Thursday, April 18, 2019

Having read the Mueller report, I can see why Trump was so eager to discredit the investigators—and why Barr felt compelled to spin in advance. And it’s not because the report proves “No Collusion - No Obstruction!” It proves the very opposite. My column


Trump again jokes about staying on as president for more than two terms


Reporter: Kellyanne Conway...said [Schiff] should produce the evidence he says he has. What do you say to that? Schiff: Kellyanne Conway clearly hasn't read the report... All the facts I've been alluding to are not only spelled out, but they're spelled out in far greater detail


Mueller report “is not vindication,” says @RepAdamSchiff, it’s “condemnation.”


Schiff on collusion says Mueller could not establish the "willful intent" to violate the law on conspiracy, though he says there's evidence. He says Trump campaign activities were "unpatriotic" and should be "condemned by every Americans"


CNN’s Toobin: Mueller's findings on obstruction "all but an explicit invitation to Congress to impeach the president"


Rep. Eric Swalwell calls for the resignation of A.G. Barr: "He's lost the credibility of the American people ... He's embedded deeply into the Trump team."


New from me: The Mueller Report is an impeachment referral


Trump ordered White House Counsel Don McGahn to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller. McGahn planned to resign rather than carry out what he felt to be an inappropriate order. McGahn decided not to quit and not to follow Trump's order.


Besides other cases (Butina, Erickson) other names missing:


Mueller found "corrupt intent" repeatedly in Donald Trump's actions toward the Russia investigation


Comey briefed lawmakers on the FBI's Russia probe. That briefing included "an identification of the principal U.S. subjects of the investigation." A week later, Richard Burr apparently gave the WH "information about the status of the FBI investigation."


Here's a searchable PDF of special counsel Robert Mueller's (redacted) report


The special counsel’s team believed it had the authority to subpoena President Trump, but decided against doing so because it would delay the investigation, according to the Mueller report


This is exactly why we need to hear directly from Special Counsel Mueller and receive the full, unredacted report with the underlying evidence.


Trump didn't REALLY MEAN he wanted Russia to hack Hillary.


This is what Barr is calling a “lightly redacted report.” This is simply unacceptable. This isn’t the #MuellerReport: it’s a #BarrCoverUp


#Russia's state TV reluctantly admits that the #MuellerReport concluded that the Russian election interference did take place. Previously, multiple Russian state TV programs outright lied that the Mueller investigation found no evidence of Russian election interference.


Sure sounds like it was Trump who directed Manafort and Gates to get Stone to find out what WikiLeaks had planned. But we knew that. Raises questions about whether BDTS made Mueller take out a reference to Trump in Stone indictment.


Ledeen consulted with Smith, saying that Clinton emails had been “purloined by our enemies”


Volume 2, page 4: Trump called McGahn to remove Mueller. McGahn refused. When the NYT reported this incident, Trump called it "fake news." It was real news. @JakeTapper points out: "It's not illegal to lie to the American people, but it was done."


Page 370: "The President's efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surrounded the President declined to carry out orders or accede to his requests."


Barr's press conference reminded me of the Soviet spokesmen reassuring people in bread lines that the grain harvest is again at record levels.


Page 382: "Under OLC's analysis, Congress can permissibly criminalize certain obstructive conduct by the President, such as suborning perjury, intimidating witnesses, or fabricating evidence, because those prohibitions raise no separation-of-powers questions."


"This is the end of my presidency. I'm fucked," Trump allegedly said upon learning of Mueller's appointment. Then he told AG Sessions, per Sessions: "You were supposed to protect me."


Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team referred 14 investigations to other US attorney’s offices. 12 of those investigations are redacted in the report.


Hope Hicks thought Trump Jr’s emails looked ‘really bad’ — and Trump told her to cover them up: Mueller report


Here's some more Prima Facie evidence of a conspiracy to commit crimes against the United States. 18 USC 371


“We concluded that Congress has the authority to prohibit a President's corrupt use of his authority in order to protect the integrity of the administration of justice”


Trump said "I’m fucked" after Special Counsel’s appointment


One of Mueller's arguments is based on the one I make in this piece, including that any self-interested motive, including a desire to protect others or avoid embarrassment, can constitute "corrupt" intent to obstruct even w/o underlying crime


PETER SMITH was contacted by Michael Flynn to find the deleted Clinton emails, at Trump's request, per Mueller.


