The stoutest, loudest defense of the Mueller investigation ought to be coming from the Republicans. It's too late, though. Trump's hostile takeover of the GOP is long since past its candidates. It's complete down to the very meaning and purpose of the party. Trump neutered the statesmen and even the poseur-statesmen of the Right. Now he's surrounded by loyal eunuchs and made the Grand Old Party the Trump Only Party, with their manhood in a jar, their integrity in the dust, and their future in his tiny hands.
Anyone giving one’s word “as a Republican” must be crossing his fingers behind his back.
"Where's my Roy Cohn?" Now you have your answer: "Whitaker!"
Lindsey Graham won’t stand for his words. John McCaine was Graham’s soul, but Lindsey is soulless and seeking one in Trump.
Lets re-phrase the headline: 'What Happens To America Now?`
As we can see (Breaking News: another mass-shooting a few hours ago in CA) the politics divert into pure hate and will be fueled with many more gun atacks to come as the political faultline will sharpen and the situation for public safety will becone desolate, not controlable.
What more? 'Psychosis like` those who are triggered by watching Fox News only will prevail and turn into a violent terror force, making the USofA a battlefield creating an unseen amount of casualties - daily!
Rely on old yellow-spine Lindsey Graham to protect Mueller? Seriously?
Should Whitaker recuse himself? Absolutely! Will he do so? Absolutely Not! He is now Trump`s newest pit bull; put in place to attack and take down the Mueller investigation. Anyone who does not clearly see what is going on here needs to give their head a giant shake. This is step one in another Saturday Night Massacre/ Nixon style. One can only hope and pray the final outcome will be similar. If Democracy is to survive in the good old U.S.A.; then these dark fascist sources that created Trump from the beginning; yes I am talking to you KOCH brothers; must be dealt with once and for all. Mueller threatens to expose the whole rotten barrel of apples that led to Trumpocracy in the first place. What happens to Mueller`s investigation? I suggest he wraps it up soon; if he can. The knives are out; and Trump is looking to kill the messenger any way he can.
1
Mueller had nearly 2 years, if that was not enough, how will 4 be any different... unlerss the objective tis to kreep Trump hostage.
1
Let the games begin.
John Dean on CNN said funding will be squeezed for Mueller-not Saturday Night Massacre--Mueller Funding Banisher
1
What happens to Mueller? He gets stonewalled and dodged until Trump is out of office. That's what. Just like Trump has avoided answering questions or facing a judge regarding any of his sexual harrassment crimes, and like he has avoided showing his tax returns. He is the master of "shrug and dodge". He just gives no answers, no promises and no information, and keep doing what he wants. He calls it a "witch hunt" but that's what an investigation becomes when the person you are hunting won't stand still and answer any questions.
Mueller has been attempting to pick off underlings, get them on concrete charges, and then use those charges to flip those people so they can testify against Trump, in the hopes that he will eventually turn over a smoking gun that Trump cannot run away from. It's a valid strategy, and probably the only one you can use against a President. But so far, he doesn't have anything that can forcibly drag Trump into court.
Getting rid of Sessions just makes it easier for Trump to keep dodging.
1
Mueller is the personification of the will and democratic aspirations of the people of this country. His untrammeled ability to investigate Russian meddling in the 2016 elections is essential to the continuation of our democracy. We are all under assault by this president who is seeking to make the investigatory powers of the federal government his private tool and has already threatened their use against the newly Democratic House.
In the time of Archibald Cox, public opinion, in conjunction with a vibrant, independent Congress, allowed us to overcome the machinations of a would be tyrant, Richard Nixon. Trump is more unscrupulous and contemptuous of the rule of law than Nixon and he has the Senate in his pocket. This was something that that Nixon never had and which brought his ultimate downfall when Republican senators walked into the White House and told him his presidency was over. It's hard to imagine that happening now. So we the people are in serious trouble, because no matter how aroused and incensed we may be, Trump has that extra layer of protection, and would resist like a cornered tiger. That is why we will march this afternoon despite the tilted battlefield. We will not go down without a fight either.
2
Mueller is sharp. Isn’t it possible he anticipated this firing of Sessions and has pushed to finish his work by the mid-terms?
1
This will give Sessions an opportunity to look for more meaningful employment. One job he may want to look into would be: "witness for the prosecution".
1
Does anyone really expect that Congress or Trump would exhibit any sense of propriety?
I trust Republicans in congress to do nothing and I trust nothing that Republicans in congress do. Until the Republican zebra changes its stripes, it will be up to Democrats in the new Congress, and as much as possible in this one, to save America from Trump and Republicans. It is not going to be easy, and I wonder if the ideals expressed in this article are even still possible. I have not given up hope, but it has become a very slippery thing to hold onto.
3
Instead of attributing dark motives to Trump without any evidence, can’t we accept the possibility that he is, as he says, completely innocent of Russian collusion and that he simply wants to get rid of the distraction of it so he can concentrate on other things? Innocent until proven guilty is still the norm under our system of law, isn’t it, or have the Kavanaugh hearings somehow changed that? So far Mueller has not brought forward any incriminating evidence against Trump or his campaign. Not one shred. Mere dislike of Trump or disagreement with his policies is not enough.
6
@Ed
Answer me this question, if you can: why is Trump so adamant in preventing Mueller's investigation into the possibility of any connection for Trump and his family's business ties to Russia?
Also consider this: why did Trump act so subservient to Putin?
The common sense observation (Sense is not always so common with Trump's supporters) is that Trump does not act as a innocent man.
I will admit this: if Mueller doesn't find any connection between Russia and Trump, the investigation should drop including any conspiracy ideas that may spawn in people's minds.
9
@Ed
"Instead of attributing dark motives to Trump without any evidence, can’t we accept the possibility that he is, as he says, completely innocent of Russian collusion and that he simply wants to get rid of the distraction of it so he can concentrate on other things?"
We might be able to, Ed, were it not for scenarios not yet clarified, like the June 2016 meeting, Roger Stone, Trump's exceedingly defensive and suspicious behaviour, and what is known of his financial track record.
19
@Gert, how adamant would you be to see an investigation of you by the Marion DA for theft of property because your next door neighbor's cocaine stash was missing, if you knew you hadn't committed a crime, and the DA (without any evidence that you actually stole anything) was, for over 2 years, dragging all your co-workers, family members, friends, your business clients etc before a grand jury? What if that DA raided your attorney's office and home confiscating all correspondence with you? And then was trying to get access to 15 years of your tax forms? What if the DA had charged 1 of your friends and a co-worker with perjury for lying about an affair they were having but might offer them a deal if they testified against you over the missing cocaine? And did the same with your attorney after charging him with tax evasion totally unrelated to you? Would it make you feel better that the DA charged 20 people in Venezuela on drug charges, knowing they will never be extradited and prosecuted, because of their association with your neighbor and his cocaine? Would you feel better that the DA continues to say you aren't the target of his investigation but keeps relentlessly doing all the above? Are you really going to sit here and say you wouldn't be pretty adamant that the DA stop doing what they are doing if you were innocent? Or are you really trying to convince us that you would be calm and patient while this DA finished his investigation?
Firing Mueller or however the investigation could be shut down or compromised would be obstruction of justice--more cause for impeachment.
Whitaker had better tread lightly, or he will also be open to being charged with obstruction of justice.
Trump obviously is trying to hide something: could be his ties with Russian oligarchs, his collusion with Russia over Hillary's emails, or just the fact that it would show he's not really a billionaire, which I can believe is very important to his fragile ego. Whether it's something illegal or not is for Mueller to determine.
Either the rule of law is maintained or the country falls into dictatorship, like in Nazi Germany and other places.
History will judge the Republicans collectively, as well as individuals (Mitch McConell, Paul Ryan, etc.). So will God, I believe.
36
Trump’s petulance continues to drive decisions to suppress DOJ activities, similar to his revoking the press credentials of CNN’s Jim Acosta.
The optics are irrelevant to him. He’s actively interfering to influence actions taken under regulatory or Constitutional aegis. In his desperation to avoid accountability and what he must know are severe consequences of his behavior, he believes that he can dismiss or overturn the law, or that he is somehow imperially exempt.
You can run but you can’t hide. I hope he hears the clanking of hand and leg irons in his dreams.
2
I detest corruption in government and any individual holding an elected or appointed office suspected of criminal behavior should be investigated regardless of Party, regardless of when the criminal behavior occurred, and regardless of how high that office is. Investigations do not mean subjects or targets are guilty; investigations must first be allowed to conclude so juries, or Congress, can decide.
Obstruction of justice is not a presidential or Executive Branch prerogative; it is a criminal act. Americans do not elect kings, a conclusion from experiencing Watergate.
It is “deja vu all over again” to relive the same obfuscating tactics used by Nixon during Watergate used today by the White House and supporters in Congress. For those with no Watergate memories or knowledge, it is understandable defensive tactics by the White House and Congress may seem justified. They are not. Such tactics are designed to cast doubt on the investigation before facts and evidence are revealed from a criminal investigation usually by stating the obvious - no facts or evidence have been uncovered - because it is a secret investigation; and, more importantly, they are designed to stop an investigation that may reveal facts and evidence.
Any investigation that has no foundation - one contrived or conspiratorial - will die on its own. It does not need illegal, criminal assistance in the form of Executive abuses of power to die.
16
Nothing. After two years tons of ink and billions of excited electrons nothing he now finds will change a single vote.
1
Trump’s blueprint is drawn from professional wrestling, all theatre and fake moves. Those skills are useless in waging battle with a combat veteran like Mueller.
2
I particularly liked the one about Lindsey Graham keeping his pledge to the American people. Hope he is not dizzy from all his political pirouettes he has been doing recently.
2
Meaningless statements that I constantly hear in the media and read in these comments, and the reason they are meaningless:
1) The President is not above the law.
* The Constitution may say he is not, but if he personally controls the investigators, prosecutors, and judges, who is there to enforce the law?
2) This is obvious obstruction of justice!
* Of course it is, but so what? Do you expect a magic Justice Fairy to appear and send the President to jail? See #1 above.
3) This is not normal behavior for a President.
* Gee, all that blood I'm coughing up is probably just a bad cold. It'll clear up on its own.
4) Senate Republicans will do the right thing when it really comes down to it.
* Wishful thinking will not protect our democracy.
The only prudent course of action is to act on the assumption and belief that Donald Trump is doing everything he can to turn this country into an authoritarian oligarchy peopled by white heterosexuals.
If it turns out that I am overly alarmist, no harm is done by being vigilant, and acting in a legal manner to resist all threats to democracy. But if I am not, continuing to deny that it CAN happen here will likely guarantee that it does.
12
Of course, no one believes that Senator Graham, now sporting his MAGA hat 24/7, will really uphold his pledge to protect justice, do they?
2
We have a corrupt, incompetent, illegitimate president Trump. We have a corrupt congress representing oligarchs instead of the majority of Americans. We have no political solution in sight. Muller will assuredly be fired, probably over the Christmas Holiday Season. We need a military coup by some of the true American patriots in our Armed Services who can oust the Trump administration and call for new elections. We need to reverse the stain of the Trump/Putin rigged election of 2016.
