Posted originally on the CTH on February 26, 2024 | Sundance
It is imperative to overlay what the Charles Koch network, specifically Americans for Prosperity (AFP), really represents when considering their announcement to withdraw financial support for Nikki Haley.
Koch and AFP are part of the network of multinational/Wall Street entities who previously held all power in the Republican apparatus. All of the systems of the Republican Party apparatus were essentially controlled by a small group of big money influence makers and political interests.
The corporation known as the RNC was molded over a few generations to focus on the money part of political outcomes, not the policy or ideology – the money. Frustrated conservative voters had a difficult time understanding why their voting to put the Decepticon (GOPe Republicans) in power rarely generated a change in overall domestic policy.
Battered conservative syndrome is an outcome of the majority of those Republican voters misunderstanding that corporate desires of the Republican and Democrat club apparatus are essentially merged into one party. Give the Democrats control over policy, and they are happy. Give the Republicans (leadership mostly) money to acquiesce, and they too are happy. And so it goes.
Then came Donald Trump who turned that dynamic on its end. Suddenly, an America First agenda was being pushed by a Republican candidate, and it didn’t take long for the abused Republican and middle class voter to see their best interests were represented by Trump. A substantive conflict was immediately created between Trump and the corporate Republican apparatus. A battle for control began.
As a candidate, Nikki Haley has always represented the effort of the corporate Republican establishment. The corporate Republican network, who thrives on the status quo, have used Ron DeSantis and then Nikki Haley in their effort to rid themselves of the problem represented by Trump and the MAGA base of economically minded voters and supporters. However, both efforts have failed against the scale of the MAGA movement.
MAGA is the Republican Party now, and the corporate Republican world has been dragged to the inflection point. The corporatists still have control over many of the internal mechanisms of the professional Republican Party, but that control is slipping as more and more MAGA-minded people move into local, state and national political networks.
In the announcement that Charles Koch and AFP are withdrawing financial support for Nikki Haley, they are admitting the institutional Republican apparatus is now dropping back to control their Senate and Congressional power systems. In essence, if they cannot control the presidency, they will control all of the systems that stem from the office of the presidency and thereby block Trump from delivering on the America First agenda.
This is what President Trump first encountered in 2017 when the professional republican system recoiled at the change that Trump represented. The largest amount of aversion to the America First agenda comes from the Republican wing inside the Senate; this is the core of the Decepticon construct.
With Donald J. Trump shifting to become the “presumptive nominee,” an outcome of his support by the base voter, Charles Koch, AFP and to a larger extent all of the various professional Republican elements (corporate republicanism) are now creating their last line of defense. All of the institutions are again aligned to try and stop President Trump from fracturing the political control system within the USA political apparatus.
Trump is the weapon to destroy the long-created Republican ‘illusion of choice’. This is why people see masks dropping as the opposition to Trump becomes so transparent. Politicians and people within the political system, long thought to be Republicans who represented the alternative to leftism, are increasingly exposed as mere illusions of pushback. These revelations will continue as MAGA pushes deeper into the Republican political network.
The old Republican Party is consistently fighting a losing battle, losing power to the voters – the MAGA base and larger Trump coalition. The old guard has money, lots of money, and they are using it to fortify their defensive positions of power.
Nikki Haley has been rewarded for her efforts, but the Decepticons must retreat now to financially support Mitch McConnell, John Thune and the masters at the center of the illusion of choice. The institutions that will oppose Donald Trump must be fortified by the professional Republicans against the increased likelihood Trump will win the election.
Keep in mind, Koch Inc. alone had vowed last year to spend $70 million against President Trump and the Republican base voter. Politico is estimating they spent around $50 million so far.
(Via Politico) – Americans For Prosperity Action, the powerful conservative group supporting Nikki Haley in the Republican presidential primary, will no longer spend money on behalf of her campaign.
In an email to staff obtained by POLITICO, Americans For Prosperity CEO Emily Seidel said Sunday that the group’s political arm, AFP Action, had to “take stock” of its spending priorities after Haley’s loss in the South Carolina primary. The Koch-aligned group, Seidel said, will now focus its efforts on competitive Senate and House races.
“She has made it clear that she will continue to fight and we wholeheartedly support her in this effort,” Seidel wrote of Haley. “But given the challenges in the primary states ahead, we don’t believe any outside group can make a material difference to widen her path to victory.”
AFP Action’s decision is the latest blow to Haley’s longshot presidential bid, which has sustained losses in four early nominating states and the Virgin Islands, including on Saturday, when former President Donald Trump beat Haley in her home state by 20 points. Haley declared she will continue on in her primary fight, but has only committed to running through Super Tuesday on March 5.
