Trump Fills The Swamp

stumbler · May 15, 2018

Betsy DeVos just got exposed for sabotaging the Education Department’s investigation into for-profit colleges

The Education Department significantly scaled back a special team investigating abuses by for-profit colleges, the New York Times reported and Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, has hired several of the people who were formerly employed at the for-profit colleges under investigation. They now hold top positions in the education department, while “The unwinding of the team has effectively killed investigations into possibly fraudulent activities at several large for-profit colleges,” according to the Times.

The original investigative unit was created by the Barack Obama administration in 2016 to look into advertising, recruitment practices and job placement claims at several for-profit institutions, like DeVry Education Group. This was amid the collapse of the for-profit Corinthian Colleges. But student complaints echoed beyond the Corinthian institutions, and pointed to widespread fraud, predatory activities and gross misrepresentation of enrollment benefits, program offerings and job placements rates at for-profit colleges.

This team, which under President Obama included more than a dozen lawyers and investigators, has now been stripped down to three employees. “Their mission has been scaled back to focus on processing student loan forgiveness applications and looking at smaller compliance cases, said the current and former employees, including former members of the team, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retaliation from the department,” the Times reported.

Early last year, the investigation into DeVry was stopped and a few months later, DeVos hiredformer DeVry dean, Julian Schmoke, as the investigative team’s supervisor. Investigations into two other large for-profit colleges, Bridgepoint Education and Career Education Corporation, were also halted. And former employees of these institutions, Robert S. Eitel, Diane Auer Jones and Carlos G. Muñiz, were hired by DeVos.

A spokeswoman for the Education Department told the Times that “conducting investigations is but one way the investigations team contributes to the department’s broad effort to provide oversight.” She added that the new employees from the for-profit education industry had not influenced the investigative unit’s task.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) pointed out that the marginalization of the investigative unit is just one of many of DeVos’ decisions to roll back Obama-era regulations that are meant to protect students from the for-profit college industry. “Secretary DeVos has filled the department with for-profit college hacks who only care about making sham schools rich and shutting down investigations into fraud,” Warren told the Times.

DeVry settled two lawsuits in 2016, one with the Federal Trade Commission for misleading students and one with the Education Department for fraudulent claims about graduation success rates. But the investigative unit continued to look into other claims made by the institution.

Other for-profit colleges like Bridgepoint, which was under investigation, has deep ties to the administration. Bridgepoint is a former client of Mercedes Schlapp, director of strategic communications at the White House. The consulting and lobbying firm, Cove Strategies, which she founded with her husband Matt Schlapp, worked with Bridgepoint and is still a Cove client. “Bridgepoint and other online institutions were persecuted by President Obama’s administration because they dared to bring innovation to the education market,” Matt Schlapp told the Times in an email. “I believe educational innovation and disruption are a fight worth having and it matches the President’s agenda of rolling back the excess of the Obama regulatory stranglehold.”

The Education Department spokeswoman told the Times that the department’s new mission is “focused on weeding out bad actors” across institutions of higher education, “not capriciously targeting schools based on their tax status.”
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GemmaSwinger101 · May 15, 2018

Swamps are 'beautiful, eco-habits and all'.

Luv2LiqU · May 15, 2018

They just have gators. NBD if you spot 'em before they get you.

user 326 · May 15, 2018

Anybody really surprised by this?

I'm sure Trump is using all of this to his personal benefit.

stumbler · May 15, 2018

US EPA chief Scott Pruitt asked for 24/7 security from day one of taking office: watchdog

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt requested and received around-the-clock security since his first day in office in 2017, the agency’s watchdog on Monday told a lawmaker questioning Pruitt’s expensive security detail.

Prior EPA administrators have not had blanket protection. Pruitt, under pressure from Congress for his high travel and security spending as America’s top environmental regulator, has said his 24-hour security was installed due to unusual threats against him

“The decision was made by the Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics and Training after being informed that Mr. Pruitt requested 24/7 protection once he was confirmed as administrator,” according to the letter from The EPA’s Office of Inspector General.

