New York State goes for Donald Trump’s jugular
Maybe it’s because newly appointed New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood is more aggressive by nature than her predecessor Eric Schneiderman. Or maybe it’s simply because Michael Cohen’s plea deal and Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg’s immunity deal have created an opportunity. Regardless of the reason, New York State is now going after Donald Trump’s jugular so aggressively, it’s even catching the Feds off guard.
When Michael Cohen cut his plea deal, he didn’t formally agree to cooperate in the numerous criminal investigations into Donald Trump. However, the Feds wouldn’t have given him a deal unless they were expecting him to cooperate, and he made his intentions clear when he went into court and named Trump as an unindicted co-conspirator during his own guilty plea. But according to CNN, even before the Feds can make anything happen with Cohen, the State of New York is already meeting with Cohen’s attorney. So what does this mean?
In criminal cases of this type, there is always a delicate dance between federal and non-federal prosecutors. Normally, New York State prosecutors would be expected to wait for the all-clear from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, before moving forward. But this is no normal case, and it’s now clear that the New York Attorney General is so hellbent on going for Donald Trump’s jugular, it’s no longer worried about jurisdictional courtesies. There are two reasons why this is a big deal.
First, Donald Trump cannot even try to pardon anyone on state level charges. So there is no way he can get anyone off the hook who is targeted by this New York State investigation into the Trump Organization. Second, three of Trump’s kids – Don Jr, Eric, and Ivanka – have their fingerprints all over the Trump Organization’s finances. So if they can be tied to the company’s illegal financial maneuvers, New York State can indict and arrest Trump’s kids while he’s still in office.
