There is a certain poetry, or symmetry, about Donald Trump being indicted in a court of law for various crimes involving him trying to manipulate the legal through a contract. Once again, the cover-up is the act that leads to the downfall of a political figure: had Trump written checks to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal directly, without running them through his company, his charity and/or his attorney’s shadow third-party company to protect his political ambitions, it wouldn’t have led to legal issues.
Trump isn’t a very smart person. Yes, he’s conniving. Yes, he’s ruthless. But he’s not smart. We know this because Trump demonstrates this virtually every day by making up more and more elaborate stories to cover up his failures. In this case, had Trump updated his tax returns, refiled his company’s financial records, and paid past due taxes, nothing likely would have happened. And Trump, being not very smart, decided to forgo correcting his records in the jurisdiction experienced at investigating financial crimes from corrupt landlords to corrupt financial institutions.
And again, Trump makes things worse for Trump. One defense Trump could have relied on in the 34 Bragg indictments was that the payments–however convoluted–were meant to protect his dear wife Ivana Marla Ivanka Melania from the heartache of learning that her husband cheated on her. Twice.
Unfortunately for Donald, Donald confirmed the payoffs weren’t designed to protect what’s-‘er-name because Trump was ready to renege on the payment to Stormy Daniels immediately after the election, Melania’s feelings be damned. (From Page 6)
The statement of facts on the case basically outlines a plot by three New York business operations–American Media Inc., the Trump Organization, and Michael Cohen, Esq.–to defraud the government of the state by hiding taxable business outlays. The actions were all undertaken in New York; the district attorney’s office specifies the plot started with a meeting at Trump Tower between Trump, Cohen and David Pecker of AMI.
The invoices came from an entity licensed in New York. The checks were cut on bank accounts for entities registered in New York: Donald Trump, the Trump Org and the Trump Trust. And the paperwork doesn’t lie, nor was it updated after the financial impropriety was uncovered–that is, it wasn’t corrected by anyone other than Michael Cohen.
Again, Trump made things worse for Trump, and he made things worse for himself because he was, and is, desperately trying to maintain his image and his power. His post-indictment theatrics won’t win him any voters, but they will energize his base. And unfortunately, when Trump’s base gets activated, history tells us bad things happen.