...but, again, why would this be your intent? Getting people to flip on other people isn't about establishing a connection between them; it's about finding enough dirt on one of them so you can get them to hand over the dirt they have on someone else.cphite wrote:The relevant stuff, if your intent is to establish a connection to Trump, happened prior to 2014.
If I want you for shoplifting, I'll go after your friend for speeding -- because while I can't prove that you stole those candy-bars, I can prove that he was speeding. Once I've got him for speeding, he'll give me evidence that you stole the candy-bars in exchange for a lighter sentence. It doesn't matter that his speeding has nothing to do with your shoplifting; the point isn't to establish a connection -- it's just to put him in a position where he'll give me what I need to go after you.
It's possible this is just a Hail Mary, but Mueller doesn't seem like the type to throw dynamite into the ocean just to see what turns up. It seems way more likely that Manafort has something he wants -- and he's trying to put Manafort in a position where he'll be forced to give it up.