“I determined that it is in the public interest for me to exercise my authorities and appoint a special counsel to assume responsibility for this matter,” [Deputy Attorney General Rod J.] Rosenstein said in a statement. “My decision is not a finding that crimes have been committed or that any prosecution is warranted. I have made no such determination.”Mueller was the FBI director just before Comey. He began as FBI director on September 4, 2001, that is, immediately before 9/11. He was appointed by George W. Bush and not only continued under Obama, but was asked to stay on an extra 2 years beyond the normal 10 year term.
ADDED: I see no reason not to say this is the perfect move.
AND: NBC reports:
Former Trump aides Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort have emerged as key figures in the FBI's investigation into Russian campaign interference....ALSO: This is useful: "The Comey memo offers no proof for impeachment of Trump."
Officials say multiple grand jury subpoenas and records requests have been issued in connection with the two men during the past six months in the ongoing probe into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russian attempts to influence the election, an inquiry that will now be overseen by former FBI Director Robert Mueller....
Posts
288 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 288 of 288@BL: Don't let the aromatic brook get to you. She's a a humorless bore, just like Ritmo.
I have to pinch myself, because America is Great Again™ !!
New York is putting the screws to Trump. I think Cryin' Chuck Schumer is eating his fucking lunch.
So, predictions for what comes next when nothing develops from this?
Libs, you're burning your powder way too early.
You fail to see how this inoculates him from whatever the press comes up with further down the road.
He's totally grabbing your pussy, but you're pulling your panties down for him.
@ PBJ
So, no crime has been alleged? Just want to be perfectly clear.
I'm certainly not the first to make the comparison to Road Runner and Wile E Coyote. I've been hearing it since before President Trump even announced. Repos and Demmies keep thinking they have the latest Acme anvil, rocket or whatever. We've seen this time and again over the past 2 years.
"THIS time he has gone too far. We've really got him now. He is dead meat."
And every. single. time. it has blown up in their faces.
And ole Road Runner Trump just goes "Meep, Meep" and thumbs his nose at the losers who can't figure out where they possibly went wrong.
Two years ago I had my doubts. President Trump was my 3rd or 4th choice. I've come to love him. If he ever does shoot someone on Fifth Avenue, my first reaction, even before I know who got shot will be "He was probably someone that needed killing."
If the job of chief cheerleader for Team Trump ever comes open, I tanned, rested and ready.
John Henry
I keep asking people on the left what crime Trump has committed, and the response I get is hand-waving.
That's right Birk,
No crimes.
Presumably you could take a minute to send a note to Rod to let him know that there's nothing to investigate. Then he can reverse this misunderstanding, cause what's the point of investigating when there isn't even an accusation to investigate?
Duh.
Too bad you couldn't have given Rosenstein this info earlier.
At least you can sort things out now.
America Thanks you.
And ole Road Runner Trump just goes "Meep, Meep" and thumbs his nose at the losers who can't figure out where they possibly went wrong.
I enjoyed that, John Henry. Especially because the execrable Andrew Sullivan always likened Obama to the Roadrunner.
Chick,
Speaking of AS types, maybe you also liked the idea of John in a dress leading the cheers.
Not that there's anything wrong w/ that.
@Jelly: Sullivan is more of a hoover than John Henry is. If you get my drift.
"Flynn told the White House Counsel before he was hired that he was under investigation by the FBI. They still hired him. Incompetence is an understatement."
I know. Now try to imagine an entire political party nominating a candidate who is under investigation by the FBI. Would incompetence still be an understatement? Were Clinton voters brainwashed during the primaries? By who? The Russians?
What we need is a super duper independent blue ribbon extra special prosecutorial team of ace investigators to look into who or what hacked the Democratic Party... to pieces.
Meanwhile, Trump gets his SCOTUS pick on the bench, withdraws from the TPP, slows illegal immigration to a trickle without even building a wall, moves forward with repealing Obamacare, and has ISIS worried for the first time in 10 years.
What would you call that? Over-competence?
Lewis Wetzel said...
