According to Trump and his spokespersons, Trump was not involved with asking Felix Sater to accompany his children in Moscow. According to Sater today on the news, Sater stated directly that he was in Moscow at that time at the president's request. So which is it Donald? Is it possible you have told yet another lie that has been so baldly contradicted by one of the discussants? How surprising. Yet another interview for Mueller to add to his shopping/to-do list.
12
When Mueller finally reveals the entire infamy of Trump; and the jeopardy which has been caused by cohorts of Trump....who should be dishonored along with Trump; when this reveal of the worst President in History comes to be a reality...; when Mueller and those working alongside Mueller who have prevailed against those traitors who would dismantle our republic...; then at this time...when our revulsion having been so exhausting and overwhelming ..our nation's oath and vow can only be this: ....Never Again...
will we allow such perdition to exist....
Trump and his rotten supporters...those in the GOP Congress...who stay silent
against Trump's infamous acts...should be forever reviled ....The time is near
and if the Supreme Court ends up deciding Mueller's case...then we have
reached a summit of consent....The Law of our Land will withstand this outrage.
23
Russian oligarchs.....Deutsche Bank.....money laundering....suspicious loans.....Flynn....Manafort/Gates....Russian oil sanctions...all have a connection: Trump Inc. Mueller is following all these interlocked connections securing evidence that we will ,eventually,refer to as Trumpgate.
12
the real crime is that the entire GOP and Trump voters have put us in the position where the future of the country depends on somehow removing the President.
No one in Hollywood would buy this script nor fund the movie.
Vote in November and at every future election as if the country depended on it. Because it does.
39
The noose is tightening and the world is breathing a little easier every day....thanks to Mr. Mueller.
15
I'm sure glad that I don't play chess with Mr. Mueller!
10
You are funny!
Donald Trump continues to deny he colluded with the Russian government during campaign, even though his son Donald Jr. released emails on July 11, 2017, proving he set up a meeting with a Russian lawyer affiliated with the Russian government specifically to receive dirt on Hillary Clinton.
Donald Trump's failure to staff the white house signals incompetence and risks national security. Day after day people are fired or being frog-marched out of the place.
The entire state department is a mere shell of its former self, and puts our foreign relations at risk. His cabinet is full of self-serving grifters abusing tax payer money while refusing to be accountable to the American people.
19
2600 comments! Americans are intensely interested in this story;rightly so. Trump is attacking America/Democracy and many of us see Mueller as the main thing to protect us from Trump. NO MUELLER equals IMPEACHMENT Ray Sipe
15
And not a moment too soon.
11
Trump's strategy is always to hit back hard against anyone/anything that he fears. Trump has been using the GOP and his lawyers so far; as the heat on him grows; I think he will try to end the investigation and fire Mueller. The Democrats will win heavily in mid terms and Trump will be mired down in a long; very messy impeachment. Ray Sipe
14
Mueller knows what is there, likely even has the documents. He's just collecting more data for obstruction when the Trump Organization can't turn up anything related to Russia.
18
You may be right, and it would help explain why he issued a subpoena instead of just asking, and why it's happening now rather than months ago.
9
Can fake news outlets like FOX be charged with colluding or obstructing with Trump et al since they have a way of lying and spinning to avoid the truth? Same with Nunes and his crowd of R enablers.
30
Ivanka backed Flynn and Manafort and was part of the discussions about the firing of James Comey.
Why on EARTH has she not been subpoenaed?
26
He'll get off, in a miscarriage of justice that will make the OJ trial look tame by comparison.
Elizabeth Holmes cons the whole country and puts lives at risk for her phony business scheme and walks away after paying a small fine.
Her benefactor Henry Kissinger, a monster of the scale of Gilles de Rais, smiles and counts his cash.
The blood-spattered maniacs of the Bush era face no retribution for their monumental crimes and one of the worst of the worst has just become the new CIA director.
The entire legal system in this country is a grim farce from top to bottom and everybody knows it.
17
Why should Trump's business dealings be off-limits? The business of America is business, isn't it? When you do business internationally, you necessarily connect with some agents of the governments of foreign countries, be they friend or foe of the US. Deals are made, loans are obtained, permits are granted, money changes hands. When the international businessman becomes president and commander-in-chief, those prior dealings with foreign governments and financiers cannot be ignored. They become a national security issue.
12
"James Dodson, a longtime golf writer from North Carolina, said offhand in a radio interview that Eric Trump, who oversees the golf courses for the Trump Organization, told him in 2013 that the Trumps relied on Russian investors to back their golf clubs. "
This should be a Saturday Night Live skit. With Don Jr. telling Eric to be quiet and play with the paperclip.
9
Another day, another criminal Mueller leak to Pravda.
Why now? Could it be all the saboteurs dropping like flies? Is Mueller aiming at DT's heart, his assets, to cow him into submission?
Rummaging thru records that pre-date campaign are a sign of Mueller failure. DT must get off the defensive NOW & fire Sessions, Rosenstein & Wray—& hire DiGenova/start RICO prosecutions
Mueller's only mission is to complete the coup BO started with his FISA abuses & lame-duck executive orders engineered to sabotage the DT presidency, encourage process “crimes” & fabricate impeachable offenses.
The interregnum was a very dangerous time. W/ DT's victory, BO & HC & their cabal were in great peril & desperate. Instead of HC burying their high crimes, DT would expose them.
In 2009, FBI Dir Mueller had proof of money-laundering/blackmail/bribery by Russia to gain control of uranium market, including flow of millions from Russia to Clinton Inc. Mueller conspired in coverup of crimes that would have put kibosh on Uranium One.
Mueller operation's perverse architectonics—a special counsel in search of a crime, which has it exactly backwards—proves venal purpose: A conspiracy of Obama-Clinton Ds & never-Trump Rs to weaponize FBI/DOJ to fix an election/take down a president
Or as Dershowitz put it,“Mueller operation is Stalinist!"—referring to Lavrentiy "Show me the man & I will find you the crime" Beria.
The fate of this country is now in the hands of our KGB & Putin's. We cannot let it stand.
3
the delusion is strong in this one.
9
I see what you did there!
Unfortunately, that reality twisting isn't possible to straighten out Marian.
I'll take it to the melting pot for another try.
I'll also remove the conspiracy elements.
They are not allowed in the alloy nowadays.
Good luck!
5
At this point, anyone who doesn't believe that Trump and his family have financial ties with the Russians deserves to be taken over by Putin.
23
Unfortunately, they've taken the rest of us with them.
4
Two words: money laundering.
34
Trump and his eroding base remain delusional. The fact Trump and his co-conspirators have lied incessantly about Russia is simply why it has taken Mueller time to build his case. As each Trump co-conspirator is squeezed by Mueller, Trump's culpability grows. Just look at the simple facts about what is known: Jared Kushner's hilarious request to the Russian ambassador for a backchannel, after denying any meeting, the Trump's Keystone Cop's team meeting with Russian emissaries---and that's only what we do know, but soon enough the plea dealers are going to squeal in chorus to the detriment of the Manchurian President Trump. To say nothing about the brewing storm over Trump's hush money to Stormy, the loquacious porn star.
The Whitewater investigation of the Clintons lasted four years, why is it then that conservatives are so double-standard about the ten months Mueller has spent on his investigation? I get it, #Mulligan movement by Evangelicals says it all. If this were truly a fishing expedition, Mueller's new subpoenas means he's ordered up a bigger boat. Facts are such stubborn things.
14
We The People deserve to know about those Tax Returns and those of Trump himself. God help Mr. Mueller complete his investigation and make the results public.
21
Trump can claim executive privilege. He is nation's chief executive. He has privilege. He must exert it. He will. He will triumph.
1
Oh you are so wrong!
7
"Trump can claim executive privilege. He is nation's chief executive. He has privilege. He must exert it. He will. He will triumph."
You don't know what you are talking about: 1) The validity of his potential assertion of privilege is a topic which experts are debating; your credentials in this domain consist of...what?; 2) His assertions may be effectively nullified by one or more of those whom he has fired; 3) He may be subject to being found guilty of violation of state laws; 4) He may be found guilty of RICO charges; 5) His ability to avoid testimony may not survive various civil processes.
You are both a troll and incredibly optimistic, perhaps a direct function of your ostensibly unbounded ignorance.
36
@R.Will
What are your credentials? Your opinion is as inconsequential as mine.
1
Russia, if you're listening, and you can find the last 10 years of Trump's tax returns...what's that, Bob? Oh, you already have them?
28
Please Lord, protect people like Robert Mueller and his team. As all Americans need to know the TRUTH.
28
Everyone should read last week's New Yorker the article about ex MI6 agent Steele and how he kept coming across Trump and the Russians and potential blackmail. And its unending attacks on the EU, UK and of course here. It makes the Stormy Daniels issue look like an episode of Leave it to Beaver!
51
Sessions has one foot out the door already, then Rosenstein wil go, and then Mueller. It will be 'interesting' to see how this all shakes out once Mueller is axed. And it's coming.
8
I can't wait until midterms.
25
Any proclamation from trump about a red line indicates that he doesn't, at some fundamental level, understand the predator/prey equation. I think he has been operating from a position of leverage for so long and has listened to so many sycophants in his life that he has lost track of laws which actually work. Clearly, the Republican party doesn't care to protect our democracy as trump blunders around shredding both norms and laws, but Mueller may yet offer the counterpoise that we need to rein (reign?) this guy in.
28
The Watergate investigation absorbed 31 months, roughly. Mueller has been on the job for roughly 10 months. Ken Starr spent an appalling amount of money in order to find a dress that needed drycleaning. Those who question the time and expense of this investigation should ask themselves why they will spend literally trillions of dollars on defense and security forces but blanch at the concept of spending less than the cost of one fighter jet to analyze and cleanse the foundation of our democracy: the electoral process. If you don't understand the dire necessity of compensating/offsetting the actions of a colluding congress and senate majority's attempt to subvert our democracy by using judicial analysis, your priorities are all wrong.
Russia is interfering with democracies all over the globe, but we should be ashamed to admit that our president is conniving with Russia to subvert our processes. Between the Republicans and the Russians this looks/feels like the Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
The entire electoral process needs to be put under a microscope. Republicans prematurely closing Hill investigations and declaring no fouls found is pretty appalling. More appalling: these people are supposed to be protecting our democracy but have done zero to harden our elections. In fact, by denying that any harm has occurred, they have laid the foundation for further interference. They have invited the Russians (and others) in through the front door. Shame on them. Broom them out.
58
According to the infallible Intelligence Community, there was evidence the evil Russkies were interfering as early as 2014. Or, as early as 1946, depending upon your viewpoint/agenda. So, why the sudden paranoia? And, when it comes to interfering with democracies around the world, the good old US of A takes a backseat to no one.
6
So what's your point, Albert? We should do nothing?
8
I think American cannot rest easy until Donald Trump, his sons and son in law, and quite probably, Ivanka, are all in jail. I'm sure there will be more, but this would be a good start on returning us to decency and morality.
43
What if trump is able to fire Mueller before the 2018 midterm congressional elections? Let's consider.
The current house majority is incapable or unwilling to credibly challenge this president. The senate appears to be more unwilling than incapable.
Will people physically take to the streets, and do so in a critical mass. Unless lives are at risk (like they were during the Vietnam War), then I don't foresee any marches on Washington that would rival those of the 1960's.
An uproar on the internet through social media? Yes, but without a physical presence to back it up, then it's efficacy is compromised
Sen. McCain and Sen. Flake, both republicans, could change this dynamic if they renounce their current affiliation. It's plausible given their past willingness to challenge Trump in either deeds (McCain) and words (Flake)). I presume that leadership in the Senate would go to the Democrats if this were to happen.
If the Senate were to flip to the democrats, it would certainly create pressure, but pressure to do what?
What about the House? the republicans (not counting vacancies) hold a 46 seat advantage. The odds of the enough house republicans flipping to the democratic party as a form of protest, is improbable.
Recall what trump said about shooting people on Fifth Ave., and that he would still have support. That is a clue as to what trump may be thinking if he fires Mueller.
What price are we willing to pay to preserve our republic?
28
I believe you are being a bit too pessimistic. People have been taking to the streets in protest - the women's marches have been in huge numbers. Beyond that do not underestimate just how fed up the majority of Americans finally have become with this administration - the lying, the constant turnover in aides, and the huge tax advantages handed over to the wealthy (not to mention the bumbling over tariffs, and gun control). We should be charged up, and expectant about a turnover in the House, and the Senate. The most recent elections in districts that went for Trump in huge percentages have flipped to Blue for House seats. So yes - stay charged up - join marches, but don't give up hope. Most of all VOTE as if your life depends on it, because it literally does at this point.
8
Joasha Dundas,
Trump is not equipped to be president ... a garbage collector perhaps.
11
Garbage collector is an honorable profession that we need to keep society running. So, not the best comparator.
8
Only if the garbage is in rip proof bags of some sort. He would probably delegate the lifting to his coworkers and then forget to pay them the promised fee.
2
My morning prayer: dear G-d, please protect and keep Mr. Mueller from harm. He is incredibly brave to do this work for the people. Our gratitude should be boundless.
34
Once we flip congress and impeach Disastrous Don the Con, the headline will be "YOU'RE FIRED"!
18
I wonder if Trump is thinking he can go the route of China. I am the supreme leader, no term limits for me, if you keep me President for life, it will be huge. Huge.
We are dealing with a narcissism that knows no boundaries.
15
Trump should be facing a judge and jury in New York supreme Court. Congress will do nothing, all my hopes rest with the NY attorneys.
21
I understand why Mueller is doing this, but what reason does he have to believe anyone or anything connected with Trump will comply honestly? If he has information from other sources that would indicate missing information, I guess he could indict someone, but Trump will probably escape that. I'm becoming discouraged that anyone or anything is going to stop this corrupt, demagogic monster in a presidential suit.
9
Lawrence from Winchester, MA says in a most recommended comment, "I don't know why the person being investigated or questioned all of a sudden gets to dictate the questions asked or the matters investigated."
I agree, Lawrence. WE THE PEOPLE must demand that OUR Justice Department and courts are not controlled by the president - no matter who it is.
Our founders realized that hostile actions by some players could destroy OUR government and thought they put in the safeguard that OUR Congress/Senate could stop it. They didn't have the slightest idea that a hostile financial takeover of OUR country could be engineered through stock market manipulation and control of media/social media so easily and quickly.
WE THE PEOPLE now know and WE must make sure it can never happen again.
30
Here we go, Ladies and Gentlemen. The noose tightens.
WE THE PEOPLE must DEMAND that The Con Don and his Robber Baron brethren who have taken over OUR governments at all levels be thrown out BEFORE they can start WW3 and/or further rob us blind.
WE will let Special Investigator Mueller and his great team continue with the investigations but if necessary WE will take direct action to stop them.
This must not stand in OUR United States of America. Not now. Not ever.
20
How nice of YOU to let Special Investigator Mueller and his great team of DOJ employees continue on the job, while you throw out all the rest of YOUR government at ALL levels.
Exactly what direct actions are YOU going to use to throw out YOUR government? How do you plan to implement YOUR anarchy?
7
Yeah, that kind of stuff leads to pretty much the only government worse than the one we have now.
4
What part of earth are you from, Mr. Edmud? Russia?
11
So - is the subpoena being honoured?
6
Wow, what an American!
I have so much admiration for Robert Mueller, his courage and integrity.
People like Mr. Mueller are who make America great.
31
Harold412
Massachusetts Pending Approval The FBI and DOJ employed unverified salacious allegations contained in a political opposition research document to obtain court-sanctioned wiretaps, and then leaked the contents of the wiretaps and the identities of political opponents.
A pall hangs over Mueller and a pall hangs over the DOJ. But the darkest pall hangs over the FBI. It spans from ex Director Comey to Deputy Director McCabe to General Counsel Baker.
It spread to counterintelligence via Peter Strzok. When line agents complained about the misconduct, McCabe retaliated by placing them under investigation for leaking information.
A great disservice has been done to the dedicated men and women of the FBI by Comey and his seventh floor henchmen.
A grand jury probe is long overdue.
4
What about Trump's TAX RETURNS ? Where are they ?
16
Maybe they were eaten by a Russian Wolfhound.
12
The Times has them in their vault. Do you think The Times can penetrate the top secret investigation by Mueller and not be able to obtain such mundane stuff as Trump's tax returns? Don't be naive.
1
Sure. Because that's what any good news organization would do with info that it knew hundreds of millions of people wanted to see.
2
Cross the line Bob. Cross the line.
We the People are with you.
22
Muller's mandate is to investigate any possible collusion between the Russians and the president, and any crimes it might find along the way. As a federal prosecutor he can't look the other way if he finds evidence of a crime other than what he's investigating. Don't forget, the Clintons were originally investigated over the White Water land deal in Arkansas and ended up four years later with Monica Lewinsky and her blue dress. Let Mueller do his job and what happens...happens.
17
He’s been getting files for months. It just shows he has nothing on the president, so he’s expanding what he thinks is his mandate to find SOMETHING. Now he has to look at Trump before he was even a candidate. But then Mueller should be able to waste millions for several more years.
4
You might have had a point if Ken Starr didn't probe for years and years at extraordinary taxpayer expense an Arkansas land deal that occurred prior to the time Clinton was president and Starr expanded his investigation to interject himself into an unrelated private harassment lawsuit against Clinton for conduct also occurring prior to his being president. Remember, Clinton was impeached for lying (about an affair) during a deposition in a lawsuit regarding allegations from before the time he was President.
8
I think your very words were posted on a Saccone billboard. See where it got him.
5
So Mueller is poking the bear.
No wonder Trump made Nunes shut down the House investigation and issue a quick report undermining Mueller.
Trump wants to use Nunes report as an excuse to fire Mueller.
13
Since when does Trump have to have an excuse to fire someone? Ask Tillerson about excuses.
2
Muller's closing in. It's happening.
Ironic how candidate Trump kept demanding his political opponent be jailed. And allowed his recent rally participants to chant "Lock Her Up".
In a double whammy to this president, The Stormy Matter is heating up.
22
It's High Noon and this is the showdown at the OK Corral.
6
I'm sure that Trump, Inc's dealings are strictly above board, legal, and ethical, considering the judicious, sober, and methodical way that he manages the executive branch.
21
Sarcasm is always good at a time like this.
7
"Poe's law is an adage of Internet culture stating that, without a clear indicator of the author's intent, it is impossible to create a parody of extreme views so obviously exaggerated that it cannot be mistaken by some readers or viewers as a sincere expression of the parodied views."
2
Mueller probably already knows what the documents will show. The subpoenas are to provide confirmation.
21
It may not be a practical possibility to separate Russia's role in manipulating the 2016 election, from its role in providing money for the Trump family businesses. Russian loans to the Trump organization, which reportedly may even include money laundering, have the potential to expose Trump complicity in illegal business practices, and manipulate the President in ways that might give Russia preferential treatment. Promoting Trump's efforts to become president would have been of vital importance to make Russian 'investments' pay off.
20
A cogent and precise analysis.
5
Now we are getting soemwhere, the question posed - "The breadth of the subpoena was not clear, nor was it clear why Mr. Mueller issued it instead of simply asking for the documents from the company, an umbrella organization that encompasses Mr. Trump’s business ventures. " is because one is a request which can be denied, lied about or otherwise ignored - as Mr Trump did regarding his taxes and more. A subpoena is a legal document which carries legal penalities if ignored. Simple answer to a simple question. Mr Trump regularly lies, manipulates, bullies and slanders - why would he all of a sudden say - you want records- sure, no problem. Follow the money, his private dealings are not private since he refused to divest after election - he is connected to them legally.
14
Legalistic jargon aside, if you had read the article you would have noticed that an unnamed source - Mx. two people (who would name their kid 'two') - claimed that a subpoena was issued by Mueller. The Times has no credible evidence that Mueller actually issued a subpoena or what the intent of the alleged subpoena was. Remember, Mueller's investigation is absolutely top-secret. Any leaks are felonies.
Trump also has a history of destroying evidence in defiance of court orders.
2
Since Donald Trump is hiding his income tax returns and business records from the American people we have no idea what the Trump Organization is and is not nor it's relationship to Trump.
16
Mueller definitely is one of many who need to be investigated!!!!!!!
4
Seven exclamation points. It must be true.
34
I'm unsure why everyone here seems so concerned about Trump firing Mueller. That's nearly a given, if he's guilty, and it won't save him. We should be a thousand times more concerned about a war. Even whatever Republicans do in response to the firing doesn't matter. What did they do in response to the shooting in FL? What did they do in response to their primary voters selecting an obviously incompetent racist? None of it matters. What matters is war and whether Republicans are prepared to follow Trump to the death. Because if it's not war with Iran, it'll be civil war; if not McVeigh-style, Bundy-style. Fox is beating the drum...
5
A large dark cloud just settled above the whole Trump family, when they start following the money...
12
Any American who does not get most of their information from Fox News realizes by now Trump has been, and is a stooge of Russian interests. He is comprised. And Trump feels more and more that he is growing into the job, that he can make unilateral moves to change his administration with impunity. This will culminate in his firing Mueller, or firing the attorney general to get to Mueller. This should trigger survivalist instincts in most of us to do what it takes to wrest control of our country from Trump’s pernicious influence. A national crisis to be sure.
25
Lets see the tax returns!!!
27
Don the Cons self serving and unpatriotic sociopathy, serial corruption ,and his defense of Russias ,proven active role,in "rigging" the 2016 US Presidential election........are not the 'burning issues" for American Democracy........the hypocrisy of elected senators and representatives who support Trump and his "democracy destroying agenda" on behalf of special interest lobbyists and corporations.........are the REAL CULPRITS behind all the problems........ damaging and perverting American Constitutional Principles .
The special prosecutor is a light of truth in the wilderness but he threatens some very powerful special interests involved with Trump........Mueller needs support and protection of the few remaining patriots in Congress and full backing of the American people........if thats still possible !
