David Frum, Senior editor of The Atlantic, says President Trump is “so much more protective of [Roger] Stone than of [Paul] Manafort, and that suggests Stone knows things that Manafort does not know.” https://t.co/JkHfadGAqe— MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 13, 2020
Or: FoxNews, for reasons known only to FoxNews (or to Tucker Carlson) has decided Roger Stone should be a free man, and is campaigning for the Audience of One to issue a pardon.
Why does Trump care what Stone knows? Trump is not going to be removed from office, can't be tried for criminal offenses until he leaves office, and doesn't seem terribly afraid of whatever Manafort knows. Michael Cohen knew a lot, but who's paying attention to that now? Roger Stone's trial revealed a lot, but who's talking about that now? Trump think he knows a lot; the call, after all, was "perfect."
Trump is not nearly as rational or calculating as all these analyses presume.
I agree that a lot of what they attribute to calculation requires a level of thought Trump isn't capable of doing. I think he probably identiies more with Stone because he's as much of a sleazeball fraud and grifter as Trump is. Though I still think he doesn't want any of them without the ability to remain silent for fear of incrimination when faced with subpoenas his henchmen can't suppress.
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