Robert Mueller

Terrified, Trump Paves the Way for Calling His Lawyer Michael Cohen a Liar When He Flips

Posted by on April 21, 2018 at 12:36 pm. NO Comments :

There have never been darker clouds over the White House than there are now. Donald Trump is keenly aware that he is in deep peril and his presidency could come crashing down. Much of his concern is centered around the recent news that his lawyer, Michael Cohen, was the subject of a raid by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan. Trump is behaving as though he is aware of the potential for discovery of his own criminal activities. Innocent people don’t act this guilty.

Donald Trump, Maggie Haberman

Our desperately frightened president is showing his seething fear on Twitter with another of his morning tweetstorms. This one is directed at the Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, but it goes much deeper than that:

The article that triggered Trump’s rant was an analysis of the potential for Cohen to flip on Trump and spill his guts to special counsel Robert Mueller. If Trump didn’t think that was possible, he wouldn’t have lashed out like this. His attack on Haberman is a typically shallow insult without any factual basis. Third rate reporters don’t win Pulitzers. Haberman has a record of being particularly harsh on the Clintons. And he frequently calls Haberman, who has also been his guest at the White House.

Trump’s reference to “a drunk/drugged up loser” is the sort of blind attack that he specializes in. Speculation that he’s referring to Roger Stone is safe, but unconfirmed. [Update: Haberman tweets that Trump is referring to Sam Nunberg. He’s too scared of Stone]. In any case, he is proving that anyone who crosses him is subject to his wrath, even loyal supporters. Additionally, his assertion that Haberman’s sources are “nonexistent” is a common and baseless line that he throws out in a lame attempt to dismiss criticism. But it’s also a direct attack on the First Amendment.

Most troubling about this flurry of tweets is Trump’s attempt to distance himself from Cohen. His phrasing that Cohen is a “businessman for his own account” is Trump’s way of implying that he isn’t really Trump’s lawyer. Perhaps he’s just the coffee boy. Even worse is Trump’s assertion that “Most people will flip if […] even if it means lying or making up stories.” Here Trump is laying out his strategy for what he will do if Cohen does flip. He’s going to call Cohen, his personal attorney for decades, a self-serving liar who was seduced by the evil government into inventing heinous tales of criminality by Trump.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Trump closes with a signal to Cohen that he can stay in Trump’s good graces if he resists the efforts by the Feds and the media to coerce him into telling the truth. But if Cohen flips, Trump isn’t going to be able to credibly portray him as a liar. He would have to make people believe that Cohen would expose himself to even greater legal jeopardy by giving false testimony. So in this affair Trump is a cornered rat and he’s acting like one. That, of course, is only going to make matters worse as events continue to close in around him. Fun times ahead.

Here’s Why Trump’s ‘Fixer’ Michael Cohen Ran Away From the BuzzFeed/Steele Dossier Lawsuit

Posted by on April 19, 2018 at 12:41 pm. 1 Comments :

The news emanating from Donald Trump’s Circque Du Collusion continues to break with rapid fire reliability. Much of it this week has been centered on Trump’s “lawyer” Michael Cohen, whose prospects for remaining a free man are getting more remote by the hour.


In just the space of a few days Cohen’s home and office were raided by New York prosecutors, he was forced to reveal that Sean Hannity of Fox News was his “secret” client (which Hannity denied), and a fellow attorney who is close to Trump told the President that Cohen was likely to flip and testify against him.

The latest embarrassing development to emerge is the announcement that Cohen is dropping a lawsuit that he filed against BuzzFeed News. The suit was in response to BuzzFeed publishing the infamous “Steele Dossier” that contained allegations of Trump’s unsavory connections to Russia, along with some salacious tales of engaging in “water sports” with Russian prostitutes.

Cohen’s objections, however, were the references to his alleged travels to Prague on Trump’s behalf to meet with Russian operatives and hackers. He adamantly denied having ever been to Prague in his life and insisted that he could prove it. He portrayed the dossier as outright lies that he would expose to save his reputation, and that of his primary client, Donald Trump.

Well, that’s all over now. Cohen has decided to forego his reputation rescue and let the matter slide. He says that he’s too busy now with other legal entanglements, most notably involving porn star Stormy Daniels. And, of course, his ordeal with the recent raid that is seeking information concerning possible bank and wire fraud. While those are indeed serious concerns, they don’t actually interfere with his proceeding with the BuzzFeed suit if he were really convinced that he would prevail.

