A Complete Analysis Of Trump’s 99th Unpresidented Week As POTUS

As the investigations pile on President Trump, it's becoming clearer that his house of cards built on corruption is doomed to collapse.
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by: Ahmed Baba on December 16, 2018

President Donald Trump speaks at Mar-a-Lago, Thursday, April 6, 2017, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump speaks at Mar-a-Lago, Thursday, April 6, 2017, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump’s first major typo after winning the election was spelling Unprecedented incorrectly. He infamously tweeted “Unpresidented.” This typo is a personification of his administration: An impulsive, frantically thrown together group of characters with virtually no oversight. After Trump was sworn in, I started writing the weekly “Unpresidented” column, analyzing his every move. This is week 99.

“Two years after Donald Trump won the presidency, nearly every organization he has led in the past decade is under investigation.” – The Washington Post, December 15, 2018

The Trump Organization. The Trump Foundation. The Trump Campaign. The Trump Transition. The Trump Inaugural Committee. The Trump Administration. All of the above are under investigation.

Although it’s been clear to many Americans for years, as the weeks unfold, the Trump brand is beginning to look more like a collapsing criminal organization than an American success story. President Trump claims these investigations are witch hunts in search of a crime, but when so many organizations he’s led come under criminal investigation, perhaps something is wrong with his conduct and not the rule of law itself.

The president is plagued by a mountain of investigations. We have the two campaign finance felonies Trump was implicated in by his former fixer Michael Cohen, who is now serving jail time due to prosecution by U.S. attorneys in the Southern District of New York (SDNY). Manhattan prosecutors are probing President Trump’s inaugural committee for potentially misspending the $107 million they raised and whether there were illegal donations from middle eastern nations. The New York Attorney General is probing illegal conduct on the part of the Trump Foundation. The Attorneys General of the District of Columbia and Maryland are leading a civil emoluments clause case into the Trump Organization – investigating whether President Trump is violating the constitution by profiting from the presidency. And of course, there is Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the potential conspiracy between Trump’s campaign and the Russian government (and now, middle eastern nations) as well as obstruction of justice.

Five Trump associates have pleaded guilty to Robert Mueller. American Media, Inc. CEO, and longtime Trump ally David Pecker, as well as Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, were granted immunity by federal prosecutors in New York. And given what we know about the Trump Organization’s past of defrauding customers, there is much to be uncovered on that front. Important to note, some forget Donald Trump paid a $25 million settlement after winning the presidency for defrauding customers with Trump University.

Needless to say, as it’s been reported, President Trump is rightfully worried about potential impeachment. But, he should also worry about possible indictment after he leaves office if he loses in 2020, according to legal experts.

Polling this week indicated that the majority of Americans think Donald Trump has been untruthful about the Russia investigation. The American people are growing tired of having a grifter sitting in the highest office in the land. They proved this sentiment in the 2018 midterm elections and it’s very likely they will do so once more in 2020 (if he’s on the ticket).

Let’s dive into yet another consequential week.

This comprehensive column sources great reporting from top news organizations, but it’s also built on brilliant analysis from my team at Rantt Media. If you like the work we do, please consider supporting us by making a one-time donation or signing up for a monthly subscription.

Who Will Captain The Sinking Ship?

Day 690: Monday, December 10

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, left, reacts as he and First Lady Melania Trump listen to U.S. President Donald Trump speak during the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, left, reacts as he and First Lady Melania Trump listen to U.S. President Donald Trump speak during the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

On Monday, President Trump’s search for a new Chief of Staff was…not going well, to say the least. John Kelly, the President’s chief of staff, is set to be out by the end of the month, marking yet another departure in a Trump Cabinet already full of them. If White House rumors are to be believed, Kelly’s departure was a long time coming. When appointed, Kelly was widely seen as the premier “adult in the room,” someone who would keep Trump away from his worst impulses and keep the country afloat. As we’ve seen over the last year, that was not the case.

The challenge was how to find a replacement, as it seemed no one was keen on the job. Nick Ayers, chief of staff to VP Mike Pence, was seen as a favorite for the job, but he refused and instead announced he would be leaving the White House entirely. Hard to blame him. Managing the West Wing is difficult enough; doing so for a president who is embroiled in corruption scandals, criminal investigations, and is constantly undermining government institutions makes it an impossible one.

CNN reported that President Trump felt humiliated and was “super pissed” about Ayers’ denial of the role.

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) and others in the Trump administration also signaled they weren’t all that eager to accept the role.

