Indicted For Conspiracy… The LCR Responds…

This morning Special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s office announced the indictments of Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, and Rick Gates, his longtime business associate. Twelve counts in total… including conspiracy against the United States, money laundering, making false statements, and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign principal. We asked several of our contributors to weigh in regarding this groundbreaking development, and here’s what they had to say…
“Mueller is sending a message with two revelations today: cooperate like Papadoulous and you’ll get a good deal, or else you’re going down. While the indictments aren’t necessarily tied to the President they can definitely be used as leverage to force others to cooperate in the investigation. And let’s not forget the immediate fact that President of the United States had as his campaign manager a man who was simultaneously serving as an unregistered foreign agent and laundering large amounts of money. That should be startling enough in and of itself. If nothing else it’s yet another black mark on the first year of a presidency that has been marred by scandal.” – Center Left College Student
“This is a long way from an indictment of the President – both for reasons he will tout and reasons he will not.  First, as he says, it is not clear yet that there’s a determination that anyone who was making policy decisions was actively colluding with Russia. Secondly, he remains a billionaire with pardoning power and those indicted and likely to be indicted later are unlikely to be able to work for anyone else ever again. Even if there was collusion, his ability to influence those indicted remains very strong.” – Right Army Veteran
“It’s disappointing to me that these charges are not directly related to the Trump campaign, but I realize that baby steps are needed here so that we can cover the immense swath of ground that the Russian influence seems to cover on many levels of our democratic process. How long will it take? No idea. But we can’t start jumping to conclusions – this is a marathon, not a sprint.” – Registered Independent Voter 
“Unlike before when an administration was placed under findings of wrong from Watergate to Iran Contra, supporters of that administration distanced itself and soon after voting reflected the distance. It will be interesting to watch how the support for the Trump administration unfolds, especially with midterm elections on the horizon. In support, I’m talking about the rank and file, not Republican Party leadership.” – Independent Texan Male
“Chickens come home to roost… What more can I say? People need to wake up and stop allowing racism to control their vote. Whenever hate and racism motivate any action, utter destruction will be the result. This administration and those who support it will continue to feel the residual effects of “Making America Great Again.” – Apolitical Elected Official
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The Trump Effect… This Week’s Recap 8/4/17

Whether you’re on the Left, Center, or Right… listen to their words and draw your own conclusions…

At a Trump rally Thursday night (8/3/17) West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice announced his decision to flip from the Democratic Party to the GOP:

“Today I will tell you with lots of prayers and lots of thinking, I’ll tell you West Virginians, I can’t help you any more being a Democrat governor.” 

At the same rally, Trump responded to the ongoing Russia investigation:

“We didn’t win because of Russia. We won because of you… The Russia story is a total fabrication. It’s just an excuse for the greatest loss in the history of American politics.”


Special Counsel Robert Mueller issued grand jury subpoenas this week as the next step in his investigation. Special counsel to the President Ty Cobb responded:

“The White House favors anything that accelerates the conclusion of his work fairly… The White House is committed to fully cooperating with Mr. Mueller.”


Republican Senator Lindsay Graham on whether or not Trump lied about helping his son write a misleading statement about his meeting with a Russia lawyer in 2016:

“If that’s true then that was a bad decision by the President which will make us ask more questions… When you get caught in a lie about one thing, it makes it hard to just say ‘let the other stuff go.'” 


Recently released transcripts reveal Trump’s comments in his January (2017) conversation with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto:

“We have a massive drug problem where kids are becoming addicted to drugs because the drugs are being sold for less money than candy… I won New Hampshire because New Hampshire is a drug-infested den.” 

(Trump won the Republican primary in New Hampshire, but he lost the state to Hillary Clinton in last years presidential election by roughly 3,000 votes.)

New Hampshire’s Republican Governor Chris Sununu responded to Trump’s statement:

“It’s disappointing his mischaracterization of this epidemic ignores the great things this state has to offer.”

New Hampshire Democratic Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter also responded:

“No, Mr. President, you’re wrong about New Hampshire – but you have failed to help us fight the opioid crisis… Stop attacking health care, and make the investments you promised.”


The Trump Admistration hopes to cut legal immigration to the United States by nearly half. As critics piled on, Trump responded:

“This legislation will not only restore our competitive edge in the 21st century, but it will restore the sacred bonds of trust between America and its citizens. This legislation demonstrates our compassion for struggling American families who deserve an immigration system that puts their needs first and that puts America first.”