Greetings,
So Trump and Barr are gleefully going to “investigate the investigators”. Ya know what? Good! I’m not under any illusions… I understand it’s just the lowest sort of political payback that would embarrass the worst banana republic and a waste of money on baseless charges to distract from legitimate ones. Trump himself is barely pretending otherwise! But there’s only a small overlap between the real world and whatever goes on in Trump’s brain. Sure, he thinks he’s winning because he’s getting what he asked for by having an investigation at all, but I think he’ll find it’s a far, far cry from what he wanted…
“Attempted Coup”, “Witch Hunt”, and of course “Fake News” are just the catchiest ways Trump has characterized the Mueller investigation, but while such aspersions are easy to throw, stubborn reality is still there. Certainly it’s possible to make allegations or even start inquiries based on politics alone, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have any basis in reality… smoke doesn’t necessarily mean fire. But when we see something smoking it’s prudent to find out if fire is the cause, and that’s what an investigation is. It is the FUNDAMENTAL DUE PROCESS ACCORDED TO ANYONE ACCUSED OF A CRIME. If actual facts support the allegation then the investigation continues; if there’s nothing then it stops. In investigations that find nothing, there are no charges, no arrests, no pleas, and no jail, because there was probably no fire to begin with.
The Mueller Investigation, far from being a baseless witch hunt, is an ideal example of how investigations work. Republicans had hired Fusion GPS (a right-leaning political firm) to find dirt on Trump to fight him in the Republican Primary. When Trump won the nomination the Republicans stopped digging but the Democrats were right there to pick up the shovel. Information from the Steele Dossier (the report from Fusion GPS) was referred to British and American intelligence agencies for counterintelligence concerns. These allegations were strong enough for the FBI to open an investigation, and strong enough for the secretive 11-member FISA court to issue, and later renew, warrants against the campaign. Evidence from these investigations led to the appointment of Mueller, a respected Republican, as Special Counsel to begin a criminal probe into collusion and obstruction of justice. Mueller executed his task with tight-lipped professionalism while, as if to draw the starkest contrast possible, the Trumpets continued to lie, dissemble, spin, and obstruct throughout. To date, Mueller’s investigation has led to 215 criminal charges, 38 indictments or pleas, and five prison sentences. He also handed off information he’d uncovered on crimes outside his scope to other jurisdictions for further investigation and criminal prosecutions. Now, depending on how you count, there are somewhere between 17 and 29 ongoing investigations into criminality and abuse of the Trump organization. On the Trump side, the President’s strategy helped push him over the 10,000-lie mark.
So why am I excited that Trump’s getting his way on THIS investigation? Because I’ve watched how his past investigations have gone. Thrashing for an excuse on why he lost the popular vote, Trump pretended that millions of people voted illegally and created a panel to look into the situation. Surprising no one but Trump, the panel found NO EVIDENCE of improper voting. Recently, again desperate, this time about the candidacy of Joe Biden, Trump fabricated a conspiracy theory about Biden’s son and some corruption in Ukraine. Rudy Giuliani was all set to go check it out when the Ukrainian ambassador called BS and Rudy cancelled his trip. In both of these cases there were politically driven hatchet allegations that evaporated when actually examined. Smoke, but no fire. And that’s what I see coming down the pike for Trump’s investigation of the FBI.
Right now, Trumpets are able to take comfort that while the Mueller Investigation seemed to be a Platonic ideal of the Rule of Law, it was actually a partisan lie fest designed to undermine the billionaire savior of the common man. What happens when an actual investigation finds that duly empowered agents of our government acted legally and properly to apply due process in a criminal proceeding? Sarah Sanders stopped lying long enough to ask a very relevant question… “We all want to know why did this start in the first place and why were they spying on the Trump campaign?” Rational America has been paying attention, knows the answer, and isn’t afraid of an investigation into the question. For two years the American President has been credibly accused of corruption, collusion, and obstruction. The Mueller report said he was too incompetent to collude despite his team’s best efforts, but left the question of corruption and obstruction to others to decide. While the legal jurisdictions are still deciding, most of America has made up its mind based on the evidence. Trump’s latest efforts at obstruction may push the rest of America to join us.
