Good Day, Sky Dancers!
Today there are a lot of new headlines about the Great Trump Grifters. Since that’s what essentially set the Blue Tsunami in motion, I thought it would be a good idea to see what the folks in investigative reporting were up to. It is, of course, mostly the independent media, not the legacy media, that are telling us where our taxes have gone over the last two years. To quote Warren Zevon, “It just ain’t pretty at all.” What we’re seeing now is how many people got around to taking the money and are now trying to run before investigations and hearings heat up.
Here’s one to think about from ProPublica, which should give a lot of the Congress Critters something to move on. “Firm Linked to Trump’s Sons Got Nearly $40 Million in Federal Contracts to Screen for Ebola and Other Diseases. XpresTest has years of experience conducting disease screening in U.S. airports but has never worked with Ebola or provided biosecurity services abroad. It’s “a new thing for us,” the company’s CEO said.” Sharon Lerner, Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Robert Faturechi share the lede.
The Trump administration awarded a small biosecurity company nearly $40 million to screen for Ebola and other infectious diseases just months after a firm linked to President Donald Trump’s elder sons invested in its parent company, according to records and interviews.
The contracts, one to screen for Ebola in several U.S. airports and the other to respond to disease outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo, are seven times the total value of government contracts the company had directly received before.
The company, XpresTest, has years of experience monitoring for COVID-19 and other diseases for the government at U.S. airports. That makes its parent, XWELL, an unusual hybrid, selling both spa treatments and biosecurity services. Last year, it made most of its money from waxing salons and airport spas that offer manicures, massages and “chakra beds.”
The contracts are the latest example of the president’s family benefiting financially from his administration’s actions. And the stakes for these deals are particularly high. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, an Ebola outbreak has killed more than 5,000 people this year, and the federal government is trying to stop the pathogen from coming to the U.S.
XpresTest has never worked with Ebola or provided biosecurity services abroad, let alone in the kind of volatile locales it’s now expected to work in. The CEO of its parent company, Ezra Ernst, said XpresTest won both contracts in a competitive bidding process and pointed to its years of experience doing screening for COVID-19 and other pathogens at American airports. But even he acknowledged that working internationally is “a new thing for us” and expressed uncertainty about being able to complete the work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“This is a risky contract. I’m not sure we can do it,” Ernst said in an interview.
Jeremy Konyndyk, who helped oversee the U.S. government’s response to a 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, said there are some parallels between monitoring for COVID-19 and Ebola at airports, but he said it’s concerning that the government would award such a lucrative contract to a company that has no experience in Africa.
“There are countless organizations in the world that have decades of experience doing this work,” Konyndyk said. “I have to wonder why the hell they’re not going with someone who has actually done this before.”
Under previous administrations, the U.S. government addressed international disease outbreaks in partnership with the World Health Organization. But Trump withdrew from the group last year, dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development, which handled much of this work, and dramatically scaled back the global presence of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Gee that all sounds pretty convenient and strange doesn’t it? Here’s the punchline, but do go read this very informative article at the link. Of course, the CDC said nothing but the team of investigative reporters did the work digging out the facts anyway. There is a lot more at the link.
A spokesperson for the president’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric Trump said that they are “merely passive, minority investors in a fund that invested in this company,” and that they had no “involvement in or knowledge regarding the negotiation or procurement of any of its contracts, including any government contracts.”
“Both are private citizens who hold no government positions, broken no laws and who have every right to pursue lawful business and investment opportunities,” the spokesperson said.
The Trump sons’ connection to XWELL was established in February, when a fund called American Ventures invested in the company. The fund was launched by Dominari Holdings, a small financial firm with offices inside Trump Tower in New York. The leaders of Dominari hired the Trump sons as advisers after their father was elected to a second term and granted them a stake of more than 10% in Dominari.
Ben Berkowitz, writing for AXIOS, has some of the down low on Trump’s relationship with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. This is getting to be terrifically juicy story. “Trump backs Nvidia’s Huang amid affair, spy investigation.”
President Trump defended Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Sunday night, even as the company’s board launched an investigation into his affair with a suspected Chinese spy.
Why it matters: The blowback to Huang’s relationship is only getting more intense by the hour, with multiple members of Congress calling for probes and investors saying the news could put a cloud over the entire AI trade.
What they’re saying: Trump was asked Sunday night if he’s taking Huang with him on an Asia trip next week.
- “I don’t know, but I’d certainly take him,” the president told reporters.
- “I haven’t heard that he’s done anything wrong,” Trump added. “He dealt with somebody but, you know, so does everybody else.”
The intrigue: The New York Times reported in late October that Trump was briefed earlier this year about Huang’s relationship with the potential spy but chose not to act.
