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Michael Cohen

Will Tucker Carlson Become Michael Cohen?

April 25, 2023
by Peter Feinman
Michael Cohen Testifying (Source: Diego M. Radzinschi) and Tucker Carlson receiving a subpoena for January 6 (Getty Images)

Will Tucker Carlson become Michael Cohen? Right now commentators comment on the options Carlson has for his future. Some of the suggestions may be taken as tongue in cheek: no, he will not work for RT … although he could become a reporter for them! The problem then would not be disseminating his message in Russia but in the United States. If he does not care about his American audience then playing the Russian card seems legitimate. But Carlson is a young male by Don Lemon standards still in his prime so he may prefer something larger. As the great Yogi said, “when you come to the fork in the road, take it.” Carlson is now at that proverbial fork in the road.

ANOTHER NETWORK

Yes, there are other networks. Whether or not they can afford Carlson is another matter. Furthermore, another network will not give him the outsize presence in the American political arena he had with Foxhub. Does the name Chris Cuomo ring a bell? How about Bill O’Reilly? Or Glen Beck? At some point, Carlson’s slot will be filled. That person will be different in style and personality but probably not too much in politics and social values … at least those expressed on the air.

It is not as if the audience Carlson cared about in the texts revealed in the lawsuit will automatically follow him to wherever he goes. After all that audience already knows that Carlson cannot be trusted to tell them the truth or to respect their intelligence. It is hard to see how another network or even creating his own podcast will keep him in the limelight. Anyone who accepts his invitation to appear on Carlson’s show would be jeopardizing their chances to appear on Foxhub.

WORK FOR TRUMP

Another possibility is to work for Trump in some capacity during the campaign and then during the Trump administration. This option poses its own problems. Carlson is used to operating independently and not being supervised by anyone. While it is perfectly permissible for Trump himself to go off the deep rails secure in the knowledge that his flunkies will support him, the same cannot be said in reverse. Apparently some of Carlson’s shows surprised and angered the higher ups in the Fox business organization. If that happened in a Trump bureaucracy, then Carlson would not last long. How long could Carlson survive if kept on a tight leash? Imagining him as a Press Secretary brings shudders to everyone and his survival time would be limited.

BECOME A NEW TUCKER CARLSON

For now Carlson is facing his own lawsuit and who knows if there are more to come. If the charges prove true, then it is a whole new ball game. Then he has to become concerned not only with spreading disinformation, but with the consequences of his having created a toxic work environment that could lead to more lawsuits down the road wherever he is hired.

Strangely enough despite the rape trial and revival of the Access Hollywood tapes, there have been no additional charges for anything Trump has done in the last 15 years. It is probably the longest he has gone without any sexual and/or harassment charges being levied against him. Since he still is a person of no morals, the change is not because Trump saw the light. Perhaps his current wife lay down the law about what would happen if he is caught again. On the other hand, given his age, it is possible he just lost his mojo. Either way, the change in behavior is rather remarkable. So maybe Carlson’s next work environment won’t be as toxic. He could change.

BECOME THE NEW MICHAEL COHEN

One final consideration is to go straight and tell the truth. What does he have to gain by not telling the truth? Everybody knows now what he really thought about January 6 in contrast to his “documentary.” We have heard what he has had to say/tweet about the cast of characters and their “evidence” to overturn the results of the 2020 election. We know what he thinks about calling the election in Arizona. We certainly know what he has said/tweeted about the person who actually was trying to steal the election. So when Carlson is deposed to appear in the Federal investigation into the events surrounding January 6, what reason does he have to lie or to take the Fifth?  Think of how much he knows about the goings on inside the White House and inside the head of the President.

If Carlson should decide to tell the truth, then the floodgates maybe opened. There are so many topics Carlson potentially could tell the truth about with even more coverage that Michael Cohen. Ukraine, COVID, COVID vaccines in addition to January 6. These are not areas where Carlson would be asked to violate his values. Instead all he would be asked to do is to tell the truth.

