President Donald Trump renewed his public discussion over firing Robert Mueller after the search of his lawyer’s office, a move that would be the single most destructive act since . . . well . . . Trump fired James Comey. It would not only not stop the investigation but it would expand calls for impeachment. The statement clearly thrilled many of his critics who relished the idea of the largest unforced error in history since New York Giants center fielder Fred Snodgrass blew Game 8 of the 1912 World Series with the Boston Red Sox. Of course, dropping that ball cost New York the World Series. This could cost Trump his presidency. I have a column out this morning in the Hill on this issue.
Trump attacked Sessions, Rosenstein, Mueller, and Comey during a meeting on the Syrian conflict. Many people swallowed hard at this line “We’ll see what happens. Many people have said, ‘you should fire him.’ Again, they found nothing and in finding nothing that’s a big statement.”
The move against Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, could play into Trump’s long desire to move against Mueller and others at the Justice Department. As with the Saturday Night massacre, however, such moves only magnify the costs for a president. When President Nixon moved to fire of independent special prosecutor Archibald Cox. it triggered the subsequent resignations of Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus on October 20, 1973. It simply led to the appointment of Leon Jaworski.
As discussed earlier, if Trump were to fire Mueller now, Trump would put his very presidency at risk. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and White House counsel Don McGahn likely would resign in quick succession.
Moreover, Congress could reinstate the Independent Counsel Act, which existed until 1992. Indeed, Mueller could conceivably be reappointed under that law. Finally, Congress would likely embark on its own investigation, including a possible impeachment process. In other words, firing Mueller is unlikely to achieve the desired end of stopping the investigation. It would, however, likely stop the Trump administration from doing anything other than crisis management over the firing.
Trump is right that there are people calling for Mueller. They are wrong, Mr. President.
Muler wants to be modern day Elliott Ness before he rides off into sunset, and needs to put points on the board. CNN and now MSNBC have aired specials elevating him to legendary status and the mantra on those two cable networks has been “Bob Muler is beyond reproach”. Really?
BM- He’s beyond your ability to spell his name.
Muler as in Mule. Any other irony you need help figuring out “Linda”?
And “Mule” as in “Ass”.
Mules are outcrosses between a horse and a donkey. The donkey is typically the stallion. The horse the mare. The alternative route yields an outcross known as a hinny. There are not many donkey genets capable of delivering a hinny. But there are a few–especially if the horse stallion hails from one of the smaller breeds.
And a braying jackass who might be late for dinner,but always starts an long, early shift.
Usually the Russian/Ukraine trolls/bots start posting around 7:00 p.m. est. Are they on holiday?
Not on holiday, a “Linda” troll posted last night, at 7:14 p.m., the acreage of all of the 50 states- reason unknown.
Hermionus Assinus is still the finest animal ever to trod the face of the Earth.
“Clever” – Fox viewer
It went right over your head.
“Irony has a definition. A misspelling of a name like kids do in a school yard as a taunt, is not irony.” A non- Fox audience member.
Irony has a definition that needs to be adhered to in order for something to be ironic? That is news to me.
Similar to the link between moron and moronic.
Or perhaps Infowars….
Class-Action/Mass Action Impeachment – Time for Congress to Act
The People are the Sovereign. Congress represents the Sovereign. Congress holds the power of the People and the ultimate tool of constitutional enforcement. Congress wields the sword of the Sovereign. Congress holds the power of impeachment.
The “deep state” has abused power and twisted and manipulated the Constitution and the law. The dysfunctional “deep state” DOJ/FBI launched a subversive and treasonous coup d’etat, as a fraudulent and illegitimate investigation of “collusion” (which is not a crime) solely to overthrow a duly elected President. The subversive “deep state” DOJ/FBI is contemptuous of Congress, the People and the Sovereign, refusing to respond to Congressional subpoenas for documentation. Through the act of the egregious raid on the President’s personal attorney’s office and home, the insurrectionist “deep state” DOJ/FBI has nullified attorney client and executive privilege, America is now under siege and in a constitutional crisis.
The People, the Sovereign, voted for a President in a legal and fair election. The losing political opponents refused to accept the constitutional election and initiated a treasonous coup d’etat. Congress must shape and interpret the impeachment process to defeat subversion. Congress must consolidate and accelerate the process and impeach “…all civil Officers of the United States…” who have participated in the “deep state” DOJ/FBI coup d’etat.
Article 2, Section 4
“The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”
You mean, once elected, the president can do no wrong, commit no crime, by definition?
Once a conspiracy theory aficionado latches onto the “deep state” canard they are oblivious to reality and facts.
This “Deep State” entity which you have discovered is intriguing. It seems that through your dogged and indefatigable sleuthing, you have located a nefarious cabal of ne’er-do-wells, undoubtedly hell-bent on eradicating our ‘Merican way of life; our love for reality TV; confiscate our plastic bags; or, to fluoridate our precious bodily fluids or some other such dastardly deed. Well done Inspector, well done indeed.
this is to “Inspector Clouseau at your service” georgie
Let’s not give free pass to Southern District of NY. They did not need to follow over-zealous tone set by Muler upon receipt of referral. Perhaps they got caught up in mobocracy and politics of this creepy crawling machine. You are telling me in financial capital of the world they needed to bust down doors as if Michael Cohen was drug dealer, high-end bookie, hit man?
Yes, they did. He is Trump’s consigliere.
And Trump is modern-day Godfather? Who will play him in the movie?
Alec Baldwin with a Sicilian accent.
“Creepy crawly”
“Trump campaign lovers embroiled…” -Jason Miller should have had Cohen draft him a non-disclosure agreement…wait… that didn’t turn out well for Trump. But, one of the lovers, now aide to a Trump super pac, gets $120,000 a year and she’s paying her lawyers. Getting paid is important (lawyering 101).
Again, it hasn’t been established his signature was on the application. He’s tied to Trump and a temporary appointee to boot, so may have recused himself.
Yes. Geoffrey Berman recused himself from the Cohen investigation.
