Justice Department appoints special prosecutor for Trump/Russia

Hopefully, the appointment of Robert Mueller as Special Counsel will bring a least a temporary halt to the Trump 2020 election campaign.
 
Last edited:
Crossbow said:
Hopefully, the appointment of Robert Mueller as Special Counsel will bring a least a temporary halt to the Trump 2020 election campaign.
Click to expand...

Not in the least. It's a proven profit center for Trump and his core supporters are not going to be shaken by anything as trivial as an investigation. Even if he has no real plans of running again he can't resist the fact that he can raise money doing it.
 
The Great Zaganza said:
I don't see how Pence can get out of this unscathed: Flynn is going to throw him under the bus in return for some leniency.
There seems to be a lot of evidence that Pence knew full well that Flynn was under investigation when he hired him, but he lied about it - not really keeping up his part of the Oath of Office either.
Click to expand...

I don't buy this. Pence is a latecomer to the party. He's the VP. The very definition of Mr. Irrelevant in most administrations. He doesn't seem to ever been part of the inner circle.
 
Tony Stark said:
If Pence becomes president because of this, he will probably be essentially a lame duck. He won't get much done, and it isn't even guaranteed he would be the nominee in 2020.
Click to expand...

You can't say that. I think that's more of a maybe. Or you hope. IF Trump was Impeached this year Pence would have been President for 3 years. That's plenty of time for people to get used to the idea and develop his own support.
 
Delphic Oracle said:
I figured it was a matter of time before Trump came head to head with a coalition of law-and-order types who eat, drink, and breathe notions of justice and who's sphincters tighten at every whiff of impropriety in a public office.
Click to expand...

But there aren't any of those in any kind of position to do anything. This is republican representatives we are talking about.
 
The Great Zaganza said:
I don't see how Pence can get out of this unscathed: Flynn is going to throw him under the bus in return for some leniency.
There seems to be a lot of evidence that Pence knew full well that Flynn was under investigation when he hired him, but he lied about it - not really keeping up his part of the Oath of Office either.
Click to expand...

I don't believe for a second that Pence didn't know. The transition team was made aware of it (by Yates?) so he definitely knew.
 
Meadmaker said:
Maybe it's really good for Trump. A man of sterling reputation will lead the investigation. When no evidence of wrongdoing is found, Trump can point to the investigation as proof of the value of his good name.


Of course, that's just one possibility for the future. Other possibilities don't end as well for Trump.
Click to expand...
Your first point is true and something the anti-Trump crowd (and I am part of it) needs to be prepared for. I have said to others who crowed about Mueller's appointment that they were conditioning their joy on the assumption that Mueller will find nasty stuff that brings about Trump's downfall, but it is entirely possible he will not. If that is the case, we must be willing to accept it as a vindication of Trump. Of course, that assumes an absence of shenanigans that bring the investigation itself into doubt, and that's a rabbit hole I do not want to go down.
 
acbytesla said:
I don't buy this. Pence is a latecomer to the party. He's the VP. The very definition of Mr. Irrelevant in most administrations. He doesn't seem to ever been part of the inner circle.
Click to expand...

He headed up the transition. He was either in on everything or willing to be kept in the dark deliberately.
 
acbytesla said:
You can't say that. I think that's more of a maybe. Or you hope. IF Trump was Impeached this year Pence would have been President for 3 years. That's plenty of time for people to get used to the idea and develop his own support.
Click to expand...

First off, Trump won't be impeached this year, if at all. We aren't at Congress calling for impeachment yet. The investigation part will be most of this year, if you include whatever hearings and various other dog-and-pony shows they put together. If it even gets to a discussion of impeachment it'll be timed, oh so coincidentally like the Gowdy commission, for just in time for the mid-terms.

The GOP got Nixon out before the mid-terms. Ford had 2+ years. How'd that turn out for him? And Gerry was a nice affable guy. Pence is that guy with a broomstick up his ass who won't give you back your ball when it goes over the fence into his yard.
 
Argumemnon said:
I don't believe for a second that Pence didn't know. The transition team was made aware of it (by Yates?) so he definitely knew.
Click to expand...

Flynn let White House Counsel know on Jan 4 even while he continued to conceal it from the public. Dan McGahn is either incompetent or criminal if he didn't inform Pence immediately that a the leading candidate for NSA was a foreign agent.
 
Here's an interesting question: can Mueller go after Sessions for perjury? Sessions did lie to congress with regards to his conversations with Russian officials...
 
Newtons Bit said:
Here's an interesting question: can Mueller go after Sessions for perjury? Sessions did lie to congress with regards to his conversations with Russian officials...
Click to expand...

IANAL but it reads like he can. Getting Sessions out of being AG will prevent a lot more damage from being done to the country.
 
Foolmewunz said:
First off, Trump won't be impeached this year, if at all. We aren't at Congress calling for impeachment yet. The investigation part will be most of this year, if you include whatever hearings and various other dog-and-pony shows they put together. If it even gets to a discussion of impeachment it'll be timed, oh so coincidentally like the Gowdy commission, for just in time for the mid-terms.

The GOP got Nixon out before the mid-terms. Ford had 2+ years. How'd that turn out for him? And Gerry was a nice affable guy. Pence is that guy with a broomstick up his ass who won't give you back your ball when it goes over the fence into his yard.
Click to expand...

I agree we're a long way off. But as many similarities to Watergate that are obvious there are many differences. And the biggest difference is between Trump and Nixon. Trump ran as an outsider and is an outsider. He really doesn't have the allies that Nixon had. Nixon was the long time insider having served in Congress, been VP for 8 years and President for 4 years before anyone thought of Watergate as anything more than a collection of offices, apartments and a hotel. Also, a big delay was the battle over the tapes.

My supposition is that if it's obvious that this is going to get uglier and nastier and Trump is going to cause a lot of damage to the party, the GOP leaders will make a practical decision to move on as quickly as possible.

These are all big 'ifs'. But it wouldn't surprise me one bit that there may come a time that the Republicans will be pushing for Impeachment more than the Democrats.
 
Last edited:
Argumemnon said:
If we start throwing politicians in prison for lying we might as well switch back to monarchy.
Click to expand...

It's where and when he lied - during sworn testimony to congress. Politicians can lie to constituents all they want and only suffer at the ballot box for that.
 
acbytesla said:
My supposition is that if it's obvious that if it becomes clear that this is going to get uglier and nastier and that Trump is going to cause a lot of damage to the party. The GOP leaders will make a practical decision to move on as quickly as possible.
Click to expand...

...what? Ok, let me try to fix this.

My supposition is that if it becomes clear that this is going to get uglier and nastier and that Trump is going to cause a lot of damage to the party, the GOP leaders will make a practical decision to move on as quickly as possible.

Ah, that's better! ;)
 
Argumemnon said:
...what? Ok, let me try to fix this.

My supposition is that if it becomes clear that this is going to get uglier and nastier and that Trump is going to cause a lot of damage to the party, the GOP leaders will make a practical decision to move on as quickly as possible.

Ah, that's better! ;)
Click to expand...

Thanks. I rewrote it. Much better this time. I need an editor.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom