A brief note to my Republican friends (and other supporters of the president): Keep your eye on the penny. It is about to drop. I'm reminded of a story when, back in 2001, my company had the 7th largest company in America as a client.
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) May 4, 2018
I would speak regularly to a very senior guy there. Finally, one day, I called him and said, "Look, you have to get in front of this. If you did something wrong admit it and that will give you the credibility you need to deny the other stuff, the unfair accusations."
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) May 4, 2018
There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Then, the guy said, in a very quiet voice, "Look…here's the problem: We did it. We did it all." It was clear his focus had shifted. He realized he was personally in trouble. He realized the company was going down.
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) May 4, 2018
It is starting on Capitol Hill. The people who realize what's happening may be able to save themselves, move to the right side of this story. Do some good. Those who continue to deny will only become collateral damage. Trump is the Enron of presidents.
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) May 4, 2018
My old man used to say, “There are some things you can afford to rent. Loyalty is not among them.” From Politico, “Trump’s fixers revolt”:
… The president’s preference for people who look like they came from “central casting” has become a well-known part of how Trump makes personnel decisions. The president said as much when he nominated Ronny Jackson — the square-jawed White House physician with a full head of hair thick enough to hold a side part — to be secretary of Veterans Affairs.
But behind the scenes, there’s another set of characters who populate Trump’s world: loyal fixers who lie for Trump, and clean up his messes in the shadows, where their looks count less than their loyalty.
It’s a dichotomy that’s well-known in Trump’s inner circle. One former adviser described it succinctly:
“Central casting for ‘front porch’ jobs, trolls for the real work.”
But in recent weeks, there has been tension in the natural order of Trump’s world, because his not-made-for-prime-time “fixers” have been basking in the national spotlight where they don’t belong. And they’re doing something else very out of character for the aides picked solely for their loyalty and willingness to bend the rules: They’re falling out of line.
This week, it’s Harold Bornstein, Trump’s long-haired, leather-skinned New York physician, who told CNN that he allowed Trump to dictate a letter about his health that was released during the campaign under Bornstein’s name…
The behind-the-scenes crew also includes Michael Cohen, Trump’s longtime lawyer and all-around fixer, who personally made payments to silence a porn actress who claims to have had an affair with his boss—but who has declined to join the president in attacking the FBI agents who recently raided his home and office, instead describing them as “professional.”
Bornstein, who like Cohen, at one point harbored hopes of following his client to White House, burst out of the shadows, and out of line, when he told NBC News on Tuesday that longtime Trump bodyguard Keith Schiller (another critical behind-the-scenes fixer) and two other men raided his office to seize the president’s medical files…
Meanwhile, Cohen has been occupying the national spotlight since his office, apartment and hotel room were raided by the FBI last month. He appears to be enjoying the sunlight, smoking cigars and mugging for the paparazzi, who found him hanging out at the Loews Regency on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
But the question looms whether Cohen, now under federal investigation for bank fraud and campaign finance violations, will flip on his longtime boss — cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation in order to lighten his own load of legal troubles and potential jail time. Trump’s allies are increasingly worried he will save himself by turning on Trump.
It’s an awkward moment for the president, who has come to take for granted the loyalty of the “real work” yes men in his orbit, even as he heaps praise on his telegenic “front porch” crowd…
Saturday Morning Open Thread: “Trump Is the Enron of Presidents”Post + Comments (176)