“Mass Hysteria”
not mobocracy.
“A witch-hunt is a search for people labelled “witches” or evidence of witchcraft, often involving moral panic[1] or mass hysteria.[2] The classical period of witch-hunts in Early Modern Europe and Colonial North America took place in the Early Modern period or about 1450 to 1750, spanning the upheavals of the Reformation and the Thirty Years’ War, resulting in an estimated 35,000 to 100,000 executions.[3][4] Including illegal and summary executions it is estimated 200,000 or more “witches” were tortured, burnt or hanged in the Western world from 1500 until around 1800.[citation needed] The last executions of people convicted as witches in Europe took place in the 18th century. In other regions, like Africa and Asia, contemporary witch-hunts have been reported from Sub-Saharan Africa and Papua New Guinea and official legislation against witchcraft is still found in Saudi Arabia and Cameroon today.”
– Wiki
Mueller, Rosenstein and now Berman.
A conspiracy of Republicans, two of which were appointed by the Orange Moron himself, to plot the fall of a Republican President.
Sure.
Berman’s subordinate, Robert Khuzami, who is overseeing the Cohen investigation in Berman’s stead, is also a Republican.
You’re touching on something, Bill. The fact that the Federal Court of the Southern District of New York signed onto this is extraordinary. It indicates they think Cohen is someone well worth investigating!
Rosenstein and Mueller have no legal, special counsel charter and cannot confer that non-existent charter on Coups D’etat Headquarters. Collusion is not a crime and no crime or “aritculable facts” were provided in the illegal and unconstitutional appointment of the special counsel. Rosenstein, Mueller and the rest of the “deep state” DOJ/FBI, as “…all civil officers of the United States…” must be impeached and convicted for participation in a coup d’etat and abuse of power, subversion and treason.
According to you.
When a Judge rules that is the case get back to us.
Or, it’s another lawfare artist on the bench, like the one who contended Trump was enjoined from rescinding one of his predecessor’s executive orders. Some of these guys have no integrity at all.
Mobocracy is the definition of democracy.
Ben Franklin, we gave you “a republic, if you can keep it.”
The Founders gave America a restricted-vote republic not a one man, one vote mobocracy, AKA democracy,
The Founders did not allow and never intended for the “poor” to vote.
The “poor” will “sell” their votes. They have. The “poor” sold their votes for the welfare state.
I regret to inform you, sir, but that train has left the station. So sorry for your misaprehension.
this is to “Merica was a better place when those people weren’t so uppity” georgie
The possibility of Cohen destroying evidence was serious enough to justify the warrants .
I would not put that beyond Cohen’s zeal for serving Trump.
An0maly sez
Parallel Construction:
1.) Gather evidence from spying
2.) Make arrest or seize properties
3.) Make it look like you got evidence physically when you really got it illegally or digitally & never reveal that fact
good people-family values
“Ex-Trump Aide Says Jason Miller Forcing Long Custody Battle for Revenge” (TPM 4/7/2018).
Today the aide works at a Trump super pac making a “decent income- $120,000 a year”.
Trump’s dumpster fire of an administration primarily consists of dishonest depraved jackals because Trump feels safer when surrounded by people like himself. MAGA.
As a corollary, no reputable people of any political persuasion will go near this trainwreck of a Whitehouse.
Whoa there Mark M., Time magazine named Sekulow as one of the most influential evangelists. And, Wikipedia describes his financial success.
First, comparing the firing of Mueller by Trump with Nixon firing Cox leaves out the vast differences between times and Presidents. Nixon was a politician playing a tight game with the rules and political structures. He got nailed to the cross when he broke the rules. Trump was elected, in part, to shake up these structures and has made his reputation by gaming the rules and not being ‘stupid’ enough to pay taxes or be contained by what normally contains us all, but the oligarchs. Trump was elected as the ‘bad boy’ who would hack and slash his way to ‘getting things done’. The dupes that elected him did not stop to realize that Trump is the head oligarch, the head disease, the very slime of the swamp he promised to clean out. Trump is nothing more than the fox that was elected by the chickens to guard them.
So far Trump has accomplished very little other than rewarding his oligarchs, providing entertainment, and non stop ranting and raving of the sort he planed in on. He has replaced everyone who he doesn’t ‘like’ and continued with the ‘us versus them’ routine, or him and everyone who is out to get him.
Trump has ballooned the deficit, unnecessarily alienated America’s allies, and shamed the US. However, Trump could make a mark with Syria and Russia by wiping out several Syrian installations; without a complimentary telephone call warning the other side. If done carefully there would be a minimum of Russian casualties if any. Russia has taken Syria’s side against almost the whole world. If GB, France, and the US fired several hundred missiles it would be impossible for Russia to blame any one of the three nations for any of its dead. Trump would have grown one ball. Right now he is lacking two.
If Trump then gave Mueller an ultimatum, a date to finalize the investigation, or either to put up or dissolve, then he could fire Mueller if Mueller doesn’t comply and perhaps quash the whole, ‘witch hunt’. There are risks but if he is guilty of something it will be easier to obscure the facts released earlier rather than later. If Trump is guilty then it is what it is. If Mueller gets to finish his investigation and there is nothing to pin on Trump then Trump has to endure the difference in time distracted. If Trump is guilty of something and Mueller gets to take his time then it will be the worst situation for Trump. He will have to go against the full, organized, and choreographed offensive. Trump’s best move is to put Mueller on notice and demand an end date to this ‘stuff’. Trump would have then grown the other ball.
The rest of the bellicose nonsense coming from the White House is nothing more than Trump’s artistic manner. The tariffs and trade issues will be decided by the economies of each nation. After spouting off huge tariff hikes, the first thing Trump did was to enter into negotiations. It’s the old threat behind the compromise routine, been around since the beginning of time. Typically it is done behind closed doors and not openly for self gratification. Trump will, however, continue to rub himself off on a regular basis. There won’t be any opportunities for porn stars or playboy bunnies, so he will have to use his own hands.
