BIRDS OF A FEATHER

The idiom, Birds of a feather flock together, is an English proverb that expresses how humans of a similar type, interest, personality and character tend to naturally associate.

I´m not a religious man, but for those who are, the bible expresses several scriptures that have a similar meaning. Here are a few;

Bad company ruins good morals (1 Corinthians 15:33).

The partner of a thief hates his own life; he hears the curse, but discloses nothing (Proverbs 29:24).

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17).

Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? (Amos 3:3).

THE AMERICAN MOB

NUMBER 45

Let´s imagine and accept a world where number 45 is not guilty of anything, but everything else remains the same. Then, an obvious question would be; how come so many of his associates, advisors, confidants, supporters, cabinet members etc., have been charged with crimes?

The number is, to the best of my knowledge, and without counting those that attacked the Capitol 3 years ago, 24. Here is the list:

1. Steve Bannon: Trump’s political Svengali was charged for a fundraising scam tied to raising dollars to build Trump’s much bally-hooed border wall. The Wall group used money raised to pay for lavish personal expenses.

2. Tom Barrack: Barrack was charged on seven counts. The allegations center on the idea that Barrack used his closeness to Trump to “advance the interests of and provide intelligence to the UAE while simultaneously failing to notify the Attorney General that their actions were taken at the direction of senior UAE officials.

3. Elliott Broidy: Broidy, a top fundraiser for Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, pleaded guilty in October 2020 to conducting a secret lobbying campaign in exchange for millions of dollars.

4. Michael Cohen: The one-time fixer for Trump, was sentenced to 3 years for a series of crimes, most notably secret hush-money payments made during the final months of the 2016 presidential campaign to two women alleging affairs with Trump. Cohen turned informant on Trump and is now a main witness on the hush-money payments criminal case.

5. Michael Flynn: Flynn spent a brief stint as Trump’s national security adviser before being forced to resign after he failed to disclose the depth and breadth of his contacts with Russian officials during the transition. Later that year Flynn admitted about his contact with Russia and had also done work for Turkey as an unauthorized lobbyist. Trump pardoned him in November 2020.

6. Rick Gates: Gates, deputy to the campaign chairman of Trump’s 2016 campaign, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting Paul Manafort in concealing $75 million in foreign bank accounts. Gates turned informant for the government as part of the broader probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

7. Paul Manafort: Trump’s campaign manager for part of the 2016 presidential campaign, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy against the US and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice due to attempts to tamper with witnesses – and agreed to cooperate with the ongoing Russia probe. Trump pardoned Manafort in the final weeks of his presidency.

8. George Nader: An informal foreign policy adviser to Trump’s 2016 campaign, Nader cooperated heavily with special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. In early 2020, he pleaded guilty to two counts of sex crimes involving minors.

9. George Papadopoulos: Papadopoulos, a relatively junior adviser to Trump’s campaign, was sentenced to 12 days in prison for lying to investigators about his contacts with individuals tied to Russia. Trump pardoned Papadopoulos in December 2020.

10. Roger Stone: Stone spent years advising Trump although he was only formally affiliated with the 2016 campaign very briefly. He was convicted in November 2019 for lying to Congress and threatening a witness regarding his efforts for Trump’s campaign. He was pardoned by Trump in December 2020.

11. Allen Weisselberg: The longtime chief financial officer for the Trump Organization was charged with tax crimes tied to perks he was given in lieu of salary. 

12. Peter Navarro: The former Trump White House adviser was charged with contempt of Congress after refusing to provide testimony to the House panel investigating the Capitol attack. Navarro, who pleaded not guilty, was given 4 months in prison.

13. Mark Meadows, Former White House chief of staff, faces racketeering charges under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

14. Michael Roman served as director of Election Day operations for Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign. The senior Trump campaign staffer faces seven charges in connection with the fake elector scheme, for which he allegedly helped coordinate logistics.

15. Stephen Lee, is charged with influencing witnesses by allegedly traveling to the home of Georgia election worker Ruby Freeman on Dec. 14 and Dec. 15 and trying to influence her testimony. Lee is also accused of soliciting the help of Harrison Floyd in his efforts after becoming concerned that Freeman was afraid to talk to Lee because he is a white man.

16. Harrison Floyd, A leader of Black Voices for Trump, allegedly tried to convince Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman to make false statements about election operations on Election Day 2020, under the guise of offering her help. He is charged with racketeering, influencing witnesses and conspiring to solicit false statements and writings.

17. Trevian Kutti, a former publicist for rapper Ye, previously known as Kanye West, is charged in connection with pressuring Freeman to make false statements about her role in helping administer the election. Her involvement prompted charges for influencing witnesses as well as conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings.

18. Shawn Still, was a Georgia Republican Party official who signed the Electoral College documents. Still had served as the state party’s finance chairman and is now a sitting state senator. He is charged with seven counts, including impersonating a public officer, forgery, false statements and attempting to file false documents.

19. David Shafer, who served as the chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, was another individual who signed the documents. He faces the same charges as Still, and an additional count of making false statements.

20. Cathy Latham, a retired teacher, served as the chairwoman of the Coffee County Republican Party and was spotted on surveillance footage welcoming employees of technology solutions firm Sullivan Strickler — which was allegedly paid by Powell — into the county’s elections office on the day of the breach. Latham was also one of the 16 pro-Trump individuals who signed documents purporting to be Georgia’s presidential electors.

21. Misty Hampton, Coffee County’s election supervisor, posted a viral video claiming Dominion Voting System machines could be manipulated. She allegedly helped facilitate an early January 2021 voting system breach in Coffee County by sending a “written invitation” to some of Trump’s attorneys. In addition to a racketeering charge, she faces six charges connected to that effort.22.

22. Scott Hall, who owns a bail bond business, was reportedly another one of the individuals Latham welcomed into the election office on Jan. 7. He faces six charges linked to that effort, plus the racketeering charge.

Add to this list the 1265 individuals who have been charged with assaulting or resisting officers, using a deadly weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer during the breach of the Capitol, and all I can say is, man, what the hell is going on? Because it is still going on. The latest charges were just released on Wednesday this week.

Well, the proof is in the pudding. Those are the numbers. The links are there if you would like to verify. A personal recommendation; do not get too close to number 45. Your freedom might just depend on this.

Thanks for reading. Abrazos.

Diego Rojas