Carlson would then have the opportunity to explain the Dominion tweets which so rocked the non-Trump world. Michael Cohen does not hesitate for a moment to delve into the psyche and emotional immaturity of the person he calls DONALD. We already know what Carlson really thinks about Trump the person. One can imagine Carlson having counted the weeks, the days, the hours, and the minutes before he was rid of the demonic destroyer he passionately despises. Now here we are almost two years later with Carlson out of a job and Trump on the path to Presidential Election Round II. So why not tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? He has no audience to lose and a place in history to gain.

At this point, no one knows for sure what Tucker Carlson will do. Even he might not know. His mind may be a swirl of emotions and roads to take. It may take time for it to settle down. In the meantime there will be more Trump indictments and possible subpoenas. Carlson had moments in his past when he wondered about his journey when things were not going well in his career. Now he is at the biggest moment of his life with the biggest fork in the road staring him in the face. Will Tucker Carlson become a profile in courage or will he continue to be the toxic person spewing disinformation wherever he goes for the rest of his life?

The Three Taxeteers: Al Capone, Leona Helmsley, and Donald Trump

July 8, 2021
by Peter Feinman

This image of Al Capone, Leona Helmsley, and Donald Trump comes from a blog dated October 2, 2016. While I would love to take credit for it, the author was Jordan Zoot. At that time he wrote:

Helmsley….perhaps the most notorious and self righteous criminal tax evader in the history of the United States. I will never forget her quote “We don’t pay taxes, only little people pay taxes” which rightfully caused her to get “hung by her own tongue” and sent to prison….which is more likely than not the proper answer for Donald Trump.

As a CPA with thirty five years of involvement with our tax system, the disclosures in the New York Times make me want to throw up. I would absolutely no [sic] respect of anyone that would actually vote for this mentally defective, vile animal to be POTUS. Why would we elect a person that is truly a hater of our government and way of life.

Donald Trump joins Leona Helmsley and Al Capone on the list of the WORST CRIMINAL TAX CHEATS IN US HISTORY

Jordan Zoot was ahead of his time.

We know that once upon a time, Helmsley’s real estate rival, Donald Trump, castigated her in his usual delicate manner as scum of the earth and rejoiced in her conviction. His comments about her undoubtedly will be played at the upcoming trial(s) where he and others will be charged with doing the same.

Those trials and his legal shenanigans are sure to provide continuous humor and outrage for months if not years to come. He is firm believer that when you are in a hole, keep digging.

THROWN UNDER THE BUS

Michael Cohen, the attorney who did not take a bullet for the client he still calls “Mr. Trump,” has been consistent on this point. The accused always looks out for himself first, foremost, and only and he will throw everyone else under the bus. Apparently, Cohen has seen a mighty long bus in his career serving Person #1.

Recently, we have seen another lawyer of the unindicted conspirator thrown under the bus. Rudy Giuliani has received the “treatment” and not the money he needs. He has mounting legal expenses and minimal income. Naturally he turned to the person he served for assistance and naturally he was rebuffed.

His actions on behalf of his client have rendered him a permanent laughingstock on path to being disbarred. In exchange for making the most ridiculous claims in court he has received nothing. Obviously his client has complete confidence that he can stiff Giuliani and suffer no consequences.

The former hero of 9/11 claimed during the Ukrainian extortion attempt that in the end he would be the hero. So far it has not worked out that way. Instead he is alone, losing his money, his law license, and his freedom. As it turns out he does have the opportunity to be the hero. He could do what Michael Cohen did – tell the truth.

The same choices are or will face other people involved in the audacious 15-year tax fraud. The CFO, the children, and the CEO all will have moments of truth. No one can say for sure what these people will do when that time comes. Actually we can say. The CEO already has said that everyone (including Capone and Helmsley) does it. Yes, the actions the Trump Organization are accused of did happen, but so what? Only fools pay taxes and serve in the military. What are you going to do about it? I am sure that Weisselberg is comforted by the fact that his Hitler-admiring boss just threw him under the bus. It’s almost as if Trump is working for the prosecution.

