Vanessa Trump hires criminal defense attorney amid Don Jr divorce. Here’s what that means for Trump-Russia.

| 9:30 pm EDT March 16, 2018
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On Wednesday it was reported that Donald Trump Jr and Vanessa Trump were on the verge of getting divorced. On Thursday it was further reported that Vanessa had in fact filed for a speedy uncontested divorce, on the same day it was reported that Robert Mueller had subpoenaed the Trump Organization’s financial records, raising the question of whether she might be trying to hurry up and secure her share of the assets before they can end up being seized by the Feds. Now the story has gotten even stranger.

It’s now being reported by Page Six – the same celebrity site that got the divorce story correct to begin with – that Vanessa has hired a criminal defense attorney. That’s a highly irregular move for an uncontested divorce. Of course this is no ordinary divorce. Donald Trump Jr is under criminal investigation for his role in his father’s Trump-Russia scandal. He could end up being indicted for anything from obstruction of justice to conspiracy against the United States.

There are a few different reasons why Vanessa might have felt the need for a criminal attorney. One could be if she fears that the Feds might end up coming after her share of the family’s money. Another could be that she fears she’ll be targeted in the scandal, perhaps as a witness, as there is no indication that she’s a Trump-Russia investigation target (and yes, the divorce proceedings make spousal privilege murky). Yet another posssibility could be that she’s considering cutting a deal against Donald Trump Jr which would allow her to keep the money in exchange for her testimony.

The reality is that we still don’t know why this divorce is suddenly happening in the middle of the biggest criminal scandal in U.S. history. People get divorced all the time, and if Donald Trump Jr and Vanessa Trump are getting divorced for personal reasons, it’s none of our business. But if so, why did she just hire a criminal defense attorney? Stay tuned.