Mueller ups pressure on Trump campaign aides with new charge

[webfact]

Mueller ups pressure on Trump campaign aides with new charge

By Sarah N. Lynch and Jonathan Landay

 

Alex van der Zwaan leaves after a plea agreement hearing at the D.C. federal courthouse in Washington, U.S., February 20, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller on Tuesday stepped up pressure on two former Trump campaign aides to cooperate in his probe into possible collusion with Russia, unsealing a criminal charge against a lawyer for lying to Mueller's investigators.

 

The attorney, Alex van der Zwaan, the son-in-law of one of Russia’s richest men, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., to a charge of lying to the Special Counsel's office. A U.S. judge set his sentencing for April 3.

 

The case involves work that van der Zwaan, a 33-year-old Dutch citizen, performed in 2012 about Ukraine for Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, senior officials in Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign.

 

The two former aides have been charged with conspiracy to launder money and failure to register as foreign agents in connection with work for a pro-Russia Ukrainian party.

 

The charge against van der Zwaan make no reference to Trump's campaign or the 2016 election.

 

But legal experts said the charge would put more pressure on the former Trump aides to cooperate with Mueller as he looks into whether Russia tried to influence the election in favor of Trump by hacking the emails of leading Democrats and distributing disinformation and propaganda online.

 

Last year, U.S. intelligence agencies found that Russia had meddled in the election and that its goals eventually included aiding Trump who won a surprise victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton.

 

The lawyer's case appears to underscore the extent of Mueller’s probe and of his interpretation of how far and wide he can investigate.

Manafort, who was Trump's campaign manager for almost five months in 2016, and Gates, who was deputy campaign manager, pleaded not guilty last year to Mueller’s charges.

 

Lawyer van der Zwaan's father-in law is Russian billionaire German Khan, the founder of the privately-owned Alfa Bank.

 

Even if van der Zwaan "is only cooperating against Paul Manafort, that could be very valuable in the big picture. Prosecutors typically very methodically start with low level offenders and try to work their way up the chain," said Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. "My guess is he is cooperating."

 

'BOA CONSTRICTOR'

 

A one-time associate of Mueller described the former Federal Bureau of Investigation director as a "boa constrictor," whose investigative strategy involves progressively increasing the pressure on his targets. The associate spoke on condition of anonymity.

 

A trial of Manafort and Gates is tentatively expected this fall, though recent media reports have said that Gates is expected to plead guilty in the near future. If Gates agrees to cooperate in the probe, that could put more pressure on Manafort and others who worked in the Trump campaign.

 

Trump has called Mueller’s probe “a witch hunt” and Putin denies that his government conducted an operation to influence the U.S. election.

 

Manafort and Gates worked as political consultants to Ukraine’s former pro-Russia president, Viktor Yanukovych, who was forced from office in 2014. Manafort was close to Ukrainian and Russian political and business figures with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

 

The charging document unsealed on Tuesday concerned a report prepared at Manafort’s behest by attorneys at the prominent U.S. law firm Skadden Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom. The attorneys included van der Zwaan.

 

Andrew Weissmann, a prosecutor with Mueller's office, told the court that Manafort and Gates funneled $4 million through offshore accounts to pay the law firm - which he did not identify by name - and Washington-based lobbying firms in connection with the report.

 

Yanukovych’s government used the report to justify to the European Court of Human Rights the pre-trial detention by the Ukrainian government of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, a Yanukovych rival, who was convicted in 2011 of embezzlement and corruption charges and sentenced to seven years in prison.

 

The charging document said that while answering FBI agents’ questions about his work on the report, van der Zwaan lied that he last communicated with Gates in mid-August and another unnamed person, only identified as "Person A," in 2014.

 

He also told the agents that he did not know why an email between him and Person A was not produced to Mueller’s office.

 

In fact, the document said, Zwaan’s last spoke to Gates and Person A in September 2016 and secretly recorded both calls. Moreover, he "deleted and otherwise did not produce emails sought by Mueller’s office" and an unidentified law firm, the document continued.

 

The description given by prosecutors for Person A appears to match Russian-Ukrainian political operative Konstantin Kilimnik, a long-time employee of Manafort’s political consulting operations.

 

Media reports say that a man referred to in court documents by the special counsel's office has having ties to Russian intelligence is Kilimnik but he has denied such ties. He could be not be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday.

