Could Trump avoid legal peril and go live in Russia, Russia, Russia as Vlad's roomie?

 

I superimposed Trump's plane over a photo of Moscow Airport Terminal C.

"The failed District Attorney of Fulton County (Atlanta), Fani Willis, insisted on a $200,000 Bond from me. I assume, therefore, that she thought I was a 'flight' risk – I’d fly far away, maybe to Russia, Russia, Russia, share a gold domed suite with Vladimir, never to be seen or heard from again. Would I be able to take my very 'understated' airplane with the gold TRUMP affixed for all to see. Probably not, I’d be much better off flying commercial – I’m sure nobody would recognize me!"

By Hal Brown 

The above Truth Social post is Trump's attempt at showing how unseriously he takes his legal situation and what a great comedy writer he is and is about as close as he ever comes to self-depricating humor and an awareness of his grandiose narcisism.

What Trump doesn't "get" about the bond is that it doesn't prevent him from leaving, or fleeing, the country to live in Russia, Russia, Russia. He can blow off the $200,000 and leave the country to live with Vladimir.

Where he'd actually live would have to be determined as Putin has eight official residences (read article).

 He might live in his suite (pictured below) where the ceilings have their share of gold.

One of the bedrooms in the Black Sea mansion known as Putin's Palace

Putin's $1.4 billion Black Sea compound is non-too-shabby (Link):

Putin apparently spends much of his time in a mansion in Valdai which is 240 miles from Moscow and has no airport so I assume he'd travel to and from the Kremlin by helicopter.

Putin's bedroom in his residence in Valdai on Lake Valdayskoye

Putin does not actually live in the actual Kremlin the way US presidents live in the White House so Trump could end up living at another of his residences. Putin reportedly spends much of his time in the Novo-Ogaryovo estate in Moscow which has been unofficially termed his de facto residence.

If he wants to end up a Putin's most famous houseguest he'll first have to convince the murderous dictator, who might have to convince his girlfriend gymnast Alina Kabaeva, to have him as a permanent roomie. 

Of course the judge could order him not to leave the country, and order his passport (or passports, he has said he has three) seized.  I don't know exactly how he could fly out of the country in his own plane illegally, but if he managed to sneak onto his plane and it took off on the way to Russia I doubt the Air Force would shoot it down even if it had a fleeing felon onboard.

What the bond does do is described here:

The bond agreement, known as a consent bond order, sets strict rules for Trump’s release. The former president is not allowed to communicate with witnesses or co-defendants about the case, except through his lawyers, and he is barred from intimidating witnesses or co-defendants. He is also forbidden from making any “direct or indirect threat of any nature against the community or to any property in the community,” including in “posts on social media or reposts of posts” by others on social media.

“The defendant shall perform no act to intimidate any person known to him … to be a co-defendant or witness in this case or to otherwise obstruct the administration of justice,” the agreement says. (Washington Post)

If he violates the conditions of the bond agreement as by now everyone who has been following this case knows there are actions that Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee can take to punish him from levying fines up to putting him in jail.

Most people, probably including Trump himself, don't think Judge McAfee would take such a final step. 

As noted in Raw Story "former Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen doesn't think the ex-president will be capable of complying with the bail conditions set in Fulton County, Georgia. Still, he anticipates that Trump will only get a slap on the wrist."

This doesn't mean that there's no way Trump can be certain he won't eventually end up incarcerated. He could end up in a Georgia prison and the only way he can be certain he won't be imprisoned for a federal crime is if a Republican is elected president and decides to drop the cases against him or pardon him.

If he does end up doing time at a Club Fed and Biden is president there's always the chance Biden would pardon him but then he'd have to admit guilt and accept the ultimate favor from the man he despises.

Let's say that Trump makes it to Russia and takes up residence there. As long as Putin is in power I don't see him allowing him to be extradited. If Putin is replaced a new leader might send him back to the United States to face charges.

What the United States might be able to do is freeze as many of his assets as possible. This might make a large dent in the money available to him depending on how much has has in foreign accounts in countries that won't cooperate with the US justice system. 

Trump might have tried to take actual cash or valuables like Melania's jewelry with him to sell since the government now has the documents he stole so he couldn't sell them. He'd somehow have to get ahold of as many suitcases full of $100 bills as he could if he wanted cash.

Although he won't get that much, he could sell a kidney. The most recent report I could find on this says he could get between one and five million rubles ($14,300 - $73,000).

The easy way for Trump to make it to Russia, Russia, Russia is to board his plane on a flight meant to go to Atlanta or between Bedminster and Mar-a-Lago for example and have it fly to one of his Russkie pal's pads instead.

