Their attorneys have most likely been negotiating for such a deal for some time now. They know who is going to get indicted.
Sater or Flynn Jr.
The indictment is supposedly sealed until Monday so that the indictees can be picked up on Monday.
My question is, why can’t this guy/these guys be picked up over the weekend? What’s the deal on that? Why must they wait until ‘regular business hours’?
Maybe they just wanted a weekend off before the trajectory of the shit intersects the locus of the fan. At least for a couple of days, they can legit refuse to talk about it, come Monday that gets shot to blazes. They’ll be lucky if they can stop talking long enough to chew.
They needn’t. They could execute their arrest at any time/date of their choosing. But according to my recent understanding, there are strategic reasons other than surprise to seal an indictment ahead of an arrest.
In some cases it can be a courtesy to the defendant, allowing them the dignity of putting their affairs in order and to avoid The Perp Walk. It might be because they are not yet ready to arrest, but they needed to indict based on statute of limitations concerns. It might also be to do exactly what it appears to be doing: Stress some of the potential targets into cooperating and/or showing their hand(s).
But I agree that Flynn is the most likely. Reasoning that building a case that Trump interfered with Comey is strengthened by a strong and public case against Flynn. If Flynn is found guilty and/or cops a plea, the situation solidifies, he actually is guilty of something, and an effort to deter that outcome becomes more clearly wrong.
I’m going with Manafort, and if it can be proven that Manafort colluded with Russia, then the whole campaign colluded with Russia. There was no reason to hire Manafort as campaign manager except to collude with Russia. What rational reason was there for him to manage a presidential campaign? His access to Russian money was his only selling point.
And, remember on the day he left the campaign, Trump associated businesses “loaned” him 13 million dollars.
“In September, Summerbreeze received a $3.5 million loan from Spruce Capital. The investment firm’s co-founder Joshua Crane helped develop Trump International Hotel & Tower in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2006. Then, in November, the firm secured a $9.5 million loan from the Federal Savings Bank of Chicago, founded and chaired by Stephen M. Calk, a senior economic adviser to Trump during his campaign. The bank usually specializes in loans to help military veterans buy homes.”
I’m going out on a limb here and say it is Monday for the simple reason of that’s when the courts are open. Having Flynn/Manafort/??? sit the entire weekend in jail does nothing to help Mueller and makes a Friday night arrest look vengeful, especially in a case this public.
Monday, you can be arrested, met at courthouse by your attorney, and begin the process of being arraigned and posting bail ASAP, with a minimum of jail time.
I would also like to say the likelihood of nothing happening Monday is higher than many give credence.
it’s like Christmas eve and looking at all those presents under the tree trying to guess what’s inside.
Best Facebook idea: If you want to be a prick, go to Flynn’s house at 6 AM Monday and pound on his door.
Good guess, but I think it likely that old Felix has flipped already.
If someone’s in the job of doing investigations, with a regular fee (“$100 a day, plus expenses”), what does it matter what the benefit of the material dug up is? If someone hires a detective and they come up with nothing, but get the paid the same as if they hand over a silver bullet, where’s the contribution? They’re getting paid for their services. How valuable, politically, their product may be, isn’t really relevant, I would have thought. They got hired, they did the job, they get paid, and they move on to the next job.
Yeah, makes sense – I was picturing more the argument that the only investigations work the subject did was for the campaign, as opposed to having a regular gig. I agree if he’s doing similar work for similar clients, then he’s safe.
Of course, I think he’s safe anyway based on the First Amendment argument.
So if the next time I’m travelling in the States, I attend a political conference, and overwhelmed by the oratory, I make a contribution to the candidate, you’ll come defend me, right?
Schiff has just saidthat someone “is ‘likely’ to face indictment as early as [tomorrow],” either Manafort or Flynn, for what it’s worth.
From that link (bold added):
The New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman is conducting a parallel investigation into Trump and his associates because a lot of Trump’s properties and financial transactions occurred in NY state.
I’m going to go with Manafort. He’s been under investigation for years, even before he joined Trump’s team. He was hired by Trump BECAUSE of his collusion with the Russians.
As for Flynn? I think he’s singing like a little bird already, and won’t be charged, as long as he cooperates.
I think you start at the perimeter and work your way in. Mueller obviously needs to avoid going too high, too early and not having his ducks in a row.
Call me cynical, but maybe the power brokers (if such a thing truly exists) will get their shit together. If there is enough provable evidence against Trump and family, a deal just might happen for a medical “retirement” in exchange for keeping his family out of jail. And maybe in such a fantasy, Pence is also an indictable target, and we end up with a deal that puts President Ryan in the White House. I’m not saying this is a great scenario, and would love to see The Donald and Family get their just deserts (if the case is proven in a court of law). On the other hand, taking his finger off the button and passing the torch to someone I loathe like Ryan as a placeholder until 2020, is a deal that I could grudgingly swallow. Even better if power brokers agree the next supreme nomination is Garland. Dunno about this hypothetical but versus the risk of the Trumpster going completely off the deep end and his 30% incited to arms…
It’s breaking that Manafort has been told to surrender to the feds.
Edit: and his business partner Rick Gates
It’s Manafort and Rick Gates