AND HIS BELT AND THE VERY NICE BURGUNDY-COLORED TIE THAT HE WAS
WEARING.
WEARING. THIS WEEK HAS BEEN NUTS.
RIGHT?
RIGHT? THIS WEEK STARTED WITH THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
LAVISHING PRAISE FOR HOURS ON
THE DICTATOR OF NORTH KOREA.
AFTER DRIVING A HARD BARGAIN IN
WHICH THE NORTH KOREANS GOT A
SUMMIT WITH THE U.S. PRESIDENT,
HOURS OF PRAISE FOR THEIR
DICTATOR FROM HIM, A CESSATION
OF U.S. AND SOUTH KOREAN JOINT
MILITARY EXERCISES, THE APPARENT
PROMISE FROM THE PRESIDENT THAT
ECONOMIC SANCTIONS COULD BE
DROPPED SOON TOO, AND THEY GOT
ALL OF THOSE THINGS IN EXCHANGE
FOR THEM DOING NOTHING.
THAT’S HOW THE WEEK STARTED.
BY THE END OF THE WEEK TODAY THE
ASSOCIATED PRESS PUBLISHED NEWS
THAT THE PACE AT WHICH THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION IS ORDERING THAT
CHILDREN BE TORN AWAY FROM THEIR
PARENTS AT THE MEXICAN BORDER,
THE PACE OF THAT NEW POLICY OF
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS NOW
RUNNING AT NEARLY 50 KIDS A DAY.
50 TIMES A DAY AN INTACT FAMILY
IS BEING FORCIBLY SEPARATED BY
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT AND THE
CHILDREN ARE BEING TAKEN AWAY
AND LOCKED UP SEPARATELY FROM
THEIR PARENTS.
THEIR PARENTS. NEARLY 50 TIMES A DAY.
AND ALSO TODAY THE PRESIDENT’S
CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN INDICTED AND
ARRAIGNED ON NEW FELONY CHARGES
THAT HE ENGAGED IN OBSTRUCTION
OF JUSTICE AND A CRIMINAL
CONSPIRACY WITH A RUSSIAN
CITIZEN WHO’S ASSESSED BY THE
FBI TO HAVE ACTIVE TIES TO A
RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE.
THE PRESIDENT’S CAMPAIGN
CHAIRMAN TODAY SENT TO JAIL,
POTENTIALLY FOR MONTHS, TO AWAIT
ONE OF HIS TWO FEDERAL FELONY
TRIALS.
TRIALS. PAUL MANAFORT’S RUSSIAN
CO-DEFENDANT HAS NOT ENTERED A
PLEA ON THESE MOST RECENT FELONY
CHARGES THAT THEY BOTH FACED
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. NOR WAS HE JAILED ALONGSIDE PAUL
MANAFORT TODAY.
MANAFORT TODAY. THAT’S BECAUSE HE’S IN RUSSIA,
WHERE THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT
WILL PRESUMABLY CONTINUE TO
SHIELD HIM FROM THE SPECIAL
COUNSEL’S INVESTIGATION AND,
LIKE THE OTHER 13 RUSSIAN
CITIZENS WHO HAVE BEEN CHARGED
THUS FAR WITH FELONIES IN THE
MUELLER INVESTIGATION, THE
RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT PRESUMABLY
WILL CONTINUE TO PREVENT HIM
FROM BEING EXTRADITED TO A U.S.
COURTROOM TO FACE THESE CHARGES
ALONGSIDE MANAFORT.
ALONGSIDE MANAFORT. SO IT IS -- IT’S TEMPTING TO SAY
THIS IS A WILD WEEK IN THE NEWS.
IT IS CERTAINLY A WILD TIME TO
BE A LIVING, SENTIENT AMERICAN
CITIZEN.
CITIZEN. BUT IN SOME WAYS IT FEELS LIKE
THE NEWS RIGHT NOW IS MAYBE MORE
OF A PIECE.