12
It is obvious there was no "collusion" between The President & Russia. (which is what this is all about). I truly believe we would have known by now.
4
why? the investigation takes time, things are well ghidden and whats the difference to you? be patient, all wil be made clear.
11
I hope this sheds some light on his tax returns.
16
Allowing "Trump to be Trump", may in the end, jeopordize "All the Presidents Men".
8
Orange jumpsuits for the whol slimy Trump family !!!
15
and after the dust settles, a close look at what happened at the electoral college and why this "presidency" was even allowed to happen.
9
Trump's raison d'être of demonizing everyone in order to make him, in HIS mind, a "better, smarter, more trustworthy" person is a classic trait of a sociopath. His only concern, in that hairball he calls a mind, is hoe he thinks the world perceives him and how much money he can make for having done nothing.
FINALLY, we get to the crux of the matter, and where most of the damning evidence probably lies - THE MONEY! Trump is terrified to have his crooked business dealings revealed publicly, hence his fake "red line". He will soon see that being a real President entails traits that he never has had nor ever will - honesty and integrity.
Go get 'em, Bob!
18
The slow drip is now turning into a steady one. GOP donors have to be freaking out, "WE WERE SO CLOSE!"
7
I am reminded of Bush II's wars to ensure reelection for a second term. Planting fear and paranoia works. Now, we see a possible NSA change with Bolton, who never saw a war he didn't like, becoming Trump's Cheney.
To clear the path, Trump may replace Mattis with another SICK o phant. Martial law anyone? Could be next as I suspect the world, generally, will rebel against the US's militancy. Millions may die but Trump and the GOP must protect their greedy, grasping, libertarian program. Libertarian, meaning: Buyer beware, every man for himself, if you have a problem it is your own damn fault philosophy. This not in our genes, we are a better nation than that.
18
"Follow the money?" Well, that can be done at least in part by introducing Trump's tax returns into the evidence open to Trump. The trick for Mueller is to advance the investigation to the point where he can do that without getting fired.
This will create a new question: what has Trump not declared in his returns?
11
You ask: “This will create a new question: what has Trump not declared in his returns”? Excellent question. I recall that mobsters and other “businessmen” have been convicted for failure to report taxable income.
2
Mueller has stepped out of the mandated scope of finding Russia/Trump collusion DURING THE CAMPAIGN. There has been 4 indictments brought on people, but not for collusion. Trump's businesses have nothing to do with the campaign. If Mueller goes back 10 or 15 years and finds business dealings with Russia, they have nothing to do with the campaign. Trump at this point has the legal authority and upper hand to fire Mueller as Mueller is crossing a red line. The media has been suckering the Trump haters for over a year now and has been proven wrong on all counts, yet you idiots still allow the media to lead you around by the nose. How sad.
1
First, there have been 5 GUILTY PLEAS. There are 2 additional Court dates for Manafort in July and September I think. Fox has you convinced they know what Special Counsel Mueller knows. They do not.
9
There is no "mandated scope". The investigation goes where it goes and all crimes along the way must be investigated.
4
Mueller is obligated to pursue evidence of any crimes encountered in the course of his investigation.
Don't forget that the Starr investigation started with Whitewater and ended up with Lewinsky.
7
One question that comes to mind:
Just what are the traitorous co conspirator Devin Nunes and the White House cooking up for another last ditch effort to discredit the investigation?
My guess is, like their last pathetic offering, it will be laughable and constructed of straw. And FOX Nooz will run with it anyway.
14
From what I've been reading over the past several months, it's clear that the Trump Organization has basically been used to launder money for Russian mob interests, and everyone named Trump knew it. This is the "kompromitat" on Trump, not some Russian hookers peeing on a bed.
20
Imagine… the latest subpoena from the Special Counsel’s Avengers, aka Herr Mueller’s special committee proves the point; that this politically correct ploy aka a Russian Investigation has gone beyond its scope, and is no more than a political witch-hunt created to damage this Nation and President. Trump.
Imagine… talk about PC committees, or bias agendas, or politically correct charades; orchestrated by zealots to avenge the loss of political dreams. Gone the way of a pudgy wastrel revealing her purgative thoughts in a limelight that reveals the financial stink and political hijinks committed by the Clintons, Obama and their bureaucratic cohorts.
Imagine… while Herr. Mueller and his politically correct avengers continue doing all in their power to destroy this nation via President Trump. They cast a blind eye regards the hijinks of their pals James Comey, Andrew McCabe and their bureaucratic friends. Ooh-well what were you expecting in a bureaucratic La-La-Land where friends associated with the mainstream news media cheer the real Russian culprits.
Look around you, all you’ll see are sympathetic eyes...
2
Imagine Alternate Reality
2
It is an embarrassing day in America to see that their own President is a Russian Stooge!
22
Trump people probably pulled a Dick Cheney and scrubbed all the damaging material from the records as soon as he won the election. They are now hoping they did a good job!
13
"Trump people probably pulled a Dick Cheney and scrubbed all the damaging material from the records as soon as he won the election."
He probably learned from the best: your favorite email scrubber, HIllary Clinton.
2
hey joe, so you are still infatuated with hillary. this is about don and his evil minions. hillary is a non entity.
9
and yet you chose to focus on Joe's reference to Hillary, rather than Peggy's reference to Cheney...
2
On which Saturday night will this massacre take place?
9
Oh probably some Saturday night when trump is in Mar a Lago.
3
Carry on Mr. Mueller, you sir, will Make America Great Again!
17
I hope Mueller sleeps in an undisclosed location and has body guards because trump and his FSB buddies have got his number.
7
Well, there are over 2000 comments here. Which means I should not bother, and wow, nice work folks.
7
As I a former Assistant United States Attorney I find it puzzling that the NY Times has access to information of a grand jury investigation that legally should be secret. The Times is aiding and abetting violations of federal law. Shame on you.
Much more likely that the info was leaked by someone in the Trump organization. There is nothing illegal about that.
10
An interesting comment by a former Assistant US Attorney - but what if someone in the Trump organization provided the information? Are third parties required to keep it secret?
10
That is called investigative journalism, a feature of all the English-speaking countries and the European continent, west of Prague. When the United States becomes Russia, let us know.
15
Follow the money mantra s/b 100% applied to GOP not only they're complicit, they all awash in dirty, criminal rubles that's why they support the criminal-in-chief in a WH. I hope after Mueller finish with with him and his criminal entourage, this will become the next target of his investigation to expose the greed and corruption of despicable, vile, nefarious GOP.
7
If Mueller is fired I’m ready to march on Washington fully armed with my second amendment protected rights. How about you arm chair libs? Our democracy has been comprimised and I don’t need Mueller to tell me what we already know. Putin I understand, Rupert Murdoch is the real inigma and an even bigger threat.
8
Donald Jr’s wife saw the writing on the wall. When he came running into the house frantically hiding financial documents, prepping her on what to say in the event of an interrogation.... a smart woman would cut her losses and get the heck out. And take the children so they they don’t continue to learn from their slimeball father.
19
I truly fear what stupid, reckless, horrible thing Trump will do to try and take media focus off of this. After a year it's become clear that everything this unfit fraud of a man does if either distraction or revenge based. The Russians didn't pick him because they are our friends and Trump doesn't cover for them to put America first.
12
"The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III"..."Mr. Trump". NYTimes makes sure it affords all deference to title of Robert Mueller, and none to President Donald J. Trump. Thanks for showing your bias again folks!
1
This is actually policy at the newspaper about presidential titles, and that is the special counsel's name. Throughout most of the article, the special counsel is called Mr. Mueller.
10
I have a very scary scenario playing out in my mind. The Russians say play nice with our puppet Trump and let us in, or we blow up your electrical grid and melt down your nuclear plants.
8
Boy, I feel stupid for not investing in Shred-It company!
6
Mr. Mueller, pls pls beef up your personal security.
13
Anyone salivating over the prospect of release of a damning Mueller report on Trump may be sorely disappointed, because that report may never see the light of day as a legal matter.
In yesterday's Washington Post, Nelson Cunningham (former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, general counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee and general counsel of the White House Office of Administration) -- who has no personal ax to grind -- detailed the legal barriers that would keep Mueller's report from ever reaching public eyes. It appears that Mueller can't speak publicly and may only forward a "confidential report" to the attorney general (in this case, Deputy A.G. Rod Rosenstein). After that, "there is no formal mechanism to transmit Mueller's conclusions regarding impeachable offenses, or even underlying evidence, to Congress."
Mr. Cunningham's article is, to the say the least, chilling for those of us who want to see justice served.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-mueller-report-may-never-see-t...
3
Indictments will do all the talking. The indictment against the Russians, for example, has already revealed more about election interference than multiple Congressional investigations.
10
ALB, Thanks for the information. And of course you recall how the Pentagon Papers reached the public and the damning revelations of Mark Felt (aka “deep throat) ?
1
Kushner Org. be the next.
9
I'm sure it's on the Agenda.
IMHO, they'll drop the hammer on the family members (including Kushner) at the same time, as late as possible to keep DJT from going ballistic.
This is an absurd witch hunt that will go on indefinitely. Its an investigation in search of a crime.
Please look at the wide range of articles that list the number of indictments, etc. Manafort who was Trump's campaign chairman has more than 30 indictments so far. There have been more than 100 charges, 19 people indicted, and 3 Trump associates who have pleaded guilty so far. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/23/us/politics/mueller-investigation-cha...
Every single charge must be accompanied by evidence. Many crimes have been committed.
11
Multiple Trump "witches" have already pled guilty to real crimes, and two trials are scheduled for later this year. The public has learned more about Russian election interference from a Mueller indictment than it has from either the Trump administration or from Congress.
20
And your point is ...? One generally must search to find high crimes and misdemeanors in the 21st century. That is what
Mueller is doing.
4
Wow, 2096 comments here.
That is big time, America.
Keep talking,
7
Am so glad we have those on the peoplrs side to investigate matters.
2
Fake news.
Now that we are going to have a second Special Prosecutor, which, of course, you will find no notice of in the NYT, it will be a good idea to keep Mueller and his team intact.
Easier target when they are flocked together.
1
Takes time to do an investigation properly. Mueller doing that. Cry all you want repub bubs it ain't gonna stop.
7
Are all very rich men personally associated with felons, about to be felons, people involved with high level FBI money laundering schemes, foreign dictators, and lawyers who take a home equity loan to pay an adult film star....or is this unique to our current President? IMPEACH
11
Nixon fired special prosecutor Archibald Cox when he subpoenaed the Watergate tapes. Will Trump pull a Nixon and refuse to comply with the subpoena, fire Mueller, and obstruct justice?
The Constitution forbids the President from obstructing justice . . . The Chief Executive's primary job is to enforce the laws or, as our Constitution puts it, the President is duty-bound to "take Care to execute faithfully the Laws" (Art. II, Sec. 3).
Maurice F. Baggiano, Member of the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court
16
I'm having trouble remembeting where the Constitution says anything about the President and obstruction of justice.
1
@David Better check your remembetry. The Constitution is quite clear in Article II Section 3 that the Executive take care that the laws are faithfully executed.
Even a dotard would realize that this means obstruction of justice is expressly forbidden.
Article II Section 3. Learn it. Love it.
4
The Russians own the President of the United States.
10
Keep at it Mr. Mueller. Pounce on it. This administration and everything it touches is one hot mess. It's even starting to freak out the family members, like Mrs. Donald J. Trump Jr. I can't wait to see Trump, his odious party and that lot-of-hot-air-producing wind gust Sarah Huckabee Sanders, et. al., hit the skids.
11
and now look,, all of a sudden Juniors wife files for divorce?! That is the oldest 1% trick in the book. Smell trouble coming? Hide money in a faux divorce settlement. Go get me Meuller
9
Since Trump seems to be in a firing mood, I doubt Mueller will make to Easter.
1
As with all of these things the way they finally got Al Capone it is to follow the money trail. Mueller has the team and the resources and it will be interesting. i wonder if good old boy hold up the soup can Wilbur Ross when he was at the Bank of Cyprus which INTERPOL and other international police organizations point out has been the main bank where Russians launder drug, gambling and illegal money. Waiting to see how long the Donald will wait before he fires Mueller and then lets see if the Republicans gain any backbone. They should wake up afraid of the Trump base well check it out how big is now the ship is sinking. Up here in Canada the laughing continues on radio/tv over Trump admitting he lied to Justin about the trade deficit. The joke of course is what leader admits to such stuff and then continues to keep saying he is correct and the fact that he believes everyone is as lazy as he is. Justin knows as does the Canadian team on NAFTA. This is even worse than a stupid soap opera. The guy is a clown and he thinks those on the world stage don't notice. How pathetic. Jim Trautman
9
An even more scary thought: dementia is kicking in and he, like Reagan, is reporting a conversation which never took place. Let's hope that, when his short fingers are on the large button, he doesn't confuse Canada with North Korea.
All trump money is from russia. His nidorous business practices rendered him a pariah in the "legitimate" world of finance, and the russians had tons of rubles liquidating the former state owned assets of the Soviet Union.
PROSECUTErUSSIAGATE!
6
Since when does the subject of an investigation get to decide the scope of the investigation? The fact that Trump even suggested he could limit the scope indicates he has a lot to hide.
18
Follow the money, follow the money, follow the dirty money! Go Mueller!
12
Getting closer.
4
Wasnt Mueller the Director of the FBI from 2001 to 2008. How did all the criminality escape him then? And this fellows middle name is, I am not making this up, Swan.
Yup, it's RICO time. The Trump businesses will go down as a racketeering enterprise and with it, Mr. Trump as its don. He's been nothing but a loutish mob boss for decades. God help America when that indictment comes down (and what kind of inept blowhards will the Republican congressmen on the Intelligence Committee look like?).
13
Trump doesn't get to issue red lines to law enforcement and justice. Leaders around the world are facing corruption charges as well as crimes against humanity charges including Trump's pal Netanyahu and potentially Duterte if the ICC pursues charges. This is a democracy. If Trump's business interests opened him to Russian interference or pressure through financial ties or money laundering or potential deals, that is a fact that the investigation needs. The same is true of his family members. Repeat: the United States is a democracy, not a monarchy. At least one of the Russian meetings took place in Trump Tower and involved Trump's own son, son-in-law, and Paul Manafort, now under 30+ indictments. Issuing a red line would be an obstruction of justice.
16
this will be the end of his investigation. Trump has repeatedly warned him to stay away from his businesses. Saturday night massacre coming up. And like with Nixon, if AG Sessions won't do it, he'll be gone too.
1
Preserve your records Mr. Mueller.
Trump will fire you and destroy the evidence.
11
Trump better call in Rose Mary Woods (Nixon) to "erase the tapes"!
3
Get his taxes for the past few years.
6
The Trump GOP will do anything.
They’ll say there’s nothing! Hers a recap of the nothing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZMMaSKvhlY
2
Hoping that the entire Trump Clan will be exiled to Mother Russia.
9
It would have been very nice to see this type of scrutiny being paid to the Clintons and their "foundation."
1
More political witch hunting. What a waste of time and money. Democrats you are now hurting our country. Work this hard on real issues, DACA, health care that works, etc...
1
TRUMP: “For the record, I have zero investments in Russia.”
Jul 26, 2016: Trump’s tweet.
DONALD TRUMP JR.: “Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets.
We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.”
2008: Donald Trump Jr. quoted by eTurboNews a real-estate trade publication.
10
Russia *is* attacking the United States. Thank you Mueller.
4
If there was nothing to hide, there would be no resistance. There's been a lot of resistance.
8
TROLL DETECTOR: Any comment with the following words:
"I did not vote for Trump, but..."
"I am not a fan of Trump, but..."
"I don't like what Trump does, but..."
Look around. There are tons of them.
9
Trump lies the same rate we breath air. His recent comments about trade deficit with Canada is one of the many examples. No wonder his lawyers worry about Trump's interview with Mr. Mueller.
7
Written by Huffington Post. Can't spin it any better.
When you go to work in the White House, you divest yourself of your secrets for the same reason you divest yourself of your financial holdings: so people can’t blackmail you. Though the emphasis on Trump’s taxes may have seemed to many voters a secondary issue, the Stormy Daniels scandal shows why they mattered. If President Trump had disclosed his tax returns, like every single candidate and nominee before him, I don’t believe we’d be in this pickle — the pickle of a U.S. president being sued by a porn star after his alleged affair with her, which she claims took place when his new wife had just given birth to their child.
8
Just to put it in context, I think the porn star has more honor and credibility than our president. To put it in perspective, a dancer/actress is out-maneuvering the billionaire and his lawyers.
4
This President, delivered to our country by billionaires bent on using our electoral process for their own ends, Putin and his Russian mob oligarchs bent on plundering and destroying our democracy, the Republican leadership bent on a win at any cost, and a lot of frustrated voters, is an abomination of arrogant recklessness and ignorance who needs - in order to begin restoring the peoples faith in the accountability of their government. to go down hard along with his cabal of corrupt cronies. Any notion of a "Red line" that Mueller should not cross is another example of Trump's self-deluded greed driven arrogance.
16
How to protect Mueller from Trump firing him? Democrats talk about a “Constitutional crisis” if he is fired. What does that really mean? We know the GOP will do nothing other than agree with Trump. Absent any of the bills becoming law that were talked about in the Fall, the only hope is to work on and publicize what action will be taken to try to have Trump think twice. Mass demonstrations scheduled, newspaper editorials now decrying firing of Mueller, corporations and labor unions issuing press releases now, politicians and others signing onto a petition now denouncing Mueller firing. Now is the time to announce opposition and consequences should it happen, not after the fact, since I do not believe it can be undone.
15
Well, at least they've had plenty of time to, um, you know, get them all in order.
4
Another major, major milestone!
2
Follow the money. There is reason behind Trump's refusal to disclose his tax returns. Mueller's investigation and subpoena for Trump's finances in relationship to Russia is the legal linchpin which may result in Trump's undoing.
Article I of the Constitution states:
“No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”
It is likely and highly probable that Trump has significant investments in Russian real estate which as a private citizen he has a constitutional right to but not as the president of the United States. While yet to be proven, Trump's financial relationship to Russia is exactly the type of entanglement that the Emolments Clause seeks to prevent.
8
By now Mr. Mueller has seen his tax returns and knows pretty much the extent of Trump's business dealings with Russian banks and the Russian mob. The documents are just a confirmation. Obstruction of justice was became patently obvious long ago. Now comes the collusion part.
9
How do you know all this, please?
Getting closer - hope this doesn't last another year or more; need to get this done sooner, not later. No offense, but this is costing the taxpayer; special councils are not cheap. Seems we are digging a lot deeper and broader than we ever did into the IRS or Hillary's foundation (and global initiative, which appears to be treasonous).
Not the less, get it done!
1
No offense but why worry about special counsels when we are still conducting the longest war in U.S, history, with no clear motive from the beginning and with no real progress - in Afghanistan.
This special counsel stuff is pennies compared to that.
3
People in these threads passionately want to fire Mueller (fishing expedition) or protect Mueller (all evidence leads to Trump coverup), but his investigators are not leaking, and nobody writing here knows what Mueller knows. The speculation is all about spinning public expectations, but there is nothing for the rest of us to do but wait for the truth to out.
7
Trump keeps declaring "NO COLLUSION". What he may mean is no voluntary collusion between Trump himself and foreign operatives, although even that is questionable. But what financial or other salacious information do foreign operatives have with which they may coerce Trump to force him to do their bidding? The old adage of "Follow the money" seems especially apt in the case of businessman Donald Trump.
6
Hoping that the entire Trump Clan will be exiled to "their Mother Russia".
7
Mr. Muller, please, please hurry up. We don’t have much time left.
4
Back in high school I followed every scrap of news about Watergate the way some people follow baseball. It was complicated and fascinating but not until the very end did it start to make me uneasy.
I am terrified now.
17
I just love this man's tenacity. If congress had his attitude and discipline this actually would fit "keep America great!"
7
Trump’s business dealings with Russian oligarchs are probably at the heart of the whole investigation. The possible paths are an investigator’s package of joy: collusion, corruption, money laundering, income tax evasion, obstruction of justice, undeclared foreign influence, etc. Al Capone managed to legally evade multiple efforts to bring him to justice for murder, bootlegging, prostitution, bribing public officials, racketeering, etc. But at the end, it was the bean counters at the IRS who did him in for tax evasion. Follow the Money has been a useful tool ever since.
14
No, we just assume Müller have found some documents proving Trump involvement in russian money laundering scemes. That's why he haven't shown us his tax returns. We will soon find out the truth thanks to Müller.
4
He's getting boxed in and surrounding himself with toadies.
We're within 90 days of constitutional crisis....
2
This will sadly change nothing. If anything, it will precipitate Trump firing Mueller and as usual the GOP will stand by and do nothing. Its all hopeless.
no, it's only hopeless if you resign yourself to defeat, and that would be foolish.
4
Like they haven't shredded the incriminating bits offshore months ago? Please! Give the Trump crime family a little credit.
3
It might be good for everybody who's sure they know the results of Mueller's investigations to wait a tad bit, until Mueller's actually finished his investigations.
We just don't know, okay?
1
"We just don't know, okay?"......We know that Manafort (campaign manager) and Flynn (National Security Adviser) have been indicted and that both had interactions with Russia (or Putin allies) that they didn't properly report.
3
So what? We do not know that there was, or that there wasn't, deliberate collusion aimed at electing Laughing Boy.
I suspect that there was, but I do...not...know.
And neither do you.
Like most of his declarations, Trump's description of Mueller's investigation into Trump family business as "a red line" is likely just another empty threat. What would Donald do? Throw another Twitter tantrum?
11
Not a problem if they have nothing to hide. an honest person would just give Mueller access to records, emails, the whole shebang. obviously Mueller does not think that Trump and his cronies are trustworthy. I wonder why? (hint - ask justin trudeau)
22
The whole "red line" issue is overblown by the press. The "red line" was asked in an interview by the NYT of Corrupt Donnie last year. If you listen to the question and answer, he clearly had not thought about it and just threw out a yes with a qualifier. He hadn't given it any thought and I don't think he is prone to preemptively make a move.
