Mr. Weisselberg Visits the Courts

7/1/2021

(This above masterpiece is from that innocent time when Robert Mueller investigated the goniffs.)
* * *
Who doesn’t love a perp walk, when an alleged suspect has to walk past a raggle-taggle media mob?
As a news reporter, back in the day, I stood on a city sidewalk and yelled questions at suspects and lawyers. Sometimes somebody would even say something.

I’ve been waiting for the ultimate perp walk for over four years, when the alleged perpetrator would have to bluster his way through the scrum, the way Messrs. Manaforte and Flynn and Stone had to do.
The way the porcine little accomplice Barr will have to do one of these days.

At least once a day, I ask my favorite news monitor: “Did they get him yet?”
Every so often, I watch the Youtube masterpiece, “From Russia With Love,” depicting many of the villains of recent years (but not the racist Stephen Miller; why not the racist Stephen Miller?)
I love the Vampira smile of the blonde turncoat, lurking in the shadows.

Actually, a lot of us are waiting for the big one. It may just be coming. But on Thursday I had to settle for the dumpy accountant Allen Weisselberg to get hauled into court, although the NYT made it clear the charges included the the Trump organization, not just the figures guy.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/01/nyregion/allen-weisselberg-charged-trump-organization.html?searchResultPosition=2
Everybody knows Weisselberg is the major facilitator for the shady Trump and his family – the phony “university,” the crooked “foundation,” the real-estate scams that now have residents lobbying to have the chiseler’s name chiseled off crumbling Trumpian facades.

Now Weisselberg has been summoned by the district attorney of New York City.
By mid-day, I had not seen a sidewalk scrum like the ones that nice Michael Cohen had to endure, but still, there was Mr. Weisselberg, court-mandated mask on, hands cuffed behind his back, being guided through a public hallway -- no tie on Mr. Weisselberg. Trés déclassé

I am sure somebody has told him his interesting options.
To flip, or not to flip.
“Mr. Weisselberg, we know you were merely following orders, weren’t you?”

This isn’t even the worst stuff suspected of Donald John Trump.
The rape charge. The payoffs. The racist policies in those badly-made buildings he and his father slapped up. And, if some legal mind wanted to try, the potential charges of dereliction of duty in the half a million avoidable American deaths in the ongoing Covid pandemic. And the sending of thugs (or, as Republicans call them, tourists) down Pennsylvania Ave. to tear apart the American government.
That’s all out there, gettable, somehow.

But right now, white-collar crime will do. Just for openers.
Al Capone on tax evasion.
The timing is perfect – just before the birthday of an idealistic country, not always perfect, but a beacon to the world, nonetheless, and now, maybe again.
“Mr. Weisselberg, you’ll be doing your country a favor. You could be a patriot."
Something to ponder over the long weekend.
Happy Fourth of July, Mr. Weisselberg.

Cuffs came later. Allen Weisselberg takes a stroll in Manhattan. Photo: Jefferson Siegel for The New York Times

Ed Martin

7/1/2021 01:11:13 pm

Although the sentiment is far different, I am reminded of the song, “Ah, yes, I remember it well…”

bruce

7/2/2021 12:49:46 pm

ed....different sentiment but ironic given that chevalier was named as a collaborator during ww2. hope monsieur trump isn't the 'victim' of the same thing from his esteemed mr weisselberg.

honour among thieves?

bruce

Dave Kaplan

7/1/2021 01:41:45 pm

Salient stuff, George.

Irony - perp walks became more of a spectacle when the former guy's lawyer was mayor. (And what kind of weasel evicts his daughter in law from his ill-gotten apartment - that didn't work out well for him, did it?)

Alan Rubin link

7/1/2021 04:42:01 pm

Trumps long history of business failures and ripping people/country, off may finally finally come home to roost. Who is readily willing to go to jail for him?

7/1/2021 04:46:43 pm

Weisselnerg is, — following trump-omerta. His whole family may be in too deep.

Maybe his best hope, if convicted, is trump in 2024 Pardon

Brian Savin

7/1/2021 07:36:24 pm

Don’t fan a witch hunt, George. There is a serious challenge about to be waged against the 2020 election results in six states. God help us, because the challenge has extraordinary factual underpinnings, some of which I have reviewed, along with many Wall Street digital sector analysts. Our country is entering a period of potentially serious trouble. Let’s get together before the Rubicon is crossed and demand serious neutral review of the unfolding evidence. If this election challenge is willfully ignored by the so-called “mainstream” media it may light an explosive reaction. That can be avoided, but not for much longer. It’s quite possible we face a stormy confrontational period of civil strife.
Best
Brian

7/1/2021 10:47:25 pm

Be careful with the Kool Aid, Brian.

bruce

7/2/2021 09:39:23 am

brian....

you're back!!

i was concerned you might've been confined somewhere by dark forces unleashed by the biden crazies seeking revenge on the greatest potus in the past 500 years--at least that's what his supporters are sayin'......

and, as always, your post didn't disappoint.

you are one consistent guy.

bruce

bruce

7/2/2021 10:33:19 am

my apologies....i was so excited about brian's escape from the forces of darkness that it could be interpreted as 'his supporters' meant biden's not the previous inhabitant, mr donald trump. the man who did such a magnificent job keeping covid off america's shores and shoring up the country's rep in the world after that treacherous muslim kenyan--remember trump's investigation found amazing things in hawaii about hussein obama!--he was going to release those facts as proof. i was away when he did, i guess. word is that putin weeps himself to sleep every night since that phony election took trump away from him.

