Impeachment worries

The president has been on a days-long tirade, sources tell NBC News, lashing out at his own staff and lawmakers on Capitol Hill, frustrated by the threat of a Democratic House with subpoena power, an array of looming congressional investigations, multiple intensifying federal probes, a botched effort to find a new chief of staff and a potential partial government shutdown over a lack of funding for his top campaign promise — a border wall.

Trump has ranted about why no one around him is doing anything to stop any of it and vented about the lack of support he believes he has in Congress and within his own White House, the sources tell NBC News.

In addition to the much-anticipated report from Mueller on the Russia investigation, Democrats could ask prosecutors in the SDNY to similarly share details of their probe into Cohen that are related to the president.

Trump has in recent days been made aware of this possibility from people close to him, opening up a new vulnerability for the president.

[...]

Despite [his] public declaration that he isn't concerned about impeachment, he has told people close to him in recent days that he is alarmed by the prospect, according to multiple sources.

Trump's fear about the possibility has escalated as the consequences of federal investigations involving his associates and Democratic control of the House sink in, the sources said, and his allies believe maintaining the support of establishment Republicans he bucked to win election is now critical to saving his presidency.

  NBC

Oh, is he having to kiss a little ass? Sad!

“The entire question about whether the president committed an impeachable offense now hinges on the testimony of two men: David Pecker [chief executive at The Enquirer parent company AMI] and Allen Weisselberg [ chief financial officer for Trump organization], both cooperating witnesses in the SDNY investigation," a close Trump ally told NBC News.

Let's make that statement more accurate. The question of whether he committed impeachable offenses has been answered in the affirmative for a long time. The question is whether the House will act.

The president has yet to acquire a team to combat the expected influx of congressional investigations and continued fallout from multiple federal investigations of his associates. He’s been calling around to his friends outside the White House and allies on Capitol Hill to vent and get the input. On Wednesday the president wasn't in the Oval Office until noon.

[...]

Some Republican lawmakers have signaled cracks in what has been a solid wall of support for Trump amid intensifying federal investigations after prosecutors said Friday that Trump directed Cohen to arrange illegal payments to two women alleging affairs.

"Am I concerned that the president might be involved in a crime? Of course," Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana told reporters Tuesday. "The only question is, then, whether or not this so-called hush money is a crime," he added.

It's a crime when it's done to influence an election. Cohen has already pled guilty to the crime. That's not a question.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida rattled the White House with similarly cautious remarks Sunday when asked about Trump's possible involvement in the violation of campaign finance laws: "If someone has violated the law, the application of the law should be applied to them like it would to any other citizen in this country, and obviously if you're in a position of great authority like the presidency that would be the case."

I guess we won't be hearing the Chief Bully calling him "Little Marco" any more.

Republican lawmakers, however, have largely shrugged off the latest twists in the investigations involving Trump’s close associates and have signaled their strong support for him.

Which makes them complicit.

 ...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.