For months now I have compared the Trump administration to an organized criminal enterprise because, boiled down to basics, that is exactly what it is. Now in a somewhat comedic way I’d like to put it to music and set it up like a Saturday Night Live skit. Let’s explore.
The scene is the Green Room in the White House. The soundtrack is the theme from The Godfather. Seated at one side of the table is President Trump on the other side then FBI Director James Comey. The waiters enter to serve the wine. It is Tignanello no mere Chianti will do for Don Trump. Like Tignanello’s creator, Piero Antinori, Don Trump does not respect government rules. However Mr. Antinori had talent and when he refused to mix trebbiano with sangiovese grapes he actually made a superior wine. (Like Trump, Antinori was born into his job; unlike Trump Antinori had legitimate talent.)
The waiters’ exit leaves behind a nervous Comey alone with the Don. The music fades as the Don asks (what he feels is his capo) for a pledge of loyalty. Comey is shocked and evasive. The Don lets his arrogance cloud his judgment and thinks he has succeeded in extracting the pledge. The Don thought he was dealing with a capo when he was really dealing with an honest, incorruptible cop.
Later in a phone conversation from the Oval Office Don Trump reminds Comey of the “Thing” they have (at least in Trump’s perception). Comey, who is already setting up a criminal case is again evasive and Don Trump arrogant. Cosa Nostra (the real Italian name for what we commonly call the Mafia) literally translates to our thing.
Trump in other personal and telephone conversations tries to extract similar pledges of loyalty from other perceived capos. After Trump (along with capo Attorney General Jeff Sessions) begged U.S. District Attorney Prett Bharara to stay on Don Trump fired him on March 10th along with all his peers across the country. On Monday June 12th Don Trump nominated the first replacement. It seems like much more than a coincidence to me that on March 9th Bharara refused a telephone call from the Don; I’d call it cause and effect. Trump is impulsive and will protect his turf with no regard to the consequences of his actions. My conclusion: No room for honesty and integrity in the Trump administration!
There are (at this point publically unconfirmed) reports that Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers were each asked to persuade Comey to stop the FBI’s Russiagate probe. To agree to do that would have required putting loyalty to Don Trump above loyalty to America. The Don sees the federal government as a skimming and scamming opportunity that makes the cash flow at a casino look like pocket change.
Monday’s Cabinet meeting was the latest “act in this play”. This was the first full Cabinet Meeting. The Don went around the table and had each (in his mind) capo give him verbal tribute. All but Secretary of Defense General James Mattis complied. Mattis had the courage and good judgment to say he was honored to represent the men and women of the armed forces. If the European fascist leaders of the 1930’s could have been at Monday’s meeting they would have been proud of Don Trump. Real Mafia Dons would have though him foolish to have had the entire event documented by television cameras and microphones. All of them are much better at running an organized criminal enterprise than Trump is.
Am I expecting too much when I want a President who wants to run the federal government and has a clue as to how it works? Don Trump is only concerned about how much he can enrich himself and time may be running short.
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