• kersploosh@sh.itjust.works
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    18 days ago

    US Constitution Article 1 Section 9 Clause 8, “Titles of Nobility and Foreign Emoluments”:

    No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

    It’s literally unconstitutional. In the past, foreign gifts to presidents were typically turned over to the National Archives to avoid breaking the law. If Congress was a functional governing body they would rake him over the coals for this, among the hundred other laws Trump has casually flaunted.

      • whotookkarl@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        17 days ago

        The US senate has been severely broken since at least 1972/75 when filibuster reforms allow senators to block legislation with no debate and no physical filibuster requirement because other business can continue instead of blocking all floor activity. If I’m getting kickbacks from a developer or foreign country to prevent protection of say a natural springs & wildlife area in South Dakota I can block the debate and vote unless 2/3 (60 senators) can overrule me and I don’t have to say one word to justify my position. Neither party will fix this because aside from insider trading it’s how so many become millionaires from legal bribes via PACs and billionaire funded lobbyists.

    • unphazed@lemmy.world
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      18 days ago

      They’ve proven the Constitution is just toilet paper to them. He’s a felon who will never see prison. That act alone stripped him from any future accountability. He’s untouchable, and he knows it.

    • UnspecificGravity@piefed.social
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      18 days ago

      Good think our system actually predicted this and its illegal even if it WEREN’T a bribe:

      No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

      • Supervisor194@lemmy.world
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        18 days ago

        without the Consent of the Congress

        I mean, he’s a sack of shit for certain, but Congress has the power to stop this and will not, so it is implicit consent.

        • FauxLiving@lemmy.world
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          18 days ago

          Congress has the power to stop this and will not, so it is implicit consent.

          That is not what consent is

  • Sam_Bass@lemmy.world
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    18 days ago

    Didn’t ask about the 400M jet from Qatar, so what’s the deal now? Theatrics, knowing full well youre getting nowhere but wasting time from the real issues like EPSTEIN

    • Blackmist@feddit.uk
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      18 days ago

      Bet they’re kicking themselves now. They gave him a fucking plane, and all Switzerland needed to do was give him a watch and a gold bar.

      Probably didn’t even need to do that. Suck up to the guy for 10 minutes and tell him how great he is, and he’ll agree to anything.

  • Tilgare@lemmy.world
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    18 days ago

    None of us could afford to, but DAMN is it cheap to buy Diaper Don (relatively speaking). The tariff revenue that Americans would generate on Swiss imports FAR exceeds the value of a watch and a bar of gold.

    • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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      18 days ago

      Because he doesn’t give a flying hoot about the American people. Or to be honest really his party. This is all just a grift for him.

      Europe strategy seems to be more to just threaten him, it’s unclear with what but he seems to have backed off tariffs in the EU, but I guess Switzerland felt that they needed to go the bride route. I don’t know why because I guarantee Trump thinks Switzerland is in the EU

    • Einskjaldi@lemmy.world
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      18 days ago

      Bribing politicians is cheap, it’s generally millions for billions and more like 100k to billion for small politicians.

  • alpha1beta@piefed.social
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    18 days ago

    It’s about time Congress woke the fuck up. The only option here is to impeach - this is textbook corruption that would make Senator Menendez blush.

    • BigDanishGuy@sh.itjust.works
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      18 days ago

      It’s about time Congress woke the fuck up.

      You think they’re not? Every member of the house of representatives, and every senator, knows what’s going on. It’s not that they’re asleep, it’s that they don’t care enough to endanger their own cozy money machine.

      • alpha1beta@piefed.social
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        17 days ago

        When it comes to things like this, all Republicans are asleep at the wheel of with their head placed firmly up their ass. Almost all the time when they’re asked about something he did or says, their answer is “I don’t know, I didn’t see/hear it”

        So maybe not physically asleep - but certainly asleep at the wheel.

  • Binturong@lemmy.ca
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    18 days ago

    Global extortion racket goes brrrrrr. There will be no recovery until his and his regime are removed from power and jailed, he will not leave by any other process aside from just dying, and even then I wouldn’t put it past the administration to use his image and AI to continue their assault on America.

  • TheSeveralJourneysOfReemus@lemmy.world
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    18 days ago

    He can’t be that cheap. A rolex isn’t all that expensive, considered the money involved in geopolitics. In fact it’s spare change for diplomatic events. And neither is a single gold bar.

    • RedAggroBest@lemmy.world
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      18 days ago

      The conspiracy brain tells me some swiss diplomat pulled these from Trump’s own safety deposit box as a “we have the skeletons from your closet”-statement and handed them to him as a “diplomatic gift” when it actually was just a threat that he caved to.

      • TheSeveralJourneysOfReemus@lemmy.world
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        18 days ago

        Surprisingly ‘watch diplomacy’ is as old mechanical artefacts are…some famous examples include the Breguet ‘king Farouk’, some beautiful sets of pocket watches made for the emperor of China, pre revolution of course. Other arteafcts include Faberge’s ‘eggs’ and jewelry that belonged to the Romanov family… All swiss and european gifts of course.

        You can now buy the ‘king Farouk’ breguet model, but both faberge’s eggs and the Chinese emperor’s collections are in museums.

  • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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    17 days ago

    NOW they want answers? Quatar gave him a 400 million dollar airplane (surely bugged) but you’re drawing the line at a 20K Rolex with a gold bar?

    Those Quataris really will be face palming now, seeing they could have bribed him so so much cheaper. They gave the ficker and airplane and he still fucked them over anyways

    So just to help those corrupt fraudsters a little bit: BRIBING TRUMP DOESNT WORK

    He will turn around tomorrow and fuck the Swiss right in the ass again anyway because of course he will, it’s trump, he will have forgotten all about his Rolex by tomorrow and wonder why he’s being so nice with the Swiss

  • cmoney@lemmy.world
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    18 days ago

    Supreme Court has ruled that you have to explicitly shout “THIS IS A BRIBE” then wink one eye while shooting finger guns and making that clicking sound with your tongue when exchanging gifts or money to be considered a bribe.

    • slothrop@lemmy.ca
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      18 days ago

      Unless you’re a Dem, then it’s a bribe if someone says , “Hello” to you.

      • zikzak025@lemmy.world
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        18 days ago

        Yes sir, I have it on good faith that this democratic senator received a bribe of emotional gratification when the Canadian delegate wished her a nice day, to which she replied “You too”, which is clearly indicative of some sort of illegal quid pro quo relationship.

    • Em Adespoton@lemmy.ca
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      18 days ago

      The Supreme Court has ruled that this particular POTUS can do nothing illegal while performing an act of state. Since he accepted this bribe specifically as an act of state, it’s a legal bribe by their reasoning.

  • notannpc@lemmy.world
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    18 days ago

    Hi Senator,

    It was a bribe. Hope that answers your questions.

    Sincerely, Everyone with a functioning brain.

  • melsaskca@lemmy.ca
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    18 days ago

    I think the world is starting to find out that co-operation is the preferred way forward for the earthly citizens, rather than the current destructive dying beast that is capitalism.