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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

Kaiseror Since: Jul, 2016
#281776: May 29th 2019 at 12:19:30 PM

Wait, Muller is resigning!? Fuck! Who's replacing him?

ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#281777: May 29th 2019 at 12:23:25 PM

[up]

I think the resignation is more along the lines of "The investigation is wrapped up - it's on Congress to decide what to do from here."

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#281778: May 29th 2019 at 12:25:57 PM

That is correct. He handed them a report that says IMPEACH in giant letters. He’s decided his work is done.

3of4 Just a harmless giant from a foreign land. from Five Seconds in the Future. Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: GAR for Archer
Just a harmless giant from a foreign land.
#281779: May 29th 2019 at 12:28:05 PM

There's also the fact that just because he said he's not volunteering to appear before congress, something tells me he wouldn't ignore a subpoena like others have.

"You can reply to this Message!"
Oruka Since: Dec, 2018
#281780: May 29th 2019 at 12:33:37 PM

Well, no, of course he wouldn't. He's an institutionalist who's Loyal to the Position. He'll obey the Law. He's just saying it's a waste of everyone's time.

Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#281781: May 29th 2019 at 12:35:36 PM

> That is correct. He handed them a report that says IMPEACH in giant letters. He’s decided his work is done.

More actually the lettering actually read as "Congress DECIDES for I am done"

Edited by Ultimatum on May 29th 2019 at 7:35:50 PM

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
Euodiachloris Since: Oct, 2010
#281782: May 29th 2019 at 12:35:52 PM

[up][up][up]Yup. He basically embossed his request to be considered for an invite to a fine subpoena party at Congress' leasure.

Edited by Euodiachloris on May 29th 2019 at 8:36:36 PM

AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#281783: May 29th 2019 at 12:49:15 PM

Of course he's resigning; he was pulled out of retirement for this one, specific job. This one investigation can't just go on now that he's submitted his report to his bosses. Now it's up to Congress to actually do something with that information. Be it impeachment or more investigations or whatever. (At least I think he was in retirement.)

ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#281784: May 29th 2019 at 12:49:48 PM

[up][up]

That wasn't what I got from it - it was basically "The report is precisely what I'd relate to Congress, so trying to get me to testify would just waste everyone's time, since 400 pages of my testimony has already been submitted."

Edited by ironballs16 on May 29th 2019 at 3:49:59 PM

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
Oruka Since: Dec, 2018
#281785: May 29th 2019 at 12:56:20 PM

Exactly.

[down]Oh! I forgot about that part!

Edited by Oruka on May 29th 2019 at 1:27:22 AM

Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#281786: May 29th 2019 at 1:12:17 PM

Except congress doesn’t have the full report, so they’ve got solid grounds to subpoena him and ask him to tell them everything that was redacted.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#281787: May 29th 2019 at 1:31:53 PM

Probably, though that said I'm unclear on whether or not the story referenced means the House won't be getting the documents it's asking for

A link to the actual story: https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/25/politics/trump-house-committee-agreement-stay-subpoena/

So, if I'm reading the two stories correctly (by two, I mean the earlier one this article links to), the agreement is actually nothing more than signing off what the second judge ruled when rejecting Trump's claim. That means that Trump's team has a week to find a way out of this. If they can't, they have to comply. Compliance means the subpoena is stayed until the end of July (presumably because, if they're complying with the court ruling, the subpoena isn't necessary).

Does this mean that if they're still not complying by the end of July, they're both in contempt of court and getting slapped with the subpoenas?

Wait, Muller is resigning!? Fuck! Who's replacing him?

We already knew he would be (we just didn't know when). He was only hired for one specific job (the special investigation). Now it's ended, his job is over.

Well, no, of course he wouldn't. He's an institutionalist who's Loyal to the Position. He'll obey the Law. He's just saying it's a waste of everyone's time.

That's not quite true. Barr has still left some of the report redacted. Mueller's saying that he won't say anything extra to what he's reported. So, the question is: can Congress get around the redactions by summoning Mueller to discuss the content of his report... redactions included?

