Donald Trump once said he would appoint “only the best and most serious people, top-of-the-line professionals. If we don’t, we’ll be in trouble for a long period of time and maybe never come out of it.” (Watch the video HERE.)
So, he appointed people like:
- Scott Pruitt (EPA);
- Wilbur Ross (Commerce), who previously headed the BANK of CYPRUS which was notorious for laundering dirty Russian money;
- Ryan Zinke (Interior), who, along with Pruitt, treated their agencies like a personal piggy bank (the nice term for slush fund), and
- Betsy DeVos (Education) who famously said that some schools might want guns to fend off GRIZZLY BEARS and who appeared to have PLAGIARIZED some of the answers to questions put to her in her confirmation hearings (hey, Betsy, ironically, they kick students out of college for that).
And I won’t even go into the list of those appointees and hangers-on who have been indicted, pleaded guilty or been convicted of various misdeeds.
And now? Well, now we have Matthew Whitaker as the latest in the Trump Hit Parade of “best and most serious, top-of-the-line professionals.”
Whitaker was named by Trump as ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL following the forced resignation of Keebler Elf Jeff Sessions. Trump (did I mention that he said he would hire only the “best and most serious, top-of-the-line professionals”?) says (FALSELY) he has never spoken to Whitaker and doesn’t know him personally but insists that he is a “very well-respected man in the law enforcement community.”
Maybe in law enforcement, but respected in the area of law compliance is still up in the air. Whitaker, Session’s former chief of staff, cannot be named permanent attorney general without Senate confirmation, Trump’s claim to the contrary notwithstanding. Of course, mixing a few half-truths in with a lot of outright lies hasn’t been a problem for Trump thus far, so why should his appointment of Whitaker be any different?
But like Pruitt, Ross, Zinke, and DeVos, Whitaker comes with a lot of baggage.
A former U.S. attorney in Iowa, Whitaker later sat on the board of World Patent Marketing and apparently takes after Trump in his fondness for bullying. He once sent a threatening email to a former World Patent Marketing customer who complained that he spent thousands of dollars with the Miami-based invention-marketing company but did not received promised benefits. In that email, Whitaker, in a monumental miscalculation, cited his prior experience as a former federal attorney and intimated that filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau could constitute “smearing” the company online and result in “serious civil and criminal consequences.”
The former WPM client was accused by Whitaker of “possible blackmail or extortion,” and threatened with “serious civil or criminal consequences.”
That complaint was just one of a many and must have contained some validity, along with others filed against the company. Last May, Scott Cooper, WPM CEO and founder who contributed $2,600 to Whitaker’s unsuccessful 2014 Senate campaign and another $10,000 as its board member, was popped with a $26 million judgment by the Federal Trade Commission and WPM was banned from doing any further work in invention promotion.
Whitaker picked on the wrong adversary back in August 2015. The complaining party just happened to himself be a former U.S. attorney and he was quick to call Whitaker’s bluff. Here is that exchange, beginning with the complainant’s response to Whitaker’s threat:
(CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE)
And here are some links to other stories about Whitaker and World Patent Marketing:
https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/cases-proceedings/172-3010/world-patent-marketing
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/worldpatentmarketing.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-patent-marketing/
The last link is significant. When you click on it, you only get part of the page. At the bottom, you will need to click on “See more” to get the full text. That’s important because of the videos Cooper touts in promoting his company. The last video listed is “Donald Trump – What World Patent Marketing’s Customers Can Learn: Lessons from the Man Who Built America.”
So, not only was Whitaker a shill for WPM but so, apparently, was Trump himself.
But then Trump is keenly skilled at promoting a scam.
TRUMP UNIVERSITY, you will recall, was also run out of Florida (and the double entendre was intentional; it was both operated out of Florida and subsequently shut down, or “run out” and a $25 million settlement approved by a federal judge between Trump and former students of the university.
- Florida Attorney General PAM BONDI “personally solicited a political contribution from Trump” about the same time she announced she was considering joining a probe of Trump U.
- Trump gave her a $25,000 check from a Trump family foundation (in violation of rules prohibiting charities from engaging in political activity).
- Shortly after receiving his check, Bondi’s office reversed course and opted not to pursue its plans to join the lawsuit that ultimately resulted in that $25 million settlement. Her reason: her office “lacked sufficient grounds to proceed.”
Oh, did I mention that Trump is considering as a permanent replacement for Sessions either former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie or……Pam Bondi?
Here’s the LINK to that story. You’ll have to forgive me for being so crude as to post a link to a CNN story. I know it’s all fake news, but it’s the best I could do on short notice.
Louisiana Voice 
I really had no idea you were such a hater of the current political machine. My pension has gone up and I may be able to make it for the next ten years and after that I will be in a nursing home . You really don’t believe all this stuff you are writing about. Open borders alone are enough to make us scared of what is coming in the future . Back in the day I had no idea that you would move so far to the left but I suppose that I really did not know you. Go Tech
If you believe all that stuff you just wrote, Paul, you should go ahead and check into that nursing home now, because you clearly need help. Anyone who believes people are promoting “open borders” or who thinks the fact that your personal pension has risen is sufficient reason to excuse blatant corruption probably shouldn’t be allowed to wander about freely.
