August Quote of the Month: The Mueller investigation is complete and this is a simple fact that will never go away: not one single American was charged, indicted or convicted for conspiring with Russia to influence the 2016 election.”

"The Mueller investigation is complete and this is a simple fact that will never go away: not one single American was charged, indicted or convicted for conspiring with Russia to influence the 2016 election.” 

—Glenn Greenwald, journalist, 2019

Our August quote of the month comes from our August Book of the Month, The Mueller Report: The Investigation into Collusion between Donald Trump's Presidential Campaign and Russia by Robert Mueller. 

One of the most important political investigations in American history is Robert Mueller's inquiry into President Donald Trump's possible collusion with Russia. This investigation has engulfed US politics and US–Russia relations for the last two years, reaching levels of hysteria among political pundits and the media. Was it a “witch hunt,” as Trump supporters believed, or a necessary look into impeachable offenses?

In May 2017, Mueller was appointed to head the Special Counsel's Office investigation of the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, including possible coordination between Donald Trump's campaign and the Russian government, as well as “any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation.”  In addition, Mueller also took over several other existing FBI investigations, including those into former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former national security advisor Michael Flynn.

Although this investigation resulted in dozens of indictments for federal crimes, and at least eight guilty pleas or convictions, no American was charged, indicted, or convicted for conspiring with Russia to influence the 2016 election. Mueller submitted his report to attorney general William Barr on March 22, 2019, the findings of which are now available for everyone to read. This publication also includes two separate letters from Barr to the Senate Judiciary Committee detailing the findings of the report before its release. Students of politics, historians, journalists, and anyone interested in US politics will find this report vital reading.

About the AuthorRobert S. Mueller III (born 1944) is an American attorney, who spent the bulk of his career in government service, serving as a US attorney, homicide prosecutor, and director of the FBI (2001-2013). A life-long Republican, he has served Democratic and Republican presidents, enjoying broad bi-partisan support.

August Book of the Month: The Mueller Report

As August comes to a close, we are getting closer and closer to the election, debates, and learning more about all those who are running for President in 2020. Our Book of the Month, The Mueller Report: The Investigation into Collusion between Donald Trump's Presidential Campaign and Russia by Robert Mueller, cannot be coming at a more timely moment in the history of American politics and democracy. 

One of the most important political investigations in American history is Robert Mueller's inquiry into President Donald Trump's possible collusion with Russia. This investigation has engulfed US politics and US–Russia relations for the last two years, reaching levels of hysteria among political pundits and the media. Was it a “witch hunt,” as Trump supporters believed, or a necessary look into impeachable offenses?

In May 2017, Mueller was appointed to head the Special Counsel's Office investigation of the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, including possible coordination between Donald Trump's campaign and the Russian government, as well as “any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation.”  In addition, Mueller also took over several other existing FBI investigations, including those into former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former national security advisor Michael Flynn.

Although this investigation resulted in dozens of indictments for federal crimes, and at least eight guilty pleas or convictions, no American was charged, indicted, or convicted for conspiring with Russia to influence the 2016 election. Mueller submitted his report to attorney general William Barr on March 22, 2019, the findings of which are now available for everyone to read. This publication also includes two separate letters from Barr to the Senate Judiciary Committee detailing the findings of the report before its release. Students of politics, historians, journalists, and anyone interested in US politics will find this report vital reading.

About the Author
Robert S. Mueller III (born 1944) is an American attorney, who spent the bulk of his career in government service, serving as a US attorney, homicide prosecutor, and director of the FBI (2001-2013). A life-long Republican, he has served Democratic and Republican presidents, enjoying broad bi-partisan support.

The Electoral College, Alexander Hamilton and the Federalist Papers

Alexander Hamilton in the Uniform of
the New York Artillery by Alonzo Chappel
(Wikimedia) 

As many of you are preparing for Christmas and the holidays, political events, just like life, continue. Last Monday, the Electoral College voted to confirm President-Elect Donald Trump to become the 45th U.S. President. This should not have been a surprise as the Electoral College is ruled by mostly formal rules. Still, in recent weeks a forceful debate about the Electoral College was raging in the media, especially due to the fact that Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in no uncertain numbers.

