Friday, July 21, 2017

A Textbook Example Of Consciousness Of Guilt


This morning, both the New York Times and Washington Post are reporting that neo- fascist Putin puppet Donald "Rump" Trump has been asking about his pardoning powers, and undercutting Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his investigation.  Here's a snippet from the Post's accounting:
Some of President Trump’s lawyers are exploring ways to limit or undercut special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s Russia investigation, building a case against what they allege are his conflicts of interest and discussing the president’s authority to grant pardons, according to people familiar with the effort. 
Trump has asked his advisers about his power to pardon aides, family members and even himself in connection with the probe, according to one of those people. A second person said Trump’s lawyers have been discussing the president’s pardoning powers among themselves. 
Trump’s legal team declined to comment on the issue. But one adviser said the president has simply expressed a curiosity in understanding the reach of his pardoning authority, as well as the limits of Mueller’s investigation.
This comes shortly after Rump's jaw- dropping interview with the New York Times in which, among other things, he said Mueller would be crossing a "red line" should he investigate the Rump crime family's business dealings (a line that's already been crossed).

Would a person with nothing to hide, with no legal exposure be asking about the pardoning powers of his office? Would that person be concerned about limiting an investigation into possible wrongdoing if they had done nothing wrong? You already know the answers. To a prosecutor, Rump's actions -- both in looking at pardoning powers at this stage, and his palpable fear of having Mueller dig into his financial dealings with Russia -- are clear examples of "consciousness of guilt," meaning Rump's actions are proof he knows he, his family and associates are guilty of a crime.

To many of us, this is an unsurprising development in the Trump- Russia scandal, given what the world already knows about Rump and his decades- long relationship with Russians, their financial bail-outs, and Rump's lack of any ethical or moral compass.  Unlike his patrons, Rump's not a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. He's out front as an ignorant, blundering, narcissistic sociopath who's never recognized the rule of law. Expect the worst.

BONUS: Oops --


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