Dear Friend,

Writing in The New Republic, Casey Michel helped us understand the full meaning of The New York Times’ release of a trove of Trump’s tax information. We all now know that the “self-described billionaire paid a total of $750 in federal income taxes the year he entered the White House—and none at all in 10 of the 15 years beforehand” and that he is “facing a possible $100 million tax penalty, on top of personal liability to the tune of $400 million in loans and debts.”

But Michel found “buried in the details, tucked between the revelations of foreign financing and piling losses … another reason Trump worried about the returns leaking into the public arena.” The tax returns reveal a “bit of accounting sleight of hand that roped in what matters most to Trump: Ivanka.” He appears to have treated her as a consultant and a deduction on the same projects she managed. “And what better partner in a scam to defraud the IRS—and, by extension, the American taxpayer—than a daughter who appears eager to follow in her crooked father’s footsteps.”

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From the Trump Ocean Club in Panama to Trump Tower Baku in Azerbaijan and Trump SoHo in New York City, these failed projects, which no longer bear Trump’s name, showcase the efforts of Ivanka and “crooked post-Soviet oligarchs,” and leave what Michel describes as the “imprints of corruption and kleptocracy in their wake.”

As Casey Michel concludes: “While guaranteeing what the future holds in the Trump era is a sucker’s game, it’s growing much less certain that Trump will continue in the White House. He instead appears more likely to spend his future days in the same spots so many of his compatriots have found themselves: the courtroom and jail. And if that future does come to pass—whether it’s due to tax fraud or any number of similar charges—don’t be surprised if Ivanka continues to be his constant companion, by his side and on the docket.”

This election season is the perfect time to read Casey Michel and the best investigative reporters, opinion writers, and cultural critics in America. 

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Sincerely,

Kerrie Gillis, publisher

Read Casey Michel’s Ivanka Trump’s Starring Role in Her Father’s Financial Troubles