Ask Manafort is Donald Trump knew about the meeting that he, Jr. and Kushner was going to have with the Russians. Ask Manafort if they met or talked with Donald Trump before and or after their meeting with the Russians.
This is the key – federal prosecution will only produce pardons, but if NY state can sink its teeth into Trump, there is a real chance of actual jail time.
Don’t sweat pardons. They’ll come from President Pence (or President Whoever) after Trump is gone, meaning after we’ve done what we can to pull out of the nosedive.
In the highly unlikely event that Trump pardons anyone, it’ll mean that the target has no Fifth Amendment protections and would instantly find himself accounting for every second of his life since birth to a hundred different investigators. It’d also be an act of obstruction of justice in its own right while simultaneously being such a huge confession of guilt that even some hardcore Trumpers would take notice.
I assure you, the Manhattan DA will cheerfully drop any charges against Manafort if it means his cooperation in the larger Trump investigation.
