COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Sunday, April 01, 2018

Should Republicans and Trump supporters hold their fire with Sessions decision?

The real reason behind Sessions' special counsel decision



The real reason behind Sessions’ special counsel decision
Newspaper and television headlines are blunt instruments that leave little room for nuance. Throw in the ­anti-Trump bias and it’s no surprise that nearly all media followed the same simplistic thinking to describe Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ decision on whether to appoint a second special counsel.

His answer was “no,” the chorus declared, case closed. Par for its partisan course, The New York Times twisted the knife, saying “Sessions Spurns GOP.”

Maybe, maybe not. The truth is that Sessions’ decision is far more complex than reports suggest. In fact, the good news is that the process he set in motion likely will result in the appointment of a second special counsel to probe the Justice Department and the FBI. The only question is timing.

I say that because Sessions wants first to determine whether the situation meets the legal standard of “extraordinary circumstances” involving conflicts of interest that would allow him to move an investigation outside normal channels. I believe the standard will be easy to meet because there are numerous smoking guns showing that the 2016 investigations into both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were rigged by top government officials.

We already know about many of those smoking guns: The prominent if not exclusive use of the Democratic-funded Russian dossier in the FISA court application to spy on Trump campaign associate Carter Page; the politicized talk by FBI agents of an “insurance plan” in case Trump won; and the many irregularities in the Clinton email probe, including the fact that the letter exonerating her was written before she and most witnesses were interviewed.
Then there are the suspicions surrounding Andrew McCabe, the former deputy director of the FBI fired for reportedly lying to investigators.

Sessions, of course, is not the most articulate man on the planet, so it does take time and patience to cut through his fog and understand the intent behind the ­layered plan he establishes.

Rather than simply saying yes or no to the request from GOP lawmakers for a new special counsel, he unfolds his response in a densely written, four-page letter. On page two, he gets to the first relevant fact: a reminder that he recently asked the inspector general of the Justice Department, the well-respected Michael Horowitz, to review whether any laws were broken or policies violated when officials made their request to spy on Page.

It takes Sessions another full page to come to his second reminder: that last November, he asked unnamed senior prosecutors to “evaluate certain issues” flagged by Congress in the Clinton and Trump probes.

These prosecutors, he says, have a wide berth to see which matters, if any, should be investigated again, and whether to recommend the appointment of a special counsel.

Only then, for the first time, does Sessions reveal that the head of that team is the US attorney in Utah, John Huber. He notes that Huber twice was confirmed unanimously by the Senate, once in 2015 and again in 2017, and has received numerous commendations.

In plain English, Huber was first appointed by Barack Obama, and then by Trump, meaning he is not a partisan warrior.

Sessions’ emphasis on Huber’s nonpolitical history could be boilerplate assurance, but in the context it means something more. Given the partisan divide over special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Trump, Sessions is trying to avoid a similar fate if Huber recommends a second special counsel.

By stressing Huber’s credibility, I suspect the attorney general is laying the public and political groundwork for such a decision.

It is also noteworthy that Sessions says Huber will work outside Washington, meaning he won’t be part of the swamp, but will partner with ­Inspector General Horowitz. That gives the probe a double-barreled, clean-hands approach and the widest possible range of power to subpoena both current and former officials, as well as prosecute them. Sessions also says he regularly receives updates on the probes, meaning he is taking personal ­responsibility for the outcome.

While many Republicans and Trump supporters are unhappy with the decision, they should hold their fire.

Although I also believe a second special counsel is necessary to get to the truth about suspect conduct by former FBI Director James Comey and former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, I am reasonably confident Sessions eventually will come to that conclusion.

And when he does, he will reach it on the basis of work done by proven professionals, Horowitz and Huber. Democrats will still kick and scream, but fair-minded Americans will likely trust the result.

My one reservation is time. If Horowitz and Huber move quickly — say, in three months or so — and discover there is a need for a special counsel, then the ­delay will have been worthwhile.

