Trump Issues Not-So-Coincidental Pardon of Massive Tax Cheat
Walzack was found guilty of stealing over $10 million from the paychecks of the nurses and doctors who worked for him to finance a yacht and other luxury items. He was charged in February 2023 on 13 counts of tax crimes, and eventually pleaded guilty and paid $4.4 million in restitution as Trump won back the White House in November.
Walzack initially received no response from the Trump administration regarding a pardon request he submitted around Inauguration Day. But in April his mother, Elizabeth Fago, attended a $1 million entry dinner that included guaranteed face time with the president. The dinner was sponsored by MAGA Inc., a PAC that backs causes and candidates supported by Trump.
It's not clear whether Fago donated to MAGA Inc., or how much, but three weeks later her son got his pardon.
Walzack and his mother are well established within the MAGAverse. Fago has donated millions of dollars to GOP campaigns. She's hosted at least three Trump fundraisers and went to the VIP portions of both Trump inaugurations, where she cozied up to the president in photos posted on her Instagram.
Fago was also deeply involved in a scheme to publicize the diary of Ashley Biden, former President Joe Biden's daughter, after she left it at a beach house in Florida. Aimee Harris, and Robert Kurlander, the individuals who stole the diary, brought it to a fundraiser at Fago's home in 2020 where it was shown to a Trump campaign organizer. Harris was sentenced to a month in prison and Kurlander is awaiting sentencing.
This is yet another example of Trump's flippant use of his executive pardon power. Show him some loyalty, and some money, and you could get out of jail too.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Lawler won't run for New York governor; Stefanik plans to announce after November election
Jul. 23—Rep. Mike R. Lawler will not run for governor of New York next year, clearing the way for Rep. Elise M. Stefanik to potentially clinch the Republican nomination without a primary. After months of teasing a potential run, previously pledging to announce a decision in June that did not come on time, Lawler announced on Wednesday morning that he wouldn't be seeking higher office next year and would instead run for reelection in his Hudson Valley swing district. "I've decided that the right thing to do for me, my family and my district is to run for re-election," he told the Fox network. That clears the way for his leading opposition for the GOP nomination — Stefanik. Lawler has previously said he would not push the party into a primary, which would force the two candidates to compete for conservative votes, commit to conservative positions and spend significant sums of money before starting the real competition against the Democratic candidate. In a statement shortly after Lawler's announcement went wide, Stefanik lauded Lawler as an "effective and hardworking Republican for New York's 17th Congressional district" and said she would announce her own plans once this year's general election is over. "I am focused on supporting strong Republican local and county candidates on the ballot this November to lay the groundwork with a strong team for next year," she said. "I will make a final decision and announcement after this year's November election which we are all focused on." Stefanik has been similarly teasing a potential run for the seat, but she has gained more traction than Lawler. While the Hudson Valley congressman has been relatively quiet in his positioning, meeting behind closed doors with Republicans and only infrequently criticizing Democratic Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul, Stefanik has had much higher profile visits and hosted a press conference after meeting with the state Republican delegation earlier this year. Stefanik has criticized Hochul far more frequently than her supposed competition for reelection in the 21st District. And in perhaps the most significant sign that Lawler wouldn't be running for governor, President Donald J. Trump endorsed him for reelection to the House earlier this year. Lawler met with Trump again last week ahead of his announcement. Nassau County Executive Bruce R. Blakeman has also considered a run for governor, but has far less name recognition and fundraising prowess than Stefanik does. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is headed into a likely primary between Hochul and her Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado. In early polling, it appears Hochul is likely to ignore Delgado's challenge and forge ahead to a victory. Hochul and her team seemed to revel in the news Wednesday. "Of course he doesn't have the spine to face me," Hochul said on X, formerly Twitter. In a separate post, Hochul showed an image of a Milk Bone dog treat box, adorned with a sticky note with Lawler's name on it. "A treat for Donald Trump's good boy," the post reads.
