Tom Barrack was the chair of Donald Trump’s inaugural committee. He had been a Trump confidant and financial backer for some time, and thus not surprising he would get a job like that. Today he was arrested for acting as an agent of the United Arab Emirates and trying to influence the President in their favor.
From the Department of Justice press release:
According to court documents, between April and November 2016, Barrack served as an informal advisor to the campaign of the candidate in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Between November 2016 and January 2017, Barrack served as Chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee. Beginning in January 2017, Barrack informally advised senior U.S. government officials on issues related to U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Barrack also sought appointment to a senior role in the U.S. government, including the role of Special Envoy to the Middle East. Barrack served as the Executive Chairman of a global investment management firm headquartered in Los Angeles, and Grimes was employed at the firm and reported directly to Barrack. During the relevant time period, Alshahhi worked as an agent of the UAE and was in frequent contact with Barrack and Grimes, including numerous in-person meetings in the United States and the UAE.
As alleged in the indictment, the defendants used Barrack’s status as a senior outside advisor to the campaign and, subsequently, to senior U.S. government officials, to advance the interests of and provide intelligence to the UAE while simultaneously failing to notify the Attorney General that their actions were taken at the direction of senior UAE officials. Barrack – directly and through Alshahhi and Grimes – was regularly and repeatedly in contact with the senior leadership of the UAE government. On multiple occasions, Barrack referred to Alshahhi as the UAE’s “secret weapon” to advance its foreign policy agenda in the United States.
Alshahhi and Grimes were also indicted. Grimes was also arrested, and Alshahhi remains at large. Barrack also made a big mistake:
On June 20, 2019, Barrack voluntarily met with FBI special agents. During the interview, Barrack allegedly made numerous false statements, including falsely denying that Alshahhi had ever requested that he take any actions on behalf of the UAE.
Barrack’s company, Colony Northstar, laid out plans to influence the government in a document. They expected to make a lot of money.
Back when Barrack was trying to influence Trump in favor of the UAE before and after the 2016 election, a lot was going on. Mike Flynn was working for Turkey and trying to set up something with Russia. Flynn was also working with Barrack on other deals. We are likely to see more come out about that as Barrack’s prosecution proceeds.
This is a big deal.
Coverage:
Cross-posted to Nuclear Diner
JPL
trump and the very bad day. sad
OzarkHillbilly
Hang ’em high.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
While sex is great, does it live up to the pleasure that is the thought of kindly-faced Trump sycophants going to prison?
trollhattan
“Never heard of the guy.”
MattF
Tsk. That Trump rap sheet is still missing one name.
OzarkHillbilly
@MattF: Jared? Ivanka? Mnuchin? Ross? Pruitt? Do I have to pick only 1?
Another Scott
Someone wise once said, “follow the money.” It’s still good advice.
TFG and his enablers should be sweating more now.
Thanks.
Cheers,
Scott.
Roger Moore
@MattF:
It’s missing at least two names: Trump and Kushner.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
So, turning once again to the book of David Simon and Stringer Bell, they not only took notes on a mother-fucking criminal conspiracy, they made it into like a PowerPoint?
MattF
@OzarkHillbilly: @Roger Moore: Fair points. Although saying it’s missing a name doesn’t rule out the case of missing several names.
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
? Allen Weisselberg- CAPTURED
? Thomas Barrack– CAPTURED
? Trump Organization– CAPTURED
? Roger Stone – GUILTY
? Michael Flynn – GUILTY
? Michael Cohen – GUILTY
? Paul Manafort – GUILTY
? Rick Gates – GUILTY
? Maria Butina – GUILTY
? George Papadopoulos – GUILTY
? Alex van der Zwaan – GUILTY
? Richard Pinedo – GUILTY
? Sam Patten – GUILTY
? Paul Erickson – GUILTY
? George Nader – GUILTY
? Chris Collins – GUILTY
? Nickie Mali Lum Davis – GUILTY
? Elliott Broidy – GUILTY
? Ghislaine Maxwell– CAPTURED
? Lev Parnas – CAPTURED
? Igor Fruman – CAPTURED
? Steve Bannon – CAPTURED/UNDER INVESTIGATION
? Konstantin Kilimnik – AT LARGE
? Rudy Giuliani – DISBARRED/UNDER INVESTIGATION
? Louis Dejoy – UNDER INVESTIGATION
? Jerry Falwell – RESIGNS/ILLEGAL PAYMENTS CUCKOLD SCANDAL
? Eric Trump – PLEADS FIFTH AMENDMENT
? Donald Trump – UNINDICTED CO-CONSPIRATOR/ TWICE IMPEACHED
Only. The. Best. People.
