Indeed Sir, as far as "separation of powers" is concerned, your superb hyperbole captures the current sorry reality in the present and the future tense, that "hell will freeze over before you can get an arm of the federal government of Nigeria or any entity for that matter to prosecute and convict anyone so close to the sitting president".
This is not only almost absolutely true of today's Nigeria (dearest Buhari) but absolutely true for most if not all of today's strong man or even weak man rule in our African republics and that includes all of the democratically elected presidents, prime ministers and heads of state, all of whom believe that they are either the Almighty – or indeed close to being the Almighty in human attire , at least in their own countries. HWD - He Who Decides – and what he says, goes!
Jerry Rawlings was a good and necessary strong man - now judged as second in importance only to Kwame Nkrumah in the political history of Ghana. People like Kofi Annan are considered by others and they themselves know it – that they are or were far too soft for the African jungle politics terrain. So, not even with age as a factor could we have ever seen a Kofi Annan or even a Boutros Boutros Ghali as president of any country. In my opinion Brother Buhari in his second coming is as mild as either Kofi Annan or Madiba Nelson Mandela in the circumstances and all the current obstacles considered, beneath the surface this is very much a fact even if it sounds like a controversial statement. To you and Boko Haram, I say, please hold your fire.
Then there's the other matter of the legal regulation of election campaign finances - not very clear either on paper or in practice when it comes to monitoring or controlling such spending sprees especially when some incumbent governments can't and do not distinguish between their party funds and the national treasury...
Without exception yesterday's African presidents and heads of states were amazed about the impeachment of President Bill Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky affair. The French President and the French people were perplexed and mostly laughed about it, it's not according to that old African proverb "a bird in the bush is worth two in the hand" , rather, it's the status quo of extra martial affairs, having at least a mistress or two is commendable cultural behaviour in Catholic France – it's a being true to form going hand in glove or condom they say, a natural part of the free, free, free, liberté, égalité, fraternité, especially in high society, and so they ( the French) were left wondering, what the fuss was all about.
The big men in Africa couldn't hold back their dismay and asked themselves, in disbelief , " Isn't he ( Bill) supposed to be the most powerful man in the world – at least more powerful than us - and yet we can do as we please in and out of our own oval offices without fear or prosecution let alone " impeachment" !
I think that Trump is more their kind of guy : grab them by the say hello and say goodbye, kiss the girls and make them cry.
I was in London for about four months living with my brother Patrick and wife in Putney and so I read the Sunday papers about poor Bill, about - backstage and pretty much out of the limelight ,the shuffering, at that time very stoic , not shmiling Hillary - and - Monica the victim of her predatory presidential husband.
Lo and behold it was those British papers, more than anything that could be dreamed of in the United States, that led the moral crusade - apparently more outraged than anyone else in the universe including Bible Belt America. I say " in the universe" advisedly, because I didn't read the Swedish papers about Slick Willy ( "I did not" etc. ) during those months or later and I say "advisedly" - because I would like you to know that although Sweden has been known to be more sexually permissive than most places in the West ( buying six is a criminal offence in Sweden) but there is an underlying Nathan Söderblom type moral streak that is a national Swedish tendency some kind of Jante - especially in relation to foreign entities ( Margot Wallström vs Israel for example) and hence this joke about four Scandinavians lined up for execution by guillotine - they are given a last chance to make a farewell speech and the Finn opts to be executed before the Swede makes his speech as it would be unbearably loaded with moralising / sermonising before their dramatic, collective entry into the Hereafter....
Anyway, as we all know, in Merry England - or indeed in the UK that sort of misdemeanour or pussy-footing doesn't get to a judicial or impeachment stage. The first crest-wave of scandal amplified by the press would be enough to send any prime minister, male or female packing - to resign on the spot , so to speak. To date, the Profumo Affair is the biggest sex scandal that has yet hit the United Kingdom....
We haven't heard the last of President' Trump's troubles yet –it's real-clear -politics and this is just the beginning, but I believe that he will prevail and overcome! And that Judas Iscariot otherwise known as Michael Cohen had previously said that he could take a bullet for his boss , before self-interest made a deal to throw his boss under the bus in order to get a considerably reduced prime time in jail...
Among the US's rivals are some of the envious, the cynical, the myopic and even some of the disgruntled locals who believe that "America has never been great ", know that the constitutional separation of powers which guarantees the independence of both the judiciary and national security agencies such as the FBI and the CIA , are at liberty to carry on their investigations and very ultimately to pass their judgement without any interference from e.g. the Oval Office , and this as you say , " is one example of what makes the USA great."
And indeed, as Presidential candidate Donald Trump ran his campaign on the platform, Make American Great Again.
