Donald Trump and Bill Barr are trying to take each other down
As each day passes, Donald Trump is looking more like he is back on “Celebrity Apprentice” with his penchant for firing people. He has fired so many people that we long ago grew used to it, but he is now firing people out of spite because the election did not go his way. He fired cybersecurity chief Chris Krebs for declaring the 2020 election “the safest we have ever had.” That declaration was probably like salt in Trump’s wound. Now, rumor has it that he is after his most trusted advisor and henchman, “attorney general” William Barr.
Washington Post reported that Trump is “livid” at Barr. According to a senior aide, Trump is considering firing Barr, not only for his statement confirming no fraud in the election but for alleged steps he did not take regarding the 2016 Russian investigation. WaPo reports that he has also considered firing FBI Director Christopher Wray. At this point, Trump is merely lashing out like the petulant child that he is, and he will come up with every perceived wrong to justify terminating anyone who does not agree with him. Trump should not complain. At least he made some money.
NBC News reported on the long-awaited release of the recipients of PPP funds from the Small Business Administration. Many small businesses either received no loans or received loans that required repayment. It appears that many of the small businesses that did benefit from initial grant funds will also benefit Donald Trump and Jared Kushner. Many of those recipients are tenants in buildings owned by the Trump Organization and the Kushner Companies. As NBC News reported, these tenants were given loans that were to be allocated to rent, ultimately, making those loans forgivable. While Trump and Kushner may not have directly benefitted from the actual loans, they certainly benefitted by receiving their rents when other landlords were not as fortunate.
Delving into the loan information provided by NBC, over 25 PPP loans worth more than $3.65 million were given to businesses with addresses at Trump and Kushner real estate properties. Of those businesses, 15 reported that they kept one job, no jobs, or just did not bother to report. One loan totaling $2,154,543 went to Triomphe Restaurant, which is housed in the Trump International Hotel & Tower in New York. The company admitted that none of that money went to keeping jobs, and the restaurant closed. Over $2 million dollars down the tubes—well, unless you count what went into Trump’s pocket for rent. The list of these Trump/Kushner tenants is too long to mention, but you get the idea. No wonder Trump so desperately wanted to hang onto his job as “president.”
Now that Trump no longer has the taxpayers’ funds at his disposal, he is bilking his supporters through his election legal fund, most of which is likely going straight to Trump’s bank. Trump reportedly asked some of his aides how he is going to make money, admitting that he has been making a living with our money. Once he finishes firing Barr and everyone else, he can fire himself. Too late — the American people did.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years