AT LEAST A LOT OF IT IS.
SUSAN GLASSER AT "THE NEW
YORKER" REPORTS TODAY THAT THE
PRESIDENT HAS NOW TOLD HIS STAFF
TO START PLANNING FOR WHAT HE
WANTS TO BE HIS NEXT SUMMIT,
WHICH HE WANTS TO BE WITH
VLADIMIR PUTIN.
VLADIMIR PUTIN. THE PRESIDENT’S UNILATERAL
CONCESSIONS TO THE NORTH KOREAN
DICTATOR EARLIER THIS WEEK
INCLUDED A SURPRISE GIFT THAT
CHINA AND RUSSIA BOTH HAVE BEEN
ASKING FOR FOR MONTHS AND THAT
WE NOW KNOW PUTIN PERSONALLY
LOBBIED TRUMP ABOUT MONTHS AGO.
WHEN TRUMP ANNOUNCED IN
SINGAPORE THIS WEEK THAT HE WAS
GOING TO HALT JOINT U.S.-SOUTH
KOREAN MILITARY EXERCISES, THAT
WAS REPORTEDLY A SURPRISE TO
EVERYBODY ELSE IN THE WHITE
HOUSE AND TO THE U.S. MILITARY.
THE PRESIDENT JUST CALLED AN
AUDIBLE ON THAT AND ANNOUNCED IT
ON ITS OWN.
BUT WE NOW KNOW THAT RUSSIA HAD
BEEN ASKING FOR IT.
THAT PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN
HAD PERSONALLY ASKED PRESIDENT
TRUMP FOR THAT.
PRESIDENT TRUMP THIS WEEK
GRANTED THAT WISH.
THIS IS A PRESIDENT WHO
BENEFITED FROM RUSSIAN
INTERFERENCE IN THE ELECTION TO
TRY TO HELP HIM WIN.
A PRESIDENT WHO CONTINUED EVEN
TODAY TO RAIL AGAINST THE
INVESTIGATION OF THAT
INTERFERENCE.
INTERFERENCE. A PRESIDENT WHO CONTINUES TO
HELP RUSSIA OUT, EVEN IN WAYS
THAT SURPRISE THE REST OF THE
PEOPLE WHO NOW WORK FOR HIM.
AND THE JAILING OF HIS CAMPAIGN
CHAIRMAN TODAY IS WIDELY BEING
DESCRIBED AS HAVING NOTHING TO
DO WITH ANY OF THAT.
IN A LITERAL LETTER OF THE LAW
SENSE THAT IS MAYBE TRUE.
THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN CHAIR IS NOW
JAILED WHILE AWAITING TRIAL ON
CHARGES OF MOIND LAUNDMONEY
LAUNDERING, BANK FRAUD, TAX
FRAUD, CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE
UNITED STATES, FALSE STATEMENTS,
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE,
CONSPIRACY, ET CETERA, ET
CETERA.
CETERA. HERE’S THE THING.
PAUL MANAFORT GOING TO JAIL IS
THE MOST DRAMATIC SIGN YET THAT
MR. MANAFORT IS NOT PLANNING ON
COOPERATING WITH PROSECUTORS NO
MATTER WHAT THEY THROW AT HIM,
NO MATTER WHAT THEY CHARGE WITH
HIM, NO MATTER HOW HARD THEY’RE
GOING TO MAKE HIS LIFE.
AND HIS LIFE JUST GOT VERY, VERY
MUCH HARDER TODAY.
BEING IN JAIL TONIGHT IS NO
JOKE.
JOKE. BUT WHAT IS IT THAT THEY WANT
HIM TO COOPERATE WITH THEM
ABOUT?
ABOUT? PAUL MANAFORT WAS CHARGED IN A
JOINT INDICTMENT ALONGSIDE A
LONG-TIME BUSINESS ASSOCIATE WHO
IS BELIEVED TO WORK FOR RUSSIAN
INTELLIGENCE AND WHO IS
CURRENTLY A FUGITIVE FROM U.S.