BREAKING: In report, Mueller says he did not clear Pres. Trump on obstruction of justice: "If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state."


This. Is. An. Impeachment. Referral.


Page 213: "...while the OLC opinion concludes that a sitting President may not be prosecuted, it recognizes that a criminal investigation during the President's term is permissible. The OLC opinion also recognizes that a President does not have immunity after he leaves office."


BREAKING: Mueller said he lacked confidence to clear Donald Trump of obstruction of justice but suggested Congress could take action on at least 10 instances where the president sought to interfere with the probe.


The House Intelligence Committee has formally invited Special Counsel Mueller to testify on the counterintelligence investigation. After a two year investigation, the public deserves the facts, not Attorney General Barr’s political spin.


So here we go. Barr was straight up cold lying. Let’s get through this report together, Patriots.


BREAKING: READ THE FULL REDACTED MUELLER REPORT.


Look, I'm a tea party conservative, but what Bill Barr did today should anger every American, no matter your personal politics. The top law enforcement officer in America just became a shill for the President. That's just plain wrong. No matter your politics, that's just wrong.


Barr’s insistence on claiming dominance over Mueller was not just infantile and unbecoming but his rage suggested how dramatic their February rift might have been, as Barr swept in & all but fired Mueller.


Trump’s personal lawyer Jay Sekulow just told me he first saw the Mueller report on Tuesday afternoon. Trump’s legal team, including the Raskins, made two visits to the Justice Department to view the report securely — late Tuesday and early Wednesday, Sekulow said.


Bill Barr is wrong. There is nothing, nada, zilch in the Obstruction of Justice statute that says the defendant must also commit a second, underlying crime. People have been prosecuted for Obstruction even if they did not commit an underlying crime. Barr is making this up.


Chris Wallace on Fox: "The Attorney General seemed almost to be acting as the counselor for the defense, the counselor for the president, rather than the Attorney General, talking about his motives, his emotions... Really, as I say, making a case for the president."


Barr said he "disagreed" with some of Mueller's obstruction theories on Thursday, after previously saying that Mueller reached no determination about whether the president obstructed justice


Opinion: The rot of corruption begins with Trump. Mueller’s findings will only add to that story.


This level of of farce this has digressed to is so embarrassing


AG Barr has confirmed the staggering partisan effort by the Trump Admin to spin public’s view of the #MuellerReport – complete with acknowledgment that the Trump team received a sneak preview. It’s more urgent than ever that Special Counsel Mueller testify before Congress.


Maybe forgo vacation & get Mueller in there before Trump gets a message? Normal people do urgent work on vacations. Yours is the most urgent work ever, couldn't you sacrifice a few days off for the future of our nation's future!?


Bill Barr's big deception


Maybe someone should ask AG Barr why SDNY, EDNY, EDVA, DC etc etc have active 2016-related investigations/Grand Juries that, as one prosecutor described, are “continuing robustly.” Has Manning been released from jail for contempt? No. Meaning that GJ is still going... HINT


TRAGIC FACT: Trump tweeted "No Collusion" 184 times in two years. Barr said it 6 times in 10 minutes.


We cannot take Attorney General Barr's word for it. We must read the full Mueller report, and the underlying evidence. This is about transparency and ensuring accountability.


So far Barr has not succeeded in getting cable news to fill screen banners with “no collusion.”


Question for AG Barr: if there is no evidence of Trump campaign “knowingly” coordinating with Russia, then why did candidate Trump “knowingly” and specifically call out to Russia for Clinton emails? How did he know to ask Russia?


Patriots, don’t despair.Again,this was gamed out.Ignore Barr’s spin.Where is Paul Manafort & Julian Assange?What is Roger Stone facing?Where are all the magical pardons?Why is Trump still melting down?I promise you this is far from over & when it ends, we win.The Republic Stands.


AND Barr was defensive when questioned why Mueller was not there standing with him at the podium to represent his own report. Q & A ended shortly thereafter.


