The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

[GreenGoo]

Because only same race juries can be impartial?

Because peace is anti-drumpf?

Because grand juries have traditionally not given the prosecutor what he wants?

Weird.

[Smoove_B]

Can't wait to see what the reaction is to this.

James Comey via Twitter:

Where are the voices of all the leaders who know an independent Department of Justice and FBI are essential to our liberty? “You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say.” — Martin Luther

[Ralph-Wiggum]

Or this:

https://twitter.com/peteralexander/stat ... 9695096832

[El Guapo]

Or this:

https://twitter.com/peteralexander/stat ... 9695096832

You're leaving out the part where Bannon explicitly calls the meeting "treasonous".

There's also the op ed today by Fusion GPS calling out the House GOP for running cover for Trump.

[Holman]

I wonder if Bannon thinks the writing is on the wall for Trump.

He joined the campaign late enough to have relatively clean hands, Russia-wise, and he might believe that he'll be supreme leader of the New Nazism Populism when Trump is gone.

[El Guapo]

I wonder if Bannon thinks the writing is on the wall for Trump.

He joined the campaign late enough to have relatively clean hands, Russia-wise, and he might believe that he'll be supreme leader of the New Nazism Populism when Trump is gone.

This is what I'm wondering as well. He seems to still like Trump, and that would seem to be the most straightforward explanation as to why the hell he would give those comments on the record.

[noxiousdog]

There's also the op ed today by Fusion GPS calling out the House GOP for running cover for Trump.

Holy smokes. That's a serious piece.

[El Guapo]

There's also the op ed today by Fusion GPS calling out the House GOP for running cover for Trump.

Holy smokes. That's a serious piece.

In hindsight, publicly attacking the people who have been compiling evidence on the person you are running cover for may not have been the best strategy.

[Holman]

I wonder if Bannon thinks the writing is on the wall for Trump.

He joined the campaign late enough to have relatively clean hands, Russia-wise, and he might believe that he'll be supreme leader of the New Nazism Populism when Trump is gone.

This is what I'm wondering as well. He seems to still like Trump, and that would seem to be the most straightforward explanation as to why the hell he would give those comments on the record.

I don't know what happened here, but Bannon is known (or strongly suspected) to have drunk-dialed reporters and spoken too freely in the past.

[Chaz]

I wonder if Bannon thinks the writing is on the wall for Trump.

He joined the campaign late enough to have relatively clean hands, Russia-wise, and he might believe that he'll be supreme leader of the New Nazism Populism when Trump is gone.

This is what I'm wondering as well. He seems to still like Trump, and that would seem to be the most straightforward explanation as to why the hell he would give those comments on the record.

I don't know what happened here, but Bannon is known (or strongly suspected) to have drunk-dialed reporters and spoken too freely in the past.

I don't know, Bannon's stated goal is to tear down the establishment. One way to do that would be to get a loose cannon like Trump into office, then turn on him and reveal all the dirt he knows. Then you've managed to let Trump cause harm to the office and institutions, and also get Trump's followers to think "Well shit, I thought I could trust that guy, but if even he's no good, then there's no hope at all."

This seems too in line with what you'd do if you were a "let the world burn" kind of guy, which Bannon seems to be.

[Smoove_B]

Yeah, exactly. The stage has been set and the damage has been done. When all that is revealed finally comes to light, there will likely be political chaos and even more damage. Bannon seems to enjoy that, so why not help the process along.

[El Guapo]

This is amazing.

https://twitter.com/brianbeutler/status ... 8881242112

Looks like Trump is taking this seriously (in his way).

[Sepiche]

LOL I was going to post earlier "I wonder how long until Drumpf throws Bannon under the bus in a knee-jerk, panicked Twitter post".

A: "A few hours"

[El Guapo]

A "staffer". This statement is hilarious. Apparently literally everyone in the Trump campaign was low-ranking.

Of course, the other way that the Trump administration could potentially collapse in a hurry is if people like Bannon, who know where the bodies are buried and who can bring the base along to at least *some* degree, turn on Trump in a big way.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

Sure he was a staffer. A staffer that set his foreign and domestic policy and sat on the National Security Council.

[Daveman]

Wow, hardly sounds like someone who was WH chief of staff.

Only the best!!!

[Jaymann]

Sure he was a staffer. A staffer that set his foreign and domestic policy and sat on the National Security Council.

I think he also set the handicaps for Trump's golfing stints.

[RunningMn9]

Wow, hardly sounds like someone who was WH chief of staff.

Only the best!!!

He wasn't WH Chief of Staff. That was Priebus and then Kelly.

[Isgrimnur]

Counselor to the President

First Conway, then Bannon, now then Goldman Sachs alum Dina Powell.

