First-time readers, the dialogue in this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020). Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution. More about Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1. List and general description of entries to date. Annual assessment if Revolution plausible.
Note: most characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations. Profile of characters. You’ll catch on quickly. Thanks for your time and interest…and comments.
Following entry #250, several readers sent messages asking me to continue the series on “Who Took Out the Donald?” Given the startling revelations last week…and seemingly every week… about bizarre behavior by Trump and/or key members of the Administration, I agreed. Series about “Who Took Out the Donald?’ begins Entry #244.
Scene: Jordan’s office in Washington a few days after the dinner meeting with Gelly, JC and Greenie.
Gelly: “Excuse me, Jordan. Matt…you know Matt the reporter…is on line 2 and would like to talk to you.”
Jordan: “Sure but did he say what the topic was?”
Gelly: “No, and he never does. But, hey, he’s a reporter.”
Jordan (Picking up the phone): “Hello, Matt. Long time. All OK at your end, I hope.”
Matt: “Everything’s fine, Jordan. Thanks for asking.”
Jordan: “I assume this is not a social call. So, what’s up?”
Matt: “I’ve been working on a book about the Trump Administration and I need some help.”
Jordan: “From me?”
Matt: “Probably but I’d really like to talk to your buddy Greenie. She wrote a series of articles about the Administration and I’ve always liked her insight.”
Jordan: “You want to meet her here, or privately?”
Matt: “Your place would be great. Sorry to be so pushy, but any chance we could meet today?”
Jordan: “You want lunch, too, right? Don’t answer. I think she’s in town. Let’s assume 2:00pm today here unless we get back with you. OK?”
Matt: “Great. Thanks.”
(Time: just before 2:00pm.)
Jordan: “Well, well, the dynamic duo has arrived.”
JC: “You should be honored we’re here. I’d convinced Greenie to catch an early movie…until you called.”
Greenie: “Jordan, meeting with Matt will be more fun than a movie. Exactly what does he want to talk about?”
Jordan: “Ask him. He just walked in the door.”
Matt: “Hello, Greenie, nice to see you again.”
Greenie: “Nice to see you Matt. JC is visiting and we were off to a movie…”
JC: “…until she convinced me meeting with you would be more fun. Nice to see you Matt.”
Matt: “Nice to see you, JC. Thanks everyone for taking time, especially on such short notice. I’m working on a book about the Trump Administration and would like to get your perspectives on a couple of issues.”
Jordan: “Can you frame the gist of the book a little bit more…and maybe the sequencing as well?”
Matt: “The book attempts to address and link, if a link exists, various events leading up to when Trump was taken out.”
Greenie: “Funny you mention the Donald being taken out. Not really funny but all of us had a long conversation over dinner the other night about that very topic.”
Matt: “Good. Let’s hold the results of that conversation until we address other topics. Topics such as, at least according to the Washington Post article, Jared Kushner contacting the Russian ambassador about setting up a secret communications channel to the Kremlin.”
JC: “And, duh, Kushner wanted to use the communications equipment in the Russian embassy. According to the article, even the Russian ambassador was taken aback by the idea.”
Greenie: “Even if the article was incorrect, which no one has ever proved, there’s a bigger problem. This might surprise you but my view is Kushner was more of an egomaniac than Trump. Hard to fathom, I know, but I really believe that.”
Matt: “Interesting perspective. Why do you think so?”
Greenie: “Look, the guy’s in his mid-30’s, which is ego time for many people. But he’s also from a family with two question marks. Maybe I should just call them marks. His father did time in prison for fraud. And, he’s Orthodox, although I must say his behavior sometimes made me question his commitment.”
JC: “I agree with the part about his father, but do you think being Orthodox was an issue?”
Greenie: “OK, skip the Orthodox issue. Here’s a 30-something in the White House with no previous political experience…and he’s effectively running the country. Kushner pulls a string and the puppet Trump reacts, just like Howdy Doody. Just thinking of it is depressing.”
JC: “I know I wasn’t expected to be part of this conversation but I agree with Greenie. It would be hard for anyone Kushner’s age and in Kushner’s position not to end up with a huge ego…even you, Jordan.”
Matt: “The Kushner problem started before Trump was inaugurated. The contact with the Russian about the back-channel network was during the transition.”
Greenie: “Part of the problem for Trump, Kushner and some other key staffers was no Washington experience. These guys had no idea how government really worked.”
JC: “You mean running the running the government turned out to be more complicated than doing a real estate deal? Who knew? Seriously, what really baffles me is how could they have thought communications with the Russians were not being monitored?”
Matt: “I’ve scratched me head ever since the FBI released info about General Flynn talking to the Russians. I know he was retired at the time, but still.”
JC: “How could a, what 3-star general in the Marines, with some national security experience no less, not know about calls to the Russians being monitored?”
Jordan: “Flynn knew it and ignored it. My source, a military officer senior to Flynn and familiar with Flynn, said in a casual phone conversation shortly after the inauguration that Flynn should never have been appointed and would not last.”
Matt: “He was right but what was the reason?”
Jordan: “Flynn’s gigantic ego and history of uncontrolled behavior.”
Matt: “Had anyone in the incoming administration contacted your colleague?”
