Jurisphysicists have for years hypothesized the existence of a mass of criminal wrongdoing so colossal that nothing can escape it: not the defendant(s), nor their attorneys, nor even their political party. Although no such entity has been observed to date, a small team in Washington, D.C. may have detected the presence of one, a so-called “trumphole.”
According to our best models, the guilt around a trumphole is so powerful that objects in its environment are wrenched out of their normal paths and drawn inexorably towards prison, accelerating as they become increasingly entangled in criminal conspiracies and inured by reckless disregard for laws and norms.
Although it’s not proof-positive, Manafort’s trajectory is consistent with our best predictions. Under normal circumstances, a white, well-connected member of the political class would barely be perturbed by allegations that he’d broken the law dozens of times to stay rich. Instead, he’s already spent weeks in prison, and his indulgent personal expenditures have been reported on publicly. This is also consistent with observations made by independent teams at many of the best news organizations.
If only Scalia were alive to see it.