Baud
This is almost as bad as Hunter Biden’s paintings.
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
@trollhattan:
“he brought me coffee, once”
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Baud: Baud is Walter Schaub! I have unmasked him!
trollhattan
A gentle reminder to terrorists and normal people, maintain good relationships on the home front no matter what.
Also forever golden, “Is you taking notes of a criminal conspiracy?”
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@OzarkHillbilly:
Fair trial and fine hangin’.
Baud
@comrade scotts agenda of rage:
Not necessarily in that order.
OzarkHillbilly
@MattF: Thanx, I already had Santa on the gig for 2 dozen more.
Cheryl Rofer
Some relevant references on Mike Flynn in this old tweet. Barrack was involved in much of this.
OzarkHillbilly
WTF??? The wife he beats every M/W/F and forgives him every T/T/S??? Or maybe she is just one of the wives who thinks “boys will be boys.”
mrmoshpotato
@trollhattan: Trump trash is gonna stay in jail. Awwwww…..fuck ’em.
Chief Oshkosh
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Exactly what I thought of.
Suzanne
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
Just lie back and think of arrests.
OzarkHillbilly
@Suzanne: I wish we had a thumbs up button for that comment.
Cheryl Rofer
schrodingers_cat
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Nah he is not a sanctimonious scold.
Ksmiami
Colony Capital is a joke and now I hope it goes up in flames…
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Cheryl Rofer: Wasn’t it the Qataris who bailed Jared out of 666 (come on, writers, don’t be so obvious) Fifth Ave? there was some trouble between Qatar and the gulf states that… went away around the same time?
Suzanne
@OzarkHillbilly: I wish someone with more verbal acumen (and a stronger capacity for ridiculousness) would write some erotica about the Orange Crime Family and their orbit going to jail and other bad things. I just don’t know how to get the sex scenes in there.
Kent
So which is the bigger blow to Trump today? Tom Barrack getting indicted? Or Tom Brady dissing and mocking him from the White House on national TV?
Heh…
I tend to think it is the latter. He has plenty of indicted co-conspirators. So many that it’s boring. But only one future Hall of Fame quarterback is laughing at him on national TV. That had to leave a mark.
Soprano2
So, have any of the people rending their garments yesterday all over social media about how Garland sold us out apologized yet? And yeah, this is a big deal.
OzarkHillbilly
@Suzanne: Not here, the very thought makes my puke. Speaking of which, the dogs are sleeping on the job and now I have a mess to clean up.
OzarkHillbilly
@Kent: I know which one has him more upset.
rikyrah
Because, of course ?
schrodingers_cat
@Soprano2: They are probably upset about something else.
Suzanne
@OzarkHillbilly: Mmmm, no, the thought of, say, Ivanka being kicked out of every trendy spendy part of society and having to scrub hotel toilets for a living makes me… slightly elevated.
Barbara
Lying to federal agents is just about the stupidest thing to do in the entire universe of potentially stupid criminal acts. If you are asked a question by an FBI agent or for that matter a prosecutor there is at least a 50% chance they already know the answer through evidence you cannot contradict. It’s like they are testing you just to see if they can make count one of the indictment a freebie.
No doubt Barrack will have some cutesy defense, like, well, a PowerPoint presentation written by some guy isn’t the same as that guy telling me to do something. No, it’s much fucking worse because it can’t be denied or remembered differently!
Cheryl Rofer
zhena gogolia
@Soprano2:
That Garland thing smells of Russian influence to me. It pops up so mechanically on twitter, and has been for a while now.
Cheryl Rofer
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I think that was the Qataris. There is a whole web of interactions in the MIddle East that is only starting to be uncovered with this indictment.
rikyrah
Tim Miller (@Timodc) tweeted at 1:58 PM on Tue, Jul 20, 2021:
Trump 2016 Rap Sheet.