Paul, please take off your blinders. Not a single fact in this post originates with me. All you have to do is look at the abysmal record to know Trump is not the leader this country needs. Neither was Hillary and therein is the problem. We were given no choice in the 2016 election. But if anyone is a “hater,” it is Trump. My God, man, just listen to his rhetoric every day. He ridicules the physically handicapped, do you deny that? He assaults women (physically and verbally), do you deny that? He encourages physical attacks on dissenters, do you deny that? He advocates outlawing all demonstrations—even peaceful ones (a constitutional right, by the way), do you deny that? And he curls up with killer dictators. Not one of these claims can be refuted and not one of them originated with me. So just how the hell do you conclude that I’m the hater? Let me tell you something, mister: I had two uncles and a cousin at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 and I served honorably in the military. There’s not a person alive who loves this country more than I do. Don’t you EVER forget that! Congratulations on your pension. Guess you’re ok as long as you benefit and to hell with anyone else. Let’s see how you do when the inevitable recession kicks in. And guess what? We have never had “open borders” in this country.
And never has a U. S. President ever referred to the free press as an ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE in a transparent effort to have everything he says reported in a positive light – or not reported at all if it cannot be rationalized.
Read this and look at the video. It makes my point better than I can:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/there-could-be-others-trump-poised-to-ban-more-journalists-from-the-white-house/ar-BBPwtf6?ocid=spartandhp
Note that the article was written by a person who works for the Washington Examiner – an unquestionably conservative newspaper.
The article is short as is the video so it won’t take up much of your valuable time.
Tom; knowing what we know now, would Hillary really have been as bad as Trump? Just wondering what your hindsight looks like and I do respect your opinions.
Edith, it’s pretty much a given that Hillary would have continued the Clinton tradition of self-enrichment had she been elected. But as far as dealing with allies and adversaries, she would have stood head and shoulders above Trump, who has no diplomatic skills whatsoever.
But what a lot of people choose to ignore or forget is the federal deficit. Republicans are supposed to be the party of fiscal responsibility and yet, the deficit has spiraled out of control under Republican administrations, including (especially) this one. Under Bill Clinton, however, the federal budget was balanced and the federal deficit was erased. https://www.factcheck.org/2008/02/the-budget-and-deficit-under-clinton/
That was because Clinton pushed through a tax increase that affected upper-income taxpayers while Trump has passed tax “reform” that benefits the super rich almost exclusively while placing the burden of the national debt on the rest of us. Unfortunately for him, Bill Clinton will always be known as “Sleazy Bill,” a name he brought upon himself through his extramarital affairs, his shady dealings with political cronies, and his foundation.
So, isn’t it interesting that the Trump lovers can now so easily overlook those very same character flaws in their hero—extramarital affairs, shady dealings with political cronies (and Russian oligarchs), and his foundation?
And of course, since I’ve attempted to be even-handed in my comparisons, I will once again be labeled (incorrectly) as a “Hillary lover.”
BTW, Paul, as quickly as you posted your comment, there is no way possible you could have opened and read any of the links I provided as documentation. So I can only assume you prefer to form your opinions without the benefit of learning about the issues or the people involved with them. And now that I understand that you don’t want to be bothered with facts, I can understand where you’re coming from.
Right on, Tom. Here’s the text of a message I sent today to both of our U. S. Senators:
Subject: Matt Whitaker
As you know, President Trump has appointed Mr. Whitaker acting attorney general. I am writing to ask you to do anything you can to have him removed and/or to initiate confirmation hearings. Most constitutional law scholars agree his appointment is illegal because of the requirement for Senate confirmation of anyone serving a “principal role” in the administration. There can be few more principal roles than Attorney General of the United States, particularly now. Even in his acting capacity, Whitaker’s role gives him the power to reject requests by Robert Mueller and order an end to all or part of his investigation. He can make reports of his investigation secret or even fire him. I am also troubled by his background as an advisory board member and defender of the World Patent Marketing, a company labeled a “scam” by the FTC.
Paul I agree with you; also larger retirement. There is one thing for sure TRUMP has give a lot of people diarrhea of the mouth::::::::::::::::
I would refer you to my second response to Paul. You obviously have not opened or read the links I included. Those aren’t my words, but they are facts. Funny, but I don’t hear you accusing Trump of diarrhea of the mouth nor do I hear anyone accusing the Obama birthers of having diarrhea of the mouth. Have you accused Alex Jones of having diarrhea of the mouth for his claims that the Sandy Hook shootings were a hoax or that the Parkland students were actors or that the World Trade Center was an inside job? Jones made all of those claims, along with claiming that he had “proof” that Michelle Obama was a man. You might want to try something a little different like, say….consistency?
Tell you what, Sidbury, I’ll put my facts up against yours any day of the week and I’ll even spot you three lies.
That should be fun.
By the way, if you intended to end your post with exclamation marks, you missed. They looked more like colons, which is probably appropriate, given your fixation with diarrhea.