SUING SOCIAL MEDIA

One can only hope and pray that the stunt of suing social media companies proceeds through the legal system. Over the past few years, the most corrupt President in the history of the United States has done everything he can to avoid testifying under oath. He is not capable of telling the truth except by accident. Therefore his own lawyers wisely attempt to prevent him from entering a perjury trap.

That approach works well when you are a defendant but not so well when you are the one who initiates the prosecution. Then the process of discovery occurs. Since he was removed from social media for his actions instigating the assault on America on January 6, guess what evidence the defendants are going to request? Everything that Congressional Trumpicans have sought to squash and keep hidden from being investigated by Congress now will become fair game if the lawsuit is allowed to proceed. Most likely it was just a stunt that was not thought through. But such stunts can take on a life of their own.

IDES OF MARCH

In a previous blog, I suggested that the Howard Baker moment from Watergate would be an “Et tu Brute” moment instead. Everyone knows who Brutus will be. For that moment to occur, Ron DeSantis has to win re-election for governor in Florida. To be elected, DeSantis required the assistance of the then-President. To be re-elected, he does not. After the 2022 election he will be in the driver’s seat.

The exact details of the transition depend in part on the election results elsewhere. If Democrats retain control of the Senate that in itself will not be a game changer. If Democrats retain control of the House despite voter suppression, rigging the certification process, gerrymandering, Congressional reapportionment of House seats, and the traditional out-of-power party pickup in the first mid-term election, then there will be hell to pay. At that point, the Loser will be the one thrown under the bus.

A lot will happen between now and the 2022 elections. There will be more lawsuits. Investigations will continue. The economy will continue to get better. The unvaccinated red-states will continue to experience coronavirus variants. Many of his followers admire him precisely as a potential American Hitler who will execute all those Jewish Satan-worshiping pedophile globalists when he is returned to power, jurors may not. Then he may get to join Capone and Helmsley not under the bus but up the river and in the slammer.

Michael Horowitz, Bill Barr, and Donald Trump: The Sequel

June 13, 2021
by Peter Feinman
The storm is coming (Politico).

Good morning, Mr. Horowitz. Your mission Michael, should you decide to accept it, is to prevent the overthrow of the duly-elected President of the United States.  The presidentially-authorized spying must be exposed. Adam Schiff is involved. It is the greatest corruption scandal in the history of the United States. As always, should you or any of your DOJ Force be caught or killed, the Attorney General will disavow any knowledge of your actions.

For weeks if not months on end, we heard Sean Hannity play a version of these words. The Horowitz probe would reveal the greatest threat to the American rule of law ever experienced by this country. Heads were going to roll. People were going to prison. The Deep State would die. Hannity gleefully looked forward to these traitors receiving their just punishment. But alas, it was not to be. The Horowitz investigation joined similar other investigations into the corruption at the highest level that amounted to nothing. The still-awaited Durham report also was touted again and again by Hannity and the Foxhub staff. Still waiting.

Now we have arrived at the Horowitz sequel. The disappointing for Hannity first movie proved to be a dud. Nothing untoward was exposed. It was all a lot of Nothingburger. But hope springs eternal and nothing can dissuade loyal Trumpicans that there was corruption at the highest level of government. Once again Michael Horowitz and his team have been charged with the task of exposing presidential corruption in involving one of Hannity’s favorite whipping boys. However this time, Schiff was the target of the corruption and not the alleged instigator.

DONALD TRUMP IS ALWAYS GUILTY

Donald Trump is always guilty.

Not only is Donald Trump always guilty, he is always guilty of criminal actions you did not even think off.

