Last week, I read a few articles about how Vladimir Putin is turning Trump into a monkey. The “great negotiator” apparently misread his mark and has again embarrassed America and himself. But more importantly, it is starting to look like Trump’s ham-fisted attempt to mediate an end to the war in Ukraine is costing both sides thousands more lives.
It may be time for Trump to acknowledge his limitations as a world leader and devote more time to playing golf. Instead, he seems to be ramping up his involvement in questionable “deals” as he seeks to further enrich himself and his family. Just this week, for example, it was announced that the Trump Media and Technology Group is buying $2.5 billion in bitcoin.
The CEO of Trump Media, former Trump-worshipping Congressman Devin Nunes (R-CA), explained the purchase: “We view bitcoin as an apex instrument of financial freedom, and now Trump Media will hold cryptocurrency as a critical part of our assets.”
I view bitcoin as an apex instrument to facilitate money laundering and am concerned that Trump Media will hold cryptocurrency as a critical part of its assets at a time when President Trump is decreasing scrutiny of bitcoin and controls the federal agencies that regulate bitcoin and prosecute cybercurrency crime.
President Trump, of course, held a well-publicized and likely long-remembered dinner last month for the largest purchasers of his meme coin. Some attendees spent more than one million dollars purchasing $TRUMP meme coins to attend the event and get an opportunity to meet the man who’s making crypto great again. Trump’s formula, create a “strategic reserve” of crypto, remove regulations interfering with use of crypto to evade taxes and, I fear, criminal laws, and ensure that people who are loyal to him are in charge of all federal agencies that might investigate violations of law or prosecute wrongdoers.
It is no surprise that the crypto crowd includes the Trump family (especially Eric, Don Jr., and, I am told, Barron), Trump’s special envoy, Witkoff and his son, and other friends of Trump.
Crypto has been great for Trump—his net worth has ballooned hundreds of millions since he took office—and that doesn’t include the value of the Qatari 747 which, of course, is the “gift,” not yet finalized, to America that will not go to Trump at the end of his presidential term, but to his presidential library. (Trump’s government-paid lawyers told him it is all legal and ethical.)
Harder to figure out is Trump’s wildly enthusiastic embrace of his pardon power. He has already pardoned his “J6 Patriots” and settled a wrongful death lawsuit with one insurrectionist’s family, Ashli Babbit, who was killed trying to enter the Capitol’s Speaker’s Lobby through a smashed window. Babbitt’s estate will receive around $5 million from the federal government.
Had Babbitt made it into the Speaker’s Lobby and found Speaker Nancy Pelosi or another Democratic lawmaker, what would she have done?
These pardons and the Babbitt settlement are disturbing, but why did Trump pardon the Culpepper, Virginia Sheriff, Scott Jenkins, who appointed “deputy sheriffs” in exchange for $75,000 in bribes? And why did the “celebrity couple” reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, convicted of fraud and tax evasion, get pardoned? The couple defrauded banks out of more than $36 million in loans.
Are these pardons political moves? Are we to believe that the “Trump base” somehow identifies with corrupt sheriffs, fraudsters, and tax cheats so much that pardons of people convicted of these crimes will score political gains? (If this is true, America is in seriously bad trouble.)
Apparently, the coming months will see a cascade of pardons to more white-collar and celebrity criminals. The Washington Post reports that Sean “Diddy” Combs may get a Trump pardon. Wow. This will ironically take place while Trump and the Justice Department threaten prosecution for posting pictures of seashells on Instagram and admitting the wrong students to a university.
I wonder if Vladimir Putin and his advisors regularly read Truth Social to learn about Trump’s pardons and news about his love of cryptocurrency and other “money-making endeavors?” If they do, Putin may see an opportunity. If Russia concludes that the President of the United States is corrupt, maybe it will take a new tack in its relationship with him. Would Trump throw Ukraine and, for that matter, democracy, under the bus for a few billion more dollars?
Is this President a Bonafide crook? If so, how can we make the grift and other abuses of power stop?
J.E. Dean writes on politics, government but, too frequently, on President Trump. A former counsel on Capitol Hill and public affairs consultant, Dean also writes for Dean’s Issues & Insights on Substack.
Bob Kopec says
Why doesn’t the world understand? Trump is a 34 time convicted tax cheating felon, convicted felon rapist. Liar, draft dodger who wants a military parade for his 79th birthday. Corrupt, pardons felons and murderers. His cuts to U.S. Aid have cost the lives of 300,000+ people, 2/3 were children. A celebration would be in order if he resigns.
John Dean says
Great comment. I agree. I will not be watching the birthday parade.
You are right about the tragedy caused by his precipitous termination of USAID assistance.
Barbara Denton says
How encouraging to see your TDS is has blown up into a a case of pure political insanity.
Ashli Babbit was an unarmed victim of a gun happy Capitol Guard who should have been arrested for murder. She had no weapon and had no intention of doing any harm to anyone. Bringing her murder up in your rant against Trump makes you look as small and petty as you really are.
Considering that President Trump has better lawyers than the DEI hires now scattered throughout the Federal Government you can rest assured he is doing nothing illegal. He is not running any of the businesses.
The green monster has destroyed what few brain cells you had left after TDS crawled through your brain like a worm. With risk comes reward. Obviously you do have the bravery to take the risk to get the reward. Just because you do not have the guts or the brains to make a fortune like Trump did, there is no justification to scream criminal activity when he succeeds. You are pathetic.
