The latest hew and cry in Washington is over the appointment of U.S. attorney John H. Durham, to head up yet a third investigation of the FBI counterintelligence investigation of ties between Russia and the Trump campaign. People are all up in arms about the rule of law, and while that’s a legitimate concern, here’s the bottom line, in my opinion: Barr is instigating an unnecessary investigation for the sole purpose of deflecting from Trump’s massive real world problems, i.e., the China trade war, escalating tensions with Iran, his tax returns, and over twenty ongoing investigations into his and his family’s corruption. Therefore, see this for what it is and don’t make too much of it.
The origins of the Mueller report are not inscrutable, they are well known. George Papadopoulos, a Trump campaign adviser, told an Australian diplomat that he was informed that the Russians had stolen emails from the Democrats, and that kicked things off. New York Times:
“It would have been highly, highly inappropriate for us not to pursue it — and pursue it aggressively,” James Baker, who was the F.B.I.’s general counsel in 2016, said in an interview on Friday with the Lawfare podcast.
As part of the early Russia inquiry, the F.B.I. investigated four Trump associates: Mr. Papadopoulos; Paul Manafort, the Trump campaign chairman; Michael T. Flynn, the president’s first national security adviser; and Carter Page, another campaign foreign policy adviser.
Mr. Flynn and Mr. Papadopoulos later pleaded guilty to lying to the F.B.I. as part of the inquiry; Mr. Manafort was also convicted of tax fraud and other charges brought by the special counsel, who took over the investigation in May 2017, and pleaded guilty to conspiracy.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not making light of this. This administration is the textbook definition of chaos and dysfunction, and launching this specious investigation is only going to make things worse. And this does not bode well for democracy, this is banana republic behavior. It undermines faith in our institutions and that, in turn, does undermine the rule of law.
Trump's strategy is so much corruption everywhere while he fights any and all oversight, that he overwhelms the House Committees. This is how democratic institutions buckle. https://t.co/LSunznmxkf
— Neera Tanden (@neeratanden) May 14, 2019
Perhaps this was the matter that Barr wanted to avoid discussing in response to the question by @KamalaHarris asking him whether the White House had “suggested” that he open any investigations. https://t.co/ZSUFuTl9Qq
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) May 14, 2019
The only reason this is taking place is to give Fox News fodder to counter all the real emergent news stories arising out of the ineptitude of the Trump administration — even they can’t obsess on Hillary’s emails forever. It’s better than Sean Hannity having to cut to a car chase.
The origins of the Mueller investigation are contained in the Mueller report. There really is nothing to see here, except for the further degeneration of what is already the most corrupt administration in history, and the personal degeneration of an attorney general who has made it clear he doesn’t work for the people, but rather is the president’s personal lawyer. This might be a good time to seriously talk about impeachment of both Barr and Trump, because this development makes clear that this band of crooks will stop at nothing. Their sole interest is to obfuscate and deflect away from Trump’s misdeeds and incompetence by cobbling together a case for those exact same things and making Trump the victim. They have to make Trump the victim of the Deep State. Otherwise, he is exposed as the poseur and buffoon as he is.
The dynamic you will see in the run up to the election is to present heroic Trump as the victim of a Deep State plot, carried out by Robert Mueller. My opinion is that it won’t work. But it will be time consuming, expensive, and annoying — and at the end of the day the rule of law and our democratic institutions will be the worse. And that is the price that we are paying for this travesty of the democratic process, the election of Donald Trump.
The worst part about all this IMO? This is also fueling the paranoia of the less patient of our side…you know, the ones who want impeachment done “Now! Now! Now!” It’s like they’ve lost so much hope that they no longer care about the institutions any more than their opposite numbers on the right. All that matters is ideological purity, which is part of what got us here in the first place.
What Barr is doing with this BS investigation underscores something those rabid fanatics don’t want to face up to: there is little to nothing we can do to change the math in our favor in the short term. We want a working government after, we gotta play the long game AND be ready and willing to rebuild on the rubble that’s left.
You’re right. Impeachment fever is rising, and truth be known, I’ve even felt it myself. It’s a combination of things, this is one of them, but in the main Trump’s totally non-existent foreign policy and the trade war with China has me totally freaked. Unless somebody else, and I don’t know who, Pompeo, Mulvaney, somebody, gets a tether on Trump, we will see a worsening global economy and the U.S. will have a much lesser place in it. I see the potential for irreparable damage, if it hasn’t already been done. That’s what’s pushing me towards singing the impeachment song, sheer desperation. Otherwise, I agree with you, beat him at the ballot box and rebuild.
I’m NOT opposed to the idea of impeachment, Ursula, just to be clear. But if we do it, IT HAS TO STICK. No wiggle room, no legalese, no major mistakes…we nail him to the wall or things get even worse. Yes, that is still possible, even now.
That’s why winning the right way is so important here…not the lynch mob way, but the boring, methodical way it’s been done so far. The damage has already done on multiple fronts. Our lesser status going forward is all but guaranteed. So…let’s salvage what we can by not answering their kind of hate with what they want from us.
