Mueller closing in on Trump in Russian probe

Personally, I do not believe their psyches are penetrable. You either have empathy/sympathy, a moral compass, a sense of justice and a conscience that dictates fairness and social responsibility ...or you don't. They simply don't.

 

Bluesguy said: ↑
Who has been charged with anything tied to the campaign or Trump?

Oh so we go from statements of fact to "it has to be coming".. Exactly why does it have to be coming other than your wishful thinking?

 

So what, what do ANY of the indictments have to do with ANY action of the Trump campaign and the election?? Two of them are mere process crimes.

I'm not the one claiming knowledge of what Mueller is doing YOU are.

Events that have nothing to do with what you are claiming. Your claims that Mueller is closing in on illegal Russian collusion are nothing but conjecture.

 

If you don't know how plea bargains work by now it probably won't help to explain it to you.

 

Bits and pieces have leaked out of the Mueller investigation and it looks like we may well be seeing some serious connections to the campaign. And as to whether anyone has been charged with anything related to the campaign, there are more charges to come. Some, and probably most, will be held until the end to avoid complications that would result if facts, findings, and charges were to be produced now.

 

No actually they have been good about not leaking but perhaps that is because they have nothing to leak. We haven't even been shown the crime.

 

I know how they work nothing you can explain to me, lack of rebutal noted. You guys make statements of fact and then when challenged on them either reply "just wait" or "well you just don't understand".

 

I don't know what makes you think they just plead guilty for the fun of it then.
So you can take a guy like Flynn:
According to court filings, Flynn, while he was national security adviser, lied to FBI agents when he told them that he did not tell Kislyak in December 2016 to “refrain from escalating the situation” in response to sanctions that the Obama administration had levied on Moscow the same day. He also lied when he said he did not ask Kislyak to delay or defeat a vote on a pending United Nations Security Council resolution, the documents say.

The Logan Act (1 Stat. 613, 18 U.S.C. § 953, enacted January 30, 1799) is a United States federal law that criminalizes negotiation by unauthorized persons with foreign governments having a dispute with the United States.

Now if you think this is the worst thing they had on Flynn, you can continue to believe it, because this might have got him a spanky but that's about it.

 

The Dutch lawyer tied to former Trump deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates became the first person to be sentenced in Robert Mueller's investigation when a federal judge sentenced him on Tuesday to spend 30 days in prison and pay a $20,000 fine after he admitted to lying to investigators. Alex van der Zwaan provided the fourth guilty plea in the Mueller investigation. His attorney, William Schwartz, noted that Van Der Zwaan's wife, the daughter of Russian oligarch German Khan, is six months pregnant and has had some difficulty in London without her husband.

Rolling Stone reports, "A newly revealed memo from Acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein raises several questions about Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, but leaves us with few concrete answers. In its simplest form, the memo tells us that the special counsel asked Rosenstein for the authority to look into the possibility of collusion by former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, and that Mueller was granted that authority last August.

"The memo, dated August 2, 2017, offers a rare glimpse into the investigation, and it undermines the Republican narrative that Mueller has “gone rogue.'"

That cancels out Manafort’s pretrial motion to dismiss 18 counts brought against him. Manafort now has two choices. Spend the rest of life in prison or cooperate with Mueller.

This would explain Trump's tactics.

 

Trump's tactics include diversion, even if he looks like a fool in carrying out his diversionary tactics. As a matter of fact that is even better. When the media is talking about what an idiot he is, they are not talking about the Mueller investigation.

So it is then that he is ignoring the anguish he is causing on Wall Street and the American people in general via the trade wars he started. A great deal of attention is given to the tremendous amount of stupidity that went into his medieval tariff policy.

In his speech to reporters today he doubled down on the trade war with China, announced he was sending troops to our southern border, complained about our immigration laws, warned us about the "caravan" of refugees coming up from Honduras that was stopped a thousand miles from our border by Mexican authorities, and bemoaning NAFTA, a lucrative trade agreement for the farmers that voted for him.

Really, how stupid can you get?

