It’s been quite the week so far and it’s not over. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Will the Grand Jury vote for a new batch of indictments (it’s my understanding Friday is usually when they take such votes most of the time) or will Mueller start unsealing some of those indictments that have just been sitting there like ticking time bombs? I don’t know but I don’t think anyone will call me nuts for thinking we could be in for another wild to wrap up an already crazy week.
I’ve been watching and reading news tonight between moments of engaging here on Kos. But even this afternoon I started hearing legal analysists warn not to get too excited about the notion of Mueller having Trump nailed cold on perjury over the written answers he provided to the Special Counsel. As they keep saying the lawyers have gone over them despite Trump’s claims of having written them all by himself. More to the point the legal analysts are suggesting some “wiggle room” has been written in — the “I don’t recall” or “To the best of my knowledge/recollection” kind of stuff. One would think they would insist on that even if they believed Trump had been completely truthful to them. And given this bunch it’s entirely possible they do in fact believe Trump has been completely honest and told them everything, every dirty detail no matter how incriminating so they can deal with it the way lawyers do as a matter of course.
Either way, my point is that as I say in the title of this diary is that unlike his son-in-law or others caught up in Mueller’s tightening net Trump doesn’t have the best lawyers. Not even close. I’ve said many times they are second rate (with third rate status struggling to the surface) and way out of their league in a case like this. My point is that I think we are going to find out in the near future if my dim view of their legal abilities is correct.
Now, one would think that even a first year law student would know to, when putting something in writing or coaching a witness to make sure some of that “wiggle room language” I referred to earlier was part of any answer. Even if the client objects. Also, given that in this instance all the answers are in writing the lawyers can fight it out with their client (Trump) if the client wants to try and bluster. And have a much better chance of prevailing. I also want to repeat that it’s possible that they actually believe Trump is completely innocent of wrongdoing and that he’s told them (despite his history) everything — and would still want to build in some “wiggle room” in the answers just to be on the safe side.
But what if they are as second rate as I contend they are? Or didn’t have enough backbone to stand up to a Trump who demanded that all, or at least some of the answers be blunt & unambiguous denials of wrongdoing and/or misstatements of fact? The rational, practical part of me believes that even these mooks would be competent enough and/or fight hard enough to ensure they left Trump a legal “out” but I can’t help but wonder if they were actually spineless or incompetent enough NOT to have done so?
And if so, with Mueller throwing the book at Manafort they and Trump have realized they didn’t include any, or enough “wiggle room” in those written answers it might be why Trump is again flying off the handle. As in openly musing about pardoning Manafort (Obstruction of Justice in plain sight) as just one example.
About the only thing I’m sure of at this point is that we’ll be seeing (and maybe even much sooner than we think) whether Trump’s lawyers are second rate, or much much worse. If they are second rate he might still be ok with those written answers. Maybe. But maybe not. However, if they aren’t even second rate Trump is screwed and not pornstar or playmate screwed but a very different and unpleasant kind of screwed.
Well, it’s late and I’m worn out so I’m calling it a night. Like I said, tomorrow might be the wildest day yet this week. And that’s saying something!
