Bill Of Impeachment: Article I, Obstruction Of Justice

[Guinevere]

As the youngest, most pampered, and the one with the young family, Kushner definitely has the most to lose here (of the Trumpanzees, not including the so-called president). He may also have one of the broadest views of everything that went down. I would definitely be working him hard to flip. On the other hand, his Daddy went to jail and seemed to survive OK. I wonder how that fits into his psyche.

[Darren]

As the youngest, most pampered, and the one with the young family, Kushner definitely has the most to lose here (of the Trumpanzees, not including the so-called president). He may also have one of the broadest views of everything that went down. I would definitely be working him hard to flip. On the other hand, his Daddy went to jail and seemed to survive OK. I wonder how that fits into his psyche.

I wouldn't mind seeing Kushner on the hot seat. I wouldn't mind seeing Sessions out of there either.

We're getting a better view of Russian involvement from the DNC email hacking to the attempts via Manafort. I'm curious whether the "gift" proposed by Manafort to Trump was the DNC and Podesta emails or the earlier stuff from Guccifer. The larger question is why would the Russians want to damage Clinton's election chances? Did the Russians know about the DNC bias against Sanders? Or was it an attempt to cash out an hacking investment by selling stuff to Trump? Was this a sanctioned Russian government operation or was it freelancers?

What if Trump knew about the DNC shenanigans and had revealed that during campaign?

[RayThom]

But wait... there's more:

Lord Dampnut may soon try to fire Mueller using the excuse that he was following the real estate money when he should only be investigating the Russian connection. How convenient -- two birds with one stone.

Trump’s lawyers don’t think Mueller should be allowed to examine POTUS’ finances
https://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/350864 ... -finances/

[Darren]

But wait... there's more:

Lord Dampnut may soon try to fire Mueller using the excuse that he was following the real estate money when he should only be investigating the Russian connection. How convenient -- two birds with one stone.

Trump’s lawyers don’t think Mueller should be allowed to examine POTUS’ finances
https://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/350864 ... -finances/

Geez, If the IRS hasn't found anything, Mueller would have to hire a small army to audit Trump's taxes. I've looked at major non-profit filings that run close to a thousand pages. The IRS keeps dedicated staff for specific corporations due to the complexity and massiveness of the filings. The same staff looks at the same corporation year after year. Mueller would have to find lawyers most likely tax attorneys with a CPA to have any chance of finding anything before the next election. Fat chance of that happening.

Sessions on the other hand is the route to disrupting the long-standing Comey-Mueller brotherhood. There's no good reason to fire Mueller. It looks like Trump is laying the groundwork to AMF Sessions. I'm thinking Giuliani would happily take the job of AG. Giuliani would be thrilled to appoint a special prosecutor as requested by Congress. Sessions ... not going to happen.

[RayThom]

... Mueller would have to find lawyers most likely tax attorneys with a CPA to have any chance of finding anything before the next election. Fat chance of that happening...

I'll borrow Drumpf's tired, sixth grade, retort to answer this, "You never know what will happen -- we'll see."

[Darren]

... Mueller would have to find lawyers most likely tax attorneys with a CPA to have any chance of finding anything before the next election. Fat chance of that happening...

I'll borrow Drumpf's tired, sixth grade, retort to answer this, "You never know what will happen -- we'll see."

That's exactly right, Ray. Who wants to bet that Sessions will leave before Mueller?

[Lord Jim]

This is from an article that Guin posted earlier in this thread written by David Gerrold:

There is a theory, occasionally tested, that no government can survive if 20% of the population is committed to resistance. We've seen how the fright wing has created 20% that no longer believes in the Constitution. Now it's time for the rest of us to create a reality in which that 20% does not get to outvote the rest of us.

I have been making an effort to try and determine what the rock-bottom hardcore Trumpanzee number is...

The people who don't really care about anything he accomplishes or doesn't accomplish, just the fact that he rails against those that they hate and/or fear, and the people who delight in the chaos he creates...

