LAWRENCE O'DONNELL RETRACTED THIS STORY: Unconfirmed report:Russian billionaires backed Donald Trump Deutsche Bank loans

August 28, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

Will Deutsche Bank finally impeach Donald Trump?  

Maddow-Trump-O'Donnell...The Interview

Controversial MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell qualified right up front that his story re. Donald Trump's Deutsche Bank loans were co-signed by Russian oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin had only one source and needed further confirmation. But additional information from Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and tax expert David Cay Johnston sheds more light on a story that promises to be quite interesting, if not explosive. Here's the scenario...

O'Donnell, appearing on the network Tuesday night with host Rachel Maddow, said that "this single source close to Deutsche Bank has told me that the Trump — Donald Trump's loan documents there show that he has co-signers. That's how he was able to obtain those loans. And that the co-signers are Russian oligarchs."

O'Donnell added...

"If true, that would explain every kind word Donald Trump has ever said about Russia and Vladimir Putin."

But what is more interesting is David Cay Johnston's take on the issue...

“If Deutsche Bank has Donald Trump’s tax returns, isn’t the only purpose for a bank to have tax returns is for loans?” O’Donnell asked. “Is there — I can’t think of any other reason why the bank would have his tax returns.”

Deutsche Bank wants to turn over Trump tax returns to House...

O'Donnell spars back and forth with Johnson on Trump's investigation by the U.S. House of Representatives, which is seeking information from Deutsche Bank in a Russian money-laundering investigation. O'Donnell followed...

“If those loan documents show co-signers, let’s just go to that, your understanding of Donald Trump’s finances by the time he’s trying to get loans from Deutsche Bank after every other bank has turned him down. Would it make sense that he needs co-signers at that point?”

Johnson replied, "Oh, absolutely."

O'Donnell then wants to know why Trump would pursue a loan with Russian co-signers?...

“Well, it would be the best place for him to go and it fits with the family’s own public statements — that they’ve tried to walk back since — about getting lots of assets from Russia.”

But, as the TV commercials say, 'Wait, there's more'...

"Donald may well have other backers. The next places to look would be the Saudis, the Emiratis and perhaps some people in Turkey, given Michael Flynn, his National Security Adviser, having been on the payroll illegally of Turkish interests when he was in the White House.”

Lawrence O'Donnell's statement on Trump Russian-backed loans...

Donald Trump's obsession with money seems endless, and with no ethical parameters whatsoever. Bob Brigham of RawStory reports...

"Fast-tracked impeachment hearings will occur this fall if the bombshell report is true that President Donald Trump had loans with Deutsche Bank co-signed by Russian oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin."

Does anyone else agree that now we have come full circle with the Mueller Report detailing investigations of Russian interference with the 2016 elections? Stemming from those hearings were other accusations of Trump family improprieties with Russia featuring Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. However, although the source for Lawrence O'Donnell is close to Deutsche Bank, nothing is final in this story until additional sources come forward. We can only hope.

Will Deutsche Bank be Trump's nemesis?

The culprit

It is pathetic that a bank would have an "anti-money laundering" department but in my naive moment there is the realization that these are the times and all we can do is cope with it. Deutsche Bank employees in that section reportedly...

"recommended turning over information about transactions by entities owned by President Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to a government watchdog in 2016 and 2017, but the bank's executives apparently declined to do so."

It had to do with transactions connected to the now-dissolved Trump Foundation, discovered by the bank's computer system, designed to reveal illegal activity. Five current and former employees were involved, which led to a later report they thought should be sent to the Treasury Department for investigation. It wasn't. The transactions weren't spelled out...

"some of them involved money going between the entities and foreign companies or individuals."

The NYT says it ain't necessarily true because "sometimes complete large cash transactions that can cause a review to be triggered without any actual wrongdoing." Thus, the reason for no report. Apparently Deutsche Bank treads lightly on this kind of issue according to Tammy McFadden, a former Deutsche Bank employee who looked into some of the transactions. She continued, “It’s the D.B. way. They are prone to discounting everything.”

The Hill reported...

"McFadden told the Times that she was fired after she questioned the bank's practices and has since filed complaints to regulators about what she sees as its lack of enforcement."

Well now, that doesn't seem kosher, and is it just another example of the shady deals of the Trump family? The Hill also says...

"Deutsche Bank has loaned billions of dollars to the Trump and Kushner companies. Federal and state authorities are currently reviewing the bank's relationship with President Trump."

The NYT also revealed the...

"staff of Deutsche Bank were hired especially for their expertise of money-laundering."

Now doesn't that beat all. Trump biographer David Cay Johnston said...

“We know for a fact that Donald Trump has been involved in money laundering in the past, fined for it. We know that Deutsche Bank is fined over $600 million just for laundering money for Russian oligarchs and are nondenial denials. The Trump Organization said we never heard of this. Why would you? It was locked up in the bank. The bank said we didn’t stop anyone. The story makes it clear.”

Finally, from the Times...

“So, in addition, The Times has a pregnant line in it. It says that is there are other, ‘politically connected people’ who also were swept up,” Johnston said. 'It’s clear that David Enrich, a very good reporter at The New York Times has seen these documents and other people whose money laundering suspicion of money laundering activities were also apparently quashed by the people at the private banking unit of Deutsche Bank in New York. This is for Donald Trump a really serious problem.'”

We can only hope that David Cay Johnston's assessment is correct.