Jennifer Rubin, a CONSERVATIVE columnist for the Washington Post, wrote an insightful piece today describing how extraordinary the raid on Cohen’s office is. Her analysis provides coverage we might have expected from Professor Turley.
“This was not just any search warrant; that the raid took place at a lawyer’s office further highlights the seriousness of the investigation. Searches of an attorney’s office are extremely rare and are not favored, due to their potential to impinge on the attorney-client relationship. Prosecutors must jump through multiple hoops to get such a warrant approved, both within their own office and at the criminal division of Main Justice. (Notably, this would likely have included approval by Trump’s own guy, the new interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District, Geoffrey S. Berman, who was just appointed by Attorney General Jeff Sessions this past January.)
Prosecutors are also required to consider less intrusive alternatives to a search warrant, such as a subpoena, if practical. Approval of a search warrant suggests prosecutors were able to demonstrate not only the gravity of the potential case but also the risk that evidence might be destroyed or otherwise go missing if they pursued a less aggressive option”.
From: “Michael Cohen Is In Serious Legal Jeopardy”
By Jennifer Rubin
Today’s WASHINGTON POST
CORRECTION: The paragraphs I posted above were written by Randall Eliason, a colleague of Professor Turley’s at George Washington University.
Jennifer Rubin, a CONSERVATIVE columnist for the Washington Post, wrote an insightful piece today describing how extraordinary the raid on Cohen’s office is. Her analysis provides coverage we might have expected from Professor Turley.
Actually, she’s a Mitt Romney votary on the payroll of The Washington Post and favors open borders. Her commentary on Trump has been sufficiently self-contraditctory that the NeverTrump crew at National Review thought it worthwhile to publish a critique of her work.
https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/12/jennifer-rubin-trump-obsession-mindless-opponent/
@Nutchacha: Any quarrel with the substance of the assertions attributed to Ms. Rubin by Mr. Hill?
She recycled what other blawgers have said in more precise detail.
We know that much of the judiciary is engaged in lawfare with the president, we know Rosenstein and Mueller are thick as thieves, and we have reason to believe that the Acting U.S. Attorney recused himself. Unless and until the warrant is unsealed, we haven’t a clue what they were looking for.
Nutchacha, if you read my correction you’d know it wasn’t Jennifer Rubin. So your little hissy fit here was just a waste of energy.
You quoted Jennifer Rubin. You characterized Jennifer Rubin. Your characterization of her was false. Correcting one of your crudities is not what ‘hissy fit’ means.
Who is “we” and what do “we” rely upon to “know” and “believe” these things?
She’s great. Thanks for posting.
Firing Comey wasn’t ‘destructive’. It was proper given his bureaucratic finagling.
Every post on this topic has one common element: the prerogatives of the legal profession (and particularly the bench and the prosecutocracy) are unquestioned. It’s time for we serfs to start fighting back.
By the way, Alan Dershowitz has offered that the failure of the ‘civil liberties’ lobby to protest when attorney-client privilege is breached and the counsel for the target of an investigation is raided is nothing short of ‘appalling’. Dershowitz, unlike Turley, doesn’t consider the rest of us serfs.
You, sir, are part of the problem.
Dershowitz/Epstein/Acosta- civil liberties for victims ? Alan lost his luster.
Of course, Linda thinks Alan Dershowitz lost his luster. Linda only agrees with the law when it suits her purposes. Isn’t that what Stalin thought?
ALEC crafts the laws it wants.
You talk about how ALEC is racist places too many blacks in jail:
“In September of 2015, ALEC and the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) formed a new partnership to prioritize the prevention of overcriminalization, the reforming of mandatory minimum sentencing laws, the reduction of recidivism rates and the promotion of community-based alternatives to lengthy jail stays for non-violent offenders. ALEC members’ work has sparked a new wave of state criminal justice legislation that is carefully crafted to maximize taxpayer dollars to protect the public while preventing overcriminalization and unnecessary prison stays.”
Why don’t you tell us what is wrong with the above statement?
Democracy Now published an article more recently with a headline differentiating between the Koch PR and actions.
“Democracy Now published an article more recently with a headline differentiating between the Koch PR and actions.”
This is Linda’s intellect. She looks at headlines for her slogans. She doesn’t read.
It appeared during the questioning from reporters the POTUS answered a question that wasn’t asked.
Professor Turley, could you see Snodgrass drop the ball from your seat in the stands?
OK, I see where this is going. If I take drink starting at 12:00 for everytime someone writes …..BUT…BUT….Hillary. I will be hammered by 1:00 pm. Alcohol poisoning will set in around 1:30. Total embalming would be around 2:00pm.
Fishwings…
Is that why YOU have brought up Hillary at least twice?
Read the past comments..The Hillary card is out in full bloom.
And just wait till what is written later.
Fishwings,…
She’s been a high-profile political figure for over 25 years.
She came very close, twice, to being elected president.
She’s still selling her book, giving interviews, and commenting about thr 2016 election and other matters.
She may become a Harold Stassen-type of obscure figure if she runs a few more times, but that’s not the case for now.
Leaving all of the above aside, I’ll repeat that when you and others being her up, then complain that she’s part of a discussion, it’s pretty funny.😊😂
“bring her up”
How many times have you signed it, Fishwings?
Another good drinking game… every time Nash, Insufferable and Allan… refer to commenters as stupid. Double shots when the insults are even more base.
“Another good drinking game… ”
Linda, It sounds as if you play this drinking game on a continuous basis. That probably is a good explanation for the stupid comments you make that litter the list.
She must be compensated by the liquor industry..
Since I don’t know her personally, there’s no danger that her Edith Bunker-like babbling will drive me to drink.
If she engages in anything like the kind of mindless drivel and ramblings in real life that she does here, I’d fear for the sobriety of those who know her.
But, but what about justice for all? But, but what about that sailor who JUST spent a year in jail for doing one thirty-thousandth of what Hillary did?
