Hicks and Manafort

Many happenings this week...

Manafort's trial has started, without a plea.  

Hicks has been sighted, deplaning from Air Force One.  

Trump has admitted that the June, 2016 meeting was about getting information on Clinton from the Russians. Although he has admitted that this was the purpose of the meeting, he still claims that he had no knowledge of it.

Trump has voiced concerns that his son, who attended this meeting that Trump knew nothing about, may be a target of Mueller's investigation. Trump Jr. has testified that he did not tell his father about the meeting. Cohen will testify that Trump knew about the meeting in advance.

Trump's lackeys in the press have stated a campaign asserting that meeting Russians and collusion are not crimes.

Finally, Trump called for Sessions to close the investigation now - after it has netted 5 charges, a few convictions, and now a trial against his former associates, and indictments against 25 Russians and three Russian companies for trying to subvert the last presidential election. 

This is all coming to a head.

First Manafort. 

The fact that he has not rolled could mean many things. 

He may not yet be convinced that he will lose and that he faces years in jail, and he is waiting until this is confirmed before seeking a deal. 

He may not want to flip, as this may entail confirming that he was involved in a conspiracy against America - even if he escapes jail time, this would end his public, and maybe even his social life in his country. 

He and his family may have been threatened with the "Putin Flu" should he turn on Trump. 

Lastly, he may have nothing to give in a deal, because thee was no collusion, meaning no deal to trade relaxed sanctions in return for evidence against Clinton that would hand the election to Trump. 

We will soon know which of these scenarios is real.

Hicks lives!

The fact that she would take a ride on a plane with Trump for what must have been lots of face time suggests that he is seeking her assurances that she will not flip on him. 

Recall - she very likely lied to the FBI and Congress when she was questioned about her time with Trump, and possible Russian influences on the election and her role. She has admitted that she lied for Trump. She likely faces multiple obstruction of justice charges. 

Trump needs her loyalty as she was at the centre of everything he did and knew regarding the outreach to Russia, especially the June 2016 meeting, when she worked directly with Trump to craft Trump Jr.'s cover story that the meeting was about adoptions, not treason. 

Get it? Trump helped write a cover story for his son regarding a meeting he still maintains he knew nothing about.

Regarding Hicks, I think Trump may be about to experience the betrayal of his life. He is a sucker for beautiful young women, and they cause him to let his guard down. 

I suspect that Hicks is already in the bag. This lady does not strike me as someone who has any time for losers, and any sober view of this situation says that Trump is in deep trouble. Her lawyers may even have approached the FBI before they called her. 

Again - get ready because you will be hearing about Hope Hicks for years to come.

The argument of Trump's lackeys (are they paid to wear their smug, arrogant smiles when appearing on Hannity?) that meeting Russians and collusion are not crimes is a piece of sophistry that rivals the best in the history of "misleads, misrepresentation and misdirection". It is desperation born of the realization that the jig is almost up.

The point is not that anyone talked to Russians. The point is that, in return for information that the Russians had which may have handed Trump the election, he may have promised them something once he became president; something like relaxed sanctions. 

That would not be "collusion". That would be "treason".