But if the preliminary assessment drags on for six, seven, eight months or a year, that would be too late to be of any real value, even if a special counsel follows. Just as the Mueller probe needs to come to a conclusion, this second probe cannot be allowed to drag on endlessly.

The two clouds hanging over Washington — whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia during the election and the conduct of government officials who apparently abused their powers to try to defeat him and elect Clinton — must be resolved as soon as possible.

No matter what he eventually decides, Sessions must move quickly to reveal the facts and bring clear accountability to anyone found culpable. Otherwise, trust in federal law enforcement will continue to erode.
The clock is ticking.

87 comments:


  1. "It is also noteworthy that Sessions says Huber will work outside Washington, meaning he won’t be part of the swamp, but will partner with ­Inspector General Horowitz.

    That gives the probe a double-barreled, clean-hands approach and the widest possible range of power to subpoena both current and former officials, as well as prosecute them.

    Sessions also says he regularly receives updates on the probes, meaning he is taking personal ­responsibility for the outcome."

    ===

    Jarrett says they DON'T have jurisdiction over former employees Comey, Yates, and McCabe...

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=40&v=kYypypUuwAM

    Tom Fitton agrees.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sessions hasn't done anything right yet, maybe we'll be saved by

      "the law of averages" !

      Delete

  2. "One thing we have learned is they do not casually drop these bread crumbs into their court filings,"
    Brownstein said.
    "The piece of information that Mr. Gates was in contact with a Russian intelligence officer that he knew to be such is significant, and it underscores that they are continuing to explore this central issue."

    "You call it bread crumbs, but the information that the deputy campaign chair was talking to someone connected with Russian intelligence—"
    anchor John Berman interjected.

    "That may be a whole loaf," said Brownstein.


    "That's like a hoagie," said Berman. "There's something going on there."


    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/byron-york-so-why-was-trump-aide-talking-to-a-russian-spy


    Yeppers, Treasonous Trump is steaming towards that punchline ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Byron York ...
      A really readable piece.

      Indictments are coming on the Russian Conspiracy to subvert the electoral process in the USA.

      Then there is the money laundering ...


      Delete
    2. No Hoagie

      Very readable article, indeed.

      But it is reasonable to assess what we know so far. And for the moment at least, the bread crumbs do not add up to a hoagie.

      Delete
    3. Readable but about as nutritious as a rotting radish.

      Delete
    4. Nothing but rumor.

      Big waste of time.

      Delete
    5. Keep it up Quirk, Jack, Ash - what doesn't kill The Donald only makes him stronger !

      April 1, 2018
      Want to Make Trump Even More Popular? Keep Attacking Him
      By Brian C. Joondeph

      Trump Derangement Syndrome has become a full-fledged disease, now an epidemic in liberal enclaves along the east and west coasts. Perhaps the medical establishment could create an ICD-10 code, adding to the growing number of currently recognized diseases.

      There is already an ICD-10 code for "delirium due to known physiological condition." How about creating a subset for the condition of "delirium due to President Donald Trump," both a physiological and political condition? This disease affects liberals and pseudo-conservative NeverTrumps, is known to cause florid insanity, and is best treated by avoiding exposure to network and cable news or else moving to Kansas.


      Like poison ivy or a peanut allergy, avoidance is better than treatment. One doesn't pick a fight with poison ivy expecting to win. Yet that is what Trump-haters continue to do with Trump, using any and all means necessary, including fabrication and sensationalism. None of these tactics seems to be working – any more than eating more peanuts will cure your peanut allergy....




      https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2018/04/want_to_make_trump_even_more_popular_keep_attacking_him.html#ixzz5BU5l7uCf

      Delete
    6. .

      Keep it up Quirk, Jack, Ash - what doesn't kill The Donald only makes him stronger !

      How about this.

      Trump's policy team arrived at Mar-a-Lago this weekend.