Jordan: “Not to my knowledge. And don’t ask who my colleague is. He’ll deny the conversation and won’t talk anyway.”
JC: “So what I’m hearing is there were a bunch of incompetent egomaniacs with a big set of kahunas running the transition team and then the White House.”
Greenie: “Not phrased elegantly but the conclusion seems spot on. However, there’s one piece that seems inconsistent with that conclusion.”
Matt: “And that is?”
Greenie: “Mike Pence and Jeff Sessions were experienced politicians. Sessions had been in the Senate for 20 years and had been US attorney earlier in his career.”
Matt: “I’m having the same problem. Why did two highly experienced politicians let all this bizarre behavior happen?”
Greenie: “People do strange things when money or power is on the table…and especially money and power.”
JC: “Strange things like throwing away all principles?”
Greenie: “Exactly. We are almost certain Trump and Kushner were paid by the Russians. Maybe not directly but the businesses were paid. The Donald, Jr. admitted the Russians were the source of funds for many of the Trump golf courses.”
Jordan: “Back to Pence and Sessions. Where did their money go?”
Matt: “Maybe they didn’t get any money.”
Greenie: “I don’t believe it.”
(Continued)
Gelly:
Sandy:
Greenie:
JC:
Greenie:
JC: “Maybe heads should have rolled at the White House sooner. Sorry, that was too easy.”
Sandy:
JC: “Yes, we would…right Jordan?”
Gelly: “I guess that’s what’s confusing me. I agree Trump was like a water bug when it came to international policies – he’d head off in one direction one second and then quickly shift to another direction. But other than some blustery talk about bombing North Korea and the infamous wrong-way destroyer claim, he never caused any turbulence below the surface. The diplomats and the professionals somehow handled the foreign-policy issues.”
Gelly: “Seems to me that some of the Trump proposals, if implemented as drafted, would have completely split the country. Even though some of the crazier the ideas were eventually watered down, we still had the Revenge Revolution. Just how much carnage would there have been if had not been taken out?”
Gelly: “Ya’ know, it’s probably not fair, but when I think of Trump as president I think of Howdy Doody.”
Greenie: “Thanks for the compliment…but it’s been a while since I was an insider. Anyway, I want to hear your take.”
JC: “Maybe first in not studying and first in narcissism. But he’s no one’s academic. And I’m sure Wharton would rather not admit he’s an alum.”
JC: “More like, if you don’t disappear voluntarily, then you, too, will disappear.”
Waiter delivers a round of drinks.
Gelly:
JC:
Greenie:
Greenie:
Gelly:
Jordan:
Jordan:
Greenie: “Jordan, if you don’t mind, I’d like to continue the conversation we began at the office. You know lots of the ins and outs of Washington…so why did the Donald get taken out?”
Jordan: “Simple. Well, maybe not so simple…but easy to understand. It’s the old adage of ‘Just follow the money.’”
JC: “I hear you Jordan. How much do you think he owed on those properties…and to whom?”
Gelly: “So you guys think he was heavily in debt. If so, like JC said, money owed to whom?”
JC: “What was that guy on the transition team who had been some high-level dude at Bank of Cyprus?”
Gelly: “Then are you saying then that the Russians took out Trump?”
Jordan: “Good point, Greenie. I’ve always been suspicious about the sudden change in attitude. And, then, within a day or so of the change in attitude, Secretary of State Tillerson is at the Kremlin and has a private, unscheduled, undocumented two-hour meeting with Putin. That meeting doesn’t smell right. How much of a bad-ass could Tillerson have been? Just a couple of years before, Putin gave Tillerson a Russian Order of Friendship medal.”
Jordan: “Good one Gelly.”
Jordan: “I agree he might have thought he could give the proverbial finger to the Russians and walk away…but that’s not how it works.”
Gelly: “Jordan, the dynamic duo is here to see you – JC and Greenie.”
Greenie: “I’m visiting JC for a few days. She offered to edit some of my articles on the cause of the Revenge Revolution.”
JC: “So…Jordan, does Captain Queeg’s behavior in Caine Mutiny remind you of anybody who used to be in Washington…you know, like…”
JC: “I’d forgotten how wacko those guys in the White House really were…starting with the Donald.”
Greenie: “When there was no evidence of a wiretap, he claimed the former Attorney General broke the law by doing her job and should be put in jail.”
Greenie: “Finally, Queeg appoints his wet-behind-the-ears son-in-law as executive officer in charge of the ship…and also appoints the pretty-face, but ‘not-the-brightest bulb’ daughter, as key advisor.”
Greenie: “Queeg….I mean Trump was really dangerous. What I think was even worse – a lot of supposedly responsible people, including Republican leadership in the House and Senate….didn’t want to admit how much Queeg and staff really were out of control.”
JC: “Let me guess. One is the Russians, which seems like an obvious choice. From what I can tell, they have him by the short hairs.”
JC: “You thinking an inside job…like someone from one of the intelligence agencies or the special ops guys in the military? Yikes, the thought of that makes me squirm.”
JC: “It was. But now all that’s over. To end on a more positive note, the country survived after president Queeg. Lots of turmoil and the Revenge Revolution but we survived.”
