Special Counsel Robert Mueller has been quietly working with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in his investigation into Trump. Undoubtedly, such an alliance should petrify Trump for a number of reasons. Not only is Schneiderman the most fluent individual in Trump’s nefarious business practices, after Schneiderman won a $25 million settlement against Trump University in his class-action fraud investigation, but under the 1921 Martin Act, the New York Attorney General has additional powers to fight financial fraud.
Trump and family have expressed their animosity for Schneiderman. Anyone who the Trump family hates is a friend of mine! For example, The New York Observer, a magazine owned by Trump’s high pitch voiced son-in-law Jared Kushner, published a brutal hit piece on Eric Schneiderman. VanityFair
Robert Mueller’s decision to ally with Schneiderman could be as a result of Trump’s love affair with the presidential pardon. Last week, Trump went against the will of all of his advisors and much of his party, by pardoning Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Arpaio’s efforts to unlawfully hunt down and detain undocumented immigrants earned him a criminal contempt conviction. Trump has done some wacky stuff, but why would he pardon someone as divisive as Arpaio? Some news analysts suggested that Trump’s pardon was actually a hidden message to comfort Trump’s accomplices in Mueller’s Russian meddling investigation. If Trump pardoned Arpaio, he could pardon anybody else.
Sadly, Trump is right. The pardoning power is absolute. However, a pardon only applies to federal crimes. Let’s say a state level prosecutor, like Schneiderman, brought charges in the Russian case. The pardoning magic wand would have no affect.
“You would have to find that one of those [election] crimes occurred in New York,” Jennifer Rodgers, a former federal prosecutor in New York, told NBC News. “I don’t think that’s a huge stretch, given that Trump’s people are here — this is where he lived, and his inner-circle lived.” VanityFair
Robert Mueller and Schneiderman have begun swapping evidence from their probes into Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign manager. Manafort’s well established ties with Russian interests, has made him a target in the FBI investigations. Last month, investigators conducted a raid on Manafort’s home, looking for specific documents.
If Trump could pardon Arpaio so easily, why not Manafort? And if Manafort could get a pardon, he could easily avoid cooperating with investigators. That is exactly the message that Trump is trying portray. That is where Schneiderman comes in. Schneiderman’s New York office is working on charges against Manafort. In that case, he would have no choice but to start spilling the beans.
Robert Mueller has been working non stop. Just last Wednesday it was revealed that Rinat Akhmetshin, a Russian lobbyist, who was present at the all-inclusive meeting at Trump Tower with Donald Trump Jr., gave testimony two weeks ago to Mueller’s grand jury. The Trump family could insist the meeting was about adopting little impoverished Russian orphans all they want. However, the truth is just waiting to be unleashed. Esquire
Despise him and his deplorable family all you want, but judgment is lurking right around the corner. Trump won’t be able to tap-dance out of this jam. Democrats will have the final laugh, when Trump is led away in handcuffs and the entire republican party is destroyed.
Republicans have no one else to blame but themselves.
