So word of Jared Kushner’s skullduggery broke a couple of days ago, and I instantly wondered who he might be trying to establish a secret back channel with. How cool! How exciting! How Clancy! Italy? Angola? Thailand? But no. Once again—Russia. Always Russia! I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to suspect some real funny business is going on with all these Russians all over the place!
For anyone who’s skeptical as to why Twitler would be up to his ass in Russian money, all you need to do is read David Cay Johnston’s book, The Making of Donald Trump. A Pulitzer Prize winner, Johnston lays it out very nicely and simply.
Johnston reminds the reader that Trump, from 1990-2010, got into a lot of financial problems with his Atlantic City joints. His hotel-casinos lost piles of money, and Trump was skating on very thin financial ice. American banks were repeatedly asked to help with loans to prop up these troubled establishments, and they repeatedly said, “Thanks, but no thanks. Now, go away.”
Enter the Russians. Enter Deutschebank. Enter international entanglements.
Perhaps the most telling, revelatory recent remark came not from Dum Dum, but from his son Eric, who was, back in ’14, showing off a new Trump golf resort to Golf Magazine reporter James Dodson. During that day’s round, Dodson asked Eric where the heck the Trumps were getting the millions to build new golf courses, since Dodson knew that American banks, after the recession of ’08, weren’t inclined to fund quasi-frivolous ventures of that ilk. That was Eric’s cue to blurt-boast that the Trumps didn’t need American money because—well, they got piles and piles of Russian rubles ready to rock. “We don’t rely on American banks. We have all the funding we need out of Russia.” Gee, Eric, you don’t say? Oh, but golly, here’s the Old Man, tweeting away about never having anything to do with anybody Russian. Ever. Nope. Not ever. Promise!
Let’s remember that back in ’14, Eric had no clue that Pops was two years away from becoming president of the freaking United States. He was free to say whatever he wanted. He was free to brag about how cool it was to have heavy hitter Russian friends with some extra cash. Lots of it. And so he did.
Follow the bread. It’s gonna get good. And it’ll move faster than Watergate. Bookies in the U.K. are now taking bets on whether Trump makes it a year. Odds currently 50-50. If the over/under is six months, what’s your bet?