President Trump was searching for his 3rd Chief of Staff in less than 2 years as president. There is always a tweet for everything.

This is derived from a joint piece from Jossif Ezekilov and I on Monday of this week.

In other news…

Will There Be A Government Shutdown? Trump Says So

Day 691: Tuesday, December 11

The above photo epitomizes what we saw on Tuesday in the Oval Office. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and soon to be Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) met with President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to discuss the incoming challenge of coming to an agreement to fund the government. President Trump, baited by Senator Schumer, took a “my way or the highway” approach.

President Trump took on a new gaslighting strategy.

And Nancy Pelosi showcased why Democrats want her as Speaker.

In the other news…

What Did Michael Cohen Tell Robert Mueller?

Day 692: Wednesday, December 12

Michael Cohen and Donald Trump (AP)

Michael Cohen and Donald Trump (AP)

President Trump’s former personal attorney/fixer Michael Cohen (also former RNC Deputy Finance Chairman and Trump Organization Executive) has been sentenced to 3 years in prison.‬ The Wednesday sentencing included crimes President Trump is implicated in.

This came after Cohen pleaded guilty to 8 counts that include bank fraud, tax fraud, and campaign finance violations. The Southern District of New York’s court filing this past Friday then indicated “Individual 1” (the President of the United States) was officially implicated in Cohen’s two campaign finance felonies. The National Enquirer has also admitted to the fact this was done in coordination the Trump campaign, as they struck a non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorneys in the SDNY.

In his speech in court, Michael Cohen emotionally apologized for lying and claimed he was setting out to do the right thing. Cohen also took aim at the man he once said he would take a bullet for:

“I take full responsibility for each act that I pled guilty to: the personal ones to me and those involving the President of the United States of America…Recently the president tweeted a statement calling me weak, and it was correct, but for a much different reason than he was implying. It was because time and time again i felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds.”

The crimes Donald Trump were implicated in were the hush money payments to Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels which were directed personally by then-candidate Trump himself in 2016. Upon Trump’s request, the National Enquirer paid former Playboy Model Karen McDougal $150,000 to purchase and suppress the story about her 2006 affair with Donald Trump. Cohen made the $130,000 hush money payment to Stormy himself. These were considered illegal campaign contributions.

This investigation was originally referred to the SDNY by Special Counsel Robert Mueller upon discovering evidence of his wrongdoing. Part of the reason his sentence was lower than recommended was due to his cooperation with Mueller. Which should even further worry the President.

Although there is much debate among legal experts about whether a sitting President can be indicted, there is no question as to whether he can be indicted after he leaves office.

In other news…

Whose Interests Does Donald Trump Represent?

Day 693: Thursday, December 13

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Minister Mohammed bin Salman during a bilateral meeting, in Riyadh – Saturday, May 20, 2017 (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Minister Mohammed bin Salman during a bilateral meeting, in Riyadh – Saturday, May 20, 2017 (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Thursday brought us a whirlwind of developments. First, there was the Senate’s approval of resolutions that recommended the U.S. end their assistance to Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen and blamed Mohammed bin Salman for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.

There was the heartbreaking news of a 7-year-old migrant who died of dehydration and shock after being taken into the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol.

And then, there was…all of this.

In other news…

Did President Trump Collude With The Russian Government?

Day 694: Friday, December 14

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shake hand at the beginning of a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, Monday, July 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shake hand at the beginning of a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, Monday, July 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Short answer: it’s very likely. Long answer: There is a great deal of circumstantial evidence of collusion between members of the Trump campaign and the Russian government. There are also direct communications that prove the Trump campaign was very receptive to Russia’s efforts to help candidate Trump. What we don’t yet have is the smoking gun that proves there was a formal agreement to commit a criminal conspiracy and how much Trump knew about it. But Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s work is far from over. Based on Mueller’s indictments, all available reporting, and public records, here’s a 6-minute-read of the important facts related to the Trump campaign’s collusion with Russia, including my theory on the potential quid pro quo:

In other news…

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Unpresidented // Donald Trump / Michael Cohen / Robert Mueller
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by: Ahmed Baba

Ahmed Baba is the Co-Founder and President of Rantt. Writer of Unpresidented, Ahmed documented and analyzed every day of the Trump presidency. He's also a columnist at The Independent and his work has been cited in The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC, Rolling Stone, BuzzFeed, The New York Post, The Huffington Post, Yahoo News, Blavity, Newsweek, The Telegraph, and more. He can be reached at [email protected] or found on Twitter @AhmedBaba_.

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