AFP Action had funded advertisements and field operations for months last year that were designed to persuade Republican voters to back someone other than Trump in the presidential primary. But it wasn’t until late November that AFP Action tapped Haley as its desired Trump alternative. Since then, AFP has reached out to more than 3 million voters in early nominating and Super Tuesday states, as well as purchased millions of dollars worth of ads on Haley’s behalf. (read more)
A few remaining points of emphasis…. I am increasingly sure that Donald Trump will win the 2024 election. The Lawfare effort against him is running into the reality of the problem, their fake constructs. People see through the manipulative schemes more than ever, and the MAGA movement is now far larger, cuts across all political spectrums and is now much smarter and strategic.
As an outcome of the likelihood for Trump victory, it becomes even more important to prepare for it. By “preparing”, I mean to have the systems in place to confront the professional Republican apparatus on day one. The opposition from Democrats is transparent; however, our weakness in 2017 was not having the support system in place to confront the DeceptiCons immediately. In 2025, this must be rectified.
The professional Republican apparatus, including the Koch network, AFP, Business Roundtable, US Chamber of Commerce, and the system of corporate republicanism will align to support Joe Biden or Gavin Newsom (DNC convention outcome), or any entity that will retain the status quo before they accept losing power. This is the unfortunate reality that must be accepted.
“It must be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than a new system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old institution and merely lukewarm defenders in those who gain by the new ones. ”
Posted originally on the CTH on February 26, 2024 | Sundance
I find it very interesting this report surfaces in the New York Times and not The Washington Post first. This material distinction showcases the motive for the outline is heavily domestic in nature; meaning, the core of domestic USA politics (specifically the White House) needs to admit that Ukraine is a proxy province in order to retrigger support for policy.
[Inside Baseball] – Watch the responses to this report from CNN (State Dept) carefully and watch the responses from WaPo (CIA/Intel). The more subtle and/or quiet the response(s), the more certain these influence institutions were collaborating on the material report to the New York Times.
The White House is admitting the CIA and larger IC apparatus, which includes the State Dept., has been heavily controlling all activity in Ukraine for the past decade. The only reason to admit this now very publicly is because they are losing voter support. THIS EXPLAINS WHY BIDEN IS CALLING FOR A WHITE HOUSE MEETING!!
The US’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) maintains 12 secret bases in Ukraine along the border with Russia, and last Thursday CIA chief William Burns made his 10th secret visit to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The Times is now reporting the USA (State Dept.) was responsible for the coup in Ukraine (color revolution) and took control over political operations in 2014. We have long suspected this; many have reported exactly this reality; however, this is the first time it has all been admitted.
(NYT) – The C.I.A.’s partnership in Ukraine can be traced back to two phone calls on the night of Feb. 24, 2014, eight years to the day before Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Millions of Ukrainians had just overrun the country’s pro-Kremlin government and the president, Viktor Yanukovych, and his spy chiefs had fled to Russia. In the tumult, a fragile pro-Western government quickly took power.
The government’s new spy chief, Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, arrived at the headquarters of the domestic intelligence agency and found a pile of smoldering documents in the courtyard. Inside, many of the computers had been wiped or were infected with Russian malware.
“It was empty. No lights. No leadership. Nobody was there,” Mr. Nalyvaichenko said in an interview.
He went to an office and called the C.I.A. station chief and the local head of MI6. It was near midnight but he summoned them to the building, asked for help in rebuilding the agency from the ground up, and proposed a three-way partnership. “That’s how it all started,” Mr. Nalyvaichenko said. (read more)
Source: The New York Times, based on more than 200 interviews with current and former officials in Ukraine, the United States and Europe.
The report tries to paint various Ukraine officials as the originators of the operation to use Ukraine as the tip of the spear against the Russia construct; however, it doesn’t take a deep weeds walker to realize that part of the narrative is needed to protect the U.S. foreign influence policy from public ridicule.
The White House needs support for their Ukraine proxy. The public opposition to that continued policy agenda is a problem. The politicians are caving to pressure from the people. The IC needs to change the narrative urgently; thus the admission takes place.
Posted originally on Feb 23, 2024 By Martin Armstrong
Once upon a time, in the United States, we, the people, began our classroom day with the Pledge of Allegiance:
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all,”
Those days are gone, and we can no longer depend on the Courts and the legal systems for Truth, Fairness, and Justice for all, which we were told was the American Way! How many millions went off to war and died to defend that principle they have torn to shreds in New York City? The American Way of Life is dead. The Democrats have allowed our nation to be flooded with people who do not share our culture, our philosophies, or our history solely to ensure they win at all costs.