Plus, if Barr or Trump's team is trying to spin any phrases, Congress can ask Mueller for clarification. That's not giving extra information, that's just explaining what the report says. Congress will probably regard it as worth their time to be able to trot out 'the man himself said this means...' if Trump's team are trying to spin content.

Don't dismiss the value of having the person who wrote the report answering a Q&A on that content. Savvy political operators will be able to use it.

Edited by Wyldchyld on May 29th 2019 at 9:43:15 AM

If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#281788: May 29th 2019 at 1:42:19 PM

I know I am late (yeah, well, the European elections hold all my attention last week) but I just stumbled over the segment Warren and AOC made about Sears. I mean...WTF????? How is that legal? Or at least how can someone get away with this?

TerminusEst from the Land of Winter and Stars Since: Feb, 2010
#281789: May 29th 2019 at 1:44:21 PM

Trump Demotes DNI to Empower AG Barr

President Trump issued a memorandum last week that transfers to the Attorney General the authority of the Director of National Intelligence to declassify intelligence information concerning the 2016 election.

The memorandum effectively amends Executive Order 13526 on classification on national security information, but in a highly customized way: It applies only to Attorney General William Barr (not any successors) and only to the investigation of the 2016 presidential campaigns. The memorandum was published in the Federal Register today.

Even so, the move represents a functional demotion of the Director of National Intelligence and a partial transfer of his authority to the Attorney General.

Executive Order 13526 gave sweeping authority over declassification of intelligence information to the DNI, who was authorized to “declassify, downgrade, or direct the declassification or downgrading of information or intelligence relating to intelligence sources, methods, or activities.” (sect. 3.1c)

The new presidential memorandum adopts the same language but modifies the provision to state that it is Attorney General Barr who may now “declassify, downgrade, or direct the declassification or downgrading of information or intelligence that relates to the Attorney General’s review.”

Edited by TerminusEst on May 29th 2019 at 1:45:46 AM

Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#281791: May 29th 2019 at 3:56:08 PM

https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/05/29/day-860/

    Day 860: Not an option 
1/ Robert Mueller declined to clear Trump of obstruction of justice and suggested that only Congress can "formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing" in his first public remarks about his two-year-long investigation of Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election. The special counsel noted that "charging the president with a crime was […] not an option we could consider," because Justice Department policy prohibits the indictment of a sitting president. Mueller emphasized that if his office "had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so." Mueller concluded his remarks by reiterating his report's conclusion that "There were multiple, systematic efforts to interfere in our election. And that allegation deserves the attention of every American." (Washington Post / New York Times / ABC News / Associated Press / CNN / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / NPR)

https://www.npr.org/2019/05/29/727847695/special-counsel-mueller-to-deliver-statement-on-russia-investigation

Read the transcript of Mueller's statement. (NPR / Politico)

https://www.npr.org/2019/05/29/727889232/read-special-counsel-robert-muellers-full-statement?utm_campaign=npr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_term=nprnews

What the Mueller report actually said: "The Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in sweeping and systematic fashion," Mueller wrote. This help "favored presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and disparaged presidential candidate Hillary Clinton." The Trump campaign "expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts," and it "welcomed" this help. Today, Mueller said "We chose those words carefully, and the work speaks for itself." (The Atlantic)

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/05/mueller/590467/

📌 Day 819: Attorney General William Barr repeatedly insisted that Robert Mueller "found no evidence" that the Trump campaign conspired with Russia to interfere in the 2016 presidential election and that Russian efforts to interfere "did not have the cooperation of President Trump or the Trump campaign." Barr also claimed Mueller's report did not find "collusion" between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. Further, Barr said that even if the Trump campaign had colluded with Wiki Leaks, that was not a crime. Mueller identified "numerous" Trump campaign-Russia contacts, but the report says there was "insufficient evidence" to establish a criminal conspiracy between Trump or his campaign aides and their contacts with Russians. The report outlines how Trump was elected with Russia's help and when a federal inquiry was started to investigate the effort, Trump took multiple steps to stop or undermine it. Barr said Mueller examined 10 "episodes" where Trump may have obstructed justice, but that he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein "disagreed with some of the special counsel's legal theories and felt that some of the episodes did not amount to obstruction." According to Barr, Trump acted out of "noncorrupt motives" because he was frustrated by Mueller's investigation, as well as media coverage that he felt was hurting his administration. (Washington Post / New York Times / Politico / NBC News / CNN / The Guardian / Bloomberg)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/18/politics/mueller-report-release/index.html