– Campaign Chairman (Manafort)
– Campaign CEO (Bannon)
– National Security Advisor (Flynn)
– Deputy Campaign Manager (Gates)
– Lawyer (Cohen)
– Fixer (Stone)
– Finance Chair (Barrack)
Unprecedented
(https://twitter.com/Timodc/status/1417559656143065092?s=03)
OzarkHillbilly
@Suzanne: You mentioned “would write some erotica about the Orange Crime Family”…
No thanx. For that matter I can skip thoughts of any kind of Ivanka.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Barbara:
Don’t these morons ever get you never talk to a LEO without a lawyer present? You’d think Barrack, being man of means, would understand this
OzarkHillbilly
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Being a Master of the Universe, he knows that lawyers are for little people.
MattF
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): More than that, you let your lawyer do most of the talking.
JaySinWA
@Suzanne: I think you’d need a lot of sublimation to keep the gag reflex down.
zhena gogolia
@Kent:
JL Cauvin channels his reaction:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhuknVhBExQ
debbie
@OzarkHillbilly:
Not even the clip of her crying during TFG farewell speech?
bluehill
Interesting and abrupt shift in conservative vax messaging. I’m sure their adherents will come up with some rationalization why it’s different now, but whatever as long as they get their shots.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/07/fox-news-conservatives-vaccines-sean-hannity/619510/
geg6
@Kent:
Totally, totally agree. It’s eating him up as we speak. Maybe he’ll finally stroke out.
debbie
@bluehill:
Wake me up when ol’ Tuck owns up to his lies.
Roger Moore
@Barbara:
Just talking to federal agents when you think you might be under investigation is not the smartest move. Aren’t these people smart enough to let their lawyers do the talking for them in cases like these?
JPL
Is it possible that Barrack will give the feds information implicating trump in the inauguration scam?
I think that it’s just wishful thinking on my part.
OzarkHillbilly
@debbie: There is no clip of them I would willingly watch.
JaySinWA
@Suzanne: Oh I see, a B&D series with the family being unwilling subs. Still no sale.
Roger Moore
@OzarkHillbilly:
There is no clip, but could there be a clip of them you’d watch? I think I would watch a clip of them being perp walked.
OzarkHillbilly
@Roger Moore: No. If they were smart the FBI wouldn’t be talking to them.
Ohio Mom
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch:
Thanks for this list! It’s like a list of golden oldies, full of songs I’d forgotten but the moment I see the names, it all comes back.
I hope you’ll keep it updated and continue to share it with us.
Omnes Omnibus
@Roger Moore: Never talk to the police. Never consent to a search.
bluehill
@debbie: Tucker and Ingraham haven’t gotten on board with the new messaging. Maybe this is the new “fair and balanced” Fox. Or maybe they’re heading to OAN.
JaySinWA
@debbie: I’ll take ol’ Tuck declaring his previous statements non operational even if he denies his previous statements meant what they meant or that he ever said them.
Baby steps.
OzarkHillbilly
@Roger Moore: If my vision was never again polluted with the sight of that incestuous putrescent pool it would be too soon.
JPL
@Suzanne: OT Thank you for your ideas on entertaining a two year old. I successfully returned him to his parents and new baby brother on Sunday. My son is always appreciative of my help, but this is the first time he said it with tears in his eyes. The DIL’s mom died of ovarian cancer in Jan. Carter still likes to be picked up and because of her c-section, that won’t happen, but my son is home for awhile.
Baud
@Omnes Omnibus: What if you have nothing to hide?
Omnes Omnibus
@Baud: Nope.
ETA: Hahahahahaha!
JPL
@debbie: what farewell speech?
MattF
@Baud: Funny.
debbie
@geg6:
I don’t think Jonathan Chait is beloved around here, but this is good:
JaySinWA
@Baud: If you have nothing to hide you should have nothing to say.
IANAL and probably wouldn’t be able to follow my own advise however.
JPL
Cheryl, If you are still around, you might consider posting this. Home / Twitter
Central Planning
@OzarkHillbilly: You’re in a safe space. We don’t kink shame here.
MomSense
@Suzanne:
That comment was perfection.
Leto
@David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch: You know what this list reminds me of? The deck of cards we had in the military, during the Iraq invasion, with all the high value targets. This is a much better deck of cards.
debbie
@JPL:
Remarks would probably be more accurate than speech, but it was at the airport as the family was leaving D.C.