- Huang has been one of Trump’s favorite corporate executives since his return to office, with Huang frequently appearing at White House events.
- He also traveled with Trump to China earlier this year, even after the reported memo warning the president of Huang’s relationship.
What’s next: A group of House Republican committee chairs have asked Huang to agree by Nov. 11 to a date for a briefing on his relationship and Nvidia’s national security controls.
Here’s some information from that New York Times article from late October. There was a large team of reporters on this. The link is gifted. “Nvidia Chief Seen as Target of Chinese Spy Plot. A Chinese businesswoman who had a close relationship with Jensen Huang was found to be passing intelligence to Beijing. President Trump was briefed and took no action.” The oldest trick in the book
American spy agencies had gathered striking intelligence.
A top executive at a Singapore-based data center company was under scrutiny for possibly steering advanced Nvidia A.I. chips to China. And now American officials had concluded that she was a Chinese intelligence asset, funneling information to Beijing.
But what came next was even more alarming. Surveillance of the executive, Alice Huang or Huang Le, a Chinese citizen, revealed that she had developed a close relationship with Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s chief executive.
For years, Washington has worked to deny China the technology needed to match or surpass the United States in the intense global competition for superiority in artificial intelligence. The discovery that Beijing was getting reports from someone with direct access to Mr. Huang, one of the most powerful figures in the A.I. revolution as well as an influential ally of President Trump’s, set off alarms at the White House.
Roughly a year ago, Mr. Trump was briefed about the intelligence findings, which have not been previously reported, and chose not to do anything with the information. Mr. Trump has been wary of disrupting Nvidia’s chip sales, which are helping to drive the economy and the stock market, and of further complicating the trading relationship with China.
This account is based on interviews with people briefed on the surveillance, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the findings are drawn from classified intelligence, as well as other officials and industry executives and analysts.
You have to wonder what was in it for Trump to ignore the entire thing or if it was just his usual lack of interest in anything that’s not related to turning the White House into Liberace’s Dressing Room. However, this follow-up today by The New York Times, suggests there’s more intrigue we’ll discover soon. “Commerce Dept. Chip Inquiry Was Halted After Nvidia Intervention. An investigation into Megaspeed, a Singapore company that was buying advanced Nvidia A.I. chips, was transferred to the Justice Department after a top Nvidia executive reached out to Commerce Department officials.” Don’t you just love it when life mimics a John le Carré novel?
Investigators at the Commerce Department were deep into a monthslong investigation of a Singaporean company that they suspected of smuggling Nvidia’s artificial intelligence chips into China when their work came to a sudden halt late last year.
The investigation centered on Megaspeed, a data center company led by an executive who U.S. officials now believe to be a Chinese spy who had a relationship with Nvidia’s chief executive, Jensen Huang.
But the case was abruptly transferred to the Justice Department last year. The shift came after Commerce Department investigators working on the case received an email from Nvidia’s general counsel seeking information about the inquiry into Megaspeed.
It is not necessarily unusual for Commerce Department agents working on a case to speak with a company’s representatives about issues involving their firm. But what was unusual was the content of the message. Tim Teter, Nvidia’s general counsel, said that Jeff Kessler, a top official at the department, had given Nvidia permission to reach out about the case.
The agents were alarmed that Nvidia had invoked the name of Mr. Kessler, their superior, who was nominated to his role by President Trump. Some viewed Mr. Kessler’s interaction with Nvidia as violating government procedure and potentially tainting the case, according to current and former government officials and others familiar with the incident.
It is not clear what led to Mr. Teter’s outreach to the department, but the recent revelations about Mr. Huang’s acknowledged affair with a Megaspeed executive have only intensified scrutiny of Nvidia’s role in influencing policy on chip sales to China. The New York Times reported last month that the U.S. government had concluded that Huang Le, or Alice Huang, a top executive at the firm, was a spy working on behalf of the Chinese government.
On Sunday, Nvidia said it was opening an investigation into Mr. Huang, after he acknowledged to the company’s board that he had been intimate with Ms. Huang. The pair, who are not related, had been photographed together on multiple occasions, including at a bar and a restaurant in Taiwan alongside other tech executives.
So, I like the sounds of this interview, however, I just will believe it all when I see it. This is from CBS NEWS. “Hakeem Jeffries says Democrats are committed to “holding the crooks accountable” in new Congress.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who’s poised to become House Speaker in the new Congress following his party’s widespread gains in the midterm elections, said Monday that Democrats will focus “relentlessly” on addressing affordability in their majorities, while also setting their sights on combatting corruption.
“We’re committed to accountability and to holding the crooks accountable if you’ve been stealing from the American people, screwing over the American people or shortchanging the American people,” Jeffries said on “CBS Mornings.”