[Holman]

The Trump campaign ran fast and loose with titles, but the three campaign managers in succession were Corey Lewandowski, Paul Manafort, and Steve Bannon.

IIRC, now all three have been dismissed as aides who had little to do with the campaign.

[noxiousdog]

I happened to be near a TV with Fox news on it when that broke and not even they tried to spin it. They were saying this is going to blow up because of that line "when he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind."

He is a menace. There's no way he survives the year.

[Isgrimnur]

Manafort sues

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has sued special counsel Robert Mueller, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and the Department of Justice in U.S. federal court, alleging that Mueller has strayed beyond the scope of the investigation he was authorized to pursue.

"The actions of DOJ and Mr. Rosenstein in issuing the Appointment Order, and Mr. Mueller's actions pursuant to the authority the Order granted him, were arbitrary, capricious, and not in accordance with the law," the suit reads.

Manafort's suit alleges the order appointing Mueller "exceeds the Deputy Attorney General's authority." All actions taken by the special counsel "must be set aside," it reads.

The appointment order authorizing Mueller as special counsel permits him to investigate any matters that "may arise directly from the investigation." Experts have said it gives Mueller wide latitude to determine the course of his investigation.
...
Manafort was indicted Oct. 27 on 12 counts related to unlawful financial dealings. He pleaded not guilty and has been contesting the charges. A trial is scheduled to begin in May.

#GoodLuckWithThat

[El Guapo]

I assume that the merits of the lawsuit are specious, though I wish that gave me more confidence that it's not going to go anywhere. Seems *unlikely* that (ultimately) the Supreme Court would be willing to bail Trump out this way, but I can't rule it out entirely.

[Captain Caveman]

Wow, hardly sounds like someone who was WH chief of staff.

Only the best!!!

He wasn't WH Chief of Staff. That was Priebus and then Kelly.

True, but:
https://twitter.com/peterbakernyt/statu ... 7521816577
https://twitter.com/peterbakernyt/statu ... 7521816577

[GreenGoo]

He is a menace. There's no way he survives the year.

He has always been a menace, but knowing it wasn't enough. Now people are experiencing it, and it's not fun (who knew that dangerously unqualified menaces were menacing?)

That said, how do you figure he's out by the end of the year? What changes this year that weren't there last year to make it happen?

I've been waiting for him to be gone since he started campaigning. Hearing from some that "now he's gone too far" is hilarious, because he went too far during his campaign, long before he was in the WH and has never stopped "going too far".

While emotionally I hate him with the fury of a thousand suns, I'm still waiting for a viable, meaningful way to get rid of him. I have my doubts about Mueller's investigation, which leaves...what, exactly?

[Carpet_pissr]

He is a menace. There's no way he survives the year.

While emotionally I hate him with the fury of a thousand suns, I'm still waiting for a viable, meaningful way to get rid of him. I have my doubts about Mueller's investigation, which leaves...what, exactly?

"Nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don't know."

[noxiousdog]

He is a menace. There's no way he survives the year.

He has always been a menace, but knowing it wasn't enough. Now people are experiencing it, and it's not fun (who knew that dangerously unqualified menaces were menacing?)

That said, how do you figure he's out by the end of the year? What changes this year that weren't there last year to make it happen?

I've been waiting for him to be gone since he started campaigning. Hearing from some that "now he's gone too far" is hilarious, because he went too far during his campaign, long before he was in the WH and has never stopped "going too far".

While emotionally I hate him with the fury of a thousand suns, I'm still waiting for a viable, meaningful way to get rid of him. I have my doubts about Mueller's investigation, which leaves...what, exactly?

When Fox can't even find a way to spin his nonsense, he's gone too far.

[El Guapo]

He is a menace. There's no way he survives the year.

He has always been a menace, but knowing it wasn't enough. Now people are experiencing it, and it's not fun (who knew that dangerously unqualified menaces were menacing?)

That said, how do you figure he's out by the end of the year? What changes this year that weren't there last year to make it happen?

I've been waiting for him to be gone since he started campaigning. Hearing from some that "now he's gone too far" is hilarious, because he went too far during his campaign, long before he was in the WH and has never stopped "going too far".

While emotionally I hate him with the fury of a thousand suns, I'm still waiting for a viable, meaningful way to get rid of him. I have my doubts about Mueller's investigation, which leaves...what, exactly?

When Fox can't even find a way to spin his nonsense, he's gone too far.

Yeah, but....the only actual mechanisms to force him to leave are impeachment or the 25th amendment. Do you see a majority vote in the House and 2/3rds of the Senate voting for that this year? Do you see a majority of cabinet officials potentially invoking the 25th amendment?