2
After reading the other article about Mr. Whittaker, this is getting to a very dangerous territorry. Trump will burn the republic in order to save himself. Will the republicans let it happen? You know what kakistocracy means? It is the rule of the worst and most ignorant. I think America will start to look back to the Watergate era and rehabilitate Nixon and the others as honorable men who in the end held the country above their own interests.
1
Take heart. Mueller has planned for this.
Yes, T's latest move is an outrage to the ideal "Government of Law, not Men" [sic].
But Mueller has expected this for a long time. The indictments already exist. Mueller's findings are spread in many legal venues where they will be safe, and will be acted on (Southern District of NY, Eastern Virginia, and with other entities).
Furthermore, Congressman Adam Schiff will be chairing the House Committee on Intelligence starting in January. If Trump fires Mueller, Schiff has said long ago that he, Schiff, could just hire Mueller to work for the Intelligence committee. Angus King (I, ME) just repeated this.
SO: Let's all protest at 5 pm on the 8th because this latest move defies both the law and the spirit of the law. https://www.trumpisnotabovethelaw.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response/
But relax a little. Mueller and co build robust contingency plans for this event, long ago.
3
@Diana, I fervently hope that you are right. If not, we are doomed. Am I an alarmist? Yes, and alarmists are always right eventually. Eventually is now.
It's another sad day for the United States all delivered by our amoral, lying president.
A reporter was ejected from the White House press corps for doing his job and the Mueller
investigation is imperilled by Jeff Sessions forced resignation. On Monday we had Rush
Limbaugh and Shaun Hannity get a 'rock stars' reception at a Trump rally. The president
inviting members of the press to campaign with him would have been considered improper in
any other era.
The elimination of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987 has largely contributed to thios stae of
affairs. In the late 1920s and early 1930s one sided talk radio became very popular on a
few radio stations. The early regulators of broadcasting saw the problem with this. Laws
leading to the Fairness Doctrine were put in place. A few operators who refused to change
lost their licenses. The Donald Trump and todays Republican party is exactly what was feared.
Today we have a president condemning the legitimate press while endorsing what is actually the
true 'fake news'. I personally know people who adamantly refuse to read the Washington Post
or the New York Times. They consider the 'mainstream media' to be truly evil. For myself,
at least, it is impossible to reach these people. So long as I say nothing negative about
Donald Trump I get along with them fine. Is there any way to fix this damage? I pray there
may be or we are in very deep trouble.
12
Another test of our Republic...Will we pass or fail?
There’s a crook in the White House and Trump knows we know. His behaviour shows this. He may win the battle on a day like yesterday but he won’t win the war. Soldier on America.
2
The cognitive dissonance we all share is the conflict between what a reasonable person perceives to be obviously ethical behavior and what we have come to expect from this corrupt president and his party, the grotesquely distorted, once honorable Republican Party.
The president is a crook. His spokesperson is an accomplished liar. His court picks are aimed at protecting him from legal scrutiny while in office. His Attorney General is chosen for public statements undermining the criminal investigation of the president’s campaign for office. There is not one ounce of legitimacy left.
We will survive this, but it won’t be pretty. And in the period of reflection after this disgusting administration has collapsed, we should focus on passing laws to formalize the rules of behavior that most of us took for granted.
4
There is only one honest person to take over for Sessions:
David Nunes has proven himself.
”Despite the extraordinary success of the special counsel, Robert Mueller....”
Already a dubious proposition because no one has been convicted of actual Russian collusion—not Papadopoulos, not Mannafort, but undeterred, the writers of this piece don’t seem to understand that there is no issue surrounding the departure of Sessions unless Sessions himself, as opposed to the writers of this piece, makes one of it and speaks publicly about it and then Rosenstein in agreement with him also resigns, but none of this has actually happened. Sessions is mum, and Rosenstein after meeting with the President has publicly registered no objections. Rather than wait for an actual Saturday night massacre to begin, however, the writers of this piece raise a premature alarm as if matters have already come to a head when they have not. I would therefore put what they have to say in the category of wishful thinking motivated by a scenario of what has not yet happened and likely never will because the so-called “success” of the Mueller investigation which is the premise of this article is a dubious proposition to begin with.
2
@Ed
Mueller’s investigation is on-going so declaring that the “Russian collusion” component of it is unsuccessful, before results are released, is premature.
And, one could argue that your proposition - that Mueller’s investigatory work to date is unsuccessful - is dubious.
The special prosecutor’s role is to investigate, report, and act on any findings on multiple topics. It is not true that the special investigator’s only duty is to focus on any potential collusion with Russia. For example, investigating possible obstruction of justice is one of the other focuses.
Therefore, success is not narrowly defined by whether Mueller’s team has outcomes proving Trump and/or his family and associates colluded with Russia.
Success also encompasses Mueller’s results so far of successfully prosecuting Manafort for his crimes and obtaining plea agreements from Manafort and many other criminals who worked with, or worked for, Trump and his organizations.
3
@Ed Following your logic, there's never been a fire in this building, and I don't see one now, so installing a fire suppression system and holding evacuation drills is a waste of time by a scenario of what has not yet happened and likely never will, and besides, I really don't want a fire to happen so I'll greet any warnings as dubious propositions and premature alarms.
Uh, you dropped your cigarette there, Ed.
3
@Ed
"and likely never will because the so-called “success” of the Mueller investigation which is the premise of this article is a dubious proposition to begin with."
The Mueller investigation has shown that the President did surround himself with people very willing, and able, to lie publically. What we now see is that the President's selection of an Acting AG to replace a reluctant resignation was a recent legal advisor to a company fined $26 million (if memory serves), for intentionally misleading its clients. Is that the sort of legal advisor you think is good to hire, Ed?
Like attracts like. Where there is one criminal -- and Mueller has found, and other branches of the Judiciary have convicted, several hires of the current occupant of the Oval Office to be criminal,- is it not more than reasonably likely that their common boss has been criminal?
2
Trump needs to be told, through the law, that he cannot use the Attorney General's office to stop or hinder the special counsel investigation into Russian influences on his administration.
Congress should enact legislation preventing Trump from infringing on the special council's investigation into Russian influences in the election, and Russian influences on Trump.
Is it money? Well, Trump sure enjoys renting his hotels to foreign embassies. The embassy of Azerbaijan co-hosted a Hanukkah party in the Washington D.C. Trump International Hotel’s elegant Lincoln Library, with a roster of guests that included Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak who has become notorious this spring for meeting with several Trump Administration officials. Imagine how many such rentals have occurred in hotels, condos, etc. that Trump owns or profits from across the world over the past two years...
What other levers does Russia hold over Trump?
Trump recognizes no moral, political or strategic commitments. He feels free to pursue objectives without regard to the effect on allies and the world. He has no sense of responsibility to anything beyond himself.
Congress needs to put Trump back into the cave from which he came.
2
@Ed, is it money? Is the sky blue? If anyone wonders what the answers to those questions are, note that despite her daddy's embargo Ivanka Trump just registered 16 trademarks in China this week, and not just on her fashion line. If it isn't money, then I have a bridge to Brooklyn to sell you.
1
Only the true loyalists will survive in Trump's administration these last two years.
Can the GOP continue to claim the mantle of originalists and constitutionalists by continuing to fail the constitutional test for oversight? Will they continue to fail their basic tests of citizenship by their continued loyalty to Trump's pirated flag. Trump truly represents to what dark extremes they will go to win. And to how much they will deny the hard reckonings that will come should they continue to sail on Trump's pirate ship so shot thru with moral and ethical holes.
2
If the Special Counsel is defunded, what’s to stop future foreign interference in our election? Nothing.
1
Presumably Trump will want to fire Mueller before the new Congress is sworn in so he doesn’t immediately face a hostile Democrat majority in the House. That is the whole point of the temporary appointment, is it not? To get the dirty deed done right here, right now? Unless he can be sure that the acting AG has the ability to completely quash the Mueller report so no other human being will ever see it, I don’t see any choice for Trump other than making sure there never is a Mueller report. And I don’t see how a completely quashed report is a safe bet for Trump. I imagine that Trump has been told that firing Mueller would be madness, but Trump isn’t much for accepting advice.
1
His threat of revenge on elected officials, overt, explicit, verbal, public, is criminal threat of illegal, anti-Constitutional official, governmental, High Office reprisal and retaliation against lawmakers for fulfilling their duties because their duty and power to do it displease him, one man,
A free people cannot have their representatives threatened and warned against representing the people as the Constitution provides.
Childishly calling it "hitting back" does not make it less an abuse of High Office, no less of a High Crime.
Nor does declaring "just " the Free Press that criticises him, challenges him, fails to praise him "the enemy of the American people" in presidential proclamations make that any less aggressively hostile to the Constitution, no more beneficial to the defense of our rights and freedoms -- Obviously, it makes it all the worse, a perversion of the word "freedom" itself, criminalizing free speech, the Free Press.
Let him be called to account under oath to explain his own words and how they serve to protect, defend and preserve the Constitution rather than deliberately seek to subvert it.
As in repeatedly claiming non-existent powers to alter it. As in paying his agent to declare on TV he has the power to murder any who displease him and escape judgment.
He is the only person who can explain his words.
There is no "disability" of being a ceaseless tactical liar that excuses him from being put under oath.
If he refuses, time to impeach.
3
After seeing Trump going off the rails in today's meeting with the press one has to seriously wonder about his self control, judgment and unbridled chronic ve rage. I am sure the Congress has already a plan in place to act in response to head off Trump's likely effort to derail or discredit the Mueller investigation - more than obvious what this scheming megalomaniac is up to. Sure didn't take him long to change his tune and once again show us all his malevolent side in full color.
2
You do understand that Trump specifically made this appointment to stop the investigation, or even worse, to prevent the evidence collected so far to ever be made public.
If Congress were to act, they would have done it before now.
Ethics and Trump is as much an oxymoron as Jumbo Shrimp.
2
"Despite the extraordinary success of the special counsel" What success? There is no evidence of collusion with Russia or even any specific allegations. Cohen and Manafort are tax cheats so nice to see them behind bars but this has nothing to do wit Trump. The whole Russia collusion investigations has been going on for more than 2 years so now it's time to present the result.
1. The Trump administration does not do ethics.
2. Anything Trump can get away with - he will. 'Ought to or shouldn't ' has no effect on him.
3. This is not 1973. Trump loyalists could care less about precedent - unless it is useful to them.
4. There is nothing too shady, underhanded, deceitful or illegal that Trump and cronies won't try to get their way. And they have wall to wall lawyers to justify it all.
5. No matter how many times points 1-4 are played out by this regime, many people continue to go on
about what 'ought to happen'. Only one thing matters - can and will it be enforced?
4
The entire Mueller escapade has been a waste of American resources. The sooner that this enterprise is shuttered the better.