There still is no rock bottom. Look at what has transpired in just the last few days. First there was Don McGahn’s testimony on how he had resisted the criminal requests from the President of the United States to obstruct a criminal investigation by the DOJ. No sooner had you caught your breath than the next bombshell hit. There really had been presidential spying and it involved Adam Schiff. No sooner had you caught your breath then another bombshell hit. Because McGahn would not play ball with the most corrupt President in the history of the United States, he too had been a target of presidentially-authorized spying.

At this point one wonders what is next. I shudder to write this blog knowing that it can be eclipsed at any moment. Horowitz has work cut out for him. There are going to be many sequels.

It seems unlikely that Hannity and Foxhub will be cheering during the Horowitz Sequel.

DONALD TRUMP IS ABOVE THE LAW: HIS ACCOMPLICES ARE NOT

I first referred to Bill Barred-for-Life in a blog Will Mike Pence Become a Profile in Courage? (October 3, 2019) (the question was a rhetorical one).  Now the wheels are in motion for the most corrupt Attorney General in the history of the United States to reap what he has sown. Do you think he understands the meaning of “suggest”? It is up to the Trumpicans in Congress to prevent the investigation of the most corrupt President in the history of the United States from moving forward.

Although Donald Trump is always guilty, convicting him is never easy. The best way to prevent that problem is to indict everyone else first. Take Michael Cohen for example. Once upon a time he would take a bullet for “Mr. Trump” as he still calls him. Then he wised up. He realized that THE DONALD would throw him under the bus without hesitation. Now he sings like a canary. He sings before Congress, He sings before the TV camera. He sings whenever he is interviewed. This is the pattern that should be followed. Convict or grant immunity first as in New York, then indict. Indict the organization. Indict the accountant. Indict the children. Indict the former Attorney General. Indict everyone else whose name pops up in the investigation. They are not above the law. Their opportunity to resist investigation has been curtailed. They are on their own now.

Prosecutors should take advantage of their predicament. Let the accomplices do the dirty work. Let them call Donald Trump to testify as a witness under oath on their behalf. Even they know better than to do something so stupid as to call Donald trump to testify under oath. Every time he takes an oath to tell the truth it is a perjury trap. Better to lose everything then to call him as a witness!

FOR HOROWITZ TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE

Horowitz has limited time to complete his investigation. At some point in August at a date still not specified, the most corrupt President in the history of the United States will return to the White House. He will be joined by the two losing Senate candidates in Georgia thereby giving the Trumpicans control of the Senate. The new Attorney General, Sydney Powell, will immediately squash the Horowitz witch hunt. Instead she will be compiling lists of the Satan-worshiping pedophiles for execution. Secretary of Homeland Security Mike Flynn will be tasked with preparing the gallows to do the deed. THE STORM IS COMING AND IT WILL BEGIN IN AUGUST 2021.

The press, as expected has been negligent in its reporting of the coming STORM this August. As with the Cyber Ninjas in Arizona, the press coverage has been treating it as a joke, an embarrassment. The press ignores that tens of millions of people will believe the results produced by the Cyber Ninjas that the vote in Arizona was stolen. They will believe it in Georgia too. They will believe it elsewhere as well. THE STORM IS COMING AND IT WILL BEGIN IN AUGUST 2021.

The press should be using the remaining time to prepare for what is to happen, not to dredge up yesterday’s hoaxes. Our Lord and Savior, the Chosen One, Blessed Be his Name, successfully resisted the efforts of Deep State to take him down until they had no recourse but to unleash the Patriots on January 6 to undo the steal.  We will see who has the last laugh. THE STORM IS COMING AND IT WILL BEGIN IN AUGUST 2021.

The press should be asking the rightful President when in August he will return to the White House.

The press should be asking the rightful President what preparations he is making for his return.

The press should be asking the rightful President what he intends to do when he returns to the White House.

