#corruption

At this point, I think we're probably still a long way from identifying the full web of influence, corruption, and misappropriation of resources behind Governor Ron DeSantis' concentration camp in the Florida Everglades, the obnoxiously named "Alligator Alcatraz." As such I'm going to keep this post pretty brief; more or less to keep the issue on our radar as more information emerges. With that caveat noted however, this Talking Points Memo article talks about the outlet's extremely nascent investigation into how DeSantis built the concentration camp, who paid for it, and who profits from it. Would it surprise you to learn that Florida's fascist governor is using a fake "emergency" to make this monstrous bullshit happen, the money trail is a hot mess, and Florida taxpayers are going to be the folks footing the bill for Ron's nazi apology to Downmarket Mussolini? Yeah, it didn't surprise me either. https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/contracts-desantis-alligator-alcatraz Contracts Show Millions of Dollars and Diverted Disaster Resources Were Used to Build DeSantis’ ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ "TPM has obtained and analyzed over a dozen contracts and invoices related to the construction and operation of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” migrant detention camp in the Everglades. The documents identify eight previously undisclosed companies — including two firms with a Fortune 500 pedigree — involved with the controversial facility. They also show that, in at least one instance, resources allocated for the state’s “disaster preparedness” apparatus were diverted to the site as DeSantis’ office used emergency powers to quickly establish the camp, causing a shortfall that needs to be addressed during the ongoing hurricane season." I must confess that part of me feels like I'm insulting my readers' intelligence when I remind folks, over and over again, that nightmare concentration camps for migrants, many of whom are guilty of nothing more than a civil violation, would be an unacceptable eliminationist outrage even if nobody was profiteering from it and it cost the public coffers zero dollars. In the grand scheme of things the lies, corruption, and misappropriation of public funds are a side story compared to the fact that we've just opened a real as fuck concentration camp in a remote part of Florida and there are already reports of widespread human rights abuses and unsafe conditions emerging mere weeks after "Alligator Alcratraz" opened. With that having been said, informed observers must know by now that the rich nazis running the larger American fascist movement do have designs on profiting from fascist repression, ethnic cleansing, and the migrant carceral complex - and projects like Alligator Alcatraz demonstrate how that odious business functions. If you want to know the names of the eleven companies already identified as working with the government of Florida to make this eliminationist bullshit possible, who is getting paid for what, and how many of the folks directly profiting from this are DeSantis donors (there are several) I recommend you just read the article. The short version here however is that like Trump, DeSantis has declared "an alarming number of migrants in Florida" to be a state level crisis, he then used emergency powers to divert a bunch of money, including from disaster prevention and relief funding in a state notorious for having a "hurricane season," to build a fucking concentration camp surrounded by alligators as a make up gift for his ally and former GOP nomination opponent, President Trump. Along the way a bunch of very shitty companies are raking in the money for substandard work, and the entire DeSantis administration is working overtime to keep as much of this as possible a complete secret from anyone who might be in a position to conduct any oversight on this genocidal nazi boondoggle. Think "Halliburton in post-Saddam Iraq" but on a smaller scale. #Fascism #Trump #RonDeSantis #AlligatorAlcatraz #Racism #ConcentrationCamp #MigrantRights #Immigration #EthnicCleansing #Corruption #Graft #Bribery #Eliminationism #EthnoNationalism #Investigation

"Popular Information analyzed coverage of Kushner’s diplomatic role from the outset of the war with Iran on February 28 to April 19. ... Only six of the 202 articles covering Kushner’s diplomatic role mentioned his financial conflict of interest with the Saudi government. That means more than 97% of the coverage ignored Kushner’s conflict." #JaredKushner #Trump #corruption #SaudiArabia #Iran #AffiinityPartners #media #ConflictofInterest /2

"Of the six articles that covered the conflict, five appeared in the New York Times. The other article originally appeared in Foreign Policy and was republished by the Washington Post. The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, CNN Wire, The New York Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, and The Los Angeles Times collectively published dozens of articles about Kushner’s diplomatic role in the war with Iran but never mentioned the conflict." #JaredKushner #corruption #Iran #media /3

"We are seeing the consequences of electing a profoundly unethical man whose primary interest is enriching himself and his family—and more than happy to exploit every loophole to take and take with no end and no bottom in sight. Enter son-in-law Jared Kushner, inserted into the Middle East mix." ~ Steven Beschloss #JaredKushner #Trump #corruption #SaudiArabia #Iran #AffiinityPartners #media #ConflictofInterest /4 https://www.americaamerica.news/p/feeding-at-the-public-trough

"As I documented in 'The Grifter’s War' several weeks ago, he’s exploiting his 'unofficial; assignment with Iran to try and grab another $5 billion for himself and his investment firm." #JaredKushner #Trump #corruption #SaudiArabia #Iran #AffiinityPartners #media #ConflictofInterest /5

"A company backed by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump is trying to sell military drone interceptors to Gulf countries facing attacks from Iran, raising ethical concerns about profiting from a conflict tied to their father, Donald Trump." ~ Aaron Parnas #JaredKushner #DonaldTrumpJr #EricTrump #Trump #corruption #SaudiArabia #Iran #AffiinityPartners #media #ConflictofInterest /6 https://aaronparnas.substack.com/p/major-news-significant-conflict-of

"Critics argue the situation creates potential conflicts of interest, suggesting foreign governments may feel pressure to do business with the president’s family. ... Jared Kushner is seeking to raise billions for his private equity firm while also serving as a key Middle East envoy for Donald Trump." #JaredKushner #DonaldTrumpJr #EricTrump #Trump #corruption #SaudiArabia #Iran #AffiinityPartners #media #ConflictofInterest /7

"He has reportedly been meeting with foreign investors, including Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, despite previously saying he would avoid fundraising during Trump’s second term." #JaredKushner #DonaldTrumpJr #EricTrump #Trump #corruption #SaudiArabia #Iran #AffiinityPartners #media #ConflictofInterest /8

Political Humor posts "Iran's new Lego viral video," noting that it "exposes how Trump manipulates the oil/stock market with his tweets to enrich himself through insider trading." #Trump #Iran #war #markets #StockMarket #InsiderTrading #corruption /9 https://politicalhumor.substack.com/p/irans-new-lego-viral-video-exposes