      The presidential clown car pulled up out front and out stepped the clowns and nut jobs, Hannity, Pirro, Bill Shine for god's sake. And, wait for it, the 'My Pillow' guy Bill Lindell, ex-con Bernie Kerik, and...wait for it...Don King.

      The only ones missing were Batman villains the Penguin and Joker.

      This is the policy team with Trump's ear. Trump's 'official' policy team from D.C. was nowhere to be seen, well, with the possible exception of Steve Miller who was seen slinking around the men's locker room.

      This is the band of idiots Trump listens to. These are the idiots running the country.

      You guys ought to be ashamed of yourselves.

      .

      Delete
  3. Duets

    A lesson from mating birds: The song gets sweeter over time, a Miami scientist finds
    BY TARPLEY HITT

    thitt@miamiherald.com

    http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article207286584.html

    ReplyDelete

  4. ... in our Cramer moment, one must roll up their sleeves to make that mad money)—suggested on Friday that Trump might be deliberately crashing the markets with his call for tariffs on Chinese products.

    In his view, a trade war with China (the second-largest economy in the world, and the economy that many believe pulled the world out of the Great Recession with a massive Keynesian program that has vastly expanded its built environment) makes no sense whatsoever.

    He also believes that the Chinese administration is far smarter than the one currently running the US.

    And so, what's the deal?
    Why has Trump turned on investors?
    Last year, he was all about praising the markets. This year, he seems hell-bent on destabilizing them.

    Cramer concludes that Trump must be shorting the markets. He, and those in the know, might be making huge gains on short positions. Trump is, after all, much more a businessman than a politician. And he has made it very clear that he is in government to make money.

    Why should he do otherwise when it comes to the stock market?



    Promises Made - Promises Broken

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Makes some sense if you really think about it.

      However, I usually just assume he is a dumb ass. That or that he simply judges his base is a bunch of dumb asses and is trying to throw them a bone.

      .

      Delete
  5. .

    It's become the Freak Show on the Potomac.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. April 2, 2018

      Trump's approval tops 50%, left still shilling tax cuts bad for us

      By Monica Showalter

      You've got to be incorrigibly in opposition to reality if you want the American people to somehow believe that tax cuts are bad for us, Obamacare bends the cost of health care downward, and higher salaries and more jobs are just terrible.

      A new Rasmussen tracking poll shows that President Trump's approval has risen to 50%, with 49% stating some degree of disapproval, meaning that more Americans approve of President Trump than disapprove. This is a first, and it knocks another leg out from under the argument that President Trump is disastrous....



      https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2018/04/trumps_approval_tops_50_and_left_is_still_shilling_tax_cuts_bad_for_us.html#ixzz5BYw7gmGK

      Delete
  6. If only we could relive the Hillary investigation, when all was right in DC.

    ReplyDelete
  7. SPRING SWING: TRUMP 50% APPROVAL!....DRUDGE

    ReplyDelete
  8. I pine for the days of Obama justice.

    ReplyDelete
  9. ..and when the IRS took a more assertive role in our elections.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Quirk's come down with Full Blown Trump Derangement Syndrome.

    There's not much for the rest us to do for the poor man but ride it out with him, and try to be pleasant when we can, and understandable and supportive.

    And pray God it doesn't leave permanent scars on the wonderful old coot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have read, and it IS disturbing, that in the very worst cases of TDS the sufferer is left with emotional scars such that they mumble about Trump constantly, and sometimes lash out of others occasionally.

      What a sad thing to think about - and Quirk is one of my true heroes - a sad thing to think about, my Quirk, bound, and placed in a corner, to occasionally lash out at passers-by.....

      I can't bear to think of it, his coming rest home fate.

      I am determined to bring him out west before this occurs and let him have the run of the sanctuary place...there is very little way for him to get in trouble there, and Wayne won't put up with any mis behavior,either.

      Delete
    2. Always lookin' out for you, Quirk !

      Delete
    3. Wayne won't put up with no shit. It's about calving time.