So what crime is Mueller prosecuting?
Inga? Chuck?
Damned if I know, Lewis.
What crime was Patrick Fitzgerald prosecuting, prior to Scooter Libby's third FBI interview?
What you are pointing out is exactly how I began my comments on this post. It is really surprising, that a SPECIAL COUNSEL was appointed. Precisely because I have no easy answer to your question. And because it leads me to think that Justice may be looking into things that we consumers of media haven't heard about yet.
No matter what, it is bad news for the Trump Administration and anybody who thought he'd be well on his way to Making America Great Again by August.
Not only does the memo not offer proof to establish cause, let alone probable cause or guilt, it is also not evidence independent of the eyewitness. There is still just Comey, Trump, and executive authority, presumably to engage allies that will do more than merely exploit the refugee crises forced by Obama's elective wars for democratic leverage and redistributive change.
Woof!
Podesta's email got hacked. That was a crime, even if his computer hygiene was less than optimal. Is there some theory that Trump assisted in this?
Assange still maintains it wasn't the Russians. Assange is no friend of Putin or Trump, as far as I know.
The Steele Dossier is garbage, no one talks about it since it was revealed that Steele used paid, anonymous sources within Russia, e.g., the data in the dossier is not sound. It can't be confirmed independently.
If I remember correctly, the finger pointing at the Russki's is from a firm called Crowdstrike, and Crowdstrike has has links to Hillary and the Ukrainians. Crowdstrike finds evidence of Russian hacking everywhere it looks, and subsequent investigations --
including DHS -- cut-n-pasted Crowdstrike's findings.
I did not vote for Trump. I would have voted for Cruz, or any of the GOP candidates (other than Kasich).
To me, the message of the election was that a very large number voters, 46% of them, did not like to be told that increased globalization was the only possible future, if you voted D or R it didn't matter, and if you didn't like what globalization was doing to yourself, your family, and your community, suck it, because that is what you are getting.
In the 19th century, Marxists understood that the best way to start a revolution was to make people feel as though they were the victims of vast, unstoppable, impersonal forces. Getting rid of Trump won't change that.
‘There was only one person on election day when Americans went to vote that was under investigation by the FBI and it was not Hillary Clinton and history will look back and ask a thousand times over why Hillary Clinton was the focus ...’
Joe Scarborough
Meade wrote: Meanwhile, Trump gets his SCOTUS pick on the bench, withdraws from the TPP, slows illegal immigration to a trickle without even building a wall, moves forward with repealing Obamacare, and has ISIS worried for the first time in 10 years.
What would you call that? Over-competence?
All good points, Meade. They won't recognize it though. We are engaged in The Politics of Compersive Destruction -- the pleasure of having your fellow Americans personally fucked (over).
"Meanwhile, Trump gets his SCOTUS pick on the bench, withdraws from the TPP, slows illegal immigration to a trickle without even building a wall, moves forward with repealing Obamacare, and has ISIS worried for the first time in 10 years."
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
IOW, he won the election, w/ the help of Comey and Russians.
How could the SCOTUS and TPP thing not happen? Making America crazy is a high price to pay for keeping out illegals, a wall and non-crazy would be much better. Moves forward w/ the OCare repeal? WTF? That's less than the Congressional Rs have done when BHO was POTUS. How is that a win? And ISIS is worried: did you hear that directly from a deep cover Israeli spy? Or, did you get it forth hand from Israel, via DJT, via Russia, via Iran?
You're funny, bro.
Sessions should go after Hillary hammer and tongs.
Even sensible Democrats would probably appreciate her being rubbed-out politically before 2018.
Well, Chuck, I assume a special counsel was appointed because the Dems have been screaming about Trump and the Russians for so long, people wouldn't trust an investigation by Trump's AG or the FBI. The special counsel is independent of the White House. I am genuinely curious about what Mueller will find.
The evidence that Trump colluded with the Russki's is thin, to say the least. None of the Russian stuff was news until after Trump won, and as far as I can tell, nothing knew has come to light since . . . when? Last summer? And I think that it is safe to assume that all the mainstream media people have been looking to advance this story by any means necessary. And still there is nothing.
