• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Mueller haunts the West Wing

-Plasma Reus-

-Plasma Reus-

Service guarantees member status
Steve Bannon provoked lots of chatter for telling Charlie Rose on "60 Minutes" that President Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey may have been the worst mistake in "modern political history."

What's intriguing is the reason he said it: the belief of some close White House allies that special counsel Bob Mueller, whose appointment was triggered by Comey's ouster, could use events surrounding the firing to make an obstruction of justice case against Trump.

There's a good reason that Vice President Pence has hired a lawyer, Bannon freaked out about the decision, and Mueller plans to interview a slew of current and former West Wing aides: They were with Trump during those frantic days, and know what he was saying and what was on his mind.

White House aides with legal exposure to these events have quickly reached four conclusions, according to conversations with Jonathan Swan and me:

Mueller is burrowing in hard on the obstruction of justice angle.
The "angry, meandering" draft White House justification for firing Comey — which was never released, but obtained by Mueller — could be used as evidence of Trump's unvarnished thinking when venting to staff.
Legal fees, with white-collar attorneys charging $1,000 an hour, get cripplingly expensive pretty quick. Watch for outside legal defense funds to pop up quickly.
The investigation's financial dimensions are worrisome. The focus on Michael Cohen, a Trump lawyer and confidant whose business dealings are intertwined with the president's, has been particularly troubling for those in Trump's close orbit. Cohen dealt with some colorful characters. And when plans for the Trump Tower in Moscow are fully picked apart, other questionable Russian characters may be drawn in.
Republicans close to the White House say every sign by Mueller — from his hiring of Mafia and money-laundering experts to his aggressive pursuit of witnesses and evidence — is that he's going for the kill.
Click to expand...

https://www.axios.com/mueller-haunts-the-west-wing-2484317509.html
 
J

JCHandsom

Member
iu
 
S

Shauni

Member
I hope the big gambit for Muller when he's fired is that a state department like New York or California holds him up to continue the investigation into state level crimes. All this can't be for naught. Even though Trump will never see jail, a lot of people need to
 
P

Poor GRIMES

Banned
Shauni said:
I hope the big gambit for Muller when he's fired is that a state department like New York or California holds him up to continue the investigation into state level crimes. All this can't be for naught. Even though Trump will never see jail, a lot of people need to
Click to expand...

Firing Mueller would be dumber than firing Comey and even worse for Trump. I don't think he will, if he even can.
 
-Plasma Reus-

-Plasma Reus-

Service guarantees member status
Mueller's going for icon level.
What I mean by that is that this investigation, his winning and taking down a sitting President Of The United States is historically vital for the ideals of what America is founded upon. To prove without doubt that the countries systems and procedures are so free and so well established and founded on it's values and principles, that democracy and the American ideal can never be extinguished m
 
B

BrassDragon

Member
Thread title gives me life. But. ..


If this is true, collusion with Russia is just the motivation, not the crime.

It's good that Mueller can build a viable case on the basis of obstruction and finances but to really protect your country going forward, you need to out every last US citizen that's a Russian source, asset or agent of influence.

The world needs to see you can't just tamper with a democracy on this scale and get away scot-free.
 
C

Cow Mengde

Banned
BrassDragon said:
Thread title gives me life. But. ..


If this is true, collusion with Russia is just the motivation, not the crime.

It's good that Mueller can build a viable case on the basis of obstruction and finances but to really protect your country going forward, you need to out every last US citizen that's a Russian source, asset or agent of influence.

The world needs to see you can't just tamper with a democracy on this scale and get away scot-free.
Click to expand...

Yeah, this is what I'm thinking as well. We need to pile on the Russian collusion part as well.
 
S

Squire

Banned
-Plasma Reus- said:
Mueller's going for icon level.
What I mean by that is that this investigation, his winning and taking down a sitting President Of The United States is historically vital for the ideals of what America is founded upon. To prove without doubt that the countries systems and procedures are so free and so well established and founded on it's values and principles, that democracy and the American ideal can never be extinguished m
Click to expand...

Yeeeeaaahhh...

I just hope the narrative doesn't lose sight of the fact a big key to this thing is that Trump is a goddamn moron surrounded by people that aren't much better.
 
