metis
aged ecumenical anthropologist
OK, by now most of us are aware of the seven convictions of Stone, but it goes well beyond that into a "box" that Trump is in, namely what is he to do?
Trump and Stone have been BFF for a long time, and Stone basically thumbed his nose at the court system, and his thought probably was that Trump would ultimately pardon him, as some who know Stone quite well have hypothesized when interviewed. But since Stone was convicted by a jury of his peers, thus not the House impeachment investigation itself, if Trump pardons Stone on these charges, even many Trump supporters may call "Foul!" on that. To pretend that these seven convictions are no big deal is a bridge too far for many, I believe.
OTOH, if Trump doesn't pardon Stone, then any others who may have to explain their actions related to Trump's actions would be pooping bricks since they cannot rely on a pardon from Trump. If they continue to refuse subpoenas, this would leave them in a position to quite possibly lose a lot, thus depending on Trump to bail them out is problematic-- just ask Michael Cohen.
So, Trump's in a Catch-22 as far as I can tell.
Trump and Stone have been BFF for a long time, and Stone basically thumbed his nose at the court system, and his thought probably was that Trump would ultimately pardon him, as some who know Stone quite well have hypothesized when interviewed. But since Stone was convicted by a jury of his peers, thus not the House impeachment investigation itself, if Trump pardons Stone on these charges, even many Trump supporters may call "Foul!" on that. To pretend that these seven convictions are no big deal is a bridge too far for many, I believe.
OTOH, if Trump doesn't pardon Stone, then any others who may have to explain their actions related to Trump's actions would be pooping bricks since they cannot rely on a pardon from Trump. If they continue to refuse subpoenas, this would leave them in a position to quite possibly lose a lot, thus depending on Trump to bail them out is problematic-- just ask Michael Cohen.
So, Trump's in a Catch-22 as far as I can tell.