17 and counting
by Tom Sullivan
Forty-eight persons pleaded guilty out of 69 charged in the Watergate investigations, Wired magazine reminds us. President Richard Nixon may have been the nexus of the affair, but dozens of associates participated in the break-ins and the cover-ups that led to his undoing. President Ronald Reagan never faced impeachment over the Iran-Contra affair, but prosecutors charged 14 others with criminal offenses. Most were convicted. Two received preemptive pardons. Presidentin' is risky business for those guilty of perfidy.
The problem with money is it leaves clues wherever it goes. Even now, 80 percent of U.S. bills carry traces of cocaine. For a town like Washington, D.C. that runs on money, lots of it, following the money leads investigators places. As in prior investigations into clandestine presidential misadventures, money is key to the Department of Justice uncovering dirty little secrets about President Donald Trump's public and private business.
Wired reports:
More than two years in, the constellation of current investigations involves questions about foreign money and influence targeting the Trump campaign, transition, and White House from not just Russia but as many as a half-dozen countries. Prosecutors are studying nearly every aspect of how money flowed both in and out of Trump’s interconnected enterprises, from his hotels to his company to his campaign to his inauguration. While President Trump once said that he’d see investigations into his business dealings as crossing a “red line,” it appears that Trump himself obliterated that line, intermingling his business and campaign until it was impossible for prosecutors to untangle one without forensically examining the other.Although some preemptive pardons are not yet out of the question. As a public service, Wired compiled a list of investigations into the Trump administration (that we know of so far), many with Donald Trump as a nexus:
Obviously, some of these investigations below may—or will—eventually overlap. Many of the players, particularly those like Michael Cohen, may end up central to multiple cases. And the existence of an investigation does not necessarily mean convictions will follow.
Investigations by the Special CounselEventually perhaps, someone will bring charges against administration officials for actions driven more by cruelty than by money: the mistreatment of migrant children held indefinitely in border camps, or the denial of entry to asylum seekers in contravention of U.S. and international law.
1. The Russian Government’s Election Attack
2. WikiLeaks
3. Middle Eastern Influence
4. Paul Manafort’s Activity
5. The Trump Tower Moscow Project
6. Other Campaign and Transition Contacts With Russia
7. Obstruction of Justice
8. Campaign Conspiracy and the Trump Organization’s Finances
9. Inauguration Funding
10. Trump SuperPAC Funding
11. Foreign Lobbying
12. Maria Butina and the NRA
13. Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova
14. Turkish Influence
15. Tax Case
16. The Trump Foundation
17. Emoluments Lawsuit