📌 Day 837: More than 370 former federal prosecutors asserted that Trump would have been charged with obstruction of justice if he was not president. Robert Mueller declined to exonerate Trump in his report, citing a Justice Department legal opinion that a sitting president cannot be indicted. The former career government employees who worked in Republican and Democratic administrations signed on to a statement saying, "Each of us believes that the conduct of President Trump described in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report would, in the case of any other person not covered by the Office of Legal Counsel policy against indicting a sitting President, result in multiple felony charges for obstruction of justice." (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-would-have-been-charged-with-obstruction-were-he-not-president-hundreds-of-former-federal-prosecutors-assert/2019/05/06/e4946a1a-7006-11e9-9f06-5fc2ee80027a_story.html

2/ Trump responded to Mueller's statement: "The case is closed!" Trump's tweet that "nothing changes from the Mueller Report" came minutes after Mueller reiterated his position that "if we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so." Sarah Huckabee Sanders added that despite longstanding Justice Department policy barring the prosecution of a sitting president for a federal crime, Mueller's "report was clear — there was no collusion, no conspiracy — and the Department of Justice confirmed there was no obstruction." She added that the administration was "prepared" for an impeachment fight. (CNBC)

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/29/trump-responds-to-robert-muellers-statement-the-case-is-closed.html

3/ At least 10 Democratic presidential candidates have now endorsed impeachment proceedings against Trump following Mueller's news conference. Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Seth Moulton, Eric Swalwell, Julián Castro, Beto O’Rourke, and Wayne Messam all support impeachment proceedings. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, however, held firm on her belief that impeaching Trump isn't a worthwhile effort without uncovering new evidence "to make such a compelling case, such an ironclad case, that even the Republican Senate — which at the time seems to be not an objective jury — will be convinced of the path that we have to take as a country." (Politico / Washington Post / New York Times)

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/29/mueller-statement-emboldens-dems-on-impeachment-1346513

Mueller's message to Pelosi is that it is the constitutional duty of Congress to begin an investigation and consider impeaching Trump. Mueller's statement today underscored the special counsel's office "was bound" by department policy not to indict the president—or even accuse him. (Slate)

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/05/robert-mueller-to-nancy-pelosi-begin-impeachment-proceedings.html

4/ Mueller resigned from the Department of Justice to "return to private life" and is "formally closing the special counsel's office" now that the "investigation is complete." He said he hoped this would be his last public comment on the subject and suggested that if he were compelled to testify before Congress, he would not speak "beyond what is already public" in his 448-page report because "the report is my testimony." Mueller added: "I am making that decision myself. Nobody has told me whether I can or should testify or speak further about this matter." (Politico / Daily Beast / NPR / NBC News / CNBC)

https://www.npr.org/2019/05/29/582724398/special-counsel-robert-mueller-steps-down-after-leading-russia-inquiry

Andrew Miller will testify Friday before Mueller's grand jury. The former aide to Roger Stone agreed to testify after fighting a subpoena for 10 months. He faced jail time for contempt if he continued to refuse to testify. (Washington Post / ABC News)

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/roger-stone-aide-agrees-testify-grand-jury-63349732

The Justice Department agreed to make Mueller investigation-related court activity public. While unsealing the records will not reveal the details of the filings, but instead provide an overview of how, when and for what Mueller was going to the federal court to gather evidence. (CNN)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/28/politics/mueller-court-activity-public/index.html

    Notables 
Mitch Mc Connell would try to fill an opening on the Supreme Court if there were a vacancy next year. In contrast, Mc Connell refused to confirm Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland, after the death of Antonin Scalia during the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election. Mc Connell claimed that voters had a right to decide whether a Democrat or Republican should fill the open seat on the Court. When asked what his position would be when it came to filling a potentially vacant seat next year, however, Mc Connell smiled and said: "Oh, we'd fill it." (Washington Post / CNN / New York Times / Politico / NPR / NBC News)

https://www.npr.org/2019/05/29/727842244/mcconnell-would-fill-potential-supreme-court-vacancy-in-2020-reversal-of-2016-st

