Today, President Trump sent a tweet complementing convicted felon Paul Manafort, his former campaign manager, for not ratting him out as his former fixer and personal attorney, Michael Cohen, has done presumably in an effort to reduce his jail time for felony campaign violations.
The president’s former longtime personal attorney and self-described “fixer” entered a guilty plea with federal prosecutors yesterday, admitting to violating campaign finance laws by arranging hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal “at the direction” of then-candidate Trump.
It stuck me as somewhat ironic, given the comparisons of Trump to a mob boss that have surfaced in the media, and which were included in former FBI Director James Comey's book, "A Higher Loyalty." In fact, Trump, himself, has referenced the mob in some of his comments.
In his book, Comey compared a meeting with President Donald Trump to “Sammy the Bull’s Cosa Nostra induction ceremony” and said Trump’s demeanor gave him flashbacks to his “earlier career as a prosecutor against the Mob.”
That comment from Comey angered mob heir Giovanni Gambino, who blasted Comey for using against Trump 'the same lies and corrupted methods' that he says landed his father behind bars.
"Comey comparing Trump to a Mob boss is a compliment,' said Giovanni Gambino in an email to DailyMail.com. 'Maybe we should have a real mob boss for president.' Giovanni, 43, is cousin to infamous crime boss Carlo Gambino.
Trump in mid-July compared his former campaign manager Paul Manafort’s trial on tax and fraud charges to legendary gangster Al Capone, who was brought down on tax charges.
In an interview with Fox News, he said: “With Paul Manafort, who clearly is a nice man. You look at what’s going on with him. It’s like Al Capone.” And in a tweet in June, he sarcastically wrote that he “didn’t know Manafort was the head of the Mob.”
Today, Trump sent this tweet complementing Manafort and blasting Cohen:
So, Manafort is a "brave man" and Cohen, the fixer, is a rat?
We'll see if Manafort hangs tough. I wouldn't be surprised to see him cut a deal before this is over, as he faces yet another trial that is more directly linked to Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
Clearly, Trump values loyalty. But you'd better not cross him, or you're toast as others have learned.
With that in mind, I did a little research to see how mobsters deal with rats. It's not usually a pretty sight. Check out the video above for just one example.
Cohen, you better hope you go to jail. You might be safer there. You, too, Manafort -- if you decide to squeal to save your own skin.