated unfairly.” Evidently, golf clubhouse chatter is now a major force in our legal system.

The real message in this presidential act: Lie to Mueller for me and get out of jail free.

Keep track of Trump falsehoods here.

More:

“Trump grants pardon to former Bush official; some say he is using the law as a political tool,” Philip Rucker, Josh Dawsey and Matt Zapotosky, Washington Post

“Trump Pardoned Libby to Protect Himself From Mueller,” Marcy Wheeler, New York Times

Related:

“Donald Trump says it’s okay for him to lie since ‘people agree with me.’” Graham Vyse, The New Republic

“Trump is perfecting the art of the Big Lie,” Max Boot, Washington Post

____________

Short link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-ruo

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

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Obama Pardons National Tofurky®

President Barack Obama has pardoned the 2012 National Thanksgiving Tofurky® in a ceremony in the Vegetable Garden on the South Lawn of the White House.

The mock-turkey vegetable roast will not be consumed by the First Family but will frolic with leftover arugula and endive from the presidential holiday meal in the Official White House Compost Heap.