The people who really would still vote for him if he shot somebody in the middle of 5th Ave.; the people who wouldn't blink an eye if he shut down CNN and the other independent press, dissolved the Congress and ruled by decree...

The political nihists who have basically given up on The American Experiment as a concept, and who embrace Trump not despite all his many flaws and short comings, but because of them...

The people who are already convinced that America is going down the toilet, so they're happy to have a leader who will flush the handle...

This is a very different group from those who voted for Trump because they loathed Hillary more, or the ones who bought his snake oil about his being a "successful businessman" who would somehow use these supposed skills to improve their lives...

Those in the latter groups have been gradually falling away from Trump, and can be expected to continue to do so since unlike the other group, they actually care about results and disliked Trump's toxic comportment.

The way I've tried to get the hardcore Trumpanzee number (the political nihlists who support him because of his destructive impact on American politics) is to not look at his overall job approval rating, (which bounces between the low and mid 30s depending on what kind of a week its been for him...A range that has steadily been trending down since he took office) but to drill down to some underlying poll numbers...

First, I look at the percentage that say they "strongly approve" of Trump's performance as President...

And then I also look at the percentage that give completely whacked-out delusional answers to secondary questions asked about Trump...

Like the percentage saying that they are "proud" of his conduct, or say that they believe he is "unifying" the country...

And the numbers I consistently have seen over at least the past four or five months in those categories (either "strongly support" or irrationally supportive answers to other questions about Trump) range between the high teens and the low twenties...

So the 20% that Gerrold posits in his article seems to match pretty well as an average with my own findings...

While it's obviously very depressing to see the number of people in our society who have abandoned support for our Constitutional checks and balances system of government (there will always be such people, but it would be much healthier for our Republic if that number were in single digits...where it has probably been throughout most of our history) I believe that we can and will get through this...

Even with 20% willing to stand with a lawless autocrat no matter what, our system, as frayed as it has become, still possesses the resilience and sufficient institutional support and strength (in the courts, in the Congress, in the press) to thwart him...

[Big RR]

I agree Jim. I would imagine in the 60s, between the antiwar and the civil rights movements, that the number committed to resistance would have been at least 20%, and we survived. Then again, those in resistance did see some improvements--the passage of the civil rights acts, the end of the war, even the bringing down of a president who loved to use his surrogate jerk (Agnew) to attack them and did so himself on occasion; somehow I don't see that happening here, so who knows where we're headed. Thoe in the 60s didn't (except for a small fringe) try to tear the system down because they saw some bright spots--will the rabid Trump supporters see the same?

I personally think it's far more likely that a significant percentage of these will see the man for the jerk he is; the difference here is that the 60s split was based on ideology and ideas, this seems based far more on an unwavering belief in a single person who is usually his own worst enemy. Some will support him no matter what, but I have more faith in people than that.

[Lord Jim]

Saw this today on Morning Joe:

The Definitive Timeline of the Trump-Russia Connections

Morning Joe takes a deep dive into the Trump-Russia timeline, starting in September 2015, with discussions about a Trump tower project in Moscow. Duration: 14:16

http://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/ ... 0719171804

The first half is available on YouTube; for some reason the second half isn't. It's worth watching in its entirety; (it's only 14 minutes long, but it really helps to provide a context...)

[Burning Petard]

"If the IRS has not found anything. . . . " The IRS is not looking. The IRS does not care if you are a contract killer, a seller of home-photographed child porn or anything else. The IRS' only concern is did you report all your income and did you pay all the tax that is due.

snailgate

[Lord Jim]

While the Deflector-In-Chief was busy tossing out his shiny objects this week...

The wheels kept a grindin' and the clock kept a tickin':

A Split From Trump Indicates That Flynn Is Moving to Cooperate With Mueller

WASHINGTON — Lawyers for Michael T. Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser, notified the president’s legal team in recent days that they could no longer discuss the special counsel’s investigation, according to four people involved in the case — an indication that Mr. Flynn is cooperating with prosecutors or negotiating a deal.

