Well, shit. As Monty Python used to love to say; "And now, for something completely different." Yesterday was like watching a high stakes poker game, each succeeding story "seeing your $50 and raising you $100." But, as damaging as each story was to one bullshit narrative or another that has been pushed by The Tiny Thumbs Diktator, when you look a little deeper into the story, there are several things that could quite well become headline stories themselves in the near days to come. And that's what I'm here for, right?
In her opening rant last night, Rachel Maddow made mention of a story they had seen that indicated that the RNC was effectively "giving up" on retaining the House in November, and was instead throwing all of it's resources into retaining their already slim Senate majority. Unfortunately, breaking news during the hour altered her show schedule, and she never went into the promised detail.
If in fact the story she alluded to, and hopefully covers tonight, is true, it will be a blockbuster on it's own, for two reasons. First, if the implication is accepted, whether it is true or not, it can have a disastrous effect on the GOP in November. Just the thought that the GOP may have secretly accepted the inevitability of losing the House in November could seriously demoralize the base from even bothering to come out and vote in November. But even more stunning is the implication that the RNC might actually be worried about even the vague possibility of losing the Senate in November. Sweet Jesus, last January, in the flush of the inauguration, Mitch McConnell was licking his chops at the thought of increasing his majority by 4-6 seats this November! If today's GOP is not only giving up on the possibility of picking seats up, but is worried that seats in places like NV, AZ, TN, and TX may slip through their fingers, then this would mean that the GOP is worrying that the upcoming tsunami this November may turn them into Atlantis.
Next on the menu. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is on death watch. To hear the media tell it, the family is gathered around the bed, the doctor is standing in the corner, the plug has been pulled, and everybody is just waiting for the final heartbeat. But one nice thing about Trump, you don't have to worry about him learning from his mistakes, simply because he refuses to admit he ever made one in his life. His Lowness may have had the "right" to fire James Comey, but look at what it got him. Robert Mueller III. Reporting has stated that one of the four separate issues of obstruction of justice that Robert Mueller is going to highlight in his upcoming report to Rod Rosenstein is going to be the firing of James Comey, to stall or end the Trump-Russia investigation. Gee whiz, you think if Trump fires Rod Rosenstein, especially if his stated reasons are as silly and specious as they were for firing Comey, that people will accuse him of attempting to obstruct justice again? And if Trump does it before Mueller submits his obstruction of justice report to Rosenstein, you think Mueller might look into that? Especially considering that Rosenstein not only appointed Mueller, but also signed off on the search warrants on Michael Cohen that are driving Trump insane? This could backfire as badly as firing Comey did.
Keep an eye out in the future for the name "Scooter Libby." On it's face, today's pardon of Scooter Libby looks trivial, and an attempt to dull the impact of Comey;s upcoming book. But it has much more meaning than that. Why was Libby convicted in the first place? For lying to the FBI, and for obstruction of justice. By giving Libby a pardon now, which Bush Lite declined to do when he simply commuted Libby's sentence after his conviction, Trump is laying the groundwork. Most of the charges pending against Trump acolytes right now consist of lying to the FBI, and obstruction of justice. By pardoning Libby 11 years after his conviction, he gives himself a "pattern of abuse" by the FBI and the DOJ to point to when he starts pardoning his own cronies for the same crimes.
Watch Rod Rosenstein, if he survives. Bob Mueller is preparing his first report on his investigation, on Donald Trump for obstruction of justice. If that report goes to Rosenstein, soup could be on in a hurry. Rosenstein has already repeatedly bucked Trump, by appointing Mueller in the first place, as well as signing off on the search warrants for Michael Cohen. Not indicting a sitting President is not settled case law, it is only a DOJ "opinion." If Mueller were to be inclined to try to indict Trump, he would need Rosenstein to sign off on it, overriding the existing DOJ opinion. If Rosenstein feels strongly enough that he will be axed if he refers Mueller's report to congress for action, and if he feels that congress may bury it, he just might sign off on Mueller indicting Trump, and let the courts decide once and for all. Hell, this may already be in the works for all we know. Mueller may have already requested permission to indict from Rosenstein. If Rosenstein gives him permission, we have no way of knowing. The first we'll hear of it will be the unsealing of the indictments publicly. But, with Trump's incessant slamming and threatening of Rosenstein, and with the strong possibility that the congress would ignore any charges that Mueller referred to them, it is a possibility at least worth considering.
Stormy Daniels may in fact indirectly impeach a President. Forget the sex for a minute, it doesn't matter in what we're talking about. With Trump you have a dude so desperate for attention that he used to call tabloid reporters in New York, pretending to be his own PR guy, to brag about his sexual conquests, even when he was married. So, why is he all of a sudden so desperate to keep Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal that he'll turn to his third rate consigliere, Michael Cohen, to fix it for him? And how could Cohen screw up the management of the fallout this pathetically?
If what was reported yesterday is true, Michael Cohen will be the death of Donald Trump. The assertion that Cohen may have secretly recorded conversations is the last arc that closes the Watergate circle if true. And separate reporting that White House staff were loath to talk to Cohen because they knew of his predilection for recording conversations gives this story legs. This will kill Trump for two reasons if true.
First of all, if anybody on earth can prove a conspiracy with Russia by the Trump campaign, it's Michael Cohen. Reporting has already shown that Cohen was heavily involved in Trump's attempts at expansion in Europe, including the Ukraine and Russia itself. He was alleged to have worked in concert with convicted felon Felix Sater in trying to get a Trump Tower in Moscow. If Cohen so much as made a reference as to what Putin or the Russian government might be looking for from a future President of the United States in return for a schlock tower in their capitol, Trump is toast. Trump doesn't actually have to perform an action for a conspiracy to take place, he just has to be aware of, and accepting of the negotiations.
The other option is just as bad. Anybody who has ever heard Trump speak knows two things just as sure as the fact that the sun is gonna come up tomorrow. Trump jumps from topic to topic with no apparent connection, and Trump loves to brag. Michael vould be sitting there, talking to Trump about something completely innocent and benign, but if Trump suddenly says something like, "Hey Mike, have you heard anything from our friends about those e-mails and Wikileaks?", or "Hey Mike, did Don Jr tell you about all the e-mail shit we're supposed to get from the Russians this week?", the case is closed. It's kind of hard for Sarah Flackabee Slanders to argue that a statement was misinterpreted when you hear it right from Trump's own lips. This is why prosecutors love audio and video evidence so much. And that doesn't even touch on the issue of Cohen holding conversations with other participants like Manafort, Flynn, and Gates, where they spontaneously implicate Trump in their statements. If in fact Michael Cohen was regularly recording his conversations, and the FBI has them, I find it inconceivable that there won't be something on at least one of them that sinks Trump's battleship.
So yes, yesterday and today was a virtual smorgasbord of really terrible news for Glorious Bleater. But while you're pigging out on that, just make sure you leave some room for dessert.
It’s here! The moment you’ve been dreading looking forward to. My new e-book President Evil. A common man looks at Trump and the 2016 primaries. You can get it now on Amazon. And please feel free to leave a review at either Amazon or goodreads, every review helps, positive or negative.
Cross posted on The Trump Impeachment.