The office “played no role in this decision.”

The inspector general released the detail in a letter to Democratic Senator Tom Carper of Delaware, who had asked the office how and why Pruitt was getting 24-hour protection.

During hearings last month, Pruitt, who was confirmed Feb. 17, 2017, justified his security spending by citing threats he had received since taking office.

EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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deleted user 1548766 · May 15, 2018

This thread---yet another one of @stumbler 's cut and paste jobs that I'll never ever read---reminds me of a song.

(BTW @Distant Lover the line in the song about going down to the swamp to watch a hound dog catch a coon is a reference to a hound dog catching a raccoon. R-a-c-c-o-o-n. Just wanted to make that clear. )

thinskin · May 15, 2018

Touche Joe!

Take it easy.......my day begins!

ts

stumbler · May 15, 2018

thinskin said: ↑

Touche Joe!

Take it easy.......my day begins!

ts
Click to expand...

thinskin said: ↑

Touche Joe!

Take it easy.......my day begins!

ts
Click to expand...

What they are reacting to is I'm going to use this thread to prove Trump is the swampiest and most corrupt president inn US history and they know it.

user 326 · May 15, 2018

Anybody who didn't know this would be the case before he was even elected will never understand. They don't want to.

CS natureboy · May 15, 2018

user 326 · May 15, 2018

Case in point ^

This is exactly why we need to return control of local matters to the states. Then people can decide if they want to live in those places or move somewhere that fits their politics/etc better.

mdesk66 · May 15, 2018

anon_de_plume · May 15, 2018

CS natureboy said: ↑

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Just curious, CS, but exactly how has Trump or any Republican attempted to "drain the swamp"?

Luv2LiqU · May 15, 2018

Trump never intended to drain it. He just throws in big boulders to make ripples. Only WE can drain it. But there are many elected beavers on both sides busy building dams so it doesn't drain.

user 326 · May 15, 2018

Trump is not after anything but ways to line his own pockets.

Wake the fuck up.

stumbler · May 15, 2018

tallnfit said: ↑

Anybody really surprised by this?

I'm sure Trump is using all of this to his personal benefit.
Click to expand...

Trump in clear violation of Constitution’s Emoluments Clause as China funds new Trump resort project

The government watchdog group that has previously sued President Donald Trump over alleged ethics violations sharpened its focus this week on a billion-dollar development project involving the Trump Organization that is being partially financed by the Chinese government—calling it a clear violation of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause.

Norm Eisen, board chair of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), warned the president, “See you in court” over reports of Trump’s latest constitutional violation.

A billion-dollar resort project being developed in Indonesia by the president’s business empire, the Trump Organization, is to receive $500 million from the Chinese government. The president’s company has been involved in the project since 2015, according to the South China Morning Post.

After winning the 2016 election, Trump refused to fully divest from his real estate business, choosing instead to place the company in the control of his two eldest sons. He still receives reports on the organization’s holdings and business dealings, and is able to withdraw funds from Trump Organization accounts at any time.

Trump’s continued involvement with his business empire has resulted in multiple violations of the Emoluments Clause, argues CREW. The group has sued him for illegally taking payments from foreign heads of state as well as state governors, as many international and American politicians have stayed at Trump’s hotels, dined at his restaurants, and held events at his resorts since he became president.

“Diplomats openly claim that they patronize the President’s hotels to curry favor with him as President—a blatant violation on any reading,” wrote CREW last year in its response to the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

On Monday, the White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah refused to answer questions on the subject or explain the administration’s position on the deal during a press briefing when Los Angeles Times reporter Noah Bierman asked pointedly about Trump’s involvement in a major project funded largely by the Chinese government—and how one could argue that the project does not violate the emoluments clause.

Shah dodged the question, suggesting that the Trump Organization is entirely separate from Trump’s presidency.

Citizens For Ethics tweet--The White House cannot explain how the Trump Organization’s involvement in a project in Indonesia partially financed by the Chinese gov't adheres to the emoluments clause and Trump’s personal promise not to pursue new foreign business deals as president.
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Taxpayers paid for U.S. officials to stay at Trump resort in Scotland
Trump's upcoming visit to Britain is already putting money in his pocket.

