Whether or not collusion occurred and then can also be proven, there is mounting evidence that the White House anticipates damaging reports from the Russia probe, according to Just Security’s Ryan Goodman.
Goodman goes into detail on these points at the above link:
1. 1. White House Counsel contemplated resigning; Trump and Kushner rejected lawyer’s advice on Russia investigation protocols
2. Trump legal team prepared for Kushner resignation in light of June 9 Russia meeting
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3. Bannon thought/said there was enough evidence on Kushner to sink the president’s son-in-law
4. Kushner may have advised Trump to appease Republican Senators in case the Russia investigation goes south
5. Roger Stone predicts (or: threatens) that congressional members should fear for their lives if they vote for impeachment
The Just Security analysis came out the morning after the report on yet more Paul Manafort emails.
Manafort is but one piece of the Russian puzzle surrounding President Trump, including Flynn, Stone, Page, and Kushner. If the evidence against Manafort continues to build, it could make it easier to pressure him to turn on President Trump.
If the White House was concerned about the Russia probe before, they must be more concerned now, perhaps because of what evidence or testimony Manafort could provide against the President if he were successfully squeezed hard enough to turn.
Even if Manafort doesn’t turn on Trump, it is clear from both the behavior of those in the White House and what can publicly be known about the Special Counsel’s activities that more bad news is coming for Trump on the Russia front. Collusion is a difficult charge to prove, but it makes a really great motive for presidential obstruction of justice.
One that is agreed upon by many within Trump’s White House is that Jared Kushner is a liability who could bring this White House down. More bad Russia news is coming for Trump. It is only a matter of when it arrives.
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