The existence of the Mueller investigation is not going to have one (1) iota of significance to American citizens. It has been and is a non-entity in our lives. It is just another waste of time, money and human energy.
1
Where does the nonsense stop? Fred Wertheimer and Norman Eisen pen an opinion piece under the guise of being independent and non-partisan, when in fact they are nothing more than Obama era lackeys. It’s time for some truth in this country. You two profess to be ethics experts and then pen the comment, “If we have ever seen an appearance of impropriety in our decades of experience, this is it: a criminal subject president appointing his own prosecutor — one who has evidently prejudged aspects of the investigation and mused about how it can be hampered.”
Mr. Whitaker has done no such thing. He has done just what you two, as ethics experts, should have done, point out the fact that the Bork mandate for a special prosecutor is markedly different that the mandate afforded Mueller. Mueller’s mandate was to investigate whether or not the Russians interfered in the 2016 election, and if they did, who were the players and to what degree the interference occurred. Nothing more and nothing less!
This said, you have used a piece in the NY Times to opine that the president has committed a crime (or crimes) when no proof has been offered. There’s nothing ethical about either of you, and you are certainly not non-partisan.
"Mr. Whitaker must step aside."
Of course. But there is no doubt he has already promised Trump he will not do so.
1
How many times did Trump and his cronies make the argument that those two FBI agents who were having an affair- and had texted about how they disliked Trump - had tainted any investigation into Trump during and after the campaign?
Wasn't it Jim Jordan and some other rarin' to go Tea Party self-righteous overlords who screamed and sneered at Strzok during a hearing? Over lovers' texts?
But now, all of a sudden, an acting AG's written and publicly spoken remarks about the special counsel - and how to stunt the investigation - have NO appearance of ANYthing.
Whitaker's partisanship stinketh as much as DEvin Nunes does - no, even more than Nunes does.
Whitaker has to go before he gets started.
3
Republicans will do nothing to protect Mueller. They will do everything to protect Trump. Period, the end.
2
@gailhbrown
Except that Susan Collins, Mitt Romney, and another GOP Senator have demanded that the Mueller investigation be continued until its leader finished his report.
Unless he is a fool, Matt Whitaker is now consulting both with career lawyers at the Justice Department and with his own personal attorneys about what moves he can make against the Mueller investigation yet still stay out of prison. (John Mitchell, Nixon's first AG, served 19 months.) Actions that are well within Whitaker's statutory authority can nonetheless be crimes if done with the corrupt intent to obstruct a criminal investigation.
3
It should be "fun" to watch all those Constitution-hugging Republicans dance around while Trump tries even harder to derail the Mueller investigation before the new House and Senate are seated. Laws are to be followed only if they don't interfere with your master plan...
2
We, the American people, should indeed ask no less than protection for this independent special prosecutor who's just trying to do his job. Why all of President Trump's supporters fail to see this is a mystery to me.
I remember Watergate, and it seems to me that it pales in comparison to the circus atmosphere that hangs over our government at the present time and threatens our very core of democracy.
7
Impetuous Donald, in a fit over the blue wave (cf. Nate Cohn's detailed analysis of the vote in yesterday's NYT), made Whitaker the most powerful man in the country, with exclusive control over Trump's personal destiny and TrumpOrg's fortunes.
Anyone who imagines any of this will go as Trump intends it to has not been paying attention to the parabolic arc of Trump's life, now accelerating towards an inglorious finish.
8
The short answer Mueller is own his on now. Trump perhaps made a fatal mistake. If as expected Whitaker moves quietly to hamstring, frustrate or under-fund Mueller's team, his last resort is to sit down with House Judiciary Committee and lay out his case for them to pursue. If Whitaker chooses to fire Mueller then that is far better than be rolled by someone who got the temporary AG because of animus toward him and the Russia probe. Whitaker, partisan that he is, may see no risk in interfering or obstructing justice, but the exposure is more than minimal.
1
Unfortunately, this investigation will turn the way the Kavanaugh “investigation” did.... wrapped up in an artificially designated timeframe instead of the full and complete conclusion. Hoping Mueller has a series of contingencies planned to get the truth out when he is subverted.
9
The closest Mueller has come to success of any kind in the Russian collusion investigation is Papadopoulos, who was supposedly the link between the Trump campaign and Russia, but all he was convicted of was lying to the FBI, and then given a nominal sentence of just a few weeks. The FBI needed Papadopoulos in order to say that they had an independent reason to begin their investigation and not just the Steele dossier which was purchased by Hillary and the DNC. With the conviction of Papadopoulos on a lesser unrelated charge, however, they don’t even have that anymore. So what are we left with? So far Mueller has produced nothing else.
2
@Ed How do you know Mueller doesn't have anything? Also, Watergate took over 2 years. How long should it take to get the truth?
6
When you're building a case, it's not a great idea to reveal your cards. I'm sure you're aware of that, and also the time it takes to investigate a case.
Clinton's Whitewater scandal took 7 years, $10,000,000 taxpayer dollars, and the total upshot was a charge for lying about having a consensual affair.
One outcome by Mueller could be that there was no collusion or obstruction of justice, one could be there was collusion and/or obstruction of justice, or even other charges such as money laundering. This investigation began from intelligence corroborated by the FBI. Justice is not something that is served only to people on the other team. How can you not understand that?
1
@Ed:
Right, all those indictments are nothing.
Trump shill.
1
Thank you for this article. It helped me to craft a letter to my Senator. I'm frightened for our country.
12
I doubt the “party of law and order” has any interest in protecting Mueller’s investigation. If they did, they would have done so ages ago.
16
Mueller IS taking too long and it feeds Trump's narrative that there's nothing there. The perfect is the enemy of the good. He should have issued a preliminary report this fall, with a roadmap of what's left to do. I realize that is not typical prosecutor protocol, but this is not a typical prosecution. He should still do it. Tomorrow. Can't anybody figure out that playing by the "rules" doesn't work with Trump?
6
No it really hasn't been that long. It takes time to flip people and build a case. He deserves patience and a conviction (almost certainly the outcome given how Trump acts).
13
@highway
No, Mueller is not taking too long. Compared to other investigations such as Whitewater, this investigation has consumed far less time and money while yielding far more results in the form of actual indictments and convictions. Look it up.
It’s time to start focusing on facts. I’m tired of the uninformed repeating untruths that fit some false narrative they heard from a talking head. There are truths and facts and you have a responsibility to know them if you are going to have an opinion.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-muellers-first-year-compares-to-watergate-iran-contra-and-whitewater/
1
Robert Mueller investigation has not produced results regarding the Russian campaign collusion conspiracies. We have seen numerous indictments and felony convictions of several major players in the campaign or administration such as Paul Manafort, George Papadopoulos, Michael Cohen, General Flynn and Rick Gates for non-conspiracy charges. After 2 years and countless $$ millions Mr. Mueller must present his investigative report conclusions to the Justice Department without further delays.
2
@Realist. I strongly disagree. An investigation this complex takes time. The American people deserve to know the truth, not a rush to judgement.
22
@Realist There have been NO "delays."
4
No, again, the investigation has taken relatively less time and money than other investigations and has been exceedingly productive.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-muellers-first-year-compares-to-watergate-iran-contra-and-whitewater/
The Times might want to scrutinize the comments section for facts. It looks like the newly unemployed Twitter trolls have discovered it.
2
Any doubt that Trump is guilty of obstruction of justice has vanished. The timing of his actions makes it clear that he is desperate to shut down Mueller's investigation as soon as possible. He is afraid to allow the investigation to continue to its natural conclusion since he knows he is guilty & feels the investigation closing in on him.
A Democratic majority in the House means more hearings & a renewed push to examine Trump's finances. A look at his tax returns will reveal to the world that he is indebted to Russians who have singlehandedly kept him out of personal bankruptcy. The rationale for his consistent favoring of Russia while alienating all of our traditional allies will be exposed. His entire portrayal of himself as a great businessman will be laid bare. He will be exposed as the fraud he has always been. Without lackeys like Devin Nunes to protect him, he will destroy the rule of law for his own personal benefit.
If Trump had nothing to hide, he would have no fears of having Mueller and congressional oversight committees do their job. But he has a lot to hide. He will do everything in his power to obstruct justice because he believes he is not bound to obey the same rules as everyone else.
Nixon resigned when he lost the support of not only the nation, but specifically his own GOP compatriots. Today's GOP figures all seem to put party ahead of country. Do any of them have the integrity & moral courage to do the right thing? We are about to find out.
47
@Doctor B, as long as Mitch McConnell can bury inconvenient legislation single-handedly or with the help of his Republican co-conspirators, I have little confidence that any integrity and morality will emerge from the senate. What a tragic state of affairs!
Mr. Whitaker has suggested cutting off funding for Mr. Mueller's investigation. Can We the People start a fund to support Mueller's investigation? I'm certainly ready and willing to donate.
43
In a word, no. You can file your own law suit, but it would be thrown out for lack of standing. Your lawyer will be happy to take your money though.
The degree with which the scheming has been done to undercut a viable investigation and interfere with the rule of law is alarming. It is slow moving, cutting down staff and resources, maybe now limiting Mueller's prosecution choices, and just generally undermining the investigation by changing from the fair and just Rosenstein to Whitaker who may interfere with the investigation. Mueller needs to be protected and allowed to complete his investigation. Preserving documents while the changeover happens is important. There needs to be checks and balances.
29
The Special Counsel does need to be protected. It has been sad to see the way Sessions has been mistreated but I wish he had refused to resign and made them fire him so that Rosenstein would still be overseeing the Special Counsel investigation. It is in plain sight that there has once again been obstruction of justice with Whitaker gunning for this job and he should clearly recuse himself. And then Mueller needs to be protected by Congress as soon as possible.
32
The most important thing at this point is following the money. This means continuing the investigations of Trump's finances.
This is what Trump fears most (with good reason from his point of view) and is willing to go to any lengths to stop. The investigations must not stop.
34
The quotations in this article demonstrate clearly that the majority the GOP members are totally aware of what Trump is up to, i.e. trying to short circuit a legitimate legal investigation of his own acts. These GOP members are making choices that will clearly show what sort of values they actually have, and these decisions will define them for their children, and the historical record.
29
The average House district nationwide moved 10 percentage points to the left this year, as reported by NYT today. That did not just flip the House, it showed that American’s are souring on the Trump messages of fear, racism, and misogyny. They may still want trade wars and militaristic foreign policy, but those are areas that require time to ripen into the inevitable spoiled fruit.
Trump has been lucky because he has not faced a real crisis, foreign or domestic, except for those of his own making (kidnapping children from their parents, for example). That won’t last. Sadly, the world will deliver a disaster soon enough. The challenge for him will be facing a divided government and the hyper-partisanship that he encourages with every tweet (even with misspellings). Any Trump expression of national leadership will be measured in minutes. Then he will return to snarling and blaming others—especially groups he dislikes.