For those who suggest that there's no pilot who would agree to fly Trump out of the country illegally consider that he wanted his personal pilot John Duncan  (bleow) to be made the head of the FAA. If he wouldn't do it I think he could find another pilot sufficiently loyal to do this for the right price.

One last thought: there is something the judge, any ot the jduges in his cases, can do that that might bother Trump short of throwing him in the hoosecow. They could confiscate his plane.

Of course he could ask Harlan Crow to have him flown out of the coutnry on his  Bombardier Global 5000 jet (below). 

Crow himself might like living in a mansion on the Black Sea, and while I am in a flight of fancy, perhaps Clarence and Ginni Thomas might also move there.

Who are Harrison William Prescott Floyd and Trevian Tutti and why their indictments matter

 

By Hal Brown

This Newsweek article explains who Mr. Floyd is:

Who Is Harrison Floyd? Black Voices for Trump Leader Charged in Georgia, Newsweek

This explains who Trevian Tutti is:

Kanye West’s Former Publicist Among Those Indicted Along With Trump In GA Election Case, Deadline.com

Their particular backgrounds and histories aren't particulary relevant to the point I want to make. They are not all that unlike Peter Boykin, the founder of Gays for Trump or Michael Symontte, aka,Michael the Black Man, or any of the Black Trump supporters you see standing behind him at rallies holding Blacks for Trump signs.

Like it or not we do not live in a color-blind or sexual preference blind world. Members of any group, majority, minority, or something in between shouldn't be held to a litmus test to define their politics just because of their  color or sexuality. What galls me is when they support people and policies which, to put it bluntly, sell out the group to which they are members of, often for personal ambition, enrichment, or both. 

Clarence Thomas and Tim Scott (left, who just said that the criminal justice system had been weaponized against Trump) come to mind as people who might not have achieved what they have if they were white. While it may be poltically incorrect to say they were tokens there is a case to be made that this is what they were. Members of minority groups are a dime a dozen in the Democratic Party hierarchy. They are worth their weight in gold in the Republican Party.

Trump supporters represent a very small portion of the Black and LGBT population, but they have managed to successfully chase the spotlight and bask in the afterglow of Donald Trump. 

How many of them realize, or care, about the fact that Trump is using them and that his policies have marginalized or even disenfranchized them and the members of their Black or LGBT family, friends, aquaintances, and the entire minority community to which they belong is unknown. 

I rather doubt that if asked they'd never admit it. They would probably say that Trump has been the best thing to happen to members of their community ever.

If asked to cite examples of how Trump's policies benefited them were greater than those of Democratic Party presidents they would probably lapse into gibberish.

Now we have two people who very possibly parlayed their race into being in Trump's orbit and who are paying the price for their role in breaking the law in order to overturn the results of the election.  One is Harrison William Prescott Floyd. The following excerpts about him are from the Newsweek article:

(Floyd) is executive director for Black Voices for Trump, a group funded by the former president to increase Black voter turnout in 2020, Floyd was effectively a staff member of the 2020 Trump campaign.

The Atlanta grand jury charged him with violation of the Georgia RICO (Racketeering Influenced and Corrupted Organizations) Act, conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings, and influencing witnesses, according to the indictment filed by the Fulton County Superior Court.

According to the indictment, Floyd tried to influence the testimony of Ruby Freeman, a Fulton County election worker, before the Georgia grand jury investigating Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Pastor Stephen Lee and publicist Trevian Kutti are also accused of trying to influence Freeman's testimony.

Specifically, the indictment paper accuses Floyd of recruiting Lee to organize a meeting with Freeman and Kutti.

The other Black person charged in the Georgia indictment is a woman named Trevian Kutti who previously worked as a publicist for Kanye West (aka Ye).

This is from the website Deadline:

While not as familiar to cable news junkies as Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman or Mark Meadows, Kutti is well known in other circles as Kanye West’s onetime publicist. She is also, notably, the woman recorded on video trying to convince Ruby Freeman, a frightened Georgia election worker whom Trump had publicly attacked, to implicate herself in election fraud regarding the 2020 presidential election.

Lest I leave out the minority which I actually belong to, of the 37 Jewish members of Congress only two, David Kustoff of Tennessee and Lee Zeldin of New York who are members of the House are Jewish. (Reference) I don't think that their being Jewish had much or anything to do with their being elected. I don't see the Republican Party pursuing Jews to run for office. Perhaps a Black Jewish member of the LGBTQ community would be sought after by the GOP.

Here are individual photos with short profiles of all the people who were indicted in Georgia.

Bonus: MAGA merch for liberals and never-Trump Republicans (on Amazon here)

Comment and my reply (From M.K. Stark from Booksie where I also posted this article)

Hi Hal! 