If given the opportunity to choose between Tom and frump as most truthful and honest it is no contest. Tom is the winner.
Tom, me thinks that putting facts before Messrs Vincent and Sidbury is casting pearls before swine.
Well, Tom, as usual you are right on. This is just the latest in the ongoing Trump disaster saga. The only thing that gives me a chuckle is your characterization of
Sessions as a “Keebler Elf.” Your sense of humor is still intact.
Last comment I requested explanation for the pervasive apparent ignorance among Trumpsters. Well Mr. Tom has hit the nail on the head-disregard for-and disinclination to pursue FAX. As Aswell says the 2016 election was a dilemma between the devil and the deep blue sea-Trump and Hilly. America had an IQ test-and we failed. However if Trump is a carbuncle America will arise and
lance that boil. Issues like the opioid epidemic, rampant mass killings, celebrity worship are symptomatic of a degradation of the culture and country that has assiduously been pursued by those-hey like those in this administration- who have only their faux self interest foremost-screw the common good. Do they plan to rocket to the moon or other colonies? At some point the pitchforks come out., The rivers rise and the sea swells. The sky falls. Nuclear bombs
decimate.
Tom Aswell is a national resource. To stand up to the right wing cant and the ignorance-providing insight to those imbibing ignorance and cutting the feet out from under the perpetrators of BS and bombast-and thrive–overcoming
floods and fury-that is the mark of a hero.
I’m grateful to the flycatcher of Ruston-the late great publisher of the Morning Paper John Hays for introducing me to Aswell. Shoulder to shoulder.
trump said he would run the US like he ran his businesses and it’s fair to say he’s making an attempt to do that. Failed business ventures, a half dozen bankruptcies, illegal and shady business practices, using employees to advance his shady and illegal practices, threats of lawsuits to intimidate those who stood up to him, ruin of businesses that supplied goods and services by refusing to pay legitimate bills, getting sued repeatedly by individuals, businesses and the US government itself, enriching himself at every turn….these are incontrovertible facts that show trump to be a failed and sleazy business man. His model is no way to “deal” with our government (and I have not even touched on the longtime pattern of hatemongering, promotion of false propaganda and continual attacks on the First Amendment guarantees of free expression, etc. that form the backbone of American freedom.)
trump’s business model alone, his disastrous cabinet appointments, failure to fill many key and line federal jobs, etc. are killing provision of government services – and anyone who thinks there should be no government services for citizens is a wrong-headed ideologue. Thousands of veterans are facing homelessness and financial disaster right now because of “IT problems” at the Veterans Administration, which has thousands of unfilled jobs. Commenter Paul Vincent is apparently retired; guess he is happy to have government-provided Social Security and Medicare benefits.
BTW the only people talking about open borders, which have never been a reality, are left-haters who attempt to ascribe (non existent) support to Democrats. While my pension check has not changed recently, my normally-stable investments and IRA just took a huge downward hit in one month thanks to the foolishness of mr. businessman trump.
There’s a lot to complain about with trump – this latest appointment is just another example of him surrounding himself with shady, sleazy people. Before it’s all over, maybe, just maybe, “patriots” will finally have enough when treason and selling out to a hostile government are proven.
And, would anyone here agree that a free press – which absolutely includes new media bloggers – is an enemy of the people?
Amen, earthmother!!
On government being run like a business it is important to remember doing so is impossible. The reason is very simple: The goal of government is the provision of needed services and goods to its citizens funded by taxes and fees while the goal of business is profiting from the provision of goods and services to its customers in competition with other businesses. These are 2 entirely different fiscal models.
Should government be run as efficiently and effectively as possible and should the people administering government programs be held accountable for ensuring it? Absolutely, and we should all wonder why, all too often, they are not.
Business inefficiency results in lower profits and ultimate failure. Business ineffectiveness results in loss of customers and ultimate failure.
The people who need quality services from government cannot simply walk away from them. How do you voluntarily abandon use of a highway or bridge? How do you unilaterally decide you will no longer purchase a driver’s license? If not for taxes, how would military defense be funded? How do the people trapped in the cycle of poverty, including those who are disabled, decide to abandon public medical care, food stamps, and financial assistance to provide for their innocent children?
The people who depend on government services deserve better than they are getting, including those who stand in lines for hours to get a driver’s license, or attempt to get information they need to make decisions about a variety of federal and state programs.
If a business is not performing at its best, it is easy to adopt the attitude it should fail and to assume somebody else will fill the gap if it needs filling. If a government program is failing to provide adequate services the correct response is not to simply cut its budget or shut it down, but that seems to be the current sentiment – and it is dead wrong. However, as long as the people responsible for government programs see no need to be as efficient and effective as possible – and this is tolerated – the public will default to the “shut it down” attitude.
Tom’s favorite governor and our current president, both abetted by the legislative branch, believe the best way to get rid of a government program is to strangle it to the extent it couldn’t succeed even if it tried – and then to either abandon it or hand it over to the private sector where simple logic would dictate it should cost more because of the necessity of making a profit than if it was effectively and efficiently run by the government.
And so it goes…
Right! Trump’s the anti-christ. just add up the letters in his name…