Violating the omerta
The mob boss thing has not gone unnoticed. Jonathan Chait’s piece on it in New York magazine for instance, subtly titled “Trump Wants to Ban Flipping Because He Is Almost Literally a Mob Boss”:
The way a roll-up of the Gambino family, or any other crime organization, would work is that the FBI would first find evidence of crimes against lower-level figures, and then threaten them with lengthy prison sentences unless they provide evidence against higher-ranking figures in the organization. The roll-up moves from bottom to top. It would be extremely difficult to prosecute any organized crime if it were not possible to trade lenient sentences in return for cooperation.
In an interview with Fox News, President Trump offers his view that flipping is dishonorable, and is so unfair it “almost ought to be outlawed.”
It’s bitterly amusing to see Trump talking about “fairness” when it’s hard to imagine anyone more indifferent to fairness in general than greedy piggy mob boss Donnie Two-scoops.
Trump has also made clear, in tweets over the weekend, that he is not only opposed to false testimony. He opposes flipping on the boss as a matter of principle. Here he is over the weekend denouncing President Nixon’s lawyer John Dean as a “rat.”
The failing @nytimes wrote a Fake piece today implying that because White House Councel Don McGahn was giving hours of testimony to the Special Councel, he must be a John Dean type “RAT.” But I allowed him and all others to testify – I didn’t have to. I have nothing to hide……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2018
Dean famously testified about Nixon’s obstruction of justice. Nobody claims Dean lied about Nixon. The sin in Trump’s eyes is that he flipped, violating the omerta. Trump even uses Mafia lingo, “rat,” to describe Dean’s cooperation with law enforcement. To gangsters, a rat is considered the worst kind of person because they pose the greatest danger to their ability to escape prosecution.
It is obviously quite rare to hear a high-ranking elected official openly embrace the terminology and moral logic of La Cosa Nostra. But Trump is not just a guy who has seen a lot of mob movies. He has worked closely with Mafia figures throughout his business career.
That’s the president of the US he’s talking about.
Like a mobster, Trump takes an extremely cynical view of almost every moral principle in public life, assuming that everybody in politics is corrupt and hypocritical. (Hence his defense of Vladimir Putin’s murdering journalists: “There are a lot of killers. You think our country’s so innocent?”) He also follows mafia practice of surrounding himself with associates chosen on the basis of loyalty rather than traditional qualifications. Since the greatest threat to a mafia don’s business is that subordinates will betray him, he typically surrounds himself with family members, even if they are not the smartest or best criminals.
Ok so now I’m imagining a scenario in which Don Junior gets immunity, aka flips.
The ride just keeps getting wilder and wilder, we’ve left roller-coaster territory and are now riding that mine cart from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Are we going to plunge into a deep ravine or land safely on the rails on the other side?
Do you really think they’ll flip Don Jr? I don’t mean, would he take a deal if offered, I mean sometimes they don’t offer deals if the crimes committed are egregious enough. Don Jr is himself in deep, deep trouble and unlike dear old Dad, has absolutely no protection from indictment. And his trouble is not only at the Federal level, but State by the looks of things, so Daddy can’t even pardon him from everything he faces. Eric and Ivanka are also in legal jeopardy and might make better targets. I doubt any of these spawn of Trump would hesitate in throwing their sibs under the proverbial bus to save their own skin.
Would Ivanka throw Daddy Dearest off a cliff too? Their relationship is too bizarre for me to comprehend, let alone guess at the dynamics if the shit goes down. I do think Ivanka might be the one thing Trump would not discard in extremis but I also think he’ll lose the plot completely if anyone goes after her.
Oh, no, I don’t really think they will – one can imagine the scenario without thinking it’s likely. I haven’t formed any opinion about whether they will or not, really.
It’s a good point though that a better fantasy is just plain indictment and prosecution. Yes ok I’ll go with that.
When Uday and Quisay are indicted, it will be a blow to Trump because it’s an attack on his authority. Damaging to his image. A sign of weakness.
When Princess Ivanka gets taken down, that will be his undoing.
I have a special bottle of Islay malt set aside for the occasion.
I long to see Princess taken down.
The princess and Junior were close to being indicted in 2012 over their misleading of clients about Trump SoHo until daddy’s lawyer, Kasowitz, made a large donation to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. for Vance’s re-election campaign. Three months later the case was dropped. I seem to recall you writing about it, Ophelia.
https://www.propublica.org/article/ivanka-donald-trump-jr-close-to-being-charged-felony-fraud
Yes, I did.