While we were all watching coverage of the Coronavirus and preparing for the onslaught, Trump’s justice department was moving to drop charges against Russian backed companies indicted by Mueller for financing Russian interference in the 2016 election. Yes, that is really happening.
Trump tweeted this morning that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is out. This is the…I’ve lost count now…umpteenth one of Trump’s cronies out on the street and under DOJ investigation. Zinke has been rushing to burn down the Interior Department ever since he infested the office in early 2017. Recall that Zinke is the one who approved a tiny two man electrical contractor from Montana to rebuild the entire Puerto Rican electrical grid that was destroyed during Hurricane Maria. The company, Whitefish Energy, once employed Zinke’s son. That contract, of course, ended in incompetence and scandal. Since that disaster, Zinke has been running roughshod over the country’s federal lands, slashing budgets at the US Forest Service, BLM, and other critical agencies under the authority of the department. He has attempted to undo decades of environmental protections and putt our nation’s resources up for sale.
Zinke is now the subject of at least six federal investigations for ethical misconduct and policy violations. One, thought to be related to a shady land deal Zinke did with Halliburton’s CEO, has been referred to the Justice Department as a criminal case. What a nice guy.
Zinke is now going the way of the many before him, his reputation destroyed by being touched by Donald Trump.
And, in the words of Sonny and Cher, “The beat goes on.”
Paul Manafort, former Trump campaign chair and friend to Russian strongmen, has filed suit against Robert Mueller, Rob Rosentstein, and the Justice Department claiming that Mueller’s investigation is illegal. Yep, that’s what they’re wasting time on today.
Understatement of the day comes from white collar crime attorney Sol Wisenberg, who told CNBC, “I think it’s going to be an uphill battle. These kinds of things usually don’t prevail.”
Manafort has pulled out all the stops. We’re popping popcorn right now.