Political reporter Marcy Wheeler seems convinced that Manafort will provide the key for uncovering a putrid swamp of corruption in Washington. With regard to the many exhibits that accompanied his confession, she think Special Counsel Mueller has a hidden agenda:
They’re there to show what Paul Manafort does when he’s running a campaign.
Because they show that for the decade leading up to running Trump’s campaign, Manafort was using the very same sleazy strategy to support Viktor Yanukovych that he used to get Trump elected.
In other words, these exhibits are a preview of coming attractions.
TAKE OUT THE FEMALE OPPONENT BY PROSECUTING HER
It describes how Manafort used cut-outs to place stories claiming his client’s female opponent had murdered someone.
MANAFORT took other measures to keep the Ukraine lobbying as secret as possible. For example, MANAFORT, in written communications on or about May 16, 2013, directed his lobbyists (including Persons D1 and D2, who worked for Company D) to write and disseminate within the United States news stories that alleged that Tymoshenko had paid for the murder of a Ukrainian official. MANAFORT stated that it should be “push[ed]” “[w]ith no fingerprints.” “It is very important we have no connection.” MANAFORT stated that “[m]y goal is to plant some stink on Tymo.”
& etc. I’m not an expert on any of this, so I’ll just have to wait and see how this all turns out. What bothers me, though, is how effective this sort of thing will be in dismembering the Trumpist base. Trump, on his own, is fangless; it’s his supporters which make him dangerous, which convinces those who should be overseeing Trump’s Executive activities to turn a blind eye. The extent to which the Trumpist base exists and continues to support Trump is, in my opinion, the extent to which the American Republic has failed to properly educate its citizens.
I know the Trumpists would bristle and consider me to be preaching at them without authority, which is why I preface this with in my opinion. We all render judgments, and the extent to which Trumpists swallow the fake news and Deep State memes and do the Lock Her Up! dance is, in my judgment, the measure of Americans who are failing the test of responsibly using their votes.
Meanwhile, Benjamin Wittes, et al, on Lawfare come to the expected conclusion, regardless of the opinion of Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani:
That said, we think it’s safe to say that the investigation isn’t wrapping up any time soon. Mueller is still seeking and receiving cooperation and thus learning new potentially relevant information. With Manafort’s plea, at least three defendants are subject to cooperation agreements without yet having been sentenced, suggesting that Mueller still thinks they have valuable contributions to make. This group includes former national security adviser Flynn, whose sentencing was pushed back for a second time in July, as well as Rick Gates, who testified last month at Manafort’s Virginia trial. George Papadopoulos and Alexander Van Der Zwaan have both been sentenced, apparently without providing “substantial assistance” to the investigation. The remaining wild card is Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty in August under an agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, not the Special Counsel’s Office. Cohen’s agreement did not have a cooperation component, but it is reasonable to suspect that he is in a cooperative posture with respect to any federal investigation that might wish to seek his help.
In just the past few weeks, there has been grand jury activity with respect to Trump advisor Roger Stone. There is also the obstruction-of-justice component of the investigation, which has been active since the firing of James Comey as FBI director but about which the public has not heard a word.
In sum, these are not the usual signs of an investigation that is drawing to a close, notwithstanding the insistence of Rudy Giuliani—like Ty Cobb before him—that the probe is concluding imminently. “He has to be winding down,” Giuliani said of Mueller in August. “What else is there?”
The president’s lawyer might want to ask Paul Manafort.
So, unless President Trump wishes to risk his political future by firing Mueller, it seems we’d better get the popcorn popper going again. The Trumpist base may remain convinced it’s all a witch hunt, but I doubt Mueller is chasing a will ‘o the wisp.
