Michael Cohen

Trump Officially The Most Corrupt President This Early In A Presidency, And Probably, Eventually, More Than Nixon, Grant, And Harding

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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.

Don McGahn Is The New John Dean: Trump And Nixon Scandals Become Linked In History

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Forty five years after John Dean, the White House Counsel under President Richard Nixon, revealed the illegal actions of his boss in the Watergate Scandal, now we are learning for certain that Don McGahn, the White House Counsel under Donald Trump, has been cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, on the actions of his boss.

The difference is that McGahn has engaged in such cooperation for at least the last nine months, while Dean delayed such cooperation, and eventually served a short term in prison as a result, while McGahn clearly wants to avoid that.

So the idea that everyone around Trump is willing to “take a bullet” for Trump is now shown not to be the case, and it is likely that others around Trump will abandon their loyalty to Trump, realizing that he is a “sinking ship”, and that they can still recover some of their reputation and dignity by working against their boss, as he has absolutely no loyalty to them.

Donald Trump is self indicting as he continues to rant and rave on Twitter, including many bursts of anger as this posting is being formulated, as he realizes the future is gloomy, as evidence of Russian collusion, obstruction of justice, abuse of power, violations of the Emoluments Clause, and other crimes has been gathered by Mueller. Trump also realizes now that his son Donald, Jr, and his son in law Jared Kushner, and many of his cabinet members and other advisers, are in danger of being indicted.

With Omarosa Manigault Newman and Michael Cohen adding to Trump’s grief, he is now besieged on all fronts, but while the process to remove him from office moves forward, there is great concern about the dangers of him creating a foreign policy or national security crisis, and trying to shut down the Bill of Rights, and declare martial law.

Trump is clearly very mentally ill, and it is essential that the military, behind the scenes, and particularly, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, work to prevent any dangerous actions by the President, and prevent him from ordering a nuclear strike. And the top national security personnel, in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, and the Director of National Intelligence need to block any rash actions by Trump that threatens American democracy.

Treason In US History: Benedict Arnold, Aaron Burr, John Tyler, Jefferson Davis, And Now Donald Trump

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Treason is a tough issue to approach.

Certainly, Benedict Arnold committed treason, and is condemned for it in history, when he attempted to hand over West Point, New York and its thousands of soldiers to the British in 1780, during the American Revolution.

Some observers think Aaron Burr may have committed treason after leaving the Vice Presidency in 1805, attempting to seize part of the Louisiana Territory or take away Spanish territories further west. He was arrested, brought to trial for treason, and Chief Justice John Marshall ruled he had not committed treason by the normal definition, and conspiracy without actions should not lead to conviction. Still, many people then and since, think Burr was guilty of treason.

President John Tyler gave up his citizenship, and supported the Confederate States of America, becoming part of the provisional Confederate Congress in 1861, before his death in 1862, therefore committing treason.

Jefferson Davis committed treason, as President of the Confederate States of America, as did Vice President Alexander Stephens and other public officals, and arguably, General Robert E. Lee, and other Confederate generals, as well.

And now, it is becoming more likely that the 45th President, Donald Trump, has committed treason by colluding with the Russians to fix the Presidential election of 2016. The President is indicting himself by his own Twitter comments, and contradictory statements being made on a regular basis, and he exudes guilt, and has for many months.

The Robert Mueller investigation is mounting evidence that is leading to that conclusion, and the Southern District of New York investigation, particularly in relation to Michael Cohen, is also moving in that direction.

A proposal that I would wish to make regarding this whole situation.

John Tyler, when he died, was not accorded the normal situation of a President who passes away—that is, flying the flag at half staff, and giving a President a state funeral.

The same, of course, was the case with Jefferson Davis.

So it seems appropriate to say that when Donald Trump passes away, no matter what happens in the interim regarding the present investigation of his behavior and actions, there should be no flying the flags at half staff, and no state funeral, as a traitor should not be accorded such an honor.

Of course, his death and burial would be reported, but it should not be given the dignity of what every other President, except John Tyler, was accorded!

July 27, 1974, 2016, And 2018: History Of Abuse Of Power Personified, But Karma On The Way

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On this day in 1974, the House Judiciary Committee voted to impeach Richard Nixon by a vote of 27-11, including six Republicans.

On this day in 2016, Donald Trump called openly for Russia to hack the emails of Hillary Clinton, an odd statement to make, which raised eyebrows at the time, a crucial moment in the Presidential Election campaign of 2016.

Now, today, two years later, Michael Cohen, close associate who had said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump, has revealed that he knows that the Trump Tower meeting in June 2016, including Paul Manafort, now in prison awaiting trial, and Donald Trump, Jr. and Jared Kushner (son and son in law of the President), with Russians, to gain “dirt” on Hillary Clinton, took place.

Also, Cohen will testify that Donald Trump knew about and authorized the meeting, despite denials by Trump and his son.