Both of those seem vanishingly unlikely notwithstanding the news today. It's unclear what could do that this year.

If the democrats take the House (which they probably will), they would probably have enough votes to impeach starting in 2019. But getting to 2/3rds of the Senate is pretty daunting.

[Skinypupy]

Manafort suing Mueller and the DoJ. Ugh.

Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman indicted on money laundering and other charges, filed a lawsuit challenging the broad authority of special counsel Robert Mueller and alleging the Justice Department violated the law in appointing Mueller.

The suit brought Wednesday in US District Court in Washington, where Manafort and another former Trump campaign aide are charged, challenges Mueller's decision to charge Manafort with alleged crimes that they say have nothing to do with the 2016 campaign, but rather relate to lucrative lobbying work Manafort and his deputy did for a former Russia-friendly government in Ukraine. That work ended in 2014, the suit says. Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates deny the allegations in the charges.

[noxiousdog]

Yeah, but....the only actual mechanisms to force him to leave are impeachment or the 25th amendment. Do you see a majority vote in the House and 2/3rds of the Senate voting for that this year? Do you see a majority of cabinet officials potentially invoking the 25th amendment?

I think both of those are possible when he's comparing nuclear arsenals on twitter with North Korea.

I think nearly all the Republicans turn on him and he has an aneurysm. Because of that press release today on Bannon, everyone is going to believe what's in Michael Wolff's book. The Fusion GPS Op ed is a big deal and can't be dismissed. They didn't argue. They said release the transcripts.

You can't claim Fake News when it's in black and white.

[LordMortis]

You can't claim Fake News when it's in black and white.

I think you and I experienced a completely different 2017. I thought the entire operation has been... Fake news why aren't we investigating Hillary? precisely as an answer to everything that's been printed in black and white.

When my Christmas was spent hearing how Obamacare is what's going to kill medicare and that democrats are finally going to have to come to come out of denial when they see their taxes go down while getting big fat raises because 2017 was the best year ever for their 401k. I have no faith.

[El Guapo]

Yeah, but....the only actual mechanisms to force him to leave are impeachment or the 25th amendment. Do you see a majority vote in the House and 2/3rds of the Senate voting for that this year? Do you see a majority of cabinet officials potentially invoking the 25th amendment?

I think both of those are possible when he's comparing nuclear arsenals on twitter with North Korea.

I think nearly all the Republicans turn on him and he has an aneurysm. Because of that press release today on Bannon, everyone is going to believe what's in Michael Wolff's book. The Fusion GPS Op ed is a big deal and can't be dismissed. They didn't argue. They said release the transcripts.

You can't claim Fake News when it's in black and white.

Yeah, but....as Mr. Goo says, Trump's already crossed a thousand lines. The GOP leadership is actively covering for him, especially in the House - Nunes isn't just burying his head in the sand, he's actively going on the offensive in support of Trump. He couldn't do that without the Ryan's consent.

We'll see, I suppose, but I think the odds that Trump leaves office this year are less than 5%.

[Jaymann]

Release the Kraken!

[pr0ner]

I happened to be near a TV with Fox news on it when that broke and not even they tried to spin it. They were saying this is going to blow up because of that line "when he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind."

He is a menace. There's no way he survives the year.

Did Shep Smith break the news? Because he's not one to spin something.

[noxiousdog]

I happened to be near a TV with Fox news on it when that broke and not even they tried to spin it. They were saying this is going to blow up because of that line "when he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind."

He is a menace. There's no way he survives the year.

Did Shep Smith break the news? Because he's not one to spin something.

I'm not sure. It was their midday show. They had a panel and it looked like they all agreed it was a major issue.

[El Guapo]

Apparently Rosenstein is meeting with Paul Ryan now on the Russia investigation. Who knows if that means anything or not.

[GreenGoo]

When Fox can't even find a way to spin his nonsense, he's gone too far.

And? Does he retire out of embarrassment? What is it that you expect to happen?

Sorry, El Guapo covered it, although there is little evidence from the rest of the GOP that Drumpf has "gone too far this time, by golly!"

[noxiousdog]

When Fox can't even find a way to spin his nonsense, he's gone too far.

And? Does he retire out of embarrassment? What is it that you expect to happen?

Not embarrassment. He'll take his ball and go home, just like all bullies when they lose their gang.

[GreenGoo]

Not embarrassment. He'll take his ball and go home, just like all bullies when they lose their gang.

What do you think will cause that? When Fox and Friends turns on him?

Although....I like your aneurysm idea.

[GreenGoo]

You can't claim Fake News when it's in black and white.

I don't think you know how this works.

Crap, what LM said.