And therein lies his problem. The likelihood of succeeding against BuzzFeed has decline in recent days. McClatchy News reported that special counsel Robert Mueller has evidence that Cohen did, in fact, go to Prague. And Cohen has failed to produce any of his alleged proof that he didn’t. Consequently, proceeding with the lawsuit presents more risks than benefits.

Should Cohen persist in this litigation he would be required to sit for a deposition with lawyers from BuzzFeed. They would surely ask him about his travels and the supposed proof that he was never in Prague. His answers would be under oath. What’s more, the discovery process would require him to hand over any and all documents (letters, itineraries, receipts, phone calls, emails, etc.) pertaining to his whereabouts during the time in question.

By backing out of this lawsuit that he was so confidant of winning, Cohen is sending the message that he is more worried about coming clean than he had previously let on. He is signaling that the evidence might actually prove that he was in Prague. And the depth of the discovery could even verify who he was meeting with when he was there. In other words, continuing with the suit could wind up getting him in even deeper legal trouble.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

It should also be noted that Cohen’s legal bills are being paid by the Trump campaign. More than $200,000 of Trump’s donor’s money has already been paid to Cohen’s attorneys. However, the Trump campaign cannot bankroll the BuzzFeed litigation. It’s unknown whether that had any impact on the decision to drop the suit. Cohen presumably could pay for his own legal representation. After all, by his account he had the wherewithal to pay Stormy Daniels $130,000 in hush money out of his own pocket. So it’s more likely that his reluctance to proceed with the suit was due to legal jeopardy than financing. And he still isn’t out of hot water. Stay tuned.

Trump Told Fox News that the U.S. is Just as Bad as Russia and Tried to Make Comey Agree

Posted by on April 16, 2018 at 11:18 am. NO Comments :

The ABC interview of James Comey Sunday night had some juicy quotables. The interview precedes the release of his book, A Higher Loyalty, which is currently number one on Amazon. Comey’s opinion that Donald Trump is “morally unfit to be president” seems to be getting the most play in the morning-after media. But Comey also introduced several “possibilities” that are hard to ignore. He said that it’s possible that Trump is “compromised by the Russians.” He said that there is possible evidence of Trump obstructing justice. And he said that it is possible that Trump “was with prostitutes peeing on each other in Moscow.”

Comey Trump

All of those are harrowing thoughts when applied to the President of the United States. And particularly so when they come from one of the highest law enforcement officials in the American federal government. The harmful prospects implied by those remarks cannot be overstated. And they will surely play a part in the unfolding investigation being conducted by special prosecutor Robert Mueller.

In addition, there was a surprising allusion to Trump’s favorite cable news network, Fox News. It reveals the extent to which he is preoccupied with everything he sees and hears from his shadow policy advisors on the network, who too often become his actual White House advisors. The exchange occurred when George Stephanopoulos asked Trump about his relationship with Vladimir Putin, a unambiguously brutal dictator who Trump has never been able to say a single bad word about. This is what ensued (transcript here, video below):

“The Super Bowl pre-game show where– and I hadn’t asked any questions about this, but the president was just talking about it, he had given an answer to Bill O’Reilly that had been much criticized across the political spectrum when he had said, in response to a question, that he respected Vladimir Putin and said, ‘That doesn’t mean I’m going to get along with him.’

“And then O’Reilly responded, ‘But he’s a killer.” And the president responded, in substance, “But we’re killers, too. You think our country’s so innocent.’ I forget the exact words, but that’s the gist of it. And that moral equivalence, between the people of our government and Putin’s thugs, had generated a lot of controversy. […]

“He was telling me it was a good answer and then said – gave me an opening by saying, ‘You think it was a great answer. You think it was a good answer.’ And then he was starting to move on. And I jumped in and I said, ‘Mr. President, the first part of the answer was fine, not the second part. We’re not the kind of killers that Putin is.’

And when I said that, the weather changed in the room. And like a shadow crossed his face and his eyes got this strange, kinda hard look. And I thought in that moment, ‘I’ve just done something unusual maybe.’ And then (SNAP) it passed and the meeting was over. And, ‘Thanks for coming in,’ and – and Priebus walked me out.”

Comey regarded that exchange as having an unintended positive result. He said that “by interrupting him and also criticizing him to his face,” it ended any personal relationship between him and Trump. It allowed him to “keep a distance that we need to keep from him.” But it also showed that Trump has an unhealthy obsession with whatever he says on Fox News being validated by everyone with whom he comes into contact. Trump desperately wanted Comey to agree that what he told O’Reilly was brilliant.

