The rotten apple doesn’t fall far from the tree
by digby
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“I wish my name was Hunter Biden. I could make millions off of my father’s presidency—I’d be a really rich guy! It would be incredible!” — Donald Trump Jr.
Yeah, I know. Not the sharpest tool in the drawer. But you really can’t make this stuff up:
Boxes began arriving in early November at the Phoenix headquarters of Turning Point USA, a conservative student group with ties to the Trump family.
They contained copies of the new book by Donald Trump Jr., “Triggered,” according to a person who works in the building. The stockpile grew to roughly 2,000 copies, stored in an underused second-floor office under a poster bearing a slogan: “Capitalism Not Cronyism.”
May I just take a moment to admire that magnificent lede?
Turning Point is not the only conservative group making bulk purchases to aid Mr. Trump’s new career as an author. At least nine Republican organizations, G.O.P. candidates or advocacy groups are selling “Triggered” or promoting Mr. Trump’s book tour, according to emails obtained by The New York Times, interviews and disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission.
The president’s son has emerged over the past few years as a political star in his own right, often said to be considering a run for office. It is neither illegal nor uncommon for candidates and political organizations to use books in fund-raising drives: The National Republican Campaign Committee, for example, has also sold its donors titles by the former speakers Newt Gingrich and Paul Ryan.
But the breadth of the Republican establishment’s effort behind Mr. Trump is striking for a noncandidate whose most significant claim to fame remains his parentage, and who has sought to deflect criticism of his recent attacks on impeachment witnesses by asserting that he is merely a “private citizen.” And it underscores the unusual cross-pollination between the Trump family’s political ambitions, its business ventures and the party President Trump now leads.
Some groups are harnessing the younger Mr. Trump’s popularity to raise political donations while also driving his sales. The N.R.C.C. bought $75,000 worth of books in November, a spokesman said, in a promotion that took in almost $200,000 in contributions. The National Republican Senatorial Committee ordered about 2,500 copies, which it said sold almost immediately.
The Republican National Committee and Citizens United, a conservative activist group run by a former deputy campaign manager to the president, are also offering the book to donors.
Earlier this month, the R.N.C. denied making large bulk purchases of the book, a practice that some best-seller lists, including that of The Times, may penalize authors for when ranking sales. But F.E.C. records released last week showed that it spent almost $100,000 on copies on Oct. 29, a transaction the committee acknowledged was part of its “Triggered” promotion.
That’s not all.
The Trump family grift is quite awesome to behold. They seize every single opportunity to cheat.
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