TRUMP: THE ANATOMY OF SAVING THE REPUBLIC

As more and more of the Russian scandal evolves a number of key factors have emerged: 

Before even the 45th President’s inauguration there was flat panic, fully justified in retrospect, in Obama’s WhiteHouse, the FBI and the Justice Department that sustained attempts would be made to sweep the attack by Russia on American Democracy under the table. Representatives of all the aforementioned constituencies took emergency measures to see that what had been learned thus far would be recorded and available for prosperity; 

From the word go Trump recognized the threat the investigation posed to him and responded on two levels - on the one hand, politically to mercilessly attack the probe as the workings of the “dark state” and on the other to do all in his power to stop it; 

Through a succession of indictments, cooperating witnesses, books by journalists and insiders and most recently former Deputy FBI Director McCabe, fortuitous leaks to the media from insiders all covered extensively with investigation and comment by the media - the Special Counsel Bob Mueller was seen to have painstakingly revealed a pattern that there was a systemized pattern of “collusion” between the Trump Campaign and Russia. In the process there was evidence of Trump's blatant obstruction of justice and felony charges relating to election finance.

With the Court Cases well on their way - with some terminated and investigations into Trump’s Inaugural Committee and Business’s continuing, oversight of the Trump Criminal Enterprise just beginning in the House of Representatives with his Consiglieri Michael Cohen about to give open testimony, all that remains is the final act - to show that Trump knew about all the “collusion” and that there was a quid pro relationship between Russia and him. 

As yet Mueller has not revealed his trump card - Richard Gates, the Deputy Campaign Director of Trump’s campaign, who probably knows even more than Paul Manafort as he remained in the Campaign after the latter had left. Maybe Gates will not be charged and what he has to detail will be in the report. Maybe there will be indictments of the President in the Southern New York Federal Office, who might not feel restrained by “Justice Department Policy” not to indict a sitting President or by the State of New York Attorney General which is totally independent of Trump and the Federal apparatus.

One fact America can take to the bank is that the report and its findings will eventually see the light of day by one means or another. Throughout, these brave public servants, who have born abuse, threats and financial deprivation have sought to uncover the most serious threat to the integrity of the American democracy since the Cold War. If they, from the word go, went to extraordinary lengths to keep a secret record there is little doubt that they have taken contingency plans to protect their subsequent crucial work. 

Finally, there is speculation as to why Mueller is winding up his probe just as a new Attorney General has been ratified by Congress. There are some that posit that Attorney General Barr has terminated the probe. That is highly unlikely given his public assurances, under oath, that he wouldn’t. The danger with Barr is that he wouldn’t guarantee that he would reveal all of Mueller’s findings. Whatever the fears related to Trump’s Attorney General appointee, Mueller, Jay H. Ell believes, was taking no chances and is working at break neck speed to conclude his mission. He knows that it can be subpoenaed by Congress as was Watergate Special Prosecutor Leon Jaworski’s report was and that it is too late for Trump to put his hand in the dyke .  

THE REVELATIONS CONTINUE AND THE PROBE CONSOLIDATES THE CONSPIRACY

It is obvious that Mueller knows far more than he reveals in public. This is part of his strength. He has informants right front and center to Trump himself - Michael Flynn, Richard Gates, and Michael Cohen. Added to that he has Richard Pecker of the National Enquirer and Alan Wiesellberg, the Trump Organization’s Chief Financial Advisor. Manafort cooperated till he realized that he would be corroborating the conclusive proof of a conspiracy and cried “uncle”. With all that and all the intelligence and counter intelligence information including from other countries to help fill in the blanks Mueller and his team must already have all the answers. Nevertheless it does not take a genius to look at the bricks he has laid out already to build a wall that represents “conspiracy”.

The New York Times ran a detailed article on the prima facie case against Trump for Obstruction of Justice once again reminding all of the humiliation, intimidation , massive stress and pressure Trump placed on those who were attempting to investigate the Russian act of war. A new shock allegation was that the POTUS instructed his Acting Attorney General Whitaker to change the prosecutor to his choice in the Cohen case, a former legal partner of his TV lawyer, Rudi Giuliani. 

The Washington Post stated that Mueller had produced three hundred pages of a report in dribs and drabs. This he did with indictments, court documents, plea agreements and sentencing recommendations, letting the country know step by step as he built up the case that Russia hacked and intervened in favor of Donald Trump and against Hillary Clinton and that members of his campaign had met with Russians. From the get go Mueller, on February 18, 2018 indicted Russian internet agencies and some of their employees for "conspiring to defraud the US". He followed that up on July 18 indicted 12 Russian Agents working for the KGB successor organization GRU for inter alia “Conspiracy to Commit an Offense Against the USA”. At this stage he had already indicted George Papadopolous, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, Richard Pinedo and Alex van Der Swann. Most significantly on July 13, he indicted Constantin Kilimnik, a Russian oligarch as an alleged GRU agent for “Conspiracy to Commit an Offense Against the USA”.

