Dirty Money
President Trump is constantly calling the Mueller Investigation a “Witch Hunt,” repeating over and over that there was “no collusion” and that it’s a waste of his time. The Freedom Caucus in the House of Representatives, led by Chairman Mark Meadows and founding member Jim Jordan are demanding that the Mueller Investigation end, and that a Special Counsel be appointed to go back through the Hillary Clinton emails once again. House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes and Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, with the “blessing” of retiring Speaker Paul Ryan; are demanding the scope and sequence documentation for the Investigation to make sure it has not gone “out of bounds.” From past actions, Nunes will read the classified information, then run (not walk) to the White House to tell them what’s going on.
Yesterday, the normally reticent Vice President Pence called for an end to the Investigation. Articles of Impeachment have been drawn up for Assistant Attorney General Rosenstein, then leaked to the public. And of course, the Trump (FOX) Cable channels are echoing every cry to end the Investigation, castigating the Mueller team, and discounting any news that might indicate the Investigation has merit.
For the majority of Americans who want to see the Mueller team complete their work (Boston Globe) the right-wing political and media blitz calling for an end is like a constant dull throbbing. Many despair that the results will ever be known, fearing that the growing swamp of Trumpism will somehow swallow the probe and its results.
But, over the last couple of weeks, the “Investigation” has fought back. It might be a series of happy coincidences, it might be parallel strategies, or it might be a “conspiracy.” Whatever the plan, there is some hope.
It started last week with two public appearances by Rod Rosenstein. In one, a question and answer session, Rosenstein stated, “…the Department of Justice is not going to be extorted.” He also called out those that wrote and leaked the Articles of Impeachment, saying they “…didn’t have the courage to associate themselves with the effort.”
In the second appearance, a law day speech to Maryland’s Montgomery County Bar Association, he laid out the case of a career Department of Justice employee, who would not be deterred or deflected from his search for the truth. He made it clear that he would allow the Mueller Investigation to follow through, as long as he remained in charge.
Then the attorney for Porn Actress Stormy Daniels, Michael Avenatti, came from a completely different direction. Avenatti, who has become a regular on MSNBC and CNN, managed to connect the Daniels lawsuit to the Mueller Investigation. He reported that Trump attorney Michael Cohen received payments of millions of dollars from multiple sources, including ATT and Novartis Pharmaceuticals, and most importantly, a US company that is ultimately owned by Russian oligarch Victor Vekselberg.
With millions funneled to Cohen, including the Russian money, it comes closer to answering the question that Mueller critics keep raising: after a year of investigation, is there a “there – there.” Avenatti’s information, however he was able to get it, shows that there was a direct financial transfer from Russia to a Trump employee, in fact, his personal attorney. It leads of course, to the obvious question, where did that money go?
Cohen claims that he had to borrow money with a second mortgage on his home to pay off the $130000 owed Stormy Daniels. He also has taken out a loan on his condo in Trump tower for $9 million. He’s borrowing a lot of money for someone who has been paid multiple millions in the past twelve months for “influencing” the President. If he doesn’t have that money, then who does?
Retired US Prosecutors have opined that the Avenatti information could hinder the Mueller probe, by warning possible witnesses that they may be questioned. However, Mueller has already questioned ATT and Novartis (in November and December) and stopped Vekselberg for search and questioning at a New York airport in March. In short, Mueller is months ahead of the public release of information.
Rosenstein has made it clear that he will fight to continue the Mueller investigation. Avenatti has presented information that shows that there is a financial connection from Russia to the Trump organization. He is willing to use his position to publicly “out” Trump finances. While the “stop the investigation” drumbeat may continue, it’s clear that the “no collusion” claim is untrue. As it grows nearer to the “top,” the cries to end the Investigation will grow more shrill. But now there is a public “there-there,” and it will be that much harder to stop. How far and high it will reach, we don’t know yet – but Mueller does.
It is remarkable and coincidental that each time Trump tweets “no collusion” somebody finds another bag of Trump trash, opens it, and a bunch of Russians fall out. At what point will clear thinking, open minded Americans conclude that if it quacks and has webbed feet, we might know what it is.
I don’t know how you have the time, or even the heart, to keep up on all this. Thanks for trying to digest it for the rest of us.