“You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.”

George Papadopoulos v united states

Donald Trump portrays himself as a prolific successful business person.  He is known by his bombasity, arrogance, bullying and otherwise keen on convincing anyone who comes in contact with him that his faults are few, if any.   He has claimed to only associating with the smartest people, going to the best schools, having the best luck, on and on.  Those who support him maintain he is simply misunderstood and his gift is what this country needs to move forward.  Those who do not support him, can’t understand why the supporters can’t see the obvious?

 

While many pleaded for caution as he announced his run for the presidency, there were more who grew frustrated with government and the politicians who operated within it.  Thus, as Trump ran a Boston on the field of candidates of the GOP primary, the result was successfully high-jacking the party by becoming their leader.  His personality convinced more than a handful of voters that he would provide the type of leadership they were desperate for.  His bottom line proclamation to his supporters was it was now or never!  The rest is history.

Sometimes it’s best to keep your mouth shut!

Another interesting thing about Donald Trump is his boastful remarks.  Unfortunately words do matter and in his case they have proven to be a thorn in his side.  Yet, he talks and tweets as if in some type of robotic craze, then gets upset when people challenge the very remarks which came from him.

You may recall during the presidential campaign of 2016, Trump boasted with great gravitas how the professional politicians; particularly Hillary Clinton operated with an army of staff?  The contrast that he offered was that his team consisted of a fraction of his opponents.  He promised he knew what he was doing and when questioned on the number of staff operating his campaign, he boasted one of his favorite phrases, “trust me!”

 

Can he be a great guy and a liar at the same time?

 

This brings us to the Papadopoulos connection.        Some have intimated the entire Russia issue would be a non-issue, if not for Donald Trump commenting about it during the campaign.  There is no crime in meeting with Russia.  The problem Trump finds himself in is because he professed a blanket denial of having ANY connection!  How hard would it have been just to say, “sure, I have connections……? what’s the big deal?”

 

During the course of the past eighteen months, Trump and his supporters have insisted the entire Russia issue is ridiculous and only used as a disguise to block him from successfully executing his agenda.  Despite evidence to the contrary, Trump has dispensed an army of supporters who frequent the media airwaves with the core objective to dismiss the entire issue as nonsense.  In reviewing some of their comments you feel as if they have taken a “blood oath” in promising never to agree to obvious contradictions, especially when the topic is Trump and his actions.

 

The sin of arrogance

One part of an arrogant personality is attempting to exude confidence and projecting knowing more than most.  It is nothing wrong with this trait, as long as it is truth.  It becomes a big problem when it is clear the person is being dishonest and merely speaking to speak, as if the sound of their voice will overwhelm any common sense.

 

Part of Trump’s behavior is never admitting “you don’t know” as perhaps in his mind that shows a sign of weakness?  The irony is it is absolutely nothing wrong to state “you don’t know, if in fact you don’t know,” especially if asked a question.

The Washington Post Editorial Board Meeting

It was March 2016 and Trump’s popularity was steamrolling through the nation.  He met with the Washington Post editorial board and for some bizarre reason belted out the name of George Papadopoulos.  As a matter of fact, if you are even concerned, go back and listen to the audio and you will conclude he hesitated when the question was posed, yet felt he had to provide something so among other names Papadopoulos was mentioned as a key part of Trump’s team.  The words came from Trump’s mouth.

The transcript of the interview shows Post Publisher Fred Ryan Jr. saying to Trump, “We’ve heard you’re going to be announcing your foreign policy team shortly. … Any you can share with us?”

Trump responds in part, “Well, I hadn’t thought of doing it, but if you want I can give you some of the names … Walid Phares, who you probably know, Ph.D., adviser to the House of Representatives caucus, and counter-terrorism expert; Carter Page, Ph.D; George Papadopoulos, he’s an energy and oil consultant, excellent guy; the Honorable Joe Schmitz, [former] inspector general at the Department of Defense; [retired] Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg; and I have quite a few more.”

Yet, now that the Mueller probe has finally started unleashing names of those accused of wrongdoing, Trump has insisted Papadopoulos is a nobody.  He has insisted he didn’t know who in the hell Papadopoulos is, yet can’t explain why he volunteered his name to the Washington Post in the first place!.

The October 31st tweet

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump

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….came to the campaign. Few people knew the young, low level volunteer named George, who has already proven to be a liar. Check the DEMS!

 

What do Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Bagdad Bob have in common?

When the Papadopoulos news broke Trump demanded Sarah Huckabee Sanders face the press and insist not only was Papadopoulos a nobody and a liar but that his involvement had nothing to do with the Trump campaign?

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Unfortunately, however you try to slice it, the facts are Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to his behavior and the indictment highlights more than enough information for a reasonable person to conclude indeed his actions were at the heart of the campaign and specifically dealt with an attempt to connect it with Russia.  Of course, those who are not happy of Mueller’s indictment of Papadopoulos are very quick to offer the red-herring about Hillary Clinton and the uranium deal, or for allegedly paying for the Trump dossier, or anything which will divert your attention to the real issue; the serious indictment of Papadopoulos.

 

Papadopoulos presents a problem.  While he may in fact was just a motely volunteer, his overzealousness caught the attention of leadership within the campaign.  As the fledgling team bragged their frugal operation at the same time they embraced Papadopoulos and what he had to offer.  Interestingly many of them are perhaps a bit fidgety, thus who knows how many will have federal marshals’ contacting them.  Only time will tell what the impact will conclude and whether Donald Trump and his supporters will come to accept what most others already know; his campaign sought support from the Russians.

This week’s news could result what some have insisted – the entire Mueller investigation is a big “NOTHING BURGER.”  At the opposite end of the spectrum, social media has already projected a different conclusion in this “Russia with Love” clip.