Mulvaney Confirms Trump Held Up Ukraine Aid Over DNC Server Conspiracy | Talking Points Memo

[justruss]

But is he the keeper of the cyanide pills when the walls start to close in?

[khyber900]

If you’re the WH counsel’s office, you’re up to your ears in criminal liability exposure (your own and Trump’s). I think you have a duty to protect the office of the President by advising Trump to fire Mulvaney or have him resign. It’s not good to wear an ‘impeach and convict me and charge me with federal crimes when I leave office’ sticker on your forehead.

[left_in_washington_state]

I just sent him a PM. Hope he responds. It looks like he hasn’t posted since 2018. Wow!

[george_spiggott]

@khyber900

If there is anyone who is advising Trump on his personal liability exposure, I don’t see how Mulvaney stays. He implicated Trump in so many ways that the only way to keep that info from being used against you in a court of law or at impeachment is to fire him and disassociate yourself from the remarks. But this is a rudderless administration that truly doesn’t know what it’s doing, so who knows?

This X 1000:

[dogmaalsocatma]

IIRC, he was sufficiently upset by the nasty stuff posted here when Barbara Bush died (seem to remember he knew her) that he left.
Wish he’d reconsider. We need him–and his flight schedule.

[left_in_washington_state]

Oh! Darn. I hate that.

[ghost]

He quit the boards, or took an extended break, after some people trashed Barbara Bush upon her passing. He knew her personally.

[tena]

Ok, he left and sent me a private message about it. He was offended by some comments about Barbara Bush when she died. He said he’d likely come back but he hasn’t so I guess that’s that.

[left_in_washington_state]

Ah…dang. He has a sharp wit and powerful flying karma.

[emiliano4]

IANAL…but I have noted a Teflon treatment of Barr by nearly all posters. You are an exception.

Generally, the trope is something like these:

• “Oh shit…Barr will quash that”

• “Yeah…but they can’t get that past Barr”

It’s like Barr is as much the Grim Reaper of the Rule of Law as Moscow McConnell is the Grim Reaper of Democracy.

Talking about that in this way is enervating and destructive, especially in the case of Barr because the only way we oust Trump is by the RULE OF LAW.

I grew up in a country (West Germany) which was brought under control because of Military Might.

There is not going to be an invading army to topple Trump, who commands the worlds most awesome Military.

To surrender the Rule of Law to Barr is a fatal proposition.

I’m glad you are waging this fight of injecting optimism on our (ground) level. For what it’s worth, I have deep reservations about Berman and was assuaged for a time by an interview featuring Joyce Vance and Chuck Rosenberg.

But SOMEBODY has got to stop Barr.

[cervantes]

@dogmaalsocatma

IIRC, he was sufficiently upset by the nasty stuff posted here when Barbara Bush died (seem to remember he knew her) that he left.

Maybe the problem arose because other people knew her, too.

[the_loan_arranger]

@ghost

Big difference — that was in support of a policy decision, terrible though it was, while the Ukraine extortion was solely in support of Trump’s personal political goals.

I don’t dispute that. But the question was what other administrations have used foreign aid as a quid pro quo for obtaining desired behavior. The nature of the desired behavior was not part of the question.

[civik]

Until the Republicans decide to revisit sanity, no.

[dicktater]

I hope so. I picture him like this

[cervantes]

@the_loan_arranger

But the question was what other administrations have used foreign aid as a quid pro quo for obtaining desired behavior.

And the answer: all of them.

[khyber900]

My point is that it is actually fairly easy to stop Barr here. The recusal rules and conflict of interest rules clearly apply to him. It’s a question of political will. All it takes is for the SDNY to say, ‘we’re far enough along in this Rudy investigation to say that it ties to the WH and we have to take the WB claims seriously. Therefore, to avoid the appearance of a conflict, AG Barr must recuse.’ Done.

Perhaps what began with the CIA WB will be contagious. Barr is too far out ahead of his skis, but people look at his aggressiveness and get intimidated. Look at the skis and the thinness of the ice. Strike there.

[daveyjones64]

He’ll be fired by Monday.

He took on the role of Press Secretary and made things so dramatically worse for Trump. We all know the Trumpian response to presenting Trump in a bad light.

[left_in_washington_state]

You’re assuming that donnie will understand that what Mick said made things worse.

[juliagrey]

@nocomment

He’s getting them on the record agreeing there was a quid pro quo that required the Ukrainians to investigate Democrats (over a specious and ridiculous theory, natch.)

And all those GOPs running around saying (as some kind of excuse), “There was no quid pro quo!” will say what, now?

[tena]

O I miss him terribly. So smart and so so witty.