 

"Mueller is sending a signal to witnesses in this investigation that he is going to charge false statements," said Renato Mariotti," a former federal prosecutor who is running for Illinois attorney general as a Democrat.

 

The charge against Zwaan and reports that Gates may plead guilty suggest "that Mueller is putting even more pressure against Manafort, which is interesting because Manafort is already buried in an indictment with very serious charges," Mariotti said.

 

In a statement on Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the firm said it had terminated van der Zwaan's employment in 2017 and "has been cooperating with authorities in connection with this matter."

 

(Additional reporting by Warren Strobel, Nathan Layne, Doina Chiacu, John Walcott and Mark Hosenball; Editing by Alistair Bell)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-02-21

[Langsuan Man]

[mtls2005]

Once he gets closer to Don Jr. and Jared, the President will probably spontaneously combust?

[DoctorG]

The Russians have had a great ROI. FB says the Russians spent $46k on false advertising, while a Senate Committee put the figure at around $100k.

The aim was to disrupt the political landscape of the USA, not to get Trump elected. This can be easily shown because they organised the anti-Trump rally outside Trump Tower AFTER his election (as per FB).

The Dems and the US media have ensured with their ongoing silliness, that the political scene is in turmoil in the USA. A great Return on a paltry investment.

[boomerangutang]

It's amazing how Trump still has millions of fans. 

 

They have to decide who they're going to believe,  Mueller's team of adept professionals, or ......Trump.

 

If they continue to believe Trump's bleatings, then I can't help but deduce they think it's fine that Russian agents swung the election.  

[mtls2005]

2 minutes ago, boomerangutang said:

It's amazing how Trump still has millions of fans. 

 

Nixon enjoyed rabid, passionate support from the "silent majority", right up until ~ 2 weeks before he resigned.

[boomerangutang]

2 minutes ago, DoctorG said:

The Russians have had a great ROI. FB says the Russians spent $46k on false advertising, while a Senate Committee put the figure at around $100k.

The aim was to disrupt the political landscape of the USA, not to get Trump elected. This can be easily shown because they organised the anti-Trump rally outside Trump Tower AFTER his election (as per FB).

The Dems and the US media have ensured with their ongoing silliness, that the political scene is in turmoil in the USA. A great Return on a paltry investment.

You're partly right.  Earlier on, in 2014, 2015, the Russkies basically wanted to sew discord in the US.   However, in 2016, when it became clear that Trump had a chance at being the Republican candidate and (Bob forbid!) and actually winning the whole enchilada, ....the Russkies kicked it up a gear.  The Russians knew Trump would be a much better candidate for Russia than HRC, so that's why they focused all their bile on right-wingers, fanning their fears and prejudices. 

 

The Russians didn't know it would be so easy to get right wingers to put their snouts into the feedbags full of vindictive BS.   Getting right wingers to believe conspiracy BS is as easy as getting little kids to believe there's a monster hidden in a dark basement. 

 

2016 was a big win for Trump and Putin.  That's why Trump can never say anything bad about Putin.  He can go on for days - putting down HRC, Obama, the FBI, Kerry, the CIA, and Biden, .....but woe be to Trump if he ever says anything non-flattering about his bosom buddy Putin.

[Berkshire]

Message for Trump and his cronies....

 

 

[BobBKK]

31 minutes ago, DoctorG said:

The Russians have had a great ROI. FB says the Russians spent $46k on false advertising, while a Senate Committee put the figure at around $100k.

The aim was to disrupt the political landscape of the USA, not to get Trump elected. This can be easily shown because they organised the anti-Trump rally outside Trump Tower AFTER his election (as per FB).

The Dems and the US media have ensured with their ongoing silliness, that the political scene is in turmoil in the USA. A great Return on a paltry investment.

You think the might of Russia can't afford more than $46k?  it it was $46 Billion then the charges could be take seriously but it's all hot air from the Dems and their press gang.

 

Some Russian individuals played 'hanky panky' because they liked Trump and some want to extrapolate this into some Dark Conspiracy that lost HC the election. I just don't believe Trump actively engaged and he got in, not because people liked him, but because they have had enough of the pc'ism of society and once a rational candidate is found who exudes balance then Trump is out and will be remembered as an interloper. 