Of course, what he told O’Reilly was an insult to America and blatantly unpatriotic. Even O’Reilly thought so. Putin is guilty of murdering his political opponents and critical journalists. He is a cold-blooded tyrant who thirsts for world domination. Whatever flaws the U.S. has, they are not on that level of evil. But Comey’s refusal to suck up to Trump caused the President to freeze up. And it may have been at that moment that he decided that Comey had to go.

The cumulative effect of the Russia investigation and Comey’s lack of adoring fealty to Trump sealed his fate. So ironically, Fox News, the PR division of the Trump White House, may have inadvertently played a role in proving that Trump obstructed justice. Who’da thunk it?

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

SAYS WHO? Michael Cohen, Trump’s Fixer, Reportedly Lied About Being in Prague -Dossier Confirmed?

Posted by on April 14, 2018 at 11:00 am. NO Comments :

Donald Trump’s repetitious and hollow declarations that there was “no collusion with Russia” and “no obstruction of justice” have never had any substance to back them up. They were always the ravings of a frightened man exposing to the world his consciousness of guilt. And along with the spin by his sycophants in politics and punditry who insist that there is “no evidence” of any wrongdoing, he continues to stubbornly deny the reality that most Americans plainly see.

Michael Cohen

One of the most frequent claims from the Trump camp is now crumbling to dust. For months they have been castigating the Christopher Steele dossier, a document provided by a respected former British spy, as “fake” news. They pretend that none of it has been verified, even though much, but not all, of it has been. And they assert that the whole investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller should be terminated and discarded because it sprung from the “phony” dossier. For the record, the dossier was a small part of the justification for FISA court authorization of surveillance of certain Trump associates.

One of the claims in the dossier that had been vehemently denied was that Trump’s personal lawyer, and mob fixer, Michael Cohen, had traveled to Prague to meet with Russian operatives. Cohen was adamant that he was never there and tweeted a picture of the front of his passport to prove it. Although how the cover of a passport proves anything has yet to be revealed.

However, a new report by the McClatchy Washington, D.C. bureau undermines Cohen’s denials and asserts that contrary evidence is already in the hands of Mueller’s team. The article quotes sources who confirm his visit to Prague and his meetings with suspicious foreign characters. They include Konstantin Kosachev, an ally of Vladimir Putin who has since been sanctioned for meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Also present were hackers under the supervision of the Kremlin with access to the stolen emails of Hillary Clinton and John Podesta. If this article is true, Cohen has a lot of explaining to do. And not the least of his problems will be that he also made his denials in testimony to Congress which, if false, is a federal crime. The McClatchy story notes that:

It would also be one of the most significant developments thus far in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of whether the Trump campaign and the Kremlin worked together to help Trump win the White House. Undercutting Trump’s repeated pronouncements that “there is no evidence of collusion,” it also could ratchet up the stakes if the president tries, as he has intimated he might for months, to order Mueller’s firing.

That looks pretty bad bad for Cohen, Trump, et al. And the article goes into significantly more detail about the meeting and the alleged conspirators. Cohen has responded to the story in a tweet that calls it “bad reporting” and claims that it was “proven” that he wasn’t in Prague. Of course, none of that is true and he offers no further proof. But if you were to press him him about the allegations that he actually was in Prague, he might just respond by asking his now famous question: “Says who?”

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Untruthful Slime Ball: New Poll Shows Americans Say Trump is Less Believable Than Comey

Posted by on April 13, 2018 at 11:57 am. 5 Comments :

The new book by former FBI Director James Comey is about to be released and details are being discussed in the press. The book, “A Higher Loyalty,” is sure to create a stir as excerpts reveal Donald Trump to be, as Comey says, “unethical, and untethered to truth.” While anyone paying attention the last of couple years already knows this, saying so publicly about a sitting president is unprecedented, especially coming from such a high government official.

Donald Trump, James Comey

It was a foregone conclusion that Trump would be unable to refrain from reacting to Comey’s book. Furthermore, it was easy to predict that his reaction would be hostile, childish, and devoid of any factual basis. And Trump did not disappoint. On Friday morning he commenced his presidential duties by logging in to Twitter and posting some typically asinine attacks on Comey:

Being called a liar by Trump is like being called ignorant by – well, that’d be Trump too. The pissed off president is accusing Comey of serious crimes, which is not only false, but improper for an alleged commander-in-chief. He is prejudicing any potential jury pool with his blatantly biased opinion and personal animus.

