Trump’s old apartment, Patrick Byrne’s background story, Crypto’s Future

Welcome to the Checks and Imbalances newsletter. Today we look at a former Park Avenue apartment by Donald Trump that is back on the market, Trump’s continued self-trading and how lobbyists are trying to influence crypto-regulation.

ONE Business executive who paid Donald Trump $ 14 million for an apartment on Park Avenue during the 2016 presidential campaign is now trying to sell the unit for a loss of $ 2.5 million.

In January 2016, Trump Park Avenue LLC sold a unit on the 27th floor of the building for $ 14.05 million, according to a filing with the New York City Registry Office. Trump’s financial revelation for that year reveals that he owned 99.9% of Trump Park Avenue LLC through two other companies.

The buyers were Robert and Meryl Tillis. Campaign funding records show that a Robert Tillis with the same Park Avenue address as the apartment building is the CEO of Imperial Dade, a distributor of packaging and caretaker equipment.

Robert Tillis was not a Trump donor at the time of the sale. However, six months after buying the apartment, he donated $ 2,000 to support Trump’s campaign, according to registrations with the Federal Election Commission.

In June 2021, Tillises put its apartment on the market, asking for $ 15 million, 6.6% more than what they paid for it. A year and three price cuts later, the apartment is still for sale, now with a price estimate of 11.5 million dollars – 2.5 million dollars less than what they paid Trump for it.

Robert Tillis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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In case you missed it

See: How Donald Trump moves money from his political groups to his private business

Patrick Byrne from the Overstock Fame says he was involved in month-long attempts to overthrow the 2020 election

“When it comes to distinctive characters, the 2020 election edition, there were few who had this guy on their bingo card: The former CEO of the online furniture retailer Overstock, Patrick Byrne,” reports Lauren Debter:

Byrne, who will speak to the committee on January 6, Friday, was present at a controversial White House meeting days before Christmas in 2020 with then-President Donald Trump and members of his staff, where Byrne, former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and Trump Attorney Sidney Powell claimed that the election had been stolen and that they had to count ballots again in at least six states. They also discussed the deployment of the National Guard to seize voting machines …

Byrne, 59, has a long history of conspiracy theories and has been involved in controversy. The son of an insurance magnate who turned Geico around in the 1970s and attracted an investment from Warren Buffett, he took a philosophy degree from Stanford while battling three bouts of testicular cancer and wrote his dissertation on exploring the benefits of limited government. He and his brother then began to make deals financed by their father, buy up bankrupt hotels, strip malls, apartment buildings and distressed consumer debt.

Trump depositions in New York probe delayed after Ivana’s death

“Deposits that were to begin on Friday by former President Donald Trump and his two oldest adult children as part of a civil investigation by the New York Attorney General into potential financial fraud by the Trump organization have been postponed after Ivana Trump’s death. “reports Nicholas Reimann:

AG spokesman Delaney Kempner said in a statement that the former president’s lawyer had asked for the delay, which James agreed to.

New dates for the deposits have not been announced. Ivana Trump, 73, was found dead Thursday in her New York City apartment.

She was the mother of Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, who was to testify from Friday, while her third child with the former president, Eric Trump, already showed up for a clarification in the case.

Watch: “It’s Happening To Me!” – Trump Blows Up “Racist” NY AG Tish James for Investigations of His Business

Lummis-Gillibrand Crypto Bill: An Important Step to Bring Regulatory Clarity to Bitcoin, Stablecoins and Digital Assets

“Last month, Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis and New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand unveiled their long-awaited bipartisan bill to build a federal regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin,” reports Avik Roy and The Apothecary:

During the development of the bill, Lummis and Gillibrand worked closely with important industry lobbies and industry associations, a common strategy in Washington. In addition to the bill, senators published six pages of supportive statements from entities such as the Digital Chamber of Commerce, the Association for Digital Asset Markets, the Blockchain Association, the Crypto Council for Innovation, Kraken, Coinbase, FTX, Bitstamp and Uniswap.

But precisely because of this, those who are skeptical of the crypto industry are likely to stay on the sidelines until further notice. The key question is: will the dynamics change after November?

Spor Trump

Forbes continues to update “Tracking Trump: An Overview of All Trials and Investigations Involving the Former President.” The latest update includes changes to more than 25 cases and investigations.

In December 2020, Rep.-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) Ate at Trump’s hotel in DC with Ivan Raiklin, a Green Beret who unsuccessfully tried to run for the Senate in 2018. They discussed attempts to overturn the election result. Next day, Raiklin published a note explains how Vice President Mike Pence could throw the election in Trump’s favor. Trump retweeted the note, which the committee noted Jan. 6 in a public hearing last month.

Donald Trump’s campaign sent a fundraising email linked to the death of his first wife, Ivanatweets Andrea Mitchell from NBC News.

• “Trump discusses 2024 plans for secret donor dinners” (Politico)
• “Donald Trump’s Save America leadership PAC makes its first outlay to the Wyoming Values, contributing $ 500,000 to anti-Liz Cheney, pro Harriet Hageman’s independent spending committee.” (Twitter / Rob Pyers of California Target Book)