- 22 Aug 2018 18:12
#14941536
IF I HAD UNDERSTOOD THE SITUATION A BIT BETTER I SHOULD HAVE PROBABLY JOINED THE ANARCHISTSGeorge Orwell
Possibly, if it's anything like Watergate, as with Nixon, Trump will resign before it gets that far and be impeached. Time will tell.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 02651.html
Trump facing 'real risk' of impeachment or criminal charges after Cohen and Manafort cases, experts say
Double blow could curtail his presidency, according to analysts.
Trump facing 'real risk' of impeachment or criminal charges after Cohen and Manafort cases, experts say
The chances that Donald Trump will not see out his full term as president increased dramatically yesterday with two former advisers facing lengthy spells in prison, analysts said.
The conviction of the president’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and the plea deal entered by his ex-lawyer, Michael Cohen, “significantly” raised the odds of impeachment, indictment or Mr Trump resigning from office, political experts said.
The setbacks refocused attention on Robert Mueller's inquiry into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, with the likelihood that Cohen will now cooperate with the investigation said to be “very high”.
Cohen's lawyer says he will not accept pardon from 'criminal' Trump
Brian Klaas, a former US campaign adviser, said Mr Trump suffered both legal and political damage from Tuesday’s courtroom drama and there was now a "real risk" that Cohen would cooperate with the Mueller probe.
“The odds of Trump either being impeached or somehow not finishing his term went up significantly yesterday,” he told The Independent.
“There is a growing consensus among at least Democrats and independents, if not Mr Trump's core base, that he is surrounding himself by criminals.
“There are a lot of people in Mr Trump’s inner circle who are either convicted of or pleading guilty to crimes.”
He said the conviction of Manafort by a jury rather than the FBI or a judge “undercuts his claims that this is a witch-hunt or that it is fake news”.
Michael Cohen's lawyer says he has information on Donald Trump
Mr Trump has proved adept at shaking off criticism and outrunning controversy, but David Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor who is not involved in the case, said it would now be "hard for the president to try to discredit all this. It's circling him”.
The path to impeachment requires a simple majority vote in the House of Representatives, which the Republicans currently control by a margin of 23 seats, and a senate trial in which two-thirds would need to vote to convict Mr Trump.
Analysts said the political fallout from the Manafort and Cohen cases would also increase the chances of the Democrats taking control of the House in November.
Manafort was convicted of financial crimes at nearly the same moment Cohen pleaded guilty to a series of crimes including campaign finance violations that the lawyer said he carried out in coordination with Mr Trump.
Rodell Mollineau, a senior Democratic strategist, said the news "adds to a constant drumbeat that will ultimately affect some independent voters" and help Democrats at the polls.
Asked about the chances of impeachment, Dr Klaas said it was “still a very high hurdle to clear, but it could happen if the Republican calculation is that sticking with Trump is more damaging than abandoning him”.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 02651.html
IF I HAD UNDERSTOOD THE SITUATION A BIT BETTER I SHOULD HAVE PROBABLY JOINED THE ANARCHISTSGeorge Orwell