However, what really sticks out like a sore, infected, and gangrenous thumb is Trump’s colorful assertion that Comey is an “untruthful slime ball.” He is clearly projecting a character flaw that he sees in himself. And he isn’t the only one who sees that. A new poll by ABC News/Washington Post asked “Who are you more likely to believe, Comey or Trump?” The results may cause Trump’s Diet Pepsi infused blood to go flat. According to the poll:

“Americans by a 16-point margin, 48-32 percent, find Comey more believable than Trump.”

These numbers are similar to previous polls that asked the same question. Last June an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that by a 2-to-1 margin (45% to 22%), Americans said they are more likely to believe Comey than Trump. And just in case Trump dismisses these polls as being “fake” news, other polls show that voters also trust the media far more than they trust Trump.

Those saying that they believe Trump more represent his hard-core base that worship him as their cult leader. They don’t care if he’s lying, if he cheats on his spouse(s), if he breaks the law, or if he shoots someone on Fifth Avenue. Their messiah can do no wrong. Fortunately, the rest of America doesn’t agree. The ABC/WaPo poll asked about other matters related to investigations of Trump’s unsavory activities. By “yuge” majorities the public supports those inquiries and the work that special counsel Robert Mueller is doing:

“The public by a broad 69-25 percent supports Mueller’s initial thrust, to investigate possible collusion between Trump campaign officials and Russian government attempts to influence the 2016 election. Support extends to half of conservatives and more than four in 10 Republicans.

“Backing for Mueller’s work goes further: Americans by 2-1, 64-32 percent, also support his investigating Trump’s business activities. And by 58-35 percent, a 23-point margin, they support investigators’ latest apparent direction, looking at allegations that Trump’s associates paid hush money to women who say they had affairs with him.”

Trump ought to be more careful when calling other people slime balls. The mud he is throwing invariably splashes back on him. And he ends up dirtier than those he seeks to tarnish. It’s a familiar pattern that we can expect to see repeated as Trump’s problems exacerbate. He will predictably lash out with greater ferocity the closer Mueller gets to releasing his findings. Let’s hope that he can be constrained before he does anything even more stupid and destructive to our nation than what he’s done so far.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Trump-Fluffing Nut Job and Fox News Shill Says Root of Mueller Probe is ‘Penis Envy’

Posted by on April 12, 2018 at 12:43 pm. 8 Comments :

It had to come to this. The wingnut miscreants who suck up to Donald Trump have descended to the basest and most delusional fantasies their diseased imaginations can manufacture. It’s not enough anymore to merely smear American patriots as corrupt and dishonest. No, they are now envisioning perverse scenarios that are, in all likelihood, projections of their own psychotic defects.

Wayne Allyn Root Fox News

Wayne Allyn Root is a radio talk show host who resides on the outer fringe of the right-wing universe. He is also a frequent guest on Fox News and a contributor to their website’s editorials. And apparently he is also a sex-obsessed pervert with ludicrous ideas about the motivations of special counsel Robert Mueller. In a completely bonkers rant on Wednesday, Root attacked Mueller in the most disgustingly personal way imaginable. The tirade was triggered by news that the recent raid on the home and offices of Michael Cohen (Trump’s attorney) collected information regarding the now infamous Access Hollywood recordings of Trump bragging about committing sexual assaults.

This is just one part of the wide-ranging investigation into Trump’s improper and unlawful activities that include collusion with Russia, obstruction of justice, and financial corruption. But in Root’s mind it now comprises the whole of the inquiry. And unable to construct any rational arguments to defend Trump or support his demented theories, Root leaped head first into a totally made up story intended to malign Mueller. Here are a couple of excerpts from Root’s dementia courtesy of Right Wing Watch:

“Robert Mueller has probably never had sex in his life,” Root said. “I know he has never had sex with a beautiful woman. Did you ever see the angry look on Robert Mueller’s face? Robert Mueller needs sex badly and he is so jealous that Donald Trump was a billionaire playboy and obviously had sex with the most beautiful women in the world.” […]

“Mueller is vicious, Mueller is disgusting, Mueller is a pervert. Can you imagine what he does at home at night? Who knows what he does, watching his computer images of Donald Trump and beautiful women. I can just guess what Mueller is doing in the dark, with the light of the screen glaring on him inside is office at 12 midnight..” […]

“It’s penis envy,” Root declared triumphantly. “Mueller’s is smaller than Trump’s.”