No matter who leaked it, it does not help Donald Trump one iota, and instead undermines his credibility, which for anyone intelligent, is already zero.

So that, plus the top Trump financial adviser Allen Weisselberg being issued a subpoena to appear before a grand jury, plus a federal judge allowing trial on the Emoluments Clause law suit, are further evidence of the lies and deceit by Trump, his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and everyone else in the Trump circle.

Karma is starting to emerge, and the odds of Trump being impeached in 2019 by a Democratic controlled House of Representatives, and with some Republicans joining in, as some did in 1974 against Richard Nixon, becomes more likely.

Donald Trump Throws Everyone Who Worked And Supported Him “Under The Bus”, As His Only Purpose Is To Promote His Own Glory

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Donald Trump is for Number One, himself, and has been so all of his life.

He bullied kids when he was a teenager, and he has bullied adults in his work and personal life ever since.

The problem is that he has never been held accountable for his behavior, both in business and in personal life.

He does not care about Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen. George Papadopoulos, Rick Gates, Roger Stone, or anyone else in legal trouble, and in many cases, facing prison for the dirty deeds they did for Donald Trump.

He does not care about the multitude of people who have worked for him in the Presidency, and who he has dumped unceremoniously over his 16 months in office.

He uses everyone to advance himself, insults them, gets them to lie for him, and spends not a minute concerned about their welfare in any form.

He cares not about the nation, but only about himself, and that includes his mistreatment of his three wives, including Melania, who mysteriously has been “missing” for nearly three weeks without any explanation that makes sense. His lack of respect for women is worse than any accusations against earlier Presidents.

He cares only about money and glory, and will see his children in legal trouble and loss of reputation, due to his own selfish, narcissistic nature.

He does not care how much he hurts women, racial minorities, immigrants, children, workers, farmers, and undermines the rule of law, social justice, and basic ethics and morality. He lacks the capability to have compassion, empathy, and common decency toward fellow human beings.

Donald Trump is a very sick man mentally, and a threat to American values, and the urgency to remove him from power and make him legally accountable for his crimes must fuel momentum for a Democratic takeover of both houses of Congress this November in the midterm elections.

Trump’s Destruction Of Reputation Of Two Professions: Medicine And Law

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Donald Trump has managed to destroy the reputation of two professions, medicine and law.

Dr. Harold Bornstein and Dr. Ronny Jackson are examples of the worst of the medical profession, and both should lose their licenses to practice medicine.

Dr. Bornstein allowed himself to give a preposterous statement on the health of candidate Trump, claiming Trump would be the healthiest President in American history, and allowing Trump to make the statement that he issued under Bornstein’s name. He comes across as creepy, weird, strange, and one wonders what sane person would wish to use Dr. Bornstein as their doctor, assuming such a patient is sane.

Dr Jackson clearly lied in his assessment of Trump’s health a few months ago, claiming that he weighed only 239 pounds, that he was in excellent health, and that he could live to be 200 years of age, because of his genes.

Jackson might be an Admiral in the US Navy, and he might have been the White House doctor for George W. Bush and Barack Obama, but he destroyed his entire reputation, and rightfully has withdrawn as a candidate to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs, as he has zero credential and experience to rush such a large bureaucracy.

Both Bornstein and Jackson have allowed themselves to have ethical and legal questions, two more victims of Donald Trump’s narcissism and egotism.

Any sane person can see that Donald Trump has mental and physical health issues, and that he is a very dangerous man to leave in power in the White House, and the nation and the world are endangered the longer he remains in the Presidency!

Also, the lawyers that have come and gone to represent Donald Trump have demonstrated their lack of ethics, their incompetence, and in some cases, as for instance Michael Cohen, their criminality, and all they have done is to sully the legal profession, and promote the joke that lawyers are “liars”!

Everything Donald Trump touches, he destroys!

Likelihood Of Trump Being 4th Shortest Presidency In American History, If He Leaves Office Before June 20, 2019

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This author, scholar and blogger last year predicted that Donald Trump would not last longer than Zachary Taylor’s 492 days in office in 1849-1850, before his death.

At this point with 41 days to go until May 27, the odds of that happening now seem dim, although, with the rapidly developing Michael Cohen story; the Stormy Daniels story; and the Robert Mueller investigation moving ahead full speed, any sudden change, such as a resignation, is theoretically possible.

But even if Trump makes it beyond May 27, the odds of him being in office on June 20, 2019–29 months in office and 881 days–the equivalent of the term of President Warren G. Harding from 1921-1923 until his death–seems highly doubtful.

One has to wonder if the nation could tolerate another 14 months of Donald Trump, after the 15 month anniversary coming up on Friday, April 20.

The odds of Trump’s family members and his son in law being indicted could provoke a resignation if some kind of “deal” were to be struck to get him out of office, although the general public would expect some kind of penalty for Trump, considering his illegal, unconstitutional behavior, and the damage he has done to the institution of the American Presidency!

