Muller Hands Down Three Indictments Today

Special prosecutor Robert S. Mueller III on Monday revealed charges against three former Trump campaign officials — including onetime campaign chairman Paul Manafort — marking the first criminal allegations to come from probes into possible Russian influence in U.S. political affairs.  One of the three men charged, former Trump foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty earlier this month to making a false statement to FBI investigators who asked about his contacts with a foreigner who claimed to have high-level Russian connections. The agreement was unsealed Monday.  Court documents described extensive efforts Papadopoulos made to try to broker connections with Russian officials and arrange a meeting between them and the Trump campaign, though some emails show his offers were rebuffed.  The third person charged was Manafort’s longtime business partner, Rick Gates. And if we want to read any further in this Washington Post story we have to subscribe. 

Paul Manifort and his friend Richard Gates did work for the Ukrainian government.  Most of the twelve charges against Manifort are financial in nature.  Millions of dollars were transferred.  Counts 3 thru 6 are failing to file reports of foreign bank activity.  Counts 7 thru 9 are the same charges.  Hence charges 3 thru 9 are the same charge.  Count one was filed on both men.  It’s “conspiracy against the United States”.  It isn’t negligence but “consciousness of guilt”.  They impeded the lawful function of a government agency.  That’s pretty wide sweeping but general.  Manifort is up for a fifteen year sentence.  Norman Goldman states that Manifort will have the opportunity to make a plea deal on the campaign collusion stuff, and that doesn’t seem fair.  They’re still trying to hide stuff.  Goldman stated that the document of indictment seemed “incomplete” in his perception.   Also today a court ruling overturned the trans-gender ban in the military.  Trump must be horribly frustrated today as the walls close in.  Senator Dick Derbin says the possibility of Trump pardoning Paul Manifort is very real.  I heard a rumor that Trump himself was inquiring “What are the exact steps to go about resigning?”

You know if this were twenty years ago and I’d call Paul up about a president’s conduct and he was conspiring with Russia and all, I would get a decent reception and he’d be willing to talk about it on friendly, amenable terms.  But nowadays Christians won’t pass condemnation on any government official without knowing their political party.  And then told they were a republican the other person would ask “What kind of Republican, a Trump Republican”.  Christians these days (and perhaps always have) judged you not on your actions but “who you are”.  What kind of authority or status do you have.  I remember how I knew Chuck Smith had completely sold out to the far right when he endorsed the content of “2016”, that hatchet job movie about President Obama.  Of course if I were to go on Twitter and type 140 characters, people would respond to that.  But they won’t respond to four or five paragraphs especially when I’m not writing in my own name.  Perhaps that’s my fault.  I should go back to Google plus. 

 A little after six I heard the news on Chris’ car radio that the Dodgers had scored three runs in the first inning.  Then they scored another run.  Then Houston scored four.  Later on in the evening it was 11 to 8 Houston coming out of the seventh inning.  The Dodgers didn’t score in the eighth.  I went to bed before the end of the game, for lack of coffee.  What apparently happened was that the Dodgers scored four runs in the ninth inning making it 12 to 11 and Houston scored one more run to tie it up at the bottom of the ninth.  Then Houston scored again in the bottom of the tenth and won the game 13 to 12.  If the Dodgers had one I’d say that winning game six at Dodger Stadium would be a slam dunk.  As it is it looks like the Series will go seven games.  The Dodgers will win game six and it’s a toss-up wh will win game seven.  That will be on Wednesday November 1^st after I get paid. 

Sixty Minutes had three good segments.  The first segment was on North Korea testing their missiles and rockets and they had a lot more success in 2017 than they did in 2016.  Experts now say they will be in a position to launch ICBM’s at us next year.  This is because they already have the Hydrogen bomb.  The middle segment was on the leader of Qatar who had been ganged up on by his Arab neighbors who are supposed to be his friends.  They are all of the Wahabbiest Islamic faith.  But women in Qatar have been able to drive for ten years now and they are just getting that right in Saudi Arabia.  Qatar allows Christians to worship.  And Qatar allowed US bases in that country after we were kicked out of Saudi Arabia after 9 – 11, which ought to tell you something right there.  But four Arab countries have issued strong trade sanctions against Qatar and have sealed off the country’s only land bridge.  So they are doing more business by sea and some recent trade has been with Iran.  Qatar’s neighbors complain that Qatar is soft on the Islamic Brotherhood.  Of course the Saudi’s are just as extreme as anybody and are behind 9 – 11 so they shouldn’t talk.  Finally Donald Trump is siding with Qatar, which is a good thing.  The third segment was this French Jewish guy who forged Nazi documents to save the Jewish population from being forced to board the trains headed east.  He was good at what he did.  After this it was “The wisdom of the crowd” and then it was NCIS Los Angeles.  I didn’t stay up for all of that or the baseball game either.  At seven I went for medication from Leah a little after seven.  At least we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.