The voters have tired of the circus. Democrats generally won where they focused on serving the people with ideas and visions of effective and representative government. Government is more than winning elections. The GOP was schooled in that on Tuesday.
24
Mueller is a patriot. If Mueller believes he has evidence indicating Trump or his companies have committed crimes or that Trump and his campaign were treasonous, he will not go quietly. He will find ways to expose the truth despite possible consequences.
22
The focus on Mueller is wrong because impeachment is a political process and the Senate will never convict Trump. More importantly, Mueller outsourced the most dangerous investigation against Trump to the SDNY US Attorney. His referral led to Michael Cohen's guilty plea and an immunity agreement with Trump Organization's chief accountant.
Furthermore, the NY Times did an in-depth longitudinal investigation of Trump and his siblings committing fraud to avoid inheritance and income tax. This should have launched an investigation by the SDNY US Attorney. Financial crimes will be the downfall of Trump and his family.
16
This Congress would let Trump rename the country the United States of Trump if that's what he wanted, and it remains seated until January, when Democrats will control the House. Desperate Trump will create far more mischief in the intervening weeks. He knows what crimes he's committed so he knows better than we do what's at stake.
23
Trump perceives the hammer is about to drop and, given his character, is making rash moves. Dangerous, yes. But it may be possible to get him to make (more) unforced errors that provokes congress to act. Note the GOP doesn't really need him any more. They have their SCOTUS appointees and a majority in the Senate. Trump is just a liability for 2020.
32
@Kevin
I expect the party brass is lining up replacement prospects. Nikki Haley has got to be right up there. They'd love to get a strong female candidate who's capable of bread appeal, particularly with women. She has some pretty serious credentials.
It's funny how a name or event can conjure up memories of something seemingly unrelated.
When I was a teen in the UK, I was a fan of a classic BBC Radio science fiction series "Journey into Space". There was a character who was "conditioned" talk and act in a robotic way, and I remembered him today. His name was Whitaker. I've heard that name many times over the years without it triggering a recollection of the program - but today it did, for no apparent reason. My curiosity aroused, I did some checking in Wikipedia and I think I discovered why.
My subconscious mind must have connected Mathew Whitaker with a frequent, and eerily appropriate, saying of his 1950s namesake:
"Orders must be obeyed without question at all times."
15
The very sad thing about reading comments and proposals by ethics experts such as these is the fact that they have no chance of becoming reality at this time. It almost nauseates me to read these fine solutions and realize we have come to the point in our country that our leadership would never implement them.
34
"As ethics experts, we believe Mr. Whitaker should recuse himself from the investigation." As a law professor, I think the authors should retake their ethics class. Recusal is required if there's a conflict of interest. There is no conflict here. All the authors point to is the fact that Mr. Whittaker has an opinion. If his opinion were that Mr. Mueller is doing a bang-up job and must be protected, would they say holding that opinion requires recusal? Of course not. The authors are merely making partisan political arguments in the guise of ethics judgments, and no one should be fooled.
6
@Douglas Levene but if a conflict of interest is the only requirement for recusal, then Sessions wouldn't need to recuse either. I think recusals are more linked to how such an investigation would be perceived by the public
9
@Susanne You raise the same question: Do you think someone who says Mueller is terrific and must be protected is required to recuse himself? Doesn't that suggest a lack of impartiality, a refusal to consider honest questions about the scope of Mueller's investigation? How can that possibly be OK but someone who has raised legitimate concerns about the scope of Mueller's investigation is not OK?
1
@Douglas Levene Opinions are well and good. We all have them. When displayed in national print and on national media, by a government official, that conflict of interest threshold changes.
5
It is time for a coup. Mueller should have agents enter the Whitehouse and arrest Trump for treason. Place Pence as President. Start criminal proceedings.
14
I’m sorry but while I empathize with your frustration, you are going too far. An illegal coup would only play in to Trump’s hands. That is how he wants to portray this whole Mueller investigation. What is needed is for the country to pull together for common values. Democrat and Republican Congress people and senators to unite to protect Mueller’s investigation. At the same time, Mueller is no Saint. He has had 2 years to investigate now, it his time for him to produce a report. Either Trump has collided with the Russians and then should face some consequences or else he did not and he is innocent and then he is owed some apologies.
8
David, I’m with you, except I don’t think there is any need for an apology. None was issued to HRC for years of investigation: what’s good for the goose etc..
6
@Joe Smith
Like David, I empathize with your feeling, Joe, but feel also that coming closer together on common values will not be served by your coup idea.
The firing of Jeff Sessions is the first step in closing down Mueller's investigation. That is highly likely to happen before the new Congress is in session and Republican Senators are already making noises about the overly long investigation into Russian involvement in the elections. The result will be a serious crisis in the Justice Department with many publicly denouncing their loss of independence. But with the Senate in his pocket and the present Supreme Court Trump is confident he can weather the storm. Whether he is right will tell us whether it is possible to make a mockery of the law in the US.
18
Trump will have the investigation ended before the end of the year if he can. The house would try to stop him he he waits until next year but the deed will be done before January.
10
Can we hope that Muller and Co. has made multiple copies of EVERYTHING and stashed these in strategic Federal & State locations, and perhaps even filed it all with the World Court, to be "unsealed" if and when necessary?
Trump may claim he's a "nationalist", but his activities have and will continue to impact what's left of "world order" in negative ways we have yet to experience. At least one of his policies already ranks in my view as a crime against humanity: the separation of children from their parents at the southern border. Such directives seem like an abuse of power, at the very least.
Wealth cannot immunize him from prosecution if he is guilty, but public refusal to acknowledge what is happening might. This isn't about unpaid "fake" traffic tickets.
26
"Despite the extraordinary success of the special counsel, Robert Mueller"
Really?
So what has he found out about collusion between the Russians and the Trump campaign? Nothing. Not one thing.
So what has he done to "get Trump" himself, which was always his real purpose? Nothing. Not one thing.
He's gotten process crimes of people who are not Trump and did not collude. He's indicted Russians he'll never be able to try, and now he's avoiding discovery from one who surprised him by showing up in court.
There were great expectations. Not one of those has been fulfilled.
Sure, he is still the great hope. That hope is for things that have yet to happen, even one of them. The things that did happen are just along the way, unimportant if they don't get to Trump or his campaign colluding.
5
@Mark Thomason
Just curious: please tell the rest of us how you know what Mueller has, or hasn't found?
31
@Mark Thomason
A+ for wishful thinking.
@Mark Thomason
Michael T. Flynn, National Security Adviser to Donald Trump - for about five minutes - was selling sanctions relief to the Russians on his cell phone eight minutes after the inauguration and pleaded guilty to a felony: lying to the FBI about his treasonous behavior in the service of the Malefactor-in-Chief...
Let me get this straight:
1) Trump fires Sessions after claiming that Sessions was not loyal to him
2) The normal MO is asst. AG take the place (Rosenstein)
3) Trump instead places loyalist and partisan Whitaker instead
4) Whitaker is on record for defending Trump Tower meeting and Trump family and blasting/defunding Mueller
5) Whitaker will now be briefed on entirety of Mueller probe
6) Whitaker is able to bury any reports sent to his desk, even to Congress and deny any indictments requested by Mueller
7) Mueller waited until after elections to bring on reports and indictments
8) Trump instates Whitaker one day after election
9) AND Noel Francisco, senior under Rosenstein, (a Trump placement) was a member of Trump’s defense team
10) NF also is owed $.5M from Trumps defense team
11) NF is supposed to recuse himself if Rosenstein gets fired
12) McGahn wrote a secret “ethics waiver” for NF which allows him to work on the Mueller case even though he had conflicts of interest
13) McGahn was supposed to be recused from any legal orders of the Mueller investigation while on staff
14) So Noel Francisco, who worked on Trump’s behalf before will be allowed to take over Rosensteins position
THIS WHOLE THING STINKS OF OBSTRUCTION
https://www.citizensforethics.org/crew-discovers-previously-undisclosed-ethics-waiver-for-solicitor-general-noel-francisco/
90
@Cruzio: Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!!!!! You are absolutely correct! Now on to our bonus question!
Good People of America, get ready to hit the streets tomorrow night, November 8, at 5 pm.
Many democratic organizations have been planning a massive demonstration across America if The Con Don fired Sessions. He did and Rachel Maddow (MSNBC 9 pm ET weeknights) reported just now that the demonstration is on for tomorrow night.
No One Is Above The Law. Every American citizen who values our democratic form of governance must hit the streets and voice our anger so even The Con Don can hear.
The link is below. This must not stand in OUR United States of America. Not now. Not ever.
https://www.trumpisnotabovethelaw.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response/search/?from=@
48
Please copy this message and get it out to everyone you know.
12
Thank you! I’ll be there.
There is no special counsel law/ Department of Justice regulation proved that attorney generals, not Congress or special counsels , determine when special counsel investigations should end. The regulations specify that “the Special Counsel shall not be subject to the day-to-day supervision of any official of the Department. However, the Attorney General may request that the Special Counsel provide an explanation for any investigative or prosecutorial step, and may after review conclude that the action is so inappropriate or unwarranted under established Departmental practices that it should not be pursued. In conducting that review, the Attorney General will give great weight to the views of the Special Counsel. If the Attorney General concludes that a proposed action by a Special Counsel should not be pursued, the Attorney General shall notify Congress as specified in §600.9(a)(3)."
8
We all know that the GOP in the Senate are never going to pass such protections. The last aspect of Fascism that Trump needed to complete was a rigid party system under his control. That he now happens. If we want the rule of law we better be prepared to fight for it and that means more than making calls
25
Mueller was appointed in May 2017 by Rosenstein as special counsel overseeing an ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and related matters. Four former aids to Trump have reached plea deals with Mueller. Those wayward fools and others involved with obstruction of justice in this matter have agreed to cooperate with Mueller. A host of at least thirteen Russian nationals/operatives have been indicted on conspiracy charges along with a handful of Russian companies.
The idea that muscle-builder Matt will somehow be able to provide cover for Trump or restrict this ongoing investigation should not be a worry at this point. The evidence in sealed indictments was prepared before the uncertainty of this mid-term, be assured. Sessions is a minor character in this performance. His presence or the next under-study is a footnote.
For Trump this is just the slow drip of water torture, but the result will be his ignominious end.
16
Why am I getting the feeling that Mr. Whitaker is replacing Devin Nunes as the “fox in the hen house” .
24
So why wouldn't the head of a crime family not appoint his own consigliere to shield him from justice?
Roy Cohn lives.
32
@bijom
Roy Cohn, indeed. "Thou Shalt Double-down."
With an irony that escapes "President" Trump,
his new AG is planning to deliver thumb drives containing all of the Mueller investigation documents
inside of pumpkins to Devin Nunes and the "President",
4
Might some of the Republicans who lost their seats be willing, in the lame duck period, to do something about maintaining the integrity of the Mueller investigation? What do they have to lose? Their districts have clearly come down against Trump, and trying to safeguard Mueller seems like it would win them some bonus points should they ever try to run again.