Brian Williams should knock off that silly count up of days in the Joe Biden administration and instead start a countdown to when the rightful President will return to the White House. THE STORM IS COMING AND IT WILL BEGIN IN AUGUST 2021.

Joe Biden should invite the 45th President to some event at the White House in August. Everything possible should be done to maximize the belief that THE STORM IS COMING AND IT WILL BEGIN IN AUGUST.

Trumpicans should be roused to a state of frenzy in anticipation of what is going to happen. Every day in August they should be asking is today the day. Every day the press should be asking them starting with Marjorie Green Taylor is today the day. THE STORM IS COMING AND IT WILL BEGIN IN AUGUST 2021.

What will Trumpicans do when it does not happen?

Create a new date.

Judas and the 12 Traitors Betray America’s Lord and Savior to the Pagan Authorities

March 17, 2019
by Peter Feinman
https://imgflip.com/i/2by402

In a stunning replay of history, the Fixer betrayed the master he had obediently served for a decade. In shocking public testimony and apparently even more shocking private testimony, he gave witness to the sleaziest, slimiest, most corrupt real estate developer in the history of New York City. More to come.

This brazen display of disloyalty was followed mere days later when the gang of 12 abandoned ship. Their action forced Person #1, the smartest person in room whose father did not pay a bribe to colleges like the Hollywood elitists did for their children, to issue his first veto.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

1. MORE DIRTY LAUNDRY WILL BE AIRED

Despite what people think about the wrapping up of the Mueller investigation, it would appear as decades of bull trump will be exposed to the American public. The charity and university scams are just the beginning into investigations into practically every facet of decades of deceptions, dishonesty, cons and criminality. The old saying about not being able to tell the players without a scorecard will apply in spades here. Websites will be devoted just to tracking the status of all the investigations. Entire newscasts can be devoted solely to the breaking news of the day regarding these investigations.

Regardless of what happens with the Mueller report, I predict the action in the 2020 election year (if not sooner) will be in New York. There will be a steady drip of criminal sleaze at the city, state, and federal level about Person #1.

2. IT WON’T MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO THE REPUBLICAN BASE

The Republican base could not care less about all these investigations. By now it should be clear that nothing moves the needle. No matter what Person #1 did or is accused of doing the true believers know that he is doing God’s work. As long as he is able to continue working to save America, nothing else matters. All this inside baseball nonsense about process crimes for petty regulations is irrelevant to the one and only requirement of a political leader since Pharaoh Narmer smited the enemies in 3150 BCE and became the first ruler of Egypt: to keep the people safe from foreign enemies, from outsiders, from the “other.” And who could be more foreign than the Politically Correct People (PCPs) and their minions.

3. PERSON #1 DOES NOT REALLY BELIEVE HE CAN SHOOT SOMEONE IN PUBLIC AND NOT LOSE SUPPORT, BUT HE SHOULD

Commentators often note Person #1’s claim that he could shoot Lady Liberty on Pennsylvania Avenue in broad daylight and not lose any support (well, maybe 12 traitor Senators). Apparently, he does not believe it. Why pay the hush money? Look at the trouble caused by paying it. The same with his taxes. So what if he is not as rich as he has claimed he is? So what if he has used every trick in the book and some that are not to reduce or eliminate his taxes? So what if his taxes show he has been bought and paid for by foreign agents? Who cares if his money comes from Russian oligarchs and banks on the banned list? The same applies with the Mueller report. His base will not desert him and everyone else already has. On the other hand, a good con artist knows there are limits to even what the most desperate person will accept. Perhaps Person #1 knows that if the truth is revealed, even some of his most fervent worshipers will abandon him.

4. PERSON #1 WON’T LEAVE THE WHITE HOUSE VOLUNTARILY

Back on September 7, 2018, I wrote:

Suppose the very stable genius is wrong about the red wave. Suppose the Democrats win control of the House. Suppose the Democrats act on that basis and investigate all the items on the Republican hit list of potential problems where they are at risk. Will the President honor the election results? If a blue wave puts Democrats in charge will the President of the United States honor the results or will he demand a full investigation into the rigged results?

