Russia Investigation Heating Up

[Parkbandit]

It makes me very nervous.

Don't do it for you.. do it for the people who have to be around you.

[Androidpk]

Cohen's name was removed from the GOP's website..

[time4fun]

Cohen's name was removed from the GOP's website..

Slow to protect Mueller but quick to protect themselves.

[cwolff]

Dershowitz is losing his mind. Is he trying to get hired by trump?

[cwolff]

Interesting theory from Bill Kristol:

1. It may be no big deal that Mueller had SDNY execute the search warrants, since it's not as if different parts of DOJ wouldn't share information, if it was helpful to another's investigation. But is it crazy to think one reason might have been this:

2. Mueller knew there was a chance Trump would try to fire him and close down the Special Counsel's investigation once he learned of the raid. Mueller couldn't be sure who'd then be able to safeguard or who would have access to the Special Counsel's office's files.

3. So perhaps Mueller thought it safer to have these very sensitive Cohen-Trump documents in the possession of another part of DOJ a couple of hundred miles away from Main Justice, where there'd be no easy way for Trump or his agents to get at them.

[Fortybox]

Hey, the Butthurt Brigade is all here tonight! Hey guys! IT"S FINALLY HAPPENING!!!!1111

[Fortybox]

Don't do it for you.. do it for the people who have to be around you.

.5 isn't enough.

[time4fun]

Interesting theory from Bill Kristol:

1. It may be no big deal that Mueller had SDNY execute the search warrants, since it's not as if different parts of DOJ wouldn't share information, if it was helpful to another's investigation. But is it crazy to think one reason might have been this:

2. Mueller knew there was a chance Trump would try to fire him and close down the Special Counsel's investigation once he learned of the raid. Mueller couldn't be sure who'd then be able to safeguard or who would have access to the Special Counsel's office's files.

3. So perhaps Mueller thought it safer to have these very sensitive Cohen-Trump documents in the possession of another part of DOJ a couple of hundred miles away from Main Justice, where there'd be no easy way for Trump or his agents to get at them.

Seems extreme. I'd wager that Mueller thought that having another part of the DoJ request warrant, it would provide cover for him and Rosenstein.

I had thought that too, but it's starting to look like Trump isn't going to let that something trivial like "Mueller didn't authorize any of this" get in the way of obstruction.

Fun side note- referring the matter was actually exactly what they were supposed to do. You're not supposed to pretend a crime didn't happen just because it's not under your purview.

[Androidpk]

I wonder why they used no-knock raids though. Did they suspect someone would try to destroy evidence? And if so how did they know that? Is someone in Trump's inner circle wearing a wire? Certainly sounds like it.

[time4fun]

I wonder why they used no-knock raids though. Did they suspect someone would try to destroy evidence? And if so how did they know that? Is someone in Trump's inner circle wearing a wire? Certainly sounds like it.

I mean typically you would have to convince a judge that there was good reason to suspect Cohen would destroy evidence if given advance notice.

I'm guessing they found discrepancies in what he has submitted vs what other people have submitted.