While the legacy media and the Trump-deranged left (and right) obsess over a ludicrously thin show-trial in New York, down in Washington, a very real trial is flying almost completely under the radar. Which is odd, because it has all the sensation the media could surely want: A-list Hollywood celebrity, washed-up 90s rap star, dodgy foreign businessmen, foreign donations laundering, election interference, the Chinese government, and an ex-president.
Except, the ex-president in this case is a Democrat. No wonder the media are doing their best to ignore it.
Movie star Leonardo DiCaprio took the stand in a federal trial on Monday that seeks to hammer down the details of what appears to be a money-funneling scheme that features a Malaysian financier funneling tens of millions of dollars through a prominent 90s rap artist for the purpose of donating to former President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.
Foreign donations to American presidential campaigns are illegal. Only US citizens or Green Card holders are permitted to donate to presidential hopefuls. Anyone else is legally viewed as foreign influence.
Kind of like “Russian collusion” — only real.
In this case, the illegal donations came from a shady Malaysian banker. To try and hide its source, the cash was channelled through a local catspaw.
DiCaprio plays into the saga because he was said to have partied with Jho Low, a Malaysian financier […] “It was a casual conversation about what party he was in support of, I told him what party I was in support of. And he told me that he, or he and a group, were going to make a significant contribution to the Democratic Party. … I said ‘wow, that’s a lot of money.’”
And very, very illegal. Although DiCaprio appears to have been prepared to take Low’s money to finance his movie, The Wolf of Wall Street, he apparently was smart enough not to get involved in donations laundering. Not so the washed-up pop star.
Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, founder of The Fugees, has been recruited by Low in an effort to funnel money to Obama’s re-election bid, because foreigners are not allowed to contribute to US campaigns. The report indicated that Michel had taken “tens of millions of dollars” to lobby the government on behalf of the Chinese government.
The Post-Millennial
For the has-been rapper, it was all too good an offer to refuse.
The Fugees member was reportedly paid $70 million for his assistance to Low.
He faces 11 criminal counts of trying to influence the Obama and Trump administrations. Prosecutors have also accused the musician of attempting to interfere with the latter’s investigation into Low.
NY Post
As it turns out, presidential hopefuls are a lot cheaper to buy off than even past-their-prime rappers.
Prosecutors have claimed that Michel received over $20 million from foreign accounts, which were then passed off to 20 “straw donors from June to November 2012,” according to The Post. These donors were believed to have made the contributions to the Obama campaign in their names so that money could not be tracked back to Low.
And that’s just the start of shenanigans. Low is accused of being a very naughty boy on all accounts.
However, it turns out that much of the money was stolen. Low is now being accused of embezzling $4.5 billion from 1MDB, Malaysia’s state investment fund, per Reuters.
Low appears to have friends in much higher places than Hollywood, though.
According to Utusan Malaysia, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador, has confirmed that the fugitive financier is currently hiding in Macau. The IGP also revealed that Jho Low and his family members have been seen moving freely in Hong Kong, and that the Chinese government is believed to be providing protection to them.
The Post-Millennial
So: foreign financiers with ties to the Chinese government, illegally funnelling money into US presidential campaigns to try and buy influence…
And the media are obsessing 24-7 over Donald Trump. Because of course they are.
