Donald Trump's reckoning has arrived

[nitpicker]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/21/trump-manafort-cohen-plea-bargain

Donald Trump's reckoning has arrived

Richard Wolffe

Wed 22 Aug 2018 03.27 BST

To lose one of your inner-circle to criminal charges may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose two on the same day looks like carelessness.
(snip)

Of the two legal calamities befalling Trump, the plea bargain of his personal fixer is even more disastrous than the guilty verdicts slapped down on his campaign chairman. Although let’s be honest: the scale of both disasters makes it a close call.

Cohen pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws by paying hush money to two women who were allegedly the mistresses of one Donald Trump. All this in the middle of the 2016 election, “at the direction of the candidate,” as Cohen told the court.
(snip)

For now we need to stay focused on the very real legal jeopardy facing Crooked Donald. Campaign finance crimes of this kind are not trivial matters: under federal guidelines updated at the end of last year by Trump’s own justice department, a campaign finance crime committed knowingly and willfully amounting to more than $25,000 is what they call a five-year felony. Just one of Cohen’s payments, made at Trump’s direction, amounted to $130,000.
(snip)

No doubt the pressure for impeachment will only build from here – even without a full-blown conspiracy with a hostile foreign nation to manipulate the election. The current campaign finance crimes on display are more than enough to meet the definition of high crimes and misdemeanors.

But impeachment in a Democratic-controlled House – if this year’s elections proceed as forecast – will ultimately be followed by failure in a Senate trial, where Republicans would need to vote to kick Trump out of office. There is no plausible scenario where this Republican party would do so, even with White House tapes of Trump discussing a Russian conspiracy.
(snip)

Instead we should be looking at Nixon’s first vice-president, Spiro Agnew, who was forced out of office by something much more familiar: criminal investigations into conspiracy, tax fraud and bribery, among other things. Agnew had been a corrupt public official since his days as Maryland governor, and the corruption continued into his vice-presidency. A year after his re-election, Agnew accepted a guilty plea bargain on tax evasion and resigned from office.
(snip)

[SkatmanRoth]

1. Let's make the midterms a referendum on Trump - Go Blue Wave!

[lagomorph777]

13. Looking at Crooked Collins, Fuckin' Hunter, Devil Nunes et al,

Let's make it a referendum on the crooked GOP!

[SWBTATTReg]

19. Wilbur Ross too. Scumbag stole millions...

What makes one think that he wouldn't do it while in office? How many others of rump's cabinet are like this?

[lagomorph777]

20. Every Cabinet member is a big piece of campaign ammo.

Every one of them is flagrantly crooked.

[duforsure]

2. And we haven't heard what these people talked about yet

His long time secretary and the trump org. guy who also knows everything financial on him , and both I think we'll learn gave Mueller a ton of stuff on trump and his family , and others, along with his long time secretary. I think this is nothing compared to whats coming out very soon against them all. This isn't over , and he'll threaten us before its over with. He's a treasonous corrupt criminal, and its all caching up to him and all his thug friends .

[Racerdog1]

3. Only the start.

This is only the start of a very bad nightmare for this orange tub of shit. When his corrupt family gets indicted, the real fun begins.

[pazzyanne]

4. I'll bet that Donald tRump is so very glad he won the presidency today!

This couldn't happen to a more deserving fellow!

[lagomorph777]

14. Legal wars are easy to win!

[lastlib]

5. Agnew pleaded no contest.

He didn't plead guity. It was a nolo contendere deal--simply admitting that the prosecutors had a valid case, that he wouldn't dispute it. He got the deal and avoided prison only on the condition that he resign his office, which he did.

(slight nit-picking, I know, but that's me. )

[mainstreetonce]

6. I asked this question here yesterday

Could trump make a deal to get no charges if he resigns.

Every response said no,it would be illegal,but it sounds just like what Agnew did.

[lagomorph777]

15. Prosecutorial discretion is very broad; I think he could.

[watoos]

7. All I can say

Republicans need to remember, who among us wouldn't lie about getting a blow job? They impeached Clinton over that and it had nothing to do with White Water. Trump has done far far worse, one might even imagine treason.

All I have to say to you Congressional Republicans up for election, you better be running in a gerrymandered district with rigged voting machines and even that may not be enough. Defend this traitorous piece of shit at your own peril.

[no_hypocrisy]

8. Agreed. IMO it wouldn't be a waste of time to indict Trump in the House,

to get the facts out on record in the Senate -- even if conviction is not likely.

Getting so many damning facts would pressure Trump to resign, thereby letting Republicans save face and to protect their prospects in 2020.

Personally, I don't care how he leaves as long as he leaves.

[watoos]

11. Really?

This no impeachment talk is self-defeating, I scream it to high heaven. When Dems take over the House it will be January of 2019, more shit will come out, maybe Mueller will have his report by then. Dems don't have to run on impeachment but should run on defending the Constitution. President Obama let the bastards off the hook we certainly don't need a repeat.

[no_hypocrisy]

12. I'm endorsing impeachment. Democrats don't have "run" on the issue as it's

expected.

[lagomorph777]

16. Get Russiapublican Senators on record endorsing the Russian puppet.

Then take them out in their next elections.

[no_hypocrisy]

17. Exactly

[vlyons]

9. We're not quite there yet, and we don't know what a GOP senate will do

We have another Manafort trial starting soon, where his illegal advocacy for Russia and the Ukraine will be publicly exposed. It's even possible that Manafort will flip before then and cooperate with Mueller. A lot can happen between now and Jan 2018. Some of these feckless GOP senators, who care only about re-election may decide that protecting Trump is not in their best self interest.

[watoos]

10. We need to be on guard

Trump is following the fascist playbook. We need to be wary of an upcoming Reichstag fire, there isn't anything Trump won't try.

[Aristus]

18. I like the Oscar Wilde reference right at the beginning.

Jack Worthing: "I am afraid I have lost both my parents."

Lady Bracknell: "Both? To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose both looks like carelessness!"