As the high cost of living became a key driver in the midterm elections, corruption has also invigorated voters at the ballot box. Roughly nine in 10 voters nationally said government corruption was a major factor in their vote, according to CBS News exit polling. And Democrats put the issue front and center in their final pitch to voters, who turned out overwhelmingly for the party, resulting in the House and Senate flipping control.
Now, as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress, they’re working to align priorities, amid concerns that investigations and possible impeachment efforts against the administration could detract from their ability to address affordability for voters.
Asked whether Democrats can address both cost-of-living and corruption concerns, Jeffries said, “Yes, and we have to.”
Jeffries said Democrats will “focus aggressively and relentlessly on dealing with the affordability crisis,” while also pursuing accountability. He said, “We’re going to follow the facts, apply the law, be guided by the Constitution, and then let the chips fall where they may.”
The New York Democrat linked the affordability issue to corruption concerns, just as a number of Democratic candidates did on the campaign trail, saying, as Americans have struggled with high prices, “we’ve seen unprecedented corruption unleashed on the American people.”
House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, poised to become majority leader, said on Sunday that he strongly supports impeaching defense secretary Pete Hegseth as a Republican lawmaker prepares to force a House vote.
The top Democrat made his position clear during an appearance on ABC’s This Week, declaring himself a “hard yes” on the impeachment resolution targeting Hegseth.
“I’m a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution. The so-called secretary of defense has abused his power, undermined our national security, and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed prices on the American people and made the country less safe,” Jeffries said. “Pete Hegseth has got to go.”
The announcement comes as Kentucky Republican representative Thomas Massie, an outgoing congressman and frequent critic of Donald Trump, moves to revive his impeachment effort against Hegseth.
Massie said he plans to reintroduce an impeachment resolution as soon as Monday, potentially setting up a House showdown within days. The measure includes eight articles of impeachment accusing Hegseth of multiple offenses, including violating the War Powers Resolution of 1973.
Asked whether he expects the entire Democratic caucus to support the resolution, Jeffries said members will “have that conversation” Tuesday morning when lawmakers return to Washington for the first time since the midterm elections.
“But I believe there will be incredibly strong support for that resolution,” Jeffries said.
The mounting pressure on Hegseth follows Republican losses in the midterm elections, with both Trump and voters identifying the Iran war as a major factor in the party’s defeat.
More information at the link. I really hate to give time to Russ Douthat as well as Trump but the doozy of an explanation by Trump of the outrageous level of wealth increase by him during the past two years was actually righteously asked Trump about his corruption and net worth. This is from The New Republic. “Trump Crumbles Trying to Defend How Much Money He’s Made as President. Donald Trump couldn’t explain why he hadn’t divested of his businesses, among other things.” The Link has been gifted.President Donald Trump had a tough time on CBS’s 60 Minutes trying to defend the massive increase in his wealth since the start of his second term.
In an interview that aired Sunday, interviewer Ross Douthat pointed out to the president that his net worth has gone up by $3 billion since January 2025, to which the president tried to argue that it was all because of his children. Trump then claimed that everyone’s wealth went up, prompting Douthat to note that he himself didn’t make $3 billion. Trump retorted, “You should have owned stock.”
“I devote almost no time to my net worth. I don’t care. I make, I have a lotta money, and far more than I ever thought I’d have. And I guess it’s gone up. I don’t even know. I have a son who’s a very straight, good guy. He watches over money. I don’t even talk to him about it. He watches. He gives, they gave my money, I have a lotta cash, have, had a lotta cash long before I came in here. I don’t take a salary, you know?” Trump said, trying to explain his newfound wealth.
Douthat also pointed out the apparent corruption from Trump’s cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial, and how it took money from the United Arab Emirates. He pointed out that if President Joe Biden had done something similar, Trump would have called it corrupt. Trump tried to pin it all on his sons.
“I have, but you have sons where they go around and they build buildings. That’s what they do. That’s what I did long before I became president. I did it better than anybody. I was very good at real estate. I made a lotta money. But—but I have a company. My sons run the company. It’s hard to say to them, ‘Don’t do anything any more for four years because I’m president,’” Trump said.
In response to Douthat asking about outside forces who use Trump’s cryptocurrency for influence peddling, Trump tried to claim that every president has had a similar problem, “going back to George Washington.”
My goodness — Douthat landed knockout punches on Trump over his corruption
I don’t know how much of this well actually happen. We should see hearings but with the DOJ still under Trumps command, I’m not so sure they will be prosecuted withing whatever time limits exist. At least the information is out there for all to see! Anyway this was a story about Trump and Cronies.
What’s on your Reading, Action, and Blogging list today?
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