Beware the Ides of March

   Today, March 15, is the date Shakespeare's soothsayer warned the Roman emperor to beware of.
   Today, the Ides of March, in the year 2018, is the day the news broke that special counsel Robert Mueller has subpoenaed the Trump Organization for "business documents related to Russia, and other topics."
   Two weeks ago, we noted the rate of staffers fired or resigned from the troubled ship of state, and wondered whether it soon will face even more stormy days to come. It may be coincidence, but reports are that subpoenas were served several weeks ago.
   This time there is no choice as to whether to surrender the documents. The word "subpoena" stems from the Latin for "under penalty." If the White House does not hand over the documents, they can be held in contempt.
   To borrow again from the history of Rome, the legal team probing the Trump presidency crossed a metaphorical Rubicon, defying the president's warning not to cross his "red line" and start probing his personal business.
   Moreover, it's likely that the Mueller team has already seen Internal Revenue Service tax filings, and wants to compare and confirm what was told to the IRS and what the Trump Organization tells itself.
   Already, Trump world may be in deep water over business dealings with Russia, despite the president's repeated denials that there are no connections, much less collusion. But the more interesting phrase in the subpoena is this: the demand for documents relating to "other topics."