 Suppose the very stable genius is wrong about 2020 (assuming he is still in office and chooses to run again)? Will the President honor the election results? Will the President leave the White House voluntarily? Will he demand a full investigation into the rigged results? Will he remain in the White House until the investigation by his Attorney General (not a stupid Southerner) is compelted?

Those of you who read this blog, may I have thought I was off my rocker. I am pleased to note that five months later the Fixer, who well knows the personality of Person #1 and what he is capable of, raised the exact same concerns in his Congressional testimony. There was not the chance to resolve this issue in the 2018 elections since the Democratic tidal wave was so huge. Even for someone living in an alternate reality there are limits as to how many Congressional districts can be contested. The situation is quite different at the presidential level.

Suppose in 2020, the Democratic candidate wins by the same small margin as the 306 electoral vote landslide in 2016? How many states would need to be contested to switch the national results? At this point it is impossible to know. Indeed we may never know if the margin is comparable to the Congressional vote in 2018. An almost 9% spread is difficult to finesse to an Electoral College victory.

But consider what we know from 2016.

We know that Person #1 did not expect to win and was running to make buck.

We know that Person #1 already had his excuses for defeat prepared way ahead of the election.

We can surmise that prior to the election, he did not even know he could lose the popular vote and still win the election.

How will this play out in 2020 when he is in the White House and not an outsider?

Will there be Trumpies strategically placed in electoral districts to film illegal aliens running around the voting area to change clothes and to vote again? Or will he just claim it happened. Millions of times?

Will ICE officials and other government officials be stationed at selected voting districts to demand ID from the people attempting to vote?

Will claims of hacking and computer fraud be levied against the Democrats?

Will enough doubt be raised on the Trump Propaganda Network (TPN) to call the election rigged and illegitimate as a desperate grasp by the Deep State to remain in power?

Will Person #1 unleash his muscle in his militias, military, police, and Second Amendment people to protect him from the greatest threat to the United States ever?

How long would it take the Supreme Court to adjudicate all the legal claims filed?

If his Supreme Court betrayed him, would Person #1 honor its ruling?

Who would actually extract Person # from the White House?

Fortunately he is not a fighter, he just plays one in the professional wrestling arenas. Still if the alternative to remaining in the White House is to be indicted, who knows what Person #1 would actually do? When the moment of truth arrives, will the Lord’s Chosen to save the country unleash his minions? Will they hear the call?

There may be a preview of the 2020 crisis with his tax returns. Person #1 will not voluntarily release his tax returns. It does not matter how the Democrats submit their requisition, he will not honor it. If his court rules in his favor, then the issue ends there. If the Supreme Court also has a traitor and the ruling is against Person #1 he will not honor it.  Instead he will claim Executive Privilege and that the Court has no authority over him. What will the Supreme Court do then? Or to update Andrew Jackson: “John Roberts has made his decision; now let him enforce it.”

For that matter, the same may be said if the Supreme Court rules against Person #1 on the national emergency. We may not have to wait for the 2020 elections to learn if he is above the law. Imagine the scene if he is forcibly removed from the White House. Imagine him doing the perp walk. How long would he last at Rikers? What would happen to his hair if he is jail as long as Paul Manafort has been so far?

On the other hand, who knew that the little child who will lead us to salvation was Little Donney Waney? As he said to the Republican traitors and would-be traitors: “Beware the wrath of God!”

Does Coh-nafort Trump the OJ Trial: Has the Witch Hunter Struck?

August 23, 2018
by Peter Feinman
Gemma Arterton Locked and Loaded in Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunters

Where were you when you learned that OJ had gotten away with the murder of two white people? Do you remember exactly where you where and what you were doing?  Did you then shout for joy and start dancing in the street (for real and not like the fake news Jersey City celebration)? Did you wring your hands in anguish and let out a big moan?