OzarkHillbilly
@Baud: If you’re rich, at the very least you are hiding money.
JaySinWA
@Leto: It needs some filling out with high value cards, but might make an interesting deck.
Martin
I think ProPublica and Trump Inc. are the ones that broke the story. They have the memos/emails showing the direct ask of UAE and the deliverable through Manafort.
VFX Lurker
@Suzanne:
I nominate the great Chuck Tingle. He’d find a way. ?
OzarkHillbilly
@MomSense: Chef’s Kiss, wasn’t it?
Suzanne
@JPL:
Any time, my pleasure.
Right now, my two-year-old likes to sit on her potty chair, bare-ass naked, while playing with the iPad. It is amusing.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Omnes Omnibus:
Have you ever watched those YouTube videos of “1st amendment auditors” who film post offices, public schools, and other public places? They never understand Poster 7 and that they need the permission of the postmaster to film the interior of a post office. Also, they seem to think you can’t be trespassed from publicly accessible, government-owned property
Suzanne
@JaySinWA:
Don’t judge me. I’m not a nice person.
JPL
@Suzanne: I have a large square walnut coffee table that is over forty years old, and recently the DIL mentioned how strong the finish was. Carter peed on it.
Omnes Omnibus
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): No, I haven’t, but I am eating too many raspberries and watching a video about a guy racking down his father’s old Bugatti so I am good.
OzarkHillbilly
@JPL: Boys will pee on everything. Lord knows I have.
Argiope
@OzarkHillbilly: We can do better! Rotating tag!
Suzanne
@JPL: One of my kids puked on my face, so, you know, piss on the coffee table seems not so bad.
Martin
@Suzanne: My son shit in my ear.
JPL
@OzarkHillbilly: lol I raised two and that was a first. I’m going to get some bees wax and that should take care of it.
The dog and the two year old have a love hate relationship. If the grand imp whimpers the dog is the first one there, and the same goes for the imp making sure the dog is okay. But later in the day they are like two jealous toddlers. I figured out a routine, but I did think about posting and asking for your help. It was storming and the power went out, and Carter was worried about Mr. Finch. Why he calls him Mr. Finch, who knows.
Suzanne
@Martin: I am trying to imagine how that happened. Each scenario is more hilarious than the last.
JPL
@Suzanne: true
debbie
@Suzanne:
My niece puked on me from head to lap, like something out of The Exorcist.
UncleEbeneezer
Megan Thee Stallion, Naomi Osaka and Transgender activist, Leyna Bloom are all featured on the cover SI’s swimsuit issue!
First rapper, first Japanese/American/Black woman and first Transgender woman to ever grace the cover. Gorgeous pix. All of them are also very cool and socially conscious even outside of their professions. Well done SI. #ThisIsAmerica
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-07-19/sports-illustrated-swimsuit-megan-thee-stallion-leyna-bloom-naomi-osaka?
sab
@Suzanne: I am a step-parent. They love me and I love them, a lot. When I was 25 there was nothing in the world I wanted more than to have kids. Circumstances having dodged me that bullet. Lately I thank God. I wasn’t up to it. Dogs and cats were my limit. I had major responsibility for a new baby sister when I was twelve. She was amazing. But we all grew up and Mom took over.
Fending fleas lately, and a newly adopted cat who thinks his last mistress was better (she was and is, but her family sucked on mostly all issues of animal and child welfare: Food, shelter, vets, vaccines.)
ETA Her cat is a sweety, but he needs to stop clinging 20 hours a day and then slashing madly when life
disappointsbetrays him. Kit, this stuffs happens.Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Omnes Omnibus:
Some of them are pretty funny, usually when the cops don’t mess around with them and arrest them
persistentillusion
@Suzanne: I caught my eldest’s puke in my cupped hands. That’s when I knew I was a parent.
Martin
@Suzanne: It’s pretty good. He was one. I had just gotten home from work and laid down on the rug in my family room, and he toddled over to sit with me. So, he comes over, next to my head, turns around and does one of those trust-fall kind of plops onto his butt. Well, he was a bit too close and he fell kind of on my cheek and slid down the side of my head. Oh, yeah, he had a massive blowout load in there which, when he landed on my cheek proceeded to very efficiently squeeze out the back of his diaper. I jumped up and grabbed him, and yelled to my wife for help. She comes in, sees the shit volcano that went up his back, and busts out laughing. I hand him over to her, and she takes him into the powder room to start cleaning this up still laughing her ass off. Now, I’m heading to another sink to clean myself up, and she’s annoyed, yelling for me to come help her, but I can’t hear because my left ear is completely impacted with shit, which is now starting to creep into my sinuses. She had no idea I had any on me.
