How many smoking guns does Mueller need and Trump's final position

[Jersey Devil]

IF (and that's a HUGE if) Mueller has proof that Manafort visited Assange at the embassy around the dates reported by the Guardian, then Mueller has the smoking gun for the Trump Campaign's involvement in a conspiracy with Assange and the Russians to release stolen emails. Hopefully there is surveillance video or at least witnesses to those events.

If such evidence appears, Trump will claim (and he already did this yesterday when Sanders stated that "the President" had no part in collusion, trying to separate him from his campaign staff) that while his campaign may have been guilty, he knew nothing about it. So then Mueller will have to tie him to it directly.

He can do that several ways. He could have done it with Manafort if he had truly flipped instead of playing double agent. It may be that Manafort will truly flip once sentenced if no pardon appears as it is supposed to, but then his credibility will be completely shot. He could do it if Stone flipped because allegedly Stone spoke directly to Trump about Wikileaks. But Stone won't flip and even if he did he is such a liar that no Republicans in the Senate would choose his word over Trump's. Same for Manafort.

So how does Mueller do it, if at all, if these other methods fail?

But what if Mueller indicts Don Jr and also Don Jr (and/or Kushner) is indicted by state authorities in a coordinated effort to lock him up for many years for various crimes including lies about the Trump Tower meeting, the Trump Foundation, and various other crimes such as money laundering, etc. and thereby makes those crimes pardon proof by including serious state crimes.

Of course Don Jr will never rat out his father. Then Trump has a choice to make - resign or let his son rot in jail in some nice place like Attica State Prison in New York.

I don't know if this is the actual scenario that will play out, but I think it will be something like it that will be the end game. A brutal, bare knuckle fight to the finish. And I think it will all happen rather quickly, beginning soon.

[Zoonart]

1. My guess is that there is rock solid proof of Manafort's visit to Assange and

it came from the Five Eyes, an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. This is why the Guardian was certain enough to publish.

It will all be down to whether or not the American people allow Trump to destroy our system of justice and the Constitution to save himself.

[ScratchCat]

7. Yes, I agree

I doubt The Guardian didn't have solid info on this. It likely came from British intelligence.

Keep in mind that there are laws which prevent the FBI and CIA from sharing information pertaining to the surveillance of US citizens, so just because nobody in the FBI can verify this, it doesn't mean anything. They probably shouldn't have known anyway if US or foreign intelligence noted numerous visits from an American citizen to that embassy.

Lastly, I think there is significant cooperation from other parties, one or more who have not been publicly named. Couple that with the cooperation of Gates, Cohen and Flynn, and its probably a good guess that Mueller's team has the goods from people other than Manaforte.

[Laurian]

2. Every time I think "This is it", my hopes are dashed.

I can’t believe what this bunch gets away with. Manafort’s lawyers disclosing to Trump’s lawyers, the whole Whitaker thing, Republican indifference, etc.

It’s depressing as hell.

[3Hotdogs]

3. How would the Orange-asshole's resignation stop Uday from going to prison?

Lets say, I commit a crime of bank robbery. If my father resigns from our town council, this will not take away the fact that I robbed a bank. Prosecutors will still go after my sorry ass. They cannot ignore that a crime has taken place.

[Jersey Devil]

5. A deal can be brokered to do it

Cuomo could pardon Don Jr for the state crimes in NY in exchange for Trump's resignation. He'd be a hero.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

4. Trump would let Jr. rot in jail......

To save his own fat ass.

Trump DEMANDS loyalty of others, but is loyal to no one. The only Trump kid he would go the mile for is MAYBE Ivanka.

[Jersey Devil]

6. Then substitute Kushner

or make it a double header and indict both. Would Trump let his little girl's husband rot in jail too?

[ProudMNDemocrat]

8. Yes. Trump is that vindictive.....

No heart, no soul.

[FoxNewsSucks]

9. Of course he would.

And for the same reason King David sent Uriah to the front lines. Get him out of the way. It must drive the pussygrabber up the wall, that JARED gets to bang Ivanka and HE doesn't.