Corrupt Donnie thinks he can talk his way out of anything and will allow the process to play out knowing he can hold on to his supporters with well timed rallies and thus hold the spineless Republican congressmen and senators at bay. After the 2018 mid-terms if the Dem's get the majority, as I expect, then they will begin to hold public hearings on various topics which, by then, Mueller's team will have filled indictments, probably naming Corrupt Donnie as an unindicted co-conspirator.
17
The Trump organization is a vast criminal enterprise used as a front to launder money for oligarchs and criminals in Russia and other eastern european countries...if he is allowed to continue his investigation this will be proven without a doubt.
26
I like so many on this thread, would love for Mueller to find something legitimate that allows us to oust this buffoon, but if I am not mistaken significant evidence is still missing in what I would consider the Big Charge: "Russian Collusion." This term also remains to be defined precisely. From a justice perspective we should also be looking to tie Trump himself to this act, and not just a rogue in his organization. This makes it still more difficult to prove, and is representative of why a potential snitch, like Manafort, is so intriguing. What I find interesting is that Mueller is digging up a lot of dirt, but it still remains unclear if it will tie back to the Big Charge. Now I am no fan of Trump, but I am a fan of democracy, and from my perspective we new quite a lot about Trump and his shady dealings, his propensity for lying, his racism, his chauvinism and so forth when the people of this nation (narrowly and only technically) voted him President. I want to nail him, but only on the Big Charge or something similarly grave. If he goes down for perjury, I would consider this a slight to democracy. You put this man in front of investigators and he is going to lie. I can’t tell if it is intentional or not, but I know that he will. This is the man we knew. This is our President. There are no legitimate take backs. All I am urging is caution. This man obviously has no principles. It would be a shame to sacrifice ours, in his name.
10
They went after Scarface for murder but settled for tax evasion. Would you have thought the prosecutors unprincipled or the outcome unjust?
As a 'fan of democracy' you must surely recognize the extent to which its very existence in America is being undermined at this point in history. It's nice that you want to play by Marquis de Queensbury rules, but you do realize that some threats to a nation are so serious that they must be met with every legitimate, legally sanctioned tool available to those charged with protecting it?
3
Mueller is apparently on some kind of fishing expedition. He has far exceeded what he was hired to do. He will do anything to help his buddy Comey and keep this investigation going for another 3 years. This is nothing more than a vendetta against President Trump. Who is kidding who. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to see that Mueller is looking for some kind of obstruction of justice charge. What a waste of taxpayer money. Money that could be used for the homeless and schools.
2
Right. We all know what a "champion" of the homeless our president is. And schools? He's never once mentioned a thing about education. He loathes educated "college boys" and has never indicated that he's even slightly interested in the education of Americans.
Money Republicans would spend on another Benghazi investigation. Who is kidding whom, indeed. Next time maybe tell Trump not to call out publicly to Russia to take action against his political rival in the midst of the most important elections on the planet. That would help, for starters.
4
You do not have to be a rocket scientist to see that he has financial relationships with Russian oligarchs and he hopes to have more. Further, his excessive use of weekend travel to Mar-a-Lago and his families' travel at taxpayer expense concerns me most. Do you have any idea how many millions that is? I'm also concerned with Trump and family self-enrichment, they are selling access.
10
I am shocked by the commentators still suggesting that the investigation is a witch hunt created by Democrats in denial about losing the election. No, folks. Did Don Jr, Jared, and Manafort take that Trump Tower meeting with the Russians because I was angry about an election that hadn't even happened yet? Not likely. These guys were acting independently of your thoughts or mine, and were behaving badly years before the election. Frankly, I don't want the American government run out of Moscow. And if anyone is in denial, its not the Democrats. Just sayin'.
48
Mr. Mueller,
While your at it, the American public would like to see his tax returns.
37
I'm glad Mr. Mueller and his team are moving ahead in such a thorough, methodical way. Go Team!
However, whenever I hear stories like this about him getting closer to the president and/or his family, I worry so much that the evil, sycophant congressional Republicans with scream louder about firing Mueller, or Jeff Sessions, in an effort to stop the whole thing! We cannot let that happen!
Vote Blue in November!
23
Mr. Mueller has charges waiting for Trump and family. He will submit those charges before being dismissed as special counsel. Trump has his supporters but he has made too many enemies who want him removed from office. He has committed every charge that he has been accused of. It has been nothing short of treason. This administration is more like a circus with cameos from every clown fumbling their act.
16
Give it up already Mueller.....
All this time and money spent for what? No results, no indictments, no.....
Nothing!
3
My dime too. Money well spent.
8
The Bengazi investigation went on for 3 1/2 years. Relax. This time around you will get your money's worth.
5
Excuse me? No indictments?
Do the names Manafort, Flynn and/or Papadapolous ring a bell?
Do the words "guilty plea" sound familiar?
Does the word subpoena - something a judge has to see evidence for before being issued - come to mind?
Spin this any way you'd like if it makes you happy, but it won't make it go away.
3
So now we are hopefully going to finally see what this American businessman with deal making prowess looks like and, as many suspected when he refused to ever show his taxes, there will be more than a thin veneer of sleaze and manipulating, with big banks (somewhere), foreign governments, and money mad individuals facilitating this slick, secretive and twisted family empire. Following the money was always the only way to discover the truth, and truth without spin and distortion remains to be seen.
Never again should some politician or Trump "advocate" on TV or print go unchallenged when they try to say that the American people do not care about this president's business. Down to the dollar.
8
The Mueller mandate was too broad from the outset. We had two major concerns about the 2016 election. One was Russian interference with our election and the other was possible collusion by the Trump team to defeat his opponent.
Throwing a net this far is excessive. This became a game of follow the bouncing ball. It is the ultimate fishing expedition. Using this method, they could very well find an unpaid parking ticket on Trump's car from 1979 .
I'm no Trump fan, but I just don't like it.
2
What do you think about all of the Benghazi investigations of Hillary Clinton?
2
If a criminal leaves a crime in plain sight, that is his problem, not the prosecutor's. If Mueller finds tangential material, he can refer it to the proper competent authority. You seem to assume that Mueller has not done so or will not due so. This will all come out in the wash and in a series of final reports on various issues.
I hope Trump fires Kelly, McMaster and Mattis, leaving the ship of state rudderless, helmsmanless, engines out and completely adrift in the gathering hurricane. Then, relieved of having any adults present, he can fire Jeff Sessions, Rosenquist and (by finding some flunky in the chain of command such as Bork) Mueller. We need a Saturday Night Massacre redux so that I can pull out my old taped copy of the "folk song" played frequently on WFMT Chicago, "Haldeman, Erlichman, Mitchell and Dean," my "I'm Not a Crook" T-shirt, and dust off my copy of Nixon Agonistes. It's gonna be a blast.
9
Hopefully the investigation also will show that Donald Trump's real estate empire is simply a Russian money-laundering operation.
40
For example, the Florida property Trump bought for 40-some million dollars, and sold a couple years for 90-some milliin dollars.
Lock him up.
2
I understand, a business has to be a fraud.
Do you people realize that you have become European style socialists.
And if they find the Trump organization had real estate dealings in Russia, then what? How about, so what? What are you going to do about it? NOTHING.
3
Who is the "you" in your penultimate sentence?
1
Mueller has become a political farce...Digging...digging..digging...until
"in the course of the investigation"..he uncovers...THIS!!
If not Russian Collusion( his main reason in the first place?)....then I find OBSTRUCTION!!
From 2020 forward, Democrat or Rebublican, the DOJ should appoint a Permanent Special Council to shadow the President for his/her full term to look for prosecutable offenses...prior to Office and after the Presidential election.
That appears the path Mr. Mueller is pursuing?
3
By enabling, aiding and abetting such an abomination as Trump as a "President" ,the Republican leadership evidently thinks our democracy is a political farce...along with any notions of accountability which are the teeth in the rule of law.
4
You should ask your little Tsar what where his paranoid path leads. It seems to be in the direction of constant, widening warfare. Is this good for Russia, or...anywhere?
2
Get Donald Trump's income tax returns! They are not still being audited.
28
Trump’s continued bragging about self-funding his campaign during the election—
Yes, with laundered Russian money.
32
Let's be fair, he also managed to scam plenty of money out of his dimwitted supporters.
5
Trump' reluctance or inability to recognize Russian attempts to undermine our political system - not to mention our energy infrastructure - is complicity at best and treason at worst. This petty tyrant=wannabe is so self-absorbed, he can't function like a normal and reasonable person. Anyone who brags about how smart and handsome he is (his twisted opinion) and how he is the only one who can "save" America is just delusional and dangerous. Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell are complicit as they let him get away with behaviors they would not accept as rational from anyone else.
35
"nor was it clear why Mr. Mueller issued it instead of simply asking for the documents from the company, an umbrella organization that encompasses Mr. Trump’s business venture..."
D'UH. Otherwise the Manchurian Candidate's business grifters won't comply and try to destroy the evidence.
19
Dear God: PLEASE accelerate Mr. Mueller's investigation so that drumpf and his co-conspirators can be removed and thrown in jail where they belong.
37
Absent a major sea change in the Congress, the Muller investigation will remain a muted threat to Trump’s hold on the presidency. Those not protected by the same office are an entirely different matter.
DJT is unquestionably between the rock and the hard place; this especially with regard to the vulnerability of family members deep in the weeds and brambles of the Trump businesses.
The notion that Muller is effectively buffered from Trump retaliation, i.e. his removal, is overstated.
2
uhh, it's not clear to me that trump org wasn't asked for documents prior to the subpoena. My guess would be that the org was caught in a lie/withholding information that another witness said existed. Or, it's just a smart move with such a corrupt, global crime organization to not risk them destroying evidence prior to it being commanded formally.
Now, when trump org is found to have failed to turn over evidence - the FBI can raid their HQ.
I wouldn't be surprised if the FBI has already raided trump org.
This is the same basket of clowns who use a go daddy, unsecured email account for White House business that they (Ivanka and Jared) didn't want to properly use a government server for - and then, when asked to preserve their emails - they forwarded them all to the trump org instead of the White House. Hmmmmmm. Not suspicious or corrupt at all.
Time will tell.
28
Maybe now we will get to the truth about this man and the scam of his presidency. He is a stain on our democracy and is slowly purging his administration of any credible leadership. The Republican Party will also have to take responsibility for supporting a clearly incompetent president and trying to interfere with the job that Mueller is doing. Trump and his apparent Russian allegiance has put this country in serious jeopardy and this needs to be put right as soon as possible.
16
Slowly? I wouldn't call it slow by any means.
1
I'm not a fan of President Trump but its a very one sided with investigation of Russia investigation. Both sides were doing it and have been for last 40 years when it comes to tampering with elections.
To all non-believers
"When you stop lying to your self, you will stop lying to others."
1
So, are saying that if both sides do “it,” it’s ok? Remember, HRC didn’t make it into the presidency, so the importance of any suggested collusion on her part is not all that important at this point, is it.
3
good luck Mueller. May the force be with you : )
20
Keep on firing those shots across the bow Mr. Mueller as Trump will start to unravel the more he senses that his impulsive, expedient, and arrogant omnipotent deeds are about to be methodically detailed and exposed - so much for that "red line" Mr. Trump. The bully meets the hard wall of integrity and truth.
8
What took so long. It's getting kind of obvious: trump is being blackmailed, and/or he owes the Russians who laundered money by overpaying for trump apartments, by millions. trump should be charged with treason.
19
Is this why he is now so keen to show support (and I use the term loosely) to the UK in condemning Russia nearly 2 weeks after the Salisbury attack?
9
The is one reason Trump will not release his tax returns and one reason only. It shows he received money from Russia. When those returns are finally made public, all this will be over and he’ll be gone
13
He may well have returns which show no ties to Russia. However, international money laundering can/might-have-been facilitated through 100 other jurisdictions. People shouldn't fixate on Russia. Russia doubtless tampered with and continues to tamper with our electoral system. Yes, that should be punished. Yes, whether or not you call it collusion or connivance or a conscious parallelism of action, there was some shared set of interests where various backs were scratched. The money laundering could have been in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man or anywhere else. That nationality of the underlying actors may have been Russian, or anything else. Don't fixate on the Russian connection per se, focus on who can be tagged to which flows through any arbitrary jurisdiction. Wilbur Ross, the Secretary of Commerce, is tied to the bank of Cyprus, so that might be a good place to start.
1
What makes you think that his financial crimes/malfeasance were limited to Russia. Globally, he may have done business in well over 100 countries. It would be interesting to analyze ever asset and liability on his balance sheet and the balance sheets of his various owned entities to trace all funding back to its source and to determine its legitimacy under US law.
1
It's time to ask the man who is unraveling before our eyes to "surrender" his job.
I say this as one of the few who thought he would be elected and who warned every single day of that hideously long campaign that he would be catastrophic, but I had no idea how flagrant the crimes would be, how staggering the ineptitude, how quickly government would become unhinged.
We do not need to wait for nukes to fall. He's already radioactive. The more he's cornered, the more dangerous he becomes. As Jeffrey Toobin pointed out last night, now we know why there has been a spike in the "crazy." The reaction to these subpoenas is prima facie evidence (if only in the emotional realm) of guilt.
God help us when the ax falls. If measures are not taken now, I would not put it past this "president" to launch the nukes as his parting retaliatory gesture. The man is poison. He's a petty thug on a good day and a calculating criminal on a bad one. There is no scenario in which he is good for us or this democracy.
A functioning congress would have impeached him in the summer when the meeting in the towers came to light, a point made by several former Watergate prosecutors. It's time to stop throwing up our hands and pretending there's nothing to do. Invoke Article 25. He's unhinged. But doing so should not absolve him of criminal wrongdoing. Get him out and keep investigating. If he's a traitor, imprison him. Impeachment is not enough.
17
The world has changed. The unthinkable might happen. Can President Donald Trump be deposed by Congress similarly to Dilma Rousseff in Brazil?
7
I seem to recall years ago Trump 'lost documents' in a flood someplace in New Jersey when the City of New York tried to recover taxes due...documents never recovered...hmmm...
12
The witch hunt continues. There is no evidence of collusion. Trump now has grounds to remove Mueller for cause. This is a naked abuse of power. All civil libertarians should take serious pause. Mueller is on a fishing expedition. He must go. Fire Mueller. Fire McCabe. We had an election. Trump won. Deal with it.
2
You have NO clue as to the evidence the Special Counsel has. Nor does anyone else outside his organization.
1
I'm doing a happy dance! Thank you, Mr. Mueller.
12
Corporations spend lots of money advertising their products to influence the behavior of Americans; would not do so if they thought advertising (propaganda didn't work.
Of course Russian use of social-media-delivered propaganda influenced the course of the 2016 election.
4
Do you think that if the #PLIC had released his Tax Returns he could have avoided this?
2
Couldn't Trump just end this by firing Mueller and pardoning Manafort and Gates?
The GOP won't do anything but defend his actions as just Trump being Trump
1
He could, and they could. Traitors one and all.
For the folks who don't grasp Russian real estate money laundering: I briefly worked for what I realized were oligarch plants here in New York City. The money flows in from clean sources and flows back to Kosovo. Money laundering = terrorism funding. Let's just say when I sniffed out who was paying me, I quit.
20
One assumes that "business documents" is to include tax returns for the past umpteen years. Let's hope so...because money laundering is also indictable.
Let's not forget Devin Nunes' shenanigans, his supposed disgrace with respect to the House Intelligence Investigation of Russian meddling, his bizarre behavior, his claims in defense of Tweety and against the FBI, etc. He represents the GOP strategy to derail, confuse, obfuscate and otherwise discredit legitimate attempts to investigate Tweety et al's potentially illegal activities from money laundering, Logan Act violations, campaign finance violations, administration transition foreign relations violations, Russian election collusion and possibly outright treason.
The GOP has proven that retaining their own political power is more important than preserving our democracy. For this, they richly deserve what we all hope is going to occur in our forthcoming Nov. election.
Tweety appears increasingly mentally deranged and unfit for office. His GOP enablers on Capitol Hill who have not foresworn his lies, consistent support of Putin, insults/threats to Allies, complete ignorance of how the Federal govt. is supposed to function, failure to populate the executive branch with qualified appointees, continued use of his office to enrich his business, etc., etc., etc., make them all unfit for office.
GOTV and free American from this nightmare of dysfunction.
14
To all the Trump haters and cheerleaders ....be careful what you pray for as there a millions of Americans that may protest vote for Trump.
There are millions of voters in this country, folks of all colors and economic conditions that feel they have been signaled out and picked on it life.
This investigation and now into personal financials is rubbing a lot of Americans the wrong way.
2
Joe, have you forgotten he lost the popular vote by over 3 million? There were more of us then, and far, far more of us now.
12
So laws don't count?
Yeah, right. Most Americans can relate to a sleazy real estate tycoon with shady Russian ties and who’s the clear beneficiary of a Russian effort to sway our election and will “protest vote” for him. Hogwash!
I don't know how all the Obama/Hillary bashers can look at themselves in the mirror. This president, their candidate, has done things they would have been apoplectic about. Yet they still support him.
18
I’m echoing Stephen Colbert’s words: “Please Mr. President, insist on talking to Mueller!”
10
The fact that Mueller's inquiry continues so aggressively in areas where he hasn't gone before, and that new information keeps surfacing - like the "nonbinding letter of agreement" re Trump Tower Moscow - together with the fact that they never compelled Manafort to testify, all shows what a sham the GOP House Intelligence Committee investigation was, and how woefully incomplete and inadequate their "final" report is.
21
Dopey Donald has no idea what he is up against. From what I can see in the open press, by the time Mueller gets finished with his investgation, he will have proof of all manner of illegal acts by the Trump campaign, by the Trump Organization, by many of his associates and his children, and by Donald himself.
When the sad history of the Trump administration is written, it is going to be the textbook for what one should not do if one wants to seve in our government.
But before that day arrives, we need to vote for Democrats on November 6, 2018 and retire as many Republican Senators and Representatives as possible, in order to preserve our democracy. The Republicans in Congress have proven that they are just spineless Trump enablers.
14
I like the question posed at the start of the report, why not request the material instead of issuing a subpoena,which sounds more ominous when leaked to the Times? by Mueller’s people, time for General Sessions to investigate the Mueller team for leaking.
1
It would be ironic if Trump's presidency is what brings him down as a "businessman". Better for him to have continued operating in his shady, maybe criminal sphere of the real estate/entertainment biz. By becoming President, did he think he would become unassailable? Instead, he has exposed himself to the scrutiny of a great prosecutor. As if he walked, no, ran, into the crosshairs of Robert Mueller, all the while crying foul . Dumb move. But also self-destructive. I can already imaging a future in which we look back and wonder at this colossal pretender, and wonder at ourselves for electing him. You can begin to sense future collective remorse beginning to take shape. And that's a good thing.
5
Why is Pence getting a pass? He was supposedly leading the presidential transition team that was so wrapped up in Russian outreach. What did he know and when did he know it?
15
It was Peter Baker who used the term "crossing a line" Trump didn't answer the question. There is no line with Trump. A bully would draw a line in the sand and dare you to cross it. When you did, the bully draws another line, then another. Reading those transcripts of his interview is more than shocking. The train of thought is certainly not a train. All this, and meanwhile, Mueller goes back to the ranch and keeps grinding away. It's only a matter of time.
2
It’s about time! This story has been about naked greed, endless opportunism, and the Trump family’s pursuit of advantage from Gaming The System, right from the start. The truth of all this will come from one action:
Always Follow The Money!
5
If Trump were to initiate the firing Mr. Mueller (hopefully) the voters would rally to make sure to give Dems control of House &/or Senate in the Fall so we could begin to end this nightmare.... this is clearly a lesson that Democracy doesn't run on it's own - it requires the integrity of leaders - something desperately lacking from Trump and many GOP leaders.
5
If Donald Trump were an "honest businessman" (or person...), why not hand over his income tax records, his business records and the like for Mueller to examine?
The reason why is simple. Trump is not near as successful as he pretends he is and his finances will disclose shady dealings around the world. The man has filed bankruptcy four times. No doubt, he'll be filing again shortly when Mueller is finished with him.
Keep marching forward Mr. Mueller with your investigation. It gives me comfort that at least one person in our government is doing the right thing and standing up to Trump.
And where is the outcry from from Republicans? There is none because when it's one of their own - they could care less.
5
This will show why Trump has refused to release tax statements, his Russian investments pay him big bucks and he's not going to give them up just because he's the President. Way to go Mueller.
5
It's deja vu 40+ years later...Mueller needs to ask for the tapes. Trump probably did have his own taping system at Trump Tower. That's why he accused President Obama's administration for tapping his phones...he was already recording his own calls! Not for any historical or legal purpose, he merely likes the sound of his own voice.
3
It appears likely that personal or financial behavior may have compromised our president's ability to faithfully uphold his oath of office. Restricting the scope of the investigation from examining the business dealings and potential compromise of the president would be naive at best.
One of the most exquisite forms of espionage is the influence of an individual's decision making processes without their knowledge to the benefit of the manipulator. Often, once that individual ceases to be useful or becomes aware of the subterfuge, they are callously abandoned by their controller, "burned" is the phrase.
More bluntly, exposure to revelations of behavior or criminal dealings leaves an individual vulnerable to overt threats and influence. A typical reason to deny a security clearance or even employment in many sectors.
The game of espionage and influence is by definition "the long game". The potential source of this influence is well accustomed to that long game and led by by experts. There are no boundaries of norm and certainly no red lines to this game.
