There’s no window dressing for these prison walls
“President” Donald Trump is in trouble. His “natural” skin hue of Russian salad dressing is perhaps mere homage to his asset handler, Vladimir Putin, but no amount of Russian window dressing can diminish the trouble that Trump finds himself in on the eve of his State of the Union.
The subpoena issued by the Southern District of New York is breathtaking in its scope. The New York Times reports that the subpoena seeks information “regarding whether any foreigners illegally donated to the committee, as well as whether committee staff knew that such donations were illegal, asking for documents laying out legal requirements for donations.”
Jim Sciutto of CNN tweeted a similar rundown of charges: “According to the subpoena, the investigation covers allegations of conspiracy against the US, false statements, mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, inaugural committee disclosure violations, & laws prohibiting contributions by foreign nations.”
More details will surely be coming out in the next hours, but this is some serious business. There have long been discussions about the inauguration and contributions and the lavish spending, but this investigation sounds very disturbing. If proven, it would constitute a scandal not seen in our nation’s history to date. A spokesperson for the inauguration committee stated they planned to cooperate, noting, “We have just received a subpoena for documents. While we are still reviewing the subpoena, it is our intention to cooperate with the inquiry.”
This is the latest in the litany of things Trump touches being investigated. While Trump will give his State of the Union on Tuesday night, and we can expect him to go on the attack against Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congress’ refusal to fund his border wall, the real national emergency will be standing at the podium. The Russian salad dressing-colored man will supposedly be talking about unity, but he should be focused on the real emergency – his freedom from being constrained by impenetrable walls seems to be evaporating. No Russian (window) dressing can change that.
Daniel is a lawyer writing and teaching about SCOTUS, and is the author of the book “The Chief Justices” about the SCOTUS as seen through the center seat.