Well, here we are and Trump's campaign manager is charged with enough stuff that conviction on just a few of them could likely guarantee he dies in prison. Trump's "Jack of All Silencing Trades" guy is headed for indictment. Several others have already pled guilty and are abetting the "Russia" investigation. Of the ones who've pled guilty, I suspect they either had information Trump doesn't know they had or they had nothing material to give re: Trump himself. Whatever the case may be, they haven't been pardoned, and by now their testimony and evidence production period is likely complete. That, along with the mere fact that they complied with investigators in exchange for lesser charges and conciliatory sentencing requests, suggests they never considered themselves or their information as having enough Trump-specific gravitas for them to be pardon-eligible. One cannot posit the same with regard to Manafort, though it is nonetheless possible that he has in fact already "turned" secretly, is or has been providing germane information and he and the investigation team is merely biding its time in disclosing that information. AFAIK, the government doesn't have to publish a plea agreement to the court until the defendant has fulfilled his/her obligations under it, which, given the apparent shadiness of which we already know about Manafort, is very likely a condition of the agreement. No matter what one may presume regarding the status of Manafort and the quality of input he may have to offer, there's no denying that Cohen's got plenty to offer about Trump, and since he's never been a government employee, none of it should be classified. Moreover, insofar as the evidence the government has obtained re: Cohen was subject to a higher degree of circumspection in order to get the search warrants of his property, the charges are more likely to "stick" than would be charges against a non-lawyer defendant. That leaves Cohen, and, quite frankly, his family [1] in a high-jeopardy situation because he's got a taste for expensive stuff. Moreover, if any of his business deals are found to be part and parcel of a money laundering scheme, they will be confiscated, thereby potentially leaving his family "high and dry." That makes Cohen a fine prospect for "flipping." Trump has the authority to pardon Manafort and Cohen, at least to the extent that they are subject to federal charges, but it's my understanding that both are also subject to state charges. Trump's already made two controversial pardons. How many more will it take for Congress to say "enough?" Note: Michael Cohen's personal situation: Wife of 25 years, Laura, who is Ukrainian born. Son; attending U. of Miami Daughter; attending U. of Pennsylvania Brother; married to a Ukrainian born woman. Michael currently owe NYC ~$38K in unpaid taxes. His gross income from all sources is estimated at ~$720K/year. That's good money to be sure, but it's just "entry level" rich. In other words, legal fees can eat up his wealth in a NY minute. Michael owns properties in Trump Tower. His in-laws own property in Trump Tower. He owns some 15 taxi companies. He owns a NYC building he bought in 2015 for $58M. In the same year, he sold properties for ~$20M. He lost $1.5M investing in a cruise boat. Source 1 Source 2 Source 3