CNN columnist, Scott Piro, a few days before the Electoral College vote took place, made a case for abolishing the Electoral College in his article, "It's time for the Electoral College to fall on its sword".

After stating that "The Electoral College has contradicted the popular vote in two of the last five presidential elections, electing a Republican president in both those splits", Piro says: "This archaic safeguard (i.e. the Electoral College) from our Founding Fathers, created to stop an unfit leader from becoming president but having the modern effect of blocking the will of the people, will have proved its harmfulness to everyone. The flipping of the presidency from Trump to Clinton would be collateral damage or a big fat bonus, depending on which side of the aisle you sit."

Let's now go to the background of this socalled "archaic safeguard", to The Federalist Papers, a collection of 85 essays written in 1787 by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, together using the pseudonym Publius, to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution.

Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers, who reportedly wrote the 68th essays of The Federalist Papers, titled "The Mode of Electing the President", said the following:

November Classic of the Month: Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States

America is electing a new president TODAY! Whether out voting for Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, or a third party, Americans are waiting with bated breath to find out who will be crowned Mister or Madam President of 2016. We at Cosimo are celebrating the end of election season (surely so are many other Americans tired with the unusual drama of this election) with our Classic of the Month Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States: From George Washington, 1789, to Barack Obama, 2013 by The Committee of Inaugural Ceremonies.

Through times of war and times of peace, periods of prosperity and scarcity, hours dark and bright, the continuation of the American government through legal, constitutionally guaranteed means has never faltered. There can be no better representation of that marvel, unequaled in world history, than the inaugural addresses of incoming Presidents. A collection of first speeches from each of the nation's new leaders, plus the subsequent inaugural words of re-elected Presidents, Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States gathers in one important volume the thoughts of the first to the forty-fourth leader as he entered office. This updated edition includes speeches from Bill Clinton (42), George W. Bush (43) and Barack Obama (44), the first African American president ever to take office. Their words set the tenor for their administrations, and this firsthand document of American history is vital for understanding their work in the White House and the legacy they left for the future ahead of them.

About JCCIC

The Joint Congressional Committee of Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) coordinates the Inaugural swearing-in ceremony of the President and Vice President of the United States, the traditional Inaugural luncheon that follows, and all other Inaugural activities at the U.S. Capitol. It is comprised of the Senate Majority Leader, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Majority and Minority Leaders of the House of Representatives.

This collection of historical documents is a must-read for any historian, an excellent reference tool for librarians and students, and an educational informant for all. Cosimo is proud to offer this title in both paperback and hardcover at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble (hardcover, paperback) and Amazon (hardcover, paperback).

Bombing in Cosimo's Chelsea Neighborhood

Chelsea neigborhood in Manhattan

Last Saturday no one  from Cosimo's staff was in Chelsea, the New York neighborhood where our office is located. Luckily no one of us had been wandering around either on 23rd Street, while a self-made bomb exploded on that same street at 8:30pm, a bomb that injured 29 people.

Almost before anything was officially announced, Presidential hopeful Donald Trump already called it a "bombing". He was initially admonished by Hillary Clinton for mentioning the "b" word, but later on she too used it. Later that evening New York Mayor Bill de Blasio referred to it as "an intentional act" and Governor Andrew Cuomo said it was "obviously an act of terrorism." Bottom line was that a senseless bomb exploded in a nice quiet area in Manhattan, known for its restaurants and cafes, its small businesses, its galleries and its gay community. The damage was obviously bad for the injured and, fortunately, not that terrible for the neigborhood. Still, the shock was great.

View of 23rd Street towards 6th Ave.

Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio reviewing the damage

That same evening another bomb was found on 27th Street. Whoever was behind it seemed to have a grudge against the neighborhood or what?  Due to some good police work and not a very smart "terrorist", the latter was arrested two days later in New Jersey: Ahmad Rahami, American citizen and born in Afghanistan.

Thanks to all who expressed their concern and interest in us. Fortunately, we all are fine.

Damage at Orangetheory Fitness
close to our office

Damage at La Maison du Macaron
next to our office