"sensible Democrats "
Know any?
PB&J wrote:
IOW, he won the election, w/ the help of Comey and Russians.
Trump isn't much of a quid pro quo guy, is he?
Billionaires. Go figure.
""sensible Democrats "
Know any?"
No, Ds don't want HRC killed.
That's all y'all.
EDH said...Sessions should go after Hillary hammer and tongs.
Even sensible Democrats would probably appreciate her being rubbed-out politically before 2018.
Trump should at least joke about sic'ing the IRS on her new pay-for-play 401(c).
No, Ds don't want HRC killed.
Well of course not jelly -- they want her propped up curbside for another run. Scarborough just said as much as quoted by Inga.
Weekend at Hillary's!
Keeping the focus on Hillary is akin to yelling, "look a squirrel!" Anything to distract from The TrumpMess.
I doubt Scarborough or most Democrats want her to run again. There are far younger, really good candidates and plenty of them.
Meade said...
"sensible Democrats"
Know any?
If wanting the party rid of Clinton is sufficient to be sensible, yes, there are more than a few.
Inga,
Hillary Derangement Syndrome is strong in these threads.
Again, I want to know what crime by Americans is alleged and supported by any evidence. And how do U.S. intelligence agencies assert knowledge of Russian hacking without examining the DNC machines in question?
Not accepted as evidence: "Trump may...
1) be an extra-terrestrial;
2) have used mind control rays to stop Hillary from holding political events in the upper midwest;
3) be weird by U.S. political standards
I want something stronger, please. Anybody?
Keeping the focus on Hillary is akin to yelling, "look a squirrel!" Anything to distract from The TrumpMess.
It's a simple cause and effect, Inga. Dems get rid of Rodham politically (for real) and Trump goes away. Not gonna happen though. Too much money is involved.
Not really, Inga. Many feel the 2016 choice was lesser of two evils. No harm seeing/reminding just how evil she is.
Don't be surprised if if investigations have a way of shedding more light/darkness about her.
Her uppity gal-ness is too galling for many guys in these threads.
They don't know where this comes from. Can't control it.
"There are far younger, really good candidates and plenty of them."
Maybe they should have run one of them in 2016?
It's going to be hard to find one of them who will appeal to the people who elected a majority GOP congress, majority GOP governors, and majority GOP state houses.
Or was that the Russians, too?
Blogger 3rdGradePB_GoodPerson said...
Inga,
Hillary Derangement Syndrome is strong in these threads.
Hey, I'm simply pointing at a convergence of interests between left, right and center.
Here, have a Pepsi.
Yeah, PB&J, the people who voted for Obama wouldn't vote for Hillary because she is a woman. You keep hard and steady on that theory, now. Don't change it! You are onto something big!
Jelly said...Inga,
Hillary Derangement Syndrome is strong in these threads.
There are plenty of good reasons to suppress Rodham's political influence Jelly. The best one is that it would free Dems to develop an alternative. You guys need one, badly.
Birk,
Hopefully you're forwarding you brilliant legal analysis to Rod...enstein.
Ya gots this whole thing figured out.
America needs you to set those dopes in DC straight.
We salute you.
FTR Chick, I didn't vote for her. Though I did vote.
PB,
They just cannot let her go. It's obsessive. They put a far worse person than her in Office, who is such a fuckup that now he's under investigation by a Special Counseler, he hasn't even been in Office a year.
@ PBJ
I am asking for a theory supported by evidence. Do you know if one? Mockery is well and good but I will persist. What is the theory that leads to Americans breaking laws.
Do you have one? Will it survive any scrutiny?
We had our revolution and deposed Bush III. Dems need to have theirs now. But, I think that is as likely as Muslims having an Enlightenment.
Oh puhleeze. She should have been indicted before her run.
Where did Hillary come from?
Hey! I heard Romney is still an asshole.