We have waited nearly two years to read what Robert Mueller. Instead we hear Bill Barr telling us what to think. This is not how democracy works. This is how an authoritarian regime operates.


Well, this presser did exactly what it was meant to do: give the Trump media enterprise another spin cycle.


Barr Spins for Trump Before Releasing Mueller Report


Omg did you just see Rod’s face when Barr said he believes Mueller agrees that it was his prerogative to determine their was no Obstruction of Justice. PRICELESS


BREAKING: Mueller report examines 10 episodes of potential obstruction by Trump. Barr says he and Rosenstein 'disagreed with some of the special counsel's legal theories.'


This is key: Barr just declared that the *legal* definition of conspiracy would require that Trump aides had to participate in the hacking of materials, not just dissemination. That is a high bar.


The Attorney General of the United States just defended obstruction because of the President's hurt feelings.


Curious how Barr’s comments about no Americans being involved fits with paragraph 43 of the GRU indictment.


Sounds like Barr might be engaged in both witness and jury tampering.


Barr has now repeated his key point 6 times


This is Washington at its most craven.


Attorney General William Barr holds a press conference on the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report.


Man, they sure have a lot of profitable accidents over there.


"Whatever happens tomorrow will not be an ending."


Preet Bharara, on his podcast, says that Sarah Sanders is "clearly willfully misleading the public as to what evidence means" in the Mueller investigation.


Mitch McConnell re-election campaign launch brags about stealing Obama’s Supreme Court nominee’s seat


JUST IN: Attorney says Michael Cohen can "fill in the bulk" of #MuellerReport redactions


Oh, dear. This is awkward for the Trump defenders who think the investigation started with the dossier. THANK YOU, AUSTRALIA! Australia Says It's "Ready To Confirm" A Key Meeting That Led To The Investigation Into Trump's Russia Links


I've weighed in on Barr a couple times now, and I'm betting today continues to validate my assessment. Rick Wilson: Bill Barr Isn't Serving The United States. He's Serving Trump


This isn’t the tweet of a man who knows he was “totally exonerated” as he wrongly claimed.


Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow tells @jonathanvswan he’s not concerned about the #MuellerDay report. "The aircraft landed safely, there was no damage to the equipment or injury to the passengers, and now two weeks later the NTSB issues a video of the landing."


On the morning of the redacted Mueller report, Trump again insinuates that the law enforcement and political bodies that investigated him and convicted his allies should be prosecuted.


Notable: what does Cohen believe is in the report?


HEY DON’T WRITE HEADLINES AND CHYRONS BASED ON WHAT BARR SAYS SORRY FOR YELLING BUT THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT THANK YOU.


The president seems a bit on edge


For the media: You have two options at the Barr press conference. You can be a reporter, or a stenographer. The White House is *absolutely* counting on you being a stenographer.


In case you were wondering if Facebook could become any more of a dumpster fire it has now empowered THE DAILY CALLER to “fact check” articles on its site


Analysis: The normal person’s guide to the Mueller report


This is #13: “We should remain skeptical that N Korea will take any viable action.”


Individual 1 begins his day.


Soon I will be ready to address the American people again...tell it all...and tell it myself!


The Framers would be aghast at how little use we’re making of the tools they left us


Anyone surprised? Barr has already made crystal clear that he’s collecting a government salary for representing Trump personally against the United States of America. Totally outrageous in more ways than I can count.


Oh. “Spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Thursday that Fiona Hill, Special Assistant to Trump, held talks in Moscow on Wednesday with several Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putins foreign affairs adviser.”


From DOJ spox Kerri Kupec: In his remarks at 9:30am, AG Barr will address executive privilege (whether it was invoked), White House + DOJ interactions over the last several weeks, and the redaction process. How is Barr feeling today? "Calm," Kupec says.


Attorney General Barr’s partisan behavior has triggered a crisis of independence & impartiality.


Neal Katyal, former acting U.S. solicitor general: "This Justice Department has purged, it seems to me, anyone who thinks independent, or frankly, who's consistent with the traditions of the department."


Hell is empty and all the devils are here.