The OJ trial riveted the nation…for weeks. There had been nothing like it. For cable TV it was a godsend. Some of the people who made their media mark then are still going strong today. Now we were dealing with not one but two trials. And we are wondering about the big one to come. Although not directly related, the 1990s gave us two trials which changed the national media: the OJ and the impeachment. Now here we are two decades later seeing some of the same people on screens of various sizes.

August 21, 2018, is an historical day of multiple pieces and alternate realities. To begin with there were the trials – “what actually happened” asks the historian. Perhaps not since the deaths of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence have two such similar events to each other of historic significance occurred so closely in time.

What Actually Happened

The study of what actually happened is only just beginning. We are now starting to learn the full story. As someone who served on a jury trial where there were 18 charges and we convicted on 6, acquitted on 1, and were hung on 11 all by an 11-1 vote, I am fascinated by this unfolding story what went on behind closed doors. Our case lasted three months and became very intense. So far there are some preliminary conclusions which can be reached:

1. In general jurors do take their responsibilities seriously.
2. Tainted witnesses are not a prosecutors’ strong point but physical evidence is.
3. The tainting of the jury pool by the President and his Flying Monkeys did not succeed in the Cohen case of at least one juror who went public but the jury is still out on why the one holdout held out.

Undoubtedly in the days and weeks to come, we will learn about the group dynamics and psychology about something that may well be destined to become a case study in psychology, history, and law courses.

What’s Next?

Second, the two sets of decisions raised additional questions which cannot yet be answered but which will be in the course of time.

1. Who were the other people in the Trump organization with whom Michael Cohen colluded?
2. Will charges be brought against them and will they implicates others in the conspiracy?
3. What other information will Michael Cohen share?
4. What other information will be gleaned from the documents of Michael Cohen seized by the FBI?
5. When will Paul Manfort be rewarded for his loyalty by the narcissist for whom loyalty is everything?

Undoubtedly the answers to some of these question will lead to further actions so in that sense, these two trials were a beginning and not an end.

The Presidential Performance

Third, on the same day as the verdicts, the President of the United States performed as a professional political wrestler at a rally in West Virginia. Based on the performance one would scarcely know that just hours earlier his longtime fixer and short term presidential campaign chair had been found guilty. Instead it was entertainment as usual with the perennial Republican favorites: Lock her up! Lock her up! Build a Wall! Build a Wall! Fake news. And the new one since the 2016 campaign: rigged witch hunt by 13 or 17 angry Democrats. Indeed, the greatest swamp builder in American history even called for draining the swamp precisely as the legal system had begun draining the very swamps he had built. As with climate change, there is no awareness of irony among Republicans.

The Impact of Pro-Trump Jurors

Fourth, what happens when the Trump supporters on the jury who voted to convict begin interacting with the Trump supporters cheering to drain the swamp? At this point, it is too early to tell. The initial juror foray into the public arena occurred on the President’s propaganda network but not with one of the Flying Monkeys.  The juror’s belief that evidence is evidence and that truth is truth may not play well with them.

Republicans, like the Chinese, only get their news from government approved outlets. They do not include CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. There is a danger in interviewing jurors on the one network they watch if those jurors contradict the party line. There is a disconnect between “the evidence was overwhelming” and “Manafort is brave.” What are the consequences if Republicans start to listen to the jurors who convicted Manafort instead of to the President who defends him? The 11 jurors know Manafort was guilty of everything. He is not a hero. If the jurors who support the President see that he does not realize that, then when else is he wrong? Why believe him on anything? The jurors who live in the real world may be Achilles’ heel to the people who live in the alternate reality. They have seen the truth. They will speak the truth. They have courage and integrity. They are not Republican Senators and Representatives.