JUSTICE BEING SHIELDED FROM U.S.
COURTS BY THE RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT. PAUL MANAFORT IS KNOWN TO HAVE
BEEN IN FREQUENT IF NOT CONSTANT
COMMUNICATION WITH THAT ALLEGED
RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE OPERATIVE
THROUGHOUT THE TIME HE WAS
RUNNING THE DONALD TRUMP FOR
PRESIDENT CAMPAIGN.
PRESIDENT CAMPAIGN. THAT RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE
OPERATIVE IS THE PERSON THROUGH
WHOM PAUL MANAFORT REACHED OUT
DURING THE CAMPAIGN TO A RUSSIAN
OLIGARCH CLOSE TO VLADIMIR PUTIN
TO OFFER THAT OLIGARCH PRIVATE
BRIEFINGS ON THE U.S. ELECTION
WHILE HE WAS IN CHARGE OF THE
TRUMP CAMPAIGN.
TRUMP CAMPAIGN. THAT SAME RUSSIAN OLIGARCH
ALLEGES IN MULTIPLE COURT
FILINGS THAT PAUL MANAFORT OWES
HIM MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTED
LAST YEAR THAT THAT SAME RUSSIAN
OLIGARCH SIGNED PAUL MANAFORT UP
TO A $10 MILLION A YEAR CONTRACT
TO PROMOTE THE INTERESTS OF THE
PUTIN GOVERNMENT.
PUTIN GOVERNMENT. PAUL MANAFORT’S TIME RUNNING THE
TRUMP CAMPAIGN CAME TO AN END
WHEN THERE STARTED TO BE TOO
MANY PRESS REPORTS ABOUT
SURREPTITIOUS PAYMENTS HE’D
ALLEGEDLY BEEN RECEIVING FROM
PRO-PUTIN POLITICAL PARTIES IN
UKRAINE IN THE FORMER SOVIET
UNION.
UNION. BEFORE HE LEFT THE CAMPAIGN,
THOUGH, THE TIME HE SPENT
RUNNING THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN
COINCIDED WITH THE SHARP RISE IN
RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT AND
INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITY TO BENEFIT
TRUMP’S CAMPAIGN AND HELP TRUMP
WIN.
WIN. AND THAT’S NOT EVEN MENTIONING
THAT CNN REPORT LAST YEAR THAT
U.S. INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES
COLLECTED INTERCEPTED
COLLECTED INTERCEPTED COMMUNICATIONS AMONG SUSPECTED
RUSSIAN OPERATIVES WHERE THEY
WERE DISCUSSING AMONGST
THEMSELVES THEIR COMMUNICATIONS
WITH PAUL MANAFORT AND HOW PAUL
MANAFORT HAD BEEN ENCOURAGING
WHATEVER HELP HE COULD GET FOR
THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN FROM RUSSIA.
SO NO.
SO NO. THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN
GOING TO JAIL TODAY TECHNICALLY
HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA OR
THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN ALLEGEDLY
WORKING WITH RUSSIA ON A FOREIGN
INTELLIGENCE OPERATION TO SWING
OUR LAST ELECTION.
THAT IS NOT WHY PAUL MANAFORT
WAS JAILED TODAY.
BUT THAT IS PRESUMABLY WHAT
PROSECUTORS WOULD LIKE TO TALK
TO HIM ABOUT.
IF ONLY HE WOULD TALK TO THEM.
WHY WON’T HE?
IS IT BECAUSE IF HE DOES TALK
HE’S SCARED OF WHO WILL COME
KNOCKING ON HIS DOOR AND HE’S
MORE SCARED OF THAT THAN JAIL?
IS IT BECAUSE HE REALLY THINKS
HE’S GOING WIN HIS CASE, HE’S
GOING TO BE ACQUITTED ON ALL
CHARGES?
CHARGES? IS THAT POSSIBLE?