Hillary is irrelevant. None of the clintons will run again. time for a new generation. no more legacy candidates.
If Ann or Meade is reading this, I have a request:
Go through your archives. Find what the media and our resident lefties said when Obama mocked Romney for calling Russia our greatest geopolitical foe. Cause I remember a lot of laughing and mockery.
Wouldn't it be interesting to compare what they were saying about Russia and Putin then versus now? Deserves its own post, I think.
For the record, the number of people who voted for Obama, according to self-reporting after the fact, was much larger than the number of votes Obama received.
For the record, the number of people who voted for Clinton, according to self-reporting after the fact, was much smaller than the number of votes Clinton received.
These are facts. Make of them what you will.
Chicklit,
You probably don't want to click on this link. Not only is it not safe for work, it is not safe for anywhere.
It's Andrew Sullivan's online cruising profile. (may not be current)
http://web.archive.org/web/20010606105110/milkyloads.tripod.com/bareback/index.html
John Henry
That was a revolution?? Ya got me chuckling now. Oh boy.
"I know. Now try to imagine an entire political party nominating a candidate who is under investigation by the FBI. Would incompetence still be an understatement? Were Clinton voters brainwashed during the primaries? By who? The Russians?"
Two minutes! Delay of narrative!
I think it was more like mass retardation.
Hillary even polled low among Dems. The people that gave Trump the presidency were the Dems who showed up to vote for Obama, but didn't show up for Hillary.
Inga wrote: They just cannot let her go. It's obsessive.
Rodham personifies "Deep State." She is not going away. If she can't be Queen she will insist on being Queenmaker. That's what the Bush family tried to do. That is one reason why Trump is so bedeviled.
Trump was under investigation by the FBI on voting day. Not Hillary.
Birk,
I think that the Rosenstein knows more about this investigation's status to date than I do. And, I'll be waiting to see what comes of his decision that there was justification for Mueller heading an independent investigation of the Russia stuff.
But, I'm not as smart as you, and neither is Rosenstein.
And, I don't know as much as you re the Russia investigation, and neither does Rosenstein.
Thank you for your smarts and knowledge re this Russia investigation.
I and all of America (incl Rosenstein) will be grateful when you inform Dep AG that he can reverse course on this decision.
@John: Not gonna click. "Pink Flamingos" put me off "Goatse."
@ PBJ
I understand there is an investigation of Russian activity. No worries there.
My questions are more precise. If you have any information that is in the public record, that would justify all the accusations, please bring it forward.
My questions stand.
Inga, so called, for example, keeps falsely saying Trump is under investigation with no knowledge of the truth or falsity of that claim. It is folly and a strong desire. Will you prove yourself more judicious?
Hillary even polled low among Dems. The people that gave Trump the presidency were the Dems who showed up to vote for Obama, but didn't show up for Hillary.
Don't forget that she won the popular vote. It wasn't just Republican #NeverTrumpers voting for her. Non-Bernie Democrats loved her authoritah.
PB,
Birkel should just write the Special Prosecutor and demand to be told what the Probable Cause was/is that prompted the FBI to investigate Trump and Associates. Maybe he'll even tell Birkel what crimes Trump and Associates could be eventually be charged with. After impeachment for Trump that is.
"Trump was under investigation by the FBI on voting day. Not Hillary."
Hillary Clinton engaged in behavior that was beyond the pale for someone seeking the presidency, whether or not the Democrat controlled Justice Department did anything about it. Whether or not Donald Trump did anything at all is far from established.
Hahahaha! Birkel still thinks Trump isn't under investigation.
So Inga, if Mueller comes up with nothing..satisfied?
"Hillary Clinton engaged in behavior that was beyond the pale for someone seeking the presidency...."
Trump makes Hillary look like Pollyanna.
"Trump makes Hillary look like Pollyanna."
What? Are you prejudging Mueller's investigation?
Just watched video of Hannity 10 minute stemwinder. He set me straight.
@ Inga, so called
What evidence have you seen that any American stands accused of breaking a law?
