Wag the dog

April 10,2018

Phones around the country simultaneously erupted yesterday with the news alert that the FBI had raided the office, home and hotel room of Trump fixer, lawyer Michael Cohen. Trump exploded predictably, decrying the raid as an “attack on our country” revealing once again, his narcissistic delusion that “L’Etat C’est Moi.”

To the contrary, the raid was evidence that we have remnants of a functioning democracy; and that even Trump appointees to the Justice Department have more fealty to the Rule of Law than to the lizard-brained autocrat that appointed them. Still raging this morning, Trump shrieked on Twitter that the “Attorney/Client Privilege” is dead. While it is true that an FBI raid on an attorney’s office is a drastic move, that is more of an indication of the severity of the evidence against Cohen than of lawlessness within the Justice Department.The U.S. Attorney guidelines require use of the “least intrusive approach consistent with vigorous and effective law enforcement when evidence is sought from an attorney actively engaged in the practice of law” (Source: “Guidelines for issuing Subpoenas to Attorneys for Information Relating to the Representation of Clients,” U.S. Attorney Manual, Section 9-13.410). The guidelines state that no warrant should be sought unless there is a fear of obstruction of justice or destruction of evidence and that no warrant may be obtained without the express approval of the U.S. Attorney or Assistant Attorney General and consultation with the Criminal Division.

Given the high bar that must be surmounted to obtain a warrant, the evidence against Cohen must be damning indeed, but that is unsurprising given his track record. Cohen’s tenure with the Trump organization is replete with instances of Cohen threatening journalists and beauty pageant contestants, acting more like an extra in “Goodfellas,” than a counselor interested in practicing law (Source: “Michael Cohen: Ten Fun Facts About The President’s Longtime Personal Lawyer,” by Nina Burleigh, Newsweek.com, 8/30/2017). The news that Mueller is investigating the $150,000 honorarium that Cohen secured from Ukrainian businessman, Victor Pinchuk, in September 2015 for a 20 minute Trump speech lends credence to the view of Cohen as nothing more than a glorified “bag man” for his corrupt client (Source: “Mueller Investigating $150,000 Payment for a Trump Appearance,” by Michael S. Schmidt and Maggie Haberman, The New York Times,4/10/18). Like his client, Cohen is belligerent, unscrupulous and colossally stupid.Yet, while we’ve been watching a 21st Century version of “The Untouchables” where Al Capone is the President, the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria took a sharp turn for the worse, with another horrific chemical weapons attack over the weekend. The timing couldn’t have been worse, as it coincided with rumors that Trump was planning to withdraw troops from Syria and the arrival of hard right warmonger, John Bolton, as the new National Security Advisor. In a mere 24 hours, Bolton has pushed out Thomas Bossert, signaling that the purge has begun.

The situation creates a perfect storm for a rush to military action in Syria. The scale of genocidal violence cries out for a response. Trump is desperate to distract the American public from the mounting number of FBI raids, indictments and plea deals of his campaign officials and close associates. Bolton, a lying warhawk with a soft spot for Russia, will gladly cook the intelligence to support military intervention. Confronted with heartbreaking evidence of escalating atrocities in Syria, we too, may start to support the idea that the “something” that must be done is military. That is what Trump is counting on. Nothing could be more dangerous than to throw our support behind a war led by a Commander in Chief,who, as becomes clearer with each passing day, is nothing more than the treasonous head of a global criminal syndicate.

#RuleofLaw

#Bluewave2018