Cont: Breaking: Mueller Grand Jury charges filed, arrests as soon as Monday pt 2

[Cavemonster]

Special prosecutors were a mistake.

I'm very open to specific critique of the role of special prosecutors.

However, humor me.

Imagine things are at least somewhat as Trump's harsher critics say. Imagine that a President has committed a serious crime very much against the laws and interests of the country. Imagine that the President has surrounded himself with people who may have been involved with that crime and a substantial chunk of the executive branch is engaged in covering up that crime.

Imagine that a political party holding the majority in both houses of congress have decided that the uncovering of whether that crime occurred represented a threat to their party's goals and that they valued those goals more than the public having access to the truth or the rule of law.

While you may not agree that this is the case now, surely given a view of world history you don't think situations like this are impossible.

If not a special prosecutor, what institution do you imagine would investigate such a thing? How would they be markedly different from the role that Mueller is playing?

 

[acbytesla]

I was still a teenager and pretty apolitical when that started. I dimly recall thinking the whole thing seemed somehow silly, but that perjury, at least, was a pretty obvious no-no. It wasn't until years later that I actually bothered to find out the details of whole thing.

And it wasn't until years after that, that I started to think about what is the deal with special prosecutors anyway.

I'd say my thinking about a lot of stuff has changed in the past 20 years, and since I was a teenager. Hasn't yours?

No question Starr abused his post. He used his position for purely partisan political reasons. I don't think one can say that was true about Archibald Cox, Leon Jaworski or Robert Mueller.

There needs on occasion for as unbiased law professional as possible to investigate the potential wrongdoing in the executive branch.. Congress is simply not qualified, equipped or unbiased to do this on their own. I must be a lot older than you as I was old enough to remember very well the Watergate and Whitewater investigations.

Starr was supposed to investigate any crimes associated with the Whitewater Real Estate dealings. Something that had already been investigated pretty thoroughly by the State of Arkansas. Starr worked on that for years and then turned his focus on Clinton's sex life. As much as I find Trump's sex life distasteful, Mueller isn't investigating that and Trunp won't be impeached for lying about it.

Mueller appears to be conducting a professional investigation. It is Trump that has gone batcrap crazy.

 

[smartcooky]

If the DoJ have no ability to appoint a Special Counsel (SC) to investigate potential political crimes, then it makes it all that much easier for those crimes to be covered up... e.g. Nixon would have been able to quash any investigation into the Watergate Break in (and indeed, he did try to do so, firstly, by having the first SC, Archie Cox, fired by Solicitor General Robert Bork (where we get the expression "borked' from) and secondly, by trying to have the position of SC abolished. He didn't succeed, and a second SC (Leon Jawarski) was appointed. The US could have ended up with an unprosecuted criminal President serving a full term.

Now, you have another criminal in The White House, one who considers himself to be totally above the Law. Further, he is trying to surround himself with others who also think he is above the Law, and is telling anyone who will listen, that the DoJ, the FBI and the media are all "enemies if the American people".

 

[Aridas]

I don't get it. The whole world has been laughing at this buffoon ever since his inuauguration. His tweets are SAD! His proposed legislation kept getting rejected. Putin made a monkey's uncle of him. His moronic son and smug-faced son-in-law set up meeings with Russians. He keeps HM the Queen waiting ten minutes. He cheats on Melania whilst she pregnant and/or a new mom to Barron. His own lawyer tapes him paying off some woman he's supposed to have sexually harrassed.

...And he's still in office?

Americans, do you feel no shame or embarrassment?

Even Rocket Man laughed at him.

Hmm. I don't? Had I actually voted for him, not seen this general trend coming from the start, or not acted to oppose him, I might, though. I'm not especially swayed by some mythical national identity, though, in fair part because we're a rather diverse nation and there have been large numbers of outright evil people included among our nation's citizens for a very long time. Tangentially, I'm still mildly hoping that a bunch of the Religious Right were right about Trump, though. That he was sent by God to make everything better. It's just that the way that God is using him is as a lesson to them about how far away from Him that they've fallen.

 

[Cain]

Trump has no fidelity to anything at all: his family, his country, the truth, or even an ideology. He is an empty shell of a human being.

**** YOU. He's a good Christian man. It's crazy that we need to show ID to buy groceries, but anyone can post to this board.

 

[The Don]

I disagree. It would result in a political explosion like we have not seen in this country for a long time.
I think this country is on the edge of the abyss;a Mueller firing would ,imho, send it over.

I wish I shared your optimism. I don't think the outrage would last a single news cycle.

After a Mueller firing, President Trump will make another extraordinary set of unrelated announcements and/or announce some huge tax cuts and/or some legislation to "protect" Christians and/or threaten to nuke Iran and focus will shift.

 

[Andy_Ross]

Trump Tweets

"Congratulations to @GreggJarrett on The TREMENDOUS success of his just out book, “The Russia Hoax, The Illicit Scheme To Clear Hillary Clinton & Frame Donald Trump.” Already number one on Amazon. Hard work from a brilliant guy. It’s the Real Story of the Rigged Witch Hunt!"

 

[P.J. Denyer]

I have ZERO respect for hereditary titles of any kind. But she is the Head of State so protocol requires a certain amount of decorum. But Joe Blow off the street is also deserving. It angers me to see anyone treated with disrespect. It annoys me to see a a President representing me and my country so boorishly. I think he should treat all foreign leaders with appropriate respect even if they aren't our ally.

