Slow news day

[_MeDotOrg]

If I were Sarah Huckabee Sanders, I would forget going out to eat. Just stay home and get an IV drip of Xanax and Tagamet. Tomorrow will be a long day.

Manafort guilty on 8 counts
Cohen admits paying off two women at the behest of the President, to influence the election

I think the one that will do the most immediate damage is Michael Cohen. This puts Trump in some legal jeopardy with reference to campaign finance laws.

The Manafort verdict is more difficult to read. I think the object of putting this case out there first was to show Manafort as a man with some large financial difficulties with Russian Oligarchs that would make it impossible for him to justify running the Trump campaign gratis. This feels like the first step. Curious to hear the President still refer to him as a 'good man'. Paul Manafort is a talented man. If you're on the President's side, that makes you a good man.

[_Jersey Girl]

If I were Sarah Huckabee Sanders, I would forget going out to eat. Just stay home and get an IV drip of Xanax and Tagamet. Tomorrow will be a long day.

[_Kevin Graham]

It is all fake news according to Hannity, who started off his segment with a huge screen shot saying "Witch Hunt" and then nervously babbles over and over again about how none of the news today has anything to do with collusion with Russia.

[_honorentheos]

Curious to hear the President still refer to him as a 'good man'. Paul Manafort is a talented man. If you're on the President's side, that makes you a good man.

I mentioned that Tim O'Brien's interview in the Words Matter podcast was illuminating when it came to Trump despite his being a public figure for decades. One of the traits he pointed out in his interviews and observations of Trump, including while being on opposing sides of the courtroom, was Trump's lack of strategic thinking that leads him to essentially do stupid things in the attempt to protect himself...and that there may not be a single person who is safe from being stabbed in the back if necessary with the possible exception of Ivanka. In the case of Manafort, as we saw with Cohen, it would be a bad bet to believe that Trump will continue to call Manafort a good man if it becomes essential to him to cooperate with the Federal Investigation on collusion to save himself in some way as he goes to Washington next. This trial was only the first in a run for Manafort. He's already basically facing life in prison, and he may be pardoned by Trump and is playing that as his hole card. It makes one wonder if the Cohen plea would influence any Republicans to view Trump interfering in justice to protect his inner circle as a bridge too far, finally?

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

Curious to hear the President still refer to him as a 'good man'.

Of course he did. Paul Manafort is probably one of the biggest pieces of craps this country has ever produced. Hubristic. Venal. Greedy beyond comprehension. Narcissistic. Immoral on an order of magnitude that would make the Devil blush.

Weird that the same could be said of President Trump.

“F”.

- Doc

[_Jersey Girl]

Tomorrow's tweet: I am not a crook!

Wait for it...

[_MeDotOrg]

Tomorrow's tweet: I am not a crook!

Wait for it...

A former Watergate Prosecutor talking head today observed that Richard Nixon's Campaign Manager (John Mitchell) and personal attorney (Herb Kalmbach) both ended up doing jail time. Like Cohen, Kalmbach was the President's bag man.

[_Kittens_and_Jesus]

If I were Sarah Huckabee Sanders, I would forget going out to eat. Just stay home and get an IV drip of Xanax and Tagamet. Tomorrow will be a long day.

Ativan and protonix are the usual nowadays.

I'd recommend a big dose of dilaudid and a fast push of potassium.

Totally kidding in case anyone wanted to accuse me of anything...

[_Gadianton]

Of course he did. Paul Manafort is probably one of the biggest pieces of ____ this country has ever produced

credit given where due -- I laughed pretty hard, for some reason wasn't expecting it.

[_Kevin Graham]