[Trouble]

A lawyer and he lied to the investigators.  Should have known to take the 5th and shut up.  How stupid do you have to be not to just refuse to answer questions.

 

 

[zaphod reborn]

1 hour ago, DoctorG said:

The aim was to disrupt the political landscape of the USA, not to get Trump elected. This can be easily shown because they organised the anti-Trump rally outside Trump Tower AFTER his election (as per FB).

That's nonsense that has been quickly eaten up by mainstream American media who don't have any interest in actually investigating by contacting intelligence sources in Russia.  Russia groomed Trump beginning in 2011.  Yes, they saw him as an extremely divisive candidate who had an amazing talent for creating chaos and distractions, but they also thought he had a good chance of becoming President.  Once they saw he could win the GOP nomination, they became fully invested in him and began their anti-Hillary campaign.  Russia didn't get involved in other campaigns to create divisiveness and discord until after Trump won the general election.

 

Actually, the campaign to incite unrest is an old cold war tactic.  The US abandoned that tactic with respect to Russia after the fall of the USSR, but Putin, being an old KGB agent with a continuing hatred for the US, reinvigorated these efforts.

 

BTW - it turns out that Russian oligarchs are heavily invested in FB, which defeats any semblance of credibility of that social media agent.

Edited February 21, 2018 by zaphod reborn

[selftaopath]

The current temporary occupant in the WH can not hide his actions or the actions of his defenders. Mueller and his team of experts understand the gravity of this "fake's" behavior and no behavior. Finally more journalists are also expressing grave concern:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/18/opinion/trump-russia-putin.html

[Thaidream]

As far as Trump is concerned- it's the age old question- what he know and when did he know it?

If Trump knew his campaign staff to include his family members were involved with the Russians and abetted their actions he is guilty of a conspiracy.

 

If Trump did not know about the Russian campaign connection but later found out and as President tried to cover or impede- he is guilty of Obstruction of justice.

 

Even without the Dossier and his shady financial dealings with the Russians prior to running for President- Mueller will eventually have enough on Trump to seek an indictment. Then there is the question of Trump's immediate family going to jail. The pressure will be on to force Trump into a resignation by structuring the case to include State charges which cannot be pardoned by a President.  The Special Prosecutor Muller- will offer a 'deal'- no jail for Trump Jr; and  not pursuing a case against Trump himself as long as Trump resigns.

 

The question will be what Trump tries to  do while all this plays out because it will take more time to tighten the noose. Also, how loyal will General Kelly and the others remain to Trump or will they finally realize it is not a salvageable situation and put the  Nation first and force  Trump to accept resignation. I also expect the Republican leadership to eventually turn on Trump as more facts become clear which could  involve Trump violating the emoluments clause of the Constitution. Trump claims his empire is losing money but many others claim his business empire is making huge profits due to him being President and he is using his Presidency for his personal gain. Why does he insist on almost every weekend going to Mar a Lago when Camp David is quite close?

 

Watergate was bad-but Nixon was a competent leader.   Trump is neither competent nor a leader and may have sold his soul to the Russians.  Steve Bannon used the word treasonous when referring to Trump Jrs meeting with the Russians. Truth is on the march and nothing can stop it....

Edited February 21, 2018 by Thaidream

[boomerangutang]

1 hour ago, BobBKK said:

You think the might of Russia can't afford more than $46k?  it it was $46 Billion then the charges could be take seriously but it's all hot air from the Dems and their press gang.

So, you think the Russians weren't seriously involved because the reported amount of money isn't large?

 

Here are 2 reasons why the reported amounts (paid to sway the election for the dufus) of money aren't large.......

 

#1.  People who pay black money like that - do everything they can - to hide payments.  It's like drug or weapons dealing.  they aren't going to open their books (if they have 'books') to show everyone how much they spent.  They know they're breaking the law.  

 

#2.  It doesn't take much manipulating to dupe dumb-as-clay Republicans.  I could start a whacko conspiracy theory about HRC or Sanders or Biden, ......and it wouldn't cost me $100, .....and hundreds of thousands of right wingers would believe it.  

[Thaidream]

Intelligence services throughout the World are masters of hiding money; moving money; and carrying huge amounts of cash in diplomatic pouches throughout the World. It's not like the movies where an operative  uses a credit card to purchase a helicopter.

