The Bankers

Largely lost in the blizzard of Donald Trump headlines this week, what with his many public temper tantrums and corrupt pardoning spree, was the news that his two senior bankers at disgraced Deutsche Bank abruptly quit as state-level criminal investigations into the President's personal finances escalate in anticipation of his White House exit next month (details here and here).

What this exactly means is not clear at this point but there's a good chance it's a bad development for Trump. It could signal that the two bank executives will be soon indicted themselves (or have already been indicted) and, after alerting their employer about that fact, were given the opportunity to resign rather than be fired.

Alternatively, the duo may not be facing criminal charges but the intense law enforcement scrutiny could have uncovered violations of bank policies which necessitated their departure. They are also very likely to be facing grand jury subpoenas for their testimony, if that hasn't happened already.

At a minimum, one thing is all but certain — neither of them owe any loyalty to Trump. If pushed by prosecutors, they won't fall on their own swords to save him. And chances are they know things that could be very bad news for him if told to a grand jury.

Chances are Trump knows more about what's going on with the state investigations than has been made public. And that may be why he's so terrified of leaving the White House on January 20.