Dear Mr. Trump,

How pathetic you are when you complain about your former lawyer and go-to consigliere Michael Cohen. You discarded him just like you discarded countless people who contracted with the Trump Organization over the years. You got him to do your dirty work, then stiffed him. You deserve your punishment now when he emerges to tell the truth about your illegal activities.

First, let’s get one thing straight. There is no “attorney client privilege” when communications are in furtherance of a crime. Thus, there is no privilege that prevents him from revealing the taped conversation in which you discussed the payoff to Karen McDougal. The crimes are many, including defrauding McDougal herself, who wanted to tell her story about your affair with her, not have it squelched.

Second, it is not surprising to me at all that Michael Cohen wanted to secretly tape you. You ask what kind of attorney does that to his client. The answer: the kind of attorney who understands that his client is a liar, cheat, and narcissist, that his client is the kind of person who makes up “alternative facts” – blatant untruths – because he feels no one can take him to task. That kind of attorney, one who knows his own client very well, is your attorney Michael Cohen.

So please don’t complain, Sir. Michael Cohen is exactly the kind of attorney that you deserved.

Very truly yours,

Bruce J. Berger

Dear Mr. Trump,

The Republican Party, which you head, has lost all moral bearing. I clerked for a Republican court of appeals of judge appointed by Dwight Eisenhower, both of whom, by now, are spinning in their graves at what their party has become.

Judge John Minor Wisdom hated demagogues and dishonesty. He cared about the rights of the oppressed minorities. He cared about the rights of women to control their own bodies. He served in the Army during World War II against the very oppressive maniacs you now befriend and seek to emulate. It’s a disgrace of monumental proportion that the vast majority of Republicans have drifted so far away from these ideals.

Today, the Republican-controlled Congress has shown that it would rather stand by without action while you attempt to subvert our democracy than stand up for it. The Republican-controlled Congress has no qualms about cavorting with Russian spies and letting you keep secret your deals with Putin.

The party that came into being with Abraham Lincoln has been irreparably tarnished by your having become Putin’s puppet, by your collusion with our most aggressive adversary, and by your forsaking our allies. Your Republican Party, doing your bidding, has now taken away money from our country’s efforts to fight Russian interference with the 2018 election.

When the historians of the 22nd century analyze the downfall and destruction of the United States, they will blame you, yes, but they will also blame the Republican-controlled Congress that let you get away with your crimes, and by the voters who put those Republicans in place and kept them there. They will say that our democracy was a failed experiment.

Unless, of course, the Republicans can be put out of control. That can happen only at the voting booths, and, with God’s help, it will.

Very truly yours,

Bruce J. Berger

Dear Mr. Trump,

Your strategy is always to follow a terrible, treasonous move with an even more treasonous move.

You’re now inviting the dictator Putin to the White House after already caving in to him at your recent meeting. It’s not enough that you showed: (1) you can’t stand up to him, (2) that you’re not smart enough to see what he’s doing to our country (or that you don’t care), (3) that you’re not brave enough to defend the interests of the United States against foreign aggression, and (4) that you’re susceptible to the obvious blackmail by which Putin manipulates you.

Now, on top of all that, you want to honor him with a trip to our – the peoples’ of the United States – White House. Talk about inviting the fox into the henhouse. Talk about inviting Osama bin Laden to a celebration at Ground Zero on September 12, 2001.

Don’t do it, Sir. Putin’s a spy, as well as a murderer. He and his cohort will manage to plant bugs throughout the White House, and from now on every discussion of every president and his/her advisors will be recorded in Russia.

Frankly, it’s outrageous that you would plan for such a visit without even informing our Director of National Intelligence. It’s even more outrageous that you do so without any public record of what you already gave away to Putin in your secret meeting earlier this week.

Sadly, you can count on your spineless Republican supporters in Congress to protect you. They blocked the effort of the Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee to find out what was actually said at your secret meeting with our nation’s adversary.