American taxpayers have paid thousands of dollars for Trump administration officials to stay at the president’s high-end resort in Scotland, The Scotsman newspaper wrote, in just the latest example of how he continues to reap in big bucks while in public office.

The Scottish newspaper wrote that that the Trump Turnberry resort received a payment of $7,585 U.S. dollars for “VIP visits” by members of the president’s administration in preparation for the president’s upcoming visit to the United Kingdom in July. Trump is expected to travel to Scotland during the visit.

Trump’s penchant for staying at his own resorts is well-known. In the early months of his presidency, his frequent visits to Trump-branded properties came at huge cost to taxpayers. And his multiple weekend stays his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida led to the property received the infamous nickname “the winter White House.”

A preliminary visit by administration officials to Trump’s Scottish resort suggests the president may be planning to make yet another stay at a property bearing his name.

A trip by the president to Turnberry would almost certainly be profitable for the president, but blurs ethical lines.

Brendan Fisher of the Campaign Legal Center told The Scotsman that it is “difficult to see how it is in the U.S. public’s interest for President Trump to spend taxpayer funds visiting his golf course on an official trip — although it is certainly in the president’s personal financial interest.”

As president, Trump has refused to heed the advice of ethics experts and divest from his hotels and businesses. Repeated clashes over this refusal led to the resignation of former Office of Government Ethics Director Walter Shaub, who has since become one of the biggest critics of the president’s use of Trump-branded properties.

Trump has also shown his willingness to conduct sensitive international business at his resorts, even in full of view of hotel guests. Considering Trump’s visit will come after a number of controversial moves by his administration, including exiting the Iran nuclear deal, it isn’t far-fetched to see a repeat of this scenario playing out.

As president, Trump has refused to heed the advice of ethics experts and divest from his hotels and businesses. Repeated clashes over this refusal led to the resignation of former Office of Government Ethics Director Walter Shaub, who has since become one of the biggest critics of the president’s use of Trump-branded properties.

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How Much Taxpayer Money Goes Into Trump's Own Pockets? No One Really Knows

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Reps. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), and Brendan Boyle (D-PA) will introduce the Curb Objectionable Redirection of Resources and Unconstitutional Payments to Trump (CORRUPT) Act, legislation that would require a comprehensive accounting of how much Donald Trump and members of his family have profited from his presidency. Specifically, the bill would require a report on taxpayer expenditures to the Trump Organization and its affiliates in FY ’17, including Trump hotels, as well as an annual report moving forward on appropriated funds and regulatory actions which financially benefit the President, his businesses and those of his close family members.

“The American people are fed up with the endemic, unapologetic corruption in the Trump administration,” said Rep. Gallego. “We have no idea how much money has gone from the federal treasury directly into Donald Trump’s pockets. We introduced the CORRUPT Act because Congress and the American people deserve a full and ongoing accounting of how Trump is profiting from the Presidency.”

“President Trump has been in violation of the Constitution since he was sworn into office,” said Rep. Ted Lieu. “The Emoluments Clause clearly states that a President can’t profit off of the status of the highest office in the land and yet that hasn’t stopped the Trump family from lining their pockets at taxpayer expense. I’m proud to join my colleagues introducing this bill so that we can finally get to the bottom of Trump’s self-dealing.”

“Government in democracy is for the common good but government in a dictatorship is a money-making operation for the ruler and his family and friends. Which one are we going to be?” said Rep. Jamie Raskin. “Let’s have some transparency in Trump’s spending so we can restore some real accountability in our society.”

"The American people shouldn't have to wonder if this president is looking out for their best interests or only for himself. It's clear that Trump is using his power for his own gain, but it's not the job of taxpayers to support his absurd business ventures and Mar-a-Lago vacations," said Rep. Jayapal. "The CORRUPT Act ensures something that people across this nation expect and deserve: transparency. We will keep pushing to ensure the president is held to that standard."