The Odyssey Of Donald Trump: From Roy Cohn To Michael Cohen, 1973-2018

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Donald Trump first became a public figure in 1973 when he defended his father’s discrimination against African American tenants in his real estate projects in Queens County, New York. He utilized infamous attorney Roy Cohn, who had been the major figure assisting the despicable Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy in his tirade against those in government and academia, who he labeled as being Communists, “Reds”, a danger to the American people, all part of his “Red Scare”, also known as “McCarthyism”.

Cohn well knew the falsehoods of Joseph McCarthy, but he played “hardball”, while living a very corrupt life long after McCarthy had fallen from power, and died in 1957.

Cohn connected with Organized Crime interests and led a lascivious lifestyle, including being openly gay, while denying and condemning gays and lesbians, a true hypocrite, and at the end, he died of the effects of AIDS.

But he became after 1973 an adviser to young Trump, and Trump has said that Cohn was a shaping force in his life.

And now, Donald Trump has been very close to his attorney, Michael Cohen, who has done all kinds of “good deeds” for him, including dealing with Trump’s love life scandals, and after the raid on his home, hotel room and offices, apparently was enmeshed in scandalous activities that may help to bring Donald Trump down, and cause Cohen to face prison time.

So Donald Trump’s odyssey has been to go from the disgraced Roy Cohn to the newly disgraced Michael Cohen over 45 years. The present situation may lead to the removal of Donald Trump from office, and even with potential pardons in the offing, Trump and Cohen and others, in regards to their business and love life dealings, may still be prosecuted in New York State, and would not be covered by the pardon power of the Presidency.

The Moment Of Reckoning Has Arrived: The Syria Crisis Enmeshed With Trump Domestic Crisis, Most Dangerous Moment Since Cuban Missile Crisis In 1962!

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It is now almost 15 months since Donald Trump took the oath of office, and the nation has been fortunate that no major crisis had arisen.

But now, it has arrived, the Syria Crisis, enmeshed with Trump’s abuse of the Constitution, and the threat to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller and or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, with the raid on the offices, home, and hotel rooms of Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen.

The Republican Congress has been unwilling to pass legislation to prevent the firing of Mueller or Rosenstein. And Trump is threatening Russia and Iran over the Syrian use of chemical warfare, and Russia has interfered with American drones over Syria, so this is a massive crisis, which could lead to a major war in the Middle East with the US vs Russia.

Trump has made clear he will bomb Syria in a tweet this morning, after having said he would not give out military information before it occurs, and that has only ratcheted up the rhetoric and threats between Trump and Vladimir Putin’s government, and one wonders if it is just rhetoric, or whether direct conflict between the US and Russia is in the offing.

It is certainly proper that the US react to the chemical warfare by Syria, but the way it is being done is alarming, and signals a crisis which may get out of control.

The true test of how disastrous Donald Trump can be is now in the offing, and we all need to pray, even if not religious, as this is a major test of American leadership, and the protection of American values!

Donald Trump Has Finally Created A Constitutional Crisis With His Threat To Fire Robert Mueller, And Possibly Rod Rosenstein

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Here we are on Day 446 of the Trump Presidency, and a direct threat by Donald Trump to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and possibly Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, in wake of the FBI seizure of materials from Trump personal lawyer Michael Cohen yesterday. It all is due to the Stormy Daniels controversy, but other materials, related to money laundering and Russian collusion, may also have been seized.

Trump has gone totally berserk, and is saying what has happened is a direct attack on the nation, a totally preposterous concept! And this state of mind is happening as the crisis over Syrian use of chemical weapons is on the front burner, and could lead to direct confrontation between Trump and Vladimir Putin of Russia, and cause a direct military response that could escalate, the most dangerous moment so far in the Trump Presidency.

To have a President who is so mentally unbalanced, and grasping for absolute power, preventing a full investigation of the crimes and lawlessness by himself and his underlings, and his Cabinet and other appointees, is the most dangerous situation we have been in since the Watergate Scandal under Richard Nixon.

But the potential for the crisis to be as serious as the Cuban Missile Crisis under John F. Kennedy is also possible.

And even when Richard Nixon was under fire for Watergate, he still had a steady hand in foreign policy, because he was an expert in that area.

And John F. Kennedy had a steady hand in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

But Donald Trump is clearly incapable of a steady hand, and he is a true danger to American democracy and the Bill of Rights, and he MUST be prevented from ending the Robert Mueller investigation NOW!

And it is time for the Republican Party in Congress to forget party, and do the right thing in protecting the Mueller investigation, as advocated by North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis, and Delaware Democratic Senator Chris Coons.

One gets the feeling that Trump’s time in office may be nearing an end soon, and Vice President Mike Pence needs to put the nation ahead of the President, and work to undermine him NOW!