Despite my efforts apparently you could’ve still gotten 89% yes on this last night. Fucking hell they didn’t even bother with a defense for gosh sakes.
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If he pardons Stone quickly, it will be an article of impeachment. He needs to clear the impeachment hurdle well before he pardons Stone. Good news for Stone is that he’s not being sentenced until February. He might only have to spend a month in jail.
No, no mention in Mueller report of 5th.
GJGE Ochostinko
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One of the lawbros said it only takes like one MAGA chud to have a hung jury, so 89% seems reasonable.
POTY, IMO.
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I do think Stone is sitting in a prison cell until the day after the next election. I expect his lawyers to try to get that sentencing date pushed out for that reason.
This. You never really know what a jury is going to do until they do it. Add to the political dimensions to this and 89 percent sounds like it was probably about right at the time.
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I just heard that he’s probably realistically looking at 5-10 years. Based on Jackson (think that’s the same one as Manafort) giving a very weak Manafort sentence, I’m guessing he won’t get more than 3 years.
Everyone forgets that Manafort went to jail prior to his trial for bad actions when on bail. If he hadn’t been an idiot he would have had very little jail time overall. I have a feeling that Stone will violate his gag order and end up in jail prior to sentencing (hopefully Jackson will finally do something about him violating the gag orders).
No matter what happens with his jail time, I think it’s an excellent day since that can now be evidence in impeachment to undercut all of the GOP bullshit about calling it a Russia hoax.
Maybe I’m just optimistic, but I still think it’s quite possible Trump lets all of his toadies stay in jail after he leaves office. What does he care?
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That would be the Robin Wright Underwood strategy.
Trump has NPD. He has no reason to pardon anyone unless they can benefit him. Just because Stone didn’t flip in the first place doesn’t mean that Trump will reward him with a pardon. Unless there’s something Stone can do for Trump NOW, he’s useless.
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Stone and Manafort could absolutely still damage trump with the goods they have on him. That’s why he’s definitely pardoning them. You’re absolutely right that he’s not doing it because of any sense of lol loyalty.
And he’s incapable of seeing things from other people’s perspective, so he can’t game out how this looks to his other underlings. If he didn’t have a personality disorder he’d understand that pardoning Stone is non-optional because of the optics for the other people covering stuff up for him.
When there are literally dozens of people who know about felonies you’ve committed in the last 18 months that haven’t been made public letting some dude go do real time in federal prison for lying for you is a BAD idea.
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So why is Manafort still in prison?
Manafort didn’t go to jail for lying for Trump. It’s an important distinction.
These guys aren’t gangsters, there’s no loyalty here. Trump won’t need Stone’s dirty tricks after he’s left office, Manafort and Gates are broke, Cohen is a rat and anyway he’s a putz. It’s not clear that Trump needs anything from them.
I doubt they have any secret goods that can damage Trump, they’re not smart enough, the feds have already ransacked their houses and computers and phones.
And Trump has cultivated an endless source of cash (grifting the repub rubes) that he can access for the rest of his life.
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