Please let me start by saying I'm not affiliated with either of the two major political parties. 

My opinion on this differs from yours a but very slightly. While you never said that you believe that only Republicans prop up their supporters that live within these minority communities, it reads as though you are implying that. I think that if you included that everyone in the political realm does something similar (if you believe that), it would come across less like you're pointing a finger at one side with a behavior both sides are guilty of. If you don't believe the Democratic party does this, then you came across exactly as you likely intended! 

As for the writing itself, even though I disagree with some of your opinions or feel that I would love a more nuanced discussion with you, your points are very clear and coherent. You deliver excellent background information and have no distracting grammar, spelling, or phrasing issues that pull my attention away from your content. It's weird that this is a compliment but it's sometimes a lost art these days. 

Thanks for sharing!

My reply:

Thank you for your comment.

I see the Democratic Party encouraging members of minority groups to run for office by being welcoming of diversity. I don't see the Democratic Party as offering an entrée into political office just because of being member of a minority group.

As I write this it occurs to me that I omitted another example of a Republican who may have had his candicacy helped by his being an openly gay man. George Santos's New York 3rd congressional district, one of the wealthiest in New York, was one of 18 districts that voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. His being gay might have helped him score the upset against Democrat Robert Zimmerman who was also openly gay. He beat him by 8 points. This was considered an upset in this Democratic-leaning district's non-presidential year election.

From my reading I don't see indications that the local or national Republican Party supported him because he would be their first member of Congress was openly gay but it is possible. Perhaps he got some donations from Republicans who thought his being gay would help him win against another gay man.

There's an article in The Atlantic which I haven't read (I don't subscribe) "How a Perfectly Normal New York Suburb Elected George Santos" from Dec 28, 2022. I'm curious about this but not curious enough to use one of my few free articles to find out the answer.

The only way judges can give Trump lockjaw is to lock his jaws

 

DonkeyHotey, lock added by Hal Brown

By Hal Brown

Read on single page

This is what Trump posted:

I hear that RACIST Fulton County (Atlanta) District Attorney “Phoney”Fani Willis, who weakly presides over one of the deadliest communities in the U.S., with thousands of murderers, violent criminals & gang members roaming the streets while going untried, free, & are treated with “kid gloves,” is using a potential Indictment of me, and other innocent people, as a campaign and fundraising CON JOB, all based on a PERFECT PHONE CALL, AS PRESIDENT, CHALLENGING ELECTION FRAUD - MY DUTY & RIGHT!

So far Trump hasn't been attacking Judge Tanya Chutkan or ranting about his DC case. It appears that for the present he has been hesitiating to vent his rage in his usual way because he isn't certain how much he can get away with before Chutkan moves to the next level. I doubt he believes she'll actually hold him in contempt and put him in jail but he may have been told that she could schedule the trial to begin sooner (see article)

He also doesn't want her to score anything that may be construed as a victory against him. This is a better safe than sorry strategy that is, to state the obvious, very un-Trumplike. 

Yet he can't shut up (it's not in his nature, blah, blah, blah) so he does the next best thing and attacks Fani Willis. He's a pressure cooker and he has to vent or he'll blow his lid off.

While these  attacks are not aimed at the DC case is he so stupid to think that since Judge Chutkan is monitoring all his Truth Social posts she won't see these and know what he is doing in the Georgia case? He isn't violating her order but he is demonstrating why she issued the order. 

A judge hasn't been selected to try the case in Atlanta, but when one is posts like these could (and probably will) prompt Fani Willis to ask for some kind of gag order because they are an attempt to influence the jury pool at the least.

The only sure way to lock Trump's jaws or his manic Truth Social typing fingers is to literally make sure that he's sitting in a cell behind a literally padlocked door.

Recent blog posts here

You may be able to convince Trump cultists mermaids aren't real, but de-programming them from believing Trump is innocent of crimes is far more difficult

 

By Hal Brown

Thom Hartmann wrorte 

How to de-program Fox News watchers on the Trump Indictment

I have admired Thom Hartmann (Wiki profile), who like me is a MIchigan State University graduate and a resident of Portland Oregon, ever since I got a car with Sirius radio and listened to his radio show. I rarely if ever disagree with him. In addtion to his radio show Thom writes for Raw Story + (where this article also appears) and Salon. He has his own blog The Hartmann Report and for a fee you can subscribe to podcasts.

Today, however, I think he is being unrealistic.

In his blog column he explains how to de-program Fox News watchers on the Trump indictment. I assume he means all the consumers of Trump supporting media. Aside from my understanding from a friend who regularly checks in with Fox News the station is barely covering news of the the legal jeopardy Trump is in. I won't tune in to Fox News on TV but do sometimes look at their website which, as you can see below, has no stories about the indictments.