U.S. intelligence said Russia is secretly conducting low-yield nuclear tests to upgrade its nuclear arsenal and has failed to observe its commitments to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. (Wall Street Journal)

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-says-russia-likely-conducting-low-yield-nuke-tests-defying-test-ban-treaty-11559135102

The Pentagon hasn't held an on-camera press briefing with any department spokesperson in a year. "We're talking about some sort of strike on another country and nobody knows why," said one Pentagon reporter. A spokesperson for the Defense Department pushed back against the claim, saying, "It depends what your definition of a briefing is." (Politico)

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/29/pentagon-press-briefing-iran-1346093

The director of the HHS refugee office will leave the Trump administration next week. Scott Lloyd ran the refugee office for most of 2017 and 2018 as HHS was taking custody of thousands of migrant children separated from their families. (Politico)

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/29/scott-lloyd-leaves-hhs-1346421

The vast majority of money from Trump's bailout for farmers will likely to go to the largest farms – not the small mom-and-pop farms. Farms with annual revenues of several million dollars are likely to see the most bailout money, which are already major beneficiaries of federal crop support programs. Findings from the Environmental Working Group suggest that "the biggest payments will go to the wealthiest farmers, who need them the least." (Los Angeles Times)

https://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-trump-farm-bailout-20190528-story.html

Trump's tax cuts have had "a relatively small (if any) first-year effect on the economy" and they are failing to pay for themselves, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. Despite claims that the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act would add "rocket fuel" to the U.S. economy, the CRS found the law was mostly beneficial to investors. Wages are only growing at 2 percent, companies are seeing a bigger increase in earnings than employees, and "ordinary workers had very little growth in wage rates." (The Independent / Washington Post / Congressional Research Service)

https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/20190522_R45736_8a1214e903ee2b719e00731791d60f26d75d35f4.pdf

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#281792: May 29th 2019 at 8:14:12 PM

Taking the Senate in 2012 won't be enough - we need a supermajority, which isn't happening.

No, what needs to happen is that the President needs to stop being President, at which point the good people from the FBI who he has systematically insulted over the duration of his term can have a word with him.

tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Professional Forum Ninja
#281793: May 29th 2019 at 8:28:17 PM

[up] Did we go 7 years in the past?

Disney CEO Bob Iger: It's be "very difficult" to keep filming in Georgia if abortion law goes into effect.

This along with Netflix's threat should hopefully put the damper on the abortion bill. Hopefully.

Edited by tclittle on May 29th 2019 at 10:31:09 AM

"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#281794: May 29th 2019 at 8:39:12 PM

What did Netflix say?

i'm tired, my friend
tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Professional Forum Ninja
#281795: May 29th 2019 at 8:59:16 PM

[up]

The only company to respond to Variety’s inquiries was Netflix. “We have many women working on productions in Georgia, whose rights, along with millions of others, will be severely restricted by this law,” Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, said in an exclusive statement. “It’s why we will work with the ACLU and others to fight it in court. Given the legislation has not yet been implemented, we’ll continue to film there, while also supporting partners and artists who choose not to. Should it ever come into effect, we’d rethink our entire investment in Georgia.”

https://variety.com/2019/film/features/abortion-laws-hollywood-studios-netflix-1203225843/

"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#281796: May 29th 2019 at 9:04:09 PM

[up]Ah. Given that, plus Disney's response, the question of Georgia's GOP deciding it's not worth it to continue pushing the ban if it means losing however much money they both put into the state is a good question to ask. It doesn't really mean much when average people fight with their wallets. When it's billion-dollar companies, on the other hand...

i'm tired, my friend
LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#281797: May 29th 2019 at 9:07:32 PM

Film is a not insignificant source of jobs in Georgia.

These are pretty serious threats

Oh really when?
Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
#281799: May 29th 2019 at 9:47:37 PM

What is this new abortion law we're talking about?

Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#281800: May 29th 2019 at 9:50:22 PM

My understanding is it bans abortion if the unborn child had a heartbeat.

Leviticus 19:34

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