This is no longer any difference we have with Russia and China and how they treat the people. The United States now has more people in prison than China, which has 1.5 billion people compared to our 300 million. You have a 500% greater chance of going to prison because there is no more liberty and justice for all.
The Courts have turned into Totalitarian Dictatorships devoid of any accountability, and the proof of that is the mere conviction rate proving that we are the enemy of those in power. Data published by the Pew Research Center in 2019 highlighted how federal prosecutors have a 99.6% conviction rate. To put those numbers in perspective, U.S. Attorneys filed 79,704 cases in 2018. Of those, only 320 resulted in acquittals. As Pew Research wrote: “Nearly 80,000 people were defendants in federal criminal cases in fiscal 2018, but just 2% of them went to trial. “ Any criminal lawyer in New York will tell you to plead and take a deal because you CANNOT win in New York.
The system is so bad that Judge Rakoof was thoroughly disgusted and wrote a book on his experience on the bench in New York. The title is “Why the innocent plead guilty and the guilty of free.” I cannot express strongly enough that you have virtually no chance of a fair trial EVER in the United States. And if they cannot put you on trial, they will kill you and swear it was suicide. Nothing but nothing someone is charged with should EVER be taken as truth. Even Madoff quickly pled guilty to save his family, yet his son still committed suicide. There, too, the banks claimed they had no idea. That was a lie and ABSOLUTELY impossible.
I was interviewed by a journalist when they saw the bank was illegally trading in my accounts, like MF Global. They asked me if they were laundering money for the Russian Mafia “AS THEY WERE DOING IN MADOFF!” I said I had no idea. I only saw all the bogus trades that were then backed out as errors when I assumed they were parking things in my accounts. Yet, of course, if the “error” came from one account and was taken out to another, then it was money laundering. The newspaper would not allow her to publish it. The forensic accountant told the court they never shall so many “canceled trades,” but the court also covered that up. I believe I refused to invest $10 billion in their Russia scheme, so they were using my accounts for money laundering involving the oligarchs and the attempt to seize Russia.
The Elections are rigged, the Courts are corrupt, and the government is rapidly becoming the enemy of the people. All of these male illegal immigrants of military age will be compelled to sign up for the military to get citizenship and be sent off to fight in World War III.
Trump’s civil fraud trial in New York will expose just how corrupt this whole prosecution has been. In a 92-page decision, this morally void Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump to pay a massive $355 million fine, plus more than $98 million in prejudgment interest no less. Engoron’s extraordinary ruling strategically prohibited Trump from serving as an officer or director of any business in the state for three years, giving the judge the power to appoint a prosecutor to run his company and destroy it in no time. Even George Washington University Law School professor Jonathan Turley took issue with this, saying that “[e]ven the New York Times agreed that it could not find a single case in history where this statute was used against an individual or a company that did not commit a criminal offense, go bankrupt, or leave financial victims.”
Engoron found Trump was found liable for overstating the values of his assets on bank loan applications. That is a common negotiating practice, like haggling in a biazare in Iran. It’s expected and an insult if you do not. Considering that New York City is the world’s financial capital, the city’s bankers walk on water and are among the most sophisticated on the planet. Developers always inflate property valuations, and banks have their own appraisers who simply adjust them down. According to Turley, during the trial, “witnesses [loan officers] testified that they wanted to do more business with Trump, who was described as a ‘whale’ client with high yield business opportunities.”
It is the same when trading. The banks try to guess if you will buy or sell and will move the quotes in the direction they anticipate you will trade. It is always a negotiation. That is how high-stakes finance deals are done.
The reason I recommend that Trump file for bankruptcy IMMEDIATELY in Florida is because NY law is also rigged, and this is why the Judge did what he did. Under New York law, Trump is not allowed to even appeal his ruling without depositing the full amount in a court account, and he has only 30 days to raise that, which is CASH! If he cannot, then they will seize his property and sell it for pennies on the dollar to their best friends, who are already licking their lips and rubbing their hands. Judge Engoron has just denied former Trump’s request for a 30-day stay of judgment after defense attorneys protested the attorney general’s “rush” for enforcement. Now, they want to prevent Trump from leaving NYCso they can imprison him to stop the election.
If Congress does not intervene – we are screwed as a nation.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James is an elected Democrat. She made it clear from the outset that her goal was to destroy Trump. She actually said:
“This illegitimate president [Trump] — I look forward to going into the office of the attorney general every day, suing him, and then going home.”