Neither of whom have any relevance to this article but thanks for trying.
Nash, Insufferable and Allan have the advantage in getting booze-they tap the wine cellars of the oligarchs.
Linda, your drunk.
That should be you are drunk.
slurred irony
There’s an old Chinese saying: “The man who’s always in trouble ‘is’ trouble”.
As a president Donald Trump is the man who’s always in trouble. Always! And every time Trump gets in trouble, he creates even ‘more’ trouble!!
Professor Turley notes that Trump responded to yesterday’s events with more threats to fire Robert Mueller. ..See..? Even ‘more’ trouble.
Incredibly Trump labeled yesterday’s development “an attack on the country”! That’s a Freudian slip of sorts. Trump believes he ‘is’ America.
This reveals Trump’s deluded notion that America would somehow end without him. As though ‘he’, Donald Trump, is irreplaceable. As though America’s institutions would come to a screeching halt if Trump were not in command. In reality Donald Trump is destroying our institutions.
This is no time for Trump supporters to shriek “What about Hillary??!”. That response amounts to hysterical denial.
This president is toxic! Everyone in Trump’s orbit comes to a bad end. Whether they are fired, prosecuted, or abruptly quitting, everyone goes spinning off in flames.
It’s time to draw the curtain on this exhausted sham of a presidency. Whatever legitimacy Trump had has long-since evaporated. Trump shall go down in history as America’s moral eclipse.
you forgot one other critical thing Trump is.
Trump is the duly elected president of the United States. He was elected under the Constitution by American Citizens. All of the democrat justification of their attacks, even going as far as having senators openly calling for Trumps assassination, is the democrats attempt to nullify the election, subvert the Constitution and Citizens Rights and replace the will of the people of this Constitutional Republic with power mad control and and out of control license to abuse power.
The democrats have become the psychotic boyfriend whose only goal in life is to stalk, torture and kill the girlfriend who rejected him. It still has not occurred nor will it ever occur to the psychotic democrats that their rejection by the people rests solely in their own behavior and their own goals to destroy the United States and its people. They are angry that the people they are out to destroy will not capitulate and hand over to them the power to destroy those same people they are demanding that power of death from.
In true sociopathic power mad obama/clinton/hitleresque/ISIS style, the democrats will do whatever it takes to punish people for refusing to be enslaved. democrats are completely out of control and will stop at nothing short of “death to America”….which I believe is their 2020 campaign slogan.
Here’s what’s wrong with your theory: first of all, the Judge, the Special Prosecutor, Rosenstein, the Deputy Attorney General, and the N.Y. Federal District Attorney are all REPUBLICANS. The N.Y. Federal District Attorney contributed $5,400 to The Donald’s campaign and is a former associate of Rudy Giuliani.. So, contrary to what your President said yesterday, he’s not being taken down by Democrats. And, yes, he’s being taken down. We know this because in order to obtain the search warrants, it was necessary for the N.Y. Federal District Attorney to make a case to a federal magistrate first and then the sitting judge, establishing that there was probable cause to believe that a crime or crimes were committed, and/or that a routine request for documents would not yield a full or honest response. Mueller did not seek the search warrants. He uncovered some evidence that he felt should be referred outside of his investigation.
So, when your President muses that Sessions should either have not recused himself, or notified him before recusal so Trump could replace him, he’s simply wrong. It is Republican prosecutors and a Republican Judge who authorized the search, not Robert Mueller. Not only that, but replacing an Attorney General because he is complying with the ethical requirements for members of the bar and government counsel, is outrageous. Again, he still doesn’t get the point that the AG does not work for him, is not required to protect him from his own criminal conduct or to attempt to prevent others in law enforcement from holding him accountable, which is exactly what he was saying yesterday. Talk about un-American and outrageous!
Secondly, “the people”, meaning the voters, overwhelmingly (by about 3 million votes) voted for another candidate. Since he’s taken office, his poll numbers are consistently historically low and always below 50%. He is not what the majority of American people want. He hasn’t grown into the job. He lacks the altruism, patriotism, self-discipline and interest to be a public servant. He wanted to be the biggest big shot of the big shots, and all he’s done is take himself down along with the dignity of this country. His equating his attorney’s papers being seized with an attack on the United States are more evidence of his narcissism. He is not the United States. He is not above the law. No one is.
Third, taking down someone like Trump, who cheated to “win” the “victory” with the help of a hostile foreign government, is as American as it gets.
Fourth, Trump likely thought that HE”D be the one sending the FBI after people he didn’t like or who disagreed with him. He has never understood the three branches of government or the system of checks and balances. This is proven by his comment about Sessions being wrong to recuse himself.
I sort of hope he does try to fire Robert Mueller, because it will hasten his demise. It will force Congressional Republicans to be patriots and to put the country above their party or personal ambitions or face the backlash of their constituents.
Lastly, you need some help. Seriously. You stated that President Obama, Hillary Clinton, ISIS and Hitler are trying to enslave America. Your thinking is twisted.
“So, contrary to what your President said yesterday”
He is the president of all American Citizens. When you speak of “your President”, does this mean you are not an American Citizen? Fess up, NUTCASE!
“Secondly, “the people”, meaning the voters, overwhelmingly (by about 3 million votes) voted for another candidate.”
So “the people” of New York and California voted overwhelmingly for the criminal Hillary, and Hillary won the “popular” vote. This means nothing. The U.S. is not a democracy–it is a republic. The U.S. Presidential race is determined by electoral votes. If you had not failed or slept through your high school civics class, you would know this!
This man is not MY President. Most Americans did not vote for him, do not trust him and do not approve of the job he’s done so far. You keep listening to Fox News that spews the rhetoric that New York and California would control this country if it weren’t for the Electoral College, and so the rest would have no voice in government. The purpose of the Electoral College was to account for slaves in states with slavery, not to adjust for the larger population of California, which wasn’t even a state at the time, or New York, because it also has a larger population. You think it is OK that the majority of US citizens should accept this buffoon because of the Electoral College. The Electoral College has resulted in the majority of U.S. citizens being stuck with an unfit buffoon who cheated his way into the White House. That’s un-American.
