General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWondering here. Does anyone here know 100% certainly if Mueller was shutdown by BARR?
I really really think he was! THIS would have LOTS to do with whether or not he found any Collusion and or OBSTRUCTION! I have heard NOTHING on MSM about ANY possibility of this!
Quemado
(1,262 posts)Up until November 2018, Mueller had indicted 36 individuals. Only one more individual was indicted after Matthew Whitaker becoming Acting Attorney General - Roger Stone. Roger Stone was the connection to WikiLeaks.
It appears Mueller was closing in on WikiLeaks, and that WikiLeaks may be the bridge to Trump's collusion with the Russians.
I think Jeff Sessions was ordered to resign so that Whitaker and Barr could be brought in to shut down the Mueller investigation.
bluestarone
(16,859 posts)THIS is what i'd like to hear on MSM! WHY are they NOT asking this question??
safeinOhio
(32,641 posts)My understanding is that Mueller is still going to work every day and I've not heard a fat woman sing yet either.
bluestarone
(16,859 posts)WE might learn something? Just ask the question is all i'm saying. Yea we don't know if he's off the case or still on the case.
emulatorloo
(44,063 posts)I think his insistence on producing summaries of what it says rather than releasing the report stinks of cover up
Schiff is pushing like hell. Somewhere there is a patriot in the Justice dept who is going to leak and blow the lid off what Barr is doing,
bluestarone
(16,859 posts)But you'd think SOMEONE in MSM would be smart enough to at least QUESTION THIS?
scrutineer
(1,156 posts)Nobody knows anything, because the William "Conflict-of-Interest" Barr summary is meaningless.
There is nothing but speculation.
Still, some speculation is more credible than others. An attempted whitewash makes the most sense.
Firestorm49
(4,030 posts)tRump was promoting the release of the "entire report" a week before the report was supposedly turned over to Barr. IMHO, somebody sure as hell told him what was in it.
Very strange, and yes, Barr is complicit in the coverup.
bluestarone
(16,859 posts)H2O Man
(73,506 posts)He wasn't.
bluestarone
(16,859 posts)H2O Man
(73,506 posts)is silly. There is no "link" to prove that he was shut down by Barr, nor is there one to prove he was not. Rather, there is rational thought as an option. That requires insight on what his mandate was, how he approached it, the role of the grand jury, the FBI investigations (as well as the on-going counter-intelligence investigation), and an understanding of how Mr. Mueller approached his task -- including, quite obviously, recognition of how many cases Mr. Mueller handed off to other prosecutors in the DOJ.
While I understand and appreciate that many people have serious questions about how and why the report came out when it did, those questions disolve at the exact rate that one understands those factors listed above.
What is more important than uninformed speculation is asking why Barr took it upon himself to make a decision on obstruction -- a decision he clearly had made with his 19-page application for the job as Attorney General -- when precedent shows that without exception, what Mr. Mueller intended was for Congress to decide the answer.
bluestarone
(16,859 posts)TY but that was JUST your opinion and we ALL have that.
H2O Man
(73,506 posts)Just for fun, let's consider the fact that in court, the only people who can give their opinion from the witness stand are those who are recognized as being educated about the subject that they are giving their opinion on. Others -- making up the majority of people -- are recognized as not being able to have an informed opinion ....rather, they have a bias.
Hence, I agree 100% that I have stated my opinion. My response stands out for that reason.
bluestarone
(16,859 posts)TY again
H2O Man
(73,506 posts)should be pleased by the news that the "Mueller" grand jury is continuing its investigation. People may have forgotten that Mr. Mueller had recently secured the grand jury's right to continue after he had, for all intent and purposes, completed his investigation. Again -- and indeed, always -- the correct focus is not so much on "how," as "why?"
Some time ago, I posted an essay on DU about the powers of grand juries, especially investigatory grand juries. They are part of the judicial, rather than executive , branch of government. Thus, federal judges almost always protect and provide for them. So it is safe to say that the grand jury in question, which did work with but not for the Mueller team, continues to work with whoever Mr. Mueller handed this off to.
