Mueller Investigation pt 6

[Belz...]

Hey. I didn't bring you up here for nothing. I'm jumping out of this plane, and you're coming with me.



What's the use of living on the edge if I can't see the terror on the faces of others?

Fair point.

 

[Segnosaur]

According to the Liberal Fake News Mainstream Media Washington Post, Mueller wrote a letter to Barr complaining about Barr's misrepresentation of the contents of the Mueller Report:

I hate to say it, but a part of me blames Mueller.

When writing the report, Mueller knew that Trump would likely appoint someone who would work to protect him. And when Barr was ultimately nominated, those suspicions would have been confirmed. (After all, Barr does have a track record of deceptive practices.)

Mueller should have considered that the Attorney General would misrepresent things, and should have written his report in such a way that there is no way it could have been misconstrued. The first line of the report should have been "Trump is Guilty as heck". The last line should be "Trump is still guilty as heck". Yet instead we had a report which does show what Trump did but doesn't spell out the conclusion n simple, easy-to-understand words that even a Trump voter could understand. And something that even the most partisan attempts at spinning the report would fall flat.

 

[Belz...]

The first line of the report should have been "Trump is Guilty as heck". The last line should be "Trump is still guilty as heck". Yet instead we had a report which does show what Trump did but doesn't spell out the conclusion n simple, easy-to-understand words that even a Trump voter could understand. And something that even the most partisan attempts at spinning the report would fall flat.

Yeah, but then Mueller is an angry, conflicted Democrat, so his opinions don't count.

 

[Regnad Kcin]

Do you think Mueller would refrain from calling out Barr if Barr completely misrepresented the report?

I somehow missed where anyone did that.

 

[Ziggurat]

Mueller should have considered that the Attorney General would misrepresent things, and should have written his report in such a way that there is no way it could have been misconstrued. The first line of the report should have been "Trump is Guilty as heck". The last line should be "Trump is still guilty as heck".

Ironically, that would be a misrepresentation of the report.

 

[Upchurch]

Ironically, that would be a misrepresentation of the report.

It would be accurate to say the report “Trump was happy to take help from a hostile foreign government” and “Trump committed multiple crimes of obstruction of justice.”

Does that make you feel better?

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Barr hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee: What a con-job.

Barr is playing ignorant to Booker's questions right now, stalling effectively.

Graham wanted to bring up Benghazi and 'but her emails'. And he accused Hirono of trying to slander Barr and cut her off.

The GOP is reinforcing all the lies and misrepresentations.

The House Committee hearing tomorrow should be quite the contrast.

 

[Lurch]

Two words: Mitch McConnell

Too bloody right. That partisan scum is most assuredly one of the villains in this villain-rich piece.

 

[jeremyp]

Yeah, but then Mueller is an angry, conflicted Democrat, so his opinions don't count.

Is he? For some reason I had the impression he is a Republican.

Anyway, of all the people involved in this, it seems to me that Mueller, and by extension, his team, are the only ones who have acted with any integrity. That’s probably why Barr found it so easy to **** on him.

 

[Armitage72]

Is he? For some reason I had the impression he is a Republican.

He is. I'm assuming it's a reference to Trump's constant claims that "angry Democrats" were entirely responsible for the investigation.

 

[theprestige]

So if I understand your position correctly, you're perfectly happy that your President...

To understand my position correctly, you'd have to talk to me about it, and listen to what I say about it, and accept what I say about it. Assigning my position to me according to your stereotypes and fallacies isn't going to work.

Do you want to take a step back and look for a way to have a civil conversation about my position?

 

[Segnosaur]

Mueller should have considered that the Attorney General would misrepresent things, and should have written his report in such a way that there is no way it could have been misconstrued. The first line of the report should have been "Trump is Guilty as heck". The last line should be "Trump is still guilty as heck".

Ironically, that would be a misrepresentation of the report.

Thank you for illustrating my point perfectly.

There is more than enough evidence in the report to implicate Trump, to illustrate that indeed he is 'guilty'. But because Mueller didn't spell it out in big letters so that there can be no misunderstanding, it gives the ability for Trump supporters like you to claim "No, the report doesn't suggest he's guilty... because (reasons)".

 

[KDLarsen]

Warren'sHarris' exchange with Barr was quite something.

“Has the president or anyone at the White House ever asked or suggested that you open an investigation of anyone?” Harris asked.

“Um … uh … I wouldn’t … I wouldn’t … uh … ” Barr sputtered.

“Yes or no?” Harris requested.

Barr asked Harris to repeat the question, which she did.

“The president or anybody else … ” Barr trailed off.

