It's damning to have all this confirmed, but I think it's basically what we all expected to be true, including his supporters, and probably won't change any minds. I thought the biggest revelation was the however-many-hundreds-of-millions in loans coming due in the next four years, but I doubt even that's enough to move his supporters.
I saw a comment on Twitter that the most effective use of this would be to relentlessly attack his image with it. Call him a cheat, a liar, a crook, etc. The point the poster made is that what his supporters are actually organized behind is the *image* and not really the man or anything factual related to him. I wish I could remember who posted it; I'll link if I can find it. I thought it was a valid point.
I imagine the Lincoln Project is on the case.
Obviously we could have guessed all this though I have to admit some of the details are more than even I imagined. Turkey, Philippines, and India paying millions to Trump in licensing fees was a surprise. I knew the Mar a Lago memberships were direct profiteering. That came out when he doubled the price of a membership right away in 2017. And the specifics of those very clear connections between Trump's political decisions and payments to him via renting Trump building offices that remain empty was new to me.
The audit was always specious but now we know what it's really about. It's not about his taxes being under audit. That was already done ten years ago. It's about the IRS finding the large refund he got (~$73 Million) was under false reports of losses. There's no additional auditing involved. His lawyers are probably arguing the case for those deductions, maybe with some back and forth, but maybe just some waiting for replies. The IRS can be very slow giving responses to legal appeals.
I wonder if Cohn slipped these papers to the Times? It might have nothing to do with the state case.
Back to will people care? A couple of Trump's reruns won't play well this go round.
Trump: "People will be amazed at how much tax I paid when the audit is over and they see my returns."
Yeah.. no, that's not playing well, we know what the audit is about.
Trump: "We have a great health care plan."
This BS is going to be attacked by Biden and the Democrats. Wait for the question to come up in the debate in two days.
Trump: "... the wall..."
Nuff said.
60 Minutes has a piece on tonight exposing Trump paying more than a billion to a company that has built a very shabby wall (which I guess would be revising the existing wall).