An important point: in the 48 hours before Mr. Mueller's report was handed over to Barr, some in the media were reporting the grand jury was no longer meeting. Yet, in court this week, a federal prosecutor noted that the grand jury was working "robustly." Those reporters, because they had not seen witnesses coming and going from the building, assumed incorrectly they grand jury was done. They were stuck on "how," and ignoring the "why," of what they saw (or didn't see) with their own eyes. I, for one, rarely expect more from even talented journalists, as they too often are not experts in other fields.
bluestarone
(16,859 posts)Would he end his investigation? Is Mueller still involved OR who did he hand it off to? So confusing to me. LOTS of questions here. Guess that's what they want tho. I do appreciate your thoughts here!
H2O Man
(73,506 posts)That focuses exclusively on "why?" -- which is the essential question. We tend to view Barr as serving as a puppet for Trump. And that's something that you've inspired me to attempt my next OP on ....hopefully, this afternoon.
Malcolm X often said that in conflict, do not go after the puppet, but instead focus on the puppeteer. I think that this holds true here today. That doesn't mean I am okay with Barr, or think he could be mistaken for an honorable person. He's not. As I noted several times, he is from the Bush orbit, which is not a compliment in any way. Yet, for reasons still undetermined -- again the "why?" -- he has made a few tactical errors this week.
bluestarone
(16,859 posts)Interesting times we are living in today!! And i thought the 50's and 60's were interesting! THIS is going to be the BIGGEST EVENT of my lifetime i think!
anarch
(6,535 posts)it went something like this:
"Come on Bob, this has gone on long enough, it's time to just turn it over to Congress."
"But Bill, we're still trying to sort through, there's just so much..."
"I know Bob, but you know as well as I do how this works--we can only take it so far, and then we've got to hand it off. We're just the investigators and counsel here, not the ones who should decide."
(sigh)"I suppose you're right...but I haven't come to any conclusion really..."
"That's OK Bob, I'll explain that to Congress and everything."
"OK."
----
"My good friend Bob here says he can't exonerate the president, but can't prove any crimes."
----
then from all corners: 'Breaking News! Special Counsel Unable to Establish Collusion,' 'Big Loss for Democrats!,' 'Looks Like this Really Helps the GOP in 2020!' and so on...
Bev54
(10,039 posts)The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,589 posts)nobody knows for sure. As I understand it Mueller is still working, although I don't know what his job will be, going forward. A lot of investigating still seems to be taking place so it seems peculiar that the report should have come out so soon after Barr was appointed. I don't think Barr stomped into Mueller's office and told him to finish that report NOW and then clean out your desk, but did he tell him the investigation was effectively over? I don't know but I sure wonder.
bluestarone
(16,859 posts)I wish it was discussed more on MSM. At least that would bring out the DOUBT about his summary/.
onenote
(42,585 posts)and that goes for essentially all of the commentators and pundits that folks quote here as well.
bluestarone
(16,859 posts)was finished. Other that BARR's summary. I didn't know i guess for sure.
lame54
(35,262 posts)bluestarone
(16,859 posts)Almost to the point of maybe they were told NOT to ask that question among other questions? (Just saying.)
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)they get a report.
Jarqui
(10,122 posts)were disagreeing on the report - less than three weeks after Barr was confirmed.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/ag-barr-release-mueller-report-weeks-not-months-n987646
But Barr had three weeks notice, since Mueller and his team informed him in a March 5 meeting that they would not reach a conclusion on obstruction, according to a person familiar with the gathering.
Ari Melber just interviewed Carter Page & Michael Caputo who said Mueller's people were still interviewing people about collusion two weeks ago .. around the middle of March.
The court was told this week that the Mueller Grand Jury is still going "robustly".
Redactions is an issue for the public version of the report because investigations still continue.
Mueller seemed to jettison a number of cases to other attorneys in the justice department over the last number of weeks.
Barr had the authority as an incoming AG to make budgetary decisions and had the authority to yank Mueller's budget.
So it is plausible but I haven't seen any absolute proof. I strongly suspect Barr pulled the plug.
There is a very good chance we'll find out for sure when Barr, Rosenstein and Mueller testify.
bluestarone
(16,859 posts)We WILL eventually find all this out!! Our Blood pressures will cont. to rise i guess!!!!