18
@H Unfortunately, what they have to lose is the cushy lobbying posts that will be provided for them by the moneyed goppers who are still reveling in their huge tax breaks. I wouldn't expect any of them to do the honorable thing.
@H They are not running again; they are going to well-paid positions on corporate boards and other lucrative jobs. Don't be silly; they don't change their spots just because they are not openly fleecing us.
1
Trump should be careful. Mueller knows everything. Once he is not bound by any oath, he is free to speak and speak loudly.
21
Didn't Nixon do this? That worked well for him!
11
Forty years ago, Republicans had spines. They no longer do.
Asking Whitaker who was hand picked by Trump to protect him from the Mueller Investigation to be ethical will likely fall on severely deaf ears. The man is a loyalist, which means he has kissed the ring, and made the declaration. Asking Republicans in general to impose the Bork Protections in a bipartisan manner to protect the Special prosecutor will also meet the same fate. They lost their moral compass when they began gerrymandering and suppressing voting. Asking Senator Graham who is in line to head the Senate Judiciary Committee, and has been auditioning for the job of AG, to live up to his pledge about protecting the Special Prosecutor, will be met with crickets. He too has kissed the ring, and taken the oath, and now plays golf with someone he used to call "a disgrace" and a "nut job". Trump is his new BFF.
Mueller no longer has the luxury of time. Newly elected Congressmen and Congresswomen won't be seated until after the first of the year. Trump moved even more swiftly than I had imagined he would today to rid himself of Sessions, who for all his odious ideology, did protect Mueller and Rosenstein. Whitaker could move just as swiftly to shut down Mueller's investigation, with no consideration for ethics nor optics.
32
Whitaker was chosen specifically because he would help Trump evade justice, thinking he will do otherwise is willful ignorance.
21
These are fine sentiments, but I am afraid the authors are treating this as if we were dealing with a president who understands and respects our government and the rule of law. Unfortunately, Trump is basically a gangster. He has learned from his mistakes with Sessions. Whitaker won't recuse himself. It is almost a certainty that his appointment as interim AG required that he promise Trump that he would not do so and that he would work expeditiously to quash the Mueller investigation and quarantine or classify Mueller's findings.
Help from the republican Senate? Please. Mitch McConnell has already labeled any attempts for the new Democratic House to launch investigations of Trump would constitute "presidential harassment", whatever that is. There will be no Barry Goldwater from this Republican Senate to tell Trump he must resign or face impeachment and removal from office.
The House can nevertheless pursue investigations, but we know that they will be stonewalled at every stage by the president and an administration whittled down to a collection of sycophantic lackeys.
This all leaves me very depressed. We are already in a constitutional crisis and I'm not at all sure our democracy will survive it.
90
Especially with Bolton in the oval office, the ultimate distraction will be an unprovoked attack on iran. I hope the dems are preparing for this.
1
For the good of the Republic, it's time for Mueller to wrap things up and do what he needs to do. The midterms are over. Trump is making his moves. The Republicans in the senate are more trumpian than ever -- negligent of the Russia threat, chasing self-interests, without a moral center. As the t-shirt says, it's Mueller time.
18
So startling that a man of Sessions’ seniority in politics and in officialdom would allow himself to be abused by so disturbed a man over the past year. His quisling posture reveals yet another tragic result of Buffoon’s misrule. Thousands of Republican officials have displayed themselves of no moral spine; the long term consequence of cowardice is hard to measure. Denigration of respect for the rule of law is sure to follow. These muted and cowardly officials aren’t just people of doubtful good will but men and women of no will at all.
10
Too late. The senate results mean that Americans are more afraid of a caravans of immigrants from Central America made up of mostly of women and children than of whatever plans Putin has for their country.
21
The situation can be well understood in reading the article of Charlie Savage of today (very informative) along with this analytical piece. Very unlikely, Mr. Whitaker will recuse himself, neither will he protect the Mueller investigation against interference. If that happens, would Mr. Trump execute his power to appoint a new acting attorney general as a replacement? If yes, how many times can VRA be allowed to be practiced under the current law, while the usual line of succession is ignored? The article of Savage also explains the generous time allowance given to an acting attorney general even when Congress acts against. That is obviously not to create a void in such an important gouvermental function, I understand. Now, the customary procedure is not taken by the President, who had even delayed his decision on Mr. Sessions for the midterm election results. So, there might be two possibilities: Mr. Trump wishes to agitate the Impeachment stir in order to solidity his supporters more. Or, there may be something of bombardments if the Mueller investigation continues.
3
What is the intended outcome of the Mueller investigation? A report to the AG? A report to Congress? A handful of indictments delivered directly to a court of law?
If, as seems likely at this point, the Mueller investigation is terminated and the staff disbanded, what happens to the accumulated evidence and files?
5
@Prairie Populistnever sees the light of day.
this is all well and dandy, but if Republicans don't speak up now--forget January 3 when who knows if we'll even have a democracy by then--then what happens?
We allegedly are a nation of laws, but if nobody enforces them, we clearly aren't.
I keep hearing we're already in a full-blown constitutional crisis, but if nobody moves to stop it, the president gets away with it? We haven't had checks and balances since DJT was inaugurated.
I'd love to know from other posters how they see, think, and feel about all this.
Is it just me, or are we all just watching open-mouthed as Donald Trump shreds the constitution and the DOJ code of ethics on live TV?
71
@ChristineMcM
Upon your invitation to comment;
I cannot imagine that Trump's adversaries in Congress, the Intelligence Community and certain Media were caught surprised by this.
It's the kind of thing that political and intelligence planners "game for"....If this happens this is the best response, if that happens we can adjust this way, etc.
I am not surprised at all. It was widely reported that Trump himself said he would replace Sessions after the mid-terms. Hopefully Democratic leadership has some approaches they've planned.
Indeed, this is a Constitutional crisis. And has been for a while. This was entirely predictable and if our good guys didn't plan for it, I am not impressed.
17
@ChristineMcM Franklin was reported to have told a woman who asked, in 1787, what kind of government had been created in Philadelphia that summer, "A republic, madam....if you can keep it." So, can we keep it? It might require that people pay more attention to public affairs than to the Kardashians, that they look up from their screens of choice to observe the world around them...in other words, it takes work, and one wonders how many people want to do it. The framers assumed that people would understand their obligations to participate and to develop civic virtue as they did so.
17
@Nelly and Stargazer: I'm virtually certain Robert Mueller has planned for it. But it seems to have caught everyone by surprise. Not that he fired Sessions, just "how' he did it with bringing in this hack, Whitaker.
That part really takes brass because it violates DOJ succession protocols.
And Stargazer, yes, I watched John Adams and always thought he was the one your quote was attributed to. "This is your freedom--now let's see if you can keep it."
If people aren't willing to muster the energy to stay informed and safeguard democracy, well, there's not much anyone can do. After all, ours is (was) the form of government that depended on the will of the people.
Of course, the founding fathers never met the likes of Donald Trump.
11
It's not only time to protect Robert Mueller and his ongoing investigation -- but it's time to protect Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein as well.
Especially since Donald Trump has a way of getting rid of every person who might serve as a threat, and regardless of how many rallies this president holds, there's every evidence that he's beginning to feel the heat.
Protect Robert Mueller Now.
17
@N. Smith - Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is already gone. Mr. Whitaker is already preparing the replacements and sharpening his axe. I Iive in FLA, and when that axe falls, our Governor will be the first to declare a state-of-emergency...It's been nice knowing y'all. :-(
4
@The Sponz
Well. If that is the case, you might as well wave goodbye to the country you pride yourselves on being so patriotic about, because there's no place for a "state-of-emergency" in a free and Democratic society; which is why this president, Mr. Whitaker and every one of his Republican replacements is on borrowed time.
The midterms are over.
And the PEOPLE have spoken.
Had Trump fired Sessions, then proceeded to harass Mueller before yesterday's election, we'd likely have a Democratic Senate now. But President Trump is very savvy. He "knows when to hold them, knows when to fold them". His ruthless instincts direct him in ways most of us cannot relate to or comprehend. But this time, in his panic for self-preservation from the Mueller investigation, he may go to far. Tick Tock.
8
@Sunny Yeah, Trump was a great gambler with investors' money. That's for sure. That's why he left the trail of failures that he did. He is not savvy; Americans are lazy.
6
Rosenstein went to the White House to meet with Trump today. Where is Rosenstein now? Anyone seen him leave the embassy -- ah, I mean White House? The silence from Trump is deafeningly eerie. I have a feeling Trump is feeling threatened -- and Rosenstein told him he has a reason to feel that way. We can only hope.
21
Chances are Trump asked Whitaker if he would recuse himself and was assured that he would not. The Senate will likely not help prevent Trump from doing whatever he likes. The Republican base has swallowed Trump’s lies and believe that Mueller is an anti-Trump political operative and that Trump is as innocent as a new born babe. Republicans who oppose the President will find Republican voters hate them.
We have the most corrupt and self absorbed person as President that we have ever seen. With a Congress of decent and responsible people, Mueller would be protected and whatever Trump fears will come out would come out. But it seems that there is a severe shortage of respectable representatives in our Congress.
20
It is too late to protect special counsel Mueller. The lame duck Congress will do nothing, and all of the action will take place between now and January 3.
7
Why are Trump's adversaries; those in the Justice Department, those in Intelligence and Security, and those in Congress surprised by this? None of us in the peanut gallery are.
Wasn't this gamed out by any of the good guys? All sorts of people noted that this was a likely ploy to further Obstruction of Justice.
Why didn't they forewarn about this and by doing so, make Trump cross a line that they had drawn prior to the midterms?
How can it possibly be that common gangsters (our president and cohorts) can outflank Justice Department lawyers, the Intelligence community, and our bright sparks in Congress?
Why wasn't this move forewarned, planned for, and thusly thwarted? Is my question. So there goes much of the wind out of the Dems sails with an adversarial action that could have been prevented or at least made much more uncomfortable for the Gangster President and his associated creeps.
5
@Nelly 'How can it possibly be that common gangsters (our president and cohorts) can outflank Justice Department lawyers, the Intelligence community, and our bright sparks in Congress?', gangsters dont play by the rules, good honest, hardworking public servants do, Trump can out outmaneuver them simply because they have to follow the roadmap and he doesn't, a wild dog is at its most dangerous when cornered, this is when the fireworks start, pick your sides people.
Trump has lived a life of deceit and pretense without any conscience for so long that he sees honest and decent people as disturbed or just good at faking. Chances are good that if Mueller persists with the investigation we will have to confront whether and how to indict a serving President and to set that before the Supreme Court.
15
Whatever you think of the president, he sure behaves like an innocent man. He smiles confindently and says "Take your best shot. I have nothing to hide. I have been honest and law abiding in all my activites and since you have entrusted me with the presidency, I will, of course, provide you with my tax returns as all other presidents have done. Rather than saying this is a witch hunt, I will prove it to you. But right now, because I am a great leader, I must get back to work and do something besides tweeting nasty insults."