Mr. Flynn’s lawyers had been sharing information with Mr. Trump’s lawyers about the investigation by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, who is examining whether anyone around Mr. Trump was involved in Russian efforts to undermine Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

That agreement has been terminated, the four people said. Defense lawyers frequently share information during investigations, but they must stop when doing so would pose a conflict of interest. It is unethical for lawyers to work together when one client is cooperating with prosecutors and another is still under investigation.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/23/us/p ... trump.html


ETA:

And another fine bit of reporting this week from those good folks at Vanity Fair:

As the F.B.I. Closes In, Trump’s Lawyers Are Scrambling to Keep Him Calm

The White House is projecting optimism that the investigation will soon conclude, but experts think it’s “just getting started.”

With Donald Trump predisposed to self-sabotage in what may ultimately become an obstruction of justice case, the president’s lawyers have assured him that he has nothing to fear from Robert Mueller. It’s a tricky balancing act, given Trump’s past history of criticism for the special counsel. The president’s natural impulse for obstructive, combative behavior is also, in this case, a potential legal risk.

So while F.B.I. investigators appear to have zeroed in on critical events that transpired before and after the real-estate mogul’s unexpected victory last fall, including Jeff Sessions’s recusal and the ouster of James Comey, Trump’s lawyers are taking pains to project calm, telling the president that he has nothing to fear and that the investigation, which some posit is just getting started, will wind down soon.

“The people who have been interviewed generally feel they were treated fairly by the special counsel, and adequately prepared to assist them in understanding the relevant material,” White House lawyer Ty Cobb, who has urged the president to cooperate with Mueller and his team, told The Washington Post. “They came back feeling relieved that it was over, but nobody I know of was shaken or scared.”

Cobb added that the idea that Mueller was looking beyond the election into Trump’s personal finances and business dealings—something Trump has said would be “out of bounds”—was incorrect.[ Something Cobb would have no way of knowing from talking with White House staffers, since those aren't the people who be expected to have any knowledge in those areas, and thus wouldn't be questioned about them. The experts in international finance crime Mueller has brought on to his team strongly suggests otherwise. ]

One of the goals of this effort, it appears, is to prevent Trump from flying into a rage and firing Mueller, as several of his allies have suggested he do if it appears Mueller is expanding the scope of his investigation into the president’s finances. “I’ve done my best, without overstepping, to share my view that the perception of the inquiry—that it involved a decade or more of financial transactions and other alleged issues that were mistakenly reported—just wasn’t true, and that the issues were narrower and wholly consistent with the mandate provided by the Justice Department to the Office of the Special Counsel,” he said, adding that he believes the investigation will be wrapped up by the end of the year, or shortly thereafter. As for further revelations regarding foreign contacts that are reportedly on the horizon, Cobb said he does not expect them to “unduly extend the inquiry.”

One White House official expressed similar confidence to Axios, telling Mike Allen, “The only people focused on or consumed by this are the press. The White House staff are working to carry out the president's agenda on behalf of the American people.” And according to the Post, “many aides describe an atmosphere of relative calm against the backdrop of the investigation, with staffers mindful but not necessarily worried about the probe.” Some have turned to gallows humor: “When the staff gather in the morning at the White House now, they jokingly say: ‘Good morning. Are you wired?’ ” one source close to the administration told the Post.

But that optimism is not universal. And while Trump’s lawyers and spokespeople had previously said they believe the investigation will be over by Thanksgiving, that timeframe was probably always fantastical. Allen notes, “I’m told that Mueller's team is rooting around inside Trumpworld more deeply than is publicly known. Outside West Wing advisers tell me that may create a showdown.” One G.O.P. operative in close contact with the Trump White House characterized Mueller’s approach as “working through the staff like Pac-Man” and dismissed the idea that Trumpworld is undaunted.