To date, millions in taxpayer dollars have found their way into the coffers of the Trump Organization, including through federal employee stays at Trump hotels and space rented by federal agencies at Trump owned properties. For example:

Tax payers paid $100,000 in hotels alone for a Trump brothers business trip in Feb 2017 for the development of Trump hotels in Uruguay – the government spends money on travel, hotels, and accommodations every time a member of the Trump family travels

USA Today estimated that from January-August 2017, the Secret Service spent $59,585 on golf cart rentals alone as part of the President’s trips to his own golf clubs

Taxpayers paid over $120k every day while Melania lived in Trump Tower in 2017 before moving to the White House – during that same time $676,635 was spent on AF1 flights for her to and from the WH and Mar-a-Lago

A federal employee racked up a $1,092 bill for a two night stay at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club last year

The State Department spent $15,000 at the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Vancouver for its grand opening in February 2017, an event attended by Trump’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric as well as his daughter Tiffany

An employee of the General Services Administration, the agency overseeing the lease for the Trump hotel in Washington, spent $900 on a stay at the property last year.

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Tracking President Trump's Visits to Trump Properties

President Donald Trump frequently uses his luxury properties for government business and leisure, prompting ethics concerns over a president appearing to promote his private enterprise at public cost.

NBCNews.com and the NBC News White House unit are tracking Trump's visits to his properties and golf courses since his inauguration.

Days in Office

480

Days at Trump Properties

155

Days at Golf Properties

113

Where does Trump go?
Trump's trips have so far been concentrated in Palm Beach, Florida. He also took a 17-day "working vacation" in August, spending 15 days at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club and two days at Trump Tower in Manhattan. He also frequents his golf course in Sterling, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. — and sometimes will visit multiple properties on the same day.

How many times has Trump gone golfing as president?
Trump visited his golf clubs more than 90 times in his first official year in office.

However, the precise number of times Trump has actually played golf is difficult to track. His administration has tried to hide Trump's activity, keeping his traveling press pool away and often refusing to confirm whether he has played golf. Instead, social media has become a source of crowd-sourced reporting into the president's whereabouts.

But more than four months into his term, Trump has visited golf courses at a faster clip than his three most recent predecessors, according to The New York Times. Politifact reports that as of November 2017, Trump is confirmed to have golfed 35 times, while at the same point in his presidency, Obama had golfed just 11 times.

During the campaign, Trump argued that Americans should vote for him because he would rarely leave Washington. He promised that he wouldn't go golfing or take vacations because there was too much work to do.
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2. How much does a presidential trip to Mar-a-Lago cost?

“A trip to Mar-a-Lago costs taxpayers approximately $3.6 million, according to a Government Accountability Office report,” the website IsTrumpAtMarALago.org reports. Why is the cost so high? The president travels with several military aircraft, including Air Force One, which transports the president and his entourage. The other aircraft carry motorcade limousines and employees who do security sweeps prior to the president’s arrival. Note: These prices are for aircraft costs alone.
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1. $26.98 million in flights to Mar-a-Lago

2. $13 million for Mar-a-Lago security

3. $8.48 million for flights to Bedminster

4. $103,000 to cover golf carts for the Secret Service

5. $3.4 million for Palm Beach law enforcement during Trump visits

Trump’s $56 Million in Golf Trips, Cost by Extravagant Cost

April 23, 2018

Despite saying he’d be too busy to play golf as president, Donald Trump spent 1 in 4 days at golf clubs in 2017. | Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

Americans elected a businessman president for the first time in 2016, and certain things come with the territory. For example, the leader of the free world travels at tremendous taxpayer expense.

If the businessman in question does not have great respect for the public good — bear with us here — he could end up spending millions upon millions while boosting his own business in the process.

It would get even worse if his wife didn’t live with him and — bear with us again — his preferred vacation spot was far from Washington D.C. In other words, Donald Trump’s love of golf and his own Florida resort have cost American taxpayers a fortune in just over a year. (Trump Golf Count keeps a running tab.)

