Norman Eisen, Noah Bookbinder and Barry Berke wrote a piece in today’s NY Times explaining why drumpf should be wery, wery wowwied today.
They started by referencing his idiotic tweet this morning saying that he was vindicated by his former campaign manager, Manafort, and someone he has done business with for years, Gates, being indicted on charges that could earn them decades in the iron bar hotel…
Eisen, Bookbinder and Berke ain’t buying it:
“For one thing, it is now clear that President Trump closely relied upon Mr. Manafort and Mr. Gates while they were engaged in alleged criminal activity. That is a damning indictment of the president’s judgment. Their prosecution will hang over him and his administration for the foreseeable future, since these proceedings will continue for many months, and perhaps years. And these are unlikely to be the last of the charges pursued by Robert Mueller, the special counsel, who is also reported to be looking at other actors, including the president himself.
The idea that Mr. Manafort’s indictment vindicates Mr. Trump also ignores how complex criminal investigations typically proceed, and the attendant peril Mr. Trump now faces. In our half century of collective experience prosecuting and defending criminal cases, we have watched repeatedly as prosecutors charged lower-level individuals with readily provable offenses that are distinct from the core conduct and targets that are the primary focus of the prosecutor’s investigation.”
They note that the fact that Bobby Three Sticks is taking his cudgel to these two, while measuring Mssr. Papadopoulos for irons, indicates he is deadly earnest in his pursuit of bigger game.
They then point out some interesting facts about Gates.
”Mr. Gates, though less well known, was also intertwined with Mr. Trump, including during the administration itself. If Mr. Mueller can secure his cooperation through a plea or immunity, he too can offer a wealth of information, including what he did, who he met with and what he discussed in his White House visits. To take another example, Mr. Gates’ colleagues in a pro-Trump outside group he worked with in the first months of the administration included Brad Parscale, the Trump campaign’s digital director. Mr. Mueller would surely be interested in knowing whether Mr. Parscale ever offered any indication that he was aware of or cooperated with Russian cyber-intrusions during the campaign.”
Two degrees from Jared.
They wrap up with…
“The fact that Mr. Mueller has found enough evidence to bring credible charges in just five months suggests that he is moving forward with determination and skill. For anyone in the path of his investigation who has committed an offense, that cannot be welcome news.”
But it is welcome news to me.