It is Friday.Originally Posted by Androidpk
Senior Member
It is Friday.
Senior Member
I agree. Trump has very few moves in front of him right now.
He's going to Pardon Libby for obstruction and lying to the FBI to send a message to Manafort and Cohen that he'll save them if they stay quiet. But honestly- he's not going to issue any Pardons. It would dramatically increase the political pressure on him and make him look guilty to the whole country. Plus the Courts would likely overrule the Pardons (provided they can find someone with standing to sue. I realized today that the plaintiffs in the 2-3 cases I've read involving Presidential pardons were all the Pardonees)
He's not going to touch Mueller because the reaction has been so intense- including from Congressional Republicans. Plus, he's probably realizing by now that hitting Mueller wouldn't really shut things down. (Plus Congress technically could bring back the Independent Counsel law and hire him if they wanted)
Rosenstein is a much easier target. Most people have no idea who is he, media on the right is in smear campaign mode, and most folks don't realize Rosenstein's blessing is needed for a lot of what Mueller's team does.
And they know that obstruction report is coming out soon. Rosenstein (or the person overseeing Mueller) is the only one who can make it public.
Last edited by time4fun; 04-13-2018 at 03:21 PM.
Senior Member
That's typically when you would do it. Though with Comey's interview on Sunday, they may figure it's a really bad time to introduce new evidence that Comey may be right about him.
Black Mamba
I don't agree. Mueller could leak it to the press or he could have a member of congress read it on the floor. Doesn't matter what Trump does, this report will be released.
Senior Member
Mueller leak? If he were the leaking type- we'd likely know by now. And everything that I've read, everything I've seen tells me that he's 100% by the book. I do hope that I'm wrong on this one though.
What could happen is Congress could subpoena the report from the DoJ. But that depends on Democrats being in power in at least one House of Congress as no Republican committee head is likely to sign off on that subpoena.
And even then, there are stalling tactics and delays that are available to the Executive that could hamper the process long enough. And that's just the obstruction report- that's not even going into the damage a Rosenstein replacement could do to the rest of the probe. They could come in and immediately cut down the scope of the investigation to exclude anything about the Trump campaign.
The obstruction report is important, but it's mostly important because it provides cover for Mueller and Rosenstein (if it gets out soon enough). The Russia collusion probe is the thing that actually matters, in my mind.
Last edited by time4fun; 04-13-2018 at 03:46 PM.
Black Mamba
The Prosecutor General of Ukraine has launched an investigation into claims surrounding an alleged multi-million dollar lobbying contract that names one of US President Donald Trump's most influential fundraisers, Elliott Broidy.
The 12-page document, which appears to have been signed by Broidy, outlines his role as providing "political advocacy" on behalf of a now sanctioned Russian bank, VTB.
The deal was apparently dated June 12, 2014, just weeks before VTB Bank was blacklisted by the United States and European Union as a key Kremlin asset following Russia's invasion of Crimea. Russian President Vladimir Putin is guest of honour at VTB Bank's investor conference every year.
The document raises serious questions about whether Broidy is in breach of the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), a law that has gained prominence following the investigation of special counsel Robert Mueller into foreign meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his aide Rick Gates have both been charged as a result of their work in Ukraine.
A major donor with close ties to the White House resigned on Friday as deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee after the revelation that he had agreed to pay $1.6 million to a former Playboy model who became pregnant during an affair.
The deal was arranged by President Trump’s personal lawyer and fixer, Michael D. Cohen.
Senior Member
CNN Reporting tonight that Rosenstein did consult with an ethics adviser about whether or not he needed to recuse himself for the Probe:
If Rosenstein were fired, technically Mueller could bring suit against Trump for it. Having the ethics adviser's approval to head the probe makes it much less likely that Trump will be able to justify his actions. (And would add weight to the obstruction probe)Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein continues to oversee special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation after consulting with a career ethics adviser at the Justice Department about his ability to oversee the Russia probe, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN.
For nearly a year, legal experts and journalists have questioned why Rosenstein has not stepped aside from overseeing Mueller's investigation given that he was part of the dramatic firing of FBI Director James Comey. That fact has more recently served as ammunition to attack Rosenstein's credibility by allies of President Donald Trump.
But CNN has now learned that Rosenstein has consulted with the ethics adviser over the course of the investigation on whether he needs to recuse himself, and he has followed that individual's advice -- a fact which has not been previously reported and offers a more fulsome explanation for how he has continued to oversee Mueller's work. The source did not specify the number of conversations, timing, or the details of the advice.
Having said that- I honestly can't imagine that Mueller would actually do that. The real question would be whether or not Congress would have standing if they wanted to sue.
Candidly, my background in law is almost entirely academic. Procedural things like standing tend to flummox me.
Last edited by time4fun; 04-13-2018 at 04:01 PM.
Senior Member
Are ANY of the people around Trump not corrupt slime balls?The Prosecutor General of Ukraine has launched an investigation into claims surrounding an alleged multi-million dollar lobbying contract that names one of US President Donald Trump's most influential fundraisers, Elliott Broidy.
The 12-page document, which appears to have been signed by Broidy, outlines his role as providing "political advocacy" on behalf of a now sanctioned Russian bank, VTB.
The deal was apparently dated June 12, 2014, just weeks before VTB Bank was blacklisted by the United States and European Union as a key Kremlin asset following Russia's invasion of Crimea. Russian President Vladimir Putin is guest of honour at VTB Bank's investor conference every year.
The document raises serious questions about whether Broidy is in breach of the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), a law that has gained prominence following the investigation of special counsel Robert Mueller into foreign meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his aide Rick Gates have both been charged as a result of their work in Ukraine.
A major donor with close ties to the White House resigned on Friday as deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee after the revelation that he had agreed to pay $1.6 million to a former Playboy model who became pregnant during an affair.
The deal was arranged by President Trump’s personal lawyer and fixer, Michael D. Cohen.
Senior Member
Senior Member
Looks like the DoJ is confirming that Cohen IS under criminal investigation:
He's apparently been under investigation for months. The Mueller referral was just a second investigatory element.Here, Cohen is not a criminal defense attorney, has no cases with the [U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York], and is being investigated for criminal conduct that largely centers on his personal business dealings," the filing reads. The filing added that Cohen has "exceedingly few clients and a low volume of potentially privileged communications.
Also Trump and Cohen talked on the phone today. Maybe I'm wrong- maybe Trump actually WILL use his Pardon power.
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