What if?

[grantcart]

Things are spinning out of control for the Donald and he knows that Mueller is closing in on things that are going to be ugly, how ugly? Felony ugly.

He has only two paths left, resign (possibly feigning a medical event) and having Pence pardon him and going full bull on Mueller. Only he can't fire Mueller. Because Sessions recused himself he can't fire Mueller only Rosenstein can. If he fires Rosenstein then the authority would go to the Assistant Attorney General and so on galvanizing all of law enforcement, intelligence community and even Republicans against him.

The only way for Trump to fire Mueller is to get rid of Sessions and get a new Attorney General, hence the juvenile machinations of this week. If Session resigns then he would have a legitimate reason to nominate a new AG. If he fires him he will not be able to get the 50 votes to get a lackey through the Senate. Most likely the Senate would agree on a consensus candidate and send it to Trump.

What if Sessions has concluded that if he cooperates with Trump by resigning that he will be labelled in history as the man who helped the man who was in bed with the Russians.

What if Sessions has decided that at this point his career is over and all he has now is to defend what little honor remains and decides to stay in office.

What if Sessions decides that for once in his life he will do the right thing and make Trump fire him which would create an impossible confirmation process and by doing so he can save Mueller's investigation.

What if Sessions does the right thing and spends the next several months twisting in the wind buying Mueller time to finish his job.

Sessions doing the right thing for mostly the right reasons.

Well it COULD happen, lol.

[rzemanfl]

1. I think "if Mueller resigns" is a keyboarding mistake. Otherwise WTF? n/t

[grantcart]

2. Not a keyboarding mistake, pure cranial

Its a condition I have had since I was very young, we call it "halfheimer". Not as bad as Alzheimer because it only occurs about half the time.

[magicarpet]

4. In reference to myself.....

..... I call it scatter brains.

But I only whisper ever so softly - that derogatory remark to myself.

[rzemanfl]

7. I'm of an age where I can get away with "senior moment." n/t

[csziggy]

3. Jennifer Rubin had a good opinion piece on the various possible scenarios

This presidency can’t be saved. It’s all downhill from here.
By Jennifer Rubin July 21 at 1:14 PM

In light of news reports that President Trump’s team is scouring the record for conflicts of interest on special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s team (the essence of chutzpah) and contemplating pardons (of aides and/or himself), it is worth considering how this may all play out.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2017/07/21/this-presidency-cant-be-saved-its-all-downhill-from-here/

She offered five different scenarios. It's worth the read even if you don't agree with Rubin normally.

Posted on DU here: https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=9355120

[Egnever]

5. What really worries me about this

I don't think there is any doubt that Cheeto has been laundering money for the Russians for years. What worries me is when it is exposed he will be pardoned for it. Basically getting away with it and despite being removed from office will go on with no way to take him down for his years of criminal enterprise.

I guess at least we will have him out of office but I really do not want him to get away with his money laundering.

[grantcart]

6. They are all going to be pardoned.

That is not the same thing as getting away with it, look what happened to Nixon after he resigned.

I agree that Trump has been surviving on soft money in the best case or outright laundering in the worst case.

A Presidential pardon will simply return him to where he has always been: chronically overleveraged.

ODonnell had the proof of this: Nobody that had billions would waste their time on a reality tv show. Trump needed the paycheck.

Pardoned from federal crimes he would still be facing bankruptcy and every local prosecutor and be a target for a mountain of civil litigation with 8 hour days of depositions, a modern hell that Dante would envy.

[drray23]

9. he wont get off so easy

Many of these fiinancial crimes are state crimes and the NY attorney general will likely charge him. He wont be able to get pardonned for state crimes.

[malaise]

8. I hope Sessions does not resign

He finally has a chance to fuck up a Yankee - I hope he tells all but I trust none of them.