Keep in mind how “Hillary’s emails” became a thing in the first place. Despite investigation after investigation including ones conducted by fiercely partisan GOP committees the Obama administration (and therefore Hillary) kept getting cleared of all the outrageous accusations/charges of malfeasance in the attack on our outpost Consulate in Libya. But the GOP kept at it, and figured at the very least as he campaign was ramping up they could drag Hillary’s name through the mud one more time – that was the goal & it slipped out that that was the goal. They knew damn well there was nothing to show any indication of wrongdoing (at least not by the State Dept. – for me there ARE questions about potential rogue elements at the CIA that were counterparts to the cabal in the FBI’s NYC Field Office & I think Chris Stevens might have been on to their antics) but that last investigation paid off for them because that’s when the whole “Hillary’s emails” thing was “uncovered” and took off.
For years the GOP has a single, and unfortunately memorably catchy buzzword as a rallying cry – BENGHAZI!!!
They loved not just saying it but shouting it. Hell, I had a supervisor at work up in WV (social services no less) who simply couldn’t fathom my having a Veterans For Obama sticker on my car. She was literally incredulous and at least once a week would shout “Benghazi!” at me in what she thought was an ironically “humorous” way.
Poor little things must be beside themselves that they can’t come up with something as catchy as “Benghazi” over their lies & accusations about the origins of the investigation that led to the Mueller report. Hell, they can’t even come up with a “Hillary’s emails” tag line that will stick in people’s minds. Alas, if there’s one thing the conservative message machine has been masterful at for decades it’s coming up with a misleading branding of something boiled down to a single word, or a few words in a catchphrase.
This is why we not only need to get Mueller in front of public hearings as soon as possible, but for him to push back (and forcefully) on the bullshit being slung. That could I think bring McGhan along, since he’s now getting trashed by Trump and he’s still fairly young the only hope to restore his career is to step up John Dean style and bury Trump deep. IF we can see that happen before the GOP comes up with it’s newest version of “Benghazi” or “Hillary’s emails” we can kick their asses.
I have to admit, I’ve gotten in that ‘now now now’ mode, but I settle down and remind myself that we can kick their asses anyway.
There would be something wrong with you if you didn’t get in the now now now mode. We’ve had enough of this bullshit. As I’ve been saying, the damage to the country and its institutions has been bad enough, but the thought of how we’re going to be screwed up in the world really terrifies me. The bottom line of all of this economic upheaval will be an upper class and an under class. We’ve seen a shrinking middle class for some time, and this is where it’s all going. I’m genuinely grateful that I’m older. The direction things are going scares the beejesus out of me.
I remember all that well. Not only BENGHAZI!, which became the GOP Tora Tora Tora, but there was some “news” story about Hillary having a brain tumor or some idiocy — do you remember that? Point being, the ramp up to the insane 2016 campaign began long long before Trump ever secured the nomination.
I have asked the impeach NOW, people what is the plan after impeachment fails. The answer I get most of the time, is that it doesn’t matter.? call me crazy, I thought the whole idea was to get rid of trump, and as many republicans as we can. Angela Marx has a great diary up about this subject. There is much name calling, weak spineless dems, etc. I will never understand why people think castigating Democratic leadership, and people commenting, is a winning strategy. And no, I don’t blindly believe that everything Democrats do and say is spot on, and perfect. We need to stand together, especially right now.
Saw that diary myself, Cmae, which lead me to many of the conclusions I wrote above. If I may be blunt, I’m over those loudmouths’ BS…totally. THEY want to feel better about themselves. I want to win. The alternative scenario that will happen with a second term for Trump demands no less.
It may also be that a lot of them are realizing that they were never the majority that they thought they were within our ranks. Bernie and his bunch come to mind on that front.
There is no point in engaging the people who think this way, you can try and have a respectful conversation, they won’t have it / allow that. Because I disagree on strategy, I am a weak, spineless dem. It is pissing in the wind.
There is no reasoning with the fanatic, no. Their feelings mean more than your logic ever will. I applaud you for having the good sense to walk away from them.
I agree with the idea of a two-fer, Barr has bought his own ticket to the hell-of-ejected BS’r, and all in the National permanent records system, right beside Trump on the has-been the biggest loser list … the circus of impeachment, with all the mechanics set up, should welcome a man with his own history of incompetence and greed ….
The word, “obfuscate”, sounds a little like something crude and dirty, must be, the Republicans can’t let a day go by without, “doing it”,.
I hear that word, I always think of Vampire The Masquerade myself.
You lost me here. This is a movie, song, what?
Roleplaying game.
He wasn’t just an Australian diplomat, he was a former Australian Foreign Minister, the longest serving one they ever had, and at that time the Australian High Commissioner to the UK, (effectively the Australian ‘Ambassador’). Alexander Downer STILL has the highest possible security clearance which tied with the ‘Five Eyes’ security agreement, between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK and USA, meant he had a higher US security clearance than anyone in the incoming Trump administration. THAT is why what he revealed was taken so very seriously by the FBI.