by Nomad
Any presidential candidate should expect some in-depth scrutiny about his business relationships. In Donald Trump's case, his past contact with the Mafia opens up a lot of questions.
As a rule, front-runner presidential candidate Donald Trump likes to denigrate reporters who report things he doesn't like. Or things he doesn't want the public to become aware of.
As an egomaniac, he likes to be in control of the message. And the message must always display the positive side of the Trump story.
For instance, when New York journalist
Wayne Barrett published an unauthorized biography of Trump, Trump blasted the author and his reputation.
Insinuating that the author was on some kind of personal vendetta, Trump called Barrett “
a second-rate writer who has had numerous literary failures" and his book "boring, non-factual, and highly inaccurate.”
In fact, Barret has been an investigative reporter and senior editor for the
Village Voice for over 20 years. Trump might try to paint Barrett as some kind of tabloid columnist but Barrett is currently a Fellow at the
Nation Institute and contributor to
Newsweek.
Barrett's bio reads:
He has been an adjunct at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism for years, teaching courses on investigative and political reporting, as well as advising students on investigative projects.
As far as the book,
James B. Stewart,
Pulitzer Prize-winning author, has called it "exhaustively researched"
a penetrating portrait" and "
the definitive account of how Trump got ahead and why he fell." If Trump fell, he was not too badly bruised or otherwise traumatized.
Trump might think otherwise or he might wish the rest of the world to think Barrett is "second-rate" but Barrett is no hack. Not any more than Trump is a failed real estate mogul.
Of course, the tycoon-turned presidential candidate has every reason to consider the author a threat and was apparently ready to silence him.