Make a great day,
Digging Deeper…
Everything You Need to Know About the Latest Probe Into the Russia Probe, by Adam Raymond in New York Intelligencer, May 2019
IG & Sessions probe…Trump-whispering 101: Barr gives him 3rd Mueller investigation probe for his 2020 campaign, Chris Truax in USA Today, May 2019
Mueller is done, but DOJ probe of alleged bias on Mueller and FBI teams is not, Mike Levine on ABCNews, May 2019
William Barr better have the receipts on the Russia probe, Chris Cillizza on CNN Politics, May 2019
After Mueller: The Ongoing Investigations Surrounding Trump, Madeleine Carlisle and Olivia Paschal, The Atlantic, Mar 2019
Donald Trump’s totally outrageous claim about investigating the Russia probe, Chris Cillizza on CNN Politics, May 2019
What happened to the Trump counterintelligence investigation? House investigators don’t know, Philip Bump in Washington Post, May 2019
A Complete Guide To All 17 (Known) Trump And Russia Investigations, Garrett Graff in Wired, Dec 2019
Here Are the Other Investigations President Trump Still Faces, Abigail Abrams in Time, Mar 2019
Now we know why Donald Trump was SO focused on Michael Flynn, Chris Cillizza on CNN, May 2019
Ukraine Prosecutor Says No Evidence of Wrongdoing by Bidens, Daryna Krasnolutska and Kateryna Choursina in Bloomberg News, May 2019
Yesterday Was a Dark Day for the Rule of Law- When Lindsey Graham told Donald Trump Jr. to ignore a subpoena from Senate Intelligence, he told him to commit a crime. But that’s not even the worst of it., Joan Walsh in The Nation, May 2019
William Barr doubles down on campaign spying claims, slams Democrats, Yaron Steinbuch on NYPost, May 2019
Flynn told Mueller that people tied to Trump and Congress tried to obstruct probe, Winter, Kaplan, and Schapiro on NBCNews, May 2019
Barr Says He Isn’t Blocking Mueller’s Testimony to Congress, Sadie Gurman in Wall Street Journal, May 2019
Trump’s reckless “treason” accusation against the FBI, explained, Aaron Rupar on Vox, May 2019
No ‘do-over’ on Mueller probe, White House lawyer tells House panel, saying demands for records, staff testimony will be refused, Leonnig, Dawsey, and Bade in Washington Post, May 2019
Statement By Former Federal Prosecutors, DOJ Alumni (916 signatories as of 5/17/19), posted on Medium Politics, May 2019
Barr taps U.S. attorney in Connecticut to investigate origins of Russia probe, Matt Zapotosky and Felicia Sonmez in Washington Post, May 2019
Gowdy Claims FBI Relied on Clinton Ally Blumenthal to Corroborate Steele Dossier, Jack Crowe in National Review, May 2019
CIA, FBI, Director of National Intelligence working with Attorney General Barr to review Russia probe origins, Laura Jarrett on CNN Politics, May 2019
Dispute erupts over whether Brennan, Comey pushed Steele dossier, as DOJ probe into misconduct begins, Gregg Re and Catherine Herridge on FOX News, May 2019
Bill Barr Is The Sideshow, Steven Mnuchin Is The One Who Needs To Lose His Job And Go To Jail, Elie Mystal on AboveTheLaw.com, May 2019
How Does Donald Trump Keep Getting Away With It? By Elie Mystal in The Nation, May 2019
What The Founders Meant By ‘High Crimes And Misdemeanors’, Susie Madrak on Crooks&Liars Reality Check, May 2019
Sarah Sanders lashes out at FBI on Fox & Friends: They’re the real criminals for launching ‘completely insane’ Trump probe, Eric Dolan on Raw Story, May 2019
Trump: FBI director’s comments were ‘ridiculous’, Barrett, Wagner, and Zapotosky in Washington Post, May 2019
AG Bill Barr tells Fox News public must know if officials ‘put their thumb on the scale’ in Russia probe, Victor Garcia on FOX News, May 2019
Barr says review of Russia investigation origins could lead to FBI rule changes, Veronica Stracqualursi on CNN Politics, May 2019
What is a FISA warrant? Debbie Lord in Atlanta Journal Constitution, Feb 2018
Trump Vows to Release FISA Warrants, Alan Neuhauser in USNews & World Report, Mar 2019
What’s the evidence for ‘spying’ on Trump’s campaign? Here’s your guide. Glenn Kessler in Washington Post, May 2019
Tracking 29 investigations related to Trump, Larry Buchanan and Karen Yourish in NYTimes, May 2019
President Trump has made more than 10,000 false or misleading claims, Washington Post Fact Check, April 2019
‘The most bizarre thing I’ve ever been a part of’: Trump panel found no widespread voter fraud, ex-member says, Eli Rosenberg in Washington Post, Aug 2018