Alan Rubin link

7/2/2021 10:39:34 am

Bruce, we can always count of some common sense from Canada.

An enjoyable July 4th to all, which I believe is George's birthday. My wedding anniversary is on Christmas eve. It is nice when everyone, nationally or world-wide, celebrates these occasions with you.

On a historical note, NY was the last state to ratify the constitution, and that was contingent upon the Bill of Rights being passed.

Until the recent rush to have accounts of current events published almost over night, the usual cycle of meaningful historical non-fiction was about five to ten years. This allowed for significant private and classified documents to become public.

bruce

7/2/2021 10:48:40 am

alan,

thanks.

always nice to hear from a fellow traveller, eh, socialist, eh.....

canada day yesterday.

154 years as a, sort of, independent country.

i think i heard a few booms from firecrackers last night tho it might've been a thunderstorm.

a bit of trivia info for you...not that many years ago the canadian broacasting corporation had a 'greatest canadian' contest.

kiefer sutherland's grandfather won.

bruce

7/2/2021 02:29:03 pm

Bruce, Happy Canada Day after. My Facebook posts reached “Canucks” in time! (Forgive!). And if GV has a birthday July 4, I still wont shoot off fireworks, neighbors dogs are nervous.i

Alan and gang, The recent bio of Hamiltonby Ron Chernow is really excellent, and I learned much more about the process of War and the establishment of US government, including NY not really supporting Hamilton around slavery, taxes, etc, although he was a delgate. My old history classes really did not report on his significance.

Be like learning about soccer journalism

PS soon we will learn how Hillary stole the election and caused the Bowling Green rebellion. Stay tuned.

7/2/2021 04:22:15 pm

Missing words. Like soccer journalism, WITHOUT GEORGE.

Alan Rubin link

7/4/2021 04:55:25 pm

Lin Manuel Miranda had picked up Ron Charnow's Hamilton as a last-minute read, luckily for us. (Any book by Charnow is an informative read). He gave a book talk about Hamilton at the NY Historical Society without the use of any notes.

The movie, "In the Heights" was wonderful to see and it had extra significance for me. Many of my early years were spent in the “heights”, ages 7-12. Although much of the film’s action took place above Dykeman Street, there were many scenes filmed on streets between 155 Street and 190th Street, where I lived. It was just below the entrance to Fort Tryon Park.

The area above Dykeman Street was not predominately Hispanic at the time.

I also enjoyed swimming at the Highbridge Pool and Recreation Center pool at about 175th Street.

The steep steps were at 181st Street went up to Pinehurst Avenue, which went from 190th to 179th Streets. The best part of it was going north on Pinehurst above the steps as there was no thru car traffic. Although cars were parked on both sides of the street, it was safe enough from car traffic to play stick-ball. Lamp posts and sewer covers in the middle of the street made good bases. A sure home run was a Spalding high bounce pink rubber ball hit for two sewers, a 2-holer.

Every kid who played in a school yard or on a city street should know this. “Where Did You Go? Nothing” by Robert Paul Smith. A classic book about childhood.

A good friend and fellow goalkeeper coach who runs the women’s soccer program at MCLA in North Adams, MA often commented that not enough young players had the school yard experience of learning on their own.

Since I lived across the street from the school yard, my mother would bring a sandwich when I was not home for lunch. A softball team stayed on until they lost, often carrying over until the next day or weekend.

A joyful "Forth" to all, even those north of the border. My friend's grandson is cycling to Canada and is not sure if he will be able to get across the border.

The older kids taught the younger ones.

In my coaching days, I would turn the last 10-15 minutes over to the students to take responsibility for the training. It never surprised me how well they did and I usually learned from them.

bruce

7/4/2021 04:58:42 pm

alan,

thanks.

i'm sure as long as your friend's grandson pays the ransom everything will be ok.

bruce

bruce

7/4/2021 09:17:50 am

to my fellow north americans....happy independence day from north of the border where we're still struggling under the yoke of socialism.

hopefully, you're not having buyer's remorse almost six months into having to tolerate biden's erratic behaviour.

eh!

bruce

7/4/2021 03:50:22 pm

Bruce, “erratic behavior.?” Has Brian hacked your account? Pres. Spent three hours talking with people affected by Miami collapse, talked as long as they wished, not just a photo op, but real person to person comtact. On the other hand you Canadians have a way of kidding…..

