A witch-hunt is how US President Donald Trump describes the investigations taking place on the Russian involvement in influencing 2019 US Presidential elections and the allegations of the President paying hush money to two women in 2016.
However, Tuesday gave a big blow (the first one) to the witch-hunt claim when, Michael Cohen, Trump’s former attorney, pleaded guilty to 8 federal crimes. This includes an illegal payoff to Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, which he said Trump ordered. By doing this, Cohen has alleged that Trump ordered him to break the law, a claim that Trump has been denying and which could land the President in more trouble if it is found that he was lying to the American public.
In simple words, Cohen took a plea deal to face a softer sentence and in return offered to testify against Trump. Trump, on the other hand, claimed that Cohen has agreed to make up stories about him to get a deal.
The second blow came when Trump’s former campaign chair Paul Manafort was found guilty on 8 out of 18 counts that he was facing. There was a mistrial on 10 others for which he will face another trial. One of the more serious allegations that Manafort faces is being an unregistered agent of a foreign government. He is said to have served as a highly-paid consultant for pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine. He is accused of hiding the payouts from the US tax authority and funneling them to offshore shell companies.
Question does arise on whether Manafort peddled Russian interests in the US while he was campaigning for Trump? If true, this is more serious then the Watergate scandal that took place under the Nixon administration.
Earlier, Manafort is said to have received patronage from pro-Russian Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted from power in 2014 after massive protests.
Trump may dread the timing of these developments as they come very close to the November 6 mid-term election in which all 435 seats in the US House of Representatives, and the full terms for 33 of the 100 seats in the US Senate are up for grabs.
Currently, both the houses are held by Republicans. There is a chance that Democrats may tilt the numbers in their favour. If that happens, Trump will be in a serious trouble. Even if not impeached, Trump will face a hostile house. He may not be able to pass the legislation he wants and may face serious challenge to his authority on various decisions he has taken or will take.
The US democracy is structured in a way that there are checks and balances even on the executive authority. Trump, since being elected, has enjoyed a free run given the support he enjoys in the house. The mid-term polls may put him in a vulnerable position and affect his policies on global trade and security. It may even bring a drastic change to the way he operates.
Countries like China, North Korea and Moscow will closely be watching on how the trial unfolds hoping to get the best outcome possible.
