A Little Too Much Reality in the Trump Reality Show

[EasyAce]

Did the party of family values really want to sign up for all this?
By Mona Charen
https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/03/donald-trump-stormy-daniels-reality-show-family-values-party/

Watching the parade of porn stars, reality-TV contestants, and former Playboy models lining up to lambaste the president of the United States, as well as the daily trove of stories of wife-beating, naked nepotism, gambling, and official corruption among his cabinet members and White House staff, I was reminded of a story Bill Buckley once told.

He had been nominated by the Nixon administration to serve as one of our delegates to the United Nations. The FBI called around to his friends and colleagues, and one, William Rusher, groaned that he had already answered all of their questions when Buckley had been nominated for an earlier assignment. The agent replied: “I know, but it is my duty to ask whether Mr. Buckley might have done anything since 1969 to embarrass the president.” The sly Rusher responded, “No, but the Nixon administration has done a great deal to embarrass Mr. Buckley.”

Imagine the FBI interviews with nominees like Governor Nikki Haley or General James Mattis. “Have you done anything that could embarrass President Trump?” It’s mind-bending. They are honorable people with stellar careers and he is a failed casino magnate, serial adulterer, swindler of ambitious naïfs (see Trump University), sexual predator, and all-around louse. Yes, he’s the president, but is he even capable of embarrassment?

. . . Stormy Daniels alleges that she had an affair with Trump. At first, the world yawned. But since then we’ve learned that Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen paid her $130,000 in hush money in October 2016. (Such nice lawyers Mr. Trump hires!) That may be a violation of campaign-finance laws if Trump did not report it as an in-kind contribution. Beyond that, it reveals the contempt with which Trump treats the public. There was no affair, but Cohen had a sudden urge to make a charitable contribution to Stormy? And now Trump is suing Daniels — in the amount of $20 million — for breach of the confidentiality agreement, though the official Trump position is that the agreement doesn’t exist. Got that? . . .