She comes into where I am, looks at me, as I’m trying to explain to her that my ear is completely filled with shit, its in my hair, on my glasses, etc. realizes the full magnitude of this event and she busts out laughing even harder such that she has to sit down.
I had a bit of panic when I lost my hearing in one ear, but found the whole incident pretty fucking funny too.
persistentillusion
@debbie:
My eldest puked down her father’s turtle neck at an event. She’s a delightful adult, but was a world-class puker as a child.
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: @Baud:
So the FBI called me a few months ago about a former client, and asked me questions on a phone call. Was it foolish of me to have answered their questions?
Should a regular person without an attorney on speed dial, who did nothing wrong, not answer questions about someone else when the FBI asks them?
JPL
@persistentillusion: One of my favorite pictures is of Obama looking at the toddler on the floor who is screaming. It’s perfect and oh so normal.
mrmoshpotato
@Suzanne: Nope. The world doesn’t need orange shitstain erotica. Good lord! ?
debbie
@persistentillusion:
Turned out she was allergic to the formula her mother had been told to use. Poor thing couldn’t keep much of anything down.
WaterGirl
@Martin: Martin! How did it go?
dmsilev
@JaySinWA: I want to see Tucker advocating for vaccination with the dead tone of voice and facial expression of someone confessing their crimes in a Stalinist show trial or of TFG disavowing racist whatevers. Like there’s a metaphorical gun aimed at his head. Or a literal one; I’m not picky.
JPL
@dmsilev: What’s up with Fox? Did the republicans finally discover they were on the short side of a losing issue?
piratedan
well I was wondering when the next chapter in “A Series of Unfortunate Legal Events” would begin to fall into place. Wondering idly if he’ll use the same crackerjack legal squad that has been so effective thus far.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Martin: Holy crap (pun intended). You win the prize.
Omnes Omnibus
@WaterGirl: Look at it this way. The FBI told you that they were looking at a client of yours. How do you know that is true? And even if it is, you don’t know that they won’t use something you said against you later. As a general rule, I don’t advise talking to law enforcement, and, if you must, keep the conversation to a minimum. Don’t use jokes or sarcasm. What goes into their notebook are your words, not your tone of voice. They are not your friends.
mrmoshpotato
@JPL:
They’ve been on that side since 1996. My money’s on the threat of lawsuits, or their Trump trash base are dropping like flies.
There’s no damn way these skidmarks miraculously found a moral compass.
JPL
@mrmoshpotato: I thought of that, but I’m not sure stupid is a valid defense.
Almost Retired
Wow. The comments on this thread degenerated from an informed discussion of an indictment of a major Trump associate, to reminiscences about toddler shit and puke. And some disturbing musings about Trump-themed porn, with the occasional S&M overlay. How awesome is that!?!?
Mary G
My fondest hope is that Uncle Tom rolls on Ivanka.
mrmoshpotato
@JPL:
You think Fox would try “We were stupid enough to believe a deadly, worldwide virus was a hoax, your Honor.” in court?
mrmoshpotato
@Almost Retired: Full. Service. Blog.
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: You make a good point about how do I know that what they told me is true.
So what would I have said?
That I’m not comfortable talking with you about this without an attorney?
That I’m not comfortable talking with you about this until I have refreshed my memory about this client, because it was 4 years ago.
I don’t know if you recall the “crazy” client that I talked about and vented about, but they were asking about her. I finally walked away and tried to put her out of my head, which I apparently did quite successfully because I had forgotten many details.
JPL
BTW Barrack has been detained, until at least Monday.
Omnes Omnibus
@WaterGirl: That you would be happy to speak with them once you talk to your lawyer.
topclimber
@mrmoshpotato: I believe Stormy Daniels established that TFG had too many shortcomings to make it in porn.
