I suspect David Pecker will rue the day that his friend Donald Trump became president — if he does not already. And he is not alone. Paul Manafort had a flourishing business as an international influence-peddler before he became Trump’s campaign chairman. He now faces a long stretch in prison after having been convicted of felony financial charges. Trump’s friend Roger Stone has now been indicted for the first time after a long career as a political dirty trickster. Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser, has gone from well-respected general to felon. Michael Cohen had a cushy career as Trump’s personal lawyer before his client became president. Now Cohen, too, is a felon. Numerous other Trump associates and family members are facing, at a minimum, hefty legal bills and, at worst, serious legal exposure.
Every organization Trump has been associated with — the Trump Organization, the Trump Foundation, the Trump campaign, the Trump administration — is being investigated by prosecutors and lawmakers. His name, long his biggest asset, has become so toxic that bookings are down at his hotels. And Trump, a.k.a. Individual 1, faces a serious threat of prosecution once he leaves office. Before it is all over, Trump himself may regret the day he became president. His unexpected and undeserved ascent is delivering long overdue accountability for him and his sleazy associates. We have gone from logrolling to having logs rolled over — and it’s about time. (Read the article here.)
It frequently appears that Donald didn't understand what being the president of the United States would really be like. He appears not to have understood the complexities, or the investigative scrutiny, that would come with the highest office in the land.
In a privately-held business like the Trump Organization, when you fire someone they, and presumably whatever problems they caused, mostly just go away. It doesn't work like that in the Oval Office:
President Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, believed that the “Russia thing” would end as a side effect from the firing of the national security adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, in the early days of the administration, according to an account in a new memoir by Chris Christie.
The incident recounted in Mr. Christie’s book, “Let Me Finish,” is among the anecdotes describing how the president and Mr. Kushner grappled with a campaign and a presidency that Mr. Christie says neither was prepared for.
... On Feb. 14, 2017, Mr. Christie and his wife, Mary Pat, had lunch scheduled with the president. It happened to be the day after Mr. Flynn — whom Mr. Christie did not back for the national security adviser role — was dismissed for lying to the vice president about his contacts with the Russian ambassador during the transition. Mr. Kushner decided to attend.
As Mr. Kushner tucked into his “typical salad,” Mr. Christie wrote, the president said to him, “This Russia thing is all over now, because I fired Flynn.” Mr. Christie said that he started laughing, and the president asked why.
“‘Sir,’ I said, ‘this Russia thing is far from over,’” Mr. Christie wrote. Mr. Trump responded: “What do you mean? Flynn met with the Russians. That was the problem. I fired Flynn. It’s over.” Mr. Kushner added, “That’s right, firing Flynn ends the whole Russia thing.”
Mr. Christie, who wrote that it all sounded “naïve,” recalled Mr. Kushner telling him that he was “crazy” when he said they would most likely still be discussing the Russia issue in February 2018. (From the New York Times review of Chris Christie's book Let Me Finish; read it here.)
I keep thinking about something Michelle Obama said in her speech to the 2012 Democratic convention: "Being president reveals who you are." Donald is learning the hard way that she was right.
Update on February 23: Laurence Tribe weighs in on the notion that Donald will regret running for president:
The evidence of Trump’s crooked dealings before and during his presidency will never stop pouring in. Most will go way beyond Mueller’s ambit. Here’s my bet: Trump will soon wish he had never run for office. https://t.co/Bj39Q3wWld— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) February 23, 2019
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