Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Maddow on Russians funneling millions to Trump and an open question

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Stop what you’re doing. Go watch Rachel Maddow untangle the wild connections in a real estate deal that netted Trump over $50 million.

I’ll wait

To recap:

  • Deutsche Bank gets into $630 million of hot water with Obama’s feds because of laundring Russian oligarchs’ money — moving $10 billion out of Russia
  • The head of Deutsche Bank ends up running the Bank of Cyprus, which is Russian oligarchs’ favorite bank
  • In 2004, Donald Trump buys a fabulously overwrought Palm Beach estate — Maison de l’Amitie — from the bankruptcy of tax-evading healthcare tycoon Abe Grosman for $40 million
  • At the same time, there’s a multi-billionaire Russian — Dmitry Rybolovlev, the Fertilizer King — trying to move his wealth into real estate trust to avoid paying some of his billions to his ex-wife
  • Rybolovlev happens to be one of two vice-chairmen of the Bank of Cyprus
  • In 2008, Rybolovlev buys Maison de l’Amitie from Trump for $95 million, 2-1/2 times more than Trump paid for it
  • Trump claims transaction happened without his ever meeting Rybolovlev
  • The other vice-chairman of the Bank or Cyprus, and the majority shareholder is Wilbur Ross, Trump’s just confirmed Commerce Secretary
  • At the time of the windfall from Rybolovlev, Trump was having very public problem making good on a $40 million loan from Deutsche Bank

Explosive, no? (A bullet list doesn’t do it justice. Watch the video.)

As many dots as Maddow connects, there’s one gaping hole in the narrative: why was Rybolovlev willing to overspend by as much as $60 million for a Florida estate? Moving money out of the way of the ex-wife doesn’t seem like sufficient motivation to give away tens of millions to not-yet-even-candidate Trump.

This must be connected to another deal (or deals). Some part of the overpayment bought somebody (maybe Rybolovlev) something other than a Xanadu of bad taste in South Florida. What did that extra money buy? Why wasn’t that investment made directly?

You know what might clear this up? Tax returns.

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Comments

  1. as I watched Rachel unwind the corruption with surgical precision. It was a beautiful thing to behold.

    There’s something rotten going on here and it’s NOT in Denmark !

    Fred Rich LaRiccia

  3. attacked again yesterday to divert our attention from Russiagate.

    TT accused President Obama of tapping his phones before the election.

    What a moron.

    Fred Rich LaRiccia

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