      'That cow over there, Quirk, about 2 hours from dropping the calf, git over there and help with the pullin', and quit your whinnin', NOW, Quirk'

      Men that don't work don't get the chuck wagon.

      Delete
    4. "Can I come too ? I wanna be with Quirkie"

      Delete
    5. "Sure you can come, Me-Me ! I'll put you on kitchen Patrol. Quirk says you know your cookin'"

      Delete
    6. There's going to be a news black out. Everyone must understand that.

      Delete

  11. APRIL 2, 2018 4:08 PM

    Saudi Crown Prince Acknowledges Israel’s Right to Exist, Says Iranian Ayatollah ‘Makes Hitler Look Good’
    APRIL 2, 2018 12:09 PM

    https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/04/02/saudi-crown-prince-acknowledges-israels-right-to-exist-says-iranian-ayatollah-makes-hitler-look-good/

    ReplyDelete
  12. Also important: The United States’ unique ability, if it chooses to do so, to facilitate the kind of pragmatic political coalitions across Iraqi sects and ethnicities that could effectively counter the worst post-election machinations of Iran and its proxies. Despite their ongoing grievances against Baghdad, both the Kurds and Sunnis should be encouraged to maximize their participation in the elections and their potential influence over Iraq’s next government.

    ...

    With U.S. forces having played an essential role in dispatching the Islamic State’s caliphate, the United States once again faces the perennial question: Having won the war, will the United States — for lack of attention, staying power, and strategic vision — end up yet again squandering the peace? With just six weeks to go until the Iraqi elections, Iran is no doubt banking on the answer being yes.

    Here’s hoping that even as it confronts the other daunting national security challenges that the United States faces, the Trump administration can find the capacity to prove America’s enemies wrong.


    Don't Forget Iraq

    ReplyDelete
  13. It Ain't just the leadership of the FBI that's Corrupt!

    FBI writes provably false confession in Omar Mateen's wife's case.

    https://www.podcastone.com/episode/RD-140---Linda-Moreno

    At 28 minutes in this podcast, the lawyer who represented Ms Mateen describes the FBI's despicable, dishonest, etc. etc. behavior.

    Again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pops Mateen and the FBI

      Seddique Mateen was a confidential FBI source at various points between January 2005 and June 2016, a motion filed by the defense said, citing an email from Sweeney.
      The email also said that Seddique Mateen was under investigation over money transfers to Turkey and Afghanistan after documents were found in his home on June 12, 2016, the day of the Pulse attack. The dates of the money transfers were between March 16 and June 5, 2016, according to the email.
      Defense attorneys argued that if they had known about Seddique Mateen's FBI status, they may have argued other theories during the trial, including that the Mateens, rather than Salman, conspired to support ISIS, according to the motion.
      Seddique Mateen had been on the prosecution's witness list but was not called to testify in the trial.

      https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/30/us/noor-salman-pulse-trial-verdict/index.html

      Delete
  14. Andrew McCabe previously insisted to ABC News that politics was "absolutely not" a factor in any of the decisions he made while serving at the FBI, and noted that he considers himself a lifelong Republican. He was fired last month by Attorney General Jeff Sessions after the Justice Department's inspector general concluded McCabe misled investigators looking into how Justice Department and FBI officials handled matters associated with the 2016 presidential election.

    ...

    Jill McCabe wrote that as soon as then-FBI Director James Comey was fired, she and her family "knew that Andrew could be the next target of the president's wrath." On the day of his firing, Trump tweeted in a triumphant tone that it was a "great day for the hard working men and women of the FBI."

    In the aftermath of these attacks, McCabe maintains that she ran for office because she was "trying to help people." But, she said, "Instead, it turned into something that was used to attack our family, my husband's career and the entire FBI."

    ReplyDelete
  15. Soon the USA will become that largest petroleum exporter of the all.

    We can go ahead and crash the Rooskie economy with this abilit

    The Rooskie has two things - petroleum, and vodka.

