Article on the Affect on Trump by the Convictions of Manafort and Cohen
There have been two major convictions recently of two major players in the Trump election. One was Paul Manafort was Trump's former campaign chairman who had a history of international scandals (see Manafort article) and had run into legal issues previously. This time, he has been convicted of multiple accounts of bank fraud: he lied to banks about his financial state and avoided being taxed on millions of dollars in foreign accounts.
Michael Cohen, previously Trump's lawyer, was convicted for working with Trump in paying off two women who had been in sexual relationships with Trump.
Trump has called Mueller's (attorney investigating Trump's campaign) "rigged witch hunts." With his diminishing approval ratings and secrecy, this presidency reminds me of Nixon's presidency with the Watergate scandal. Which leads me to wonder what you expect to see in the future for the President? What are your reactions to Trump's secrecy? How do you feel knowing that there may be more violations to uncover?
I am shocked that people are willing to make such serious infringements. If I were an individual with power, knowing that so many people are impacted by my actions would give me reason to act more cautiously. Of course, people are motivated with self-interest, but isn't the general purpose of becoming involved in politics to serve the people?
With these exposures, I don't see a very promising future for this presidency.
What are your thoughts on these two convictions?
I am glad to see that a corrupt campaign official is finally paying his dues. However, I am even more interested to see whether Manafort's conviction will convince him to make a deal with the Special Counsel investigating the Trump-Russia scandal. Now that Manafort is six feet deep, it is highly probable that he will be persuaded to spill his secrets, which could spell disaster for the President and those around him. Meanwhile, this news could also prove fateful in the 2018 midterm elections, where Democrats are hoping on a "Blue Wave" to help them retake one or both houses of Congress. Proof that Trump Campaign officials are corrupt may have a pronounced effect on the results this coming November.
ReplyDeleteI am honestly not shocked that Trump has been keeping secrets from the public and that he has been violating laws for his own self-interest. I do agree with Beata that his presidency is reminding me of the Nixon presidency regarding the Watergate scandal. I doubt Trump will get impeached because he is loved by many people who support and share his questionable beliefs. These two convictions are not enough to ruin his presidency so I think he will be fine unless larger scandals begin to unravel.
ReplyDeleteThis is Zoe Wilson.
DeleteI agree with Zoe. Knowing that there may be more violations to uncover (and if some crimes relate to an abuse of power by the president), I wouldn't be surprised if President Trump ends up having to face indictment. In a democracy, I believe that no one is above the law, and should the crimes in question relate to the president or his power, he should answer to Congress. The separation of powers allows for the legislative or judicial branches to check on executive power. While the odds of Trump's impeachment are currently less than 50%, I believe that (should the need arise) it is the responsibility of the other two branches to hold the president accountable, just as ordinary American citizens would be.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with both Beata and Zoe that this case is strikingly similar to the Watergate Case. These two cases are just the tip of the iceberg. With two of Trump's closest people during his campaigning years being caught first, I would not be suprised if a lot more people under the ranks were also involved and perhaps even more people who were close to Trump. Perhaps there are other government officials, who are lower in rank and thus more obscured from public, who also take similar actions for their selfish pursuits. To me it seems intriguing why Trump or any of these officials have not learned from the Watergate scandal and prevented history from repeating itself. This makes me wonder if this case would have similar results and trends in party distributions like the temporary distrust towards Republicans seen after Watergate or would this case have a lasting impact on Republicans.
ReplyDeleteNot at all shocked that Trump was keeping the violations a secret, and it proves how his system has been and is corrupt. In the future, I except more stories to come out about his violations against the law and more investigations. I also agree with Mayuko that nobody is and should not be above the law, and that there should be people in other branches to hold the president accountable.
ReplyDeleteDonald Trump has made numerous mistakes throughout his, so-far, time as president. However, although the convictions were not made on him, they definitely taint his presidential run. I agree with the comments above, as Trump is about waist-high deep in secrets that make him and the government, that he currently controls, appear to be corrupt. Nonetheless, so long as the convictions and secrecy do not pile up to drown him and his presidency to the point where he can no longer cover up scandals, Trump will not be impeached or seriously considered to be impeached. Many presidents in the past have made numerous mistakes, like Nixon's watergate scandal or Clinton's sexual affair. However, for some reason, these political leaders have decided to not learn from the past and solely focus on their present and protecting Trump. Moreover, Trump's campaign manager and lawyer obviously take the hits for him, but it is his fault for not learning from the past to ensure that he does make the same mistakes that presidents like Nixon or Clinton did. Agreeing with Mayuko and Jane, I believe that nobody should be above the law, and Trump nor his fellow convicts may not be above the law and their current position may not put them to jail, but it may all unfold to lead to the destruction of the Republican controlled government. Like Ilan said above, the midterm elections are coming up very soon, and this could lead to a “Blue Wave” since the people may no longer trust the Republicans that surround Trump and their actions. Finally, I think that these convictions are justified, but in order to achieve change, the convictions should not only be traced to the person covering up for Trump, but rather Trump, himself, as he is the source of the sex scandals and the person who is responsible for someone like Manafort.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I am not that surprised about all the scandals surrounding the Trump campaign. At this point, there is pretty much nothing Trump can do or has done that will change the way he is viewed in the public; those that hate him will continue to hate him and those who love him will continue to love him. However, Trump could get in major legal issues if Manafort and Cohen reveal any secrets. Honestly, that is the only way I see Trump being forced to step down like Nixon.
ReplyDelete- Richard Tang
Delete