Is Our National Nightmare Ending? Not Quite, But Trump's Is Just Beginning.

MATTHIEU BOUREL / THE NEW YORK TIMES

You know that the American political landscape has changed dramatically when Kayne West hangs in the Oval Office and boasts that his MAGA baseball cap gives him superpowers while Taylor Swift is viewed as the grownup in the room.  But despite the unrelenting national nightmare of Donald Trump, one thing has not changed: The Rule of Law.   

Yes, Trump thinks he is above such constitutional piffle, but the Rule of Law will make a dramatic post-midterm election star turn that will further confirm the immortal words of a crook by the name of Richard Nixon that the Watergate scandal was a "third-rate burglary."    

The Predator in Chief has his own vocabulary for the scandal of the moment, the Russia scandal and its many and far reaching tentacles, including "witch hunt" and "hoax."  

But Trump's nightmare will be just beginning when the clock runs out on the unofficial Justice Department rule that investigations, indictments and such be put on the back burner during the two months before an election (never mind James Comey) and Special Counsel Robert Mueller and other federal prosecutors begin hauling in their nets in earnest.   

This is what Trump can expect to find in those nets, as other unwelcome developments: 

Mueller indictments against a host of perps, possibly including but not limited to Hope Hicks, K.T. McFarland, Carter Page, Reince Preibus, Roger Stone, Donald Trump Jr. and Javanka -- Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump.   

A subpoena from Mueller's grand jury, which will be a likely consequence of the fandango that the special prosecutor and Trump's ever shifting defense team have been doing since forever over whether the president will answer written questions or sit for an interview. 

Revelations detailing the interlocking roles of Russian hackers and trolls, WikiLeaks and Cambridge Analytica in coordinating the release of information damaging to Hillary Clinton with his stump speeches as well as targeting unsuspecting voters in swing states.

Continuing Justice Department investigations into Elliot Broidy's pay-for-presidential access scam and Mariia Butina's efforts to broker secret Trump meetings with Vladimir Putin and infiltrate U.S. political groups, including the National Rifle Association.     

Federal Election Commission investigations into whether Russian money was funneled through the NRA to the Trump campaign and whether Trump's hush agreements with Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal to silence them before the election were illegal.   

Should the Democrats retake the House, investigations about and possibly impeachment proceedings against him for a variety of offenses and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh for repeatedly perjuring himself during his confirmation hearing testimony. 

With Democrats in control of the House, a little known 1902 law might enable the Ways and Means Committee to tell the Treasury Department to fork over his long-secret federal tax returns, which presumably would reveals any financial entanglements with Russia.  

Fallout from fraudulent tax schemes built on part on his lousy record as a businessman and need for large cash infusions, which have included innumerable ties to the Russian underworld and its expertise in money laundering. 

Courts green lighting lawsuits against the Trump Foundation, lawsuits on his violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution, and a lawsuit brought by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for his campaign's use of stolen emails. 

Negative blowback from his expected post-election dismissal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy AG Ron Rosenstein, appointment of a new AG (Lindsey Graham?) and concomitant efforts to discredit and possibly derail Mueller's investigation. 

Further resignations by Cabinet members and White House aides, possibly including Defense Secretary James Mattis and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and perhaps even his long suffering chief of staff, John Kelly. 

Out-of-court settlements in defamation lawsuits filed by member of Seth Rich's family over articles and broadcasts pushing the conspiracy theory that Rich's murder was linked to DNC email thefts that actually were perpetrated by Russian hackers. 

Finally, his inability of grasp even the most elementary aspects of being president and tenuous relationship between what he says and reality -- whether pathological lying or a mere twisting of facts -- will come under increased scrutiny.  

While there is an element of wishful thinking in this impressive list, and we have been told over and over that Trump's fortunes are about to turn and do not, conspicuously absent from the list are Michael Cohen, Paul Manafort, Rick Gates, Michael Flynn, Felix Sater and Allen Weisselberg. 

These six individuals -- Trump's longtime lawyer-fixer, his former campaign manager and deputy campaign manager, his disgraced national security adviser, his partner in myriad illegal deals and the Trump Organization's chief financial officer -- have one very ominous thing in common for the president.  

All are all cooperating witnesses and all will be testifying sooner or later to the culpability of Trump and other perps in financial crimes, election law violations and much worse.  Like colluding with Russia to get elected. 

Click HERE for a comprehensive timeline of the Russia scandal

and related developments.