Will Trump Pardon Flynn?

[View this email in your browser]( [images-hive-logo (1).jpg]( Will Trump Pardon Flynn? Good morning! It was another anxiety-inducing day for Deutsche Bank client Donald Trump, a former beauty pageant stagehand with more mood swings than a Russian gymnast. We need not keep you from your early morning reverie, dear reader, by recounting the latest examples of heroic Hive reportage, such as Graydon Carter’s piercing [commentary]( on Melania’s East Room ennui; Peter Hamby’s [methodical evisceration]( of Steve Bannon’s cynical culture war; Abigail Tracy’s [chilling analysis]( of the president’s latest authoritarian maneuver; or Joe Pompeo’s [scoop]( on the most recent Times journalist to cash in on our expanding dystopian hellscape. After all, who wants to talk about yesterday’s news, anyway? Today, we lead with Chris Smith’s eye-opening look at Trump’s Nixonian legal strategy—and the Nixon acolyte pressuring him to execute another Saturday Night Massacre. Tracy examines the grand irony behind Mike Pence’s shadow campaign. And Pompeo delivers another scoop on Edgar Bronfman Jr.’s $100 million move into the start-up game. We hope that you’re enjoying what you’re reading. Have a great day! [Michael Flynn at a press conference at White House in February.] “John Dowd Is Not an Idiot”: Why Trump’s Legal Strategy Is a Smoke Screen By Chris Smith Ty Cobb and John Dowd are a sideshow. The operative to-do list: undermine Mueller, sow confusion, and prepare the political ground for the presidential pardons on the horizon. Mike Pence Perfects His Disappearing Act By Abigail Tracy As Mueller closes in on the White House, the vice president makes himself scarce. “There Is No Stopping Technology”: Bronfman Unveils His New Media V.C. Dynamo By Joe Pompeo Bronfman, the former music executive and Seagram scion, and his partner, Daniel Leff, speak to the Hive about the plans for their just-announced venture fund. Will Bob Iger Really Swallow Murdoch’s Empire? By Maya Kosoff How a $60 billion deal could turn Disney into a new media powerhouse. Mueller Just Crossed Trump’s Red Line By Bess Levin The special prosecutor has demanded financial records that the president has declared off limits. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( This email was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e–mail address, [vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com]( to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( Copyright © Condé Nast 2017. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10038. All rights reserved.