Root must have had assistants standing by to wipe the drool from his chin. He made a big deal about how women were drawn magnetically to Trump because he was so handsome and rich. Mueller, he said, was just a nerdy, penniless virgin. And it was that contrast that made Mueller so determined to get Trump.

It goes without saying that this is ridiculous in the extreme. It hardly deserves a response. But in the interests of correcting the record, here is the truth about Robert Mueller:

Mueller was born into a life of privilege, much the same as Trump. His father was an executive with DuPont. In school he was popular and admired. He was the captain of the soccer, hockey, and lacrosse teams. He married his childhood sweetheart and remained happily married for fifty-two years (and counting). He enlisted in the Marines and served in Vietnam where he was the recipient of the Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation Medals, the Purple Heart, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. And professionally he compiled a resume of achievement that included a law degree from the University of Virginia, being a U.S. Attorney, and the longest serving Director of the FBI.

Comparing that to Trump’s life of failure is way too easy. Trump inherited his wealth and did virtually nothing to increase it. To the contrary, he claimed bankruptcy half a dozen times. He never had a happy marriage (including the current one) and cheated publicly on all three of his wives. He dodged service in Vietnam with four academic deferments and a bogus claim of bone spurs. And unlike Mueller’s life of public service, Trump was in service only to his own greed, lust, and ego.

Root’s unhinged diatribe is emblematic of the Trump cult mentality so many of the President’s supporters suffer from. Sean Hannity is every bit as deranged and dishonest as Root. But it’s no wonder that these bootlickers have won Trump’s favor. Trump even thanked Root for his slobbering sycophancy on Twitter. They are clearly made for each other. And Root’s latest blathering is sure to give Trump some solace in these trying times preceding his imminent downfall. For a taste of Root’s madness, here is a video of part of Wednesday’s show – if you have the stomach for it:

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Trolling Trump? ‘Rule of Law’ Republicans Run Ad Defending Mueller During Fox And Friends

Posted by on April 11, 2018 at 12:52 pm. 1 Comments :

The Republican Party has demonstrated that they have little to no courage when it comes to mitigating the harm that Donald Trump causes to their party, the nation, and the world. At every turn they’ve had his back, whether it was regarding breaches of the Constitution, sexual harassment and assault, infantile tantrums on Twitter, and especially colluding with Russia to subvert democracy and obstructing justice.

Donald Trump Robert Mueller

Efforts by Congress to reign in Trump’s worst instincts have been suppressed by congressional leaders like Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell. Bipartisan bills have been drafted to insure that Trump does not move to fire special counsel Robert Mueller or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in a vain attempt shield himself from the consequences of his illegal activities. But those bills have been bottled up and, although there are sufficient votes for them to pass, the GOP leaders won’t allow them to come to the floor. Not only that, but Americans don’t want Mueller fired 69 percent to 13 percent. And that includes a majority (55%) of Republicans. Even a Twitter poll by Fox’s Lou Dobbs opposed firing Mueller (70% to 25%).

However, there now seems to be a growing assortment of GOP politicians and pundits whose disgust with the President can no longer be contained. They have launched an initiative seeking to protect Mueller from the vengeful Wrath of Trump. The “Rule of Law Republicans“ include some of the most prominent party members, office holders and media. Their website features quotes from many of them that strongly support the work of the special counsel, including Sen. Mike Lee, Sen. Ben Sasse, Rep. Trey Gowdy, Sen. John McCain, former Gov. Chris Christie, and National Review editor Rich Lowry, to name a few. In addition to the website, the group purchased ad time to run commercials like this one:

In a particularly inspired bit of programming, they bought airtime during Donald Trump’s favorite Fox News show, Fox and Friends, in the Washington, D.C. market. They know that Trump watches the show every morning, often live-tweeting what he sees. So it’s safe to say that Trump saw the ad. And since he relies more on Fox News than the combined resources of his White House staff, cabinet and intelligence agencies, they hope that this will be a way to influence his future behavior. That may be somewhat optimistic, but it’s as good a strategy as any other.

