Benjamin Wittes, Lawfare, How to Understand the End of the Mueller Investigation (Hint: You Can’t Yet)
Barr is expected to send his summary of findings to Congress today, but I don’t know that means we’ll hear anything about what it says.
Andrew O’Hehir, Beto O’Rourke, Ilhan Omar and the Democratic future: Time to kill off the ghosts of the past. Why we can’t go back to “normal.” Depressing but honest.
Update: The New York Times reports that, according to Barr, the report did not find evidence of the Trump campaign working directly with the Russians. However, it left open the question of obstruction.
“The Special Counsel states that ‘while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him’,” the letter says, signaling that Mueller’s team apparently struggled with the issue.
“For each of the relevant actions investigated, the report sets out evidence on both sides of the question and leaves unresolved what the Special Counsel views as ‘difficult issues’ of law and fact concerning whether the President’s actions and intent could be viewed as obstruction,” the letter says.
Well the Bob Barr white-wash has begun. I predicted long ago that tRump was never going to be held to account for anything, republicans never pay a price for fraud, they have been stealing elections for 50 years. Barr was nominated to sink this thing just like he did for the Iran-Contra convictions, expect some high profile pardons in the months ahead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT-LyKFvlFc
Buckle your seat belts for 2020. That's the Mueller Report. There's insufficiant grounds for impeachment. I absolutely agree House investigations should continue – they will establish FACTS about what has transpired in the Trump administration. But I doubt there will be sufficiant proof to bring Articles of Impeachment for crimes more serious than affairs with beautiful women (and payola re same.) IF SDNY decides to bring charges for financial misconduct, great! If NY state charges the Trump kids for treating the Trump charity as a piggy bank, fine. I'm not saying lay off Trump but the American public decided that the GOP overreached by going after Bill for getting some on the side and Trump may be right that his popularity would rise after a failed impeachment.
So it's on to 2020.
Doug,
I agree (with the caveat that our Congressional reps can read Mueller's actual report in its entirety, and not some Bob Barr Reader's Digest version of his version of what he thought he could get away with in covering tRUMP's very, very ample ass).
The House must continue investigating. Maybe not so much to impeach, but as even more ammo for our candidate to hit over (whatever poor animal sacrificed its life to cover) tRUMP's empty head!
Ditto, SDNY.
I forgot to add that the Dem's can't let Barr "Iran-Contra" this whole mess like he did in the Iran-Contra mess.
Btw:
To me, the "tell" that the fix was in is that Republicans who wanted Mueller's report to be shown to the American people just last week, are now pulling an "Emily Litella," and now say "Oh. Never miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind…"
Barr himself said that Mueller didn't indict Trump, but didn't exonerate him either. And Mueller certainly found plenty of criminality and deception in Trump's inner circle; a matter that the state prosecutors and the House will take up.
So the Mueller report gave out the Scottish Verdict: "Not Proven". Or in other words; "you didn't do it, and don't you dare do it again."
The wheel has turned full circle, and we are still stuck in the mud. The glove kind of fits so we can't acquit. Just cut the baby in half and admit the justice system is broken too. I am with George on this one, Kellyanne's husband, who thinks this was a job for top mental health professionals and not for the justice department.
So the fix is in, but not in, and the truth remains at large at least for the time being. George Conway III knows one truth and his wife knows another. Who knew cognitive dissonance was the key to a lasting marriage? Ah the bliss of perpetual gridlock and ceaseless disagreement. How can they endure all that happiness?