Robert Mueller may have finally figured out how to crack Roger Stone
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is targeting Donald Trump’s longtime friend Roger Stone for his coordination with Russian cyberterrorist group WikiLeaks during the election, as part of the Trump-Russia plot. But these things are never as straightforward as simply indicting and charging someone like Stone for his role. The goal is to get Stone to flip on Trump, and that’ll only happen if Stone concludes he’s so screwed, he doesn’t have a choice. That brings us to today’s big development.
Based on various major media reports and Roger Stone’s own words, it’s clear that Robert Mueller has subpoenaed at least a dozen of Stone’s associates to appear before the grand jury. Many of them have already testified. Some of the names you already know, such as Sam Nunberg. Here’s a name that’s never been mentioned in the Trump-Russia until now: Andrew Miller. Mueller just subpoenaed him according to the New York Times, and while no official reason has been given, the backstory between Stone and Miller is – shall we say – enlightening.
Here’s what Palmer Report dug up about Roger Stone and Andrew Miller from South Florida’s ABC News affiliate last year: “Prior to [Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel’s] 2012 election, a Stone assistant named Andrew Miller gave a mysterious $120,000 contribution to an Israel political committee. After the election, Israel, a Democrat, hired three of Stone’s associates – including assistant Dianne Thorne, co-author Mike Colapietro, and Miller’s girlfriend, Jennifer Hobbs – on the public payroll at the sheriff’s office after his 2012 election. Thorne left [Broward Sheriff’s Office] after questions about her truthfulness regarding her educational background were reported and Hobbs has also left her BSO post.”
Whoa. We’re talking Roger Stone and Andrew Miller allegedly having bribed a Sheriff into hiring his own underlings. If Robert Mueller can prove that the above financial exchange constituted a crime, then he’ll have strong leverage for pushing Miller to flip on Stone. As these things tend to go, the most surefire way to get Stone to flip on Donald Trump is get Stone’s associates to flip on him. Miller is trying to avoid testifying by asserting that Mueller’s appointment was illegal – a tactic that did not work in court for Paul Manafort.
