Given the responses from the GOP following Michael Cohen’s testimony that he was prodded to perjure himself and the shameful 47 months given to Paul Manafort, one thing is clear: MAGA has infected the GOP and the cri de coeur is to double down on support for Trump
With Senate members such as Lindsey Graham backing Trump all out, there is no doubt that the GOP has decided that the next election cycle is all about supporting Trump at all costs. This does not bode well for the impending release of the Mueller report.
The reason for this is that the Mueller report should be the linchpin for articles of impeachment for Donald Trump. A whole panoply of Democrats have stated that it is premature to talk about impeachment before the release of the special counsel’s report. That is to say, if Democrats expect the Mueller report to be the blueprint by which Trump is to be impeached–in the same way the Starr report was–it is likely that many will be disappointed.
Unless the Mueller report has conclusive evidence that someone besides Paul Manafort (say Jared Kushner) negotiated with the Russians to get dirt on Hillary Clinton, it is likely that the MAGA supporters of Trump in the Senate will position themselves in such a way that impeachment would be out of the question. If the Senate will not convict, there would be no point in an impeachment trial in the House. On the other hand, A Jared Kushner or Donald Jr. link would be a direct connection to Trump as these two players are known to have acted exclusively under Trump’s direct orders.
The Mueller report has to include evidence that Trump Jr. or Jared Kushner were aware and are culpable in their involvement with Paul Manafort. Manafort’s sharing of polling data with Kilimnik is the clear evidence that the Trump campaign eagerly participated in a soft agreement with the Russians. This is all the evidence of collusion that is needed. If it can be proven that Trump knew of this effort, then he is finished. However, if the Mueller report builds a firewall between Manafort and the Trump inner sanctum, it would be irresponsible to start an impeachment process that would situate Donald Trump as a victim.
If Trump survives the Mueller report, the next objective would be for Democrats to set their sights on the 2020 election. To this end, the party must promptly and unequivocally address all and any unhelpful statements or behavior from members of the caucus. There must be zero tolerance to even the remotest whiff of anti-semitism or racism of any kind. This would be exactly the kind of ammunition the GOP would use to suppress Democratic votes.