Donald Trump’s latest Paul Manafort stunt just gave something away
Donald Trump’s attempt at dropping the Michael Flynn case is already unraveling, with the judge in the case seeking amicus briefs as an apparent way of laying the groundwork for sending Flynn to prison anyway. So now Trump is moving on to another similar stunt, as Paul Manafort has been released from prison early today, citing coronavirus concerns – even though he doesn’t appear to fit the guidelines for such release.
So be it. Whatever. Donald Trump is giving away that this is where his focus is, and that means he’s not focused on the election. That’s a big deal because, as we’ve just been reminded by the Supreme Court case involving his tax returns and a grand jury, if Trump loses this election then he’s the one going to prison.
Trump also has his most effective henchman Bill Barr wasting his time and political leverage on this kind of Manafort-Flynn nonsense, which means Barr isn’t focused on the kinds of shady antics that could actually help Trump win. It’s still not entirely clear if Trump is trying desperately to spring Manafort and Flynn because they’re Putin’s guys, or if Trump is simply too senile at this point to understand what will or won’t help his election prospects. Either way, Trump is almost trying to lose the election at this point.
The whole thing gets even stupider when you consider that Donald Trump’s former ally and current enemy Michael Cohen was supposed to be released from prison this month for coronavirus reasons, but is instead not being released after all. Again, if this is where Trump’s focus is at, then he’s not doing anything to try to win the election. That means all we have to do is put in the work required to win, such as voter registration and turnout, and we’ll beat him.
