News over the weekend broke that there were sealed indictments coming from the Mueller investigation. Today brought those indictments. Republican grandee and one-time Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort, and his former business associate Rick Gates (who was also part of the campaign inner circle--and Vice Chairman of the Trump Inaugural Committee) surrendered to the FBI today on charges stemming primarily from tax evasion and money laundering. There was in these indictments, no indication of a connection between the campaign and the Russian government. According to the Washington Post, the President's tweeting indicated that he breathed a sigh of relief-- "NO COLLUSION!
And then the other shoe dropped.
Also unsealed was notification that "an unpaid foreign policy adviser" (George Papadopoulos) to the Trump Campaign had pleaded guilty (in late July!) to "... making a false statement to the FBI about his efforts to broker a relationship between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin." Does this prove anything? No. Not yet. But it is the end of the beginning. Papadopoulos plead out, and is apparently cooperating with the feds. The indictments of Manafort and Gates seem likely to be "squeeze" moves, as while Mueller is happy to take down tax evaders and money launderers, his real business is in the Oval Office.
Now, Trumpkins are of course, doing everything they can to change the subject. The connection between the Clinton campaign and the Steele Dossier seems to be the "Squirrel du Jour", with cries of Clinton campaign "collusion" now being mouthed by MAGA-nation. Interesting theory, given how much Putin hates Hillary. But never mind, it doesn't have to be true.
It will be interesting to watch how all this plays out, but I don't see how Trump survives where this is all going. He'll either be so weakened by this investigation that he is not a factor in 2020, or he'll issue blanket pardons and fire Mueller which will seal his fate. Either way, the key now is to limit damage.
Monday, October 30, 2017
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1 comment:
Come on CW, do you actually believe Trump got together with Vladimir Putin and ran a game on Hillary? With all the shit that has come out about Hillary, from screwing Bernie to Uranium 1 pay-for-play to this 'Russian dossier' crap, knowing what you know about the Clintons you actually believe the Russian collusion story? I swear there's a political psychosis in this country and it appears to be contagious.
I always hated the Clintons and Democrat leftists in general, but it wasn't pathological. I had a good handle on what they were capable of and I've rarely been surprised. My bull-shit-o-meter works just fine with my enemies, it's my friends and their doings where it tends to go haywire. You're seems to be the opposite.
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