4
Given other peoples comments I will add my own: The current situation reminds of German politics and action on the early 30's. First he labels all immigrants as potential traitors or terrorist without any such evidence. Then he attacks the roots of a great medical care system. If that was not enough he hands 1.5 trillion $ over to his highly corrupt supporters. He makes false promises to working class members of the electorate that he can not possibly keep and they fall for it. He attacks women verbally and physically. Strangely, he campaigns for candidates in special elections and they lose where earlier he heavily carried the voters. He nominates men and women to posts they are ill qualified to hold. He recommends cabinet member who promptly eviscerate the departments they are responsible for. He appoints a secretary of education who has no interest in public education. Need I say more.
7
I just want to make one point, that's all, just one.
Mueller for President, truly the last American Hero...
5
I greatly admire Mr. Mueller but I think we need to stop talking about handing out the role of the presidency as if it's some type of prize for a job well done. Being great at one job doesn't automatically qualify you as being a good fit for the presidency.
1
The President in a room with Robert Mueller or a grand jury is a priceless image. I can imagine it proceeding like many of his gregarious outings in the Oval Office, like the immigration commitments or the amiable promises to be super courageous on gun control.
Then, when his nefarious crew learns what he said, Sarah will brief the press and contradict every word and his lawyers will issue statements reversing all of his wandering, dishonest testimony.
Problem is, lying in the Oval Office is disgusting, but lying to the Special Counsel or a grand jury is illegal. Please, if there is a God, let her make my dreams come true.
9
IT LOOKS CLEAR TO ME That Mueller took the correct strategy in issuing subpoenas to the Trump Organization to turn over documents, some of which may related to Russia. Given the fact that Donald, the Quack President who Ducks his Duty, has been involved in 3,500+ lawsuits, the likelihood that he would cooperate with such a request appears to be diminishingly small.
7
Oh my goodness, this one will be fun to watch.
7
When will a real discussion regarding blocking any attempts by this administration to issue any further politically motivated pardons begin? It would be a final, sad end to the trauma already suffered by our country if the people who attacked our democracy and made a mockery of our country gamed the system to avoid our justice system.
9
Mueller is systematic and meticulous. It seems to make a lot of people very nervous, hence the "urgent" cries to end the investigation now. I think he should take his time and follow every lead he deems important. It is his responsibility, and I am glad he is taking it seriously and does not get distracted.
19
Perhaps Mueller is close to being fired and the subpoena is part of a defensive patchwork of legalities that would support obstruction charges therefore stifling Trump. The King is in check. Will there be a checkmate?
5
Trump is so scatterbrained, so lax about details (and facts), that -- any resistance to Mueller's subpoena aside -- one wonders if prez is capable of gathering all the required business documents in fulfillment of the special counsel's directive, especially considering deadline constraints.
Hey, but now that Trump, Jr. is no longer interested in his wife (they're getting a divorce), he should have plenty of time to assist papa.
4
I smell smoke and I see fire.
Closer and closer step by step
all the way to the White House and the Oval Office.
This is serious business and not fake news.
This is not the fault of Obama or Hillary or the FBI or DNC.
The responsibility for whatever happens falls
squarely on Trump's shoulders and nobody else's.
I always wondered how Trump managed to get loans to
keep his real estate empire afloat when he showed $1 billion
in losses and no reputable bank would touch him.
Enter a $500 million loan from Russian oligarchs with ties to Putin?
What a clever way for the Russians to get a foothold in America.
And even worse has the Trump Organization been spying for
the Russians for years to raise cold, hard cash?
The status of the Trump Organization as a secretive, closely held
family business not subject to the government scrutiny a publicly
traded company would face and its network of international connections
makes it a perfect vehicle to carry out international espionage.
And we know how much Trump loves money and loves making the deal.
Much more I fear than Trump and his family have ever loved America.
10
Ever since we heard about the Cyprus bank-Russia - connections and over to Manaforts Ukraine millions we knew what to expect.
The legal shoe takes a while to drop but this was all pretty clear two years ago.
12
On behalf of myself, my children and all who love the United States of America, Thank you Mr. Mueller and your entire dedicated team. You will all be known and remembered as Patriots who defended America and its Constitution in one of its darkest hours.
17
And a shout out to all those enablers of oligarchy, treason, and trolling——GO AWAY!
Far eastern Russia will be greening up soon.
Go where Sarah Palin can watch over you.
Here’s your hat- what’s your hurry...
"The breadth of the subpoena was not clear, nor was it clear why Mr. Mueller issued it instead of simply asking for the documents from the company"
Mueller suspected that the Trump Organization would omit things if simply asked. So the subpoena makes sense in that light. Now that the investigation is inching toward Trump what will he do? Hum...Weeks of "drama" lies ahead but already the debacle seems approaching and I am delighted.
7
"Mr.Muller could run afoul of a line the president has warned him not to cross." Wrong. It's Trump who has been crossing red lines of legality and ethics his whole life. Please don't suggest that Trump has the upper hand here. What's more, Trump said that once, and we know what his words are worth.
11
I look forward to the day when I get up in the morning and, over a good cup of coffee, read that Trump is gone. That will be a day for celebration.
20
I've already picked out the street that I'll be dancing in.
1
"... nor was it clear why Mr. Mueller issued it instead of simply asking for the documents from the company, an umbrella organization that encompasses Mr. Trump’s business ventures."
It is very clear to me! This guarantees that no records are destroyed, forgotten about, nor suddenly become fake news. There are plenty of indications that this has happened in the past: the Trump organization was reported to have engaged in destruction of papers during the spat about hotel management in Panama, the president never wrote Trump Jr.'s statement, the WH council is not holding back documents, etc.
3
Mueller is pretty clever ... by asking for documents and having a subpoena .... even if there is nothing to be found, turning over every stone and making sure all his details are in order ... now if Trump opposes that, refuses or tries to stop it ... it's obstruction... Mueller is making Trump paint himself into a corner now ... not even by accusing... just asking for possibly trivial things and using proper legal documents to compel him to obey and by making Trump make all the moves to back himself into that corner he can't get out of.
7
You have to wonder if a willingness for impeachment might be growing among Republicans. Pennsylvania again made it clear that the question is not if, but how much the GOP will lose this fall. The Trump narrative is pretty much dead. It's also clear that the situation in the WH is not improving, on the contrary Trump is firing dissenting voices around him one by one and seems to feel emboldened to take reckless, impulsive action. I think the timing is right for Mueller to zero in on Trump.
6
Mueller is on a fishing trip, even worse is, he wants to undermine the voters who voted for Trump, Trump won fair and square, the only collusion was Clinton, Fusion, GPS, people in the FBI, a British spy and the Russians. This is the deep state at it worst.
2
Yeah Jim. Well why won’t Trump release his taxes. That one move would clear up all -/ either way. You know this deep down inside.
Special Counsel Mueller just doesn't care redline or red flag. Like the hockey player, he goes to where the hockey puck is going. A true professional and a real patriot!
38
Could it be a coincidence that a day earlier the Trump administration hurls sanctions against Russia and the next day the special counsel Robert Mueller asks for the business papers related to Trump's business transactions with Russia? Or, it was a correct reading of the Mueller mood and his direction of the investigation that really prompted Trump to impose sanctions on the same Russian organisations and individuals that were identified by Mueller a few days earlier? Both ways, the Mueller inquiry is inching closer to Trump and his ties with Russia.
39
The law congress passed has deadlines for drumpf to implement sanctions against russia. He missed those deadlines - flouted the law. He finally did his bare-minimum duty and signed some into law that congress would otherwise have over-ridden his veto on.
6
regardless of what Mueller finds, I have zero faith that the complicit, complacent Republicans in the house & senate will do the right thing for the country. There was a time when I had a modicum (a tinyof faith in the republican party, but no more. The republicans who served under Nixon were of a different breed; they had some integrity. The republican party of today (i.e. Devin Nunes, Paul Ryan, etc) -- those who ignore, protect, enable & support trump's corruption -- that party is no longer recognizable. We, the voters, are the only ones who stand a chance of reining in this destructive trump administration, by voting for Democrats across the board this November, and helping to elect members who will fight to limit the damage left behind by this trump administration.
135
You might be right.
There is, of course, the matter of the November 2018 elections.
If the Democrats over perform . . .
1
They do seem to have joined with the Russians. Send them there, where Sarah Palin can keep an eye one them.
Agreed
Ah....now the real fun begins. How long before Twitter Trump commands Sessions to have Mueller sacked? How long before we get Trump’s Tax filings leaked?...We are looking forward to that,aren’t we?
50
Kinda reminds me of when Andrew Cuomo disbanded The Moreland Commission when the investigation started getting too close to him and his inner circle.
And I am glad you brought up Trump's missing tax returns. I hope, after all this time, that they have not been altered or destroyed.
And yes, I am looking forward to that!
1
One has to wonder why Trump is concerned about Mueller looking at his other business holdings other than with Russia. What does he have to hide? Perhaps the business with Russia will be a link to the Russian intervention in our elections.
45
I love seeing all the comments from armchair attorneys confident that ___ is obstruction or that ____ constitutes "high crimes and misdemeanors" or that Mueller is close to to indicting the President.
Chill out! Take a step back.
Remember, there are a lot of open questions. "Obstruction of justice" is a legal term of art, and "high crimes and misdemeanors" probable means whatever the House/Senate think it means. And, we really have little idea what Mueller is thinking. We know he has a prosecutor's mind. We know he has a reputation for being fair/honorable. We know leans Conservative.
Other than that, we really don't know much!
16
"high crimes and misdemeanors" probable means whatever the House/Senate think it means.
Gerald Ford would say there is no "probably," to it: It's the House of Representatives that solely determines the definition of "high crimes and misdemeanors."
1
This legal term isn't so artsy: Corrupt Intent!
3
I don't think you need to be an attourney to understand corruption and fraud when you see it. True, we don't know what will fly from a legal perspective. Morally, I think we all know exactly who this person in the White House is. He's told us himself repeatedly.
There is overwhelming evidence that drumpf's past and present business behavior is criminal. Together, that vast mosaic of crime is credible. He's guilty like he's walking around with his hair on fire. Obvious. Already had trump univ. ruling against him for fraud while he's weaseled out of other charges against himself and his crime family members (*cough* trump soho project).
Trump has to fire Mueller. He cannot possibly let his business dealings with Russia be exposed.
He simply has no choice. He will do what he needs to survive.
This nation is barely an afterthought
36
a subpoena guarantees the organization can't just ignore Mueller's request, while it also prohibits any sort of "deal" POMPOUS may try to make.
22
Not clear?
Mr. Mueller clearly believes he has the Trump administration on obstruction of justice charges, and issuing a subpoena will lock the remaining stonewallers in the Trump mafia either into cooperation or jail.
Very, very simple.
40
“ … nor was it clear why Mr. Mueller issued it instead of simply asking for the documents … “. Obviously Mr Mueller did not wish to sit through the song and dance that surely would have followed a mere request.
47
In his younger days, it is all about women Mr. Trump was interested in and the money has become his obsession as he grows older. Russia had kept Mr. Trump aloft with his public luxury lifestyle after his many bankruptcies filing and business failure. Follow the source of the business records, Mueller will certainly find out the source of his obsequious attitude toward Russia in servicing as a loud mouth-piece in front the result of the world. The real danger is Mr. Trump will fire Mueller and plunge the US into another constitutional crisis since he has nothing left to lose.
47
Mueller is not just on his way to showing that Trump colluded with the Russians, but that his reluctance to call out Putin and Russia over ANYTHING is because of the hooks they have in Trump after over a decade of laundering money for them. The Russians have an agent placed at the highest level of the US government and he is continuing to systematically do his best to destroy US credibility with allies and enemies alike. I truly hope that much of the damage can be repaired once he has become an ugly horrific historical memory. What worries me more is what damage he will do if he blunders into a war with North Korea that cannot be undone.
52
I don't think Pentagon will allow that.
The chain of command will most probably be broken.
When the investigation heats up, we are all taking notice more than ever...
1
Since when does the person being investigated get to set the terms under which the investigation may proceed? And how is it Trump gets to dictate to a special prosecutor that if he "crosses a line...".
I am sure Mr. Mueller will not allow Trump to get away with what Trump is implying he is entitled to do: tell the Special Prosecutor how he does he his job.
But it's incredibly annoying and bold of Trump to be making such arrogant public statements. And I'm also certain that if this investigation "trips over" other financial issues that make it apparent there has been financial crimes that lead into Trump's businesses aside from Russia issues, they will either be investigated by this Special Counsel or sent to other appropriate investigators.
Being in the White House does not accrue any special privileges of escaping normal legal consequences; certainly we learned that from the Nixon's forced resignation, pending impeachment articles and the Clinton impeachment.
When I consider how much outrageous prosecutorial leeway was given to Starr as he abused the office he held as Special Prosecutor, having Clinton subpoenaed to a grand jury indictment to testify on national television, causing the end of that office, it's no comfort that Trump gets away with as much as he does.
39
Mueller is subpoenaing documents to see if Trump turns over the incriminating docs Mueller already has obtained or knows about. He made a formal request so that, if Trump fails to completely comply, he's obstructing the investigation (again). Smart prosecutors only ask when they already know the answer . . .
67
You just about have to believe there is at least a reasonable, if not likely, chance that Mueller has cooperation from employees of the Trump Organization; if for no other reason, to save themselves from potential prosecution of financial crimes.
25
That would make perfect sense. Every week the body of incriminating evidence against Trump and his so-called family is squaring itself. And, like all roaches, they are running from the light.
2
A good first step for the terrific and brave man named Robert Muller.
Now, when will we see the indictment of Trump for his obvious crimes of tax fraud, tax evasion and money laundering?
37
An American hero.
3
BE PATIENT ... you are and I are not having to do the work. Try to control your need for instant gratification ... it is an all-American disease. Just stop, cool your jets, and look how long it took to nail that worthless blood-sucker Nixon.
1
Don't forget the ongoing treason.
1
God Bless You, Robert Mueller. This so-called president of the United States has disgraced our nation, and in doing disgraced the reputation of the American people. Whatever credibility we had gained back by electing and re-electing President Obama after George W. has been lost in one year under the thumb of Trump. The way this story concludes has no good ending, for Trump that is. For US, well, we can only wait it out, suffering the embarrassment that comes from putting the worse possible candidate possible into the most powerful position in the World. God help US.
DD
Manhattan
61
Some suggestions albeit well known, from a European friend:
There might be an opportunity to amend the constitution after this.
The electoral college have to be scapped and should be replaced by direct election.
His followers has to be taken care of, some of them are victims of industrial automation and have as a consequence, lost their jobs. Infrastructure projects might bring some help there. Education has to be improved, particularly fostering critical thinking, learn how to dump all the garbage roaming around on the net and identifying all the false prophets...
1
It would be shame to somehow end this entertaining circus show. Mr.Trump must love being the star in whatever show/game is played, just the silliness of all is not so great for America.
5
Mueller’s knocking on the door. He may want to know about the 2015 overture to Trump that Trump Tower Moscow would be great for the campaign, and Trump’s response. Probably the 2013 Miss. Universe Moscow too. And Eric’s claim he was on the campaign team every day and there were no Russians. And Donald Junior’s claim the infamous Trump tower meeting was the most inane thing ever. And about how Trump went from bankruptcy to billions.
19
The idea that Russians had any influence over such a large population with access to millions of sources of information is preposterous and a waste of taxpayers money.
2
Did you forget that only Democratic emails were leaked? And at suspicious times, to distract from the Hollywood Access tape?
40
It’s hard to see how an idea is a waste of time. Whose time, exactly?
2
Corporations spend lots of money advertising their products to influence the behavior of Americans; would not do so if they thought advertising (propaganda didn't work.
Of course Russian use of social-media-delivered propaganda influenced the course of the 2016 election.
2
Law and Order theme playing in my head as I write this.
Mueller has arrived, thanks to you Mr.President. Little did it dawn on you that as you threw your minions under the bus and severed ties,not only did your circle get smaller, you cleared the path and placed rose-petals for Mueller to arrive at your gate.
All along you thought you were smart,Mueller was a step ahead.Even better, you continuously compromised yourself,giving Bob plenty more to go on AND while distracted,focusing solely on your non-involvement with Russia,Mueller diverged on other paths,paths where you were highly vulnerable,but didn't care because you didn't pay attention.
I suppose you can now claim Mueller has crossed your so-called red line...unfortunately for you, too late to do much now. *smirk*
WELL DONE,BOB & Team,well done!
Drain this murky swamp crowd beginning with it lead rat.
34
This guy has no right to complain. No one invited him into the W.H. His lust for power and recognition drove him to this position. The rules were already established. He has no leg to stand on by insisting that his financial profile should and must be left alone. He needs to face facts: get with the program, get with reality, get with a little bit o' candor. He wants to have his cake and eat it too.
Surely, sooner or later, these gutless congresspeople will finally, at long last, run him to ground. We should not EVER forget how cowardly they all were, even when it threatened our international reputation and our national security.
46
Agreed. However, it's "are". The republicans at this moment show no signs of changing their cowardice or complicity. They ARE threatening our national security and destroying our international reputation and power.
2
Trump finances include laundering of Russian rubles.
1
Why do I get the feeling that Mueller has had a copy of Trump’s tax returns for a very long time?
47
i hope
Trump's redline is a hoax. It's similar to what he told after Comey was fired "he better hope there are no tapes"
He still does not understand that the President does not mean the CEO of U.S.A
33
I knew it! I knew something big was coming. Trump has demonstrated over and over again that whenever a big bomb is headed his way he acts out in a rash of irrational acts. That explains this week perfectly. Think about it.
32
Mueller's days are numbered. When he is removed from office by Trump I will take to the streets. This is an action we cannot afford to turn our heads away from. So I ask, fellow American patriots, will march in the streets with me and fellow Americans to protect our country and our freedom! Reccomend this post if you will!
62
I hope that we will all have the courage to take to the streets, because its seems to be certain that Trump will fire Meuller. Nixon cared about his country and his reputation, but Trump doesn't. Plus, I suspected that the crimes Trump is responsible are far worse.
I hope it is not true, but I fear that Trump is getting backed into a corner and he will be desperate.
For an extraordinarily well-constructed timeline of all of this, I highly recommend NPR’s Embedded podcast series. Especially the ones called “Obstruction” and “Collusion.” Very well-researched and coherent.
19
The National Review has a very detailed and long article that is also very good.
If you are actually interested in the subject, should be a must read.
Given it is a long, detailed read you can be sure no NYT reporter would be interested in it. It is easier to push a canned, prefabricated narrative than actually try and understand what happened. You know, journalism.
Anyone that thinks Trump or the Trump organization, inseparable in my opinion, didn't receive money from Russian sources is just plain naive. The fact that he denies is seems to be a form of proof with Trump. He has lied about everything else, why would this be the one time and circumstance about which he did not lie? I can think of no good reason and apparently, neither can many others. It would also seem that the only people that believe Trump are hardcore Republicans, generally known as racists, fascists and imbeciles.
20
This is tied in with the other front page story on Russian cyber attacks on our power structure. They are connected.
17
Can Russia cause American uncle reactors to melt down?
Well, we know of the campaign's myriad connections with Russia. For example, his campaign manager and son.
We know Trump lies daily. Heck, just yesterday he admitted he made up things he said to Justin Trudeau.
We know he and his family have a history of incompetence and shadiness in business dealings.
We know he started talking about Russian and emails after Roger Stone met with Russians. We know he is the only person in the US who seems to actually believe the Russians didn't meddle in our elections.
We know the dossier was written by a respected ex-British spy.
We know this guy is guilty as all get-out and the Robert Mueller is tightening the lasso.
29
"Mueller Subpoenas Trump Organization, Demanding Documents About Russia"
It is useless.
Trump had a track record of destroying documents that can incriminate him.
For example, Trump had a contract with NYC government for building Grand Hyatt New York almost for free. He got a great deal (almost free of tax and of expenses) upfront but NYC required him to pay back based on each year's profit.
As soon as the hotel was up and running, Trump immediately violated the contract---didn't pay or pay very little to the City government. When the government sent the auditor to investigate it. The auditor realized all the documents had already been destroyed.
This vivid example is documented on a documentary one can find on youtube.com. This is just one dirty laundry of Trump's many.
Law is only useful for law-abiding citizens or people with a sense of shame. With Trump, the born criminal, if Mueller really has the determination to turn every stone, he must find other ways and means to collect evidences, especially when the criminal is residing in the White House with an intimidated DOJ and FBI.
22
I am thinking Mueller won't be asking any questions he doesn't already have full evidence of what would be a truthful answer.
6
Perhaps true; however, if copies of documents he is supposed to turn over show up from other sources and Trump fails to produce them himself that alone could be obstruction. Either Trump is caught in an ever downward spiral that all liars find themselves in eventually, or he is completely innocent and using this whole investigation as a way to deflect attention from the damage he's really doing.
If there is found to have been money laundering, I would like to know how the money was being used...eg..was it JUST collusion?
3
Mueller knows he cannot find something that does not exist -- collusion.
He will be tarred and feathered by the democrats for that truth.
He cannot resign. His only hope is to get fired or shut down. He is digging into irrelevant details like Saudi connection.
He hopes that works. We do too.
1
Wow. Somebody still listens to AM Radio!
Collusion, while not a crime, was proven when jr and jared. And Flynn lied about talking to Russians. Again when they lied about meeting Russians, a d yet again when they and Mr Trump himself lied about what the meeting was about. Conspiracy is the issue now, and patriotic Americans want answers.
1
"we do too"?
Speak for yourself!
Too bad you live in Dallas, you might have a better understanding of the world if you lived someplace else.
At least you read the NYTImes, which separates you from 90% of Trump supporters
It looks as if Mr. Mueller is quite close to crash the Trumptanic by steering it into the iceberg of #45's ill-gotten and laundered money.
Being exposed as a pauper living on borrowed money, including on the backs of the taxpayer's back, will be the worst punishment for him, even worse than going to prison.
11
If the subpoena was issued a few weeks ago, it explains the timing of the House Intelligence Committee's pathetic and outrageous effort at a whitewash.
