Appearing on ABC’s This Week, Obama’s former ethics chief asserted the President of the United States won’t “survive” the testimony of Paul Manafort.
“He’s not going to survive Manafort’s testimony.”
On Friday, the former Trump campaign chairman agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department in its investigation of potential Trump-Russia collusion, pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy against the United States and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice due to attempted witness tampering.
Norm Eisen believes Manafort’s cooperation will spell doom for Donald Trump.
“I think there’s a substantial possibility that this evidence that Manafort is offering will implicate somebody up the chain. Who is up the chain from Paul Manafort, who was the chair of the Trump campaign?”
Eisen sees this latest turn of events as an omen:
“[It’s] not the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning for Donald Trump. … He’s not going to survive Manafort’s testimony”
Former Obama chief ethics lawyer @NormEisen says he believes this is "not the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning for Donald Trump."
"We have seen the new chapter. He's not going to survive Manafort's testimony," he adds https://t.co/Qtasc7GudN #ThisWeek pic.twitter.com/371R1yMmSm
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) September 16, 2018
As expressed to The Hill Friday, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani disagrees. The former mayor of New York used a heist analogy:
“If two people committed a bank robbery, you are not going to have [one] plead guilty to income tax evasion. How does that make sense? Then it comes to trial and the defense says, ‘Oh, you didn’t plead guilty to robbing the bank but you’re saying my guy did?’”
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders seconds the motion:
“This had absolutely nothing to do with the President or his victorious 2016 Presidential campaign. … It is totally unrelated.”
What about a presidential pardon for Manafort? Eisen insists it would only hurt Trump:
“It will only dig the hole deeper.”
Former Obama chief ethics lawyer @NormEisen tells @jonkarl that pardoning Paul Manafort "will only hurt Trump" and "will only dig his … hole deeper" https://t.co/Qtasc7GudN #ThisWeek pic.twitter.com/iOxmtdTOP9
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) September 16, 2018
Politico made a similar claim in its coverage on September 14th:
“[The plea deal’s pardon-proof appearance] doesn’t mean President Donald Trump won’t try to legally absolve Manafort anyway, a step the president has considered taking for months. But Friday‘s events mean Trump’s ability to contain the legal damage from his former campaign chairman is now severely limited.”
According to former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, whatever dirt Manafort has on Trump, it’s already been divulged to special counsel Robert Mueller:
“Mueller likely already has all of Manafort’s information. You get the information before you offer the agreement.”
Mueller likely already has all of Manafort’s information. You get the information before you offer the agreement.
— Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) September 14, 2018
However, former U.S. Attorney Joseph diGenova told Fox News host Laura Ingraham Friday that Manafort’s deal actually works in favor of Donald Trump:
“This is all quite good for the President, because it makes his point quite beautifully. This is where the rubber meets the road. There has never been any evidence of collusion by the President of the United States or his campaign. And the plea by Manafort today simply underscores that.”
I suppose we shall soon see who is right.
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