General Discussion

What’s more, the idea that prosecutors might eventually secure a conviction in this case is ludicrous on its face, though that’s almost certainly the point of this corrupt exercise. In her latest column, Barbara McQuade, a former Michigan U.S. attorney and an MS NOW legal analyst, explained:

Even if the Justice Department cannot convict Comey, prosecutors can make his life miserable for several months by forcing him to pay for a lawyer, occupy his time and attention, emotionally exhaust his family and disparage his reputation.

To be sure, I don’t doubt that the president and those who are doing his bidding would be delighted to see Comey found guilty, but given how pitiful the case is, that’s unrealistic.

There’s no reason to assume, however, that a conviction is Trump’s intended endpoint. On the contrary, given the broader context, the new indictment checks a different set of boxes for the Republican president.

First, Trump appears eager to make it clear that he can orchestrate federal prosecutions based entirely on his whims and petty desires, without regard for merit or evidence. There is, for all intents and purposes, a White House enemies list, and the president seems eager to intimidate and instill fear on those whose names appear on it.

Second, Trump is sending an unsubtle signal to other federal prosecutors who might be inclined to prioritize the rule of law over the White House’s wishes. Indeed, when it comes to the pursuit of the former FBI director, prosecutors who chose not to bring charges against Comey were replaced with those who would follow political instructions. As a second set of charges moves forward, the message to other prosecutors couldn’t be clearer: Play along with the revenge campaign, or face unemployment.

And third, the Comey conviction allows the president to effectively argue that he can force his perceived enemies to endure legal, personal and financial hardships as a direct consequence of their defiance of him, even if the indictments are a joke, and even if the defendants are ultimately acquitted.

Trying to convict the former FBI director is largely irrelevant. The corruption is the point.