But the very absence of a link to Mr. Manafort’s performance as Trump campaign chairman underscores the fact that Mr. Mueller has not brought the charges out of political bias.
.. Only a single man, Hamilton argued, could act vigorously in times of crisis. “In seasons of insurrection or rebellion, there are often critical moments, when a well-timed offer of pardon to the insurgents or rebels may restore the tranquillity of the commonwealth,” he wrote.
.. Indeed, a pardon here would grasp defeat from the jaws of victory because the charges against Mr. Manafort show no connection at all between Russia and the 2016 campaign.
.. If Mr. Mueller is acting improperly, the remedy is to fire him, not to preemptively forgive everyone involved in the crime. A blanket pardon would prompt congressional moves toward impeachment, which is the Constitution’s sole mechanism for disciplining, in Hamilton’s words, “the misconduct of public men, or, in other words, from the abuse or violation of some public trust.”
Instead of attacking it at every turn, Mr. Trump should welcome the latest step in the Mueller investigation. Only by cooperating can he credibly prove his innocence.