Last week was actually kinda quiet for the Trump news cycle, but they made up for that over the weekend with news of White House counsel Don McGahn’s cooperation with the Mueller investigation and Trump’s ensuing Twitter tantrums.
Today’s articles cover the legal troubles of former Trumpsters Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort, the activities of current Trumpster and White House counsel Don McGahn, Don Jr.’s 2016 meeting with Russian spies, and season four of “Lucifer.”
5 Things to Read Today
⚖️ New York Times: Michael Cohen, Trump’s Ex-Lawyer, Investigated for Bank Fraud Over $20 Million
Michael Cohen is in a whoooooole lotta trouble, folks. It turns out that his shady taxi business was actually shady. Also, apparently Cohen’s lawyer has been consulting with John Dean, Nixon’s former White House counsel and the guy who’s testimony brought down Nixon.
Between this and Manafort, if I were in Trump’s shoes, I’d be sweating bullets about now, but then again, I’m sane and rational. And actually, I’m not so sure Manafort’s gonna flip because I think Trump can pardon him. Trump can’t pardon Cohen, because he’s up for State-level crimes.
⚖️ New York Times: Trump Lawyers’ Sudden Realization: They Don’t Know What Don McGahn Told Mueller’s Team
I just… migawd, the stunning incompetence of this administration. So, Trump’s previous batch of lawyers, Ty Cobb and whoever, decided Trump was innocent and proceeded from there, doing a “we’re an open book” kind of thing and cooperating with Mueller. They told Trump’s White House counsel, Don McGahn, to do the same.
Well, McGahn took a look around, realized he worked for shady, backstabbing asshats, and thought maybe he was being set up to take a fall for Trump’s BS. So when he went in to cooperate with Mueller, he went whole hog and, apparently, spilled every bean he had. Which Trump’s lawyers did not realize, I guess, and now they’re all aflutter.
It’s not clear exactly what-all McGahn had to say. Some of it sounded bad and some of it sounded good, according to the folks the Times interviewed. Whatever was said, Trump’s team of lawyers are eating Rolaids by the bucketful this morning.
🇷🇺 NBC News: Team Trump still isn’t telling the truth about that 2016 Trump Tower meeting
Okay, we know the story here, even if Trump’s bunch won’t tell it to us. Russian spies reached out to Don Jr. and asked for a meeting in 2016, offering dirt on Hillary Clinton in return for the US govt. dropping the Magnitsky Act. Don was thrilled to accept such a meeting, and it’s sounding like Trump Sr. knew about and okayed the meeting. Which is probably the ballgame when it comes to conspiracy, if it can be proved.
The Trump people have changed their stories about a dozen times about this meeting, because this is a serious situation. Also, they need to muddy the waters of public opinion about this meeting. They need contention and arguments about the facts of the case because impeachment is less a legal proceeding and more a political one, which means we’re dependent of the will of politicians to make it happen. And if the Trumpsters can muddy the waters and make the Russia/Obstruction/Whatever Else situation fraught and contentious enough, then they might skate through just because our weak-spined politicians don’t want to get caught up in all the mess.
⚖️ Politico: Manafort trial Day 15: Jury meets for third day as Trump-fueled political cacophony grows
We’ve hit day three of deliberations in the Manafort trial, so I’d start expecting to hear something sooner rather than later.
😈 CBR: Lucifer Season 4 Casts the ‘Original Sinner Herself,’ Eve
And finally, here’s one just for funsies. Lucifer‘s cast Inbar Lavi to play Eve in season 4, which’ll be on Netflix. (Yay!)
Notes & Thoughts 