Here’s a breakdown of those golf trips, cost by extravagant cost, totaling at least $55.82 million for taxpayers through just 13 months.

1. $26.98 million in flights to Mar-a-Lago
During his first 13 months in office, Trump flew down to his Mar-a-Lago resort 13 times. Those flights alone cost $27 million.

Why so expensive? Air Force One is costly enough to operate, but it’s the support planes and defense aircraft that really run up the price. Based on past trips by presidents, The Washington Post estimated Trump flights cost $514,000 per hour.

Next: Securing Trump’s Florida resort is very expensive.

2. $13 million for Mar-a-Lago security

By late July, the U.S. Coast Guard had spent $6.6 million protecting Mar-a-Lago. A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by the Post led to the revelation.

Those expenses covered the patrol boats in the waters, helicopters circling overhead, and other anti-terrorism precautions. Since that amount covered seven visits, securing Mar-a-Lago costs taxpayers about $1 million per visit, or $13 million for Trump’s 13 visits.

3. $8.48 million for flights to Bedminster
Whether heading to Florida or New Jersey for the weekend, Air
ne costs a fortune to operate. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Trump has more than one golf property to promote, so when the weather is nice he’ll take his entourage to Bedminster, New Jersey. Costs to fly him and his family and staff there ran taxpayers about $800,000 per trip.

So, to cover his 11 trips, these flights cost $8.48 million. Overall, Trump spent 42 days in Bedminster over 13 months.

Next: Fact-checking site Snopes calculated Secret Service golf cart rentals costing over $100,000 per year.

4. $103,000 to cover golf carts for the Secret Service

When Secret Service agents pay for golf carts, taxpayers pay through the nose. | Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

When a U.S. president goes anywhere, the Secret Service must pay for resources needed to protect him. Since Trump has not divested from his family businesses, these payments actually go to the family business when at Trump properties.

Secret Service golf cart rentals alone cost taxpayers $60,000 through August 2017, USA Today reported. The folks at Snopes who fact-checked these claims estimated that cost the agency $103,000 per year on the golf course.

Next: Local law enforcement spends $60,000 per day while Trump golfs.

5. $3.4 million for Palm Beach law enforcement during Trump visits

Unpopular presidents find protests wherever they go, and Trump’s visits to Mar-a-Lago draw big crowds. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images

While the military handles Air Force One and the Secret Service covers Trump’s personal security, local law enforcement must work overtime to protect Trump as well. The Associated Press reported Palm Beach spent $60,000 per day covering these costs with Trump in town.

Using the 57 days Trump spent at Mar-a-Lago as a guide, that means it cost Palm Beach about $3.4 million since January 2017. Florida county commissioners debated whether to levy a special tax on Trump’s property to help pay for these visits.

Next: Protecting an out-of-town First Lady ran into tens of millions.

6. $75 million to protect Melania and Barron in New York
\
7. Trump’s golf trips rarely involve White House business.

8. At this rate, Trump will outspend 8 years of Obama in 3-4 years.

All told, eight years of Obama family travel cost taxpayers $97 million, according to the conservative Judicial Watch. Following his first months in office, it looked as if Trump could cost America $100-200 million more in four years. Unbelievable, indeed.

Mayling · May 15, 2018

I'm confident that it will be a really really nice resort.

norman mitchell1812 · May 15, 2018

Damn you all bitch about nothing! I've read the constitution a bunch of times and never saw anything about a education dept. Just another wasted dept that sucks my tax dollars and yes I'm in the 49% that pay taxes!

deleted user 1548766 · May 15, 2018

stumbler said: ↑

What they are reacting to is I'm going to use this thread to prove Trump is the swampiest and most corrupt president inn US history and they know it.
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Trump is the swampiest and most corrupt President ever? Riiiiight. And I suppose that the Clinton's are Mother Theresa in comparison.

Dude, you need to spend some time away from partisan politics and find another hobby to mellow you out and make you less angry and nutty. Since you're posting at a porn forum I would recommend going to the Pic & Movie Post section and fapping to some quality porn.

oneandonlymrblue · May 15, 2018

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