Ed Breaking: Mueller Grand Jury charges filed, arrests as soon as Monday

[TragicMonkey]

Agree. The trump presidency is falling apart.

It's held together by lard and delusion, American style!

 

[logger]

I'm not sure why you're having a hard time buying that (((Rosenstein))) is being a two-faced shyster by telling Trump he isn't a target, when he's playing legal word games. Just because Trump isn't a target, doesn't mean he isn't a subject. And subjects become targets very easily.

I'm surprised you haven't clued to that angle yet.

Figured it out? It would be foolish for Rosenstein to play word games like this. See Andrew McCabe.

 

[Arcade22]

President Trump took to Twitter on Friday to complain that the life of his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, has been “totally destroyed,” and bemoan that fired FBI director James B. Comey was making money off what Trump termed a “third rate book.”

Trump’s comments came the day after the Justice Department released redacted versions of memos that Comey composed after interactions with Trump. Among the revelations is that Trump expressed concerns about Flynn’s judgment weeks before he was forced to resign.

“So General Michael Flynn’s life can be totally destroyed while Shadey James Comey can Leak and Lie and make lots of money from a third rate book (that should never have been written),” the president tweeted. “Is that really the way life in America is supposed to work? I don’t think so!”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...5d0110-415d-11e8-8569-26fda6b404c7_story.html

The solution to this problem is pretty simple, right? Flynn just has to write his own book about how terrible Trump is as President, filled it with lurid details and salacious rumors.

I mean this will not stand! People being punished for committing crimes? In America?! I don't think so! The people will not accept this injustice!

 

[logger]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...5d0110-415d-11e8-8569-26fda6b404c7_story.html

The solution to this problem is pretty simple, right? Flynn just has to write his own book about how terrible Trump is as President, filled it with lurid details and salacious rumors.

I mean this will not stand! People being punished for committing crimes? In America?! I don't think so! The people will not accept this injustice!

It’s not surprising that the loser leftists at WAPO didn’t give more insight on Flynn’s plea. The rumor is he plead guilty because he wanted to save his son from this process or that he’s out of money, or both.

Given the fact these investigators have said they don’t think Flynn even lied, do you think this rumor could explain his guilty plea?

 

[Steve]

It’s not surprising that the loser leftists at WAPO didn’t give more insight on Flynn’s plea. The rumor is he plead guilty because he wanted to save his son from this process or that he’s out of money, or both.

Given the fact these investigators have said they don’t think Flynn even lied, do you think this rumor could explain his guilty plea?

No. If you are going to explain something facts are required.

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

More wishful thinking, I suppose you’re seeing it’s all beginning to fall apart.

You think that my assertion there are DoJ guidelines about what the terms "target" and "subject" mean is "wishful thinking"? It'd still only take 10 seconds on google to educate yourself. Still you choose not to. I remain unsurprised.

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

Figured it out? It would be foolish for Rosenstein to play word games like this. See Andrew McCabe.

Well, firstly, it's good that you can at least admit that Rosenstein is no fool. Secondly, why would it be foolish for Rosenstein to use the word "target" correctly?

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

Given the fact these investigators have said they don’t think Flynn even lied[...]

Citation required. And now that 8 years have passed, I know you know how to do that.

 

[Emily's Cat]

One wonders if Trump is trying his best to look bad on purpose.

I have been thinking that since the moment he decided to run for president.

I have wondered on more than one occasion if the entire thing is a massive publicity stunt... or a really devious ploy to discredit the republican party... or a sneaky spycraft means of destroying the us government as a whole.

Because Trump being president hasn't made sense to me from the day he announced his candidacy. I'm still waiting for the Twilight Zone music to play.

 

[Upchurch]

I have wondered on more than one occasion if the entire thing is a massive publicity stunt...

That’s basically the first quarter of Michael Wolff’s book.

 

[Regnad Kcin]

Whistling past the graveyard. Although, once one has whistled past the graveyard, one will have passed the graveyard while whistling.

Burma Shave

 

[Steve]

Burma Shave

Pepperpot 2: Penguins don't come from next door; they come from the Antarctic!
Pepperpot 1: BURMA!
Pepperpot 2: Why'd you say 'Burma'?
Pepperpot 1: I panicked.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

A ploy to keep Giuliani from testifying due to lawyer-client privilege, maybe? Probably not, but it seems like they’ve tried weaker rationalizations.

I think Giuliani like Christie and Scaramouchi (sp?) are Trump groupies. They still want to be in the in-crowd. It sounds like Giuliani told Trump he could get the Mueller investigation stopped. Trump is out of lawyer options, and the rest of the story ensues.

 

[applecorped]

Agree. The trump presidency is falling apart.

Oh, we have finally passed Peak Trump?

 

[logger]

Well, firstly, it's good that you can at least admit that Rosenstein is no fool. Secondly, why would it be foolish for Rosenstein to use the word "target" correctly?