He wasn't through making a fool of himself. Next up, he continued his lies about Amazon. "They said $1.47, I believe, or about that for every time they deliver a package, the United States government, meaning the post offices, lose $1.47. That’s not fair to the United States. It’s not fair to our taxpayers and Amazon has the money to pay the fair rate at the post office," Trump said.

Any sixth grader worth his salt knows that taxpayers do not pay one dime to the post office.

He still wasn't through. He proceeded to look like an idiot with his conflicting comments about Russia.

"We did 60. Probably nobody's been tougher on Russia than Donald Trump."

"I think I could have a very good relationship with Russia and with President Putin. And if I did that would be a great thing."

"And there is a lot a great possibility that that won't happen. Who knows."

See, it's working.

 

I'm a little surprised no one has started a list of these things.
I was thinking he brings up a non problems that his base likes then a few days later says he fixed it for them, when in fact it was never a problem to start with.
Kind of like the China steel deal. Create a big deal over almost 0 Chinese imports, then forgive everyone and move on to something else.
But you may be right. It may be because the walls are closing in.
We need a name for these. Kind of like the "Mooch".
I hope Kelly isn't about to leave, it seems a little worse at the day care center.

 

When you and Bluesguy jump onto the end of a long discussion with 1234 replies, many by me and many providing a great deal of evidence, then plead "they have no evidence," all you are doing is advertising your own ignorance. There is an abundance of evidence that you, Bluesguy, and other Trump fans chose to ignore, once again proving your own ignorance to everyone. Why in the world would a person do that?

Moreover, this is what the public knows. Mueller has divulged nothing. His evidence is a thousand-fold. In addition to the findings of his investigative staff plus two grand juries, he has had access to the secret testimonies in the countless secret hearings conducted by the four Republican Congressional hearings. They haven't made public their findings either. For good reason, they are protecting the Republican President.

And Mueller has access to Trump's tax returns. That is what is really scaring Trump. There is a reason why he hid his tax returns from the public. We will find out that reason.

 

You are referring to the Mueller investigation, and you have no way of knowing that. Your reply is pure B.S.

 

No I am relying on the news reporters themselves who had said it's been pretty closed lipped.

 

Mueller told Trump’s attorneys the president remains under investigation but is not currently a criminal target

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...5eac230e514_story.html?utm_term=.1ea5aa4e8e4f

Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III informed President Trump’s attorneys last month that he is continuing to investigate the president but does not consider him a criminal target at this point, according to three people familiar with the discussions.

In private negotiations in early March about a possible presidential interview, Mueller described Trump as a subject of his investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. Prosecutors view someone as a subject when that person has engaged in conduct that is under investigation but there is not sufficient evidence to bring charges.

The special counsel also told Trump’s lawyers that he is preparing a report about the president’s actions while in office and potential obstruction of justice, according to two people with knowledge of the conversations.

Mueller reiterated the need to interview Trump — both to understand whether he had any corrupt intent to thwart the Russia investigation and to complete this portion of his probe, the people said.

Mueller’s description of the president’s status has sparked friction within Trump’s inner circle as his advisers have debated his legal standing. The president and some of his allies seized on the special counsel’s words as an assurance that Trump’s risk of criminal jeopardy is low. Other advisers, however, noted that subjects of investigations can easily become indicted targets — and expressed concern that the special prosecutor was baiting Trump into an interview that could put the president in legal peril.


John Dowd, Trump’s top attorney dealing with the Mueller probe, resigned last month amid disputes about strategy and frustration that the president ignored his advice to refuse the special counsel’s request for an interview, according to a Trump friend.

Trump’s chief counsel, Jay Sekulow, and Dowd declined to comment for this report. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders referred questions to White House attorney Ty Cobb.

“Thank you, but I don’t discuss communications with the president or with the Office of Special Counsel,” Cobb said Tuesday.

Peter Carr, a spokesman for the special counsel’s office, declined to comment.

The wide-ranging special counsel investigation, which began as an examination of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, has expanded into other areas, including whether Trump sought to obstruct the probe.