 

Let's not forget Putin was the head of Russian intelligence for years and knows how the game works. There's a  whole lot more that is out there and has not been discovered- yet.

 

In addition, Trump and his supporters keep referring to the 'deep state' as being against him and trying to sabotage his Presidency. The deep state exists but it's function is to protect the Nation and not be beholden to someone who is incompetent and taking the country down the wrong road. Trump has violated every code of honor that exists and won't believe his own Armed Forces; his intelligence apparatus and the FBI. Everyone's against him....everyone else is wrong....

 

Time for Trump and his minions to look in the mirror.

Edited February 21, 2018 by Thaidream

[Berkshire]

2 hours ago, DoctorG said:

The Russians have had a great ROI. FB says the Russians spent $46k on false advertising, while a Senate Committee put the figure at around $100k.

The aim was to disrupt the political landscape of the USA, not to get Trump elected. This can be easily shown because they organised the anti-Trump rally outside Trump Tower AFTER his election (as per FB).

The Dems and the US media have ensured with their ongoing silliness, that the political scene is in turmoil in the USA. A great Return on a paltry investment.

You really have no idea, do you?  The Russians' Internet Research Agency was spending over a million a month and managed to reach around 126 million Americans on FB.  It was an incredibly sophisticated operation that employed more than just a couple of hackers....

 

[According to Mueller’s indictment, the Russia-backed operators of social media groups and accounts posed as Americans, including by using “the stolen identities of real U.S. persons” and servers and computing infrastructure located in the United States. The indictment claims the Internet Research Agency employed “hundreds of individuals for its online operations.”]

 

http://fortune.com/2018/02/17/how-russians-used-social-media-election/

 

And then there's the NRA who reportedly spent around $30 mil to help elect Trump.  Where did the NRA get this money?  Hmmmm....

 

[But when it comes to funding, the NRA may have finally gone too far: the FBI recently launched an investigation to determine whether a Russian central banker, and Putin ally, illegally funneled money through the organization to help the Trump campaign.]

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/15/nra-russia-and-trump-money-laundering-poisoning-us-democracy-commentary.html

[riclag]

2 hours ago, DoctorG said:

The Russians have had a great ROI. FB says the Russians spent $46k on false advertising, while a Senate Committee put the figure at around $100k.

The aim was to disrupt the political landscape of the USA, not to get Trump elected. This can be easily shown because they organised the anti-Trump rally outside Trump Tower AFTER his election (as per FB).

The Dems and the US media have ensured with their ongoing silliness, that the political scene is in turmoil in the USA. A great Return on a paltry investment.

Yes,It is a sad state of affairs to see how ugly and difficult change is, to MAGA !

[Andaman Al]

1 minute ago, riclag said:

Yes,It is a sad state of affairs to see how ugly and difficult change is, to MAGA !

Making America Great Again is an objective and "Again" implies there is a previous standard that must be met in order to achieve  the objective. Please let us know the year/decade/era/conditions  that you identify with making America great again. You spout this off as a very desirable goal, so what are we aiming at? This is an easy enough question to answer without ducking and weaving.

[Thaidream]

Anyone believing that Donald Trump will Make American Great Again is waiting for the Easter Bunny-Santa Claus- and the Tooth Fairy.

[RobFord]

3 hours ago, DoctorG said:

The Russians have had a great ROI. FB says the Russians spent $46k on false advertising, while a Senate Committee put the figure at around $100k.

The aim was to disrupt the political landscape of the USA, not to get Trump elected. This can be easily shown because they organised the anti-Trump rally outside Trump Tower AFTER his election (as per FB).

The Dems and the US media have ensured with their ongoing silliness, that the political scene is in turmoil in the USA. A great Return on a paltry investment.

Wrong as usual.

 

https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/02/16/this-is-what-1-25-million-dollars-a-month-bought-the-russians/ 

 

The endeavor, at one point, had a budget of $1.25 million a month, allowing it to pay hundreds of operatives to engage in a surreal campaign meant to interfere in American democracy that appears to have been financed in part through a catering company (one that reportedlytreats workers poorly, at that).

[riclag]

 For me ,MAGA is draining  the swamp(Washington establishment). The news and politicians left and right!