Unlike this post, Rosenstein isn’t playing word games. I suspect you have to play these games since you have nothing else to go on.

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

Unlike this post, Rosenstein isn’t playing word games. I suspect you have to play these games since you have nothing else to go on.

You didn't answer my question.

 

[CapelDodger]

I think Giuliani like Christie and Scaramouchi (sp?) are Trump groupies. They still want to be in the in-crowd. It sounds like Giuliani told Trump he could get the Mueller investigation stopped. Trump is out of lawyer options, and the rest of the story ensues.

Giuliani may be playing up his contacts and "influence" in the New York FBI. Who, by the way, all hate their Obama-era bosses but love you, Mr President.

 

[quadraginta]

Giuliani may be playing up his contacts and "influence" in the New York FBI. Who, by the way, all hate their Obama-era bosses but love you, Mr President.

If they care about their retirement pensions they'd better. That's certainly been made perfectly clear.

 

[PhantomWolf]

Unlike this post, Rosenstein isn’t playing word games. I suspect you have to play these games since you have nothing else to go on.

He's not playing word games.

Since you apparently can't use Google

My first search result is for Duffy Law who do Federal Legal Representation. And look they have a page about the differences between being a Witness, a Subject, and a Target. So let's see what they have to say....

All individuals coming into the orbit of the federal prosecutor and grand jury fall into one of three categories: witness, subject or target. It is crucial to understand your status in a federal investigation to make the right decisions.

• Witness: Being a witness in a case involving the FBI, Secret Service, IRS or other Federal Agency does not necessarily mean that you observed or saw a crime happen. You may have information that law enforcement believes might be relevant in a criminal investigation to help prove either the guilt or the innocence of another individual or business. Although you may only be a witness, it’s critical to recognize that if you speak to Federal law enforcement your words are not protected without a proffer agreement and should you make a misrepresentation, you can be charged with the crimes of Lying to a Federal Agent and Obstruction of Justice, each of which is punishable by as much as five years in a Federal penitentiary
  
• Subject of an Investigation: The term “subject of an investigation” has a particular meaning within the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). According to the DOJ Handbook, a “subject” is: “a person whose conduct is within the scope of a Grand Jury’s investigation.” A subject is somewhere between a target and a witness. A subject has engaged in conduct that may look suspicious or unethical, but the prosecutor isn’t certain that a provable crime has been committed and wants to do more investigating in order to be sure.
  
• Target: The term “target of an investigation” is also specifically defined by the DOJ. A person is a target where the prosecutor or Grand Jury has substantial evidence linking him to the commission of a crime. Designation as a target provides a clear warning of a person’s criminal exposure.

Seems pretty clear, so if Trump is a subject of the investigation he is within the scope of the investigation and still able to be investigated directly, it just means that at that point they don't have clear substantial evidence of a crime, just suspicion and conduct that appears criminal and needs to be investigated further.

What else does Duffy Law say?

Even though your status as a witness, subject or target may be important in guiding your strategy during a particular phase of a federal white collar crime investigation, the key thing to remember about these categories is that they are ultimately meaningless and offer you no protection. Why? Because even if you’re currently a witness or subject, there’s no guarantee that your status will remain unchanged. It is necessary, therefore, from the outset of a white collar crime investigation, to base any strategy on a realistic assessment of your potential criminal exposure after consulting with an experienced federal crime defense lawyer.

So what expertise do these Lawyers have?

Over my ten years as a federal prosecutor, I handled a wide variety of criminal investigations and cases, from white collar fraud to drug and gun cases. I worked closely with the major federal law enforcement agencies and appeared in federal court hundreds of times, including being lead counsel in numerous criminal trials.

Yeah, I think I'll take her word over some anonymous guy on the internet who brags about how he's really on there to stir up the liberals.

 

[Aridas]

I have wondered on more than one occasion if the entire thing is a massive publicity stunt...

Running for President fairly certainly was. Trump and co had a lot to gain from losing and apparently had a number of plans in place to capitalize on that happening. More than a few of their choices also notably support this. They were largely unprepared to win, on the other hand, as they made quite clear when they did. It was to the point where certain members had been also caught saying things like "Doing this would only be a problem if we were to win."

or a really devious ploy to discredit the republican party...

Effective as that may have been, that's an extreme long-shot.

or a sneaky spycraft means of destroying the us government as a whole.

Again, that's quite the longshot, though not quite as unlikely, provided that one substitute destroy with disrupt and undermine. Russia's fairly obviously got a fair bit of influence with Trump, but, at this point, it seems far more likely that they are more interested in capitalizing on his ineptitude and personality to those ends rather than specifically planning for it.

Because Trump being president hasn't made sense to me from the day he announced his candidacy. I'm still waiting for the Twilight Zone music to play.

Given the tactics that the Republican Party has been employing for far too long, the rise of people like Trump to power among them has been something of an inevitability, unfortunately. It's a horrible state of affairs, yes, but not even remotely unforeseeable in light of simple cause and effect.