On Wednesday, 22 August 2018 22:41:05 UTC+2, Okechukwu Ukaga wrote:
This is one example of what makes the USA great.Needless to say that hell will freeze over before you can get an arm of the federal government of Nigeria or any entity for that matter to prosecute and convict anyone so close to the seating president, even as the President continue to register his opposition to the investigation and prosecution.So my charge to all of us is to not only appreciate such developments in other parts of the world, but more importantly ask for it and work towards it in Nigeria and other African countries where impunity seems to be reigning unabated.OUOn Aug 22, 2018 12:24 AM, "Mobolaji Aluko" <alu...@gmail.com> wrote:SUMMARYBLOOMBERGIt was a bad day for President Donald Trump. His former lawyer pleaded guilty in New York. His former campaign manager was found guilty in Virginia. There's no word on whether either man will seek leniency by cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his probe of potential collusion with Russia, but it's likely to be a topic of conversation.-------HuffPostPOLITICSMichael Cohen Says Trump Ordered Him To Illegally Interfere In ElectionCohen used to be "the guy who would take a bullet for the president."By Sara Boboltz08/21/2018 02:31 PM ET|Updated 41 minutes agoMichael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer and personal fixer, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to illegally interfering in the 2016 election at the direction of the president.Cohen says he worked "at the direction of a candidate for federal office," ostensibly Trump, for the purpose of influencing the election. He has pleaded guilty to five counts of tax evasion, two counts related to an illegal campaign contribution and one count of making a false statement.The revelation is a bombshell. Cohen was the keeper of Trump's secrets, and this admission reveals that the two men colluded to illegally affect the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. And the news came the same day onetime Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was found guilty on eight counts, likely destined to spend the rest of his life behind bars."These are very serious charges and reflect a pattern of lies and dishonesty over an extended period of time," Deputy U.S. Attorney for Southern District of New York Robert Khuzami said at a press conference.The announcement came shortly after multiple outlets reported that Cohen had reached a plea deal with prosecutors of the Southern District of New York. The deal is specifically related to payments Cohen made to women on behalf of Trump, according to The New York Times.The attorney is at the center of a yearslong legal entanglement between the president and adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who says she had an affair with Trump back in 2006. Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti claimed last month that Trump's team paid off three additional women ahead of the election. Khuzami said the charges against Cohen were related to payments made to two women, without revealing their names. He said Cohen felt the two women had information that would be "detrimental" to the candidate and his campaign.Cohen then sought reimbursement for the hush money from an unspecified Trump company in 2017, Khuzami said.The Times reported over the weekend that prosecutors had been zeroing in on potential bank and tax fraud violations related to the Cohen family's taxi medallion business, citing people familiar with the matter. The investigators were said to be evaluating $20 million in loans the attorney obtained from two New York area banks to determine whether he misrepresented the value of his assets. They also looked into whether Cohen failed to report income from the taxi business to the IRS.Khuzami said Cohen failed to report $4.3 million in income over five years, and did not disclose $14 million in debt in a $500,000 home equity application.A lawyer for Cohen said in April that federal prosecutors in New York were investigating his client on a referral from special counsel Robert Mueller, who is looking into Russian interference in the 2016 election.Cohen, 51, had reportedly been expecting an indictment for some time. Combined with his deteriorating relationship with the president, the attorney's legal quagmire could push him to cooperate with prosecutors in any way he can.Michael Cohen used to be intensely loyal to President Donald Trump.Michael Cohen used to be intensely loyal to President Donald Trump. (Jeenah Moon/Reuters)In an April 9 raid on Cohen's New York home, office and hotel room, the FBI took recordings and material from his cellphones, tablet and laptop and from a safe deposit box, according to the Times. Prosecutors had already obtained many of Cohen's emails, the paper noted.Days after the FBI seized Cohen's belongings ― a rare thing for lawyers to endure ― prosecutors said they were investigating his personal business dealings. The Washington Post reported that authorities were looking for evidence of Cohen's potential involvement in bank fraud, wire fraud and campaign finance violations. Some of the information seized was reportedly related to the $130,000 in hush money Cohen paid to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.Cohen used to be known as Trump's loyal "fixer," the man who tamped down the scandals that brewed during the former reality TV star's presidential run. "I'm the guy who protects the president and the family," he told Vanity Fair last year. "I'm the guy who would take a bullet for the president."The president reacted to the FBI's spring raids with fury on behalf of Cohen, tweeting "Attorney-client privilege is dead!" and "TOTAL WITCH HUNT!!!"Their relationship was brought to rocky ground, though, when news media reported that prosecutors had obtained a recording made by Cohen in which he and Trump appear to discuss how to silence another woman, Karen McDougal, who also says she had an affair with Trump. Cohen was known to tape conversations and store them digitally, but it had not been clear before that those tapes included talks with Trump.CNN published the McDougal recording in July. The Washington Post reported that prosecutors may have upwards of 100 other such files in