We need a Congress that will stand up to Putin and the Russians. You have abandoned your oath to protect our country, and the Republicans in Congress are letting you get away with.

Very truly yours,

Bruce J. Berger

Dear Mr. Trump,

What you did with Putin is deplorable on every level. Beyond deplorable. “Sir.”

The only way to comprehend the enormity of your crime is to compare it to the following scenario, a series of hypothetical events immediately after the Confederate bombing of Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, which led to the fall of the fort on April 13, 1861.

Imagine if Confederate President Jefferson Davis telegraphed U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1861 and asked for a “summit” to discuss matters of mutual interest.

Imagine if Lincoln then met with Davis against the urgings of many in Congress, including members of Lincoln’s own party, the Republican Party.

Imagine if Lincoln insisted on a private one-on-one meeting, so no one could hear what he said to Davis.

Imagine if, just before this “summit,” Lincoln said publicly that the United States’s bad relationship with the Confederacy was due to its own stupidity and foolishness.

Imagine if Lincoln refused, after the meeting, to blame the Confederacy for the bombing.

Imagine if Lincoln insisted that he wasn’t sure that Fort Sumter had been bombed at all, or, if it had, that the Confederacy might not have bombed it, because Davis had assured him – assured him “very powerfully” – that the Confederacy did not.

Imagine if Lincoln then berated the brave United States soldiers who defended and died at Fort Sumter, calling their efforts a “rigged witch hunt.”

That is exactly how you have behaved.

Very truly yours,

Bruce J. Berger

Dear Mr. Trump:

Do Republicans who love our country care about your performance in Helsinki? You bet they do, and they should. Are they disgusted? Yes. Are they ashamed? Yes. All Americans who love our country and its democracy should be outraged at your connivance with the enemy.

According to Republican Sen. John McCain – an American hero whom you disparaged – your meeting with Putin was a tragic mistake and a new low point for the United States. He rightfully accuses you of failing to defend this country, failing to speak the truth about an adversary, and failing to defend all that makes us who we are, a republic of free people dedicated to the cause of liberty at home and abroad. (reported by Newsmax)

According to Republican Sen. Bob Corker, you made the United States look like a pushover and drew a moral equivalence between the United States and Russia. (reported by CNN)

According to Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham – in what must be the understatement of the century – you “missed [an] opportunity … to firmly hold Russia accountable for 2016 meddling and deliver a strong warning regarding future elections.” (reported by Reuters)

I hope that more Republicans will, for once, put their country ahead of their party and speak out against your treasonous acts. If they do not, however, the voters will know what to do: put them out of office.

Very truly yours,

Bruce J. Berger

Dear Mr. Trump:

Do not meet Putin! If you do, you will commit treason, likely in addition to other treasonous acts you’ve already committed.

Why treason? 18 USC Sec. 2381 provides: “Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, … adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason … and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.”

You’ve been told how Russia attacked the United States, how the Russian military stole emails and released them publicly with the cooperation of “a person who was in regular contact with senior members of the presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump.” The indictment carefully traces each step of this conspiracy against American democracy.

As the indictment states:

On or about August 15, 2016, the Conspirators … wrote to a person who was in regular contact with senior members of the presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump, “thank u for writing back . . . do u find anyt[h]ing interesting in the docs i posted?” On or about August 17, 2016, the Conspirators added, “please tell me if i can help u anyhow . . . it would be a great pleasure to me.” On or about September 9, 2016, the Conspirators … referred to a stolen DCCC document posted online and asked the person, “what do u think of the info on the turnout model for the democrats entire presidential campaign.” The person [in contact with the Trump campaign] responded, “[p]retty standard.”

And you have the gall to attack the Mueller investigation, complaining it’s a “witch hunt” and that it will hurt our relationship with Russia?

That’s like saying, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, that our declaration of war was misguided because it would hurt our relationship with Japan.

When a foreign nation attacks the United States with intent ultimately to destroy our democracy and way of life and you attack those trying to defend us, that’s treason, Sir.

