Special Counsel Robert Mueller plans to indict someone this week, we are told. Nobody knows whom or for what, but I know why.  People suspect that a Trump ally will be indicted for something vaguely related to colluding with the Russian Government.  We do not know any more details than that because we just cannot find any crime there.  So why is there such a hurry to indict a Republican now?

The key is that the indictment comes in late October.  Right before a November election. There is pattern of October indictments against Republicans.

A previous indictment that came at this time of year was against Sheriff Joe Arpaio.  On October 25, 2016, Arpaio was indicted for contempt of court.  On November 8, 2016, he lost his re-election bid.  In 2017, he was denied the right to a jury trial, convicted, then pardoned by President Trump.

On October 30, 1992, Former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger was indicted regarding the Iran Contra Affair.  On November 3, 1992, President George HW Bush lost re-election.  On December 11, 1992, a judge quickly threw out the indictment.  Later that month, Bush pardoned Weinberger, thus preventing subsequent well-timed indictments.

Another, even more abusive example of a set-up involves a conviction. Senator Ted Stevens was convicted on October 27, 2008 for failing to report gifts.  On November 4, 2008, he barely lost re-election.  In 2009, Democrat Attorney General Eric Holder learned that prosecutors withheld evidence, sent a key witness away, and possibly allowed another witness to perjure himself.  Knowing that Stevens was about to reveal this in court, Holder beat him to it and dismissed the case.  Stevens was exonerated, but he still was an ex-Senator and the prosecutors were not punished.

The pattern is that Democrats like to indict and convict prominent Republicans just before an election to soil the Republican brand.  On November 7, there will be two gubernatorial, one congressional, and several mayoral elections, so the Democrats have plenty of incentive.  Is Mueller a Democrat?  Nobody knows, but Democrats really, really like him.