Lawrence, California and New York together represent almost one fifth of the country (18%). So your dismissal of those states as somehow insignificant begs for correction.
One might add that Trump himself is a native New Yorker. So the people of New York know him better than anyone.
You might want to sit down, I have something to tell you and it’s going to make you very sad. You see, even a sitting President of the United States–even where he’s elected, is still required to comply with the law. If you had gone to a reputable school, you would have learned that America is a nation of laws, not men, and that all men are equal under the law. So, yes, you and your ilk were certainly taken for the gullible dupes that you are in falling for the big con by the day glo bozo, but that merely reinforces the importance and the primacy of the law under these circumstances. So sorry for your loss.
this is to “but what do I do with all this MAGA gimme crap!” dawn
Mark M., I think you are being too kind to dawn.
https://twitter.com/RWPUSA/status/983790580407947265
“The man who’s always in trouble ‘is’ trouble”.
You must be very easy to manipulate.
Ivan the Dumb does not accept reality; yep, he is a conservative nut job.
The man whose always in trouble is any enemy of deep state.
Recheck Fox commentator, Ralph Peters’ resignation letter rebuking “deep state” PR.
I’m sure that Fox News is just as amazed as I am that their propaganda works.
Left and right should be appalled at Muler’s Gestapo tactics. Alan Dershowitz is right: where is ACLU regarding this matter? How would ACLU have reacted if similar Gestapo tactics used against Hillary Clinton and her associates during email investigation? Now we can expect rationalized responses from left why this is OK when it is not.
Bill: Mueller didn’t request or execute the search warrant. He referred evidence he found that was outside the scope of his investigation to the N.Y. Federal District Attorney’s Office, for them to handle. Do you understand the process for obtaining a warrant, especially of an attorney? Did you know that a federal judge had to make a ruling that there was probable cause, and that ruling had to be based on evidence that a crime or crimes had been committed? Did you know that the N.Y. Federal District Attorney, whose office obtained the warrants, is a Republican, and that he donated $5,400 to Trump’s campaign? If Dershowitz said otherwise, he’s not telling the truth.
Muler made the criminal referral when he could have referred it as civil matter to FEC. Natacha, you have succumbed to classic case of appeal to the authority when such matter applies to a person you do not like.
Bill: do you personally know what specific evidence Mueller referred to the N.Y. Federal District Attorney and what specific crimes they might establish? How would or could you know this, or have you been listening to Rush and Sean Hannity?
Bill: we also don’t know whether the evidence of criminal behavior uncovered by Mueller involved matters in the FEC civil bailiwick, or anything else. Despite this, you are willing to believe that something wrong happened and that the motives of the prosecutor are misguided.
To quote Steve Mariucci: “Believe what you see”.
I understand you’re not a lawyer, so you are merely spouting whatever nonsense Pravda Faux News piped into your head today. I will try not to confuse you too much with this, but there is something called the “crime-fraud exception” to the attorney-client privilege. In other words, where the communications between a lawyer and his client are used to further a crime, fraud, or tort, the privilege ceases to protect those communications. As others have said here, the facts presented to the magistrate in the affidavit in support of the search warrant had to provide enough information to support probable cause that evidence of a crime would be located as a result of the search.
this is to “oh, hannity didn’t tell me all that” billy
Additionally, and unfortunately for the bar, such searches are not uncommon.
Six separate posts from you, every one of them a string of snotty insults. That’s called arrested development, Marky Mark.
Why, thanks for your valuable “input.” As always, you are free to ignore them at will. However, if and when the shoe fits, you apparently like to wear it. So sorry for your misfortune.
this is to “Reddit doesn’t have such smarty pants as here” sufferer
If we the people keep falling for political distractions while Trump, the moron minion, starts WWIII, then we really are stupid. This crap does not matter. Madmen and Madwomen of USGinc. are determined to start a war using lies and sheer agression. We should not get distracted. If this war is not stopped, nothing else will be relevant:
“A group of ships of the US Navy has appeared at a distance of 150 miles from the Tartus region. It is common in international practice potential participants of events in the area should be notified accordingly in advance. We have not been notified, although we had legally ratified the agreement on two bases in Tartus and Khmeymim,” the official said.”
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-04-10/russia-furious-us-navy-destroyer-approaches-syria-without-notification
Obama already started WWIII.
This is the part where the cause of global warming, human beings are substantially reduced to save the planet…oh yeah and of course “the children.”
Zerohedge, YourNewsWire.com, Redacted Tonight, Infowars….
Jill is right that the war pigs are trying to start a wider war against Russia. Now Trump, weakened by this debacle, is losing the nerve to stand up to the neocons and has schlepped one into his own cabinet, john bolton.
The deep state is real.
Trump- great at leaving creditors with nothing- Putin boxed in- no way to use his leverage -nothing obtained in return but vast exposure of his manipulations.
@Jill April 10, 2018 at 10:31 AM
“If we the people keep falling for political distractions while Trump, the moron minion, starts WWIII, then we really are stupid. This crap does not matter. Madmen and Madwomen of USGinc. are determined to start a war using lies and sheer agression. We should not get distracted. If this war is not stopped, nothing else will be relevant:”
The most important (and ominous) quotation in the Zerohedge report is this one: ” ‘We have repeatedly warned the American side about highly negative consequences that may follow if they apply weapons against the legitimate Syrian government, and especially if the use of these weapons—God forbid, affects our military men who legally stay in Syria,’ said the Russian Ambassador to the UN at a meeting of the UN Security Council.”