Then on September 14 Michael Cohen was indicted for false statements to Congress and the same date he indicted Paul Manafort for “Conspiracy to Commit an Offense Against the USA”.

The latest indictment to close the circle came on January 25, 2019 when Roger Stone, life long confidant and advisor to Trump and former partner of Manafort was charged for making false statements and obstruction of justice. 

So Mueller has vast evidence of the Russian hacking, of at least two major meetings where Trump campaign agents met with the Russians  - The Trump Tower Meeting and a meeting in a cigar club where Manafort, Constantin Kilimnik, (who is in constant communication with oligarch Deripaska who is close to Vladmir Putin), and Rick Gates. Now he brings to public view that Trump’s “Russia are You Listening” may not be so innocent as Trump pretended. 

Trump's long time confidant, Roger Stone, is alleged to be the contact between Russian hackers and Wikileaks, Lest this just be conjecture Stone bragged about this in public while Trump forecast “major revelations” in anticipation, it is alleged, of a Wikileaks dump. The cherry on the top is that corroborated Cohen evidence points to ongoing negotiations of the venture of a Trump Tower in Moscow. Gates has got to be able to provide what is already publicly surmised that the changing of the Republican Platform on Russian sanctions came from Trump himself.

BACKGROUND TO THIS ALL

The Steele Document which was the earliest uncorroborated evidence of Trump’s Russian involvement has thus far not been negated. The media revelations of the meetings of Trump Campaign members with Russians and most damningly Trump’s own actions and sayings himself provide a pretty strong case against his own cry on “no collusion”. 

Scariest to anyone with insight as to how these investigations work is that they don’t bring in “targets”. In that vein none of Trump’s children or his son in law Jared Kushner have been questioned by the Special Counsel. It is no secret that Mueller has conducted his investigation akin to the procedure followed in a mob cleanup - working his way from bottom to top and collecting plea deals. Andrew McCabe on one of his interviews on his devastating revelations in “The Threat - How The FBI Protects America In The Age Of Terror and Trump”, stated that he has never known of a situation where the Mob Boss didn’t have knowledge of the actions of his underlings. 

Lest anyone forget American Intelligence has been investigating the Russian involvement since at least the middle of the Trump campaign. When Trump fired Comey they already had enough information to believe that his decision warranted opening a counter intelligence investigation into whether Trump was a witting or unwitting asset of a major foreign adversary.

What was particularly revealing by Andrew McCabe was the fact that he had briefed the majority and minority leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives and the heads of Intelligence Committees of both parties as to the investigations taking place. This had to include the counter investigation into whether Trump was a Russian asset. The Intelligence teams including the CIA also gave the politicians all the classified information as to the Russian interference in favor of Trump. In spite of this, the Republican legislators have continued, unabashed, backing up Trump’s assertion that he was a victim of “The Dark State” and the rogue FBI all orchestrated by Hillary Clinton and the Democrats.

WHAT NOW?

The Democratic House are going to fill in all the blanks and they need to investigate publicly. The Watergate committees in their hearings in the Senate and the House educated the voters to Nixon’s skulduggery. Most of what has gone on to date has been behind closed doors, in plea deals and redacted court proceedings. 

One way or another the Mueller report will see daylight. The champions of democracy in the Department of Justice have not withstood all this harassment to allow their efforts not to achieve what they set out to do - save the Republic. 

The Republican legislators to date have been a disgrace. They seemed to have buried their consciences at McCain’s funeral. Incidentally, the latter must have known that his former buddy Lindsey Graham was about to sell his soul - what else can explain why he didn’t include him to eulogize their relationship at his funeral. Did Romney really resuscitate his political career to become voting fodder for Trump and his lickspittle Mitch McConnell? The latter’s infamy is already sealed in history. If this sad pathetic lot need reminding the Senate Committee on Watergate unanimously referred the whole matter to the House to investigate the impeachment of Richard Nixon. The bipartisan Senate investigative activities lead to the indictment of 40 members of Nixon’s Administration and those involved in the Watergate burglary and conspiracy. 

The 16 investigations into Trump and his activities continue as Trump's tweets from the bunker inbetween receiving "advice" from Vladmir Putin.

When the history of this sickening episode is written it will be the fearless American institutions that saved the day - the FBI, Intelligence Agencies, the Media and the Judiciary, (with the verdict still out on the Supreme Court).