hand.Media reports indicated that Cohen might be willing to turn on his former boss, divulging information that could be damaging to the president and his administration as Cohen's main priority became protecting his own family.Trump hit back. His new personal lawyer, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, made the cable news circuit to attack Cohen's reputation, calling him a "pathological manipulator" and "a liar." Meanwhile, Trump continued to brush aside the notion that he might have done anything wrong.Yet the money trail behind the payment to Daniels may not be entirely legal. Campaign finance law forbids corporations from donating directly to political candidates, and bans individuals from contributing more than $2,700. Whether the $130,000 payment to Daniels constitutes a breach is currently in question.Cohen admitted to paying Daniels off after she revealed early this year that she had received a large payment in return for her silence. Cohen claimed that neither the Trump campaign nor the Trump Organization reimbursed him for that money, although he didn't mention whether Trump had personally done so.Meanwhile, Trump's account of the payment has changed over time. The president told reporters aboard Air Force One in early April ― just days before the FBI raid ― that he had no prior knowledge of the payment to Daniels. But Giuliani appeared to dispute Trump's claim a month later when he asserted that Trump had personally reimbursed Cohen through monthly installments of $35,000. Giuliani said the payment plan, which totaled about $460,000, began soon after the election.Complicating matters, Cohen was also receiving payments around the same time from Columbus Nova, a U.S. investment firm affiliated with a Russian oligarch's company. Columbus Nova confirmed its relationship with Cohen but said the oligarch, billionaire Viktor Vekselberg, had nothing to do with retaining him. CNN reported that Mueller has questioned Vekselberg about those payments, as Vekselberg is a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin.Columbus Nova allegedly paid Cohen around $500,000, according to Michael Avenatti, Daniels' lawyer, and various news outlets. Avenatti claimed the payments "may have reimbursed" Cohen for the $130,000 he gave to Daniels.The full picture of Russia's meddling in U.S. elections remains to be seen.Cohen has several other connections to that nation, which have also inspired questions. The attorney represented Trump in a Moscow real estate project during the 2016 campaign, at one point emailing Putin's spokesman for assistance. He is also mentioned in the infamous Steele dossier, the report by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele alleging a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. The dossier alleges that Cohen traveled to Prague a few months before the 2016 election to meet with Russian officials, a trip the lawyer has vehemently denied taking.Whatever his past may entail, Cohen's attorney Lanny Davis insists his client is committed to doing the right thing.Cohen "has turned a corner in his life," Davis said in July, adding, "He's now dedicated to telling the truth."This story has been updated with additional information about Michael Cohen's plea and the charges against him.---------HuffPostPOLITICSPaul Manafort Found Guilty In First Trial Test Of Mueller ProbeBut the judge declared a mistrial for the former Trump campaign chairman on the 10 counts jurors could not agree on.By Ryan J. Reilly and Lydia O'Connor08/21/2018 04:45 PM ET|Updated 31 minutes agoALEXANDRIA, Va. ― Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, was found guilty on Tuesday on eight counts including five tax fraud charges he faced at trial here.However, the judge declared a mistrial on 10 other charges that Manafort, 69, faced in connection with allegations of tax and bank fraud after jurors could not reach a consensus on them. Jurors heard extensive testimony about Manafort's tax-free spending on luxury goods and efforts to defraud banks. The verdict came after the jury had indicated earlier in the day that they were deadlocked on at least one count.In addition to the guilty verdict on five tax fraud charges, the jury found Manafort responsible for two counts of bank fraud and one count of failing to report foreign bank and financial accounts.The jury did not come to a verdict on other bank fraud charges and other charges related to reporting foreign accounts.Manafort faces a maximum of 80 years in prison from the eight charges he was found guilty of Tuesday.The verdict marked yet another victory for the special counsel team being led by Robert Mueller, which faced its first trial after securing a string of guilty pleas from Trump campaign associates. Mueller was named as special counsel in May 2017.Speaking to reporters in West Virginia later that day, Trump brushed off the implications of the jury's decision."I must tell you that Paul Manafort's a good man," Trump said as he exited Air Force One."It doesn't involve me but I still feel, you know, it's a very sad thing that happened," he said. "This had nothing to do with Russian collusion. ... It's a witch hunt, and it's a disgrace."Some of the most dramatic testimony of the Manafort trial came from Rick Gates, Manafort's longtime deputy who reached a plea deal with Mueller's team and testified against his former boss. At closing arguments last week, prosecutors told jurors that Manafort "knew the law, and he violated it anyway."Manafort, who was on the Trump campaign from March 2016 to August 2016, had previously worked on the presidential campaigns of Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bob Dole. But in more recent years, he had been known more for his lucrative political work in Ukraine.The next critical question is: How will President Trump respond? He's shown sympathy for Manafort's situation, suggesting he thought it was unfair that Manafort was held in solitary confinement pretrial and that his trial was a "very sad day for our country." Manafort still faces another trial in Washington, D.C.Hayley Miller contributed to this report.This story has been updated with additional information about the jury's decisions and Trump's remarks.-----
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