The urgency to protect Mueller escalated significantly after the U.S. Attorney’s office raided the home and offices of Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. He immediately tweeted that “Attorney–client privilege is dead!” and called the probe “A TOTAL WITCH HUNT!!!” On Wednesday morning’s regularly scheduled tweetstorm, Trump lashed out saying that:

Of course the inhabitants of the Real World know that all of the top managers of the inquiry (Mueller, Rosenstein, A.G. Jeff Sessions, FBI Director Chris Wray) are life long Republicans. What’s more, they were all appointed by Trump. So his accusation that Mueller is the “most conflicted of all” is not only delusional, it should be seen as a bright, high-flying red flag declaring his desire and intention to terminate Mueller.

Democrats have been concerned about Mueller’s status for months. Only now are a significant number of Republicans joining those who worry that Trump will pull the trigger. What’s funny is that there is also new outcry among conservatives that Democrats are trying to goad Trump into firing Mueller. Apparently they think that demanding that Trump leave Mueller alone is a sophisticated reverse psychology scheme by crafty leftists to get him to do the opposite. How insidious those Democrats are. But Media Matters has compiled evidence of who is actually trying to force Trump to act against Mueller. And it’s mostly people on Fox News:

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

With Mueller Looming, Trump Auditions Alan Dershowitz to Be His Newest Fox News Spawned Lawyer

Posted by on April 10, 2018 at 7:40 pm. 1 Comments :

The legal swamp that Donald Trump finds himself in continues to get deeper and muddier. The news that his personal attorney, Michael Cohen had his home and office raided can only be regarded as a bad omen. And while Trump is flailing in a legal morass, his legal representation is falling apart. Along with Cohen’s troubles, Trump lost his lead attorney, John Dowd, last week. And Dowd’s replacement, Joseph DiGenova, was hired and fired within the space of a couple of days.

Robert Mueller Trump

This leaves a legal team that consists of Ty Cobb and Jay Sekulow, neither of whom have any expertise in the sort of political intrigue that is engulfing Trump. Consequently, he needs to expand his legal roster with someone who has the appropriate skills and competence. Unfortunately, Trump doesn’t know anyone with those qualities. Plus, many of those people have already turned the President’s offer of employment down. The only people Trump knows are the ones he sees on television. That’s why he is now meeting with Alan Dershowitz, O.J. Simpson’s attorney and frequent Fox News guest.

Dershowitz has been spending a lot of time lately on Fox defending Trump and criticizing anyone who has an opinion that doesn’t advance Trump’s interests. Dershowitz insists that the special counsel, Robert Mueller, is running an illegal shop that should never have opened up in the first place. He believes that obstruction of justice cannot be alleged absent an underlying crime. Regarding pardons, he takes the absurd position that “engaging in a constitutionally authorized act cannot be the basis of a criminal charge.” Were that true, a president could solicit a hit man to murder an opponent with the promise that he’ll get pardoned.

Dershowitz has been actively arguing Trump’s case before the court of public opinion. And coincidentally, every opinion he expresses is one that’s pro-Trump. His prominence and obvious biases as aired on Fox News is certainly what brought him to Trump’s attention. So now he’s dining at the White House as the legal clouds surrounding Trump get more Stormy. That’s curious considering that just yesterday he told Sean Hannity that “I don’t give advice to the president except on television. If he wants to listen, he can listen.”

Well, now that may all be changing and Dershowitz will become Trump’s advisor. If not, there are still a bunch of wingnut, Trump-fluffing, Fox News “lawyers” up for grabs. “Judge” Jeanine Pirro, Gregg Jarrett, and Kimberly Guilfoyle are all prospects that Trump might consider. Although none of them would actually serve the purpose of advancing his legal interests, they sure could get booked on Fox News to spread his lies and propaganda.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

‘WITCH HUNT’: Donald Trump Responds to the FBI Raid of His Attorney Michael Cohen (Video)

Posted by on April 9, 2018 at 4:04 pm. 4 Comments :

It’s Mueller Monday and the breaking news about special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Donald Trump’s crime family has just broken new ground. The New York Times reported earlier that the FBI raided the home, office, and hotel room of Trump’s attorney, Michael Cohen. This can only be viewed as a serious escalation of the legal jeopardy that Trump faces. So naturally, he is lashing out with wild accusations against the law enforcement agencies that are performing their duties to protect the public welfare.