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Charlamagne Tha God Brutally Claims Trump Is ‘Losing It As Badly As Biden'
Charlamagne tha God has claimed that President Donald Trump is 'losing it as badly as [former President Joe] Biden.' The radio host's comments came more than a month after Trump ordered an investigation into his predecessor's aides for allegedly covering up Biden's supposed cognitive decline. 'Is Trump really losing it as badly as Biden? Hmm. Let's run through this official list of dementia symptoms from the Mayo Clinic, all right?' Charlamagne said, referring to the private American academic medical center, while appearing as a guest host on 'The Daily Show' on Tuesday. He continued, 'Now, first, I want to say that doctors warn it's unethical to diagnose someone you haven't actually examined, but I'm not a doctor, OK? So let's fucking go!' The 'Breakfast Club' host, who pulled out the list on a clipboard, went on to point out memory loss as a first symptom of dementia. Charlamagne played a clip of the POTUS declaring he was 'surprised' Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell was appointed, seemingly forgetting that he appointed him in 2017. 'Memory loss, check,' Charlamagne quipped to the audience while dramatically making a check mark on the symptoms list. 'He's stealing Biden's whole flow, word for word, bar for bar. I bet Biden's somewhere watching this, thinking, 'Where am I?'' Naming 'problems with communication' as another symptom, he then played separate footage of Trump mispronouncing the word 'cryptologic.' Elsewhere in the segment, Charlamagne alleged that Trump has no 'coordination and movement control,' another symptom of dementia, while showing a clip of the world leader awkwardly dancing to 'Y.M.C.A.' by the Village People. 'I don't get why Trump chose Y.M.C.A as his signature song. That dance involves coordination and spelling at the same time. Are you trying to kill this man?' he joked. Wrapping up his message, Charlamagne played multiple clips of Trump appearing to become agitated with the press before accusing the POTUS of having 'rage issues.' 'The bad news is, Trump has rage issues,' he added. 'The good news is there's no way he's remembering the nuclear codes, OK? Now, that's my whole checklist, and I've reached my diagnosis. This guy needs to be put into a retirement home immediately.' Watch Charlamagne tha God's appearance on 'The Daily Show' below. Related... Trump Snaps, Abruptly Ends CNN Interview After Being Questioned About New Epstein Photos Supreme Court Allows Trump To Remove 3 Democrats On The Consumer Product Safety Commission The Trump Administration Hopes You Never See These Stories — Which Makes Them More Important Than Ever
Los Angeles Times
26 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Trump's Fed battle is not like his other political tussles
President Trump is once again floating the idea of firing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, ostensibly in objection to excessively high interest rates. But this debate is not about monetary policy. It's a power play aimed at subordinating America's central bank to the fiscal needs of the executive branch and Congress. In other words, we have a textbook case of 'fiscal dominance' on our hands — and that always ends poorly. I'm no cheerleader for Powell. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he enthusiastically backed every stimulus package, regardless of size or purpose, as if these involved no trade-offs. Where were the calls for 'Fed independence' then? And where were the calls for fiscal restraint after the emergency was over? Powell failed to anticipate the worst inflation in four decades and repeated for far too long the absurd claim that it was 'transitory' even as mounting evidence showed otherwise. He blamed supply-side disruptions long after ports had reopened and goods were moving. And as inflation was taking a stubborn hold, Powell delayed raising interest rates — possibly to shield the Biden administration from the fiscal fallout of the debt it was piling on — well past the point when monetary tightening was needed. If this weren't the world of government, where failure can be rewarded — and if there had been a more obvious alternative — Powell wouldn't have been invited back for another term. But he was. And so Trump's pressure campaign to prematurely end Powell's tenure is dangerous. I get why with budget deficits exploding and debt-service costs surging, the president wants lower interest rates. That would make the cost of his own fiscal agenda appear more tolerable. Trump likely believes he's justified because he believes that his tax cuts and deregulation are about to spur huge economic growth. To be sure, some growth will result, though the effects of deregulation will take a while to arrive. But gains could be swamped by the negative consequences of Trump's tariffs and erratic tariff threats. No matter what, the new growth won't lead to enough new tax revenue to escape the need for the government to borrow more. And the more the government borrows, the more intense the pressure on interest rates. One thing is for sure: The pressure Trump and his people are exerting on the Fed is a push for fiscal dominance. The executive branch wants to use the central bank as a tool to accommodate the government's frenzy of reckless borrowing. Such political control of a central bank is a hallmark of failed monetary systems in weak institutional settings. History shows where that always leads: to inflation, economic stagnation and financial instability. So far, Powell is resisting cutting rates, hence the barrage of insults and threat of firing. But now is not the right time to play with fire. Bond yields surged last year as investors reckoned with the scale of U.S. borrowing. They crossed the 5% threshold again recently. Moody's even stripped the government of its prized AAA credit rating. Lower interest rates from the Fed — especially if seen as the result of raw political pressure — could further diminish the allure of U.S. Treasuries. While the Fed can temporally influence interest rates, especially in the short run, it cannot override long-term fears of inflation, economic sluggishness and political manipulation of monetary policy driven by unsustainable fiscal policy. That's where confidence matters, and confidence is eroding. This is why markets are demanding a premium for funds loaned to a government that is now $36 trillion in debt and shows no intention of slowing down. But it could get worse. If the average interest rate on U.S. debt climbs from 3.3% to 5%, interest payments alone could soar from $900 billion to $2 trillion annually. That would make debt service by far the single largest item in the federal budget — more than Medicare, Social Security, the military or any other program readers care about. And because much of this debt rolls over quickly, higher rates hit fast. At the end of the day, the bigger problem isn't Powell's monetary policy. It's the federal government's spending addiction. Trump's call to replace Powell with someone who will cut rates ignores the real math. Lower short-term interest rates will do only so much if looser monetary policy is perceived as a means of masking reckless budget deficits. That would make higher inflation a certainty, not merely a possibility. It might not arrive before the next election, but it will inevitably arrive. There is still time to avoid this cliff. Trump is right to worry about surging debt costs, but he's targeting a symptom. The solution isn't to fire Powell — it's to cure the underlying disease, which is excessive government spending. Veronique de Rugy is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. This article was produced in collaboration with Creators Syndicate.
