The conviction of Paul Manafort on eight counts, and the plea deal of Michael Cohen, both occurring in the same hour late this afternoon, officially labels the Donald Trump Presidency as the most corrupt this early in a Presidency, in American history.
And this is not even counting the corruption and incompetence of so many Trump Administration Cabinet members and other top figures in his Presidency.
Three earlier Presidents had corruption at high levels, with usually Richard Nixon considered the worst, followed by Ulysses S. Grant and Warren G. Harding.
But it is important to know there is no belief or knowledge that either Grant or Harding personally were engaged in corruption, just that those around them were so engaged, and these two Presidents were not aware of such corruption, and did not order it.
Nixon, on the other hand, WAS involved in corruption and illegalities, but not known publicly or leading to convictions and pleas this early, in the second year of his Presidency.
So when the whole situation, in all its complexity, is revealed about Trump Administration corruption, it is likely it will far surpass even that corruption under Richard Nixon’s Presidency.