PARDON ME BOY

My friend Corinne points out that, whatever Trump’s high crimes and misdemeanors, the current House of Representatives is highly unlikely to impeach him, which is all too true.  It is also true that there’s an irredeemable core of Trump support that might be as much as 30% of the electorate, and perhaps as much as 75% of House Republicans.  Having said that, though, I wonder if, as the dominoes keep falling, we might see enough Republicans in the House, especially those who have decided not to run for re-election, decide to go out in a blaze of glory, finally putting country over party.  I wouldn’t bet money on that outcome, but it’s at least within the realm of possibility.  A simple majority vote is all it would take to send the issue to the Senate for trial.

My theory is that Flynn’s testimony will, at a minimum, provide enough evidence to indict Kushner and Don Jr.  We know that opinions differ on whether it’s possible to indict a president whose currently in office.  I’d love to see Mueller try to indict Trump and force the Supreme Court to make the call.  But failing that, Mueller can at least name Trump as an unindicted co-conspirator.  If Trump were then to pardon his family, or anyone else indicted as a co-conspirator, there’s a Supreme Court decision (Ex Parte Grossman 267 U.S. 87 (1925)) which suggests that such a pardon would be an impeachable offense.  Or so I’ve read; attorneys out there can correct me if I’ve misinterpreted the decision.

Otherwise, impeachment will have to wait until after the 2018 election.  But while impeachment is my preferred remedy, my Plan B has always been New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.  A fair amount of the illegal activity happened in New York, where it broke state as well as federal laws.  My guess is that Kushner is in deep doodoo in his home state. 

Jared does not strike me as a standup guy.  If he’s faced with a long prison sentence, particularly if the sentence is coupled with asset forfeiture, I think he’d turn on his in-laws in a heartbeat.  Or maybe two or three heartbeats. 

However long it takes, I'm optimistic that the good guys will win.  Trump has ways to delay his day of reckoning, but eventually he's going down.