“Seems you’d remember something like that and be able to tell us,” Harris said.

“Yeah, but I’m trying to grapple with the word suggest,” Barr replied. “There have been discussions of matters out there that they have not asked me to open an investigation―”

“Perhaps they’ve suggested?” Harris tried to help Barr.

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t say suggest ―”

“Hinted?” Harris asked.

“I don’t know,” Barr stammered.

“Inferred?” Harris tried another word.

Barr clammed up.

“You don’t know,” Harris finally said.

“No,” Barr said.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/will...tical-opponents_n_5cc9f478e4b0d123954da424?sl

 

[Belz...]

Is he? For some reason I had the impression he is a Republican.

Oh, he would be, were he investigating crooked Hillary. But he investigated Trump, so he's an angry Democrat.

 

[beren]

Warren's exchange with Barr was quite something.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/will...tical-opponents_n_5cc9f478e4b0d123954da424?sl

“Has the president or anyone at the White House ever asked or suggested that you open an investigation of anyone?” Harris asked.

“Um … uh … I wouldn’t … I wouldn’t … uh … ” Barr sputtered.

“Yes or no?” Harris requested.

Barr asked Harris to repeat the question, which she did.

“The president or anybody else … ” Barr trailed off.

“Seems you’d remember something like that and be able to tell us,” Harris said.

“Yeah, but I’m trying to grapple with the word suggest,” Barr replied. “There have been discussions of matters out there that they have not asked me to open an investigation―”

“Perhaps they’ve suggested?” Harris tried to help Barr.

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t say suggest ―”

“Hinted?” Harris asked.

“I don’t know,” Barr stammered.

“Inferred?” Harris tried another word.

Barr clammed up.

“You don’t know,” Harris finally said.

“No,” Barr said.

Silly interchangeable lady democrats, amiright?

I just find it amusing. Not actually making a big deal out of it.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Warren's [Harris'] exchange with Barr was quite something.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/will...tical-opponents_n_5cc9f478e4b0d123954da424?sl

ftfy

Barr did a lot of, uh, emm, [blank staring], what did you mean and so on and so on.

Silly interchangeable lady democrats, amiright? ...

Sadly, though I think this one was just a brain lapse.

 

[Cabbage]

I was anti the GOP establishment before I was anti Hillary. Giving them the finger was a once in a lifetime opportunity. But if I thought for a moment that our institutions could not handle Donald Trump, I would never have voted for him. I consider the past two+ years a clear vindication of my assessment. 5/7 perfect score, would vote again.

If you were truly frustrated with lies and corruption in the GOP, I would have recommended you vote for less corruption, not more...but it's your vote, not mine.

 

[Frank Newgent]

Well, according to Mueller's letter, Barr's summary "did not fully capture the context, nature and substance of this office's work and conclusions."

According to the DOJ spokesperson, who is presumably taking Barr's word for the nature of the phone call, Mueller didn't think the summary was inaccurate.

Either Mueller changed his mind or the DOJ spokesperson is not accurately representing Mueller's views, because I don't believe that a summary can simultaneously be accurate while misrepresenting the report's conclusions.

That's actually trivially easy to reconcile: it can be accurate but not complete.

Alternatively, since these statements came at different times, Mueller's view of Barr's letter to Congress may have softened after talking to Barr about it directly.

Mueller's call with Barr was taken by Barr on a speakerphone with multiple people in the room. Perhaps Mueller was careful in language to his boss considering that.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Vox: Sen. Mazie Hirono to William Barr: “America deserves better. You should resign.”

“Mr. Barr, now the American people know you are no different from Rudy Giuliani or Kellyanne Conway or any of the other people who sacrificed their once-decent reputations for the liar and grifter who sits in the Oval Office,” she told the attorney general.

Hirono accused Barr of having consistently taken President Trump’s side over the interests of the American people, starting with his decision to send a 19-page unsolicited memo to the Justice Department criticizing the Mueller investigation in June 2018 — well before he ever became attorney general.

She also slammed him for waiting weeks to release the full report on Mueller’s findings, and for doing so only after he’d held a press conference in which he personally cleared the president of obstruction of justice and declared there had been “no collusion.”

“When you finally did decide to release the report, over a congressional recess and on the eve of two major religious holidays, you called a press conference to once again try to clear Donald Trump before anyone had a chance to read the special counsel report and come to their own conclusions,” Hirono said.

 

[Frank Newgent]

I listened to most of the hearing today while driving, wanted to hear new and interesting info, not Senators grandstanding for the most unaware of their constituents... thought Hirono was guilty of that, cringe-worthy for me.