{"id":1067,"date":"2020-08-04T12:35:20","date_gmt":"2020-08-04T12:35:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bikingwithmike.com\/?p=1067"},"modified":"2020-08-04T12:35:20","modified_gmt":"2020-08-04T12:35:20","slug":"august-4-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bikingwithmike.com\/?p=1067","title":{"rendered":"August 4, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I took yesterday off because I wanted to get an early start on getting a new bathroom vanity all plumbed in (I really don\u2019t like plumbing!).\u00a0 Mission accomplished!\u00a0 So far, knock on wood, no leaks!\u00a0 So, now back to what the hell is going on in this country?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For one thing, Cyrus Vance Jr. from the Manhattan district attorney\u2019s office announced that Trump and his companies are being investigated for bank and insurance fraud1<\/sup> and not just for the hush money payments for which Trump\u2019s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, was convicted and sent to prison.\u00a0\u00a0 Think about that for a second.\u00a0\u00a0 When was the last time a sitting president from either party was under investigation for major financial crimes?\u00a0 You\u2019re right, I can\u2019t really remember such a case either.\u00a0 Nixon\u2019s crimes weren\u2019t financial in nature but that\u2019s probably the closest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personally, this \u2018revelation\u2019 doesn\u2019t come as much of a surprise to me, particularly after reading Mary Trump\u2019s book. \u00a0It\u2019s just another piece of a puzzle that is coming together.\u00a0 \u00a0Certainly, there are those that will claim this is just a political witch hunt, but let\u2019s look at some history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, Trump \u201cpaid $2 million to eight charities as part of a settlement in which the president admitted he misused funds raised by the Donald J. Trump Foundation to promote his presidential bid and pay off business debts, the New York State attorney general said on Tuesday<\/em>.\u201d 2<\/sup> In addition, the Trump Foundation was forced to liquidate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2018, \u201c A federal court approved a $25 million\u00a0<\/em>settlement\u00a0on Tuesday with students who said they were duped by Donald Trump and his now-defunct Trump University, which promised to teach them the \u201csecrets of success\u201d in the real estate industry.\u201d3<\/sup> \u201cStudents had alleged that Trump University, which was open from 2005 to 2010,\u00a0used false advertising and high-pressure sales techniques\u00a0to lure them to free investor workshops at which they were sold expensive seminars and told they would be mentored by real estate gurus, leading to the loss of thousands of dollars in tuition.\u201d3<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then there are the bankruptcies, \u201cOver the course of 18 years, Trump\u2019s companies went into reorganization six times \u2014 five times in New Jersey, where he had his casino holdings, and once in New York:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n