John Dean says
Yikes!
Bob Parker says
Ms Denton, Ashli Babbit was shot during a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol building while trying to forceably enter a chamber in which several Congressmen remained. The officers in the chamber tasked with protecting the Congressmen had no way of knowing whether Ms. Babbitt was armed or not. What would your response have been if Ms. Babbitt were armed and her entry into the chamber had resulted in the death of Congressmen and of those tasked to protect them? As the assault on the Capitol was a crime in and of itself, those protecting Congress were tasked to take measures to do so. If your home were being attacked by a mob, would you have waited to see if they meant you harm before responding?
Wilson Dean says
In 2017 Trump’s presidency was aptly characterized as “Elect a Clown, Expect a Circus.” Now in the second time around with Trump, we hear “Elect a Felon, Expect Crime.” Catchy phrases, true to the core.
John Dean says
Let me politely disagree with you–This Trump term we get both “Elect a Clown, Expect a Circus” and “Elect a Felon, Expect Crime.”
Bob Parker says
Mr. Dean, to answer your question, “yes, Mr. Trump is a crook”! He was a crook well before his ascent to the presidency. He was a crook when he routinely refused to pay subcontractors for his various real-estate projects; he was a crook when he defrauded the state of NY and the US of taxes (remember, NYS convicted him for his tax fraud); and his conviction in a civil case of sexual assault established him as a sexual predator (maybe not technically being a “crook” but guilty of criminal behavior none the less). Each of these illegal acts took place before he was elected president. Why would any sentient individual believe that he would change his behavior while sitting in the White House? As they say, a leopard does not change its spots!
John Dean says
You are right. The more I read about Trump’s “history in business,” the more it is clear that his ethically questionable actions are nothing new. I hesitate to call Trump a leopard because I like leopards, but Trump shows no signs of changing his spots. And at a soon-to-be 79 years of age, he is beyond the ability to change.
HR Worthington says
I don’t care if Trump steals all the gold that is allegedly in Fort Knox. So long as he keeps you lot out of power, I say good on ’em for getting his. I’d rather a bit of grift than be governed by President Auto-Pen’s Orwellian Disinformation Governance Board staffed by the likes of the humorless self-regarding chuckleheads who frequent these pages. -HR
Deirdre LaMotte says
LOL! Damn liberals, always wanting to breath clean air, drink clean water, treat the sick, accept
people’s personal choices and trying not to get shot by some ******* with an assault rifle.
HR Worthington says
Madame, if you are unable to sufficiently answer question 11.f on ATF Form 4473 and therefore are prohibited from legally acquiring a firearm it is not on my account. -HR
John Dean says
Be sure to watch the news tonight. Not a good day for our President.
Also, what do you mean by “you lot?”
In any case, thank you for reading my piece.
HR Worthington says
John, good to hear from you old boy. Thanks for the tip. I will be sure to turn the telly on as soon as I am done reading Michener’s Chesapeake. I have started it yesterday evening and it is quite delightful.
Paul Rybon says
Right on,Mr. Worthington, except Dean has no actual facts to support his bileous accusations, just a vicious hatred for one who spends every day trying to promote American businesses, had a huge hand in rescuing out astronauts, has sealed the border, tried to upgrade our military capabilities, protected girls sports, and much much more.
Mickey Terrone says
Hello John. Several of your recent articles have focused on Trump’s self-dealing, overtly illegal profit-making scams, horrendous examples of taking payoffs to pardon contemptible criminals and his incompetent foreign relations blunders.
While these daily and obviously illegal or immoral (or both) acts bring with them dishonor, embarrassment and shame on our country, the larger crisis remains the catatonic state of Republican rank and file voters. These people would be having fecal hemorraghes in the streets if any Democrat perpetrated any of these acts. Yet they’re feeble defenses of Trump begin to resemble conversations between Sponge Bob and Patrick the starfish in their blind faith.
The studied cruelty practiced by Trump’s surrogates in deporting refugees (primarily Christians) back to their dangerous South and Central American countries should have our national Christian religious hierarchy condemning this horrendous abuse. Those prelates often speak passionately against the persecution of Christians around the world, yet they are utterly crickets regarding Trump’s separation of families, arbitrary arrests without any legal recourse with the announced goal of 12 million such people. Do we practice Republican Aryan Christianity now in America?
Even as Trump betrays our allies in Europe and around the world in favor of dictatorial monsters, our alleged “patriotic”, flag-waving Republicans seem to look the other way as Trump abandons America’s leadership role in the world.
Trump is a sick, demented amoral, greedy wretch, yet his utterly unprincipled persona has gripped Republican voters even as Republican elected officials fear for their safety if they contradict him publicly. Maybe its time for average Republicans to assess the depth of their own complicity in voting to elect Trump and sitting back idly as he acts to corrupt every facet of our democratic republic and the greatness of our history, starting with the ultimate sacrifices made by hundreds of thousands of our ancestors to preserve Americans’ liberties and the freedom of democratic people worldwide.
John Dean says
Mickey, thank you for the comment. I share your concern with Republicans. I continue to be amazed that the many things that disturb me–both policy and personal behavior–don’t seem to have any impact whatsoever on them. I always hesitate to describe MAGA as a cult, but a lot of Republicans act like they are members of a cult.
Thanks for reading the piece. Much appreciated.