The only question is when.

It might be a tad bit premature for Manafort to start humming "I'll Be Home for Christmas." But he will be there next year.

To be sure, Trump could free his friends before voters cast their ballots in 2020. But that's politically risky, as President Gerald Ford's 1976 defeat can attest. His approval rating dropped more than 30 points after he pardoned Richard Nixon.

Trump's safest course of action would be to wait to do the dirty deed until after Election Day, Nov. 3, 2020. Trump's impulsiveness, however, is a wild card.

Impeached or not, Trump can still grant pardons without fear of a citizens' revolt - once the polls close. Even if the voters serve him with an eviction, Trump can still cut his boys loose, provided he acts before turning off the lights in the Oval Office.