The Impeach-O-Meter is a wildly subjective and speculative daily estimate of the likelihood that Donald Trump leaves office before his term ends, whether by being impeached (and convicted) or by resigning under threat of same.
The Russia investigation dropped out of the headlines for a few days there, thanks in part to POTUS' sudden friendliness toward Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, but now it's back and better than ever, if by "better" you mean "uncovering yet more evidence that the American election was sabotaged by white-power trolls employed by a hostile foreign intelligence operation." To wit:
1. Facebook has concluded that a two-hundred-thousand-plus-member anti-immigrant group that attempted to organize anti-Clinton rallies in Texas during the 2016 presidential campaign was "likely operated out of Russia", the Business Insider reports. (It's not clear if anyone actually showed up at any of the rallies.) The Daily Beast reported on Monday that a similarly sketchy Russia-connected group targeted an Idaho town where the yogurt company Chobani employs resettled refugees.Raise the meter for Mother Russia!
2. Relatedly, Bloomberg reports that Mueller's investigation now involves a "red-hot" interest in 2016 social media activity by Russia-linked actors and the question of whether any of that activity was coordinated with the Trump campaign. Behold the Red Hot Mueller Peppers!
3. NBC News reports that Michael Flynn Jr., the son of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, is a "subject" of Mueller's probe. Flynn Jr. worked for his father's lobbying firm, the Flynn Intel Group; it's been previously reported that Mueller is looking into whether any of Flynn Sr.'s relationships (financial and otherwise) with figures in Russia and Turkey broke the law. A former Federal prosecutor who worked on corruption cases speculates here that investigating Flynn Jr. might be a way to gain leverage and "flip" Flynn Sr.
4. It's been previously reported that Flynn Sr. was involved as a lobbyist in promoting a plan that involved American and Russian companies seeking to build nuclear power plants in the Middle East; The Wall Street Journal now reports that he continued to promote the plan inside the Trump administration after he was named national security adviser. (For what it's worth, the Journal report quotes an anonymous source saying the plan is now "more of an 'American initiative'" rather than a joint initiative.)
Rico says where's Leon Colgolsz when you need him?
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