Very truly yours,

Bruce J. Berger

Dear Mr. Trump,

Many in your administration – surely including you – should go to jail for kidnapping.

Under your direction, ICE agents ripped children from their parents’ arms and took them to distant places without even bothering to keep track of who belonged to whom. To make matters worse, you have failed to comply with a court order to return the youngest of these victims to their parents. I’ve read that some of the children may never see their parents again, as you have no way of reconnecting everyone. You’ve turned babies into orphans.

Your excuses for not returning all of the children now are phony, Sir. Your claim that you’re protecting these children makes me want to puke. You imposed the severest trauma imaginable on these children – short of outright killing them – by taking them from the relatives who cared for them. And now, really, you’re so concerned about their welfare that you won’t return them?

Under Texas Penal Code  § 20.04, kidnapping is “intentionally or knowingly abduct[ing] another person” and aggravated kidnapping may be found when the intent of the kidnapper is to “terrorize [the abductee] or a third person.” You ordered these separations to terrorize people who sought refugee status in the United States. Accordingly, you and your goons are guilty of aggravated kidnapping and should be prosecuted.

Also, since you transported the victims across state lines, you’re also guilty of violating federal kidnapping laws, 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1201, the punishment for which may be – and should be in your case – life imprisonment.

You’ll be out of office before the statutes of limitations run. But, in the meantime, you can be held in civil contempt and jailed by the judge whose order you ignored. If I were you, Sir, I’d pack a toothbrush.

Very truly yours,

Bruce J. Berger

Dear Mr. Trump,

A judge who doesn’t “make law,” but only “interprets” the law? Complete nonsense!

You know that you don’t have to ask Kavanagh if he’s going to reverse Roe v. Wade. He will do so ASAP.  The kind of judge that the Federalist Society approves of has made up his mind on that point already because – purportedly – the Constitution does not expressly say that there’s a right of privacy in the individual vis-à-vis the government.

Kavanagh’s “interpretation” will in effect make it the law that the government has the right to control women’s bodies, to force those bodies to bear children, whether or not the woman who has conceived wants a child or can take care of a child, to force those bodies to bear children, whether or not the embryo was conceived as a result of rape or incest, whether or not the embryo is viable, whether or not continuing to term will not only threaten the health of but potentially kill the mother. That is making law and – wink, wink — you know that’s exactly what Kavanagh will do

And what next? Where in the Constitution does it say explicitly that inhabitants of the United States cannot be beaten up by police officers for their political beliefs, for their ethnicity, for their refugee status, for their sexual orientation? Where in the Constitution does it say explicitly that people have a right to use contraception or marry whom they wish? Where in the Constitution does it say explicitly that parents have a right to decide what schools their children can attend? In fact, where in the Constitution does it say that parents have any rights in the upbringing of their children?

Kavanagh will “make law” when it damn well pleases him and the so-called conservatives, Sir. They will be activist judges when they feel it suits your agenda.

Unless the Senate refuses to confirm him. It will take the defection of only two Republican senators and the courageous behavior of the Democratic senators to stop this charade of “interpreting” but not “making” the law.

Very truly yours,

Bruce J. Berger

Dear Mr. Trump,

I have been thinking a lot about history lately, and how, if we forget it, we are doomed to repeat it. Although you don’t read very much, perhaps you could tell me who said the three sentences below.

“Nothing could be better than for me to tell you of all the successes that have been achieved and the progress that has been made since I took over.”

“All the remarkable results have been reached during a time which may be looked upon as probably the most astounding time in the life of our people.”

“The main plank in our program is to abolish the liberal concept of the individual and the socialist concept of humanity.”

Did your narcissistic personality disorder impel you to guess that all of these are your own bragging pronouncements?

Sorry. They’re all based upon a speech by Adolf Hitler in 1937, complimenting himself about how he’s made German great again.

So, you see, Sir, you ought to read a bit more history and thus learn whom you’re taking after.

Very truly yours,

Bruce J. Berger