“Of course they are worried,” the Republican said. “Anybody that ever had the words ‘Russia’ come out of their lips or in an e-mail, they’re going to get talked to. These things are thorough and deep. It’s going to be a long winter.”

One source told the Post that Mueller is executing a “a classic Gambino-style roll-up” that “will reach everyone in this administration.” It is telling that the first indictment Mueller secured was against the lower-level Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty this summer to lying to the F.B.I. The documents in his case were only unsealed in early October, months after it appears he turned state’s witness.

In the weeks since issuing indictments against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy and longtime business associate Rick Gates, Mueller has proceeded at an aggressive clip, interviewing a growing pool of individuals previously counted among the president’s inner circle, including former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and erstwhile Press Secretary Sean Spicer.

The former F.B.I. director plans to sit down with Trump’s communications director and close confidant Hope Hicks and White House general counsel Donald McGahn in the coming weeks, and on Monday, citing a source familiar with the matter, ABC News reported that Mueller recently issued a subpoena directing the Justice Department to produce a wide array of documents related to attorney general Jeff Sessions’s decision to recuse himself from the Russia probe, as well as Comey’s firing, for which he and Rosenstein both issued controversial recommendations.

Former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn, too, remains in Mueller’s crosshairs; both his lobbying work for the Turkish government—for which he belatedly registered as a foreign agent—and his Russian contacts are reportedly of interest to the special counsel. Earlier this month—citing multiple sources—NBC News reported that Mueller’s team has enough evidence to indict Flynn and his son, Michael Flynn Jr.

With the Post reporting that at least nine Trump associates had contacts with Russians during the campaign or transition, legal experts have disputed Cobb’s estimation that Mueller’s investigation is mere months away from its conclusion. “I don’t think there’s any reason to believe this is almost over,” Randall Eliason, a former federal prosecutor who now teaches law at George Washington University, told the Post. “Based not just on what we’ve seen but also what we know about white-collar investigations generally, this seems to me like it is just getting started.”

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/11 ... ler-russia

[ex-khobar Andy]

You have to laugh. I went to Fox News to see how they are handling this story. In blaring size XXXL font we have:

FOX NEWS FIRST: Flynn's lawyers have reportedly cut ties with White House amid Mueller's probe.

Looks like you scooped Fox again, LJ.

I am treating this news as my Black Friday early Christmas present. Now I don't have to go to the mall.

[Lord Jim]

I have long believed that Trump has been far more concerned about what Flynn might bring to the Special Counsel's table (regarding his personal knowledge and involvement, and/or that of Jared or Junior) than he has been about Manafort...

My belief has been based on the enormous difference between the way he has dealt with the two men...

When Manafort's problems became public during the campaign, he was dismissed within a few days and since then Trump has had nothing much to say about him. He hasn't publicly dumped on him, but he hasn't defended him either. His spokes minions have also kept Manafort at arms length, emphasizing that he isn't (yet) in legal trouble for anything related to the campaign...

Compare that with his treatment of Flynn:

When Trump was informed by the then Deputy AG that Flynn had lied both to the public and the Vice President about his contacts with Russian officials, Trump did nothing for nearly two weeks, and presumably would never have taken any action if the Washington Post hadn't broken the story...

Then when he finally let Flynn go as National Security Advisor, he heaped praise on him and blamed the media and "leakers" for having to let him go; not one word about what Flynn had actually done.

And then later, he took the extraordinarily reckless step of ordering the AG and the VP out of the room so he could make a private personal appeal to the FBI Director in an attempt to obstruct justice on Flynn's behalf by pressing the director to drop the bureau's investigation into Flynn...

And ever since, any time he has spoken about Flynn he has been effusive in his praise for him...

That's the behavior of a person who is really trying to keep somebody from turning on them...

[Lord Jim]

Here's a big tick tock:

Michael Flynn Expected to Plead Guilty to Lying to the F.B.I.

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, is expected to plead guilty on Friday to lying to the F.B.I. about two conversations with the Russian ambassador last December during the presidential transition.