But considering all the offensive things Trump does daily I have to consider this to be a minor infraction.

On a side note though. The idea that a great republic like the UK still having Kings and Queens is offensive to me.

Nothing there that I'd really argue with. But I think the majority in Britain have been pretty pleased with the job Brenda's done though. If there's a "10 Worst Heads of State, number 6 will blow your mind!" article out there I doubt she makes the list, that could change once Brian gets the top job of course.

 

[The Don]

Nothing there that I'd really argue with. But I think the majority in Britain have been pretty pleased with the job Brenda's done though. If there's a "10 Worst Heads of State, number 6 will blow your mind!" article out there I doubt she makes the list, that could change once Brian gets the top job of course.

I'm a republican and would much rather the UK does away with the monarchy and has an elected head of state instead. That said, the way that Brenda has done the job for the last gajillion years and the risk of electing a numpty like Donald Trump or BoJo has caused me at least pause for thought.

 

[smartcooky]

Trump Tweets

"Congratulations to @GreggJarrett on The TREMENDOUS success of his just out book, “The Russia Hoax, The Illicit Scheme To Clear Hillary Clinton & Frame Donald Trump.” Already number one on Amazon. Hard work from a brilliant guy. It’s the Real Story of the Rigged Witch Hunt!"

Hmmm, interesting

[imgw=750]https://www.dropbox.com/s/bip2lllgwh0l8jc/Jarrett.png?raw=1[/imgw]

Translation: Amazon are suspicious that there are solicited reviews happening that belie the sales levels of the book.

 

[The Don]

Translation: Amazon are suspicious that there are solicited reviews happening that belie the sales levels of the book.

Or a bunch of non-Trumpists writing hillarious negative reviews...

 

[smartcooky]

Or a bunch of non-Trumpists writing hillarious negative reviews...

Other way around.

Of course, Jarrett is a well known Dolt 45 sycophant on Trump Fox News

 

[Tero]

Manafort and Gates:
I've seen this on a TV show. Two guys covered in blood kill third guy. In separate rooms in interrogation they say they just helped cover up and the other guy did all the killing.

 

[Stacyhs]

Politifact's assessment of many of Jarrett's claims in his book. Unsurprisingly, they rated them false:

In defending Trump, Jarrett makes a number of claims that raised our eyebrows. We decided to take a closer look at some of his more salient points, some of which we’ve checked before.

‘Collusion’ is not a crime, except in antitrust law.

Says collusion investigation effectively over

Comey ‘confessed’ the dossier is ‘salacious and unverified’

Says Comey's leak is illegal

Jarrett suggests George Papadopoulos did not launch investigation

https://www.politifact.com/punditfa...hecking-fox-news-analysts-pro-trump-book-rus/

The article presents the reasons these claims were rated "false".

 

[Jim_MDP]

The other claim in the Trump Tweet is that the book is "already number one on Amazon" (or somesuch).

That sounds like a sales claim, and ~200 (fake) reviews isn't really very much.

Are sales figures available yet?


eta: Yes I know it's a silly question. Trump has several times touted a "bestseller" before it's even published. Preorders, of course... but how many are still boxed up in the storeroom?

 

[Armitage72]

Trump has several times touted a "bestseller" before it's even published. Preorders, of course... but how many are still boxed up in the storeroom?

Or when Scientologists would go out and buy every copy of L. Ron Hubbard's books they could find to inflate the sales figures because their leaders told them to do it.

 

[Stacyhs]

The other claim in the Trump Tweet is that the book is "already number one on Amazon" (or somesuch).

That sounds like a sales claim, and ~200 (fake) reviews isn't really very much.

Are sales figures available yet?


eta: Yes I know it's a silly question. Trump has several times touted a "bestseller" before it's even published. Preorders, of course... but how many are still boxed up in the storeroom?

He didn't write any of 'his' books. He couldn't pay attention long enough to contribute much. Just reading his tweets and listening to him speak extemporaneously is evidence that he can barely string a coherent sentence together.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Hmmm, interesting

[imgw=750]https://www.dropbox.com/s/bip2lllgwh0l8jc/Jarrett.png?raw=1[/imgw]

Translation: Amazon are suspicious that there are solicited reviews happening that belie the sales levels of the book.

I've seen lots of reviews of non-fiction books where it's obvious which reviewers are left and which are right leaning. I would bet a book like this would bring extreme reviews from haters and lovers just like you see following Trump Tweets..

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Other way around.

[qimg]https://www.dropbox.com/s/9ybp2jh6ul6iqqt/Jarrett2.png?raw=1[/qimg]

Of course, Jarrett is a well known Dolt 45 sycophant on Trump Fox News

That's also because only Trumpers are buying this piece of trash.

 

[Jim_MDP]

I've seen lots of reviews of non-fiction books where it's obvious which reviewers are left and which are right leaning. I would bet a book like this would bring extreme reviews from haters and lovers just like you see following Trump Tweets..

If Amazon had left the reviews open, no doubt such a normal mix would have happened.

But it looks like they clamped down with it at 1 negative and... 199 five stars.

Yeah... "sounds legit". [emoji14]