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-04-10/russia-furious-us-navy-destroyer-approaches-syria-without-notification
In his otherwise excellent critique of the malevolent bellicosity of the two wings of the US War Party vis a vis Syria, Tucker Carlson neglects to mention the extremely real danger of precipitating World War III with a military attack on the elected government of the latest totally evil enemy of the US Imperialist Security State, Bashar al-Assad.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-04-09/tucker-carlson-goes-epic-rant-against-war-syria
Yep Jill. This is happening and most Amuricans don’t know a damn thing about it. A total sham. And now China is jumping into the Syrian fray. Appalling. We need to tell Israel to f*ck off and let them handle their wars of aggression w/o us. And anyone else like the French who are interested in playing war games.
We need to tell Israel to f*ck off and let them handle their wars of aggression w/o us.
Israel isn’t responsible for the breakdown of order in Syria, you ignoramus.
Said like a true anti-Semite, Autumn. You are ignorant of the facts on the ground. Israel hasn’t declared war on anyone and can protect itself from any of its neighbors even those that encroach past their borders whether using underground tunnels or otherwise trying to blow up innocent women and children.
Late4dinner seems late for a lot of things, like reality. Godwins law is the go to liberal retort when they are in the throes of deep denial about themselves and their own behavior.
It is not a law like the law of gravity.
It is akin to Charles Manson standing on his bed in his cell screaming out that everybody else, specially the psychiatrists treating him, is crazy.
dawn said, “mueller is showing Americans first hand what democrats are willing to do . . . slaps chains on them and one at a time tosses them into the boxcars . . . Murdering Jews was illegal before the Nazis made it a legal form of state policy by little doses of murder . . . desensitizing the people into acceptance . . .
dawn’s comment is agonistic. dawn’s comment is utterly irrelevant to the search of Cohen’s office. dawn’s comment is egregiously disproportionate to the Nazi’s extermination of Jews. dawn is a vile, despicable, loathsome creature. dawn knows this about herself. And dawn doesn’t care about knowingly being a festering pustule of wretched rhetorical excess. dawn’s head is a zit. Go pop it, already, dawn.
Trump has made many mistakes, the most serious of which have been installing members of the Deep State or “the Swamp,” as many have called them. These are the corrupt, leftist, anti-American insiders that can be relied upon to harm the lives of ordinary Americans to benefit the Establishment Elite. Appointing an old political insider like Jeff Sessions was such a mistake. And failing to fire Comey immediately was a mistake. The were plenty of good reasons to fire Comey right from the start, but Trump foolish kept him on to do more damage. There is only one way to deal with termites and cockroaches. They must be terminated . . . permanently. (Apologies to the termites and cockroaches. I’m using a metaphor.)
But, it isn’t too late to put a stop to the Deep State and plunge some knives into the heart of it. Trump should fire everyone BUT Mueller.Trump should fire Sessions, Rosenstein, and all the the Deep State cockroaches in the DOJ. He should also fire Wray and all the Deep State termites at the FBI. If at least a score of individuals within those agencies are not fired, Trump will not have made a dent at eradicating the Deep State’s control over those criminal enterprises (which is their current form).
THIS is the Trump that we need to see immediately.
Yes, Trump should fire all career civil servants, then only hire new ones who make a personal pledge to be loyal to Donald Himself, above any and all other considerations.
You should read your Constitution. The President does not have the power to fire all career civil servants. He can fire the political appointees at the top.
Why would Trump fire the swamp rats that the Kochs like? Their man, Pence, is in the wings.
You make no sense. Are you suggesting both that the Krotch brothers put Trump where he is, somehow, contrary to the facts of them supporting other candidates, and yet they also want to bring him down?
Your whining about the Krotches would only make sense, to a degree, if you would admit they actually HATE TRUMP as much as you do.
Which of the protests will they be attending?
Wrong. The President is in charge of the Executive Branch. He has the power to replace the heads of the DOJ and the FBI, and they have the power to remove all cockroaches, termites, and rats infesting those agencies. The key is for Trump to install only TRUSTED individuals. One way to test whether an individual is any good is to ask members of the Deep State–and there are loads of them in government–if a particular individual is good for the job. If they say “no way,” you can be sure that individual is okay. If they say, “yes, he/she is great,” then you do the opposite.
And the Judicial Branch has the power to eliminate the cockroach in chief in the White House. Same for the Legislative Branch. The President may not demand personal loyalty as a condition to serving the American people. HE doesn’t serve the American people.
Wrong, The people of the US elected Trump, not the Deep State. The Deep State is attempting to stage a coup and all of the individuals involved should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Trump has foolishly failed to replace Sessions with a REAL AG–instead of a Deep State pawn. But when he wises up, and I think he ultimately will, he’ll replace Sessions with a REAL IG, who will immediately install an independent counsel to pursue the Clinton, Comey, Rosenstein, the FISA court scam, and even Mueller himself–who is just as guilty.
Ralph: take a deep breath. You have been indoctrinated by Fox News. If your President did nothing wrong, then there would be nothing to be found. What crimes, specifically, did Jeff Sessions allegedly commit? How about HRC? She was thoroughly investigated, and there was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing. James Comey said that “no reasonable prosecutor” would believe that any conduct of HRC was criminal, regardless of her mishandling of emails. Failure to comply with a rule and committing a crime aren’t the same thing, and, in any event, she’s no longer in the public eye. The fact that you’ve been conditioned as a devoted disciple of Fox News and Rush Limbaugh to hate her doesn’t change these truths. What crime did James Comey commit? How about Rosenstein? Why do you believe that the FISA Court is a scam? What did Robert Mueller do, other than start digging through Trump’s records?
Your President is not fit to serve. He proves this every single day. Let’s just hope that his need for aggrandizement and attention doesn’t end up getting innocent people killed.
Ivan –
I was being sarcastic, not literal.
Thuglicans do not understand nuance.
“if Trump were to fire Mueller now, Trump would put his very presidency at risk. ”
Mueller should be fired. The only question is how. The investigation against Trump is a nothing to date and likely will be a nothing no matter how many years it goes on. In the meantime internationally we have significant problems where the President needs to appear strong rather than weak unless of course one is happy to see North Korean missiles being able to reach anywhere in the US, Syria using illegal weapons which invalidates present understanding so that this becomes more commonplace, Iran expands its borders and gets nuclear weapons (perhaps using them as they have promised), Russia continues to destabilize eastern Europe etc.
