I (and Micheal Beschloss) think that Whitaker got the “Executive Summary” from Mueller and passed it on to Trump. That would explain the abject panic we are seeing this week from the WH.
Whitaker probably told Trump the’ve got him and the whole Trump klan “dead to rights” on multiple charges, the “speaking” indictment tsunami is about to hit, and there is nothing the AG can do to stop it.
LOL. Sounds like no one with a shred of self worth wants to work for this WH. They are sounding and looking increasingly desperate.
What gives me pause is we’ve seen Trump’s MO is to always go on the attack and double down. I would expect if this were true we’d see key leaks to allies in conservative media of Mueller’s evidence and attempts to discredit it, with heavy over-the-top insinuations Mueller is plotting a coup of the president. The idea would be to prep the groundwork and justification for Whitaker to fire Mueller and interfere or even dismantle the investigation on the basis of evidence they’ve had time to disseminate as phony.
Instead his complete Twitter quote:
"The inner workings of the Mueller investigation are a total mess. They have found no collusion and have gone absolutely nuts. They are screaming and shouting at people, horribly threatening them to come up with the answers they want. They are a disgrace to our Nation and don’t. . .
“. . …care how many lives the ruin. These are Angry People, including the highly conflicted Bob Mueller, who worked for Obama for 8 years. They won’t even look at all of the bad acts and crimes on the other side. A TOTAL WITCH HUNT LIKE NO OTHER IN AMERICAN HISTORY!”
My reading between the lines in that first paragraph is that Mueller’s trying real hard applying the screws to Roger Stone trying to get him or one of his associates to flip. Added to the recent reports of his team not being happy with Manafort’s cooperation, it sounds like they’re frustrated he hasn’t been more forthcoming with incriminating info on Trump they know he knows.
But as you pointed out, maybe the volume of evidence is so overwhelming they don’t know where to start. Maybe such an attack is in the works and he’s sweating bullets. Thanks for adding your insight on this.
I agree. Mueller has been ready for this situation for a long time. He knew what to do to get inside the orange noggin and wreak havoc. The Executive Summary is exactly what would set off this round of hysteria from Trump. Mueller is playing him like a fish and will reel him in and gut him soon enough.
I think this should be getting as much and more focused treatment as the Lester Holt confession did. The media’s correct treatment of Trump’s Lester Holt interview gave Rosenstein the cover to appoint a Special Counsel and it froze Trump in place for a few months while Mueller got going.
I have not seen a real focus from the likes of CNN, ABC, NBC (outside of Maddow) on the true meaning of Whitaker’s appointment. This is an illegal appointment on constitutional grounds and also on legal grounds, but it’s bigger than that. The purpose of the appointment was to create a Saturday night massacre where Trump gets control of the investigation and strangles it. That theme has not been front and center. When Trump fired Comey, that theme was front and center. It made a difference.
Well, for that in particular I’ll agree, although I rarely watch TV but usually have a sense of what’s getting the play. I wouldn’t say it was treated as a shock or an emergency in the venues where 80 percent or more of the nation gets its news. And it goes to a real weakness in U.S. mass media—things that happen gradually and in complex ways and are tricky to describe just don’t get the play because very few media people have the skill to make it clear and make people care. Maddow can, but I’d call her a New Media person, not an MSM one really. The elite media are getting the story out about Whitaker, and I think it’s really, really hurting him, with Senators saying OK fine he’s a temp you need to put someone real there. I don’t think their little plan will work. But I agree the import of even attempting it wasn’t really conveyed to the mass of Americans. But as I like to do, I might want to spread the blame around a little. When the TV producers are looking at marketing surveys on what people care about, “autonomy of the DOJ with the Executive Branch as is the post-Nixon norm” is probably never in the top three. But I think people like Schiff and Toobin have had opportunities on—ta dahhh!!—the MSM talk shows to get some word to the folks. I hope it sinks in with the more attentive ones.
