Why Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin Depend upon the Rule of Law

It's pretty clear that the Trump family, business, and administration AND Vladimir Putin operate like crime families or drug gangs. They work in private to avoid outside observation and they avoid paper records which could be used as evidence against them. They use 'fixer's to enforce their personal "law". They buy judges and rig events to get what they want. They use money laundering and various other schemes that benefit the mob.

Generally, in a more primitive society such people would simply be identified and killed. But in a society (America, "The Western World", Western Civilization) we use the Rule of Law because it's more fair and just to more people and in more situations. We don't dole out death sentences based on the whims of one person and we use varying degrees of punishment to protect the public from criminals and to offer criminals a chance to give up their life of crime to return to normal life.

The mobsters are incredibly hard to pin down when they operate in private without paper records or recordings (video or audio). Since they know we use records and testimony in criminal court proceedings, they threaten those who might be able to testify against them or they may pay them off to stay quiet (see Stormy Daniels). They try to use mechanisms of legal society to their benefit, such as using a gambling casino as a vehicle to launder money. Another is the purchase and sale of high value items like real estate. One of Donald Trump's casinos paid a fine for money laundering and it is suspected a lot of his real estate operation is to manage money laundering.

How do you identify them? The same way we always identify the mobsters: people who are punished and live to tell the tale pass the word along. When the mobsters talk in public to intimidate people we can recognize that too.

How do you collect sufficient evidence to prosecute them? It takes a lot of manpower and sophistication, but it also requires that the laws not be an obstacle. The RICO act was passed for that purpose long ago. It isn't very effective when we try to identify criminal acts by people protected by a foreign state, such as when Vladimir Putin protects his people from subpoenas or extradition within Russia. In America the House of Representatives has the job of investigating an administration to identify things which are criminal or even inefficient and in need of repair. They have the manpower and sophistication and even subpoena power. Donald Trump has ordered administration officials to NOT comply with lawful subpoenas of the House. That's a violation of law by those subpoenaed and by Trump. However, he depends upon the Republican-controlled Senate or the Courts to protect him and his minions from punishment.

It is clearly a case of the mob in control of government. There have been some cases of this where state governments have gone rogue, but the federal government has been there to oversee them and to punish criminals. Now that the criminals have a significant control of the federal government it's not so easy.

The Mueller investigation was supposed to be a fair objective non-partisan investigation to investigate and disclose what the Russians did to interfere with or influence our elections and how any Americans may have worked with them. The report shows several ways the President tried to stop the investigation or to cover-up things which were done. The President tried to prevent this from being revealed even to Congress. Now he has the Attorney General lying about the content of the report and the AG has redacted parts of the report. The cover-up is underway. The report is weak on explanation of things Donald Trump and his close associates did to coordinate with or conspire with Vladimir Putin or other foreigners. If everyone can see Donald Trump is a mobster, then why can't the Mueller Investigation identifying it as such.

This departure from the Rule of Law will naturally have consequences which are bad. I don't predict specifically what they will be, but if having the Rule of Law was useful, then eliminating it will end that use and revert us to something besides a Democracy and proper government. That is what happened with Vladimir Putin in Russia. They have all the trappings of Law and Order and Government, but Putin is Czar and everyone knows it. Private citizens in Russia have been killed and nobody is found culpable, though everyone knows it was Putin who ordered elimination of his opponents. Now in America Donald Trump is talking about deporting people and ending Rule of Law protections for his political opponents. This is anarchy of a kind.

What will protect them without the Rule of Law? If you chop down all those awful trees, then what will protect the tree-choppers from the North winds?