12 minutes ago, Andaman Al said:

Making America Great Again is an objective and "Again" implies there is a previous standard that must be met in order to achieve  the objective. Please let us know the year/decade/era/conditions  that you identify with making America great again. You spout this off as a very desirable goal, so what are we aiming at? This is an easy enough question to answer without ducking and weaving.

 

Edited February 21, 2018 by riclag

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

Whether they can prove collusion or not, I have no doubt that Trump will go down for his financial dealings with the Russians. Money laundering and Tax evasion at the very least.

 

Obstruction of justice is also very likely.

 

Treason should also be on the table as once the can prove his financial dealings with USA's greatest enemy, he will need to explain why, as President he has done nothing to protect USA against the Russian attacks (that benefited him).

 

Protecting the USA is after all the presidents #1 responsibility.

 

I hope justice will be served here ASAP.

[heybruce]

50 minutes ago, riclag said:

 For me ,MAGA is draining  the swamp(Washington establishment). The news and politicians left and right!

 

Even if you actually believed that a real estate developer and head of Trump University, a man with a history of legal problems and bankruptcies, and no political or military experience, would drain the swamp, his administration of lobbyists and bankers should have made your error obvious.

[riclag]

2 minutes ago, heybruce said:

Even if you actually believed that a real estate developer and head of Trump University, a man with a history of legal problems and bankruptcies, and no political or military experience, would drain the swamp, his administration of lobbyists and bankers should have made your error obvious.

My response  to "Making America Great Again is an objective and "Again" implies there is a previous standard that must be met in order to achieve  the objective. Please let us know the year/decade/era/conditions  that you identify with making America great again. You spout this off as a very desirable goal, so what are we aiming at? This is an easy enough question to answer without ducking and weaving".

It was easy to give my opinion that,  For me ,MAGA is draining  the swamp(Washington establishment). The news and politicians left and right!

[Thaidream]

I shall opine on what I  believe will Make America Great Again:

 

1.  Reduce the massive defense budget that is the largest in the World and in turn adjust an aggressive foreign policy to a more moderate policy not aimed at any particular Nation but aimed at protecting America and Americans from attack.

 

Get our of Iraq and Afghanistan and the Middle East and  stop fighting other people's wars. We might all be surprised at how quickly wars get settled if someone else isn't funding it.

 

2.  Provide universal healthcare for all Americans wherever they are not the ridiculous bill Trump tried to force on America which would have provided no universal coverage but allowed insurance companies to get richer.

 

3.  Provide free University Tuition to all Americans instead of the current loan situation in which greedy banks are keeping University graduates paying back monies for decades all backed by the US Government. 

 

4.  Provide a rational Immigration Policy which stops the deportation of illegals who have not broken any law and amnesty them . In addition provide for a workers Visa so immigrant labor can come in and fill jobs that most Americans refuse.  Instead of wasting $20 Billion on a useless wall and making enemies of Mexico and most of latin America provide security through technology and added border agents.

 

5.  Combine all Intelligence agencies which will reduce the overall budget and close Guantanamo Bay Prison which is a complete violation of the US Constitution and an affront to due process.

 

6. Rejoin the Paris Climate Accord as Global Warming Israel and the US is the only country in the World not in the agreement.

 

7.  Stop stealing from the  poor to give to the rich.  The Trump tax cut was an abomination of the first order and raised the already high deficit and is causing more of an imbalance in wealth and income that already exists.  Reform the tax code in such a way that wealth is redistributed in a fair and equitable manner with a simpler tax code that can be understood.

 

8.  Really drain the swamp by getting money out of politics. Stop the practice in which  'interest groups' can influence policy through contributing to campaigns and funneling funds to candidates. Cap Congressional terms to a certain number and reform the  system of ethics in which  the Government stops paying for Congressional misdeeds with Government funds.

 

Do all of the above and you will see America emerge as a great country in which people can dream again of living a peaceful and fruitful life and plan for the future or you can keep Donald Trump who will do none of the above.

[Thaidream]

The issue is not about what Hillary Clinton did of did not do, she isn't President and is she did something wrong she should pay the price,  

 

The issue is whether the Russians have committed an 'act of war' against the United States by interfering in the American election process and did Donald Trump know it; facilitate it; cover it up or did nothing to stop it. This needs a final determination as it concerns the security of America.

