The “Wiseguys” of Trump Tower
In the lingo of the “mafia,” a “wiseguy” is a member of a mafia crime family
James Comey in his recent book describes what President Trump reminds him:
“…flashbacks to my earlier career as a prosecutor against the Mob. The silent circle of assent. The boss in complete control. The loyalty oaths. The us-versus-them worldview. The lying about all things, large and small, in service to some code of loyalty that put the organization above morality and above the truth.”
Comey critics condemned the statement as hyperbole and exaggeration. But in the past few weeks, evidence has emerged of actions by the Trump “team” that is more like the Mario Puzo’s “Godfather” than the business or political operation they claimed to be.
The first piece of evidence is part of the Stormy Daniels’ story. Daniel’s, an adult film star, claims to have had an affair with Donald Trump in the 2006. In 2011 a man approached Daniels in a parking lot. Daniels states:
“(he told me) ‘Leave Trump alone. Forget the story.’ And then he leaned around and looked at my daughter and said, ‘That’s a beautiful little girl. It’d be a shame if something happened to her mom.’ And then he was gone.”
Daniels’ infant daughter was in the back seat of the car. Later, Michael Cohen, acting on behalf of then candidate Trump, offered Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about the affair. Daniels, on advice from her then-counsel (who may have been in league with Cohen) accepted the deal.
The second piece of evidence deals with the bizarre doctor that served as Trump’s physician for the past thirty years. Dr. Harold Bornstein, known for writing the “note” for Trump saying he would be the healthiest President to take office (Bornstein later admitted that Trump himself dictated what to write) claims that his office was “raided” by Trump operatives.
The raid was led by then Trump bodyguard (and at the time Director of Oval Office Operations, whatever that meant) Keith Schiller. Joining him was a Trump Organization lawyer and a third unknown individual, who came into Bornstein’s offices, demanding and seizing all of the Trump files. In addition, they demanded that all Trump memorabilia, including pictures, be removed from the office.
The third piece of evidence is more insidious and concerning. “Black Cube” is a private intelligence firm in Tel Aviv made up of former Israeli intelligence agents. It gained unwanted recognition when it was publicized that film producer Harvey Weinstein hired them to get information to discredit the women accusing him of sexual assault and abuse.
According to multiple sources, Black Cube was hired to investigate two former Obama aides who were involved in the Iran Treaty negotiations. The idea was to find ways to discredit the aides, in order to make it easier for Trump to discredit and withdraw from the Iran nuclear treaty. In both cases, Black Cube attempted to gain inside information by sophisticated “phishing” email attacks, as well as direct contacts where they pretended to be journalists.
Michael Cohen has stated that, “…he’d take a bullet for him (Trump).” Trump himself has made it clear that the first priority is loyalty to himself. The Trump organization has acted more like a criminal family than a corporation, threatening, refusing to pay bills, and ultimately using their size to bully competitors and contractors.
Robert Mueller continues his investigation of the Trump group and the Russian connections. Russia too is run like a gangster family, with Putin acting as the “Godfather” of the national regime. Perhaps this is the way to view both that makes the most sense. Instead of thinking politics, think criminal.
Cohen, Stone, Don Junior, Eric and the rest: they are the “wiseguys” of Trump Tower.
