By Robert Greenwald
On the campaign trail, former president Donald Trump endlessly pledges to stop crime, restore law and order, and jail criminals.
But as a new video short from Brave New Films underscores, Trump’s prior campaigns and White House years have seen a dozen top aides indicted and convicted of serious crimes.
Whether Trump will soon join them as his trial in New York on falsifying business records to conceal a sex scandal on the eve of 2016’s election will soon become known.
In the meantime, Brave New Films is contrasting Trump’s words, which are more flagrant lies, with his actions – by surrounding himself with law-breaking aides and advisors.
“My highest priority was to reduce crime,” Trump proclaims, at the start of the video, entitled Trump Crime Wave. “We have to bring back law and order.”
He boasts, “I am your president of law and order.”
The soundtrack is filled with Trump hyping crime waves and pledging to “stop the crime” and “put them behind bars as quickly as possible.” Meanwhile, the screen scrolls through a dozen former top Trump campaign and political aides who have been convicted of crimes.
Trump’s crime wave and criminal associates include:
• Paul Manafort, Trump campaign chairman, convicted of bank and tax fraud.
• Michael Flynn, national security advisor, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.
• Rick Gates, Trump deputy campaign chairman, convicted of conspiracy and lying to the FBI.
• George Papadopoulos, Trump’s foreign policy advisor, convicted of lying to federal investigators.
• Michael Cohen, Trump’s lawyer, convicted of violating campaign finance laws and lied to Congress.
• Steve Bannon, Trump’s chief political strategist, convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, and contempt of Congress.
• Elliott Broidy, Trump fundraiser, convicted of violating foreign lobbying laws.
• Roger Stone, Trump campaign consultant, convicted of lying to Congress, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.
• Peter Navarro, Trump advisor, convicted of contempt of Congress.
• Allen Weisselberg, CFO of the Trump Organization, convicted of lying under oath.
• Rudy Guiliani, Trump’s lawyer, indicted for election interference.
The Trump Crime Wave video ends with a list of Trump’s 88 indictments in:
• United States of America v. Donald J. Trump (for January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol and obstructing Congress,
• The State of Georgia v. Donald Trump, et al, for attempting to subvert the state’s 2020 presidential election results,
• The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump, for falsifying business records to cover up sex scandals on the eve of the 2016 presidential election,
• The United States of America v. Donald Trump, Waltine Nauta, and Carlos De Oliveira, for unlawful retention and concealing national defense information – including nuclear weapons secrets.
“This is the corruption we expect to see in a third-world country, but not in the United States of America,” Trump complains.
Meanwhile, the soundtrack wishfully plays Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” which laments being “stuck in Folsom prison, and time keeps dragging on.”
Trump’s New York criminal trial is expected to issue its verdict after Memorial Day.