Buyer beware: The NYT reports:
On Trump’s Social Network: Ads for Miracle Cures,Scams and Fake MerchandiseBetween posts about conspiracy theories and right-wing grievances was an unusual advertisement: a photo of former President Donald J. Trump holding a $1,000 bill made of gold, which he was apparently offering free to supporters.
But there were a few catches: The bill was not free, it was not made of gold, and it was not offered by Mr. Trump.
The ad appeared on Truth Social, the right-wing social network started by Mr. Trump in late 2021, one of many pitches from hucksters and fringe marketers dominating the ads on the site.
Ads from major brands are nonexistent on the site. Instead, the ads on Truth Social are for alternative medicine, diet pills, gun accessories and Trump-themed trinkets, according to an analysis of hundreds of ads on the social network by The New York Times.
Anti-vaxx cards, evil socialism, anti-woke
insurance companies and other garbage
Unregulated capitalism,
it can deliver lies 😱
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Fleecing the flock: The Guardian reports that $1 million secretly donated to the fake audit of the Arizona 2020 election came from Trump. That money came from donors to Trump. TG writes:
The identity of one of the largest benefactors behind the discredited review of Arizona’s vote count has been shrouded in secrecy. Now the Guardian can reveal that the person who partially bankrolled the failed attempt to prove that the election was stolen from Trump was … Trump.An analysis by the watchdog group Documented has traced funding for the Arizona audit back to Trump’s Save America Pac.
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Supreme Court corruption alert: I feel some vindication about a conflict of interest allegation I recently leveled at Bush's former Homeland Security Secretary, Michael Chertoff. He was the radical right Republican that radical right Chief Justice Roberts put in charge of the Supreme Court "investigation" into who leaked the draft decision that obliterated the right to an abortion. It turns out that the conflict was far more substantial than merely political, which was all that was public at the time. Raw Story writes:
CNN is now reporting[1] that an outside agency run by former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, with long-term financial ties to the court, did the appraisal raising questions of conflicts of interest.
Of concern are questions whether Chertoff's firm, which has billed the court over $1 million for various services, may be protecting the very justices who keep sending them business.
According to CNN, "The estimated payments to Chertoff’s risk assessment firm, for consultations that extended over several months and involved a review of the justices’ homes, reached at least $1 million. The exact amount of money paid could not be determined. Supreme Court contracts are not covered by federal public disclosure rules and elude tracking on public databases," adding, "The justices have long cloaked themselves in secrecy to the point of declining to respond to questions about potential conflicts of interest, or to reveal information about some court rules and ethics codes; or to release timely information about the justices’ health and public appearances."
Once again, the secrecy that the Supreme Court has long demanded and defended without any explanation, justification or publicly apparent reason is at issue. Given the unwarranted secrecy, it is perfectly rational, fair and balanced to believe that this radical right Republican Supreme Court is not only deeply corrupt and mendacious, but it is also deeply anti-democratic. Democracy and truth die in darkness, but tyranny, lies and corruption thrive.
Put another way, why give this Supreme Court one shred of credibility unless it publicly explains itself and backs it up with evidence? Of course, a solid majority of rank and file Republicans, and essentially all elites, solidly support this court because they believe it and they are winning and the opposition is losing. It is beyond unfortunate that few of the rank and file radical right can see that democracy, inconvenient truth and everyone's civil liberties are also losing. But the elites see it clearly and they love it.
The Supreme Court did not disclose its longstanding financial ties with former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff even as it touted him as an expert who independently validated its investigation into who leaked the draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade.Exclusive: Supreme Court did not disclose financial relationship withexpert brought in to review leak probe
The court’s inquiry, released last week with Chertoff’s endorsement, failed to identify who was responsible for the unprecedented leak. The decision to keep the relationship with Chertoff quiet is a reflection of a pattern of opacity at the nation’s highest court, whose rulings affect every American.
A Chertoff Group spokeswoman declined to address questions about the firm’s previous financial dealings with the court and why Chertoff did not reveal the prior relationship. She referred questions to the Supreme Court.
Chertoff, whose financial ties to the court have not been previously reported, already had well-known personal connections to the justices through his Ivy League education, prior judicial clerkships and tenure in the two Bush administrations.
We all know why Chertoff declined to answer questions. It's the reliable KYMS tactic in routine practice.
KYMS: keep your mouth shut
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