Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his staff of Hillary Clinton donors have finally nabbed a target. (Three actually.) It was conveniently leaked late Friday that someone was going down today. Note that this leak came just as Fusion GPS and its ties to Hillary Clinton were gaining traction.

Here are the basic facts: Paul Manafort and an associate, Rick Gates, were indicted on 12 charges ranging from money laundering to acting as unregistered foreign agents and conspiracy. These charges are serious. Manafort and Gates face long prison terms and millions in fines if found guilty.

But the charges are related to Manafort’s lobbying activities going back to the Bush administration — long before he joined the Trump campaign. As of now, they appear to have nothing to do with Donald Trump’s campaign or collusion with Russia. In fact, Trump’s name never appears in the 31-page indictment. The Left is weeping.

Here’s what insiders are saying: Manafort and Rick Gates may very well be facing prison time. They are now in the legal system in heavily left-wing Washington, DC, which is a nightmare for anyone associated with the Republican Party.

Mueller’s team will be pounding Manafort and Gates. Imagine Manafort sitting in a chair with beads of sweat on his forehead as investigators demand dirt on the president in exchange for a deal that avoids jail time.

Harvard law professor and famed defense attorney Alan Dershowitz said that Mueller’s team wants Manafort to “sing.” Many of Mueller’s attorneys are known for their hardball tactics.

After a year of investigation, there is still no evidence of Donald Trump doing anything inappropriate with the Russian government. 

But Dershowitz raised another concern: Someone in Manafort’s position many not just “sing,” he may “compose.” That is, he may distort or exaggerate something he heard to save himself. But in the process, he could provide red meat for the Deep State in Washington that wants to destroy the Trump/Pence presidency.

What about the third person charged in Mueller’s investigation? That would be George Papadopoulos, a former foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign. He reportedly pleaded guilty earlier this month to one charge of perjury for making false statements to the FBI.

Papadopoulos was in contact with various Russians during the campaign and reportedly attempted to arrange a meeting with then-candidate Trump and Russian officials. But nothing ever came of his efforts. In fact, several campaign officials, including Paul Manafort, rebuffed him and grew concerned about the legality of what he was doing.

Meanwhile, the real collusion is sitting in plain view — the DNC and the Clinton campaign paid millions to a law firm under the guise of “legal services.” That firm then paid for opposition research, conducted by a British spy who relied on Russian sources to produce a dossier of lies.

By the way, there is a breaking news that Tony Podesta has resigned from the lobbying firm he founded, The Podesta Group, which is also under investigation by Mueller’s team.

It’s Halloween and, sadly, the swamp creatures are alive and well.

Trump Was Right

The vestry of Christ Church, a 244-year-old Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Virginia, has voted to remove two large plaques honoring George Washington and Robert E. Lee. Both men worshiped at Christ Church. But according to the church’s leadership, the plaques reportedly made some people feel “unsafe or unwelcome.”

Nevertheless, the vestry promises that the plaques will be relocated and will be featured “very prominently.” I’m not at all certain how that helps anyone who may have felt “unsafe” at the sight of these plaques. Call me skeptical, but once they come down, I doubt they will ever be seen again.

Moreover, the church website brags about its association with both men and how it grew “through the support of local residents like George Washington.” How long until this virtual homage to Washington is deleted?

Once again, we see that Donald Trump was right. When the Left was going after statues of Robert E. Lee, Trump warned that they would go after monuments to Washington and Jefferson. He was mocked for saying so, but here we are.

Here’s my suggestion for Halloween: If you live in a liberal neighborhood, dress your kids up as Washington and Jefferson and watch your neighbors run and hide!

Sentencing Bergdahl

The military judge presiding over the court-martial of Bowe Bergdahl rejected a defense motion yesterday to dismiss the case due to comments made by President Trump. Colonel Jeffery Nance said that he was “uninfluenced” by Trump’s remarks but would consider them as “mitigating factors” in sentencing.

That’s unfortunate because Trump’s comments had nothing to do with Bergdahl’s decision to abandon his post in 2009. But Bergdahl's actions had a tremendous impact on his fellow soldiers.

The wife of Master Sergeant Mark Allen testified about the extent of the injuries her husband sustained while searching for Bergdahl. Sgt. Allen was shot in the head and this soldier cannot walk or talk for the rest of his life.

“We can’t even hold hands anymore,” Mrs. Allen said, “without me prying open his hand and putting mine in.”

Those urging mercy for Bergdahl should reflect on Sgt. Allen and how much his family has suffered.

Another Radical Imam

Several weeks ago, we reported to you about three radical imams who were preaching hate in California mosques. Well, this problem appears to span the entire country, as our friends at MEMRI have identified another radical imam, this time in Columbia, South Carolina.

Muhammad Syed Adly was filmed telling worshipers that women are inferior to men, that “men are better than women” and that Allah “exalted men.”

But wait … there’s more.

Adly stated that women are “captives” of men, should never leave the house without a man’s permission and “No nation that makes their [leader] a woman can ever succeed.”

With the abuse of women in Hollywood being such a hot topic right now, you’d think Imam Adly’s misogyny might attract more scrutiny. But I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for Lena Dunham, Planned Parenthood and all the feminist Trump haters to organize mass protests demanding Imam Adly’s resignation.

Sadly, I suspect Hillary Clinton, the National Organization for Women, and other so-called “progressives” won’t have a single word to say about the bigotry coming from this Islamic supremacist.

But we clearly have a problem with radical Islamists preaching ideas that are antithetical to our American values — the values of Judeo-Christian society and Western Civilization.

This is yet one more example of why Donald Trump is right to secure our borders and demand extreme vetting of immigrants. We have every right to demand that those who want to come to America are coming for the right reasons; that they will respect our laws and our culture and will not try to impose a hateful ideology that promotes bigotry and violence.