State Attorney General prepared to take over Russia probe if Donald Trump fires Mueller or pardons advisers
For months, Palmer Report has been pointing out that the president cannot pardon anyone for state level crimes. This became important earlier this summer when Donald Trump first began talking about theoretically pardoning himself, his family, and his campaign advisers in the Russia scandal. It’s become crucial now that Trump has pardoned Joe Arpaio as a seeming trial balloon for testing his pardon boundaries. But now comes confirmation that at least one state Attorney General is pursuing the Trump team in the Russia scandal.
Ari Melber broke the news on-air during his MSNBC show on Tuesday afternoon. Melber did not specify which state it is, but New York is the most likely one, considering that Donald Trump and Paul Manafort among others are based out of the state. This is key, because while it’s been long understood that New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman was pursuing Donald Trump and his associates for various financial crimes, this is the first confirmation that a state will pursue them specifically for the Russia scandal.
This means that even if Donald Trump does manage to sabotage Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s federal investigation into the Russia scandal, either by firing Mueller or by pardoning everyone, it won’t put anything to bed. The state Attorney General in question can simply pick up the ball and keep going with it, by applying state law to charge and prosecute Trump’s advisers. The way these things work is that states customarily conduct their own prosecutions once the feds are finished. That means the state is pursuing the Russia scandal, while lying in wait as far as charges. So if Trump finds a way to shut down the feds, it means the state will jump in immediately. Mueller could even be hired to work for the state Attorney General in question.
The state can put Trump’s advisers, business partners, even his children in prison if they’re convicted of crimes – and he can’t do anything to stop it. Moreover, once Trump is ousted from office, the state can also prosecute and imprison him. If you find Palmer Report valuable, make a donation.
