Not So Fast....

A couple of things—first, let’s not be too hasty with respect to the Special Counsel’s statement on Saturday regarding the Buzzfeed news story concerning whether Michael Cohen was instructed by Donald Trump to lie to Congress.  The statement they made was vague, even in its precedent setting delivery by Mueller’s office.  

What the SCO’s office said was :

“BuzzFeed's description of specific statements to the Special Counsel's Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen's Congressional testimony are not accurate."

The statement says that Buzzfeed’s description and characterizations were ‘not accurate’.  Let me hasten to remind everyone that ‘not accurate’ does not mean ‘false’. 

I listened to Chuck Rosenberg’s (Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, Counsel to the Director of the FBI, Counselor to the Attorney General, and Chief of Staff to the Deputy Attorney General) analysis of this statement and the position that Mueller is taking.  I agree with Rosenberg’s analysis that Mueller may be setting up Cohen as a predicate (or pre-existing proven fact) with regard to the future revelation that Trump did in fact direct him to lie to Congress.  Rosenberg’s hypothesis is based on Mueller’s recommendation at Cohen’s sentencing hearing that the sentence not stress his felonies for campaign violations re: Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal.  Rosenberg points out that the government’s sentencing memorandum said the following: “The information provided by Cohen about the Moscow Project in these proffer sessions is consistent with and corroborated by other information obtained in the course of the SCO’s investigation.”

To me, that means that what Cohen is claiming with regard to what happened with the Trump Tower Moscow Project, and who told him to lie to Congress, is supported by other investigation and corroboration that the SCO already has.  So the comment that Buzzfeed’s article is ‘not accurate’ may be true, but it does not say definitively that it is false, which the SCEO’s statement could have easily done.  The true story is not yet told…..

Second, I want to comment on this shutdown standoff.

There is all this talk about who is responsible for the government shutdown.  What is lost in all this jabber is the fact that when you examine all the individuals who are being hurt by this government shutdown, it turns out that WE are the people being hurt; which means that we are the government!  Clearly all the politicians are just not aware that ‘we the people’ are the ones who are being shutdown.

Our businesses, our lives, our hopes and dreams….are the things that are suffering.  The government is ALL OF US—everyone from those with direct checks from the government to all the supporting businesses, restaurants and other organizations being supported by federal employees!  Why should all of us not get paid because our representatives are giving each other the finger while they still get paid! 

And here is the realization that becomes clear as I hear story after story about the hardships and drastic measures that person after person is enduring.  The middle class in America is just about dead!  If all these people who have jobs and should be defined as middle class can not even have security enough for more than one week’s expenses, then the claim that Americans are well off is just a pure illusion!  Trump’s claim that our economy is in fabulous condition is just another lie!  Millions of people with full time jobs who can’t pay a mortgage or rent if they miss one paycheck does not describe a country where the American Dream is alive and well.  This is another indicator of the wide divide between the haves and have-nots in this nation.

Enough of this!  As a citizen that sent these people to Congress to represent me, I simply say, “Pull your heads out of your asses and get to work!”  You are all wasting my money because you all think so much of yourselves that you have lost your understanding of why you are in Washington!  Open the ‘f------- government and get to work!---Or we will fire you all!”  Be warned!