5
My oh my, Trump must be scared out of his wits of Mr. Mueller. What a desperate move.
11
Best way to protect him? Throw him in jail for rest of his life for committing treason against his country and it's duly elected President.
4
@bill t "Throw him in jail for rest of his life"
Besides threatening to throw people in jail (Lock her up!, Lock him up! Lock them all up!), do yous have anything else?
Think about jail much? Threaten much?
What a way to live.
Trump Is stupid to bait Mueller. It’s like fighting with a hungry bear. Quess who wins!
6
The crisis has begun.
At the heart of this is the brutal reality that Law and Accountability is hanging by a thread! This Republican Party is Seditious in the extreme - maybe even Treasonous.
- Let’s not forget that this particular investigation is not just about wrongdoing. It’s about collusion and election tampering with a hostile power! This has implications far beyond Watergate level criminality.
- Let’s also not forget that, norms aside, this President has already well established a cult of personality and mob boss persona in Washington. Even if we forget “everything Mueller,” we still have pathological levels of lying, bullying, threats, obstruction of justice, endless attacks on the Press, active racism, incitement to violence, and grievously fantastic myth-making as our national daily diet.
We keep saying norms are being crushed, institutions rolled over, a nation is being systematically damaged - but these are not just words! This Is Real!
And in all of this, our Congress has been heinously complicit, and our courts stacked. They have been willing participants. Even if it was ever OK that an entire major looked the other way on wrongdoing - bluntly put: there is wrongdoing, and there’s calamity grade wrongdoing! An entire Party has gone over to enabling autocracy, trampling Law, ignoring our Constitution... and more.
As a historian, I can tell you a hard truth: nations do not recover from things like this. Not without great suffering, even war.
God help us!
36
Get ready the popcorns: Whitaker is Bork. He is going to defund Special Counsel Mueller like the GOP attempts to defund Obamacare.
5
@Bos
Then the country starts a Go Fund Him to keep it going.
1
If the House, Senate, or other non-Executive branch of government wants to investigate President Trump, they need to appoint someone to the task.
Robert Mueller was appointed by the Executive Branch and works ultimately for the President.
@Eric: so if Mueller is sacked or de-funded, the House can appoint him to continue where he left of ?
2
Isn’t Mr. Whitaker subject to the same Justice Department internal regulations that required the recusal of Jeff Sessions? My understanding is that whether to recuse, or not to, was not a discretionary decision for Sessions to make, but resulted following a recommendation by Justice Department ethics officials. If so, would those regulations also mandate Whitaker’s recusal, although for factual reasons different from Sessions’s?
8
Pssst! Trump’s GOP has declared war on the values and beliefs and desires of the majority of the American people. All these columns about what Congress must do; Pelosi’s statement of “we will work with the President”; comments about ethics, morals and even the law...the GOP doesn’t care. At all. The say and do anything to win more money and power. Period. It’s a war they’ve declared and actually have been waging since long before the current maniac. It’s a war. What should reasonable people do when they are attacked?
18
You suggest an excellent plan of action with the proviso that either Whitaker recuse himself or be investigated by the Ethics Committee. Better still would be to keep Rosenstein in charge of the Mueller investigation.
Trump still thinks that he can have his way and this investigation will go away without reprisals. However, the American people have spoken in their taking back the House of Representatives.
I have full confidence in Adam Schiff’s integrity and ability to see this Investigation to its natural conclusion.
To let Trump and his family and his cronies go unscathed when they have worked with our adversaries to win the 2016 election would be the height of delinquency of democracy.
We insist on the truth. There is no other way.
14
This is good advice. But lacks, I think, an appreciation for the urgency of the moment. More than 70 days will pass between now and when the next Congress is sworn in. By then, it may be too late.
19
It only took President Trump a single day to follow one of the jewels of our democracy--a national election--with yet another action that threatens to undermine the rule of law. The acting attorney general he has appointed, Matthew Whitaker, is clearly an inappropriate choice to supervise the Muller investigation given his outspoken comments on limiting or even ending the probe. But do I have any confidence that the current array of Senate Republicans will register any objections to Mr. Whitaker--none at all. And in two months this batch will be succeeded by an even more ardent band of Trump sidekicks. I fully expect Trump to nominate a "loyalist" as a permanent replacement and the nation's Department of Justice to wind up being directed by the worst leader since President Nixon appointed his fellow Watergate-conspirator John Mitchell.
28
By tomorrow morning, Acting Attorney General Whitaker will have completely eliminated Mueller's budget, and ordered Mueller to turn over all documents and files that he has in his possession.
When January 3rd rolls around, there won't be anything left for the Democrats to investigate.
It all will have been shredded and erased, just like Oliver North and Rosemary Woods did, years ago.
And what will the Democrats do about it?
They'll say it's outrageous. They'll say it's unprecedented. They'll say it's unacceptable. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
And they'll do nothing about it at all.
They'll start talking about something else, like reaching a "bilateral consensus" on Infra-Structure.
15
Ah contraire. I think the new house will act quickly.
9
@John Doe I think you're out-cynically me, which is pretty hard to do. Democrats will do everything in their power to deal with this new situation, and have said as much.
6
Trump feels emboldened by his gain in the Senate and will likely use the coming weeks to end the Mueller probe while he still has a majority in the House. I am afraid that this is what will happen instead, because the Republican Party has become Trump's servant.
One can only hope that Mueller’s team is ready to act as quickly as Trump to preserve evidence and issue the next round of indictments - or hand over cases to parts of the judiciary that are out of reach from tampering by Trump and his loyal GOP.
17
@Konrad Gelbke I'd say #45 feels threatened by the investigative potential of a house stacked against him. This was a move based on fear, which of course what emboldened action masks.
6
Lindsey Graham should be the last person entrusted with safeguarding the Mueller inquiry. The South Carolinian has metamorphosed from being a (grudging) critic of Donald Trump as far back as the 2016 Republican primaries. Since then, he has become perhaps the president’s chief defender on The Hill.
More to the point, the Republican Party from the Watergate era has done a complete 180. At that time, party members were honorable, in spite of their political affiliation. They understood the lethal optics of covering for a president who was almost certainly guilty of knowing more about that “third-rate burglary” and the vanished 18 minutes on Rosemary Woods’s tape recorder.
Matthew Whitaker is on record (CNN opinion piece) as saying that this president’s finances and family members should not be investigated. But it begs the question: what if the “finances” and/or “family members” have, with the president’s knowledge and/or approval, could, with due process, be found to have crossed a line into the criminal?
It seems to this observer that Mr. Whitaker was chosen by this president for precisely the same reasons that Judge Brett Kavanaugh was nominated for the Supreme Court: to have a legal shield and protection from subpoenas or prosecution because of the “enormity of the executive’s responsibilities.”
I’m no lawyer but these rationales smell of rank partisanship and political expediency. The Special Counsel’s appointment, I greatly fear, is at serious risk of being torpedoed.
20
This President is showing his colors and threatening his enemies.
11
There must be bi-partisan legislation introduced to protect the Mueller Investigation from Donald J. Trump and his administration. The Special Counsel, should be allowed to publish it´s findings to the public and congress. There must be follow-up supoenas for those witnesses who were allowed to obstruct and refused to answer questions before the Judiciary Commitee in the house such as Steve Bannon,Roger Stone, Jared Kushner, Donald Trump Jr. etc..Only a thorough unbiased bipartisan investigation will uncover the criminal activities of the Republican Party under this ¨illegitimate president¨ elected with the help of a foreign government.
15
@Stanley Mann only problem being McConnell would never allow such a legislation to be heard
7
Are you kidding? What reason other than shutting down the Mueller investigation did Trump have in firing Sessions? We are dealing with criminals, Trump and family and associates, who will do what is necessary to protect themselves. Sadly, most Republicans in politics will let them. Honor, morality, duty are all in the trash barrel.
112
Has the time come that there be an exception to the unwritten rule that a sitting president should not be indicted? Are these exigent circumstance that require action since delay would jeopardize the rule of law and our democratic republic?
Is this the subject of discussion as it was when Mr. Nixon faced impeachment? The next few months, before the Democrats hold
a majority in the House, could be the most critical time for our country since the Civil War.
27
The office of special counsel, as a creature of the executive branch, is inherently a subject to challenge by the party or parties it is directed to investigate. If there is wrongdoing by the President, the Congress is empowered to conduct its own investigation and, if it finds cause, to file articles of impeachment.
The current approach, with the ex-FBI director, Robert Mueller, playing the role of white knight, is fraught with difficulties, the most recent being the forced departure of the Attorney General.
How many replays of the Nixon Saturday night massacre do we need before we abandon this unwieldy and ultimately farcical political dance, Stop the music, the dance is over, or should be.
5
With sessions out there is no doubt there will be conflict in the investigations. In reality, this should not stop the investigation until it is done but, you never know. I don’t think a lot will be done in the senate in the next two years because of the republican president. He is afraid that the House of Representatives which are run by democrats now are going to use what has happened in his past is going to impeach him through ordering probes and investigations.
5
"As ethics experts, we believe Mr. Whitaker should recuse himself from the investigation." Sadly for our country at this time, this is wishful thinking. What should be done ethically and morally has never been a concern of Trump and his supporters and sycophants. Time and again they have demonstrated the fragile basis upon which our government rests, much of it comprising protocols and precedents that they ignore with impunity to wreak havoc on the soul of democracy.
33
(12:40 ET) Trump on Russia inquiry: "I could fire everybody right now"
11
Trump rolled the heads of Comey and Sessions; Rosenstein knows there is a sword over his. No one connected to the Justice Department could sense anything but intimidation from Trump. Further, just today, Trump threatened House Democrats not the use subpoena power against him. With his bullying and vindictiveness, Trump has put on notice anyone who might dare not toe his line.
35
House Democrats won’t be intimidated. Especially Pelosi and Schiff. Nunez held his seat but now will be stripped of his power.
9
Mueller should subpoena and indict NOW before it becomes impossible to do so when Whittaker cuts off his funding.
40
Whitaker ethics? Hardly.
Whitaker was the executive director of FACT:
Foundation for Accountability & Civic Trust:
“Dedicated to promoting accountability, ethics, and transparency in government and civic arenas.” A tax exempt 501c3 charitable foundation no less.
Whitaker is yet another duplicitous Trump insider.
57
Isn't forcing Sessions to resign in and of itself obstruction of justice? Whitaker is a rabid Trump partisan who is not likely to recuse himself even though he should. Trump's clear intent is to kill the investigation. No person including the president is above the rule of law. That is a bedrock American value. Trump looks guilty and desperate.
80
@Robert by your logic, any action to manage the DOJ would be obstruction of justice if there is any posited hint of investigation into anyone in the Executive branch.
Robert Mueller is not investigating Donald Trump, per his charter and all of his statements. We all imagine that the reality is different, but our nation must remain governed by the actual laws, not our imaginations of what is happening.