[Special counsel is investigating Trump for possible obstruction of justice, officials say]

Mueller’s investigators have indicated to the president’s legal team that they are considering writing reports on their findings in stages — with the first report focused on the obstruction issue, according to two people briefed on the discussions.


Under special counsel regulations, Mueller is required to report his conclusions confidentially to Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, who has the authority to decide whether to release the information publicly.

“They’ve said they want to write a report on this — to answer the public’s questions — and they need the president’s interview as the last step,” one person familiar with the discussions said of Mueller’s team.

Trump’s attorneys expect the president would also face questions about what he knew about any contacts by his associates with Russians officials and emissaries in 2016, several White House advisers said. The president’s allies believe a second report detailing the special counsel’s findings on Russia’s interference would be issued later.

The president has privately expressed relief at the description of his legal status, which has increased his determination to agree to a special counsel interview, the people said. He has repeatedly told allies that he is not a target of the probe and believes an interview will help him put the matter behind him, friends said.

However, legal experts said Mueller’s description of Trump as a subject of a grand jury probe does not mean he is in the clear.

Under Justice Department guidelines, a subject of an investigation is a person whose conduct falls within the scope of a grand jury’s investigation. A target is a person for which there is substantial evidence linking him or her to a crime.

A subject could become a target with his or her own testimony, legal experts warn.

“If I were the president, I would be very reluctant to think I’m off the hook,” said Keith Whittington, a professor of politics at Princeton University and impeachment expert.

“My sense of it is the president — given that information — ought to have pretty fair warning anything he’s saying in the deposition would be legally consequential. Depending on what he says, it could wind up changing how the special counsel is thinking about him.”

Still, several legal scholars and impeachment experts believe Mueller may conclude he does not have the authority to charge a sitting president with a crime under an opinion written by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel in 1973 and reaffirmed in 2000.

If Mueller finds Trump engaged in criminal conduct, he could detail it in a report, experts argue, and let Congress to decide whether to launch impeachment proceedings based on Mueller’s findings.

“The president’s personal risk is primarily on the impeachment front,” Whittington said. “Even if there are not things that lead to indictment, there may be matters that warrant an impeachment investigation and proceedings.”

Some of Trump’s advisers have warned White House aides that they fear Mueller could issue a blistering report about the president’s actions.

Several of Trump’s public actions have called into question whether he sought to blunt or block the criminal probe, a line of inquiry that prosecutors began pursuing last year. He has repeatedly called the investigation a “witch hunt” that has unfairly sullied his administration and hampered his ability to accomplish his policy agenda. He fired FBI James B. Comey in May after Comey told Congress that the bureau was investigating possible coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russians. Trump was furious that Comey did not state that he was not personally under investigation, The Washington Post previously reported.

The president also asked top intelligence officials to issue public statements denying the existence of any evidence of coordination between his campaign and the Russian government.

[Trump asked intelligence chiefs to push back against FBI collusion probe after Comey revealed its existence]

Mueller’s team has told Trump’s attorneys over recent months that they are seeking to learn more about the firings of Comey and national security adviser Michael Flynn last year and the president’s efforts to get Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign.

Nevertheless, Trump has repeatedly expressed an eagerness to sit down for a voluntary interview to answer Mueller’s questions — a move Dowd believed would be a mistake, according to a longtime Trump friend.

Dowd told the president the case against him was weak, but warned Trump he could create criminal jeopardy for himself if he agreed to an interview and misspoke under oath, the friend said. Dowd repeatedly pointed to the Trump campaign advisers who have pleaded guilty to making false statements in the Mueller probe — including Flynn, adviser George Papadopoulos and former campaign official Rick Gates.

“Mueller hasn’t hesitated to [charge] people for lying on some pretty tangential stuff,” said Solomon Wisenberg, a former deputy independent counsel in the probe of President Bill Clinton.

However, Sekulow and Cobb gave the president the opposite advice as Dowd: that it would be politically difficult for Trump to refuse to answer questions after insisting for months there was no collusion or crime, according to three people familiar with their advice.