This has been a biased prosecution with the sole intent of prosecuting Trump to interfere in the 2024 election – plain and simple. Because BViden controls the Justice Department, they will never prosecute anyone for doing this.
She has turned this law upside down. It was intended to protect consumers. In fact, no one was defrauded. All of the loans were fully repaid. Still, this judge and prosecutor conspired to violate everyone’s right to vote in the 2024 election. Any business can now be torn apart using this. They claim that you overvalued your assets on a loan the bank never used in its decision anyway.
I have not heard from one institutional client inside or outside the United States who thought this was reasonable. The overwhelming view is that this was a deliberate political hit job, just the latest blow in the Democrats’ relentless campaign against Trump to ensure their insane agenda continues, and the Republicans on Capitol Hill are not defending the Constitution or the people.
This judgment sent a shock wave around the world, and the rigged system that allows them to seize Trump’s assets in 30 days is a warning you better get the HELL OUT OF NYC ASAP! This was the last straw. Get out of all stocks with a New York address and sell NY state and city bonds ASAP. This judgment is so outrageous, and they intend to confiscate Trump’s properties NOW just to destroy him completely to interfere in the 2024 election.
Governor Hochul was so stupid during an interview on a radio talk show with John Catsimatidis on “The Cats Roundtable” on WABC 770 AM that she tried to reassure business owners that it’s safe to do business in the state. Her remarks made the case that this was political and that Trump was targeted because he was the Republican candidate. She said :
“I think that this is really an extraordinary, unusual circumstance that the law-abiding and rule-following New Yorkers who are business people have nothing to worry about because they’re very different than Donald Trump and his behavior.”
Hochul admits that this was political, or every New York developer who has ever overstated the value of a property on a loan application is now at risk of being bankrupted and all their assets seized by making the fine so large it cannot be paid in 30 days.
The Democrats have weaponized the legal system everywhere against Trump, and their idiot base is cheering for the demise of the nation. The New York Post said it best:
“Democratic elites will chuckle into their martinis this weekend at the verdict, but your victory is pyrrhic. You’ve made Donald Trump a political martyr.”
My family has fought in every war since the American Revolution. Everything they fought for has been torn to shreds. I am surprised that anyone would now fight and die for a country that no longer respects the rule of law, the Constitution, or civilization. The clock is ticking. It will be time to turn out the lights by 2032.
I can now see why the computer is projecting a landslide for Trump. The Democrats have gone way too far. They are no longer supporters of the American Way of Life, and the computer projections for 2028 look even worse.
A study by Truth in Accounting (TIA) revealed that 70% of America’s largest cities fell into a deficit in fiscal year 2022. Out of the 75 cities studied, 53 simply did not have the funds to pay their bills. The study found that the total debt among the 75 cities had reached $288 billion, and despite the $307.4 billion of assets shared among them, the cities held $595.3 billion in unfunded pension plans.
US law requires cities to maintain a balanced budget, yet no one is holding the representative accountable. Mind you, this data was collected BEFORE the migrant crisis toppled city budgets. Cities have been overreporting their revenue and incorporating borrowed funds into their total revenue calculations. These cities push off bills until the beginning of the next fiscal year to alter calculations.
Pensions and health care were the major issues burdening American cities long before Washington required taxpayers to bankroll the 7+ million new illegal residents. As the report notes: “The most common accounting trick cities use to understate government costs is not including true compensation costs. Cities provide employees with salaries and employee benefits, such as healthcare, life insurance, and pensions. While pension and other post-employment costs, such as health care, will not be paid until the employees retire, they still represent current compensation costs earned and incurred throughout their tenure.”
I have been warned for many years that the government pension plans operate like a Ponzi scheme and have been waiting to implode. Government employees have the defined-benefit (DB) while we get the defined-contribution (DC) plans. Most state and local government employees, actually 87% of those working full time, participate in a defined benefit (DB) pension plan. They contribute NOTHING but are guaranteed a pension on top of what they earned, plus free healthcare for life. Under these promises, these employees have never been required to save for the future and will demand that the public be taxed on anything and everything to keep to this Ponzi scheme on life support.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE should you allow your pension fund to be managed by any government-related entity. They cannot pay government employees so they have sought to suck in everybody else to cover up their losses. Before 2032, there will be more people on retirement from government than actual employed workers. The government must continue to raise our taxes because they are incapable of creating reform.