 

The Trump supporters  need to accept the reality of the situation.  If Trump and his minions did nothing wrong- they will be cleared. However, we already know that some of Trump's advisors have broken the law; been indicted or plead guilty. Any patriotic American would want to know how high up the Russian infiltration goes.

 

If Trump is cleared- I will accept it but why won't the Trump supporters accept a finding of guilty.  Mr Mueller  is a respected lifelong Government employee who served under several Presidents and is beyond reproach. His job is to find the truth wherever it goes. If Trump is found to have broken the law- he must be removed or resign. Why anyone would want a President that does not have America's interests as the number one objective is beyond my comprehension.

[heybruce]

2 hours ago, riclag said:

My response  to "Making America Great Again is an objective and "Again" implies there is a previous standard that must be met in order to achieve  the objective. Please let us know the year/decade/era/conditions  that you identify with making America great again. You spout this off as a very desirable goal, so what are we aiming at? This is an easy enough question to answer without ducking and weaving".

It was easy to give my opinion that,  For me ,MAGA is draining  the swamp(Washington establishment). The news and politicians left and right!

What swamp draining has Trump done, or even attempted? 

 

Don't tell me that Trump, the fountain of fake news, is draining the swamp by slandering established news organizations for unspecified reasons.

[Thaidream]

The news and media are an integral part of Ameerica and  have served it well in the past.  It was the Washing Post that broke the story on Richard Nixon and the whole Watergate Affair and followed the story doggedly.  I voted for Nixon because I thought he would end the Vietnam War but I could never support what he did and was glad he resigned.

 

The news media does not set out an agenda to go after a President- they report what is happening and provide commentary on various  facts and scenarios. According to Trump it's all fake. Trump is like a child- everyone hates me; everyone is against me. Not so Mr Trump- most of us accepted the election results.  You did this to yourself and you are responsible for whatever the end is. Your agenda is wrong- your attitude is self serving and you are incompetent. Truth is on the march and nothing can stop it!!

[boomerangutang]

3 hours ago, Andaman Al said:

Making America Great Again is an objective and "Again" implies there is a previous standard that must be met in order to achieve  the objective. Please let us know the year/decade/era/conditions  that you identify with making America great again. You spout this off as a very desirable goal, so what are we aiming at? This is an easy enough question to answer without ducking and weaving.

In Trump's mind, MAGA relates to the 1950's. It's when he was young, handsome, had lots of fun, went to sock hops, and listened to some of the greatest music.

Yet, the '50's were also when McCarthyism flowered.  McC's lawyer was Roy Cohn. Trump calls Cohn his primary influence growing up.  Yet everyone else knows Cohn was a sly dirty tricks lawyer who would sell his mother's kidney for $3 if he could.  The 50's was also the time when Eisenhower and Nixon concocted the idea to invade Cuba - which led to the failed 'Bay of Pigs' debacle (tho it was carried out under Kennedy's watch).

 

So, you can pick any time in US history, and there are pros and cons.  What time slot does Trump want to take the country back to?  McCarthyism?  The Vietnam War?   The Civil War?     Selma riots?    He's steering the country in those directions.

[heybruce]

13 minutes ago, boomerangutang said:

In Trump's mind, MAGA relates to the 1950's. It's when he was young, handsome, had lots of fun, went to sock hops, and listened to some of the greatest music.

Yet, the '50's were also when McCarthyism flowered.  McC's lawyer was Roy Cohn. Trump calls Cohn his primary influence growing up.  Yet everyone else knows Cohn was a sly dirty tricks lawyer who would sell his mother's kidney for $3 if he could.  The 50's was also the time when Eisenhower and Nixon concocted the idea to invade Cuba - which led to the failed 'Bay of Pigs' debacle (tho it was carried out under Kennedy's watch).

 

So, you can pick any time in US history, and there are pros and cons.  What time slot does Trump want to take the country back to?  McCarthyism?  The Vietnam War?   The Civil War?     Selma riots?    He's steering the country in those directions.

In 1950 the maximum marginal income tax rate was 91%. https://taxfoundation.org/us-federal-individual-income-tax-rates-history-1913-2013-nominal-and-inflation-adjusted-brackets   It went down to 70% in the '60's and '70's.  Income disparity in the US was much lower then. 

 

Strangely enough, when Trump talks about some vague time in the past when things were better, he doesn't mention these things.