Happy or not with Trump he is President and actually has done a good job to date. The Dems are intent on impeaching him no matter what. Will they do so if they regain the House? If so what is Turley worried about? Trump has to do what is right for the nation. Mueller is interfering with the proper functioning of the nation and we might all regret that in the future.
If Hillary were President despite her emails, lies, Foundation improprieties etc. I would say the same thing unless the evidence for a potential criminal conviction were enormous. Even then I wouldn’t want to risk the destruction of the nation for partisan politics.
.
Did you feel the same way when republicans were spending 10’s of millions of dollars for partisan politics against Obama and HRC?
I am not in love with either party so I am stupidly attached to such stupid ideas.
To make the above clear. I am NOT stupidly attached to such stupid ideas.
(Fishwings the correction is necessary to make sure you understand what the comment says. If I put another NOT in the above sentence it would be a double negative.
I understand, you and others are having a bad day. Just to be clear, I believe in country before party. I do not rejoice in the country tearing itself in two.
I’m having a good day, so I don’t know why you would think otherwise. As far as rejoicing in the country tearing itself into two. You have done nothing but that.
“The investigation against Trump is a nothing to date and likely will be a nothing no matter how many years it goes on. ”
How do you know this? Are you party to all the information that has been gathered? Are you party to Mueller’s plans?
Jay S., what you are saying is that one never can be absolutely positive. There is such a thing as a reasonable time limit and that has well passed. Right now it sounds more like harrassment than an investigation.
“Reasonable time limit” has passed, eh?
How many criminal investigations have you had a connection with as a prosecutor, special agent, defense counsel or defense investigator?
If your answer is zero, I forgive your ignorance.
Oliver, what is the crime Trump is being investigated for?
I hope you have nothing to do with law enforcement unless it is janitorial services because you sound as if you would abuse your position.
You silly boy, Allan. You didn’t answer the question. (How many criminal investigations have you had a connection with as a prosecutor, special agent, defense counsel or defense investigator?)
Why is that? Because the answer is none? If you were a witness in a Firesign Theater production, the judge would order you gagged. Luckily for you, this is not a Firesign Theater production; this is real! Which reel? That remains to be seen.
Abusive if I were in law enforcement? Moi? Let’s ask George, if he thinks I would be abusive. What do you think, George?
Your comment reminds me of when, years ago, my neighbour’s young son called the police on his mom, claiming that his mom was abusive because his mom made him do his homework.
Do your homework. You are long on insults and short on facts, silly boy.
Now, for what crime is Trump being investigated?
Mueller told Trump’s lawyer that Trump was a subject–not a target–of the special counsel’s investigation.
And a suspect is often called “a person of interest” by police.
Subtle descrptive nuances aside, Trump is a target.
Mueller is investigating the Russian hacking of the DNC and John Podesta as well as the leaking of those hacked emails. Mueller is also investigating Russian attempts to cultivate members of the Trump campaign to see if any members of the Trump campaign coordinated any of their activities with the Russian information warfare operation including the hacking and leaking of the DNC and Podesta emails.
Exactly right, he sure did.
And the crime being investigated is just what?
Hacking. Leaking.
Oh, my silly boy was a bit late and NII asked the question that our supposed smart boy couldn’t answer. “Now, for what crime is Trump being investigated?”
Now it is time for smart boy Oliver to deflect again because he can’t answer a simple question. Does that make smart boy simple? Smart boy is “short on facts” so perhaps smart boy should be known as “silly boy” Obviously Oliver you didn’t listen to your mom and you didn’t do your homework.
You are a hoot, Allan. You ask me to answer a question that only Mueller can answer and then castigate me for not answering that question. All the while not answering the question I asked you about your own experience. Keep up the insults, it is your strongest work on this blog. But frankly, you could do better there. Example: “Oliver is so cheap that when he pays you a compliment he asks for a receipt!” Time for me to return to the asylum.
You ask me to answer a question that only Mueller can answer
Mueller is a special counsel. His appointment is predicated on their being a defined crime for him to investigate. Rosenstein has pretended that Mueller’s authorization to conduct a counter-intelligence investigation allows him to conduct a criminal investigation. See Andrew McCarthy on this point. The whole investigation is irregular and that irregularity identifies Rosenstein and Mueller as accomplices in a shady enterprise.
An ordinary prosecutor has to allocate his manpower between scores of competing cases and is seldom inclined to get a particular individual. The problem with special prosecutors is that it promotes a monomaniacal white-whale-hunt mentality among those employed therein. The echt example would be Lawrence Walsh. See Robert Bork on what the Walsh investigation had decayed into by 1992.
And it’s very seldom the case that a police reporter is unable to identify for his readers what the crime is. You have complaints to police, who undertake investigations and pass their work product to prosecutors. They get feedback from the prosecutor on what can and cannot be accomplished (in the prosecutor’s opinion) with the product of the investigation. Rinse, repeat, until the prosecutor is ready to run with it or the police send it to the archives and move on to other matters.
Now, let’s look at other political scandals. The Watergate matter began with a discrete crime – a burglary – in which one of the men arrested just happened to be the chief of security at the Committee to Re-Elect the President. In the Iran-Contra matter, it was known from the beginning that two Reagan Administration officials had arranged to sell military equipment to a shell company who sold it to Iran which paid for the equipment by releasing hostages held in Lebanon. The officials then had the markup on the equipment deposited in the account for another shell company which was then used as a slush fund for the Nicaraguan Contras. Then as the scheme was unraveling, the officials in question (and their support staff) sent masses of documents through a shredder. All of this was known in October 1986 before Lawrence Walsh was ever appointed.
Oliver Clazinoff, it seems that NII has already answered the question for me in great detail and I can’t add anything substantial. I have to agree with NII completely. What I find surprising is that after all this time you don’t realize that a defined crime was needed for Mueller to investigate. See NII paragraph one and pay special attention to what Rosenstein pretended. Add to that the problem that Mueller, Rosenstein, Comey, and others are all connected which make any investigation somewhat of a sham.