30
I too have wondered about this.
As soon as I learned of the subpoena, I starting to wonder about what Trump's response might have been when he found out. The timing of the Devn Nunes whitewash certainly makes sense.
2
I could have sworn I remembered Trump warning Mueller not to look into his business deals.....
16
Between the Mueller subpoena, being forced to do Russia sanctions (however weak), the constant stream of Stormy chatter, and the Don Jr divorce, we are in for one heck of a Twitter meltdown in about 8 hours.
34
Yes I was interested in how the money in DonJr family changes status if they divorce. it may mean chunks of it are protected id DonJr goes down.
2
Someday in the near future, a Democratic president will raise her pen and sign the document giving Robert Mueller the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his service to our fine country.
69
I get frustrated when I read posts in the comment section stating "nothing to see here, investigate Clinton, Mueller is wasting time and money", etc., etc. It's almost incomprehensible to me to believe that a subset of Americans are more partisan than patriotic with regard to purported Russian election interference/collusion, potential money-laundering, financial fraud, and perhaps racketeering by Trump confidants or the President himself.
I try to focus on the fact that comments (for/against) the investigation posted by NYT subscribers won't change the path or outcome of Mueller's mission. The scary part, however, is that posts damning Mueller's investigation echo the mind-set of Republican Congress members who are in charge of protecting our country.
Time for another carnival act by the Republican party and President to deflect or sidetrack the investigation.
33
They could all be Russian bots.....
15
Yes, those bots aggressively infect the comment section of many mainstream news media. They are pervasive. But they seem to share similar characteristics: bitter one-sidedness, fervor, and sensationalism.
2
And very poor grammar! I would think a machine learning algorithm could be trained to detect the bots. They repeat the same lies and reference HRC with the same terminology.
If Democrats will put forth candidates that are not waging tribal warfare, such as Congressman Lamb, the House & Senate will turn Democrat. At that time, impeachment and conviction can take place. More important, Democratic control over Congress will neutralize the behavior of Pence - an irrational narrow minded religious zealot who believes humans & dinosaurs coexisted (i.e. The Flintstones cartoon show is a documentary) and shows blatant disregard for young Olympic athletes who are merely competing; not making foreign policy).
14
Pence was hand picked by Manafort. He won't even sniff the Oval Office.
The wheels of justice turn slowly as they unearth the facts buried and hidden by criminal conspirators. But eventually the corruption is brought to the surface where it can be held to measure by the metric of our laws and surgically removed, only then can the body politic hope to be healed.
19
Mark Felt aka "DeepThroat" famously told Woodward (of Woodward and Bernstein) to "Follow The Money." There are so many similarities between Nixon-Watergate and Trump-gate, it is eery. Here, Mueller is also "following the money." Similarly to Nixon, Watergate was just the tip of the iceberg. Nixon committed crimes all over the place, bugging the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and breaking in to Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist office. As bad as it was in the 70s, Trump's crime when proven, is even worse (and sleazier). We definitely need our version of John Dean (Nixon's special counsel) today.
25
Trump loves tough Marines so he says.
He has found one.
Pray for Robert Mueller.
45
I am so tired of hearing "he hasnt found anything yet " etc etc. No one knows what he has! We wont know until another indictment
33
Thank you Mr. Mueller!I can't wait for this nightmare to end,a conman ,our president.Follow the money.
29
Trump is planning to fire Sessions and then Mueller. The subpoena is Mueller's insurance that the investigation won't be quashed.
26
It’s still Thursday in flyover land. This nytimes coverage of financial deals between Trump and who knows how many Russians - and others - is concise and to the point. Great coverage. Thank you.
20
with that kind of background you never run for US Presidency. USA is not Europe. Trump ran for President ONLY to enrich himself & his family. NOT FOR ANY KIND OF PUBLIC SERVICE. Its plain and simple.
41
This explains the recent [unwarrented and inappropriate] swaggering and firing and talk of firing.
22
If you tell a special prosecutor not to look at something, that's the same as telling him to look at something. Imagine if the police entered a home looking for evidence and the resident said, "You can look everywhere except that one room over there." That would be the first place to look.
48
This is a funny comment. And it is true.
What is amazing is that millions of people are completely fooled by the "Don't look in that room" ploy! What? Mueller was TOLD not to look in a certain room and he LOOKED!
2
Donald Trump has a lot of nerve telling the Special Council he would be crossing the lone for asking for documents that are relevant to this investigation. And the thought of Trump being able to fire Mueller is unacceptable.
50
The answer to his comments about the 'line' is "Or What? Donald?" If it is a threat that is definitely not a good way to go for Trump. Like when he says to Comey "Do you want to keep your job?" Then "How about going easy on Flynn?"
The subpoena was issued because those in the administration have an established history of conveniently forgetting to report on their activities when asked, whether in hearings before Congress (Sessions), when filling out security clearance forms, or when answering questions from the FBI. The subpoena makes it a crime to conveniently forget things.
45
Does anyone know whether Mueller has the power to subpoena Trump's IRS returns? This could be a best seller, plus Trump had already promised to release them, as other Presidents have done.
33
Former Federal Prosecutor Robert Bennett said on CNN tonight that he suspects Mr. Mueller already has Trump's tax returns.
17
And remember that by next month Trump will have filed both his 2016 AND 2017 tax returns. Were those two "suddenly" seized for an IRS "audit" too?
And isn't it a crime to invent a lie about an IRS "audit" simply to mislead and deceive the public?
When will Trump FINALLY "come clean" on all of this?
10
When asked in an interview with Jeffrey Tobin, Sally Yates said that the Justice Department does have the power to subpoena tax returns, and that the person under investigation (in this case Trump) would not know about it.
6
Our democracy is too easy to manipulate. The weakness and fairness of democracy makes it easy pickens for shifty lawyers to game for their clients.
Then it's necessary for someone in Muellers position to work even harder to find the truth.
American democracy has ebbed and flowed over the years with many low points including the JFK assassination, killing civilians at My Lai in Vietnam, torturing prisoners at Guantanamo, and the Obama targeted drone killings.
It's reassuring to think that our democracy is a given that can't be compromised but the reality is that it has been taken from us repeatedly over the years.
Let's take it back and keep it!
17
"The breadth of the subpoena was not clear, nor was it clear why Mr. Mueller issued it instead of simply asking for the documents from the company, an umbrella organization that encompasses Mr. Trump’s business ventures. " Why would not a special prosecutor use his full extent of subpoena power? Certainly this is not the time for a passive play. He knows who he's dealing with now and the extent to which they play their games. Go in for the kill and be thorough.
29
When one sees the obfuscation and misinformation from Mr. Trump regarding tariffs, the media, immigration, climate, guns, prostitutes, mexico, business deals, etc. I don't understand why the American people continue to support him.
45
The majority of Americans don't understand it either.
15
Most of the American people don’t, and can’t - or at the least have a difficult time - understand why the minority of the voting pop. who does still support him, does. Then, there’s the present Congress... a whole ‘nother ball game. Grrr.
11
Most of us don't, and are quietly praying for Mr. Mueller's success, all the while looking forward to November.
2
If Mueller is really getting too close to incriminating stuff -- the money laundering in particular -- Trump will start a war or whatever it takes to distract. It's what he does. We need to get that red button away from him.
29
I used to think that democracy allows voter to support party that helps their family better. Majority of voters will have good judgmental skills. 2016 election proved wrong in both ways. And also Republicans who have always shown military power against enemies are now muted with cyber invasion.
9
The article says that "Mr. Trump campaigned as a businessman whose deal-making prowess would translate directly into reforming Washington." No, sorry. Trump has little to no interest in governing or politics. He can barely read, and when he reads, he rids business books on how to get rich. For him, everything in life is about making money, his only means, in his view, consciously or not, to boost his weak self-esteem. "Everything" here includes the Presidency, which he sought to make more money for himself....period.
14
What will happen if Trump refuses to hand over the documents? Given the way Trump's been allowed to behave this past year, my guess is that nothing will happen.
7
Contempt of court, financial penalties, incarceration.
11
Did you ever think The investigators already have what they need? The subpoena is more of a chance to catch the organization in more dishonest behavior.
7
There are no "red lines" as defined by Trump as Trump is not in a position to define them. Assuming, that is, he is still subject to the rule of law. He can assert that he's not. Then, ultimately, it's up to the Supreme Court to determine if he is. It most certainly will, or else we don't have a country anymore.
17
Let's see what Trump's record retention policy is. Whatever documents he does receive, I doubt Mueller will come away with anything of value.
In the end, Trump will weather this investigation and we'll hear him preach his innocence.
4
Pretty sure Mr. Mueller knows what he's looking for and thinks he will find it. Probably has corresponding documentation from other witnesses. If anyone destroys records that's obstruction.
11
There is one thing about Trump. He is extremely optimistic in that he thinks he is above the law. Being rich and affording a crack legal team can go only so far. He's abusing our great country. It will be the finest example of patriotism when this despicable man is impeached or forced to resign.
36
That's pretty trusting of Mr. Mueller, to expect Trump to find and turn over any incriminating evidence of Russian collusion with Trump. I know Mr. Trump is an honorable man, but I think its pushing the envelope to expect him to implicate himself in crime. That's not the Trump way...
3
"I know Mr. Trump is an honorable man..." --- that has to be the most absurd statement I've ever read. EVER!! Or I'd like to believe you have a great sense of gallows humor.
I expect that everything up to that "red line" is a lie, or misleading at best. As soon as Mueller "crosses" that red line, he will be in truth territory. That is where Mueller wants to be. That is where Trump does not want him to be. Mueller needs to cross the red line.
19
How long is this fishing expedition going to go on? If there was something big, it would have been found by now. None of Trumps clan are smart enough or careful enough to conceal anything.
1
The Watergate investigation went on much longer than this.
26
I think Mueller wants to get all of his ducks thoroughly dealt with, and all in a row, first. With no gaps, even small ones, in that row. Only then will he be ready.
8
...and Whitewater went on for 6 years...
7
"It’s the first known time the special counsel has ordered that documents directly related to the president’s businesses be turned over."
Muller should not have had to subpoena anything. In the past it was accepted that a president would be open and transparent particularly in areas that may make them vulnerable to blackmail and leverage, both national and foreign, or open them up to accusations of using the office for personal gain. All such things present a security risk for the country and a threat to democracy.
But this president has declared himself not subject to ethical constraints, has been secretive and cagey about his business dealings, has refused to show his tax returns, has a murky financial past, has declared bankruptcy multiple times, has refused to divest his businesses, has employed unqualified relatives and friends in key positions that could be used for personal gain, has advertised his businesses every chance he gets, has personal, unknown financial dealings with foreign powers. And that's not even getting started.
25
It seems to me that Trump's tax returns for the past decade or more should be part of this inquiry. One thing is for certain, requirements for becoming president must be changed, by law. "Tradition" can no longer be trusted as an arbiter of presidential behavior.
No one should be permitted to become president if they refuse to reveal their tax returns for at least two decades prior to taking office. No one should be permitted to hire or to appoint, even without pay, any member or her/his extended family for any government or personal role. The president should be barred from appointing cabinet members and agency heads with little or no experience in the areas they will oversee, and they may not be appointed if their work history shows that they have worked and/or lobbied heavily against the agency's or organization's mission. And, no one should be permitted to come into office with existing businesses unless they are placed in a blind trust that excludes any friends, close associates, or family members.
In addition, those who wish to run for president and vice president should be required to pass rigorous and exacting examinations--both written and oral--on the US Constitution, The Bill of Rights, and American History. If our democracy survives the Trump cesspool, extreme repair will be necessary.
41
I see Jeff Sessions getting fired very soon, replaced by someone whose job it will be to neutralize Mueller. The talking heads say Trump won't do that. But I suspect he'll also fire at least a few of the people around him who are telling him not to do it, and replace them with "team players" who tell him what he wants to hear.
12
Mueller will probably find Trump guilty of money laundering for the Russians, and the GOP will then just say it is not such a serious crime and all it deserves is a fine.
After all, a fine is the worst penalty every imposed on Deutsche Bank or Wells Fargo for money laundering on an industrial scale. If Trump has been money laundering it would be on a much smaller scale. If the banks get a fine for what they did Trump is looking at little more than a parking ticket.
That, unfortunately, is where the corrupt American system has brought us.
15
If the firing of Special Counsel Mueller is contemplated by the White House, it will be based on the calculus that a successor, even one enabled by new legislative protection, will have to gear up from the beginning. The change will buy time, perhaps 12 to 18 additional months. Trump's closest associates will carefully assess the proximity of potentially ruinous Mueller findings, before advising that the boss pull the pin to hold off an enemy at the gates, regardless of near term fallout.
3
I'm surprised letters to you are so uninformed about the meaning and consequences of money laundering. As difficult as it is to see through the fog it seems likely Trump's greatest fear is his past dealings with dirty money. The notions of collusion, conspiracy, and obstruction, are complex, and, as a lawyer involved in the prosecutions of these offences, I see these offences as the most challenging to pursue. On the other hand, money laundering is comparatively straightforward. As this is undoubtedly is in Mr Mueller's main focus why not tell your readers what it means. And how likely a prosecution for it will be to succeed.
24
With the subpoena Trump can't destroy or hide documents without committing a felony. A request is not mandatory.
16
I keep wondering about those withheld tax returns and how they would fit into this matter. Of course, Mueller is getting close to the source. When Trump keeps repeating "no collusion" (as instructed by attorneys), he's referring to "collusion" literally (I gather) not being unlawful. Naturally, Trump sees nothing bad about unseemly, and even in the denial, it hints of other malfeasance--there's supposed to be more than collusion anyway. Let's have him be gone in any case, a.s.a.p.
4
Trump declared his financial dealings as the red line. And now, when the House Intelligence Republicans have issued a resolution that there was no collusion, he can close down Mueller's investigation citing that resolution as an evidence that Mueller's goal has been accomplished - "no COLLUSION"!
2
Time for Muller to be fired, this demand for Trump business organization documents prior to the 2016 election is ridiculous. Muller is now fishing and this has nothing to do with supposed election collusion.
1
If Mueller is fired, millions of Americans will take to the streets. And we will march until justice is restored.
Conspiracies, defined
1. Conspiracy (civil), an agreement between people to deceive, mislead, or defraud others of their legal rights or to gain an unfair advantage
2. Conspiracy (criminal), an agreement between people to break the law in the future, in some cases having committed an act to further that agreement
3. Conspiracy (political), an agreement between people with the goal of gaining political power or meeting a political objective
4. Hub-and-spoke conspiracy, a conspiracy in which one or more principal conspirators (the "hub") enter into several similar agreements with others (the "spokes") who know concerted action is contemplated, usually where the success of the concerted action depends on the participation of the other spokes.
5. The entire Republican party, Russian oligarchs and their government operatives
15
I think Trump's confidence in his innocence is based on three things:
1) he is not able to understand the law when it is explained to him
2) he is counting on his own poor understanding to shield him from prosecution
3) he believes that so many people love him in this country that no one will dare to charge him
He is wrong on all three counts.
31
Excellent. This is exactly it. And further, or obliquely to your observation, Trump's followers share the precise same weakness of understanding.
They honestly do. To them, "getting" Hillary is good and anything Trump does cannot exceed Hillary's shortcomings.
Hillary wasn't so very great, and the "shattering of a glass ceiling" is the smallest of potatoes which have been pre-cooked many, many times elsewhere. Do you want another Margy Thatcher?
Does just female-ness make a good candidate? Is Betsy DeVos a virtue because of her gender? But Hillary was a million times better and more honest than Trump, the world record setter for a "low bar." This will never be accepted in the grinding tribalism we are now experiencing.
Thanks, good observations.
6
This makes me feel that whatever the outcome of this investigation is now, I can truly have faith in its findings.
3
Mueller’s net is closing in on Trump’s sprawling business empire. According to a memo released by the Democrats, who investigate possible collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia, Trump’s company is said to be “actively negotiating” a business deal in Moscow with the VTB Bank, which is under US sanctions, during the 2016 election campaign,
Although the Democrats did not reveal the source of their information, their statement came days after Republicans on the House intelligence committee concluded that Trump’s 2016 campaign had not colluded with Russian operatives. Yet even outsiders see that it couldn’t have been a coincidence that Trump surrounded himself with so many pro-Russia aides and advisers. Now it’s up to Mueller to pick up the trail.
103
Please save us, Mr. Mueller, from our President.
209
Every single cop show on TV will tell you the same thing, if you want to get the answers you have to follow the MONEY. So it might have taken a long time but finally Mueller will get the real answers.
84
I repeat ... The silence can be reviewed and commented upon just as concisely as the spoken and written word. The total picture is being constructed formally so that we can all look at the worst in ourselves or among ourselves. Without that introspection, failure is guaranteed. Without that introspection, a collective sense of right and of wrong cannot be fully scaled. Godspeed Mr. Mueller.
53
One must assume that Mr. Mueller has placed multiple protections in place in anticipation of the possibility of his firing. One hopes.
106
As do I. I hope he is the super hero that he seems to be, in fact he seems to be the exact opposite of Trump. I am somewhat surprised that Trump has never attacked Mueller on Twitter, and I am happy that Mueller hasn’t given him much reason to. Good for the whole team with the no leaks, no reality show gossip.
10
One of those protections could be sharing of files and investigations with the New York State Attorney General's investigations. Trump could neither access state investigation files nor pardon anyone in a state investigation.
4
Mueller is a Super-Hero. I live in carbon county P.A, home of coal country. I'm a born citizen that was wondering if I was going to be sent to an internment camp. At the very least I would assuredly be robbed of this American dream I've been sold on. Only thing left is a heroic nickname.
51
I want to see Mueller subpoena Trump’s birth certificate as well. That will teach him to mess with Democrats, especially Adam Schiff.
87
And make sure it’s the long form.
The silence can be reviewed and commented upon just as concisely as the spoken and written word. The total picture is being constructed formally so that we can all look at the worst in ourselves or among ourselves. Without that introspection, failure is guaranteed. Without that introspection, a collective sense of right and of wrong cannot be fully scaled. Godspeed Mr. Mueller.
11
"Mr. Mueller could run afoul of a line the president has warned him not to cross." Playing chicken is Trump's card. His knowledge of Nixon has him paralysed, but for how long. Please keep him busy and distracted on the golf course.
31
The walls are closing in on Mr. Trump. Mueller has now requested documents by a subpoena, which means, he HAS to comply. Stormy Daniels is also getting closer to "telling her story" which, I'm sure, will just confirm what a perv we all know that Trump is. He will be impeached for sure. He has broken so many laws with regard to his campaign and presidency, there's no denying that he must be thrown out of office.
88
He will only be impeached if the Democrats have a sweep at the midterms. The Republicans have sold their souls to the devil. They’re in too deep to back out now. They will let Trump get away with anything.
13
One of a dying breed of Republicans with a moral center.
I don't recall Clinton declaring a "Red Line" while being investigated by Ken Starr. We had six years of special council investigation which started with White Water. Thank you Republicans for setting the standard of how it is done. Mr. Mueller has only just begun.....
118
"Though it is not clear how much of the subpoena is related to Mr. Trump’s business beyond ties to Russia, Mr. Trump said in an interview with The New York Times in July that the special counsel would be crossing a 'red line' if he looked into his family’s finances beyond any relationship with Russia."
Do it SC Mueller, DO IT! the Donald is a paper tiger and he didn't get his dentures in today.
45
There were no red lines for Kenneth Starr. He investigated everything having to do with the Clintons over the previous 3O years. I trust that Robert Mueller is being equally thorough in his investigation. America deserves no less.
157
The Starr inquiry did not work out well. It led to President Clinton's impeachment on charges essentially unrelated to his job performance in a process that, in the end, surely must have been a great embarrassment to both Starr and those in the House who voted for it.
Nonetheless, those who insist, largely absent actual evidence, that there must have been a conspiracy between the Russian government and the Trump campaign, seem to think it is a good model to follow. Given that Mr. Mueller, with a relatively unconstrained budget and a large staff for over a year, has produced no evidence of significant crimes associated with either the Trump campaign or the Trump organization. As its length and scope increases, this investigation seems decreasingly likely to produce anything much beyond dealings with arguably shady people, quite a number of whom are or were Russian nationals. The longer it continues without significant results, the more it looks like a political vendetta aimed at crippling the administration, a result that certainly will please the Russian government and quite a few others.
1
Did you miss the indictments and the guilty pleas. Also the cooperating witnesses?
3
You have 0 knowledge of what Mueller does or does not have.
You remind me of someone fishing one part of the tide and then declaring the fishing no good. Also, you've no idea or clue about how and why Mueller may or may not be holding evidence in abeyance for strategic purpose. I suggest thinking a bit more openly, or examining your motives for not.
1
I am a person who would want the investigation be go as long as necessary to prove my innocence. Trump and his supporters do not appear to share that same level of concern about a finding of innocence no matter the length of the investigation. Mr. Mueller however, appears to want to determine if Mr. Trump is innocent, or in the absence of innocence, his level of guilt.
In the end, that is what this investigation will provide to the American people, if Mueller is left alone to complete the investigation. If he is not allowed to do so; Trump and his supporters will always live with a very ugly cloud over their collective heads.
26
Mr. Mueller, thank you. You are the true leader of our country.
86
Can the President actually draw a red line that cannot be crossed in terms of investigating criminality? I thought a President, like the rest of us is not above the law.
79
The Rule of Law implies that every person is subject to the law, including people who are lawmakers, law enforcement officials, and judges.
If Trump is guilty of a crime then he should be subject to the Rule of Law.
8
Not one Robert Mueller will obey.
Another 3 hours of MSNBC this evening.
I am working on my fixer upper home and projects have ceased since things started heating up with the resignations, firings, indictments, etc.
I need this arrest/impeachment to happen asap. My house will never get done at this rate.
151
Steady, Mueller.
Thoughts and prayers.