Ps. Donald Sutherland has a home along Lac Memphremagog, and we have seen him boating, maybe Kiefer too, just a glimpse. I hear Donald nearly died in a storm caused boating spill. Happily, survived.
We loved visiting Magog, but this is the second summer we may not be able to. Just for that, the Habs are losing to Tampa, of all places. The only ice in Tampa is in CC and soda.

bruce

7/4/2021 04:49:06 pm

ed,

yes....i was being a canadian kidder tho i will say that watching joe walk makes me feel old.

i believe george sampled some sly canadian humour when he was a pup covering the islanders in their heyday.those many years ago.

sutherland has been in the eastern townships for a time, je pense.

great actor who doesn't get enough credit for it.

haven't been to magog but i've heard it's a lovely place.

love visiting quebec....makes me tres happy to be un canadien.

bruce

Alan Rubin link

7/4/2021 05:08:47 pm

Quebec is a great city with a wonderful old section. Visited both when I was single and married.

Among my favorites places were Cape Breton Island and the Bay of Fundy, both low and high tide. We had camped at the mouth of the Bay during the tail end of a hurricane. Luckily, we had read somewhere to dig a small trench around the tent.

bruce

7/4/2021 06:30:42 pm

alan,

quebec city is gorgeous.

i was born in nova scotia.

cabot trail on cape breton is breathtaking.

my maternal grandmother was, supposedly, the oldest person in the province when she died at 108 in 2006

the bay of fundy has the highest tides on the planet.

bruce

7/5/2021 07:53:32 pm

I wonder if George ever says to himself, “Its my fault, I never should have appealed to literate readers.”

bruce

7/5/2021 08:05:29 pm

ed,

it don't meen nuthin' two mee.

burce

Randolph

7/6/2021 06:22:16 am

Bruce,
Congratulations! The Canadians were great yesterday at Wimbledon.
All the best.
RF

bruce

7/6/2021 09:08:11 am

randolph,

randolph,

thanks.

twas a good day for tennis for the true north strong and freeish.

russian and togo connections giving it a flair.

bruce

Comments are closed.

QUOTES

Measuring Covid Deaths, by David Leonhardt. July 17, 2023. NYT online.
The United States has reached a milestone in the long struggle against Covid: The total number of Americans dying each day — from any cause — is no longer historically abnormal….

After three horrific years, in which Covid has killed more than one million Americans and transformed parts of daily life, the virus has turned into an ordinary illness.

The progress stems mostly from three factors:
First, about three-quarters of U.S. adults have received at least one vaccine shot.
Second, more than three-quarters of Americans have been infected with Covid, providing natural immunity from future symptoms. (About 97 percent of adults fall into at least one of those first two categories.)
Third, post-infection treatments like Paxlovid, which can reduce the severity of symptoms, became widely available last year.
“Nearly every death is preventable,” Dr. Ashish Jha, who was until recently President Biden’s top Covid adviser, told me. “We are at a point where almost everybody who’s up to date on their vaccines and gets treated if they have Covid, they rarely end up in the hospital, they almost never die.”

That is also true for most high-risk people, Jha pointed out, including older adults — like his parents, who are in their 80s — and people whose immune systems are compromised. “Even for most — not all but most —immuno-compromised people, vaccines are actually still quite effective at preventing against serious illness,” he said. “There has been a lot of bad information out there that somehow if you’re immuno-compromised that vaccines don’t work.”

That excess deaths have fallen close to zero helps make this point: If Covid were still a dire threat to large numbers of people, that would show up in the data.

One point of confusion, I think, has been the way that many Americans — including we in the media — have talked about the immuno-compromised. They are a more diverse group than casual discussion often imagines.

Most immuno-compromised people are at little additional risk from Covid — even people with serious conditions, such as multiple sclerosis or a history of many cancers. A much smaller group, such as people who have received kidney transplants or are undergoing active chemotherapy, face higher risks.

Covid’s toll, to be clear, has not fallen to zero. The C.D.C.’s main Covid webpage estimates that about 80 people per day have been dying from the virus in recent weeks, which is equal to about 1 percent of overall daily deaths.

The official number is probably an exaggeration because it includes some people who had virus when they died even though it was not the underlying cause of death. Other C.D.C. data suggests that almost one-third of official recent Covid deaths have fallen into this category. A study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases came to similar conclusions.

Dr. Shira Doron, the chief infection control officer at Tufts Medicine in Massachusetts, told me that “age is clearly the most substantial risk factor.” Covid’s victims are both older and disproportionately unvaccinated. Given the politics of vaccination, the recent victims are also disproportionately
Republican and white.

Each of these deaths is a tragedy. The deaths that were preventable — because somebody had not received available vaccines and treatments — seem particularly tragic. (Here’s a Times guide to help you think about when to get your next booster shot.)
***

From the great Maureen Dowd:

As I write this, I’m in a deserted newsroom in The Times’s D.C. office. After working at home for two years during Covid, I was elated to get back, so I could wander around and pick up the latest scoop.
But in the last year, there has been only a smattering of people whenever I’m here, with row upon row of empty desks. Sometimes a larger group gets lured in for a meeting with a platter of bagels."

--- Dowd writes about the lost world of journalists clustered in newsrooms at all hours, smoking, drinking, gossipping, making phone calls, typing, editing.
***
"Putting out the paper," we called it.
Much more than nostalgia.
---https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/29/opinion/journalism-newsroom.html

Mr. Weisselberg Visits the Courts

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