The reason I highlight the migrant crisis is that we are now shelling out billions of dollars every month to support a new influx of people who have also never contributed to the system. They are providing them with “free” shelter, food, debit cards, and more. Then, they decided to prevent these very people from obtaining working permits to ensure the select few with good intentions cannot ween off government/taxpayers.
Look at history to see how this situation plays out—warning: the pension crisis will not end nicely. When the government could no longer afford to pay the army, it began sacking Roman cities that opposed their general. They turned inward and cannibalized their own cities, weakening the entire empire, thereby allowing the barbarians to come through the gates. We have followed the very same mistakes as Rome. This is just how empires always end. We are no different.
Posted originally on Feb 22, 2024 By Martin Armstrong
COMMENT: Hi Martin.
Thanks for the “astute lawyer” compliment. That was very nice, and coming from you, it is very meaningful to me.
The Epoch Times headline in your “NYC Out of Control” post calls the dollar part of the verdict against the Trumps a “penalty.” It has also been called a “fine,” but I haven’t yet seen it called “damages” in a headline. I think Hochul, Engoron, and James know that the amount was based on a damage assessment and calculation that may not hold up. New York Executive Law § 63(12) clearly reads that the attorney general “may apply…for an order…directing restitution and damages…”. [Emphasis mine.]
New York proved math calculations, not actual damages, where the damaged party had to be made whole. Had the statute recited a list of fines, they’d probably be in a more sound position, but their position now is what I would call “too dicey for comfort.” I would seize nothing in this situation because there are too many cases of improper seizures to worry about. The verdicts against those who seize property in error or improperly or hastily in a flawed or tainted case are many times larger than the amount of the money judgment used to seize and sell the property of the defendant.
Furthermore, if New York has someone running the Trump businesses, and should he or she destroy or damage the businesses, the state could be liable for many, many times the amount of the verdict/judgment against the Trump family. Trump could wind up seizing the state capitol, the governor’s residence, etc., plus having his property returned to him. I’ve seen this happen. Once, the State of Louisiana overreached, and once, the U.S. government was a litigant against a billionaire oil man, banker, and friend who could not get the IRS to return his multi-million dollar overpayment of taxes. He finally had enough, and he seized the Hale Boggs Federal Court Building. He got his money a day later.
Perhaps by dancing around exactly what legal principle the amount of the money verdict/judgment is based on (i.e., damages, fines, penalties [i.e., a payment imposed as punishment], whatever), the Hochul, Engoron, James enterprise has walked into a trap. The Eighth Amendment prohibits excessive fines. If they maintain the amount is absolutely based on the principle of damages, how can they show a diminution of the state being “whole” (or “wholeness” if you will) owing to Trump’s actions with third parties. If they maintain the amount of the verdict/judgment is based on a properly enacted and published fine or penalty, then they must face the Eighth Amendment.
In my opinion, Hochul, Engoron, and James are whistling past the graveyard. They have put their careers on the line, and the dice are tumbling.
Best regards, and thanks again.
EGM
REPLY: This is so political it smells, and just because this Judge, who is not qualified to judge a turtle race, simply decrees, they think they are God, and everyone must bow down to them and kiss their ring. It is so rare to find a decent judge in New York. Judge Lawrence McKenna saw what they were doing and tried to protect me. The government went to the Chief Judge to remove him and then sealed the record.
The DA belongs in prison with the governor and this disgusting judge. This DA is bragging that she will now seize Trump Tower. When the computer projected that the 2024 election would be intermixed with serious civil unrest and that neither side would ever accept the outcome, as we draw closer and closer to this date with destiny, it is looking very, very dark indeed.
The computer is projecting a panic cycle in September, rising volatility in October, and October will be a critical turning point heading into the 2024 election. We should no longer have the motto – Gold Bless America – it should be changed to – God Save America. These LEFTIST are destroying the very foundation of law; without that, civilization can no longer exist. That is the testimony of history – not my opinion.
NEW YORK IS DOOMED
Bond investors have piled into New York City’s tax-exempt bonds, lured by their relatively high yields. However, with a $7 billion budget deficit spiraling costs of sheltering asylum seekers and other migrants that have sought refuge in New York on top of this collapse in the rule of law, NYC is a sell – not a buy. Wall Street profits are declining, and with them, there are looming job cuts at major investment banks. Many are migrating to Florida, which puts pressure on city tax revenue. New York’s fiscal outlook is a disaster. That suggests the city’s general obligation bonds aren’t particularly attractive at current valuations – they are a sell.
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This is a library of News Events not reported by the Main Stream Media documenting & connecting the dots on How the Obama Marxist Liberal agenda is destroying America
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