This being noted, obviously whatever is being reported about the Trump indictments is bascially that they are bogus, politically motivated, and anything that Trump did was justifed because it was free speech. Meanwhile as their website shows they engage in a combination of what-aboutism (Joe and Hunter Biden stories) without mentining Trump's legal troubles, and distraction (the death of some kid, NASCAR, and the Lady Gaga story for example).

Thom lays out the reasons why what Trump did wasn't free speech was in furterance of a criminal conspiarcy to overturn an election and then writes as if addressing believers in the Trump claims in bold:

As you can see, this wasn’t an exercise in free speech: it was a planned, organized, carefully executed conspiracy to defraud Biden voters in those seven states out of their right to have their votes counted.

Thom cocludes his essay (his bold):

The media outlets who gloss over Trump’s lies do so because it’s profitable for them: when, for example, Fox “News” stopped supporting Trump’s lies for a few weeks they lost a large chunk of their audience to another TV network that was willing to parrot his lies. Which is why they’re now back to supporting his lies and are again making money.

The politicians who approve of or repeat Trump’s lies do so because they see it as their path to fame and power: they want you to believe those lies and then vote for them.

And the billionaires who push Trump and his lies through their publications, think-tanks, and media outlets do so because they believe if he’s re-elected, they’ll get even more tax breaks and that Trump will continue his efforts to gut the IRS and EPA, which they hate.

The simple reality, dear Trump-lover, is that you’ve been suckered.

Now might be a good time to change the channel…

There's one phrase that leaps out at me: "simple reality," and in that  phrase the modifier "simple" is what I want to briefly address.

It is anything but simple to alter beliefs that are deeply held and supported by family members, friends, and an enomroious group not just composed of talking heads on TV but actual people if you attend Trump rallies.

How could all of these people be wrong? How could so many people you love, like, or are aquanted with be suckers?

It's easy enough to laugh at being suckered and accept it when you go to the county fair and pay 25¢ to see the real mermaid and see the mermaid was a woman with an phony fish tail. (See image above)

When you build an entire belief system around someone like Trump and worship him as a diety, as does a group that makes you feel like you belong (aka, a cult), and realize you've been lied to and bought the liie like a fool, it is far, far, more difficult to admit you've been suckered.

The usual way that people who have been in an actual cult are de-programmed, whether they were in the Moonies or Scientology, or dombday cults like Jonestown, the Branch Davidians (Waco), or Heaven's Gate if you can get them before they kill themselves, is to first remove them pyhsically from the cult. Then with expert de-programmers, ideally with parents and family if they had good relationsips with them, the psychological work can begin. 

How does one de-program members of the Trump cult? Using the de-programming model the first steps would be to remove them from the influence of the pro-Trump propaganda. This would entail not allowing them to use pro-Trump media and not associate with other members of the Trump cult. 

Unfortunately legal education, reason, and logic will rarely be enough. Punitive measures like prison might work, time will tell whether any of imprisioned Jan. 6th insurrectionist will realize they were suckered. 

Our legal system won't allow the kind of Clockwork Orange de-programming where instead of having their eyelids clamped open while watching violent images and getting electric shocks they are forced to watch MSNBC while being rewarded with their favorite sweet treats.

Addendum: I went to the Ringling Circus sideshow at Madison Square Garden,  which was in the basement, twice as a child. I re,meber my father buying a ring from the giant for a quarter who handed it to me (a thrill). It could fit around my 10 year old wrist.  

They didn't have a mermaid. All of the people featured what were disparagingly called "freaks" although, like the Fat Man, Giant, and World's Skinnest Man were just at the extreme end of physical development. Some had a phsycial condition like the Bearded Lady. Others like Tattooed Lady might have done things to make themselves look unusual.

Here's an article about nine famous freak show attractions. 

I never did see Tom Thumb although he and his wife Lavina by chance made their home in Middleboro, MA,. where I lived between living in Michigan and Oregon. There's a appropriately very small Tom Thumb museum than and the house theye lived in is preserved.

Some people made thier living because of a rare genetic condition, perhaps the most famous being the conjoined twins Chang and Eng.

Carnival sideshows like you might go to at a county fair often had a mixture between real people doing intersting thinks like the sword swallower and the snake handling lady and obvious fakes. Many, though not all, featured a "real" mermaid, either a living version or a preserved mermaid corpse.

 

I never did see Tom Thumb although he was, for a time, part of the Ringling Circus show. He and his wife Lavina by chance made their home in Middleboro, MA, where I lived between living in Michigan and Oregon. There's a appropriately very small Tom Thumb museum there and the house they lived in is preserved. The public library has large portraits of them in their reading room.