used

It's time that we re-list the MEK
a "Terrorist Group" like we used to do.
Long years, they've kept John Bolton in their pay;
"our" Foreign Policy's set by their tool.
To frame Iran for tankers they've attacked,
won't fool a Sanders, Warren, or a Gore.
But Trump trusts Fox as if their crap were fact
and means to lead our nation into war.
Obama balked the powers that would use
our military to enact their ends.
But feckless Senators refuse to choose
and Hannity assures Trump that they'll bend.
A president enthralled with shiny bling
can't see the threat from those who'd pull his string.

Flynn's man inside

Mike Flynn put Cohen-Watnick in to spy
on colleagues who comprise the NSC.
But now the patron's toast, one wonders why
the protégé should draw a salary.
The bulk of what he garnered's surely dross
but in the hay, there  may be kompromat
pertaining to his boss, or boss' boss;
team Mueller'd like to know what Ezra's got.
Is it still "fruit of the forbidden tree"
if you can show a parallel construct?
Flynn must have figured, when he copped a plea
the last to find his tongue's the perp who's fucked.
A staff of seventeen must pick, and choose
but only fools bet Mueller's primed to lose.

yesterday's darling

If Trump loves Pruitt like he loved Mike Flynn,
it won't be long before he's likewise fired.
Trump's only (mostly) loyal to close kin,
and kissing Donald's ass, a tool gets tired.
The Cabinet's a never-ceasing churn;
New confirmation hearings never rest.
They'll plead with Mueller, pairwise, or in turn,
to be replaced by someone Trump deems "best".
Italians know this downward arc full well;
the writing's none too subtle on the wall.
Corrupt administrations doomed to Hell
may bribe the media, but can't not fall.
No loyalty vouchsafes his staunch oldguards;
Bob Mueller's blowing down this house of cards.

semaphore

to pardon Joe Arpaio'd post a clue
Trump isn't going soft, won't tolerate
non-violence, or anything we'd do
that's out of step with Bannon's code of hate.
Arch-xenophobe who'd nail an immigrant
for fictive code infractions on the road
and dumb enough to think his president
wants more than photo-ops with his pet toad.
If Manafort and Flynn would just defy
subpoenas, they'll get pardons in their turn.
But should they sing, he'll hang them out to dry;
betrayers gotta know they're gonna burn.
Dog-whistles from the artist of the deal
this Prisoners' Dilemma's played for real.

refusal to answer

Director Coats refused a straight reply
when asked if Trump impeded Comey's task
too cagey under oath to flatly lie
but dodging what the Senate had to ask
behind closed doors, more secrets might unspool
to inculpate Mike Flynn and many more
but Burr's committee won't be made the fool
and odds they'll let this drop are nil-to-poor
a "no" would be seen to exonerate
the president we're told tried to obstruct
investigations into Russiagate
but Flynn points back at him, and both are fucked
Trump's dalliance with Putin won't end well
our whole republic might be shot to Hell

custodian

Yates warned Mike Pence that Flynn'd been compromised
our secrets weren't safe with such a man
yet weeks went by, and Trump claimed he's surprised
to learn that Putin knows what's in his hand
with Clapper, she's been called to testify
on secrets spilled to Sergei Kislyak
she came to tell the truth; he came to lie
about why Flynn'd been given--twice--the sack
how many Special Counsels will we need
to prosecute a swamp filled with Trump's kin
whose fam'ly ethics start and end with greed
to whom gross nepotism is no sin
the DoJ's stripped of Loretta Lynch
but Sally Yates could rock it, in a pinch

sad schemer

Flynn offered Gulen's head up on a plate,
to prove his fealty to Erdogan.
three stars can't hide that he's still second-rate

but thinks himself a mafiosa don.
No oath of office, no morality
sets bound upon the loony schemes he'll plot.
He's unconcerned with illegality
if there's a sleazy fortune to be got.
No vetting winnowed chaff out of this wheat;
team Trump repackaged swamp and called it "wine".
Corruption from the top-down's now complete. 
But Breitbart tells the rank and file it's fine.
Now if we were to extradite Flynn's boss
democracy would count in no big loss

schemer

Flynn offered Gulen's head up in a box,
a token for his patron, Erdogan.
A Keystone cop, whose head's all full of rocks
conceives himself a mafiosa don.
No oath of office, no morality
sets bound upon the loony schemes he'll plot.
He's unconcerned with illegality
if there's a sleazy fortune to be got.
No vetting winnowed chaff out of this wheat;
team Trump repackaged swamp and called it "wine".
Corruption from the top-down's now complete. 
And Breitbart tells the rank and file it's fine.
But if we were to extradite Flynn's boss
democracy would count in no big loss

change

Barack Obama'll always compromise
his opening proposal's just a start
but Trump begins by throwing out cheap lies
a con he boastfully describes as "art"
our first Black president retired in peace
and blackmail of the next one seems assured
the war-drums for impeachment just won't cease
against this ass who never keeps his word
eight years without a scandal passed too fast
already, Flynn's been busted by a leak
no one believes that this will be Trump's last
look for a new one with each passing week
two men more diff'rent t'were hard to conceive
we're wishing that Barack would never leave

house of cards

Mike Flynn's gone first, with Priebus on his heels
the Trump administration's tumbling down
they'd signed on with the "Artist of the Deal"
but left when they discovered he's a clown
will confirmation hearings never cease
his cabinet drains out before it's filled
our senators won't know a moment's peace
until the whole Executive's been spilled
Bill Harrison held office thirty days
a record Trump's unlikely to unseat
but if Roy Blunt's investigation pays
Trump's win may be the GOP's defeat
the voters who hoped Trump would bring us change
are slowly grasping that the man's deranged

the other shoe

Roy Blunt invites Mike Flynn to come and speak
to his Committee on Intelligence
the new administration's up a creek
the only winner looks to be Mike Pence
by undermining foreign policy
in violation of the Logan Act
to testify on pain of perjury
what part of what's alleged's objective fact
the president can pardon many things
but what of felonies himself commands?
our chief executives are less than kings
and Donald's web of lies is out of hand
the Trump regime's already on the rocks
but who can fill the shoes of Archie Cox?

Humpty Dumpty

forgive me, Lord! I've come to like John Dean
he makes sense when the standard pundits fail
he reads the omens and knows what they mean
when power-brokers ought to be in jail
this Trump administration's plumbed new lows
the ties to Moscow'd make Dick Nixon blush
depending on how much the big guy knows
this government could tumble in a rush
it's not the first time we've been 'round this block
this level of mistrust's been seen before
but just four weeks have ticked off the new clock
and journalists are girding up for war
impeachment'd do us all a world of good
if Trump won't do what we all know he should