53
It's no mystery, the key to Trump and all his dealings is his attempt to do business with Russia. His failure to develop a close relationship with Putin has caused him to do all kinds of handstands to gain big entry to the Moscow market. The Russian money behind the Trump Organization makes him all the more nervous that Putin just might call all the loans. TIMBER!
46
Mr. Robert Mueller has the qualities to make a great president.
106
Yes, but when Mr. Mueller is done with this investigation, I think our country owes him a long, relaxing retirement.
7
Years from now we'll reflect back on this period and realize that Robert Mueller is saving our Republic. I say that without hyperbole.
2
First of all, the target of an investigation doesn't get to decide the scope of questions. If something is even remotely connected to the issues of collusion, cooperation or coordination (however "incidental") it is fair game under Mueller's charge.
Second, you may refuse an interview but not even the president can refuse a subpoena. It is a legitimate act of the judiciary, an independent and co-equal branch of government under our constitution. Beyond the dyed-in-the-wool Trump crazies, even his most-of-the-time supporters are going to balk at supporting him in a constitutional confrontation. Thats when the foundation will begin to wash out.
Today, it's the organization. Tomorrow it's the relatives...but the day will come when it is Trump. And the walls will have already been erected.
62
Why ask when you can demand? I imagine Mr. Mueller has very little respect left for the people he's investigated. Besides that, it may help keep Mr. Trump's staff away from shredders and e-mail servers.
39
Now that we know the Mueller investigation is looking deeper into the trump organization, the pending disaster that may go through the Department of Justice rests squarely on the GOP shoulders.
Will they serve as keepers of the Constitution.
If trump continues to publicly shame Sessions, I hope Sessions continues to reinforce his refusal to leave his post.
If trump presses Rosenstein via intimidating committee hearings, I hope Rosenstein continues to reinforce that Mueller is executing his role exactly within the appointing orders.
Ultimately, the only obstacle to trump is his own GOP party, who, regardless of which party citizens belong to, is still obligated to uphold the rule of law.
News at 10. Film at 11. Stay tuned. Don't touch that dial.
19
it seems plausible that "following the money" could reveal loans from Russian oligarchs, evidence of money laundering or other questionable financial transactions that occurred before the election.
If this information gives Russia leverage over Mr. Trump and could cause him to put Russian interests ahead of the his oath of office, then investigating the finances of Trump Inc. is a completely legitimate part of Mr. Mueller's investigation.
Avoidance of these kinds of concerns is the reason most Presidential candidates release their tax returns.
43
Serious question: What if the Trump Organization just hide, or even destroy, the incriminating documents? How is it possible for the investigation to prove if they did that?
19
They could, and individuals and organizations have done so. It is harder than one thinks, however. The docs may have been scanned into multiple locations; they may have been emailed; you can't send an order via email to destroy them; often remaining documents refer to the destroyed or "missing" documents, etc. Remember what happened when Nixon erased those 17 minutes of tape recordings? Didn't help him much. Created more interest in prosecuting him.
3
Mueller already has testimony and documents from the other players. If you can prove, for example, that a bank sent money to Trump, and then Trump denies having received that same money, you have a good case for perjury and/or obstruction. Something has caused Mueller to ask for these documents, this is not, as Trump might wish you to believe, a "fishing expedition".
5
My first thought was that they already have some inside knowledge provided by a cooperating witness. They can catch Trump committing another crime.
5
so awesome if they find something tangible before the November elections. it was make for a great October 2018 surprise!
26
Mueller has been investigating for less than a year. He is investigating hacking by, apparently, the Russian government. He is investigating efforts by the same Russians to influence the election through soft platforms like Facebook and also cyber warfare. He is also investigating possible collusion with the Trump campaign. Everyone needs to chill. This is going to proceed for a while.
28
Claims by Ms. Sanders and various lawyers that the president is cooperating aren't true. In fact, they are lies, or would be called lies for any other administration. Mr. Trump himself and his surrogates have been attacking the investigation and demonizing the investigators for months.
" 'Since July 2017, we have advised the public that the Trump Organization is fully cooperative with all investigations, including the special counsel, and is responding to their requests,' said Alan S. Futerfas, a lawyer representing the Trump Organization."
13
Trump and his family has done lot's of illegal activities worthy of felony convictions. He's used his connections and bullying to keep prosecutors at bay. Mueller's got plenty to indict them on if he chose to investigate, hence Trump's "Red Line". Looks like Mueller's going to advantage of Ken Starr's precedent that anything is fair game.
19
We could really care less that Russia supposedly stole our election. Once we nail Trump for something entirely unrelated, who do you think Putin will replace him with?
Hope Mueller has some people on his team who can read Russian, as I expect there will be a lot of documents written in cyrillic.
20
Mr. Bone Spurs, at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar earlier this week:
"Trust me, you don’t ever want to be on the other side of a fighting Marine; it's trouble. It's painful."
Robert S Mueller III: "Hold My Beer"
Officer, U.S. Marine Corps, 1968–1971
Bronze Star (with valor)
Navy Commendation Medal (2) (with valor)
The man is a fake.
45
I hope you don't mean Robert S Mueller is a fake. In addition to the Bronze Star Medal and Navy Commendations he also received the Purple Heart Medal for heroism, the Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with three service stars, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross, and Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.
What recognition for service did Donald Trump get? Nothing I believe.
556
Trump apparently had medical waivers granted preventing any service and attended military school because his parents could afford to send him.
1
Medals mean nothing when it comes to the job Meuller was appointed to do. And Meuller is not unbiased. He is after Trump, while Killery flaunts her crimes.
Lawyers are the big winners here, the American people...not so sure.
5
The bit in this article about how "a longtime business associate of Mr. Trump’s emailed Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen" will make a lot more sense if you read this old NYT article: "A Back-Channel Plan for Ukraine and Russia, Courtesy of Trump Associates" (Feb 19 2017)
The longtime business associate is Felix Sater, a Russian Trump Tower denizen whose name will surely come up again before this is over.
An interesting fact about Michael Cohen himself, the payer-off of Stormy Daniels, is that he lived in what's now Russian-occupied Ukraine for years, working in the ethanol business of his wife's brothers. Even this apparently totally New York guy actually speaks fluent Russian.
The partnership between Sater, Cohen and a third man, separatist Russo-Ukrainian politcian Andrii Artemenko, eventually led them to deliver a letter to Michael Flynn in his White House office proposing a "peace deal" that would have involved US acquiescence in Russia keeping Crimea.
47
That rich Russian buddies of Putin have invested heavily in Trump company real estate projects, should make Trump supporters very nervous. He is in bed with America's sinister enemy.
27
A man in search of a crime, any crime.
6
How many indictments? How many guilty pleas by first-order Trump associates? How many cooperating witnesses? He would not have flipped those witnesses unless they had direct evidence in the core of the issue.
6
Who ever heard of a special prosecutor not following up on every single possible lead, angle, or inquiry? Certainly a man of Mueller's experience, reputation, and intelligence would not be less than thorough. The entire world is watching. Even if he finds nothing, he will look under ever rock. So would you if you have integrity.
4
Seems he's found quite a few already...and he's still warming up.
2
There is only one thing I would like to say to this:
Lock them all up.
35
I sense a constitutional crisis brewing.
And the Majority Party, the Part of No Way, stands silent while the Tin Hat Dictator rests his weary bones in that dump, the White House.
This is what Russia intended all along.
34
There's a reason Trump's lawyers don't want him to be interviewed by Mueller. Trump seems to say whatever comes into his head at the moment. Whether it's an act or not, if he lies to Mueller or Mueller's investigators he will be charged. This is where his statement that he's a stable genius falls apart. A stable genius would know his limits and keep his mouth shut. Trump can't even keep his Twitter fingers quiet. I have my doubts about keeping his mouth shut or just answering the questions without saying more than he should.
On the other hand, I do like fairy tales.
32
"Mr. Mueller could run afoul of a line the president has warned him not to cross."
It's not up to the president to tell the special counsel what he may and may not investigate.
Exhibit A: Ken Starr
We are still a democracy and not run by a dictator, are we?
117
Trump is daily consolidating power in the WH to transform our democracy into the dictatorships he so admires. That Russia influenced the 2016 election to put man-child DJT in our highest office is no longer in question. What has yet to be made public is the power Russia has over Trump: After bankrupting his businesses the only loans he could get were from Russian oligarchs. A man as lacking in any morals, principles or values as narcissistic Trump would be easy to blackmail. And the enabling grifting GOP will avoid facing down Trump at any cost, just keep those campaign donations, private jets, dining room sets and $130,000 doors coming!
Counting on you Mr. Mueller! That investigation and the backlash the GOP will face in 2018 are the only way out of the reality show dumpster fire of the current ‘administration’
75
While kibitzing with the press prior to Trump welcoming Ireland’s PM he said that he has property there [Ireland] that he may never get to see again.
Why would he say that? Perhaps he is realizing that he’s toast. This would also explain his getting on board with allies over Russia and not firing Nikki Haley or Steve Mnuchin for their Russia hand slaps. It seems like he’s suddenly trying to make nice to avoid getting deported to Russia when his con artist career is factually exposed.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjJVfpflAZM
17
It could be that although he is in trouble here at home, he could also be liable for fraud in Ireland as well. Or, he just may not be welcome outside the US after insulting so many allies. Or, hopefully, he sees a bleak future and may be pondering the possibility of checking into his own grey bar hotel.
18
What are we waiting for? Do we really want one party that is supported by Russians? Isn't it clear enough that the people who put Trump in office and are keeping him in office are supported by a foreign agent known to be an enemy of the state? This party has betrayed our sovereignty and our society for the sake of what? To fatten their pockets? Enough. You have destroyed a whole generation of men. Now, you take advantage of their sense of betrayal, lack of community and the reality that you neglected to educate them and whup their anger and confusion up, along with the women who rely on them, and use it to divide our nation with moral panics that result in division and isolation and poverty. The Greedy Old Party is bleeding this nation and world dry.
Let's take a page out their book. Infiltrate. It makes no sense to have one party stand for and spread greed. The definition of a Republic is the best of us serving the rest of us. Republicans are not supposed to profit, they are supposed to serve. Greed is not good, it is primitive. Jesus died for these very sins. And we as a nation are accountable for their actions. We suffer from learned helplessness and the bystander effect. The truth is, it is up to you. What are you going to do today to make a difference? Everyday you do nothing, is another day where more people become homeless, where violence is spread s a result of stress and no sense of belonging.
Let's stand up straight. Build our resilience. We are all on the same side
48
It is called a Kleptocracy. A government with corrupt leaders that use their power to exploit the people and natural resources of their own country in order to extend their personal wealth and political power.
7
Two words come to mind: tax evasion.
46
Two more words: money laundering.
4
Funny how that red line concept did not extend to Whitewater, which if memory serves, was a private business matter.
48
Trump establishing a "red Line" that Mueller is not to cross in his investigation into matters Russian...that is rich. Very, very rich.
43
Once a special prosecutor is assured of his foothold, he becomes more precise to avoid losing that foothold. Thus, he avoids reckless fishing expeditions. Consequently, this subpoena duces tecum can be justified as well founded in probable cause; i.e., grand jury testimony, financial records, etc.
Certainly, Mueller has located the paper trail of money that the Russians laundered through Deutsche Bank. The subpoena duces tecum will now provide documentation of how this money went through the Trump Organization washing machines.
When Mueller sees how many loads of laundry the Trump Organization churned out, the motive for Russian cooperation with Trump for President will be clear.
Then Trump will be all washed up.
77
Nice analogy action.
18
While Mr. Mueller is at it, could he get hold of Trump's tax returns??? Please?
49
I’m no Democrat, but why was the Republican investigation of Clinton open ended and the Republican investigation of Trump tightly circumscribed
48
Mr. Mueller's mandate is quite broad.
14
Just so everyone is aware, when Trump gets Mueller fired we will hit the streets from coast to coast. If actions are triggered BEFORE 2 p.m. local time events will begin @ 5 p.m. local time. If actions are triggered AFTER 2 p.m. local time events will begin @ noon local time the following day. (In New York City, for instance, we're heading for Times Square.) For the action near you, go to: https://act.moveon.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response-events/search/
I just hope that the Democrats will hire Mueller when they take back the Congress to see the investigations through. And I hope Mueller is sharing his findings with NYS Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Manhattan DA Cy Vance now so that they can bring state charges against the Trump crime family--crimes that cannot be pardoned by any President.
81
Shouldn’t you be at work during that time?
1
I have full confidence in Mueller and the way he is handling this umm "particular criminal inquiry" ...Good luck with your democracy and liberties and, by the way, you should eradicate the GOP!
17
@Wanderer: 1) Not everyone works 8-5. 2) Even people who work 8-5 can take off work when something important happens.
I can hardly think of anything more important than the President firing a Special Counsel. Anyone doubtful of the importance of that action should Google "Saturday Night Massacre."
4
I am a registered Democrat, and it would not matter if this was flipped and it was a Democratic Administration, the American People deserve to know the truth of what is going on here and what happened with the 2016 election and whether any Administration worked with a foreign power to win. This is serious. Forget about political parties. This is about the survival of the United States. Let Mueller Do His Job.
98
Trump is no longer in a position to draw lines. From the outset he has blatantly rejected calls for accountability and conspicuously used his political office to further family business interests. This is the consequence of those actions.
37
I don't like Trump and i didn't vote for him. I realize that many want to find some illegality that he, his family or organization had committed but I fear the cost of all of this to America. I am sure that there is some issue some where. I also believe if Mueller had been employed to investigate ALL members of Congress and adequately financed there could well have been have been several dozen indictments by now. My fear is that a road map has been provided to our foreign enemies and partisans on both sides of our political system which will be used to insure that we will have turmoil in many future elections to the point that no President will be considered "legitimate"and our resources and energy will be poorly spent to oust any winning candidate.
4
Surely you remember how many hearings and investigations into Whitewater, the Vince Foster story, Benghazi, private email servers (similar to the ones Jared and Ivanka used), the Clinton Foundation.
If those fishing attempts didn't bring down our republic, why would this?
42
His national security advisor is now a felon and his campaign manager has 2 indictments not to mention his assistant and Russians who helped the campaign. Most politicians don't have so many criminals that close to them.
5
Yes, this is why Trump should DO something about the interference rather than sitting on his hands and believing his buddy Putin’s denials. This is what a president is supposed to do. Trump is not a roadmap for anything. He is a total anomaly.
2
Trump is accustomed to going to court and "winning" by never paying what he owes. Pray this is the time he goes to court and "has his lunch handed to him".
24
Win? He just snows people under. Not the same thing.
7
I pray that the wheels of justice grind away relentlessly no matter what the outcome. It does not matter if this investigation results in Trump's downfall. I just want to see this country remains one of law and order where due process is followed. Well...that is one part of me, the other part wants to see the con man brought to justice.
27
This could be the beginning of the end for this investigation and for Trump.
10
That prediction is getting really old, as tired as soothsayers announcing the Second Coming.
Well, he asked nicely for the information before this but I suppose he thinks there just might be a few things that were left out from what he received from them. Now it is subpoena time. From the latin, sub (under), poena (penalty).
10
And on the Ides of March, what a sweet taste of irony. Beware the Ides of March, Mr. Trump!
48
It's not irony....it's more just coincidence. In fact, it's really neither. It's just appropriate.
5
And the ides of November!
23
Hey Boris, Ivan, Natasha, EYE-gore, Nikolai, YuriN...FSB crew. Y’all don’t seem to be too mindful about ceasing with your trollbot operations, do ya’?
41
MUELLER WILL SOON BE FIRED. Will congress act to defend him?
11
Who is going to fire him? Not Sessions. Not Rosenstein.
1
Watergate took two years to unravel. Mueller is just getting started. Keep up the good work, sir.
81
Keep plugging, we will have your back if you can make it to Nov.
26
Tax returns.
His tax returns will show indebtedness to Russians per his son bragging of just that.
No one else would loan him money.
It stands to reason that Russians did and have him by the short hairs thus their election meddling and t rump's likely collusion with them.
51
The ship of state SS Trump seems to be taking on water.
35
It's probably the right time to uncover transactions with Deutsche Bank and Russian operatives through Cyprus' banks. No wonder Trump was in cahoots with Manafort. Birds of a feather....flock.
41
Theory of Mueller’s strategy. Don’t go after trump directly but indict trump org for money laundering dealing with sanctioned banks and tax evasion. Bankrupt his company. Can you pardon a company?
27
As Deep Throat famously said "Follow the money"
30
During the House Benghazi investigation it was discovered that Hillary, like her predecessor, was using her own email server. This launched its own investigation. I don’t remember anyone saying that was a red line that couldn’t be crossed but if they did they should be taken as seriously as anyone saying that Trump’s business dealings with Russia are off limits.
9
"I was thinking about the Rusher Thing, Trump and Russia."
No obstruction, of course.
14
A subpoena has more weight 're'compliance and a more complete set of documents. I suspect Mueller has already several data in hand, now waiting to compare them, make sure there is an honest effort in revealing what's at stake. Trump himself is never to be trusted of course, but his lawyers do understand the liability if and when playing dumb. The suspicion of collusion and obstruction remains high, indeed.
18
I'd love to be a fly on the wall inside the WH right now...to witness them scrambling. I would also imagine that there will be at least one falsification attempt (or two) before these are handed over. Mueller is a true patriot who puts country before party. Thank you, Mr. Mueller!
40
If Trump and his organization has no business ties with Russia then why does Trump continue to act like Putin and/or Russian oligarchs have something on him warranting always giving Russia the benefit of a doubt (even when the evidence suggests otherwise like in the London poisoning)? The Trump organization's business dealings, especially with people with ties to Russia, are obviously relevant to Mueller's inquiry. A subpoena is more likely to insure that all relevant documents are produced.
14
I hope everyone is aware that no matter what Mueller finds, about 40% of this nation (Im being kind) will say it's fake news and absolutely will not believe it no matter how definitive the evidence. This should be fun.
27
Trump's lowest approval ratings so far have been around 35%, and I think definitive proof of Russian collusion would lower that further to maybe 30%, though it's shocking to think it would even be that high.
You're correct though, even if we had competent leadership, there is still a large chunk of the electorate that have just withdrawn from reality, and that becomes a real problem of its own.
Remember when fake news really meant fake news? Trump replied "no, *you're* fake news", and then he and every follower repeated it endlessly until it was redefined in the weak-minded. That's the challenge that is faced.
22
This all could have been avoided if we saw Trump's tax returns before the election.
Thankfully we have Mr. Mueller, a man of integrity, merit and justice to counter balance the deceptive, weak and corrupt men like Trump.
One term.
59
I still want to see the tax returns
5
Or less
19
Less than one term.
16
Stand by: Sessions will now be fired post-haste, and a new A/G installed (already vetted to ensure loyalty to 45 NOT the Constitution) who will fire Mueller immediately.
Nixon will look like an utter paragon of virtue by the time this "administration" is finally driven out of Washington D.C.
30
Ah, just remembered what today is...."Beware of the Ides of March".
So ominous, but my chills are gleeful.
28
'The breadth of the subpoena was not clear, nor was it clear why Mr. Mueller issued it instead of simply asking for the documents from the company, an umbrella organization that oversees Mr. Trump’s business ventures.'
Because when dealing with gangsters and organised crime, you don't ask, you tell.
46
Politically, Mr. Mueller may have just secured an insurance policy against dismissal; if DJT's treatment of Mr. Comey is considered by some to be an indicator of obstruction, dismissal of Mr. Mueller by a compliant successor to AG Sessions (i.e., an already confirmed cabinet officer who would be eligible to serve as Acting AG), would carry at least the same perception. And what sitting cabinet officer in his/her right mind (with a family, future, and mortgage) would take the AG position under these circumstances?
14
Nixon's firing of Archibald Cox was a defining moment in Watergate. Even Trump probably knows that.
2
So what does this have to do with Russian collusion. Looks like complete deviation from Muller's original job. Sounds like abuse of power by Muller and a big waste of tax payer money.
2
Trump has long established ties to Russia. He owes them favors. They have compromising information on him from deals that have to do with everything to do with collusion and potential for foreign influence over our government. When one considers Trumps acquiescence to Putin at every turn, it is almost certain that he is acting in deference to the control they have over him.
It is of the UTMOST importance to the security of the nation that Mueller continue with the crucial investigation.
16
It’s not a waste if it exposes crimes. There may even be a connection. All we know is that there’s been a subpoena.
16
Wrong -- listen and read more carefully.
9
I think that Mueller is bringing about his own demise. i don't think trump will continue to jjust turn a blind eye or quiet mouth to what the special counsel is doing. i also don't think being POTUS is as important to trump as his businessess and the people who are involved with said business worldwide. Trump will fire Mueller and depend on the spineless repub congress to protect him. One of the things he has going for him is the enthusiam of his supporters which is unmatched by those who don't support him. In the meantime i would like to thank Mr. Mueller for doing his part in exposing the most repulsive and corrupt political leaders and family in the last century.
12
Mueller can't ignore Trump's crimes out of fear of being fired. Besides, I'm pretty sure he's got a backup plan with NYAG Schneiderman to file state charges if federal one's are, shall we say, circumvented.
9
Trump overstates and inflates his powers like everything else about him. Firing Muller is not within his powers without a lot of collusion, collaboration, corruption and kick-backs.
3
Enthusiasm by his supporters? Alabama, Pennsylvania ring a bell? Looks to me like his supporters met their match at the election polls.
3
Tax fraud brought down Al Capone.
Trump may not have shown the public his tax returns, but Mueller has seen them.
All of the Trumps should be very, very scared.
40
The so-called “redline” of Trump Family finances is an invention of the media.
If Mueller is looking at possible criminal conspiracy involving the Trump Campaign and Putin’s agents, he would need to look at motive. Financial entanglements is a motive.
