Trump’s sister quietly retired in February, and it’s actually a really big deal

Mike’s comments:

This is just another example how there are two standards in this country; one for the rich and another for the middle class and below. On the scale of Donald Trump’s crimes, this probably rates as rather minor, yet it is indicative of the character of his whole family.

I believe that crimes did occur but they are fairly common among those who have wealth and power in this country. Benefits often go to those who need them the least. This family was able to circumvent the law. What makes it particularly abhorrent is that his sister was a judge who swore to uphold and administer the law. Of course, Donald also swore to enforce the constitution which was just another false statement by him. The Trump regime continues to flaunt the rules of law.

By Matthew Yglesias

The retirement of a federal appeals court judge is normally not a huge national news story, and while the fact that Maryanne Trump Barry is the sister of the president of the United States makes her decision a bit more noteworthy, on its face, you can still see why it’s been treated as relatively minor news.

But peer a little bit deeper and the reason Barry is stepping down makes it clear that the story is a very big deal indeed.

The key is that last fall, the New York Times published a bombshell investigation of Donald and Maryanne Trump’s father Fred Trump’s finances that appeared to reveal, among other things, that he illegally evaded taxes in transferring much of his wealth to his children — including both Donald and Maryanne.

All this happened a long time ago, and the statute of limitations would have expired on any possible crimes. But some shrewd people noted that there is no statute of limitations on judicial ethics investigations and filed a complaint against not Donald Trump but Maryanne. This would have launched an investigation of her that would, were she found guilty of wrongdoing, have implicated the president as well.

Now, according to Russ Buettner and Susan Craig of the New York Times, Barry has retired, which renders the investigation moot. Their reporting indicates that this all actually happened in February. The complaint was filed in October, and then on February 1, a court official notified the people who filed the complaint that it was “receiving the full attention” of investigators. Ten days later, Barry filed her paperwork to resign.

And it certainly raises questions of whether she and her brother might have something to hide.

The Trump family’s shady schemes

A lot of what the Trump family did to pass on wealth tax-free to the next generations falls pretty clearly under the heading of “the real scandal is what’s legal.” But some of the Trump family shenanigans uncovered by the Times have a look of actual criminality to them.

Michael Chester

Michael Chester is retired from his career in industrial technology. After graduating from college, he taught this subject until deciding that he preferred doing the job himself more than teaching it. At various times during his career, he has designed, built, installed, and repaired industrial manufacturing machinery. His specialty was in electrical and electronic controls.

After retiring, he concentrated more on his hobby of cooking and attended one of the top culinary schools in the US. Mike competed in bass fishing tournaments for several years but had to leave the sport due to an injury. As a certified barbecue judge, he gets to taste some of the best BBQs in the country and help select the winner. It is a tough job, but someone has to do it. He lives with his wife of over 30 years, and has 3 adult children and 2 grandchildren.