I came to Plaintiff in Chief with high curiosity. I have followed its author, Jim Zirin, through his writings in Forbes, The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Times and through his television program. I have always regarded Jim as brilliant. His distinguished career as an attorney bears out that judgment, as does the quality of Plaintiff in Chief. In the first place, this is an assiduously researched book. The sheer volume of information, fact and detail, is almost overwhelming. The context provided for understanding and appreciating the information is impeccable. Jim writes in extraordinarily clear prose, making legal concepts easy to understand and the facts of the veritable blizzard of Trump lawsuits—those he has filed and those brought against him—embarrassingly clear.
It is not uncommon to say that someone is, “a fabulous character.” Often this is praise, at other times awed disbelief that such a personality can actually carry on in normal society. If, like many, you have thought that Donald Trump is, “a fabulous character,” you may well come away from Plaintiff in Chief realizing that you did not know the half of it.
Jim Zirin has constructed his portrait of Mr. Trump around the man’s extraordinary history in litigation. He develops the portrait in nine titled chapters that take the reader through the background of Mr. Trump’s family, his first lawsuit, and his move from “the provinces” (my term) to the “big time”—ie. from practicing real estate in Queens, Staten Island and Brooklyn, to breaking out in Manhattan. This move was fateful, as it resulted in Mr. Trump’s meeting Roy Cohn, who became his litigation and strategy guru and, to a notable degree, guiding light. It also produced a veritable carnival of questionable maneuvering, financing, mob interactions and shoddy business practices that left either Mr. Trump or his erstwhile business partners or service providers with ample reason to sue. The suits usually sought damages or other sanctions for Mr. Trump’s allegedly improper conduct. Mr. Trump’s actions were often pre-emptive blandishments, or counter suits intended to intimidate or to head off the outraged claims of an adversary possibly unable to sustain prolonged legal battle. There are chapters on Mr. Trump’s Atlantic City/ casino phase, with its rich harvest of bankruptcy and other filings, his use of litigation to protect the Trump brand, his adventures and misadventures with women, the fraud of Trump University and a closing word.
One comes away from Plaintiff in Chief shaking his head. How can a man of such character and ethics have not only become wealthy beyond most measure, but also risen to claim the highest office in our democracy? As one who appreciates certain of the president’s accomplishments, I feel cheated that his character is not worthy of the good he has occasionally done. It is clear that Mr. Zirin is appalled by Mr. Trump—but he maintains a low-key tone throughout the book. Knowing what he knows both as an attorney and as the prodigious researcher of this effort, that is an accomplishment.
Don’t miss this one. As reader, you get to sit in a comfortable chair and listen to the clear, modest, educated, experienced—and polite—voice of a very smart man. As a citizen, you gain a most unusual understanding of our 45th president.
- Amazon Business : For business-only pricing, quantity discounts and FREE Shipping. Register a free business account