The charges were the latest indication that Mr. Flynn was cooperating with the investigation by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. Mr. Flynn was scheduled to appear in federal court in Washington at 10:30 on Friday morning.

A plea deal with Mr. Flynn brings Mr. Mueller’s investigation into Mr. Trump’s inner circle. A plea agreement suggests that Mr. Flynn provided information to prosecutors, which may help advance the inquiry.

Mr. Flynn’s lawyers recently told the president’s legal team that they could no longer discuss the special counsel’s investigation as they had been — a sign that Mr. Flynn had decided to cooperate with the prosecution.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/01/us/p ... ation.html

ETA:

This explains why Trump has been flooding the zone all week with a flurry of diversion stories; the Pocahontas bruhaha. reviving the "birther" BS, suddenly denying the authenticity of the Access Hollywood tape, (after admitting to it on national television), the disgusting Muslim video re-tweet, rumors about Tillerson being forced out...

This also rips away the Trump Minion line of defense about the charges not being related to the campaign or the Administration, (Manafort) or that the person involved is just some low level "coffee fetcher" (Papadapolous)

Also given his (and his son's) huge legal exposure (especially with their involvement with Turkey) the fact that he's being allowed to plead down to a single charge of lying to the FBI suggests to me that Flipper Flynn must have something of real value to bring to Mr. Mueller's table...

[Lord Jim]

Read Michael Flynn's statement about his guilty plea

Former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty Friday to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia's ambassador.

Below is his statement on the matter:

After over 33 years of military service to our country, including nearly five years in combat away from my family, and then my decision to continue to serve the United States, it has been extraordinarily painful to endure these many months of false accusations of "treason" and other outrageous acts. Such false accusations are contrary to everything I have ever done and stood for. But I recognize that the actions I acknowledged in court today were wrong, and, through my faith in God, I am working to set things right. My guilty plea and agreement to cooperate with the Special Counsel's Office reflect a decision I made in the best interests of my family and of our country. I accept full responsibility for my actions.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/pol ... 913350001/

[Lord Jim]

Jared Kushner is the 'very senior' Trump official who directed Flynn to contact foreign officials: NBC

President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is the "very senior" official who directed former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn to contact foreign government officials over a UN resolution condemning Israel, NBC News reported on Friday, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/01/jared-k ... n-nbc.html

The noose is tightening...

[Econoline]

[BoSoxGal]

[Econoline]

[Lord Jim]

With defense lawyers like this, who needs prosecutors?:

Trump's lawyer says he was behind President's tweet about firing Flynn

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, John Dowd, told CNN on Sunday that he wrote a tweet for the @realDonaldTrump Twitter account about the firing of former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn.

"I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI," the Saturday tweet reads. "He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!"

Dowd said he drafted the tweet and believes White House social media director Dan Scavino posted it online. He declined to answer additional questions about whether Trump reviewed the tweet before it was poste

"The tweet was a paraphrase of Ty Cobb's statement yesterday," Dowd told CNN. "I refer you to (former FBI Director James) Comey's testimony before Congress about FBI view of Flynn's answers."

However, Cobb's statement on Friday does not say anything about Flynn's lies to the FBI being a factor in his firing.

Pressed about whether the tweet signaled Trump knew Flynn had lied to the FBI before firing him, Dowd rejected the assessment.

"At the time of the firing no one including Justice had accused Flynn of lying," Dowd told CNN. "Yates had reported he told the (agents) the same things he told VP. He was not accused of lying until last week."

In May, former acting Attorney General Sally Yates told a congressional panel that she had a meeting with White House counsel Donald McGahn on January 26 to tell him that she had information that statements by Vice President Mike Pence, based on his conversations with Flynn, were false. She was joined in the meeting by a senior career official in the Justice Department.

"We weren't the only ones that knew all of this, that the Russians also knew about what General Flynn had done and the Russians also knew that General Flynn had misled the vice president and others," Yates said, relating the contents of her conversation with McGahn.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/03/politics/ ... index.html