The Second Front

The New York Times published an article late Friday night (link here) about how Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's criminal case presents a greater legal challenge to the President than Mueller's criminal investigation.

This is also the perception inside the White House, as the piece notes: "Trump’s advisers have concluded that a wide-ranging corruption investigation into his personal lawyer poses a greater and more imminent threat to the president than even the special counsel’s investigation."

Donald Trump has talked privately with friends about firing both the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General and replacing them with individuals who will fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Trump cannot do this directly himself because of technical legal reasons.

But even if Justice Department leadership is swept aside and Mueller is fired, the Cohen investigation and possible prosecution won't stop because that isn't even being handled by Mueller's special staff. That's one of many criminal cases handled by the Manhattan division of the U.S. Attorney's Office, which prosecutes all sorts of suspected federal crimes.

This week will undoubtedly see more developments in this fast-moving story. Stay tuned.