Martin
@WaterGirl: It went well. It’s kind of a bundle of emotions right now. Might need a day for that to settle down. There’s going to be a big cry coming up, just not sure when.
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: And then I would have to scramble to find a lawyer, I presume.
WaterGirl
@Martin: I can imagine that you would have a jumble of emotions. As for a big cry, I recommend carefully choosing a movie that will let it all come out. :-)
May I ask how much notice you gave?
persistentillusion
@JPL: Yup, you can tell he’s a parent. Sometimes , even the best baby loses it.
Another Scott
@Martin: I’m glad it went well.
Change is hard, but change opens up all kinds of exciting opportunities.
Best of luck!
Cheers,
Scott.
persistentillusion
@debbie:
Both of mine had gag reflexes that started right about a quarter inch past the lips. My son was forever puking on dental hygenists. We had to change dentists. Which was ok because the dentist whose hygenist he puked on died of a cocaine overdose about a month later.
Martin
@WaterGirl: I didn’t set a date because I thought that was deserving of a conversation. That’ll get set on Friday. Looking at Sept 1, and then vacation until it’s used up. That could move forward or back depending.
persistentillusion
@piratedan:
Kudos for that phrasing.
@piratedan:
Zinsky
I have been enjoying the summer and taking a break from Donald Trump renting large amounts of my inner mind for free. As a result of that, I haven’t commented here much. However, I sincerely think this takedown of Thomas Barrack could presage a tsunami of other Trump minions getting busted. This guy might bring Jared Kushner into the scrutiny and that little weenie will sing like a songbird, if the Feds get him under the lights. Donald Trump should pray he strokes out before the Russian oligarchs call in their debts or Cyrus Vance Jr. slams the doors of the Greybar Hilton behind him for good!
Starfish
@JPL: Oh, that family has been through a lot.
Procopius
@Cheryl Rofer: Wasn’t the sequence Jared approached the Qataris requesting the “loan”, the Qataris looked and turned it down, Trump made his trip to the Middle East, then the Saudi and UAE blockaded Qatar and nearly attacked them (just in time remembering the huge American base there), and then the Qataris bailed him out, and now Saudi and UAE are talking with them? It didn’t get looked at very closely because our good friends and faithful customers, the Saudis, might not have looked as good as we like, but it did get mentioned at the time. Also, too, Jared.
Comrade Colette
If TFG were to have given Barrack a pocket pardon, would that fact have been revealed to the FBI before he was arrested and charged? In other words, is it possible he has been given a preemptive pardon and we just don’t know it yet?
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
@Comrade Colette: He’s in lock-up right now. DOJ asked for no bail as he’s a flight risk. His hearing is for bail is set for Monday. He’s going to be eating prison food for at least the next six days. If he had a get out of jail card, he would have presented by now.
Procopius
@Baud:
https://youtu.be/d-7o9xYp7eE
WaterGirl
@Martin: I”m sure there’s a lot to tie up, so you are smart to keep it flexible. That should make it at least a bit less stressful.
Procopius
@WaterGirl: Did you at least ask them for their name and the office they were calling from? Then look up the phone number for that office, call there, and ask to speak to that agent? If not, how do you know who you were talking to? Also, according to a YouTube video from 2012, back then the US Code was 27,000 pages long. I’m sure it’s several thousand pages longer now. No one even knows how many felonius acts are described in it, but back then the estimate was 10,000. Nobody knows. You think you’re talking about a former client, but you may say something that they use to open an investigation into you. You think you’ve done nothing wrong. Did you know it’s a felony to receive a “short lobster,” a lobster smaller than a certain size? Have you ever eaten lobster in a restaurant? Are you sure it was the legal size?
wombat probability cloud
@Suzanne: You’d get a few laughs out of Squeeze Me, by Carl Hiassen.
WaterGirl
@Procopius: They actually contacted one of my current clients. She wouldn’t give them my number, but they gave her a number for me to call.
So I dialed that number and asked for agent so-and-so. It did seem weird that the person who answered the phone didn’t answer with anything like “Federal Bureau of Investigations, such-and-such division. But I asked for the agent by name and they put me through.
it did seem kind of unprofessional, but what do I know?
They said they would likely be contacting me again, but it’s been months with no contact. I guess I’ll know better if they ever call back.
evodevo
@Omnes Omnibus:
On top of that…how did you know they were Fibbies?