Hodgin letter: The art of distraction
A major tool of a con is the “distraction,” some overplayed detail to keep the patsy’s attention off what they have to lose. An expert con, Donald Trump will do whatever he can to distract us from the fact that he paid a $25 million settlement Nov. 18 for defrauding families out of their money at Trump University. The next day he screams at the cast of “Hamilton” for asking VP-elect Pence to “uphold our American values and work on behalf of all of us.”
Trump is using the benign incident to distract us from this:
He who took advantage of innocent people looking for a way to make a living — like most of us; and that settlement, though huge, will not pay back too many of those families all the money they lost by trusting him.
The Con will do anything to distract us, then eventually say, “We admitted no guilt; I am innocent of these charges.”
Question: Who settles a suit by paying $25 million?
Answer: A guilty rich man.
Trump voters were conned in this election. I don’t know what Trump’s payoff is, but you’d better hold on to your wallets, your homes, your savings. And don’t be distracted. Pay attention. Pay close attention.
D’Wayne Hodgin, Moscow
This story was originally published December 12, 2016 at 11:16 AM with the headline "Hodgin letter: The art of distraction."