My wonderful colleague Noah Lanard is currently making his way back from Trump Tower in Manhattan, where, according to him, a mix of MAGA diehards and possible performance artists gathered in anticipation of Donald Trump's potential indictment over his alleged hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
We'll have Noah's lowdown on the protests soon. But while we wait, I want to bring your attention to another MAGA-universe character, who as it happens, owns a penthouse nearby Trump Tower on the Upper East Side. From my colleague Dan Friedman, our in-house Guo Wengui expert, on last week's mysterious fire.
Hours after the arrest last week of fugitive Chinese mogul Guo Wengui at his Upper East Side penthouse apartment in the tony Sherry-Netherland Hotel, a two-alarm fire broke out there. New York authorities are investigating what caused the blaze, which news reports said began while Guo was in custody and FBI agents were searching his residence. The New York Post reported that investigators are looking into whether the fire was sparked “remotely.”
Investigators have yet to share any conclusions about the cause of the fire in Guo’s apartment. But there is some crazy context to consider. In 2017, a Chinese court found that four defendants, including Guo’s brother, had, four years earlier, destroyed accounting documents, receipts, and other records at a Beijing property Guo then owned—by fire, at Guo’s behest.
Let's consider this for a moment: A MAGA mogul, an associate of former Trump aide Steve Bannon, was arrested. Suddenly a large fire breaks out at his residence where officials had been investigating. This mogul, as Dan reports, also has a history of telling his supporters to engage in a "flame revolution." Yeah, this might be the most bonkers twist in a timeline already teeming with them. They include charges of running a billion-dollar scheme to defraud followers, the seizure of over $634 million from bank accounts controlled by Guo, and accusations of stolen funds to purchase a luxury yacht where Bannon himself was arrested.
You'll have to read all the details here. I can't think of a better way to wait for a potential indictment.
—Inae Oh