The situation between the special prosecutor and the Twitchy Mr. Trump is teetering on the edge of constitutional crisis, as it is, with a President used to running a family business without oversight and checks and balances. We don’t need the news media egging him on into some juvenile version of the Shoot Out at the OK Corral.
This is an example of journalists trying to be part of the story instead of reporting it.
20
Mr. Trump said in an interview with The New York Times in July that the special counsel would be crossing a “red line” if he looked into his family’s finances beyond any relationship with Russia.
7
You are right; I looked it up, and a reporter asked him if it would be a red line. He said, “yeah.” In his case, you just don’t know.
5
Saturday Night Massacre here we come.
25
This is only happening now??? Was it not turning over his tax records, his son's admission they have vast Russian business interests, Trump's threatening Mueller not to look into his businesses, the rental pricing fraud expose, or Trump's past mob connections? I'm pretty sure I could go on for an hour or two with more examples of shady Trump business dealings and I don't even follow this stuff. I had thought there had been a lot more than a polite request for information a long time ago.
14
That info came from other sources. He's now asking for it from the Trumps, which is important because they have (as I count them) three choices: stonewall, which would be obstruction of justice; hand over evidence that will corroborate the other sources and prove their guilt; or take the Fifth, which will telegraph their guilt to the body politic.
Mueller is one hell of a chess player.
2
What does Trumpty Dumpty and his gang have up their sleeves that will thwart the Mueller investigation? Trump and his republican accomplices will (try to) do and say anything to make sure they do not loose the WH. I am not being paranoid, but I am very concerned given all these roadblocks, misinformation and lies that these scoundrels continue to perpetrate. Do they have something very devious up their sleeves if things turn for the worst? Where does the law come into play? How come people in power, i.e., politicians and wealthy business people, can get away with these horrific crimes?
11
RE the many comments raising suspicions about the unusual high number of anti-Mueller comments every time the Mueller investigation seems to take a step towards an outcome that Trump will not like.
Can't the NYT do some investigations on the sources of those anti-Mueller comments? If Russians trolls are indeed behind some of those comments, can't that be ascertained? I'd be curious to know.
79
Excellent suggestion!
19
Of course — the Internet and comments sections are ripe for armchair, paid agents provocateur and trolls. You’ll see them everywhere, especially when distraction and obsfucation are desired goals. It’s one if the costs of open discussion we are lucky to have here.
Recognize them for what they are, and move on. To me they’ve become so transparent as to be irrelevant.
16
"The lawyers have advised Mr. Trump to refuse an interview but the president wants to do it, as he believes he has done nothing wrong and can easily answer investigators’ questions."
Not quite. The president does NOT want to do it. He wants to fire Mueller. To the extent Trump can't politically do that he is only willing to do the interview because he believes he is a stable genius who's shallow flattery and improvisational lies (err, "truthful hyperbole") are too clever by half to be detected by federal investigators. Trump's opinion of himself is not unlike Leonardo DiCaprio's character in "Wolf of Wall Street" thinking he could use the power of the schmooze to talk his way out of trouble with federal agents.
17
Trump should hear the words.
You're Fired.
20
How about 20 to life?
5
About time.
And the noose tightens on the criminality of Donald Trump, private citizen and humble servant of the federal government.
No one is or should be above the law.
15
I'd like to believe we would have the same reaction if it were a leftist populist who was helping get all the social justice we ever dreamed of, while enriching him/herself, his/her ego, and his/her family. That scenario is hard to imagine.
4
2 points in response.
I would be against anyone who acts like Donald Trump. His denials are the epitome of he doth protest too much. And he is simply a liar.
Second, I don't believe that a leftist populist, as you say, would act the same way, ego, self-enrichment, etc.
6
Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and his now follows were a perfect example of just that. Corruption and anti-democratic devolution can happen on the right or left, and neither is good.
Mr. Mueller for president!
17
What's that I hear hitting the fan? Gonna need a bigger fan.
26
Let's think forward a few moves. Mueller is clearly going to find some money trail leading between Trump and the Russian handlers. However, Trump, Fox News and the power brokers in the Senate and the House will simply sing the song they've been rehearsing for years: Fake news, fake news, fake news. It is impossible to make a man believe something when his paycheck depends on not believing it. The Mueller investigation will find clear and convincing evidence of conspiracy, but absolutely nothing will happen as a result.
14
I’m sad that I have to agree with you Meg, but I do.
5
The chant of Fake News has been going on for 14 months, not years and years, and Congress will find itself in a situation where everyone (at least in the House) will have to vote for or against impeachment—anyone who tries to duck that vote may as well hang him/herself now.
6
@Mary Rose Kent - I dont know. Congress had NO problem voting for a war in Iraq so I can see a Congress voting against impeachment even if Putin confessed on Chicago Justice one evening.
1
And the onion continues to be unraveled. Keep on following the money.
You have to believe that Donald John is unraveling along with it for once all is unveiled, there he stands smack dab in the center of it all. .
Thank you Mr. Muller and staff. Thank you.
15
Nick B. on BBC news today, I began to wonder who or what made him join forces with Great Britain, Germany and France sanctioning Russia. maybe Pompeo and Putin had a little chat. A nice clean impeachment would do us good. He could never runagain but he could hold hands with his deplorables and Mikie Pence for a prayer party.
13
Is it a coincidence that Trump sanctioned Russia yesterday? In light of the subpoenaDid it finally dawn on the administration that the optics are so bad? Seems like one of those faulty Trump logic type things - "Look this way - I must be innocent! I sanctioned the Russians!"
19
Trump Russian “sanctions” are without real teeth, the Russians that the Administration named are the same Russians that Mueller’s investigations has already indicted.These indicted Russians are unlikely to visit the US for fear of being arrested.Trump is playing games. If he was for real he would approve the far reaching sanctions that Congress passed into law some months ago,Trump has not signed off on these sanctions.
1
This backs up the theory that Trump never intended to win. He planned to sit on the sidelines and complain about Hillary, get his own podium on conservative tv “news,” and collect money along the way. Too bad, Donald, for you and for us.
23
Thoughts for Today: Team Mueller has, likely, had all financial documents re trump for some time; the Team has already developed a theory about what's going on with the "money"; and this subpoena to the Trump Org. is a test...a test to see what, if anything, Trump will try to hide, and if Mueller sees something "missing" then Mueller will know to focus more resources in that direction.
27
The investigation since its inception has faced headwinds from the White House. It like the Kobayshi Maru: no matter what Mueller does it's a no win situation for the the truth. Our only hope is that we vote out those who protect the president and make sure protest voting is directed to anyone but Trump.
8
I am curious how there would be a reason for the Trump campaign to seek or take money from a Russian source, given that Trump is so rich.
But then, he started out boasting that he was self-funding his campaign, and that came to an end. He is rich but he is also careful in all his business dealings to let someone else pay if he can. He does love his money, after all.
5
5 bankruptcies, laundering money and failure to disclose his tax returns seem to indicate he is not worth anywhere near what he claims. He just admitted to lying to the Prime Minister of Canada, do you really believe anything this grifter says?
18
He is soooo rich but he cannot loan his son-in-law some money to bail out 666 Manhattan.
3
Reputable banks wouldn't loan money to him anymore. He had to go to the Russian mafia for money.
2
Trump's admiration of dictators who definitely cross all sorts of red lines but can freely cross as if red lines don't exist because they say so, is a wanting on his part to draw his own . His flimsy claims "of conflict of interest" as to why Mr. Mueller should be stopped from investigating The Trump organization and his family , and refusing to be interviewed by Mr. Mueller stinks to high heaven. History will eventually right the record and list his administration as the most corrupt.
12
Win.lose or draw, Mueller is a hero to me.
Why are there so many Trump-like characters in DC?
Why are there so few Muellers?
35
I love Robert Mueller.
55
If you need help identifying the numerous Trolls out here, I notice some of them are using "Flyover Country" as their location. I guess that means some place in Siberia!
56
David Brooks said that when two men fight over a woman, it’s the fight they want, not the woman.
9
Americans who care about America are grateful for Mueller who is following his moral and ethical convictions and is doing the right thing in spite of the heinous behavior of the president of the US and his rat pack associates.
44
"The lawyers have advised Mr. Trump to refuse an interview but the president wants to do it, as he believes he has done nothing wrong and can easily answer investigators’ questions."
Of course, of course. First, Trump believes that he is an incomparable, smarter and more informed and with "the best words" of anyone else in the world, so obviously he can handle any special prosecutor who, by definition, is less intelligent and less capable than he is. Second, Trump is a "beautiful" liar. That is, he is oblivious to the fact that he is even lying, so he says what he says, lie or not, and quite simply assumes that everyone and anyone believes him, no matter any evidence to the contrary. Thus, he is convinced that there is no conceivable way that he cannot out think Mueller or fail to prove to Mueller that he has done nothing wrong. After all, he has SAID--repeatedly that he has done nothing wrong, so it has to be true.
He has a very strange brain.
24
The question that I have at this point is - if Mr. Mueller is able to put together a credible case against Donald Trump, what are the Republicans actually going to do about it? I have the feeling it will be absolutely nothing. After Devin Nunes' recent behavior and the actions of his fellow Republican committee members to spin and deflect in defense of Trump - with no other Republicans speaking out against them - what will Mr. Mueller's investigation ultimately accomplish? Trump seems to get away with anything that he wants.
20
The Republicans will be out of office in January 2019. Trump will be impeached by the house convicted by the Senate and in a prison cell by December 2019. Pence for follow soon after. Speaker Pelosi will be our next president.
5
Exactly what I'm concerned about. God help us!
1
It is, I fear, too much to ask for that any of the investigations will lead to jail time. Or better yet the death penalty for treason and sedition.
8
I can't help but imagine any subpoenaed 'documents' from the Trump Organization would look like doodles, maybe a word find puzzle or a Mad Libs sheet or two. Given what we know about Trump's businesses, it'll be interesting to see what Mueller -- or anyone -- can unravel from looking into what is no doubt an Escher drawing of misdirection and obfuscation.
6
Editors should have caught this one In this sentence: '...the investigation, which Mr. Trump’s lawyers once regularly assured him would be completed by now, will DRAG ON on for at least several more months.'...it would be better to write 'will PROCEED'...
34
William, not so: Trump's lawyers would naturally want to imply to their client and the world that Mueller was purposefully dragging on" the investigation.
2
Thank you, Mr. Mueller.
Please hang in there!!
(I know that's your plan. I just hope + pray Agent Orange doesn't try to obstruct it.)
20
We have every reason to believe trump will order his military to arrest Mueller and his agents. We live in a corrupt regime administered from Moscow.
6
My thoughts? With the congressional investigative committee disbanded who is going to prosecute and impeach him if Mueller finds evidence of treason, collusion or impeding an investigation? If the answer is nobody, what is the point with continuing the investigation?
4
The House of Representatives is reviewed and partially replaced every two years. This is one of those years. The president is far from the only criminal in this case; all the others can be prosecuted immediately. Whether Trump can be prosecuted immediately is an open question, but he can certainly be prosecuted after he leaves office.
7
Devin, You seem to forget the 2018 elections coming up. It may take awhile to get a responsible Congress but we will be patient.
8
Oh, I don't think the answer is "nobody."
Whatever the legal consequences, you have to marvel at the fact that this president and his campaign team, many of whom have been indicted or are witnesses in this investigation, actually imagined they were going to get away with their quasi legal and in some cases, flatly illegal behavior in the bright lights of a run for the highest office of the land.
The arrogance, obliviousness and underlying contempt and/or ignorance for/of the rule of law was/is extraordinary, particularly given Trump's stream of projections dumped on Hillary Clinton, a litany of accusations and lies that in retrospect could not be more ironic as more and more comes out, much of it already suggested by authors very familiar with the Trump organization and its odious record.
28
Several problems in this article:
1) It's not ok to say "a longtime business associate of Mr. Trump’s" and not name Felix Sater -- he's practically a household name at this point. And with the recent revelation that he might have been working as a US spy the past 20 years, well, it's kind of a big deal that he was the pivot for setting up the Trump Tower Moscow in 2015
2) "Mr. Trump signed a nonbinding 'letter of intent' for the project in 2015 and discussed it three times with Mr. Cohen." The second half of this statement regarding Trump speaking with Cohen about it three times is based _solely_ on Cohen's statements and, as we know all too well, he lies all the time. Bad choice to recite his version of events as fact.
3) "Mr. Mueller could run afoul of a line the president has warned him not to cross. " This is a weird, weird sentence suggesting Trump has way more power than he actually has.
14
Actually, on point 3: The President has the legal authority to dismiss Mueller.
tRumpy does not have the power to fire Mueller. A President can tell the AG (Sessions, or his replacement). The AG has no obligation to do so. tRumpy can then fire the AG and put in someone he believes will fire Mueller. Where have I seen this episode before.?
8
Laundry Money don't get everything it's true
But what it don't get I can't use
Give me money
Laundry money
Lordy Lordy
Money Laundry
4
The work of Mr Mueller and his team is deeply appreciated. We are depending upon his expertise, forthrightness and tenacity. We will be watching what this Republican–lead Congress will do with the facts (so far not so good). We will remember this moment and make sure our children and grand children are aware. We are fed up with the lies, nepotism, and lack of leadership.
16
To check on the latest news after completing my shift at work and finding this self serving politican ie trump facing deeper investigations into where and how he and his family have obtained their riches and position warms my soul.
As others have stated: follow the money.
Those in his circle who use our tax dollars as a free checkbook for excess are waiting to be plucked. They are in hot water with democracy already.
Thank you to those for continuing for working for truth and democracy.
17
You don’t suppose that today’s weak Russian sanctions are related to Mueller’s subpoena for financial documents?
11
Funny the posters claiming this is fishing. Mueller has already found enough substance to send people to jail, to get plea deals and cooperation from many Trump associates. He's finding tons of substance, and a subpoena from a smart prosecutor means he KNOWS you're hiding something and wants to make your coverup into a crime.
50
“The lawyers have advised Mr. Trump to refuse an interview but the president wants to do it, as he believes he has done nothing wrong and can easily answer investigators’ questions.”
How can the NYT claim to know what Trump wants and believes? They might know what Trump says he wants and believes. Is it possible they are unaware of the difference?
3
He must be talking about wanting to do it.
It is 237 days until the midterm elections. On that day, we, the people, can tell Donald Trump, exactly what we think of him and the party he leads.
40
Corporations can be subpoenaed separately from their owners and their owners cannot claim the Fifth Amendment on the corporation’s behalf. That is a huge advantage for Mueller. This is a result of corporations being persons, a matter that liberals attack but serves the interest of justice here.
31
Actually what liberals attack is the notion that the personhood of corporations is literal. That they have for example religious beliefs. A convenient way for their owner to enjoy the benefits of incorporation - limited liability, tax advantages, perpetual existence - while avoiding the responsibilities that come with operating in the public square.
19
That's faulty reasoning, he could subpoena documents of the company even if the Trump Organization wasn't set up as a corporation, and Trump still could not plead the Fifth.
Corporations should not be considered "people" when it comes to electoral processes and campaigns, the concept was never meant to extend beyond a useful business construct of limited personal financial liability.
3
Thanks didn't know that!
Uh oh… Things might be getting a bit hotter for the Stable Genius. And what's this garbage about "a red line"? Since when does anyone being investigated get to call the shots for the investigator? With Mr. Mueller's steady work, Stable Genius will eventually cross the line that has above it the nameplate "Leavenworth."
35
If a President has authority to fire a person who is investigating him, then it is failure of what we call as system of checks and balances. Something is seriously wrong here. I wouldn't blame Trump if he fires Mueller.
2
And what happened when Nixon fired the Special Counsel? He quickly got an Independent Counsel investigating him!
6
Impossible to follow the logic of you comment. The point is that no one, even the president, is above the law. Mueller was tasked to investigate the 2016 election and that is what he is doing. It seems like everyday we learn that the Trump campaign had additional fishy contacts with Russian oligarchs and lied about it. American justice is coming for many in Trump's orbit.
8
The President does NOT have power to fire Mueller or any special prosecutor. A president can tell the AG to fire Mueller, but no obligation forces the firing.
The President can fire the AG. Replace him with someone he believes will fire the special prosecutor.
If Congress believes this firing of an AG is obstruction of justice, one of several specific causes for impeaching the president, they can make recomendation from committe to the House to begin articles of impeachment, etc. Prosecution by the Senate. 2/3rd and 3/4 votes required. I must believe, the Republicand care not at all if Trumpy is kicked out of office. They control the WH till Jan 2021.
1
I see many Republican trolls are posting on this site probably in a coordinated effort to discredit this investigation. Mueller, of course, is duty bound to keep his findings confidential until he is ready to act on them. This allows the right to keep harping that the investigation is nothing but a fishing expedition which they do ad nausea while Mueller cannot reveal or explain what he is investigating, what leads he is following, and where the investigation is headed. Then there's the claim that exploring Trump's businesses are somehow off track. This is further bunk because if Trump has been fronting and doing money laundering for the Russians then there could be a link between Putin wanting Trump as President because of the hold Putin would have over him. Yet, the trolls will persist, trying to convince us that the American people don't want this investigation when in fact most do and that it's only a witch hunt, which it isn't. Keep on trollin trolls.
53
Not all of the trolls are Americans. The Russian syntax, vocabulary, and gaffes are quite evident.
20
I am waiting for the Republican Party's Red Lines. How low does President Trump has to sink, how much damage does President Trump has to inflict on America and American democracy and our democratic institutions before Republican Party can issue a Red Line and start abandoning President Trump and put a stop to his criminal dismantling of the American nation state?
Republican Party cannot continue to thrive at the expense of America.
And finally, I am waiting for the Red Line from American voters, especially those apathetic souls who sat out the elections or those who were seduced by Trump. Please don't love Trump more than you love America. Trump is not America and America is not Trump.
48
There is no Red Line for Republicans on Trump. You'll see this is true when not a single serious candidate stands up to run against him (or his successor) in the Republican primary for the 2020 election. Republicans are resigning rather than step up to the plate against this President.
12
The difference in comments whenever the news reports things that are worse than average for Trump is really striking. You can just see the sudden influx, only on certain specified stories. Whether it's Russians, scared Trump supporters, or Republicans trying to keep their patsy in office, it's so very blatant and visible, the difference between this story and others about Trump.
61
President Trump's business entities are subpoenaed, but not those of similar enterprises of thousands of other American business people and possibly a few dozen US Democrat Party-oriented businesses. Must not be enough room at Mueller's witch hunt stakes for his cronies. Left-America breathes a sigh of relief and then gets back down to hurling insults and other juvenile delusional tactics.
1
"Similar"?? Trump is the President of the USA with possible conflicts of interest. Can those " thousands of other American people" make that claim?
19
False analogy, a favorite fallacy of Trumpkins.
14
"similar enterprises of thousands of other American business people" are not the subjects of an investigation into possible collusion with a foreign power.
11
So this is basically just more "nothing" then. The article says the Trump Organization fully cooperates with the investigation and has said since the investigation began that they will do so. They'll do their investigation, nothing will once again be found, and then the investigation will drag on with people chanting, "Mueller is getting closer! Any day now! RUSSIA!"
#WitchHunt
2
"Fully cooperating" starts with tax returns, does it not? And where are those taxes returns? He is hardly" full cooperating". And those tax returns are much more than "hardly nothing". Otherwise, why hide 'em?
14
No, there is no "fully cooperate" just a guy ho says he will. Only problem is that he's a known serial liar...
5
To practice empathy (after reading this comment), I put on a blindfold and tried to walk around my house. Wouldn’t ya know, I banged into a wall, stubbed my toe, and cracked my elbow on a table. Really stinks to wear a blindfold.
9
Obviously, so far, he has found nothing that can be used against Trump; he seems to be guessing that Trump must have been pulling the same kind of foreign money scam that the Clinton's did with their "Clinton Foundation".
To date, all he has done, is to destroy the lives of a bunch of common tax cheats, and bring charges against some shady characters in another country who may not even exist.
Here's a question to ask yourself: if all kinds of bad stuff was coming out of a building in Russia with a certain web address, why didn't we just tell all of the big American Communication Companies - Verizon for example - to filter out all web packets from that address?
Money Peter. Our country runs on money and you just don't mess with Corporate America's money. Get it? Even Trump knows that. That's why he had to go to Russia. America wouldn't give him anymore.
13
Evaluation of Clinton Foundation by Charity Navigator
Overall Score & Rating 93.91
Financial 95.00
Accountability & Transparency 93.00
And the Donald J. Trump Foundation?
On November 22, 2016, The Washington Post published an article titled, "Trump Foundation admits to violating ban on 'self-dealing,' new filing to IRS shows." For more information, please see The Washington Post article.
16
Now that djt is president, the coffers of the US government are wide open for pillaging! From no money to lots of money.
5
Bravo! Keep up the good work, Mr. Mueller. The nation is depending on you!
35
No red line on chemical weapons being used by Putin on NATO allies.
16
The fan blades are turning and the bucket is poised.
11
yes indeed a fecoventalatory event is on the horizon
4
with a tip of the hat to Thomas Pynchon for the term
3
Mueller is professionally and ethically investigating the infiltration of the Executive branch by a possible criminal. The scope is as Rosenstein, a Republican, has defined it. Trump, his family and friends seem to play very loosely with the law and ethics in general.
Somehow, Trump has carried on as a billionaire, despite being one billion dollars in debt. No reputable bank would bail him out. By his son's own account, Russian banks have invested heavily with this clan. Why?
Clearly, Putin controls this man. It is in the interest of every American to know why. Mueller is following the money, like he should.
Why can't we see his tax returns? Why are the visitor logs to the White House made secret? Why doesn't Congress require divestiture of his empire?
Why is Trump allowed ownership of the Washington International Hotel when it is forbidden? ...and on and on..Why? Why?
73
Well, that explains the recent tough talk from Nikki Haley and the White House getting around to implementing the sanctions Congress passed months ago. Donnie still hasn't come out with any forceful comments, but I'm sure he has submitted speaking points to Vlad for approval.
