We begin today’s roundup with Adam Raymond at New York magazine and his roundup of GOP Senators dismissing the serious and credible allegations against Donald Trump regarding his possibly criminal activity:
On Friday, the Department of Justice called Donald Trump a felon. The extraordinary claim came in a sentencing memo about his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who helped Trump commit suspected campaign finance violations by paying off two women who claim to have had affairs with the now-president.
On Monday, Senate Republicans had their chance to weigh in on Friday’s bombshell. Would they condemn Trump, now an unindicted co-conspirator in Cohen’s crimes? Would they turn a critical eye toward his extramarital affairs? Or would they find a way to blame it on anyone but the president? Yeah, that’s the one.
At USA Today, president of the Constitution Society Caroline Fredrickson puts it all in perspective:
Let's all say it together: The president of the United States has been credibly accused of committing a felony. [...] We can now add this sordid episode to the list of alleged unethical and illegal activities on the part of the president, his associates and his campaign staff. The president may rant and rave on social media about witch hunts, but the charges are piling up and, apparently, so is the evidence. Prosecutors do not file charges like this unless they can back them up. [...]
The first two years of Trump's presidency saw a Republican-led Congress seemingly more interested in giving the president an out than holding him accountable. It's time for a change.
Here’s Catherine Rampell’s perfect summary at The Washington Post:
For a party that claims to be “tough on crime,” Republicans seem pretty confused by what it means to hold criminals to account.
Particularly when it comes to white-collar crimes, or really any crimes committed by rich people.
And here is Adam Sewer’s excellent analysis at The Atlantic:
Donald Trump can’t stop telling on himself.
Just two years into his presidency, the New York real estate mogul turned politician faces at least two separate criminal investigations, while half a dozen former advisors, including his former campaign chair, deputy campaign chair, national-security adviser, foreign-policy adviser, and personal attorney have all pleaded guilty to or been convicted of serious crimes. That’s even more remarkable when you consider that the American legal system makes white-collar crimes difficult to prove, by making guilt conditional on a defendant’s state of mind, a notoriously high standard.
Also at USA Today, appellate lawyer Chris Truax of the Republicans for the Rule of Law says the president’s inner circle should be weary:
Now, the tragedy, at least if you are a member of Donald Trump’s inner circle: The net is closing in. The most interesting thing in the sentencing memo was Mueller revealing that the conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws was not just limited to “Individual-1” and Cohen. “Executives” of The Trump Organization (called “the company” in the memo) concocted a scheme to reimburse Cohen for his illegal campaign contributions without revealing that they were campaign-related.
It isn’t clear from the memo who the “executives” are, but there is a very small pool of candidates and most of them are members of the Trump family. One or more of them is almost certain to be indicted.
On the topic of the search for a new chief of staff, Matt Lewis at The Daily Beast explains why so many people may be turning down the gig:
It’s one thing to endure a difficult job for a couple of years if you know you can cash in once it’s over. For decades, this is an assumed part of the bargain. You put your life on hold for a few years, sleep with your Blackberry on your chest at night, and then once it’s over you reap the rewards. You make this huge sacrifice (your health, your happiness, your family), but there’s a rainbow at the end.
Except, what if there’s not? What if, at the end of it all, not only are you not feted and celebrated and remunerated handsomely; what if after being humiliated by the president and fired, you’re then blackballed from jobs and TV contracts, and chased out of restaurants? And maybe indicted?
And on a final note, don’t miss Paul Krugman’s latest:
For whatever may happen to Donald Trump, his party has turned its back on democracy. And that should terrify you.
The fact is that the G.O.P., as currently constituted, is willing to do whatever it takes to seize and hold power. And as long as that remains true, and Republicans remain politically competitive, we will be one election away from losing democracy in America.