Cartoon

Unprecedented

Written by SK Ashby

(Cartoonist - Jimmy Margulies)

In other news, special prosecutor Robert Mueller has reportedly enlisted agents from the IRS Criminal Investigations unit which specializes in financial crimes.

Meanwhile, Mueller has also obtained a copy of the original letter from Trump to former FBI Director James Comey explaining why he would be fired. The letter was blocked by the White House Counsel's office because it was legally dubious.

We don't know what Trump's originally letter said, but it must have been pretty bad if the White House Counsel blocked it. Reports suggest the letter focused on Comey's refusal to publicly exonerate Trump himself.

Finally, Bloomberg has a big story on Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner's finances that paints a pretty grim picture. 'Like Father Like Step-Son,' I would say. Kushner inherited an empire and he's squandering it just like Trump did.

The mortgage on their tower is due in 18 months. This has led to concerns that Kushner could use—or has perhaps already used—his official position to prop up the family business despite having divested to close relatives his ownership in many projects to conform with government ethics requirements. Federal investigators are examining Kushner’s finances and business dealings, along with those of other Trump associates, as they probe possible collusion between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign. [...]

It was 2006—the height of the real-estate market boom—when Kushner Cos. agreed to buy 666 Fifth Avenue for $1.8 billion, then a record for a Manhattan building. All of it was borrowed except for $50 million. The company still holds half of a $1.2 billion mortgage, on which it hasn’t paid a cent. The full amount is due in February 2019.

Monday is a federal holiday, so we'll be back in action here on Tuesday. Congress will also be back in session on Tuesday, for better or worse.

Have a good weekend and a pleasant Labor Day.