By Bernard Kerik From Newsmax

Last night I came across a tweet by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in which he said, “I wish we had Lt. Columbo right now, to walk into the special counsel’s office and say, ‘You know, there’s something about this that bothers me…'”

He also attached an article, titled: “A Look at Manafort and Cohen, as Manafort Trial Starts.”

His focus and rightfully so, is on Manafort and Cohen’s distinctively different approaches on how they’re dealing with being selectively and politically targeted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the U.S. Justice Department.

Manafort appears determined to fight it out and defend himself from charges that would have never been brought had he not supported and worked for a short period of time on the president’s political campaign. Apparently he has the money to do so… at least for the time being, as the prosecutors have an endless amount of money to spend in their quest for victory and are accountable to no one, as to how they spend it, or why.

Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn started out the same way, wrongfully assuming what most Americans once did, that if you haven’t done anything wrong, you have nothing to hide, and your cooperation is your best bet.

Unfortunately, he learned the hard way, that politically motivated prosecutors aren’t concerned with the truth, or give a damn about your service to our country, or how devastating their pursuit for a conviction can be — personally, financially, or professionally, annihilating you. For years, prosecutors have compelled guilty pleas of innocent people by pressuring their families, or extorting false witness testimony to obtain their convictions, it took this, the Manafort, Cohen and Flynn cases, for the public and press to pay any attention to it. In Flynn’s case, he pled guilty to making a false statement, but had he not, the government would have targeted his family, and bankrupted him, so he had no choice.

The Michael Cohen case is no different in the sense that he was politically targeted, but has revelations that are completely baffling.

I was outraged, as I’m sure was the president, that Cohen too, was targeted by the Special Counsel’s office, another victim, who would have never been in their crosshairs had he not worked for President Trump.

I was also stunned when the government raided his home, office, and hotel room, seizing his personal and professional records. This action was above and beyond the norm, but done for a purpose: to create a conflict between the president and his former counsel, and to insure that Cohen and president couldn’t communicate, and then to apply pressure on Cohen, like Flynn and Manafort, to flip on the president — in this case his own client.

Although I didn’t know Cohen personally, we had many mutual friends and just about every one of them described him as an extremely loyal and tough guy. In my eyes he turned out to be neither.

As someone that’s been through this nightmare and known many others that have, I can tell you that the personal pressures are enough to drive you into a manic depression, with thoughts of suicide. It kills or cripples you, or makes you stronger, and I personally feel bad for Cohen, because he is definitely not as tough as everyone thought.

What baffles me more, is his conduct before this all began, when he secretly taped private conversations between him and his client, Donald Trump. That raises serious questions about his motives, character, and credibility. There’s no logical answer as to why Cohen secretly taped his client, which creates the blatant perception that his motives were sleazy and ill intended.

Strangely, now he’s put himself in a position where the one and only person that could ever help him has realized his true character; and his chances of cooperating with the government have been diminished substantially due to his credibility, motives, and who knows what else. In the meantime, all the president’s critics have become his new best friends, milling about like hyenas in “The Lion King,” at least until they determine his usefulness. Then he’ll have no one.

All of this makes for great headlines and intrigue, but what bothers me more than anything, is that it doesn’t bother many members of Congress, or the ACLU, or the criminal justice reform advocates — like dozens, maybe hundreds of them.

Groups that rake in millions of tax dollars, calling for justice and pushing out messages on prosecutorial misconduct, over-criminalization, prosecutorial discretion, and selective targeting and prosecutions. There’s never been a greater public demonstration of all of this than these prosecutions, but because the intended target is Donald Trump, they’re eerily silent.

Last night Alan Dershowitz said that, “Special Counsel Robert Mueller is hoping that Paul Manafort will opt to testify against the president, rather than face a lengthy prison sentence.”

Doesn’t that bother the members of Congress sitting on the House and Senate Judiciary Committees? That our government weaponized its criminal justice system to specifically target the president and in the process, are destroying American citizens for selective and political reasons.

Perhaps because they’ve never been through it, or never known anyone that has. Perhaps they don’t give a damn as long as it suits their political needs and agenda?

Cohen, Flynn, and Manafort were targeted for political reasons, and that should scare the hell out of every American in our country, no matter what color you are, how you vote, or how wealthy you are, and something must be done to stop it.

It’s time for the U.S. Attorney General to stop this madness, and create internal policies to prevent it from happening in the future, and if for some reason, he cannot get the job done, that the president must find someone that can.

As New York City’s 40th Police Commissioner, Bernard Kerik was in command of the NYPD on September 11, 2001, and responsible for the city’s response, rescue, recovery, and the investigative efforts of the most substantial terror attack in world history. His 35-year career has been recognized in more than 100 awards for meritorious and heroic service, including a presidential commendation for heroism by President Ronald Reagan, two Distinguished Service Awards from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, The Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and an appointment as Honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. To read more of his reports — Go to web link below

Image: Mueller’s Weaponized Justice System Should Scare All Americans
Michael Cohen, former personal attorney for U.S. President Donald Trump, on July 27, 2018 in New York City. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

For more on this story go to: https://www.newsmax.com/bernardkerik/mueller-cohen-flynn-manafort/2018/07/31/id/874714/?ns_mail_uid=64942667&ns_mail_job=1804700_08012018&s=al&dkt_nbr=0105041957rh