Trump Appeal Bond Watch: It’s Friday afternoon, and there’s still no bond. Nor have we heard from an appeals court. It’s reported that Trump posted today in ALL CAPS on his toy social media platform that he has $500 million in cash right now. Of course he does.
As we can see, the New York State civil judgment against Donald Trump, totaling roughly $450 million, and Trump’s seeming inability to post a bond for the amount in order to appeal the judgment, is the real deal. But it has also reminded us, brought us back to the Russian nesting doll, the infinitely layered onion of Donald Trump not being real. The effort to collect the judgment spins us right back around to why there is a judgment in the first place. Trump is now fundraising off threats to “seize Trump Tower.” The New York Post is headlining the same basic idea. But as a friend reminded me yesterday evening, Trump doesn’t own Trump Tower. …
… At one level this is entirely obvious if you think about it. Trump Tower is owned by the people who own the apartment units. It’s not just apartment units of course. And … well, a lot of those are owned by foreigners trying to hide money in the U.S. But I digress. What he actually owns at Trump Tower is “the parking garage, the valet booth, room-service kitchens, lobby bathrooms, a restaurant space, and one unit.”
Even in Manhattan, a valet booth may not be worth that much.
But now I feel compelled to look at Congress. Congress is on shutdown brink again. I had thought there was a funding deal a few days ago. I guess I was wrong. The House did pass a spending bill today to fund the government through September. We do not know if the Senate will be able to pass it before the shutdown begins at the end of today. I understand this is possible but doubtful.
Oh, and Marjorie Taylor Greene is on the warpath.
The House on Friday passed a $1.2 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September and avert a partial shutdown at the end of the week, setting off a G.O.P. mutiny that threatened Speaker Mike Johnson’s hold on his job.
In a 286-134 vote that came down to the wire as leaders scrounged for the two-thirds majority needed for passage, Democrats rallied to provide the support to overcome a furious swell of opposition by conservative Republicans.
Infuriated by the painstakingly negotiated bipartisan legislation to keep funding flowing for government agencies including the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security, the hard right revolted, and as the vote was still ongoing, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia began the process of calling for a vote to oust Mr. Johnson.
Ms. Greene told reporters on the House steps minute after the vote that she would not seek an immediate vote on his removal, but had begun the process as a “warning” because his actions were a “betrayal.”
“This was our leverage,” Ms. Greene said of spending legislation. “This is our chance to secure the border, and he didn’t do it. And now this funding bill passed without the majority of the majority.”
I guess she was planning to hold the government hostage to pass a border security bill like the one she helped kill a few weeks ago. Got it. If she does decide to see, a vote on ousting McCarthy, House Dems have said they will vote to keep him if he allows a vote on funding Ukraine.
And the majority is about to become less of a majority. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) announced he will resign from Congress on April 19. And with the imminent departure of Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), the House soon will be Republicans 217, Demolcrats 214. Matt Stieb writes at New York magazine that Gallagher’s departure will take the Republican majority down to one seat, but I’m not sure how he comes to that calculation. It looks like three seats to me. Maybe you can figure it out.