President Trump portrayed himself as a “deal maker” and “wheeler dealer” who would drain the “swamp” in Washington. It has turned out to be the starkest case of the pot calling the kettle black in that it is increasing clear that Mr. Trump is the king of the swamp. The conviction of Paul Manafort and the guilty plea of Micheal Cohen demonstrates that he associates with corrupt individuals who engaged in financial crimes to evade taxes Not only did he associate with such individuals but gave then positions of responsibility in his inner circle and continues to defend them in the face of overwhelming evidence of corruption. A man who surrounds himself with corrupt lawyers and advisers, says something about the man himself.
Slowly the picture of Trump’s own illegal actions is being filled in. He appears to have no regard for the law and is willing to break it to get what he wants. The case against him includes breaking campaign finance laws and obstructing justice.
The Evidence
The evidence points to his knowing about the meeting with Russian official in advance and knowing that it was about getting dirt on Clinton. The campaign financing laws prohibit foreign nationals from providing “anything of value … in connection with” an election. Getting dirt on an opponent from a foreign power during an election is a violation of campaign financing laws.
The evidence points to his directing Michael Cohen to pay off Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal specifically for the purposes of influencing the election. Paying someone to be quiet so they do not damage a political effort is an in-kind contribution to that campaign, covering a cost meant to aid efforts to win the election. This is campaign financing fraud.
The evidence points to his obstructing justice. The crime occurs when someone obstructs prosecutors or other (usually government) officials in an investigation. He ordered the firing of Mueller at the start of the probe. It was only because White House counsel Donald McGahn refused to do it that and Trump backed down. He later fired James Comey, head of the FBI, just two months after publicly confirming the investigation into Russian interference. Finally, the many, many threatening tweets aimed at intimidating and undermining the prosecution teeter on themselves being obstruction of justice.