In any event, I am glad you had a hoot even though the hoot was on you because you didn’t know the answer to the question or the pertinent facts.
Allan, this sounds like a very serious matter to any discerning reader. Today’s coverage of the raid (on Cohen’s office) kept emphasizing how extraordinary this was. Something is very, very wrong with this presidency. And you appear to be in a state of absolute denial!
Were you one of those Republicans who stood by Nixon until the very end?
What is the crime that is being investigated?
You seem not able to answer.
You are an ideologue. Aside from believing capitalism to be better than the alternatives I believe in the law and the Constitution. Whenever the Democrats or Republicans do things that help make America better I support them no matter which party. I didn’t support the impeachment of Clinton regarding the issue at hand nor do I support the impeachment of Trump. This gamesmanship you play is destructive and doesn’t help America.
With Michael Cohen there seems to be an array of different matters.
1) The payment to Stormy Daniels may have constituted wire fraud and an illegal campaign contribution.
2) Cohen may have possessed correspondence showing a link between Trump and alleged Russian-American mobster Felix Sater regarding the never-built Trump Tower in Moscow.
3) Cohen may have also committed improprieties regarding speculation in taxi medallions. I would be hard-pressed to describe the specifics here but it is apparently a subject of interest.
As I noted the raid on Cohen’s office is most extraordinary. This development is something we have never seen in any scandal regarding any president.
1) The payment to Stormy Daniels may have constituted wire fraud and an illegal campaign contribution.
Recycling this contention is almost a punchline. That’s the perspective of an AUSA who doesn’t have enough work to do.
Then you are suggesting that Trump is innocent of all charges and Mueller’s investigation is over.
A person is investigated for a crime, not for 1) what other people do; 2) knowing another person. 3) what other people do
If you think Cohen committed a crime Mueller should take it to a prosecutor and Mueller’s activities should end.
I’ll ask again What is the crime (that Trump supposedly did) that is being investigated? A crime is not documents or association with other people.
Peter, as usual you fail to answer the legal question.
The Stormy Daniel payments and dealings with Trump Tower Moscow more than likely concern Trump. What’s more the Federal Attorney for Manhattan (a Trump appointee) signed off on the raid.
But Allan you shouldn’t depend on me to answer these questions. There are numerous articles in the mainstream media explaining these legal points. And I’m surprised Professor Turley didn’t make more of an effort to explain those points right here. He was strangely indifferent on this.
There is no Trump Tower Moscow.
Stormy Daniels had nothing to do with Mueller’s appointment. Trump Tower in Moscow which doesn’t exist had nothing to do with Mueller’s appointment.
“numerous articles in the mainstream media explaining…”
They are so numerous and you have read so many of them yet you are unable to provide the answer. Are you telling me you read these things and can’t retain a simple answer to the question, What is the crime (that Trump supposedly did) that is being investigated by Mueller?
Did you ever try and think why you can’t remember the answer to such a simple question?
Your ideology has trapped your mind to such an extent it sounds as if you can’t think for yourself.
Two posts up I said “Never-built Trump Tower Moscow.
And Allan your comments suggest you inhabit a blackout zone. Right wing media isn’t explaining to you the fine points of this case. And Professor Turley isn’t fleshing them out. So you’re demanding that ‘I’ provide the analysis.
I’m not an actual lawyer. But I have already posted the basics of this case. Yet you insist on playing this passive aggressive game where I ‘didn’t answer your question’.
I am thoroughly convinced that this “I asked you a question” game is from the NRA handbook. Or Ann Coulter, perhaps. One of her books was titled, “How To Talk To Liberals, If You Must”.
That book has a chapter, I bet, instructing conservatives to play this stupid question game. “Keep repeating over and over, ‘I asked you a question’. That’ll shut liberals up”.
Yeah, it will make liberals think you’re a hostile jerk. And ensure that they never engage you again.
Peter, take note of all the minutia you write, but when asked the basic question on this investigation that has lasted almost 2 years in total you can’t answer the essential question. What is the crime (that Trump supposedly did) that is being investigated by Mueller? It’s actually quite amazing how much you post but of how little significance it is to the underlying question.
Again, every consequential defendant in the Iran-Contra matter (i.e. defendants charged with substantive crimes or destruction of evidence) had been put under indictment within 16 months of the beginning of the investigation. In the Watergate scandal, every consequential defendant had been placed under indictment within 20 months. Andrew McCabe’s bloody FISA warrants were obtained in October 2016, so the buzzer sounds in June 2018.
Those traitors were better at containing damage else the Elder would have never been president and perhaps no dubya. How better the world would be today if IranContra would have destroyed the Bush crime syndicate.
“Done a good job to date?” Of what? Making work for lawyers, diverting the country’s attention away from the fact that all of the consumer protections and EPA protections we’ve enjoyed for years are being systematically eliminated? Diverting the country’s attention away from the failure of Betsy DeVos to take steps to help education, instead of ways to enrich Christian schools by diverting tax money to them?
Start with the economy Natacha. Nothing the EPA has done has destroyed our planet, though it may actually help keep it clean. The US has done more to effectively eliminate pollution than any other nation and though the US continues in that effort none of the nations of the Paris Accord have met their targets except perhaps China whose targets don’t start for years.
What about the privileged information the fbi seized in their wide net raid of other clients that had nothing to do with anything except their data was swept up? The fbi will find a way to prosecute them too since they conveniently have have the evidence snd confessions in their hot little hands. That is phase 2 in the acceptance test.
What “privileged information” is that ?
Alan Dershowitz accidentally told the truth yesterday: “It’s a tactic generally used against organized crime, against very serious, very serious criminals and lawyers who are operating outside of the protections of the law,” said Alan Dershowitz, a liberal attorney and frequent critic of Mueller’s tactics.
Nailed it, Dersh. Kudos.