Wisenberg, who interviewed Clinton about allegations that he obstructed justice, said Trump has handled himself well in previous depositions but should be cautious.

“I think he would do much better than people think,” Wisenberg said. “But there are plenty of instances where a guy walks into a grand jury a subject. He gets out and is told: ‘Guess what, you’re a target now.’”

 

That is because the support for our statements of fact are all over this thread. You are just too lazy to look. Or, you want us to waste time repeating ourselves.

Here is a mere sampling. Would you care to comment? Perhaps, One Mind has something to contribute.

His attorney general met with the Russian ambassador twice, once in his office, then lied about it to the Senate committee confirming him.

His former NSA who he fired, Mike Flynn, made a deal with the Russian ambassador during the transition period, meaning Flynn was a private citizen at the time. The deal conflicted with official U.S. policy with a hostile power that had interfered in our elections.

Trump's son, son-in-law, and campaign manager met with four Russian operatives at Trump's home, Trump Tower, in June of 2016.

Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, has had multiple dealings with the Kremlin and he has been indicted for doing so.

One of Trump's senior advisors during the campaign, Rick Gates, has had multiple dealings with the Kremlin and he has been indicted for doing so. Gates will plead guilty and will cooperate with Mueller.

Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has had so many dealings with the Russians, at least 100, that he has failed to properly fill out the forms required for a security clearance. Serious questions are swirling around Kushner’s security clearance — which is still pending more than a year after he entered the White House. By some strange coincidence, Kushner requests more intelligence information than any other White House official. I don't believe in coincidences.

A member of Trump's team, George Papadopulous, lied to the FBI about his Russian involvement. He has pleaded guilty and has been cooperating with Mueller since July.

Another member of Trump's team, Carter Page, admitted to be an advisor to the Kremlin in 2013. On November 2, 2017, Page testified to the U.S. House Intelligence Committee that he had informed Jeff Sessions, Corey Lewandowski, Hope Hicks and other Trump campaign officials that he was traveling to Russia to give a speech in July 2016. Page testified that he had met with Russian government officials during this trip and had sent a post-meeting report via email to members of the Trump campaign.

In all, nine members of Trump's team, either close associates or members of his family, have had connections to Russia.

Trump refuses to acknowledge Russia interfered in our election.

Trump refuses to take steps to prevent Russia from interfering in future elections.

Trump refuses to impose sanctions against Russia that were authorized by a bill he signed in August. The sanctions were caused by Russia's interference in our election.

Trump had this to say about Putin during the election campaign. "I'm saying that I'd possibly have a good relationship. He's been very nice to me."

 

So therefore you can't possibily if he is closing in on Trump or is hitting a dead in with Trump.

How could you know that if he has divulged nothing?

Ahhh if they made those findings of those hearings then they wouldn't be secret as they are required to be when they deal with classified materials or intellgence agencies means and sources.

 

Mueller just ruined Manafort's day with a one page memo that proves he is not overstepping his authority. He can fire his attorney now.
Trump on the other hand seems happy that he is only a subject under investigation.
Since the lawyer associated with Manafort and Gates is on vacation in jail it may add to Trumps lawyer blues.

 

Trump is innocent. Case closed.

 

Mueller has been closing in now for almost a year. How's he doin'?

 

I noticed you didn't challenge any of the evidence provided.

Instead, you made some silly comments that indicate your ignorance of what Mueller is doing.

For example, Mueller informed Trump’s attorneys last month that he is continuing to investigate the President but does not consider him a criminal target at this point. However, Mueller described Trump as the subject of his investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.

Trump supporters might jump with glee over this revelation, but they would be wrong. Mueller is setting things up for an interview with Trump. It is highly significant that Trump is the subject of his investigation.

I have always felt that Mueller in not seeking criminal proceedings against Trump. He is investigating to see if there are grounds for impeachment, conspiracy and obstruction of justice come to mind.

 

Going along great. Have you been keeping up? There is a lot going on.

 

Right, he has nothing to worry about. He should sit down and have a chat with Mueller.

 

All the more reason why Trump should sit down with Mueller and explain it to him.

 

Explain what to Mueller?