6 months after agents from Saudi Arabia murdered the writer Jamal Khashoggi, companies are no longer shying away from doing business with the Arab kingdom


It's almost like Bernie supporters are mostly misogynists.


Barnes & Noble is offering free download of the Mueller report


Some areas affected by tornadoes last Saturday are at risk of being hit again today


The 2020 Race Is Going Just Like Bernie Sanders Wanted


And Facebook is now adding The Daily Caller as a Facebook-designated fact checker.


The very next day Downer wrote a three-page diplomatic cable to Canberra about what he was told. Senior Australian foreign official said they’ve redacted it because the contents could “reasonably be expected to damage the bilateral relationship with the United States"


"This Justice Department has purged, it seems to me, anyone who thinks independent, or frankly, who's consistent with the traditions of the department." -Neal Katyal, former acting U.S. solicitor general


Bill Weld on Mueller report: "My political guess is that the release of the report is going to be a non-event. Whatever life there was in the report will have been squeezed out of it by the time it's released."


Meanwhile, the less redacted Mueller report will clearly be shown to some members of Congress only in a SCIF - indicating its seriousness for national security matters and ongoing prosecutions


Exclusive: The Australian government says its “ready to confirm” the key meeting which led to the investigation into Trump-Russia links


Bernie Sanders can’t beat Donald Trump in 2020: Obama campaign manager Jim Messina


.@SpeakerPelosi @SenSchumer call on Robert Mueller to publicly testify before Congress and claim AG Barr has created “a crisis of confidence”


Checks headline. Checks *date*. Checks headline again.


Peter Carr will be at the Barr press conference - because he handles press on “DOJ criminal matters”


My humble, naive hope for today: That everyone pays attention to what the Mueller report actually says, not what partisans SAY it says...


Australia Says It's "Ready To Confirm" A Key Meeting That Led To The Investigation Into Trump's Russia Links

Thank you Australia!

Epstein Victim Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Attorney Alan Dershowitz


Power Up: Ready to rumble: Washington waits for the Mueller report


A reminder to any journalists attending Barr's press release tomorrow... Don't be played. At minimum, ask if the Mueller Report contains indications that the GOP was compromised as well. I've done most of the work for you: just say SMARTech


Early this am, @SpeakerPelosi & Sen Schumer released a joint statement calling on SC Robert Mueller to testify before Congress as soon as possible. Good to see this. Mueller is the source of the actual truth.


The US slid to 48th in the global rankings, dropping below Botswana, Chile and Romania and entering the category of "problematic" regions for press freedom.


NKorea says it tested new weapon, wants Pompeo out of talks


Federal District Judge Reggie Walton expressed uncertainty about the redactions Attorney General William Barr is making to special counsel Mueller's report and suggested he may want to review the Justice Department's redactions for himself once versions of it are made public.


Was Mueller invited & declined or not even asked?


Once upon a time, investigator and A.G. emphasized credibility


Democrats slam Barr over heavy-handed managing of Mueller report


DOJ had 'numerous conversations' with W.H. on Mueller report: NYT


And remember the OUTRAGE when Attorney General Loretta Lynch chatted with Bill Clinton on the tarmac for a few minutes? But when Attorney General William Barr has several secret meetings with the actual subject of an investigation, Republicans think it's very legal & very cool.


“No brainer” overstates it for reasons my impeachment book with @JoshuaMatz8 explains. But that the Framers would’ve viewed Trump as grossly unfit to remain president and would’ve favored his impeachment and removal is quite certain.


Facebook has admitted that it collected up to 1.5 million users' email contacts without their consent, in the latest privacy issue to hit the company


New Yorker reveals that the NRA is in a dire financial state, running annual deficits of up to $40,000,000 in recent years while a small group of execs, contractors, and venders have extracted hundreds of millions the NRA's budget.


As the Trump administration has taken steps to expand offshore oil drilling, a new report shows that thousands of oil spills are still happening and that workers in the oil and gas industry are still dying on the job.


North Korea: If the US wants to talk, put someone "more mature" than Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in charge


Ongoing court cases put crimp in Barr's Mueller redaction plans


Barr books preemptive press conference amid report release uproar


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