Mueller Delivers Report on Russia Investigation to Attorney General

[Winehole23]

So Mueller has proof that Russia compromised Trump but he’s just going to let him finish out his term in order to not compromise National security?

I have no idea, tbh. No one does at this point.

[DarrinS]

Leave Elnono alone. He's cool, tbh.

[ElNono]

Hey, I get it, Qhris especially is ecstatic, and TSA probably won a bet...

[TSA]

I have no idea, tbh. No one does at this point.

I wasn’t being serious just pointing out how rediculous your hypothetical was.

[ElNono]

There's a disconnect in this exchange. I don't think WH is saying Mueller won't find evidence of collusion (and I think that's what TSA is alluding to), but that he won't actually charge the president with the crime (which is another can of worms).

I would concur that whatever evidence Mueller finds will end up in a report to Congress, who might or might not make it public when it matters, and might or might not act to impeach (again, a political, not judicial process).

Even if Manafort is not being charged with collusion, that doesn't rule out that Mueller doesn't have evidence of collusion (or that 'he's sitting on it'). He simply feels he has a strong enough case for this particular trial with the current charges.

He could very well be still developing information on the primary investigative target, and trials like these might also yield additional information through plea deals, discovery, etc.

One thing that's been pretty clear from the get go is that Mueller and his team run a pretty tight-lipped ship. Adventuring what might come out, information-wise, as a result of his investigation, is more of an exercise in wishful thinking than anything else.

When the Prez was elected, I prognosticated he would finish his term, and I don't particularly think that outlook has changed. The only thing that could put a dent on that is Democrats winning both chambers of Congress in the next mid-terms (definitely not a given).

Then, *IF* the Mueller investigation does uncover some gross criminal behavior (also not a given), there would be, at least, the political power and momentum to actually go through an impeachment process.

I think, looking at this situation today, the odds are still fairly largely in Trump's favor (even if he indeed colluded). But America loves drama, so sit back and enjoy the show.

[ElNono]

That's a post from Aug last year, in this very thread.

EDIT: Flynn thread

[ElNono]

May 2018

They can't show anything. Some stuff will surface due to indictments of third parties, but the final report will go to Congress and then they get to decide what and if it becomes public (which normally does not, or is heavily redacted).

Then it becomes all about what's in that report and who is going to turn a bling eye (if there's anything of substance). Because we all know, historically, eventually these things leak out.

[Winehole23]

I wasn’t being serious just pointing out how rediculous your hypothetical was.

Doesn't seem absurd or particularly implausible to me. Quite the reverse.

Also, Mueller's exactly the sort of person to put operational security above prosecutorial glory.

[TSA]

The bolded is a claim you can't possible be sure about without access to the report.

And no, actually, it's been already argued that what he'll do is turn in his do ents to the DOJ/Congress and it's up to them to bring whatever proceedings are necessary.

Let me look up my post about that, it was very early in this process (and something I disagreed with djohn about).

Remove Trump from our discussion. The argument of indicting a sitting President is off the table.

Mueller prosecuted people from Trump’s campaign for crimes unrelated to Russian collusion. If Mueller also uncovered crimes related to Russian collusion why didn’t he prosecute those?

[TSA]

Doesn't seem absurd or particularly implausible to me. Quite the reverse.

Also, Mueller's exactly the sort of person to put operational security above prosecutorial glory.

Say it out loud.

Trump is compromised by Russia yet Mueller is just going to let him finish out his term as the President of the most powerful country in the world because National security.

[Winehole23]

That's a post from Aug last year, in this very thread.

EDIT: Flynn thread

Solid take.

IMHO, and I said so a number of times, the only possible remedy for the described scenario has always been impeachment, and it's a bad option, because the Dems can't possibly win.

Resistencia Dems and the Hillary dead-enders put all their eggs in the investigation-leading-to-indictment basket. They would have done far better to lead a principled charge on Trump's bad policies and registering new voters. Instead they pinned all hope on Mueller only to waste two years and end up exactly where me, you and many others said they would.

[TSA]

Solid take.

IMHO, and I said so a number of times, the only possible remedy for the described scenario has always been impeachment, and it's a bad option, because the Dems can't possibly win.