14
Trump and his companies are eyeball deep in shady transactions/money laundering with the Russians via Oligarchs and Putin Cronies, and now we hear that there is at least the possible appearance that the Russians played a role in nixing Romney as Secretary of State.
This is going to get uglier and the constitutional crisis looms.
Smart people know when to retreat from the limelight to avoid scrutiny of things they don't want revealed – Trump proves that his ego overrides his brain.
23
What could have possibly suggested to Mueller that Trump has had financial dealings with Russian oligarchs? Let's hear what DJT Jr. has to say about this.
"Russians makeup a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia." --DJT Jr. (around the height of the great recession)
39
If I had any doubts about Trump colluding with Russia, seeing the extraordinary number of troll comments out here has convinced me that there is collusion between Trump and Russia going on right now to obstruct the investigation. But at some point they should realize that their efforts are backfiring. People are starting to wake up. Propaganda has it's limits, as we just witnessed in the special election in PA.
46
And that's where real Americans should concentrate..the mid-terms. Look I am no fan of the Democratic Party either but all I had to do is look at the documented proof of Trump's crooked business practices as a baramoter of what kind of president he would be and I am sorry to say he has lived beyond my lowest expectations. While the Democrats are not anywhere near ideal they have NEVER taken our country down this miserable rabbit hole like the Trump Administration has. All the voters of this country can do now is introduce the Republicans to the exit until and if they can redeem their so called values and return to making this country and not the party great again. I think the mid terms should represent the return to some kind of diplomatic normalcy if we all want it.
18
Worse is the fact that the congressional Republicans will not do anything to impeach Donald! They are complicit in his collusion with Putin.
10
I'm really looking forward to seeing the results of this thing. Trump is toast.
19
If collusion were evident, it would be revealed by now after a year of searching. An example of misuse of public resources to please an agenda based on Clinton's loss. Democracy in America is subverted by the continual search for ways to discredit a legitimate acting president who has, to date, been incredibly effective by adopting sensible tactics instead of the convoluted policies of the Democrats. Mueller has had his chance. He should retire, take his pension and America can move ahead by securing its borders, returning to a moral ethic embodied by wholesome (gender) values and attendance to work and family. RWB
1
It baffles me that defenders of Trump CANNOT comment without references to Clinton or Obama. Who are now private citizens who have broken no laws after thorough investigations. Trump is the current President who has created ALL of his own problems. You should thank Mueller for defending the Constitution and separation of power found therein.
20
do tell me, how long did the investigation into the benghazi incident last ?
9
I’m SO impressed by the political engagement of the inhabitants of “Pound Ridge” as demonstrated by their simpering defence of The Trump and their faulty syntax.
Keep it up!
9
Thank you M. Mueller. These type of investigations take a long time. However, when you surface, I feel a bit better. Keep up the good work.
17
Wonder when in the past few weeks the subpoena was served.
That could explain certain recent explosions by Trump, as well as the sudden announcement of the House Republican report Monday and the imposition of sanctions today, long after they should have been imposed. All designed to deflect from this subpoena.
Watch what Trump does, not so much what he says. It's all diversion and disruption.
25
From articles like this, and comments like many of those above mine, you would think Robert S. Mueller III was a wise superhero after truth, justice and the American way. I have been a lawyer for 30 years, and during much of that time had to deal with government people like Mr. Mueller. If he were wise, and if he really cared about truth, justice and the American way, he would have ended his investigation months ago.
2
John Smithson sounds like a really American name, doesn't it?
24
Hopefully we are near the end of the beginning. IF Trump has not violated US law, these disclosures should have been made public long ago. So, it is extremely likely that US laws HAVE been violated and the GOP is engaged in a huge cover-up of unheard of proportions in American politics. I am hopeful that we will soon see and somehow become a better country as a result of all that has occurred for the last few years.
7
I'm not a lawyer, but isn't Mueller's burden of proof not just showing that the Trump organization was complicit, but Trump himself? While my wish list is topped with a desperate hope that his time will be up before he sees a third year, I'm afraid that may be too much to ask. The most I can reasonably hope for, I think, is that his presidency will be so tarnished when this is all said and done, that there will be no point in his running for re-election.
5
The one who will be "crossing a “red line” will be President Trump if he decides to take action against Mr. Mueller if these investigations begin to spill over into the President's business beyond ties to Russia and possible subpoenas which include family’s finances beyond any relationship with Russia.
This entire scenario will get uglier before it gets anything else. Mueller is boxing Trump into a nice, tight corner, with no escape hatch. It's merely a matter of time, for both gentlemen. I'm having flashbacks of Watergate all over again. That was a horrendous time then, but this situation makes Watergate look like Ted Mack's Armature Hour in comparison.
14
Alas, I fear that any rash actions by The Trump would be seen as an exciting plot development in the “reality” tv show his supporters think his so-called presidency is.
2
Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller, III will not be intimidated by crossing an arbitrary "red line" imposed by Donald Trump. As this investigation moves closer to the Trump organization it is Donald Trump who ought to fear crossing a "red line" if he attempts - in any way - to meddle in this independent investigation. Most citizens in this country will not tolerate Trump's dictatorial proclivities by attempting to shift from the rule of United States law with three branches of government to one rule - that of Donald J. Trump.
Any attempt by Donald Trump to impede this investigation will have dire consequences and spectacularly backfire on him. Perhaps someone - maybe his retired Federal judge sister- can make that very clear to him - although that is doubtful.
The reality is that there are some people in this world who simply can not keep their finger off the self-destruct button, and Donald Trump appears to be one of them.
15
Beware the Ides, as the fellow said.
I'd like to believe the timing was intentional.
8
Same here. It’s the romantic in me!
3
I can’t imagine what his tweets will be like this weekend! Mr. Mueller issued a subpoena because he knew they wouldn’t hand them over without it.
Thank you Mr. Mueller!
9
I'm surprised at the comments opining Trump "can't" fire Mueller now. It would pretty clearly be obstruction of justice, but look at it from Trump's perspective. Isn't it either that or some version of wag the dog?
Anybody who thinks our president will allow Mueller to get any closer to him or his money hasn't been paying attention. Trump didn't think twice about firing Comey to take "the pressure off the Russia thing" and has yet to demonstrate he has had anything in the wake of that effort but a flat learning curve. According to Vanity Fair he's already in talks to replace Jeff Sessions with the more malleable Scott Pruitt, apparently assuming he would not have to secure Senate confirmation for the swap. By now he's probably learned that assumption was mistaken, but to mind that just means he's searching out more circuitous means of either firing Mueller or hamstringing his investigation.
The good news is that Robert Mueller knows what he's up against and has no doubt taken steps to protect the evidence and the investigatory process to the extent he can. And if does get fired--and if my experience with the FBI as an Assistant U.S. Attorney is any measure--there are plenty of patriots who will see "Deep Throat" as the next step on their career path and who will pledge their honor to assure all the bad guys are eventually brought to justice.
The bad news is that our beloved country will likely be in full blown constitutional crisis by Easter.
18
There are strong suspicions that Trump provided a service for Russian oligarchs, i.e. friends of Putin, by facilitating money laundering for them through his various hotel properties and financing arrangements. If the suspicions are true, Trump has much to worry about investigation into these Trump Organization financial arrangements and accommodations. Trump may have been providing a service of direct benefit to Putin, and Putin lined up his cyberattack and disinformation systems to support Trump in the election campaign. One hand washes the other.
20
Mr. Mueller is playing a very sophisticated game of chicken. Every few days or so he says "So this is what we got".
Manafort was put under house arrest yesterday. Nader is an important cog in the wheel. Let's see what happens now.
(Insert popcorn eating gif here)
12
As Shakespeare wrote, “What’s past is prologue.” The effort toward increasingly warm ties between Moscow and the Trump Organization, aka Donald Trump, go back years before the 2016 election, and reportedly include not only efforts to reach development deals, but also questionable financial transactions and possible money laundering. To say this is separate from the election attack, and that a red line has been crossed, is as absurd as separating the sowing of a seed from the plant that follows. Mr. Mueller appear right on target and well within his mandate.
1004
Possible money laundering? Shirley you jest.
Give it up Mueller. There's no Russian collusion. You are just trying to save face. You failed.
1
Because Donald Trump is a decent and caring individual who has his country and its peoples at heart, warm and pumping with love and bone spurs for all.
It never rains in San Francisco, but it pours, man it pours.
3
He has integrity and class. He's not worried about himself.
7
Sarcastic much? I left SF long ago. Nice try.
Go ahead Trumpolini, go ahead and try and fire Mueller now. But first, ask one of your lawyers to explain to you very slowly, using one and two-syllable words, what "Obstruction of Justice" entails.
10
It must be so frustrating for the "Liberal" "Progressives" every day their Marxist neo-national-socialist agenda is put off by Trump in office. With so much of the urban population ready to shed their liberty and grovel at the alter of "progress". And the ready replacement population streaming across the border, I wonder, since hard work and diligence is a "white suprematist" value (Pennsylvania State University-Brandywine professor Angela Putman) how on earth will they get the new slaves to do anything? Such a time to be alive!
I fear the Trump version of March Madness will be out in full force soon.
4
II's no wonder that Trumpty Dumpty is paranoid about Mueller.
An old saying goes that if you've done nothing wrong, why worry?
Mr. Mueller, keep going, AT ALL COSTS. We deserve to know the truth.
12
just fishing for things, that's all this is
1
But Trump has nothing to hide, right? WRONG.
9
Trumpians, beware the ides of March!!
7
I wish I was a fly in trump's office. I can see the worm squirming and cursing
all the while. Has the twit twittered you?
8
Lots of of anti-Mueller anti-investigation sentiment here. Are all commenters commenting to this article verified? Doesn’t seem typical from NYimes readers.
26
Most are citizens of Russia. The Americans who oppose Mueller are a minority of these comments.
9
Mason, I'm curious, how can you tell they're from Russia?
1
Agreed! There's an odd and off note to the "English" in some of them.
Also evidence of the power of Putin's tactic of mixing of news with fake news- the reader no longer knows what to trust in what he/she reads in any outlet.
6
Trump is increasing the frequency of officials leaving his administration as preparation for firing Mueller.
Andrew McCabe
Rob Porter
Hope Hicks
Gary Cohn
Rex Tillerson
Robert Mueller
Since everyone is leaving or being fired, he hopes the firing of Mueller will not be as dramatic.
5
Re: "...It is the first known instance of the special counsel demanding documents directly related to President Trump’s businesses, bringing the investigation closer to the president..."
I STRONGLY suspect it won't be the last...
So, much for the president's 'red_line', L.O.L.!!
Does Trump DARE try to fire Mueller, now, before at least trying to weasel out, and/or, perhaps, 'offer' employment-/-some, other unsuitable suggestion...if, 'only, Mueller, et-al, (like Comey, before him!), will, drop this probe' to imagine, (by paraphrasing), our...'Dear_Leader'!
If-/-when Humpty_Trumpty leaves, office prematurely, aka: Post, Impeachment-/-Removal, OR, 'Disgraced Resignation, pending indictment', etc., his accursed, (tax_payer_funded), wall will remain a nasty, expensive fantasy, (like Reagan's 'S.D.I.-efforts'), and...hopefully, as things get feverish in the months to come...
Mrs. Pence, holding Mike's trembling, little hand, can shepherd, him through the verbose complexities of the next S.O.T.U. Address, etc.!
3
RED LINE! Time to fire Rosenstein
Criminals, and investigation targets, do not get to choose where the prosecutor looks. Any red line is as good as saying, "Don't look for my stash in the freezer - I'll get really upset!"
6
whenever Mr Mueller finds something out,
the troll-bots roll over their rocks and start to shout !!
23
Large popcorn, please.
7
Mueller better find something...or he will FOREVER be seen as participating in a partisan witch hunt...the most disgusting attack by one party over another with nothing but fake news. He better find evidence of collusion. If he doesn't...this was all a bunch of nonsense.
1
So the facts that several witnesses have already pled guilty, two trials against Trump's top campaign manager are scheduled for later this year, and a massive indictment against numerous Russians are all fake? Hard to see what's going on with your head planted firmly under the ground.
14
Go Mueller go. Clean the swamp
30
This is news, because NYT says it's news. The irony is THICK here... how long is the list of nations that gave donations to The Clinton Foundation (TCF) while Mrs. Clinton was SoS?
Given it is public knowledge that the TCF is again under investigation, with potential "pay to play" crimes getting another look... I'm SURE NYT is all over that, given what we already know publicly, right?
Now... my own bottom line... if there is found to be corruption in ANYONE elected to ANY office in the U.S., I want to see charges and trials, POTUS, congress-critter or Civil Service staff.
Given this weeks influx of Neocons into the Trump administration... who knows what the heck is really going on!
1
BOTS have taken control of this thread. "Fire Mueller" and poor grammar.
The Russian CYBERWAR is still happening!
45
Go get 'em Bobby.
20
Go get 'em!
15
Jonathan's careful statistical analysis of the anti-Mueller pro Trump bias of many comments does suggest a concerted group of trolls. The poor grammar / sentence structure is another give away.
30
I have heard a couple of people refer to Mueller as "an honorable person". Any close associate of James Comey who would staff his team with all die hard liberals and donors to the DNC and Hillary Clinton, is NOT an honorable man. He is representative of how far the vaunted FBI has fallen in recent years as regards the 7th floor. Totally a disgusting sham.
1
There are facts and there is the alternative reality inhabited by Trump supporters.
17
It is funny to see the comments by Boris and his bots (now that's a name for a punk band!) writing the same message: "But Hillary this or the other...."
Sorry comrade, this is about trump, and Mueller ain't distracted by trolls.
38
Do taxpayers foot the bill for all these lawyers that Trump needs to deal with non-job related matters such as this, the porn star and the list goes on?
5
Maybe while The Mule is at it he can find out why obama sent a PLANE LOAD of cash to pay off Iran. But no collusion their.
the money you speak actually of belonged to Iran, it had been frozen in banks here back in the 80's I think. just that simple.
16
Wow. The trolls are out in force on this story. I guess they smell their own blood in the waters of justice.
30
Wow, the trolls/bots are out in full force. Let them sweat. Godspeed, Mr. Mueller.
23
But - But what about Russian collusion?? Oh - that was Hillary and her KGB loving Mr. Steele. hahahahah
1
Mueller is following the money trail that I am confident will lead to a finding that Trump has been laundering money for years to Russian oligarchs with strong ties to Putin and organized crime. Trump was more than happy to accept their help in his campaign, since he couldn’t bear the thought of being a loser. He is Putin’s useful idiot and may hav committed treason in the process. I thank Mr.Mueller for his tenacious and scrupulous investigation which may just save our republic.
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Mr Mueller, I suspect, has had this subpoena planned and ready for some time. How do you spell i-n-s-u-r-a-n-c-e. Once Washington sources and rumor made it clear that Mr Trump planned to proceed with whatever sleazy plan he hatches to stop the investigation by firing Mr Mueller, Mueller had the subpoena of Trump's own organization ready, in order to make the political cost of doing so very very high. Mr Mueller has been in Washington a long time, has been a prosecutor for a long time, and thinks ahead. He's facing an impulsive, uninformed and willful narcissist (who is almost certainly neck-deep in profound financial corruption in which Russia is only one major player).
Whom would you bet on in the coming confrontation?
17
The Russians are RIGHT HERE, people, on this web page you are looking at, firing on all cylinders, pathetically trying to fool the intelligent readers of this publication with their ridiculous comments. This effort seems to have suddenly escalated, which may indicate the Mr. Mueller has hit a nerve. Keep going Robert, follow the money! The world needs to know the indisputable truth, and perhaps then it will be the beginning of the end of this dark chapter in American history.
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I'd say you sound like Howard Beale in "Network" except I totally agree with you. And Howard Beale too I suppose.
5
Question. If the subpoenas were issued over "recent weeks" as stated in this article, why did the NYTimes and Trump's favorite journalists, Haberman and Schmidt, wait until less than a few hours after the NYTimes reported that the Administration had issued the sanctions against Russia. Seems like collusion between the NYTimes and Trump.
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What amazes me is how Trump functions. He's got people looking into his shady finances, if it weren't for Secret Service protection the Russians would probably be trying to poison him, I can't imagine Melania has much to say to him, Stormy will be on 60 Minutes soon, and every time he opens his mouth he lies.
The only explanation that works -- he's evil.
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In the end, Russiagaters will be as shocked as Democrats were right up to the final hour of the presidential election -- all because their media led them on, day after day after day.
3
Oh no, it looks like attention is given
To the likes of Donald and his children.
We hope that Bob and his team are driven
And will wait for those who look reptilian.
It's been a busy day, someone has noticed
For Ron, Faith, and Michael are once more civilians
The silence that comes from this POTUS
Is deafening to the Electoral College's zillions.
4
How appropriate, on the Ides of March!
Young Mueller hath a lean and hungry look...
18
I forecast a tweet storm.
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After more than a year, Mueller is fishing for something...anything! Next he’ll be investigating whether President Trump likes Russian dressing on his salad. Is that his next inquiry? What a supreme waste of taxpayer money!!!
He should be investigating the clinton enterprise...now that would uncover a treasure trove of criminal activity.
2
Willfully blind, I see. (Or Russian)
13
I think Russian.
Loves their national dressing as well.
5
People are worried about the possibility that elections could be "postponed."
Read the US Constition.
Article I
SECTION 2.
The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.
SECTION 4.
The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.
The Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year, and such Meeting shall be [on the first Monday in December,]* unless they shall by Law appoint a different Day. [Amended to January 3 by the 20th Amendment]
20th Amendment
SECTION 1.
The ... terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, ...
SECTION 2.
The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.
Congress has a term that expires on January 3 of every year with an odd ordinal number. This Congress, and the House of Representatives [HoR]. all end by operation of the Constitution, on January 3, 2019.
If there are no elections in 2018, we have no HoR after Jan 3, 2019. That would vioate the US Constitution.
6
If only there were a way to dispose of documents already under subpoena, just like Hillary did. There has to be a way..
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It’s a tough job being a Special Prosecutor!
Seem unjust Mr Mueller has to baby-sit at the same TIME
It's funny that nobody's opinions seem to have changed over the period of this investigation. Trump supporters are still Trump supporters,and Trump detractors are still Trump detractors. What has changed are the facts. Every day, new facts emerge,and nothing indicates that this will change. Trump supporters seem to me like flat-earthers, desperately holding on to a belief that can have no logical support. Each day new violations of the law emerge, and yet the defense of Trump continues. Guys, wait a little while,and the truth will emerge, too. If Trump did nothing, nothing will emerge. Relax, chill, shut up.
11
Make the Trump Org open their books. That should be a good laugh!
7
Spitting my coffee on reading the President "believes... he can easily answer investigators' questions."
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Mr. Mueller better get Trumps tax returns for the past 20 years to see how they match up with whatever he gets from the Trump crime family.
Organized crime bosses go to prison for tax fraud, income tax evasion and money laundering.
Firing Mr. Mueller would demand either Republicans impeach Trump or face riots in the streets followed by being thrown out of office on their soft heads. Yellow mush would be everywhere.
8
I would bet that Mr. Mueller already has the tax returns. He has been extraordinary in keeping the lid on things.
4
remember my lai 50 years.
1
You write:
"The lawyers have advised Mr. Trump to refuse an interview but the president wants to do it, as he believes he has done nothing wrong and can easily answer investigators’ questions."
-------------
You don't know what he believes. You (and the rest of the media) only know what he says he believes. Considering how much he lies, you should stop giving him the benefit of the doubt and rewrite the sentence as follows:
"The lawyers have advised Mr. Trump to refuse an interview but the president wants to do it, as he says he has done nothing wrong and can easily answer investigators’ questions."
4
This may be a good time to invest in Kimberly-Clark.
2
This is a bridge too far. Mueller has nothing...and will stop only when pulled up short.
2
I think the FBI has known for many years that Trump is a liar and a con man with connections to the Russians. His being elected president changed everything.
I don’t understand this red-line criteria that Trump says Mueller can’t cross. I don’t know of anyone who tells an investigative committee or a judge that they can’t cross a line. If there is an issue of money laundering and racketeering I would think Mueller would’ve started with his finances, and especially those infamous tax returns. Who does trump think he is?
10
Robert Mueller needs to suffer the same fate as Andrew McCabe on March 16, 2018. This travesty is no longer amusing and it needs to end.
2
Each of us needs to think--NOW--about what each of us will DO when Trump fires Mueller.
'cause he will. And we will have to do more than display our intellectual virtues in trying to out-do one another with our witty posts--and "likes" to posts.
We can agree with one another on to infinitude--all to no end.
Me? well when TSHTF, I'm going bodily to Washington D.C. Time for a Red White and Blue-va-lution.
11
Trump is going to shut it down and his party will back him.
The coup is nearly complete.
Watch.
4
I doubt there is any impropriety. It's a shame some have worked so hard to tarnish this President. Yes, he's crass and crude at times, but the economy is so much better than what we had with 0bama and America has regained status internationally.
18
No, the economy is still on the upward curve initiated by Obama after the Bush recession and handed to Trump on a silver platter. Yes, now that the GOP has chosen to throw $1.5 trillion of our children's money into the economy, it's heading toward overheating and inflation. Our status internationally has gone from respected to suspected.
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I dare you to ask yourself whether you want to see this president's income taxes. The tarnish is at the core, making it very difficult for this inquiry to end as you'd like.
20
"..., but the economy is so much better than what we had with 0bama and America has regained status internationally."
Surely you jest. The economy you are enjoying was the result of President Obama's policies and his rescue of the economy from Wall Street poltroons. As for greater international status...I don't know where you get that idea from...Trump, maybe? We are rapidly becoming a laughingstock, and soon to be a pariah, under this administration in the eyes of most of the world...and I dare say that includes Russia and China . Your comment bears little in common with reality it seems to me.
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