As I mentioned, I was over the pond when this came out, so my original view was through the European lens. But after returning and reading a bit more, the European lens appears to be fairly accurate… this is pretty much a complete exoneration of Trump.
A summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s long-awaited report released on Sunday found the Trump campaign had not conspired with Russia.
However it was inconclusive on whether Mr Trump had obstructed justice.
The Russia allegations had cast a shadow over Mr Trump’s presidency and his chances of re-election in 2020.
Opposition Democrats are demanding full access to Mr Mueller’s report, which was summarised for Congress by Attorney General William Barr.
The report was the culmination of two years of investigation by Mr Mueller which saw some of the president’s closest former aides prosecuted and, in some cases, imprisoned, although not for collusion with Russia.
Since one can’t prove a negative, it makes sense that there are parts of the report that end with, “eh… we can’t say for sure either way!” Bearing in mind that this entire investigation was launched and being run by anti-Trump zealots, if there was even a hint of something being there, they would have trumpeted it.
So now the real question is… why did we spend tens of thousands of hours of labor, millions and millions of dollars, and put the country through this? Why did the FBI even start the investigation on such flimsy probable cause? As soon as the dossier that launched the investigation was discovered to be a partisan fabrication, why didn’t they break off? Was is bureaucratic inertia or something more sinister?
Who polices the police?
Trump was quoted saying that he totally accepts the findings of the rigged witch hunt.
First, they should release the entire report. If it exonerates him, great. Lets let everyone see it and the left can get over it.
Second. The FBI started with G. Papadopoulos, not the Steele dossier. And when all the people around you are lying about their ties to Russia, you don’t make it easy on yourself. (Manafort, Page, & Trump Jr.)
Third. I have said from the beginning that I didn’t think Trump himself had anything to do with “collusion”. But the people around him sure seemed quick to sell and work with whomever was willing to help them. Including Russians. That is the crap that happens when you assemble a group of people that are clueless about campaigns and campaign laws and all looking to make a buck.
Fourth, as you said, you can’t prove a negative. What in the Steele Dossier EXACTLY has been disproven? While I don’t believe some of more salacious claims myself. Some of it was actually proven positive. Steele himself said that he believed only 70-90% of it to be accurate.
And finally. 199 criminal counts came out of the FBI investigations. 37 people charged. I would say that is a job well done.
You cannot release the entire report. You cannot release grand jury testimony. You cannot release false charges against innocent people. You cannot release defaming information about people or lawyer notes.
All the liberal tears on this is curing the drought in California….and it is glorious!
“and it is glorious”.
Manafort, Cohen, Flynn et al would disagree……
So, LeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeRoy, show us the Russian ‘collusion’ on which Manafort, Cohen, and Flynn were convicted.
Go ahead. We’ll wait.
Nord,
When you do stupid things the President does not approve of, and then betray the President, you win stupid prizes.
Manafort’s crap was way before Trump hired him. Trump is only guilty of bad judgment in hiring him.
But yes, to see all the liberal tears the last few days, it is glorious.
Liberals have been insulting us in the Midwest for 2 years…implying we are Russian dupes, pawns of Putin. I am glad we can bury this insane liberal insult to the fine Americans in the Midwest. Liberals just can’t admit, they ran a rigged primary, with a corrupt candidate, who was a piece of total garbage.
When will you liberals start apologizing for all the harm you have done?
Let’s see how the Midwest votes next election .
How did your guys do last year in the statewide offices in Michigan , Wisconsin and Pennsylvania ?
k:
Looks like trump is guilty of a lot a poor hiring decisions, and choosing to keep bad company, like 199 indictments worth….. and counting..
How did they betray the President? By telling the truth? By confessing to wrongdoing? So are you saying it is OK to commit crimes if you remain loyal?
Why limit your ire to the Midwest? Aren’t we a nation of 50 states?
Nort struts: “like 199 indictments worth….. and counting..”
You sure about that, numbnutz? One of your infallible “facts”?
Now would be an ideal time for the new AG to go scorched earth after the dirty cops and partisan intelligence folks that ran a false flag counter intelligence operation against a sitting President of the United States in order to overthrow the outcome of a national election. These people need to be criminally investigated, indicted, and tried in open court. If they can beat the prosecution, so be it, but such extreme partisan behavior by federal employees cannot be excused no matter which party it’s directed against.
mjmumbles:
Yup, per DOJ there are 199 individual indictments, 32 individuals, and 3 companies.
That is a heck of a lot more accurate than, “Niess’s ruling blocked late yesterday by 3rd district court of appeals”.
Oh, now we want everything to be open…
Who’s read the Mueller report at this point?
Mueller’s investigation, while still subject to the confidentiality of the grand jury system, operated under the AG and was answerable before federal judges. The covert counterintelligence operation against Trump abused the secret FISC by knowingly submitting false information to the FISC to obtain warrants that were used to form the basis of the referral originating Mueller’s criminal investigation. Beyond approving applications for covert warrants the FISC has zero oversight concerning those that appear petitioning for warrants. Zero.
The federally employed dirty cops and spooks successfully used and abused a covert domestic counterintelligence operation for political purposes. Some of them have been fired and others slithered away as their patrons left political office, but the full depth of what they’ve done needs to be criminally explored. They can lie to Congress and the press without consequences. Much less so to the FBI and a special prosecutor’s investigators.
What false information? Details, please.
Read the House Intelligence Committee’s 2/2018 memo on fraud before the FISA court. Then follow the written transcripts of testimony given before the committee and the related redacted documents. Much of the documentation and testimony is still being hidden behind security classification, but read what has been released for yourself rather than depending upon media summaries and partisan spin.
This didn’t fall within the scope of Mueller’s investigation, but either the AG or a special prosecutor so tasked can penetrate the classified counterintelligence bullshit with a criminal investigation. Especially if Mueller happened to recommend to the AG pursuit of probable criminality tangential to his own investigation. There can be many reasons why nothing more than a summary of Mueller’s report will be made public with just one of them being possible recommendations for further investigations. There is a mechanism to police the secret police, but it requires dogged action by honest men.
Merlin:
Thanks, I’ll check that out.
Interesting turn of phrase, “dogged action by honest men”. By all accounts, (except trump), Mueller is one of those.
If for no other reason than historical record, the first honest man forward in the soft coup was Admiral Mike Rogers, Director of the NSA, when he personally delivered during President-elect Trump’s first briefing the news that his transition team housed at Trump Tower was the target of ongoing federal electronic surveillance.
Turns out there was a credible basis for Trump’s claim of being “wiretapped”.
After a perusal of the memo, and review of a number of critiques of same, it is safe for me to say that the “factual omissions” of the memo would lead a rational person to question the validity of said memo.
Nord,
What color is the sky in your world?
Still think we are a bunch of Russian dupes in WI?
How arrogant and disgusting.
And reprehensible.
k:
Cloudy today, was sunny yesterday. I don’t know, or care, about weather conditions in your part of the world, as I won’t be traveling there in the near future.
Nor do I care if you consider yourself a dupe. I’m not into passing judgement, nor identity politics. I’ll leave that to you.
However, all the US intelligence agencies state that Russia tried to influence the 2016 election. Even you could look up that information. Whether you read or comprehend it is your choice.