Don’t Become Fox Fodder

Fifth, people who hyperventilate and become Fox Fodder are not doing their cause any good. There is no constructive purpose to be served by going into emotional overdrive about traitor Trump who is turning the United States into a banana republic through an authoritarian denial of freedom of speech. I am talking about you Carl Bernstein. I am talking about you John Brennan. I am talking about you Ralph Peters. When your heartfelt spiel becomes Fox Fodder you know you are being ridiculed. And that is the message being communicated to the Republicans you want to reach.

Chill. Freedom of speech has not ended. We have not become a banana republic. Could these trials have happened in Russia? Could these trials have happened in China? Could these trials have happened in North Korea? Need I go on? We are not “Z.” When the world does not come to an end as you describe you lose credibility and become a laughingstock on Fox.

Do not think of Trump as an adult who is evil. Face the reality that he is an immature child and knock off the over-the-top vitriol. Kim Wehle, former Assistant United States Attorney, Associate Independent Counsel in the Whitewater Investigation appearing on MSNBC referred to our President as almost like an adolescent smashing all the crystal in the house because he is not getting what he wants. Exactly right. She was angry when she said it but she was not hyperventilating. She will not become Fox Fodder. Similarly former Congressman Joe Walsh also was furious when he said of the elected Republicans that they have to watch him like a ten-year old child but are afraid to say it publicly. He will not become Fox Fodder. The more you talk about him as the immature child that he is the less likely you are to become quoted on his network and become a joke for your over-the-top comments.

Hush money is not illegal. Do you really think unreported hush money will qualify as high crimes? More is needed and as it turns out there is more to come. “Dorothy” Mueller has plenty of buckets of water. We have to wait. Hopefully only until September 1 for the next indictments.

Alternate Reality

Sixth, part of the reason why the old campaign refrains still work in the professional wrestling arena is because they are not old. Quite the contrary, practically every night, Republicans hear about Crooked Hillary, her collusion with the Russians, and her exoneration because of the Deep State coverup. For the Republicans chanting “Lock her up!” it’s not old news, its current events.

On August 21, I wanted to make sure at 9:00 Eastern time, I heard from Trump’s Brain on the events of the day. Hannity said he was going to provide us with the news and perspective not found elsewhere.  The lessons of the day were straightforward and he heartily endorsed them:

1. Pay your taxes.
2. Do not lie on bank applications.
3. Do not lie to the FBI.

Then, did we really need Robert Mueller’s Witch hunt to tell us that? And because we have a corrupt two-tier justice system where Democrats can get away with what Republicans go to prison for there is another lesson:

4. Do not be a friend of Trump

Zero collusion. Zero conspiracy. Zero Russia. One might even think that White House staff were doing cartwheels of joy now with the target President high-fiving everyone. Sometimes he seems like the person who jumps off a ten-story building and at the eighth floor says, “so far so good.”

The Iceberg and the Titanic

Speaking of disasters, it is Chris Matthews who keeps asking how long the Trump Titanic can stay afloat after hitting the Mueller iceberg. We do not know how much Mueller knows. But if the jury was impressed by the documents presented in the Manafort case, one can only imagine how the jurors will react to the mountain of evidence dumped in the next round of indictments …or if the indicted Russians are ever extradited.

Perhaps Matthews should slightly change his metaphor. Instead of focusing on how many staterooms can be flooded, watch the rats. The swamp builder is known for the company he keeps and that company includes rats. Michael Cohen served Trump for many years but he did not take a bullet for him. He ratted. In the tape of the hush-money conversation with his co-conspirator, he mentioned needing the help of the longtime Trump organization financial officer whose ties go back to Trump’s father. Does that person want to spend the remaining years of his life in jail? Does he want his life earnings to go to lawyers instead of grandchildren? What will the co-conspirator publisher do (we already know)? If you surround yourself with rats, guess who will desert the sinking ship once they see it has hit iceberg Mueller? It’s even possible to imagine the Attorney General to grow a pair.

The trials mean the trump has hit the fan and he has no good news in sight.