Donald Trump

In his response, Trump made some familiar criticisms that have been the core of his past whining about being the subject of this investigation. In a brief press availability during a national security meeting, Trump said:

  • “It’s a disgraceful situation.”
  • “I have this witch hunt constantly going on for over twelve months now.”
  • “It’s an attack on our country…what we all stand for.”
  • The special counsel office is “the most conflicted group of people I have ever seen.”
  • No one “is looking at the other side (i.e. Hillary Clinton).”
  • “A whole new level of unfairness.”
  • “Why don’t I just fire Mueller? Well, I think it’s a disgrace, and we’ll see what happens.”

These lame and tedious complaints do nothing to counter the devastating news of this raid. Nor do they advance any argument that it was improper or help him to establish innocence. We have heard it all before and majorities of the American people don’t believe him.

Of note is his assertion that this is an attack on our country. Um…No it isn’t. This is all about Trump’s sleazy and likely illegal behavior and that of his associates. Calling the special counsel’s office “conflicted” has always been ludicrous. Mueller is a life-long Republican, as is is boss at the Department of Justice, Rod Rosenstein (who Trump appointed). And no one should be surprised by Trump’s interjection of “whataboutism” with his left field swipe at Hillary Clinton, who has been investigated ad infinitum with no hint of wrongdoing being discovered.

Perhaps the most ominous part of Trump’s remarks refers to the possible firing of Mueller. Trump has said in the past that he is not even considering such a thing. Now he says that “we’ll see what happens.” That’s a sharp u-turn in the direction of terminating the special counsel or Rosenstein. And if that happens, rest assured that the rest of his house of cards will quickly tumble down.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Trump’s Brilliant Plan to Lure a Good Lawyer Who Can Stomach Him? Insult Them All

Posted by on March 25, 2018 at 11:04 am. 2 Comments :

As both a candidate and as president, Donald Trump has proven that he has one skill that towers over his critics and opponents. It isn’t the “Art of the Deal” as he demonstrated by caving in to sign a spending bill that he vociferously hates. It isn’t management and recruiting as his record turnover rate at the White House proves. And it isn’t political gamesmanship considering he can’t outplay either special counsel Robert Mueller or porn star Stormy Daniels.

Donald Trump

Trump’s greatest skill is his ability to recklessly insult anyone and everyone who he perceives to have opposed him, even in the most trivial matter. Consequently, he is having a difficult time attracting people to serve in his chaotic administration. As noted above, more people have quit or been fired than in any previous presidential administration. These are the people that he boasted were “the best” and would work diligently to MAGA the hell out of the nation.

Most recently Trump has suffered a breakdown in his legal team. This is a bad time for such problems with Mueller breathing down the wattle that passes for his neck, and multiple women aggressively challenging his assaultive behavior. His lead attorney, John Dowd, quit last week. And now the replacements he called in from Fox News, Joseph DiGenova and his wife Victoria Toensing, are abandoning plans to represent him.

This leaves Trump in a precarious position. He is in desperate need of reputable legal representation. His current personal lawyer, Jay Sekulow, is a well known hack who spends more time on TV than in courtrooms. And prominent lawyers who Trump has tried to recruit (i.e. Ted Olson, Bob Bennett) have declined his requests. So given Trump’s inability to coax decent attorneys to work for him, he has embarked on what he probably thinks is a charm offensive:

That’s right. When no one with any credentials will have anything to do with you, it’s time to start insulting everyone and then just wait until the resumes pour in. Trump’s tweets are blatantly offensive to any prospects who might have considered joining his team. First he accuses them of being driven only by “fame and fortune.” That’s a personality flaw that is all too apparent in Trump himself, so it isn’t surprising that he thinks everyone else is just as egocentric. Then he asserts that they are only looking for opportunities to unfairly bill their clients. And that’s another example of Trump projecting his psychoses onto others.

What decent lawyer is going to want to represent Trump after he calls them all greedy and narcissistic? Plus, they have seen the way he treats people who work for him. Humiliation is part of the job in the Trump sphere. Which makes his claim that many lawyers want to represent him rather implausible. Perhaps he means the ambulance chasers who actually do fit his greedy narcissist profile. Or maybe he’s thinking of the crop of sycophantic Fox News “lawyers” who would happily shift their Trump-fluffing from television to the White House. They wouldn’t have to change a thing. Just follow Trump’s lead: Continue denying that there was any collusion with Russia, and keep attacking Hillary Clinton. They could do it in their sleep. But don’t expect any attorneys who are respected in their field to sign on with this dumpster fire. They know that they are likely to lose to Mueller’s powerhouse team, but more importantly, that exposure to Trump is a guaranteed career killer.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.