With just one opportunity to skewer former special counsel Robert Mueller, Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday tried every angle imaginable to try to discredit him and his work.
Mueller just sat there and took it while the Repubs did everything they could to dismantle his reputation. He’s a private citizen with no legal reason to hold back from telling them to fuck off or from calling on Congress to impeach. His “by the book” bullshit served no one today. Except for Trump.
I want just one Democrat to ask him - did you or your investigators uncover any evidence suggesting that other Republican elected officials colluded with, conspired with, or received help from the Russians or any other foreign nation? Get it on the record and then maybe our supposedly liberal media will pursue it.
Nunes et al. know that they have NOTHING to fight with except nonsense that only their base will believe. Other than that, the Rethugs only have an audience of one. https://t.co/wnkJXEplZY
— aquarius40 (@Aquarius40) July 24, 2019
I think we saw attempts by the GOP to follow the example set by Lindsey Graham during Blasey Ford’s testimony. The TV-era equivalent of pounding the table when the facts and the law are against you.
Graham owns that now. He’s the guy who blazed the trail of frothing at the mouth in a congressional hearing.
Where is that man’s jacket?!
Will this do for you?
Russia wanted Trump win the election? Mueller: "That would be accurate." And Russia committed crimes to help Trump? "Absolutely."
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) July 24, 2019
Mueller is clearly not the intemperate wise ass so many of whom post here and you wish he were
Nunes HAVING A COW, too…
I saw much of this morning’s hearing. The GOPers focused on distraction and asking about matters not investigated. Democrats mostly asked about the report. It seemed to me the GOPers mostly were giving speeches about, well, nothing anyone outside of the Cult would find relevant.
In short, the GOP has no interest in the report, and sentient viewers could see it. I guess I don’t get why they think this helps, since they came off as mean spirited and ignorant.
Led by a guy who doesn’t respect the institution enough to wear a suit coat or jacket.
There wasn’t anything like that explicitly outlined in the report, so I think you will be disappointed in that hope. Even if a Dem did ask, he would not elaborate on any information his team may have uncovered that wasn’t already in the report.
I wasn’t hoping for wise-assery so much as an ounce of fight. Mueller knows more than anyone what Trump, et al., has done, and is aware of what’s at stake. Not only did he allow his fellow Repubs to fully muddy the waters around the facts of the case, he also allowed them to make him out to be inept and/or a criminal in front of the nation. With his reputation and the Republic he claimed to serve on the line, he played the “I’m above it all” card and ended up failing to protect either.
Our Josh has weighed in as well. Pretty good take on things.
If Barr hadn’t interfered and issued a four-page summary but instead provided access to the full report or as much as security would allow, perhaps Mueller wouldn’t have had to appear to explain and justify and satisfy and worst of all come in for attacks by Rs who don’t give a damn about the contents of the report. But instead only care to make their moronic prez look good.
@sparrowhawk Four corners of the report, that’s what he’s doing, no more and no less. Rs attack him and we attack him for not doing more. It doesn’t work that way.
Not only did he allow his fellow Repubs to fully muddy the waters around the facts of the case, he also allowed them to make him out to be inept and/or a criminal in front of the nation.
No, he didn’t. Mueller did was he always does: show that he’s a straight shooter who delivers what he knows to be the truth. That’s it. He left the theatrics to Nunes who came off as being totally unhinged. Mueller did agree that Russia was backing Rump in the election. If that’s not enough for you then nothing will be.
ETA: Much of what the Rethugs are doing now are actually helping the Dems. They don’t realize it and probably couldn’t change themselves even if they did.
Regarding the traitor on the Intel Committee
The tone of the two hearings could not be different – Nadler is hoping to get rid of Trump in 2020; Schiff is trying to get rid of Trump right now.
I’m in 100% agreement with your point. I just couldn’t stand to watch Mueller just stare at those complicit MFs while they ripped him and the report apart.
On a much more positive note, Schiff got Mueller to be almost aggressive in his agreement with the report’s findings on the Administration’s criminality around the Russian interference issue. Schiff worded the questions in such a way as to provide some devestating sound bites and Mueller obliged him with forceful affirmations.
I think the Republicans did more harm to their defense of Trump, than good. Truth was not on their side. I thought Mueller’s testimony was fair and impartial as far as it went. He answered what questions he felt he could, honestly. Clearly, Trump committed numerous acts of tampering with witnesses and obstruction of justice, and most likely criminal conspiracy with the Russian Government. I believe Bob Mueller would have indicted President Trump, if he could have. I really believe that Bob Mueller is an honorable man, a die hard public servant and one of our truest patriots. Let’s hope that the Democrats in Congress get off their dead asses and vote to start the formal Impeachment inquiries. Hello! if a Republican President can openly accept foreign attacks against our election system and not be held accountable, he will do it again, and again, ad nauseum!