Let's agree, arguendo, that Russians were bad actors.
Now what?
I want a Leftist to tell me what they expect, based on currently available evidence. I have not the foggiest how we get to President Cruz, my preferred outcome.
Somebody help me take the first step to that outcome based on facts.
She's a a humorless bore, just like Ritmo.
This from the db whose idea of comedy stylings would be going on stage and telling puns and showing ball and stick models.
It looks to me that just from what is public knowledge that Flynn probably broke a law or two. He didn’t declare some income that he should have.
Perhaps they can find some other low-hanging fruit. Manafort is supposedly under scrutiny. If so, fine. While I think the Special Prosecutor is unnecessary and a bad idea, as long as we are stuck with him I am curious to see what he finds. Perhaps this won’t turn out to be the long, highly political and expensive fiasco that the Patrick Fitzgerald investigation was. If crimes against the nation occurred then the suspects need to be in court before a judge and jury. That especially includes Trump, BTW.
I think it highly unlikely that Trump did anything they could nail him on. They’ve been looking for over 10 months and nothing’s been leaked, so my bet in Vegas is that there is nothing.
And if the investigation is wrapped up after a couple of years with no Trump impeached will the Trump haters be satisfied? Naw.
Meanwhile, Trump gets his SCOTUS pick on the bench,
Divisive
...withdraws from the TPP,
DId he? It's hard to pay attention with all the basic job descriptions he gets wrong. Also, can we wait to see what the impact of less trade is before cheerleading his feel-good moment?
...slows illegal immigration to a trickle without even building a wall,
And sent ICE in to round up fourth-graders at school. What a guy! Definitely the thuggish fear-based America I always knew we could be!
moves forward with repealing Obamacare,
A DOA bill that prices 24 million out of the insurance market.
and has ISIS worried for the first time in 10 years.
So POTUS is what, now? Emotional temperature-taker to terrorists? Does this obviate his abject idiocy in wanting to impress his Russian bosses so much that he endangered the intel operation on that?
What would you call that? Over-competence?
Over-partisan dbaggery, while he awaits better investigative training wheels to oversee his devolution into non-stop scandal-mongering.
All good points, Meade. They won't recognize it though.
Partisan blindspot #2 chimes in to lend agreement to Partisan blindspot#1's insistence that a regime that can't follow basic constitutional law and presidential competence norms is enough for the 39% that can't place country over party.
Oh right, the Gorsuck thing. Holding up a nomination for a year so that they can ram through (with VP tie-breaker?) yet another ideological wreck of a man. What's not to celebrate? Can't all Americans join in in this hyper-partisan victory of the Republican party over the country?
Republicans are apparently like the four-year old who chides guests over not enjoying HIS birthday enough!
Child-president Trump is definitely the most accurate face for them.
Chuck said...
Lewis Wetzel said...
So what crime is Mueller prosecuting?
Inga? Chuck?
Damned if I know, Lewis.
What crime was Patrick Fitzgerald prosecuting, prior to Scooter Libby's third FBI interview?
Fitzgerald was not only not prosecuting a crime, he knew where the leak he was investigating came from as soon as he started his investigation. But it was a good gig, and he didn't want to give it up. Scooter Libby was prosecuted for having a different recollection of what he said then an FBI agent. In DC, in front of a jury of Democrats. Sometimes your lawyer should say "We waive the right to trial by jury." Like the police in Baltimore did, much to the dismay of the prosecutor who suddenly had to rely on the actual law to convict, and not emotions and tears. And partisan hatred. Scooter Libby is not, and has never been, guilty of any crime. Convicted? Yes. Guilty? Only in the way that Soviet dissidents were found guilty- because the state demanded it.
Inga said...
PB,
Birkel should just write the Special Prosecutor and demand to be told what the Probable Cause was/is that prompted the FBI to investigate Trump and Associates. Maybe he'll even tell Birkel what crimes Trump and Associates could be eventually be charged with. After impeachment for Trump that
************
You stupid bint. You don't need probable cause to investigate. Only to get an arrest/search warrant, or to seize someone's property.
