Robert Mueller takes a bite out of Trump Tower
With all the attention that the political world has paid to the Brett Kavanaugh debacle over the past weeks, rather little attention has been paid to the ongoing moves by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in the Trump-Russia scandal. Nevertheless, he’s continued plugging away in the background, and in fact he just reminded us that he’s further along than ever.
As was promised weeks ago, Robert Mueller is now formally taking ownership of Paul Manafort’s apartment in Trump Tower in New York. That’s right, a piece of Trump Tower is about to become the property of the Feds. And while that’s largely a symbolic measure (Mueller isn’t going to move into the apartment or anything), it’s a timely reminder of the far more important things that Mueller has gotten from Manafort.
Paul Manafort’s plea deal specifically requires him to fully cooperate with federal and non-federal investigators in any manner they deem appropriate. In fact he’s already conducted multiple interviews with Robert Mueller and other investigators. This means Manafort has already given up the secrets he knows, the evidence he’s been sitting on, and the corrupt people he worked with. It’s worth noting that Manafort is the only attendee at the Trump Tower meeting with the Russians who has cut a plea deal. He’s in position to give up Donald Trump Jr and Jared Kushner, and in reality, he already has.
So it’s fitting that Robert Mueller is literally taking a piece of Trump Tower in the form of asset forfeitures, because the same plea deal that landed Mueller that piece of real state has also allowed him to take a piece of that Trump Tower meeting. Mueller has already put most of Trump’s henchmen in prison, or forced them to agree to plea deals that’ll put them in prison. As Mueller seeks to take down Donald Trump and his family, he has Paul Manafort in his back pocket – and the deed to at least one Trump Tower apartment. He might seize the whole building by the time he’s done.
