When I came up with the title Trump Mafia, my impetus was driven by the fact that Trump literally operates like a Mafia boss. I am not the first to draw this comparison, but it resonated so strongly with me, that I felt an exploration intothebelief that he operates like a “DON” (pun intended) and in fact operates A REAL CRIME FAMILY needed some attention.

To understand this comparison, you have to first understand the way a true mob boss operates. First and foremost, they surround themselves with minions who are willing to “go to the mat” for them.

This is very important.

We all know that DON MUSSOLINI insists on blind loyalty and allegiance, and we also know that “TRANSACTIONAL TRUMP” only gives when he gets.

That said, the most powerful sword he wields is even more seductive than money, it’s the “PARDON CARROT”. This singular power of the President isdangledto his criminal band of neer-do-wells. Just remember that as we will circle back on that later in this episode.

The other element that rarely is appreciated due to the constant barrage of Trump’s assaults in the news cycle, is the immense totality of his criminal web. When you’re making the comparison of a person to a Crime Boss, you are comparing them to someone with a vast network of operatives all conspiring on your behalf.

Additional, I feel it is equally important to give some airtime to some of his more nefarious “COMPLICIT CRONIES”.

We already explored Michael Cohen, Trump’s flipping fixer, as he had some serious unreported ties to Russia, but now we’re going to move on to another player on the board with more ties to Russia than vodka.

His name is Paul Manafort.