@Eric
Thanks for your reply, Eric. Your assertions are simply not correct. Are you really still not aware of the facts here? Mueller is well within his "charter." I include for your reference the pertinent excerpt from Mueller's letter of authorization:
"(b) The Special Counsel is authorized to conduct the investigation confirmed by then-FBI Director James 8. Corney in testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on March 20, 2017, including:
(i) any links and/or coordination bet ween the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump; and
(ii) any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation; and
(iii) any other matters within the scope of 28 C.F.R. § 600.4(a).
(c) If the Special Counsel believes it is necessary and appropriate, the Special Counsel is authorized to prosecute federal crimes arising from the investigation of these matters."
You can read the letter for yourself at this link: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/05/17/us/politics/document-Robert-Mueller-Special-Counsel-Russia.html
1
Trump looks guilty as all get out. He looks dangerous as all get out too. There isn't anything he won't do. When will the Congressional Republicans finally stop their immoral servile dishonest protection racket?
The Republican Rosenstein and the Republican Mueller have been exemplary public servants and true professionals. Congress must act now to protect the investigation. The president is not above the law. The Bork orders would suffice.
Will Senator Graham keep his promise? --"I pledge to the American people, as a Republican, to make sure that Mr. Mueller can continue to do his job without any interference." Graham looks more and more like Nunes.
Clearly Trump is desperate. Clearly he believes Mueller has the goods on him. Is there anything Trump won't do to stop the investigation? The House Republican hooligans can no longer obstruct justice for him after December.
Obviously, Whitaker would also have to recuse himself. He's a Trump partisan hack. What skeletons does Whitaker have in his closet? Has he lied about his own Russian activities? Will Whitaker open abuse-of-power investigations into Trump's political adversaries?
Trump's accusations are mostly false. Sessions has done a great deal for Trump and the Republicans--to my great dismay as a Democrat. Trump's unhappiness with Sessions is about the investigation alone. He wanted Sessions to kill it.
The timing of this announcement, coming the day after the midterms, is deeply troubling.
38
@Robert
"Deeply troubling," but also entirely predictable. Trump has wanted to get rid of Sessions for months, and with Senate Republicans increasingly willing to tow the line, now is the time. However, the truth will come out, sooner or later, about all this. The only is question is, when?
2
@EDK
Thank you for your reply. You are correct. It was entirely predictable. It now looks increasingly likely that even Graham will do nothing to protect Mueller. I hope the truth comes out and I hope it comes out soon.
1
McConnell dismissed earlier attempts to protect Muller. McConnell is no fool: he is with Trump, as has also been demonstrated in the Kavanaugh affair. Republicans in congress are fascism's friends.
62
Sure it is November and it will be cold in the streets, but if the Prez fires his own investigator and attempts to declare himself above the rule of law, make sure to hit the streets and make your voice heard. I for one, refuse to be a subject.
43
There are mass demonstrations scheduled nationwide tomorrow at 5 pm local time by Moveon to protect the Mueller investigation.
2
Mueller will continue his investigation - the President has allowed it thus far, and now with a Democratic Congress, he will let it continue.
The media likes to speculate- as they have since the investigation started. It’s ridiculous to keep speculating.
The investigation has yielded some 30 indictments - none of which was very surprising, and looks to be winding down. It appears the President was not directly or indirectly involved in the charges that have been filed thus far.
I’m beginning to wonder when it’s going to end - and more importantly, exactly what is the scope, as it’s been broadened beyond belief.
It’s just another partisan brawl inside the Beltway. It’s going to be an all out fight now!
The news is getting more and more about political infighting than the issues themselves.
It’s getting old - like many of our politicians.
1
@
Trump has fired Sessions in hopes to get Mueller out. Mueller will pay no attention. Mueller has a year worth damaging information on Trump. Trump is very worried.
8
We don't have a Democratic House of Representatives until January 2, 2019.
If Trump's newest lackey fires Mueller, it will then be up to the Democratic House to continue the investigation. Rep. Nunes will be neutered and it can proceed as it should. One way or the other it should go forward.
35
Good advice. Unfortunately, the Congress that would follow it won't be sworn in until next year, likely too late to save Mr. Mueller.
And don't waste your breath urging Mr. Whitaker to recuse himself. Trump has put him in the position to fire Mueller, it's that naked of a power move from a man who knows no bounds nor shame. The best we can hope for is that Mr Mueller finds a means to report his findings so they can be acted upon when the new Congress convenes.
Trump knows the clock is ticking on the bomb under his Presidency, and will not stop at anything to defuse it.
20
The House should hire Mueller as special counsel to a committee after the new Congress is sworn in in January.
18
I don’t see how an investigation of this sort could trouble an innocent man.
65
Mueller should be fired if he is not solely focused on the Russia investigation - we cannot have a situation where some lone wolf has limitless power to hamstring the President. Mueller, wrap it up now for the good of the country.
2
@Scott L Here's my little bit of 'whataboutism.' Ken Starr anybody?
5
@Scott L
Papadopoulos, Patten, Manafort, Cohen, van der Zwann,
Gates, Pinedo, Flynn, 13 Russian nationals, 12 Russian intelligence officers. 3 convictions, 6 guilty pleas. So far Mr. Mueller is batting a thousand, as they say. He has not made mistakes, he has been nothing but professional. If Trump were innocent this would have been over long ago. And we have yet to hear from Messieurs Trump Jr., Eric, and Kushner.
8
Firing Sessions was meant as a political trap for Democrats. I'm sure Trump would love to end the Mueller investigation. However, we're experiencing one of those moments where your opponent moves the chess piece a little too eagerly for your comfort. Trump wants to force Democrats into using Congressional power to defend Mueller.
That's something Democrats should do anyway. However, Trump has another chance to use Mueller as a foil and paint his own alleged criminality as a partisan issue. The effort was obviously strategized. Like the chess analogy, you don't move that quickly unless you already planned the move. Transparent and quite possibly illegal.
I don't think Trump, or his underlings, will actually move to fire Mueller though. That would make malicious intent undeniably criminal. No. Trump plans to bully Mueller and blame Democrats for his difficulties. If Democrats respond, Mueller is a partisan lackey and Democrats are to blame. Same playbook as before. We've only changed quarters.
Trump is really bad at political maneuvering.
8
Matthew Whitaker doesn't even warrant his own Wikipedia page, yet. Undoubtedly someone is racing to compile one, probably a Republican trying to create a favorable profile.
But Google him. Talk about a partisan hack!
Served 5 years as US Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa. My belief is folks in such roles should never issue public proclamations of partisanship.
Also, think Trump hates losers? The guy lost twice when he ran for office in Iowa, despite having the cache of having been a football player for successful University of Iowa teams coached by the legendary Hayden Fry, who's practically a deity in the state. When Trump nominates a two-time "loser" be very wary and cynical about the true motives behind the appointment.
Lastly, he served on the advisory board for a company that was shut down by the Federal Trade Commission. Seems that with this administration it's virtually a pre-requisite to have on one's resume service to a company that disregarded the rules.
He's a perfect candidate for today's GOP. Wonder if the Federalist Society had him on a short list.
In his defense, no women have accused him of sexual improprieties that occurred 30 years ago. Yet . . .
22
One can only imagine what Mr. Trump's behavior would be like if he was actually guilty of something!
4
Congressional Democrats need to make clear that if Trump fires the special counsel, they too will exercise the Nuclear Option: (i) immediate public disclosure of the complete, un-redacted file; (ii) subpoenas to Mueller and his staff to explain its contents, and (iii) a moratorium on all federal spending bills until hearings have been concluded.
61
Can't Mr. Mueller and his team simply be hired by the House Intelligence or Judiciary Committee on January 3, 2019 to continue their work?
18
@Peter Quince I believe Whitaker can seize and destroy all Mueller's work product.
1
trump had this planned a long time ago. I thought it was curious that he said that he is happy with having a majority in the Senate - that it was more important to him than the House. Now we know why. He will nominate a syncophant as the next AG and the syncophant Senate will confirm him. The House can impeach trump, but the Senate will never remove him from office. God help us and our democracy.
86
But times have changed. We live in an era where 50% of the voters do not care if the President lies or even in fact whether he is a criminal. They do not care about the rule of law. The Republican Party has been purged to contain zealots who will not challenge their leader no matter what he does. I do not see how mere obstruction of justice would bother them with a full two years to go before another election. And this president has made his obstruction of justice intent clear, there does not have to be an investigation to prove it. So we have moved into a new post justice era and the new Attorney General will no more sign such a document as talk to a cow.
15
Angus King just said on NPR that if Mueller is fired the House can hire him to lead their investigation.
96
Mitch McConnell said it wasn’t necessary to pass laws to protect Mueller because this wouldn’t happen. Is McConnell always wrong?
10
Mueller has a plan. He's playing Chess, Trump doesn't have the attention span to play checkers.
19
As the article states, it will be up to Congress to protect the Mueller investigation. No sane person would rely on President Trump or his appointees to guarantee the investigation's continuation and completion.
However, if that happens, I wonder about the likelihood of a constitutional crisis, pitting the White House against Congress and the Justice Department. I'm no Constitutional scholar, but in that case, wouldn't the Supreme Court need to intervene? Given the Court's strong conservative bent and its tilt in recent years towards supporting increased presidential power, I'm not convinced they would side with Congress to protect Mueller.
The article mentions the Watergate investigation, but these are very different times now, and the public has been inured to unethical (if not illegal) behavior from President Trump. What IS clear, however, is that the White House will do everything it can - ethically or unethically - to stop any investigation of the President. What Congress will do is unclear.
12
Clear case of trying to manage an upcoming crisis. When 'now' is the moment to do so, he's probably digging in for an upcoming attack from the House in the near future. We will hear more of his political battle logistics in the next weeks.
The Mueller investigation will be limited, Rosenstein out and his private financial parts covered - as far as that is possible.
If this enrolls as foreseen, it is equal to a confession. The only question is of what, exactly.
3
Muller is toast and so also is Rod Rosenstein. “Bye, bye Miss American Pie” – I never have to work again – Don McLean’s classic song in 1971.
Very well said by Eisen and Werteimer. However, we are facing a demi-god who considers himself 'above the law'.
Unless Congress frustrates Trump's unethical aspirations to remain above the law, Mueller's position remains precarious...
9
If Whitaker deigns to recuse of his own free will, it will be a surprising embrace of protocol by someone who has vigorously argued in favor of undermining the Mueller probe.
Given Whitaker's disposition, are we really going to be surprised if the opposite occurs?
Should the ethics office at DOJ issue an opinion that Whitaker should recuse himself, I'd put even money on him trying to brazenly ignore the advice.
3
At this point it would be quite reasonable for the AG to ask Mueller to wrap it up. He has had more than enough time to complete his findings. Time to move on.
Wrap it up.
Present the evidence.
Charge/Indict.
Impeach.
Convict.
Remove.
Arrest.
Jail.
Convict.
Imprison.
And take every last stolen penny of his stolen ‘net worth’, and BEGIN to make restitution for the hundreds of millions he has stolen from thousands of people over the years.
