Rudy Giuliani’s mouth may have just sent him to prison too
Yesterday’s developments surrounding the Inspector General report strongly suggested that the Feds are planning to eventually hit Rudy Giuliani with criminal charges in relation to the Trump-Russia scandal. Last night Rudy responded by revealing his panicked desperation on Fox News. Now that Paul Manafort has been sent to jail today, Rudy has just said something that may have ensured he ends up in prison along with Manafort.
Palmer Report has explained that, for a few rather definitive reasons, Donald Trump can not pardon his way out of the Trump-Russia mess. If Trump tried to pardon Paul Manafort, it wouldn’t help either of them one bit, and there’s a chance it could directly backfire on Trump’s own legal prospects. Trump seems to understand this, as he didn’t even bother trying to pardon Michael Flynn or Rick Gates before they cut deals and testified against him. But Trump has been subtly trying to con his underlings into believing he might pardon them. That’s what prompted Rudy to step in it this afternoon.
Whenever it looks like one of Donald Trump’s former advisers might be preparing to cut a Trump-Russia plea deal, Trump begins pardoning random people, from former Sheriff Joe Arpaio to the late boxer Jack Johnson. It’s his way of trying to trick his advisers into believing that he’s going to pardon them as well, and that it’s all going to magically work out for everyone involved. The trick is to not actually say it out loud in exact words, because that could get Trump in trouble for obstruction of justice. Rudy apparently didn’t get that memo.
Here’s what Rudy Giuliani told the New York Daily News about Paul Manafort going to jail: “When the whole thing is over, things might get cleaned up with some presidential pardons.” Oops. Rudy just made the mistake of directly teasing Manafort with a pardon in exchange for not testifying against Donald Trump. Giuliani just incriminated himself for obstruction. While an offhand remark like this might not be enough on its own to send Rudy to prison, it helps demonstrate intent, and should help ensure that the more substantive obstruction charges stick when they’re brought against him.
