Waiting For the Worms

As someone I know likes to say, the worm turns.

Donald Trump now has has two allies - tabloid publisher David Pecker and Trump Organization financial officer Allen Weisselberg, both Pace University graduates - talking to federal investigators under protection of immunity about hush money in connection with Michael Cohen to keep damning information about his extramarital affairs from getting out . . . and leaning to violations of not just campaign finance laws but possibly of money laundering in all sorts of business transactions by the Trump Organization.  And state and local authorities are likely to investigate the matter further.

So, after all of Trump's efforts to undermine Robert Mueller's Russia collusion investigation, it turns out he was focused on the wrong investigation.  There's still no evidence that he illegally colluded with Russians to win the 2016 presidential election.  But there's plenty of evidence that he illegally colluded with Americans.  Like Michael Cohen.

By the way, Mr. Cohen, I heard that today is your birthday.  Mr. Potter called to wish you a happy birthday - in jail!  Go on home, they're waiting for ya!

Be that as it may, Trump is feeling the heat, and he's no doubt planning to pull another trick in his book to save himself, like campaign in the midterms against illegal immigrants who commit crimes or start a war with North Korea after canceling further denuclearization talks.  Also, he's ready to fire Jeff Sessions, who recused himself from the Russia investigation, and replace him with an Attorney General who can kill it.  Sessions angrily defended his record as Attorney General and his respect for the law in response to these reports, but other Republicans are beginning to abandon him; his only defenders at the end of the day may be Democrats.  Imagine that - Trump has made a hero out of Jeff Sessions.  Jeff Sessions!

The only thing that can stop Trump now is a Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives, but despite Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight.com site currently giving the Democrats a 72 percent chance of taking back the House, it's not in the bag.  And if the GOP keeps the House in November, then that's it.  The Democrats deserve to go full Whig.  

Remember reading about the anarchy of the 1850s in history class - Bleeding Kansas, the Dred Scott decision, Know-Nothingism, Harpers Ferry?  That will be nothing compared to what happens in 2019 if the GOP retains full power in Washington.

Get ready for Civil War II.

Anything else?  Yeah, don't send your kids to Pace.