There's no "probable cause" in this case. No arrests, seizures or searches.
Gawd, yer a sack full of festering ignorance.
TR,
That's the "Biden Rule" you're referring to.
You know..that fine mind on your side of the spectrum.
But "Gorsuck" bit is potent..we see what ya did there.
Oh. Joe Biden said something so there go the Republicans with all their integrity and honor. Yep.
If it was that easy then I look forward to Joe Biden making sure you impeach the son of a bitch.
Blogger The Toothless Revolutionary said...
Oh. Joe Biden said something so there go the Republicans with all their integrity and honor.
Perhaps you haven't noticed, R&B, but the Dems are angry because Hillary Clinton and her rapist husband lost the election to Trump.
Lewis Wetzel said...
Podesta's email got hacked. That was a crime, even if his computer hygiene was less than optimal. Is there some theory that Trump assisted in this?
Let's get it down correctly here. Podesta's email was not hacked. The idiot fell for a phishing scheme. IOW, he hacked himself by being S-T-U-P-I-D. Which could also explain why he was working for Hillary.
This was the necessary move. Simply saying "fake news" was going to be convincing to a decided minority of Americans, and was not going to get the GOP past this scandal. And putting the investigation under some toady would mean that if they found nothing incriminating, no one would believe it wasn't a cover up. They needed someone with credibility.
Now, for the next several months/years, while Mueller is investigating the GOP can just say "we have a special counsel on that" rather than having to address the Russia scandal. Otherwise we'd be looking at legislative paralysis for the rest of the Trump presidency.
I have not the foggiest how we get to President Cruz, my preferred outcome.
Ummm, he lost. Nobody really wants him to be president outside a small minority. I wish Cardinal Cruz and Hillary would just march off the scene together so we could sort this out properly.
Interesting. Trump will get more insulated and isolated as the press overreaches.
Eventually there will be enough votes to impeach in the house and trump will
Fight it in the senate.
At that point he will call out individual senators and it will actually be inciting a riot but
You gotta do what you gotta do. He'll figure you can't kick a president out twice ..
"Republicans are apparently like the four-year old who chides guests over not enjoying HIS birthday enough!"
Sorry, I left out opening up the Keystone pipeline. Happy birthday, Ritmo.
@ Virtually Unknown
Let's not be humorless. I was suggesting that Democrat hopes of getting to President Hillary are less sensible than hopes for a President Cruz, because at least he is in the order of succession. Mine was a joke.
"Let's not be humorless. I was suggesting that Democrat hopes of getting to President Hillary are less sensible than hopes for a President Cruz, because at least he is in the order of succession. Mine was a joke."
I think impeachment won't happen, but if it did I'm not sure that's such a good thing for Dems. Some leftists think even Prez Pence is a good outcome because he'd be weakened and the GOP in disarray, and Trump would burn down the party on the way out, but that's not necessarily the case--Pence would get a honeymoon and a chance to shore up support with a more disciplined message (simply presiding after the Trump drama would make him look good). Maybe Congress would go back to the drawing board on Obamacare repeal and come up with something that might pass (and do better than 20% approval).
But these are all hypotheticals. There's a better chance Trump would decide the job's not fun anymore than there is of him being removed against his will.
Eventually there will be enough votes to impeach in the house and trump will
Fight it in the senate.
I cannot see any possibility of this. I can see rioting and violence this summer and especially before the 2018 election.
I think, assuming the GOPe does not go south on Trump, he will be able to get a tax cut through and regulations cancelled so the economy gets going.
If that works, the Democrats are on a suicide mission.
The usual suspects are out in force.
Someone must have dragged a hundred dollar bill through Starbucks.
"[Hillary's] uppity gal-ness is too galling for many guys in these threads"
WTF? There's a YUUUUGE overlap between those who voted for/support Trump, and those who admired Thatcher, Condi Rice, and Sarah Palin. "Sexism" has zero to do with it; hatred of crony-cap/elitist/socialist politics is what it's about.
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