11
And you kniw this how? None of us has any idea what has been uncovered. Except Trump, of course, hence this move.
3
I would this continuous turmoil and lawlessness at the highest levels of the American government amount to some kind of strategy approved by Republicans? Anyone down there have any idea what all this might accomplish?
1
Looks like Trump’s objective is being achieved, namely shifting the conversation to hand wringing about what he might do to Mueller. Regardless, Mueller is conducting a witch hunt; he is not a prosecuted, but a political tool supporting the Democrats and the Deep State.
There are times when the future of nations are on the line. October 1973 was one, when Nixon tried to fire any and every person who would investigate him. While Republicans initially tried to protect Nixon, kenough eventually stood up and democracy continued, however wounded.
This is such a time, but it is a different time. While Nixon had his supporters and his party, there was no cult of Nixon like there is of Trump. There was no fear that Nixon would totally destroy anything in his path, ruining the careers and the futures of any Republicans that dared oppose him. And there were no cult members willing to accept anything- really anything- that Nixon did. Trump could declare that Congress is suspended, and he still have his MAGA 35%.
Trump's one true statement was that he could walk down 5th Avenue, shoot someone, and would not lose any support.
We live in a very dangerous time.
130
@Peter Wolf SO what are we going to do about it, just make calls and post comments and write letters? Force must be met with force.
@Greg Jones I am not sure what you mean by force, but tactics must be smart as well as strong. We have to be careful that we are not feeding into the Trump narrative about the left.
2
Given recent history, when the choice is between doing the right thing for the country vs. the protecting the party, the gop is pretty predictable.
39
If Trump is innocent of corruption and obstruction of justice, he has nothing to fear. If he causes Mueller to be fired, that's an admission of guilt.
125
Unfortunately it's rather obvious that Whitaker will oust Mueller long before Congress can act. It will be too late on January 3rd. And it's a moot point anyway since the Senate will do nothing to protect Mueller.
36
@Dan Broe. Then we the people will take to the streets.
8
@L'historien
Time for Mattis to move those troops to the Rose Garden.
I for one have no interest in sitting around waiting to see how
The Con Don and his Robber Baron brethren will end the Mueller investigation.
OUR United States of America is in Constitutional Crisis. The Robber Barons own OUR U.S. Senate, OUR U.S. Supreme Court and OUR white house.
I call for OUR five past presidents to step up, put The Con Don and Robber Baron senate/cabinet/regulatory agency operatives - including and especially Traitor Mitch McConnell - under citizen's arrest for treason against OUR democracy and take over management of OUR U.S. Government - together - until WE THE PEOPLE hold an emergency election and kick the Robber Baron operatives out. They belong in prison - not in OUR government.
This would be an unprecedented action and is absolutely necessary to prevent WW3 and the destruction of OUR America.
Step up, gentlemen. NOW!
105
@njglea That is the best plan I have heard yet.
9
Set up a Presidents Council made up of all living former presidents and vice presidents. Let them issue well-researched, but, of course, non-binding statements in reaction to whatever Trump does.
@njglea He would just laugh and give them nicknames, I share your sense of terror though. There was a resent essay on left wing militias, I think it is the only way to show them that this will not be quitly accepted like we accepted the confirmation of the liar Kavanaugh. We let that go without a peep and now they think they can do anything, and they will.
All very common sense suggestions. However, we have an administration in the White House that does not abide by common sense, let alone the rule of law.
Whatever happens now, it may be too late for Trump to put the brakes on the Mueller investigations. Too many people already know enough, and far more in Congress (not to mention the public at large) are deeply interested in learning of its findings, just to sweep it all under the rug and forget about it.
58
Fingers crossed
2
I will be very surprised if the Republicans in the senate make any effort to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller. They will do whatever our current president wants of them. And this Op-Ed singles out Senator Lindsey Graham as the one to save him? Maybe the old Lindsey Graham who was close to the late Senator John McCain, but not this new one. Mr. Mueller must make sure all evidence he has gathered and all testimony are preserved, and he must produce a report on everything he now has as soon as possible. He should also refer investigations to U.S. Attorney offices around the country where he can.
174
Special Counsel Mueller's investigation is now 18 months old. That is long enough for him to provide a fairly detailed report about the core question: whether the Trump campaign acted in concert with agents of the Russian government (or any other) to elect Donald Trump president. He should do so now, and arguably should have done so by the beginning of the 2018 primary cycle in the early months of the year.
One of the serious defects of previous special counsel investigations was that they dragged on far too long, distracting attention from the primary business of both the executive and legislative branches of the federal government. This one, so far, looks like another such. Maybe the prospect of dismissal can bring the focus, and closure, that are due.
2
@Thomas D. Dial
Maybe the last step is for Special Counsel Mueller to hold a good, long interview with our current president. Our current president says that there was no collusion with Russia (does that include conspiracy?) and he has nothing to hide. He's a genius, so he claims, and should have no problem talking with Mr. Mueller. Go ahead with the interview.
Meanwhile, Democratic led house committees can issue the dozens of subpoenas the Republicans refused to consider and force our current president to show his tax returns. We have a right to know whom he has done business with and where a got loans. We also have a right to know whether he is accepting income from foreign countries while in office.
7
@Thomas D. Dial I agree that it's gone on for a long time, but Mueller wants his evidence to be airtight, airtight, airtight. In the political world it only needs one misstep to call the whole investigation into question. If it takes another year to get it exactly right, I can wait.
6
With Trump and his many past and current shady deals, it is imperative that Robert Mueller's ongoing investigation be protected, and proceeds and is allowed to conclude according to the needs of the Special Counsel.
It is no coincidence that Trump chose to do this the day after the midterm elections, knowing full well that there are individuals in the House of Representatives who wish to explore fully Trump's ongoing financial ties and businesses, including those linked to Russia and Saudi Arabia.
Trump does what he does out of a manic sense of self preservation, and to appease and nurture his adoring fans and allies.
Let us hope that this aberrant ignoble man in the Oval Office is outed and as soon as possible, evicted from office.
126
I would’ve thought Nancy Pelosi told Trump after the election not to touch Mueller or else come January the Dems would go at him hard with investigations and possible impeachment. Let the process play out and the Dems cut deals with him and minimize the investigations.
8
The interval for holding fire against Fort Sumter has passed with the shelling Trump launched today. Now we know, we shall have no recourse in our Senate, against confirmations of any toady to do his bidding, and no recourse in our Federal Courts, which the Senate has placed in his hands. We have only ballots, and the divine intervention of media leaks. Let the processes of democracy, dilatory and diluted as they may be, resume. He will be held to account. He will not be upheld to posterity, as anything but what he is.
150
I fear this is wishful thinking. Will Mueller make it to the end of the year? I would not bet on it. We know the Republicans will do nothing to protect him--and us!
44
@JR
Have to agree with you, and honestly I'm not betting that Mueller will enjoy a safe Thanksgiving with his loved ones as he may be an outlaw by then. I kind of suspected that Trump was holding off until the elections to do this bloody deed, and so it has come to pass, ONE DAY after. He just held off long enough not to get people who actually subscribe to the concept of our democratic system riled up and vote.
8
@JR I am concerned that Mueller may not even make it to the end of this week.
8
Who is it that can outsmart Donald Trump? It would appear that he can work the system in such a way that Mueller will be silenced and justice will be done as defined and monitored by the president. The steps described in this opinion piece are a clear outline to Trump and to his cohorts of what not to do. Beware of what this man might be capable of.
38
This whole situation reeks of corruption but what concrete actions can be taken to avoid Mueller being dismissed or limited in his authority? If Trump orders Whittaker to dismiss Mueller is there anyone who can legally stop that process or are we limited to simply letting the president know we disagree with his actions after the fact?
61
@Michael-B
I'm betting we find out if "tere is anyone who can legally stop that process". If it hands in the hands of his stacked supreme court they will not stop him, toadys that they are.
11
Trump, by his words and deeds, has made it perfectly clear that he is solely an organized crime boss, using the presidency as a disguise and the White House as the base of operations.
Republicans across government and civic leadership are tied to him, and they will not uphold their oath of office nor will they act in good faith and in support of the rule of law.
Democrats control nothing until January 20, 2019.
Mr.Mueller must release any remaining indictments and make public and transparent exactly what he has found.
Our government is failing under this onslaught, and we must marshal our remaining, albeit, weak, resources to hold off the domestic enemies as much as possible. It may well not be enough.
233
@aek, I agree with almost everything you say. But Congress changes over on 3 January, not the 20th. Not that it will make much difference, but I'll take what I can get.
13
@aek Trump and the collaborating Repubs (including this new "macho man," Whitaker) make the Five Mafia Families look relatively benign.
1
Not sure I agree that Mr. Mueller's activities have resulted in extraordinary success. Where is the evidence of Trump colluding with the Russians? He has found some wrong doing which any US Attorney could have done, but so far no evidence of Trump collusion.
It was a wild, political concoction to begin with. Would be the same if I said I believe the Chinese hacked our voting machines yesterday and Nancy Pelosi colluded with the North Koreans. I demand a Special Prosecutor
3
I hear this complaint a lot from conservatives, that there hasn’t been any collusion found so shut the investigation down. But if you take just a minute to think, maybe it’s because the investigation isn’t done, and by the indictments and convictions he’s secured of low-level officials Mueller is building an ironclad case against Trump so that not even his most diehard supporters can challenge it.
138
Do you honestly think a prosecutor hands out plea deals to people if there aren’t bigger fish?
A lot of people around Trump have been indicted and this is not some episode of Law and Order wrapped up in a nice 30 minute episode.
145
@Oracle at Delphi
"Where is the evidence of Trump colluding with Russians?"
Isn't that what Mueller's investigation is seeking?
Do you know what evidence (if any) investigators have found?
Until evidence is revealed (and one hopes, revealed to the public), any evidence of "collusion" or conspiracy or criminality has not been revealed.
That doesn't mean there is no evidence.
There is, however, abundant evidence of wrongdoing and of contacts with the Russians by people associated with Trump, his family members, his associates in the campaign.
The actual Oracle at Delphi might have advised:
Wait until the yeggs are hatched.
Doug Giebel, Big Sandy, Montana
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No man can be his own judge.
No man under investigation should be able to change who runs the investigation.
Each time Mr. Trump acts, he adds another page to the obstruction of justice report.
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@Dodger Fan no man should be forced to employ the prosecutor against him. If Congress wants an investigation against the President, Congress needs to appoint their own investigator backed by congressional subpoenas and impeachment.
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@Eric, the Justice Department, not President Trump, employs Mueller, and we the people pay his salary. Your statement reflects Trump's unconstitutional view that lawyers in the Justice Department are his personal lawyers.. Not so.
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@Eric
The Special Prosecutor, just like Trump, works for the American people. Like Trump, Mueller is a U.S. employee, paid by taxpayers.
They don't work for Trump.
They don't work for the White House.
They work for the country.
A concept Trump has yet to grasp.
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