Robert Mueller, Former F.B.I. Director, Is Named Special Counsel for Russia Investigation

He pretty much went against republican orthodoxy to win, which is also amusing.

Trump will absolutely use xenophobia and blame foreign countries for regions of the US falling behind. That type of dishonesty is useful for winning elections. However in the real world, these folks are only getting further left behind.

 

thanks for the summary

As for Buttina, cry me a river.

she/her attorneys knew what the charges were; and she eventually pleaded guilty to

conspiring with a senior Russian official to infiltrate the conservative movement in the United States as an agent
for the Kremlin. she was not shackled in chain like alleged spy Wen Ho Lee​

WHL was a nuclear scientist, as well as a FBI informant, he had previously helped the NM FBI office to nab several spies.
the NM FBI had vouched for WHL's loyalty to the US; but FBI HQ ignored it

the FBI HQ jailed him, shackled in chain

• despite the fact it did not have evidence to
  • identify the foreign country for whom he supposedly had conspired w, nor
  • describe / identify the secret he supposedly had sold to a foreign country.

​

he was jailed and shackled in chain, for more than a year, until his day in court.

while he was in jail, the US Gov selective leaked his personal info to media, who reported it, to perpetuate the hysteria

in the trial, the Government judge immediately realized the fact the Gov was unwilling / unable to produce evidence

• identifying the foreign country for whom he supposedly had conspired w,
• describing / identifing the secret he supposedly had sold to a foreign country.

The judge immediately ruled that WHL was not guilty, and apologized to him for the miscarriage of justice.

Later, post the trial, the US Gov and 5 mainstream media co reached a monetary settlement w Lee for invading his privacy. https://www.sfgate.com/opinion/open...cy-matters-the-case-of-Wen-Ho-Lee-2495336.php

 

Edward Luce of the Financial Times has authored a piece titled "Why Mueller is the 'God that Failed Democrats'" at https://www.ft.com/content/6c5e80e6-4e80-11e9-b401-8d9ef1626294 .

He is interviewed on the Morning Joe program at https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/why-mueller-is-the-god-that-failed-democrats-1464330307726 .

I agree that the Mueller investigation outcome seems to have disappointed some Democrats.

 

Democrats won in 2018 by talking about jobs and healthcare. They’ll win in 2020 by talking about jobs and healthcare. And maybe even taxes! But on the whole, it has not been about Trump being a foreign agent so much as he has done so many unpresidential things before and since taking office that by voting for the Democrat you will be restoring the prestige to the office and on the world stage.

 

Starting to make sense now why all the Trumpers were like “but I’d vote for Gabbard”.

I hate this conflating of disappointment of Mueller with DOJ/Barr's handling of the report. Those are two different things, and the media is handling this conflation very very poorly.

Mueller's findings are what almost everyone will accept as fact. Mueller has an outstanding reputation, and we shouldn't be like Trump & attack character when convenient & then praise when alternatively convenient. If Mueller didn't prosecute conspiracy then we should trust that there was not a prosecutable case.

However... that doesn't mean that what the Trump circle did in inviting Russia, accepting help, not reporting to the FBI, and trying like hell to repay Russia.... are something we should all now be okay with just because it technically wasn't a crime. That is still a bad thing that should be universally condemned regardless, but that's a separate conversation outside of the factual evidence from Mueller's investigation.

What most people, including myself are critical of is Bill Barr taking what should have been non-political factual conclusions, and playing politics at the highest stage. The whole point of the special counsel is to get the case out of the political spectrum & investigate with an arms length of the white house. Instead Barr brought it right back where it started, and is tainting the political nature of the report.

Because of this, the American people must demand the full report. Mueller almost surely intended for the report to be a punt to Congress to oversee presidential wrongdoing given the DOJ policy on prosecuting a president. So when Mueller seems to have lobbed that pass down the field to Congress, Barr intercepted that pass, and scored a touchdown for Trump politically... then spiked the Football for good measure.

That's something where there should be bi-partisan agreement is wrong. NOBODY should want the DOJ to be operating on purely political terms. They should be bi-partisan, & operate with loyalty to the constitution... not for the political whims of their party leader.

 

This is why Democrats are worried about what Barr will allow to be viewed.

Your bolded is a key distinction. The presidency isn’t some average joe position, being exonerated on criminal charges isn’t the same as acting properly in a position of power.

 

Mueller Madness: Which Liberal Pundit Ranks "The Worst" At Peddling Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory?

 

It is not due to any fault of Mueller rather the media keeping them all stirred up in the echo chamber every single day making it seem like there was an actual case here when it was fabricated BS from the beginning.

 

I am betting on Maddow. She is the top #1 seed.

 

So the indictments due to lying to the FBI about the nature of contacts during the campaign were a fabrication?

Are you saying Trump and his hand picked campaign all acted appropriately?

 

Another person stuck in the ECHO ECHO ECHO ECHO ECHO ECHO chamber

 

Lol... ain’t that the kettle calling the pot black when I can link and verify the indictments I spoke of?

That was a deflection fail.

 

Exactly. Just think about this.

DOJ and Congress has now established a precedent that it is acceptable for let’s say Joe Biden in 12 months to say on campaign that “China... if you want to hack the RNC and Trump to help me out.. I think you’ll be rewarded”... then China hacks, damages Trump, Biden becomes president. Then immediately removes the tariffs that Trump put on Chinese goods. Then Biden fires Chris Wray directly after Wray starts investigating NSA Director Ben Rhodes for his communications with the Chinese.

That my friends is now considered established and acceptable precedent because the DOJ/AG did not (at least yet) present the matter to Congress in a way that allowed for them to address, and we know for sure Congress is openly accepting this conduct in our presidential campaigns.

So Trumpers... are you okay with Biden publicly inviting help from the Chinese? Iran wants nothing more than a Dem president to ease the threat of war. You okay Bernie Meeting with the Ayatollah in Vermont to discuss sanctions and the Nuclear deal?

Because now all of this is considered precedent if Barr refuses to make this potential investigative evidence public or to Congress for the ability to handle how we move forward with both campaign regulations and how presidents can interfere with criminal manners.

 

Read this slowly so it sinks in: None of the indictments and/or convictions had a damn thing to do with ANYTHING Trump did. They were for either process crimes or other crimes uncovered from the investigation like tax fraud. I know the echo chamber has built this up for you for the past two years so it is hard to accept but Trump was exonerated from any "collusion" with Russia by the guy the left labeled as the best guy for the job, Mueller.

 

Ooooooooooooooooo!

She's "keeping track of you!"

 

I don't think it exonerated him. I believe it just said there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute, right?

I guess maybe we'll know should the report actually be released.

 

Weeks... months... and through trump white house review...

 

The White House is already losing the narrative. Barr messed up by not releasing the full memo because now it looks like the DOJ is covering up for Trump.