I get that there’s a lot that’s messed up about Whitaker, and he should probably be on trial right now for various fraud related claims, but Trump could’ve appointed Chief Justice John Roberts as AG and it still would constitute obstruction of justice because his intent in replacing Sessions was corrupt, just as it was when he replaced Comey.
I think that’s the issue the media are missing. What happened the day after the election is disqualifying because obstruction is a federal crime.
I see our problem as relying on journalism. Every way you say it…MSM or old electronic or new electronic or print or local…is basically saying journalist. You made the great point that the news is out there. It has been published. Screeching away night after night as an option? Journalism doesn’t work the way we need it to now. No matter how antiquated or watered down by commercial ownership, journos have ethics and standards and neutrality to always consider. We are fighting against folks with lots of lawyers that hack the justice system, they utilize darkness and secret money and bosses and lieutenants and strategies of doing THIS first, then hitting 'em with THAT 2nd, and moving to grislier and nastier methods later. And we respond in 2 months with a very complicated write-up of all the corrupt deeds that can be proved…and send it up like a short lived flare “…here is some information…”
I would sure like to see ideas floated here about what an organization would look like that pooled resources for science, journalism, GOV, public relations, public demonstrations…and a strong legal arm. Our Dem politicians seem to be waving a lot of journalism “…this morning’s NYT is reporting that…” and it just isn’t enough. We on the left have been cheering and rooting for journalism for 100 years, and expecting the electorate will avail themselves of the good information and make educated choices. The Right has decided to use more pragmatic and less passive approaches.
To me one biggish factor is that the right long ago ran out of genuinely popular ideas it could run on, so it started running on deceptive and false arguments for itself. That became a corrupting habit, and here we are. They’ve embraced the post-truth ethos of the authoritarians. The center and left haven’t. But we haven’t found a way to counter the right, yet. Still, the elections went well. We may yet muddle through and decide having fascist buffoons run our life wasn’t the best idea after all.
I see journos like diplomatic observers. They can observe and report but cannot call balls/strikes and have no other follow-thru powers. I love journos, don’t get me wrong, and even the highly compromised version of MSM can be a very powerful and important tool. I don’t know that any Conservative in my knowledge of American history ever tried to “build” anything other than a machine or electronic system of sucking money from the masses. You say the Right…running on a popular idea. Heck, I can’t think of a single thing any of them ever did except destroy something better men built. And now, as you state, they are reduced to destroying truth, fact, common knowledge.
I would like to see organizations we can donate to and see their books…that spend their money filing lawsuits, referring criminal actions, and educating Americans about what the PEOPLE have built in this country and what the Takers have done to it. An ACLU on steroids.
He will when/if he can find such a chump to accept the nomination. I mean if you have a clean record up until now why would you sully it in the Swamps of 45* when his power is waning after having lost the House for his party? I think 45* will ultimately find or purchase someone as craven as himself to do his bidding, but I think it may take awhile. Perhaps Messieurs Cronyn, Blankford, et al will be braying frantically by the time a “permanent” AG is found.
I hope you are right about this. Time will tell.
BTW, that film is perfection in every scene. I was yearning for a sequel, but sometimes you count your blessings for the one. Cf. District 9.
Will Mueller Survive?
By founding executive director of the organization Protect Democracy
TPM yesterday appeared to be solid Trump. Coverage of him is getting revolting because it’s everywhere.My visitor from the mainland said “Even on the ferry coming over, it’s wall-to-wall Trump.” But this article is about how he can be stopped and what are some of the limits of his powers.
Whitaker
First, can Matt Whitaker actually occupy the seat of acting attorney general? I think the answer to that is no.
But who stops him?
First let’s first talk about why he can’t sit in that seat and then let’s talk about what might be done about. So first off, the Appointments Clause of the Constitution requires that any principal officer—which would be a cabinet official who reports only to the president—must receive the advice and consent of the Senate—must be confirmed by the Senate. Matt Whitaker has not been confirmed by the Senate and there’s a reason that the Founders put that clause in the Constitution.
I would like to read more on stopping Trump and his minions.