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this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2024
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Heres how this grift works, its become quite common and started with books. Once you know it you will see it all the time.
Politician writes book = politicians pr firm hires ghost writer to write book.
Politician says one controversial/spicy/tell all thing in book
Politician goes on all news shows to promote book/super spicy new hot take
Politicians PAC/dark money donor/political party/putin buys up millions of copy of said book injecting millions into campaign not subject to campaign finance laws that can be spent without regard to laws or limits because its "income".
This massive buy immediately puts book on best seller list while books sit in warehouse.
Books in warehouse legitimately sold/given away at campaign events or give as " FREE" copy if you donate X amount today.
Politician gets to be on all cable news shows, gets a massive injection of untraceable cash that isnt subject to campaign finance law, and now is a new york times best selling author. Win, win, win.
Its just money laundering
Trumps shoes? Same as his super hero cards. Its a way to launder in untraceable money from putin, perhaps folks he sold nuclear secrets to, and god knows who else. If it doesnt seem to make sense that all of the sudden trump is selling sneakers its because it doesnt. Hes laundering dark money in full view of the public.
This message brought to you by Citizens United
You would think by now AML investigators from every corner of the globe would be watching this guy's accounts like a hawk with a microscope.
I know that sometimes tracing cashflow is a delicate art, but it can definitely be done, especially if you are working with government-level resources
I don't think this type of scheme is even illegal which is the main problem.
There are indeed many forms of money laundering which are considered illegal in America, and it is absolutely illegal if someone is accepting funds derived from illicit activity or sanctioned entities (like Russia). The government and most financial institutions generally take the stance that there are very few good reasons to obscure the ultimate source of funds, and so tend to be very risk-averse with such activity.
The trick is in confirming anything illicit is going on when there are potentially dozens of steps and borders in between the source and the recipient.