Can Trump's Compulsive Lying-- And The Consequences-- Ever Really Be Normalized?

Yesterday Axios published some advise by Jim VandeHei: How to be the next Trump which starts with an assertion that may or may not be partially true: "Most coverage of President Trump focuses on the negative aspects of his style: the making-it-up-as-he-goes, the lying, the management-by-chaos." Maybe on Chris Hayes' Lawrence O'Donnell's, Rachel Maddow's and Jake Tapper's shows. Most of the mainstream media does not focus on that. And in any case, VandeHei insists it doesn't matter anyway... for 5 simple reasons:

1- People are sheep: Reversing one of the basic assumptions of politics, Trump has shown you can radically change a political party’s core beliefs and brand overnight. Only six years ago, the GOP’s Romney-Ryan ticket was preaching the evils of Russia, the virtue of free trade, the sin of deficits. With no debate and little resistance, Trump has flipped an entire party’s core beliefs. Turns out, voters are far more malleable than we thought-- and candidates and presidents can change minds overnight.

2- Money is overrated; authenticity isn't: Trump has shown that if you can write in a real and captivating way, you can dominate the conversation-- for free...

3- Companies can be bullied, in a good way: If Trump had a longer attention span, his campaign to pressure U.S. companies to keep jobs in America might very well be flourishing more... [T]he right political leaders applying the right kind of pressure can shift some behaviors.

4- A little wild unpredictability goes a long way: Even Democrats begrudgingly tell us North Korea would not be returning hostages and talking denuclearization absent Trump’s mad-man routine. The stilted, scripted, sclerotic ways of tradition are not always terribly effective tactics. Trump takes wild unpredictability way too far. But he has shown how constrained improvisation could be a powerful approach at home and abroad.

5- Anyone can run and win: We always assumed party affiliation was a prerequisite for leading a political party, and some political experience a must. Trump was a liberal Democrat and he hijacked conservatism. The hunger for something different is unmistakable, partly because a big chunk of voters have had it with conventional politics and politicians. No reason another exotic Republican-- or third party, or even a surprise Democrat-- couldn't do the same.

Meh. Analysis-For-Dummies... with a couple of grains of truth. Michael Bloomberg was never taken in by Señor Trumpanzee... just, like anyone with a three-digit IQ, mortified. He reiterated, during a commencement address Saturday at Texas’ Rice University that we're now facing an "epidemic of dishonesty" in Washington that’s more dangerous than terrorism or communism and that that "an endless barrage of lies" and a trend toward "alternate realities" in national politics pose a dire threat to U.S. democracy. "How did we go from a president who could not tell a lie to politicians who cannot tell the truth?"

He blamed “extreme partisanship” for an unprecedented tolerance of dishonesty in U.S. politics. People are committed more to their political tribes than the truth, he said, suggesting that the nation is more divided than any time since the Civil War.

“There is now more tolerance for dishonesty in politics than I have seen in my lifetime,” Bloomberg said. “The only thing more dangerous than dishonest politicians who have no respect for the law is a chorus of enablers who defend their every lie.”

...He warned that such deep levels of dishonesty could enable what he called “criminality.” Asked what specifically he was talking about, Bloomberg noted “lots of investigations” going on, but he declined to be more specific.

Several Trump associates are facing criminal charges as part of a federal probe into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election. Three have already pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI. Federal investigators want to interview Trump himself, although the president’s legal team has resisted so far.

“When elected officials speak as though they are above the truth, they will act as though they are above the law,” Bloomberg told Rice graduates. “And when we tolerate dishonesty, we get criminality. Sometimes, it’s in the form of corruption. Sometimes, it’s abuse of power. And sometimes, it’s both.”

“The greatest threat to American democracy isn’t communism, jihadism, or any other external force or foreign power,” he continued. “It’s our own willingness to tolerate dishonesty in service of party, and in pursuit of power.”

At the same time Bloomberg was giving his graduation speech in Houston, CNN writers Sarah Westwood and Sara Murray, were putting the final touches in a report that shows one small real world consequence of having a liar-in-chief running a criminal con-job on the country: Former Trump campaign aide is helping Russian firm shed sanctions. They're talking about Bryan Lanza, who was a former senior campaign and transition aide to Señor Trumpanzee and "is in regular contact with White House officials, is lobbying on behalf of the chairman of EN+ Group, an energy and aluminum firm presently controlled by Oleg Deripaska and "recently inked a deal to help a Russian oligarch's conglomerate shed sanctions the Trump administration slapped on them last month."

The scam is for the company to reduce Deripaska's ownership in the company enough to be freed from US sanctions while Deripaska maintains "a substantial stake in the company."

The moves by Lanza and Mercury Public Affairs LLC, the firm where he works as a managing director in its Washington office, on behalf of their client don't appear to be anything more than standard lobbying. But the deal is the latest brazen example of how Trump's "drain the swamp" campaign pledge has led to little change in a town where paying for access is a lucrative industry. In fact, Trump has presided over the expansion of a new generation of influence peddlers who have used their actual or perceived proximity to the President to line their pockets.

Corey Lewandowski, who served as Trump's first campaign manager and touts his close ties to the President, started his own consulting business in Washington after the election. Brian Ballard, Trump's longtime lobbyist in Florida and a GOP fundraiser, opened up a Washington office and brought on Susie Wiles, who led Trump's campaign in Florida. Jason Miller, former communications director for the campaign and transition who is also a CNN contributor, landed a plum gig as a managing director in global consulting firm Teneo's strategy group. He worked in crisis communications before the Trump campaign.

Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, has weathered the brunt of the scrutiny for allegedly trying to sell access to the White House. But similar arrangements have been rampant in Washington-- under both Democratic and Republican administrations-- and the old way of doing business has continued to thrive since Trump took office.

...Mercury itself has undergone scrutiny over the past year for its role in the Ukrainian lobbying operation that ensnared Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, in special counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian interference in the election and related matters. The firm has denied wrongdoing and has said its employees have cooperated with investigators.

Lanza's work with the Russian-linked firm comes as Mueller continues to investigate whether there was any collusion between Trump campaign aides and Russians during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has denied any collusion during the campaign.

Deripaska has intersected with the Trump orbit on a few occasions, most notably with Manafort. While at the helm of the Trump campaign, Manafort used an intermediary to offer Deripaska private briefings about the election, according to the Washington Post. Mueller's team later noted in a March court filing that the intermediary "has ties to a Russian intelligence service and had such ties in 2016."

...As aggressive as Cohen was in his pitches to prospective clients, one source said, Corey Lewandowski-- Trump's former campaign manager -- was more braggadocious about his access to Trump.

The source claimed Lewandowski had pitched companies by telling them "Trump doesn't make a decision without checking with me."

On Friday, AT&T acknowledged that Lewandowski's firm pitched them, but they said they didn't make a deal. AT&T is seeking government approval to acquire Time Warner, CNN's parent company.

Lewandowski, who has so far avoided registering as a lobbyist, continues to enjoy a high level of access to the President. Two sources confirmed he dined with Trump in the White House residence in March. He also joined Trump at a rally in Michigan in late April.

Meanwhile, even lesser-known Trump aides are making a living off their ties to the White House.

Former New York Republican Rep. John Sweeney has made more than $200,000 lobbying on behalf of a European pipeline venture owned by Gazprom, the state-controlled Russian natural gas company, according to federal lobbying disclosures. The New York Republican previously worked on Trump's campaign and assisted with administration hires during the presidential transition. Sweeney declined to discuss details about the clients he represents.