Conservative commentators howled about the specter of Dr. Anthony Fauci invoking the Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself more than 100 times during his Congressional testimony last Wednesday.
Disgraceful!
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And then I remembered that Donald Trump had invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 400 times while testifying in a deposition in the New York attorney general’s civil case against him.
Trump took the Fifth four times as often as Fauci? Fauci’s a piker.
And Fauci’s an evil piker. As Trump said, a decade ago, “The mob takes the Fifth. If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?” Sen. Josh Hawley echoed Trump’s point after Fauci testified: “[N]o honest person pleads the Fifth.” Maybe these politicians are onto something.
I was reading about how David Brouillette, the ICE agent who killed an asylum seeker in Maine a couple of weeks ago, had previously been found “not credible” by a state court judge in a child support hearing. Apparently, the finding that Brouillette had lied under oath would hurt his credibility in any future legal proceedings.
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And then I remembered that state court judge Arthur Engoron had found Trump “not credible” when Trump testified about his violations of a gag order during the New York civil fraud trial against him. I bet the finding that Trump had lied under oath will hurt his credibility when he speaks in the future.
I read that there were sexual assault allegations against Graham Platner, the Democratic candidate for senator in Maine. Platner withdrew from the race.
And then I remembered that a New York jury had found (and an appellate court affirmed) that Trump committed an act of sexual assault that the trial judge described as constituting rape, in the common use of the word. Hmmm. An actual court adjudication of rape must be worse than mere allegations of assault, right?
I read that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2005 affair with Ruby Rippey had lasted about 10 months, which might cripple Newsom’s presidential aspirations.
And then I remembered that former Playboy model Karen MacDougal described her 2006 affair with Trump as lasting about nine or 10 months. Of course, Newsom had separated from his wife and filed for divorce before his affair; Trump didn’t bother with those technicalities.
I read that New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez resigned from office after he was convicted of corruption charges.
And then I remembered that Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 felonies by a New York jury. Thirty-four counts, huh? That beats Menendez’s mere 16 felony convictions.
The more I read, the more I realize that Trump’s right: He always wins.
Data centers are an environmental disaster. They’re estimated to have used 100 billion gallons of water in 2023.
But golf courses used nearly 550 billion gallons of water in 2020.
Thank goodness Trump never developed golf courses for a living.
Speaking of golf, in 2014, Trump was outraged that President Barack Obama enjoyed playing golf while he was president. Trump tweeted: “Can you believe that, with all of the problems and difficulties facing the U.S., President Obama spent the day playing golf. Worse than Carter.”
Yes. Much worse than Carter.
Obama played 333 rounds of golf during his two terms in office. Trump was at nearly 300 during his first term alone.
Trump had to ask Elon Musk to cut government spending because our country is wallowing in debt. Foreign aid went into the wood chipper. Head Start and homeless assistance programs were far too expensive for us.
But the place where Trump is living? The Presidential Walk of Fame (with the insulting plaques) in the West Colonnade of the White House, the newly paved Rose Garden, the $600 million ballroom? Trump’s house must be beautiful, even if it’s at your expense.
And Obama played most of his golf at military bases near Washington, D.C. Trump chooses to jet off to Mar-a-Lago or Bedminster, again at your expense.
Pick a contest: Trump never loses.
(But please don’t pick the war with Iran. That war is not over yet.
No it isn’t.
Mark Herrmann spent 17 years as a partner at a leading international law firm and later oversaw litigation, compliance and employment matters at a large international company. He is the author of The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Practicing Law and Drug and Device Product Liability Litigation Strategy (affiliate links). You can reach him by email at [email protected].: