Mueller v. Trump: Ain’t Life Grand?

The Old Grand Jury Road, Saintfield. The sign at the Crossgar Road end. Wikimedia, By Albert Bridge. CC-BY-SA-2.0

by Thomas L. Knapp …….

The Wall Street Journal reports that “Special Counsel Robert Mueller has impaneled a grand jury to investigate Russia’s interference in the 2016 elections.” That report diverges from reality when it comes to purpose. Mueller’s aim (and therefore the grand jury’s real purpose) is to “get” US president Donald Trump and key members of his administration. “Russian meddling” is just the pretext.

Trump’s true crime in the eyes of the establishments of both major political parties is that he beat them. First he whipped a large field of certified establishment Republicans in the primaries, then he shut down the “inevitable” Hillary Clinton in last November’s general election. For this he cannot be forgiven. But, well, winning a presidential election isn’t against the law. So they have to find something else to nail him on.

It won’t be hard.

As the Future of Freedom Foundation’s Jacob Hornberger points out, Trump’s business background is a target-rich environment. He’s spent his whole career operating at the intersection of legitimate business endeavor and government favoritism, and that intersection is a mine field. America’s complex web of economic regulation is custom-made for “gotcha” prosecution of those who step out of line (upsetting the political establishment’s applecart is definitely stepping out of line).

Not that Trump’s special  in that regard. We’re all potentially at risk. Massachusetts attorney Harvey A. Silverglate’s Three Felonies a Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent explains that any or all of us are juicy, vulnerable targets for federal law enforcers should we happen to come to their attention (Trump has come to their attention). These days there are more “crimes” than you can shake a stick at. In fact, shaking a stick at them is probably a crime. Maybe one of the three you or I committed today.

And then there’s the catch-all: Conspiracy. Mueller doesn’t have to catch Trump red-handed delivering an envelope full of cash to a fixer or an envelope full of secrets to Vladimir Putin. Once he starts securing indictments on the people around Trump for offenses large and small, he can hit his real target by theorizing Trump’s peripheral involvement in their crimes (or in covering up their crimes).

Trump is, beyond a shadow of doubt, guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors, including but not limited to pursuing wars of aggression (the ultimate war crime) in Syria and elsewhere.  He is therefore worthy of impeachment and imprisonment under both US and international law.

But, sadly, he won’t be pursued for those crimes. After all, his pursuers are also his accomplices. In fact, part of their problem with him is that he’s shown insufficient enthusiasm for that particular variety of criminal enterprise.

The ultimate crime, in his persecutors’ eyes, is Trump’s reprise of Rodney Dangerfield’s role in Caddyshack. He’s the loud, brash outsider crashing their sedate, classy club and embarrassing the beautiful people who think themselves the owners of the country. Therefore, he must go.

And it’s beginning to look like he will. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Thomas L. Knapp (Twitter: @thomaslknapp) is director and senior news analyst at the William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism (thegarrisoncenter.org). He lives and works in north central Florida.

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5 thoughts on “Mueller v. Trump: Ain’t Life Grand?

  1. Simplistic, moronic, unprovable attribution of reason. A devaluation, diminution of all of us, and our thinking and ideals. Worst of all, a thinly veiled glorification of a criminal.

  2. Some people have too much time on their hands, so they call themselves writers because they probably are not competent enough to do anything else. Multiple Trump associates and family met with Russians and it was apparently just to chat about adoptions and the weather. Give me a break. They all colluded with the Russians to win the election. Trump himself is a pathological lair with a very fragile ego. He is a sexual predator and has no concept of being president or presidential. Why do you think he is constantly trying to relive his campaign? Why do you think he is so pathetic that he has to brag about his electoral votes over and over again. He KNOWS he did not win the election fair and square. He owes the victory to the Kremlin. He is beholden to the Kremlin because all the money to prop up his real estate “empire” came from Russians who have been figuratively and literally pissing on him. Why do you think he has not released his tax returns? He is a thief and a con artist. Americans have elected the biggest con artist and now they are slowing learning this fact. Trump is a Russian stooge and it will come out that he is a traitor who deserves to be impeached and removed from office. All that said, he is also completely incompetent. Hopefully Mueller will hurry the fuck up before Trump gets us into a nuclear war. The stupid christian right still hasn’t figured out that they elected the Anti-Christ.

  3. Some just can’t deal with he did win. Blame the system not him. And if impeached you don’t get Clinton.
    So just sit back and wait till next election. Yes we voted for him and so far happy with what he has done.

  4. LOL
    So now anyone that voted for Trump hates our country.
    .
    We very much so love our country. We both were born here and so were our parents and grand parents. But if your that unhappy with our country maybe you should leave.
    We did not want Obama but thanks to him we bought properties for less than 30 cents on a dollar. Our gain did cost others credit and everything they had. It is about winning. no matter who is president.

    Maybe we will have a better selection next time.

    Surely both parties could have ran better choices.

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