Resistencia Dems and the Hillary dead-enders put all their eggs in the investigation-leading-to-indictment basket. They would have done far better to lead a principled charge on Trump's bad policies and registering new voters. Instead they pinned all hope on Mueller only to waste two years and end up exactly where me, you and many others said they would.

Resistencia Dems run the party, and they will not stop wasting their time investigating everything Trump and coming up fruitless. Not a good look heading to primaries.

[Winehole23]

Say it out loud.

Trump is compromised by Russia yet Mueller is just going to let him finish out his term as the President of the most powerful country in the world because National security.

If that's the case, I would expect Mueller to impart the information to the right people in a discreet way. It's not a special prosecutor's job to be a check on the President. If anything should need to be done, the Congress, the judiciary and/or the DOJ would do it.

Not Bob Mueller. Everyone is exaggerating his importance including you, TSA.

[ElNono]

Remove Trump from our discussion. The argument of indicting a sitting President is off the table.

Mueller prosecuted people from Trump’s campaign for crimes unrelated to Russian collusion. If Mueller also uncovered crimes related to Russian collusion why didn’t he prosecute those?

Because they could reveal portions of the investigation. When you go to a court of law, if the judge says you have to show evidence, you have to, you can't just say, wait up, let me finish this first.

[Winehole23]

Resistencia Dems run the party, and they will not stop wasting their time investigating everything Trump and coming up fruitless. Not a good look heading to primaries.

It's not. "We're not Trump" didn't work so great in 2016. You can't win without ideas and as Trump has proven, they can even be very bad ideas, if they fire up the base.

[Pavlov]

Resistencia Dems run the party, and they will not stop wasting their time investigating everything Trump and coming up fruitless. Not a good look heading to primaries.

Worked against Hillary....

[ElNono]

Solid take.

IMHO, and I said so a number of times, the only possible remedy for the described scenario has always been impeachment, and it's a bad option, because the Dems can't possibly win.

Resistencia Dems and the Hillary dead-enders put all their eggs in the investigation-leading-to-indictment basket. They would have done far better to lead a principled charge on Trump's bad policies and registering new voters. Instead they pinned all hope on Mueller only to waste two years and end up exactly where me, you and many others said they would.

Arguably, hiding the report is also a no-go, IMO... it's only a matter of time until a Democrat is back in the WH, and it will become public at some point.

If there's anything relatively hurtful there, the administration should be working the spin machine overtime right now to still disclose and spin.

Plus, seeing they control the Senate, it's in their own best interest to disclose now, away from the elections.

(And not because there might be something fully damning, but because we all know this Russia stuff gets Dems energized)

[Winehole23]

It would be more prudent for the GOP to get out in front of the report and start spinning it, but why disclose anything when it's always an option to lie, obfuscate and weasel their way through? Their camp followers certainly won't respect them less for it.

[koriwhat]

It would be more prudent for the GOP to get out in front of the report and start spinning it, but why disclose anything when it's always an option to lie, obfuscate and weasel their way through? Their camp followers certainly won't respect them less for it.

excuses

[Winehole23]

for what? I was one of the people ITT the who said no indictments were likely.

[Reck]

The bolded is a claim you can't possible be sure about without access to the report.

And no, actually, it's been already argued that what he'll do is turn in his do ents to the DOJ/Congress and it's up to them to bring whatever proceedings are necessary.

Let me look up my post about that, it was very early in this process (and something I disagreed with djohn about).

TSA and I went through this like 4 hours ago. still doesn’t get it

[Winehole23]

I don't get the celebration. We don't know what's in the report.

If the shoe were on the other foot team red would be saying, "your campaign manager, your deputy campaign finance chair, your foreign policy advisor and your NATSEC advisor have already pleaded guilty to serious crimes, how much worse could it get?"

[ElNono]

TSA and I went through this like 4 hours ago. still doesn’t get it

I would say that if there was any doubt that Mueller would indict Trump based on the information on the report, that's positively false.

[Chris]

I would say that if there was any doubt that Mueller would indict Trump based on the information on the report, that's positively false.

^ who talks like this?

[ElNono]

^ who talks like this?

I do, what's the problem? What part of that you didn't understand?

Maybe somebody that thinks 1 in a million is 14% needs to be talked to like a toddler?