P

Paz

Member
BrassDragon said:
Thread title gives me life. But. ..


If this is true, collusion with Russia is just the motivation, not the crime.

It's good that Mueller can build a viable case on the basis of obstruction and finances but to really protect your country going forward, you need to out every last US citizen that's a Russian source, asset or agent of influence.

The world needs to see you can't just tamper with a democracy on this scale and get away scot-free.
Click to expand...

I don't think the world is going to be taking lessons from America about how bad it is to tamper in foreign governance any time soon.
 
J

jdstorm

Banned
BrassDragon said:
Thread title gives me life. But. ..


If this is true, collusion with Russia is just the motivation, not the crime.

It's good that Mueller can build a viable case on the basis of obstruction and finances but to really protect your country going forward, you need to out every last US citizen that's a Russian source, asset or agent of influence.

The world needs to see you can't just tamper with a democracy on this scale and get away scot-free.
Click to expand...

Wtf. Pretty sure your "non crime" is the litteral definition of Treason.
 
B

BrassDragon

Member
Paz said:
I don't think the world is going to be taking lessons from America about how bad it is to tamper in foreign governance any time soon.
Click to expand...

That's a fair and easy counter argument. However, I'm Dutch in 2017 and the same fuckers who helped Trump have tried similar things here, in France and Germany and they will do so again.

So from a purely selfish standpoint, I want these active measures of influence stopped dead before it chokes the life out of the functioning democracies we have left.

jdstorm said:
Wtf. Pretty sure your "non crime" is the litteral definition of Treason.
Click to expand...

I agree completely but everything coming out of the Mueller investigation suggests they're pursuing different crimes... with the big caveat that the counter-espionage side might be shielded with lead-lined concrete and we just don't get leaks from there. However, the talent that Mueller recruited also suggests the focus is on white collar crimes, not clandestine operations.
 
R

Ragnarsson

Member
I don't know much about legal proceedings, so this is basically just a hunch, but I could see an obstruction of justice charge as a "Trojan horse" of sorts to effectively end this administration and facilitate further investigation and charges.
 
G

GameAddict411

Member
To be honest, I don't think Trump will be impeached based on obstruction on justice alone. The Russian issue is more important, and will make a bigger impact if they prove the connection. The GOP senators won't be able to vote against impeachment based on treason.
 
B

BrassDragon

Member
It's generally accepted that Trump firing Mueller would be disastrous/apocalyptic/political suicide etc. But I have to ask: really?

From what I understand. the dire consequences of such a move are entirely up to Congress and the will of the representatives residing there. These are the same people who shrug at blatant cronyism, abuse of the emoluments clause, support for white supremacy and terrorism, nuclear brinkmanship, neglect of basic presidential duties and a dozen other things that would get a president impeached in a normal universe.

Maybe I'm just getting cynical after almost a year of baffling developments but if this doom scenario hinges on the moral courage of Congress, it's hard to be optimistic.
 
S

Shauni

Member
GameAddict411 said:
To be honest, I don't think Trump will be impeached based on obstruction on justice alone. The Russian issue is more important, and will make a bigger impact if they prove the connection. The GOP senators won't be able to vote against impeachment based on treason.
Click to expand...

You're putting way too much faith into the GOP
 
SolVanderlyn

SolVanderlyn

Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
$1000 an hour... damn.
 
S

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
Grug said:
I bet Trump and Bannon cheer for Johnny Lawrence. Would tear them up to see that Aryan posterboy, trust-fund baby get his arse handed to him by that working class kid from Reseda with the ethnic sounding name.
Click to expand...

The wop kid from the ((((Miyagi dojo?))))
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Bobby Kotick, former CEO of Activision, Interested in Buying Tik-Tok
2 3
143
8K
Gameplay Gods Bless replied
Trump Ordered Mueller Fired, but Backed Off When White House Counsel Threatened to Quit [NYT]
40
4K
rokkerkory replied
So looks like Mueller is about to wrap things up?
2 3
117
11K
infinitys_7th replied
President's lawyers may offer Mueller a meeting with Trump
2 3 4
162
20K
HP_Wuvcraft replied
Mueller Is Said to Be in Talks With White House About Interviewing Officials
19
6K
SodiumBenzoate replied
Top Bottom