    It they don't depend on the petroluem, what are they to do ?

    Drink of course, which is what they are doing now.

    They will really get into it and collapse the population, as they are beginning to do now,

    Go USA !!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. "As the price ticks on up, the market gets concerned the OPEC and non-OPEC producers lose their enthusiasm to stick with the cuts," said Andrew Lipow, president at Lipow Oil Associates.

    ...

    The revival in prices has helped to support a surge in U.S. drilling, which has boosted U.S. production to a record 10.43 million bpd, taking it past top exporter Saudi Arabia.

    U.S. drillers cut seven oil rigs in the week to March 29, bringing the total down to 797, the first decline in three weeks. The rig count is closely watched as an indicator of future U.S. oil output.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Libertarians Becoming Trumpists

    https://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2018/04/passing-libertarian-moment/

    When your own movement collapses one strategy is not to give up but shift with the changing times.

    https://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2018/04/passing-libertarian-moment/

    ReplyDelete
  18. "The Trump administration's decision will take America backward by jeopardizing successful safeguards that are working to clean our air, save drivers money at the pump, and drive technological innovation that creates jobs," said Luke Tonachel, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's clean vehicles and fuels project, in a statement.

    But the decision won praise from corners of conservatism and libertarian think tanks that have cheered the president's rollback of Obama-era environmental rules.

    "EPA's announcement is good news for consumers who care about safety, performance, and size, as well as fuel economy in the vehicles they drive. This is the first step in many years toward reducing government control over what kinds of cars people can choose to buy," said Myron Ebell, director of the Competitive Enterprise Institute's Center for Energy and Environment and head of the EPA's transition team under Trump.

    ReplyDelete
  19. https://i0.wp.com/mookseandgripes.com/reviews/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/April-9-2018.jpg?resize=391%2C530

    ReplyDelete
  20. Each day brings something new with which to mock the #NeverTrumpersl

    ReplyDelete
  21. "They never caught fish that didn't open its mouth"

    Good advice to The Donald concerning talking to Mueller.

    If he's talks to Mueller it's due to his pride, and a true tragedy may ensue.

    THink, Donald, THINK !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cursed Pride has brought many low.

      is so powerful it is said Pride has found a niche in all the other 'Deadly Sins'.

      Delete
  22. Quirk first fell due to greed and ,gluttony, wraith, sloth, and finally Pride

    A short stay at my Ranch Of Sanctuary will do the man immense help.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lust too played its part in Quirk'a descent, o yes believe you me.

      They never caught a man who kept his pecker in his pocket.

      And Quirk ????...well, er, hmmm, eerrrr, not so much....really, hardly at all, er, almost never....

      Delete
    2. A bushel and a pecker too far, farmer Bob!

      Delete
    3. A bushel and a peck was the old standard measure for how much wheat seed to use in sowing an acre of ground.

      A bushel for the ladies head and a an unright pecker where the two things needed at the end of harvestwork day for a quick field fuck.

      Delete
  23. Hogg get dirty, Laura comes out clean -

    Fox News Says Laura Ingraham Will Return

    By Brian Steinberg @bristei Brian Steinberg
    Brian Steinberg
    Senior TV Editor
    @bristei
    Fox News Says Laura Ingraham Will Return


    CREDIT: ALEX KROKE
    Laura Ingraham will return to Fox News Channel, despite a spate of recent defections by advertisers from the program she hosts there each weeknight.

    “We cannot and will not allow voices to be censored by agenda-driven intimidation efforts,” said Jack Abernethy, co-president of the 21st Century Fox-owned cable outlet, in a statement. “We look forward to having Laura Ingraham back hosting her program next Monday when she returns from spring vacation with her children.”

    The note is unusual for a corporate executive to issue on behalf of a program host, but the situation swirling around Ingraham is anything but normal. She announced Friday on her 10 p.m. program, “The Ingraham Angle,” that she would take a planned vacation even as scrutiny of her program intensified and more sponsors announced they were moving their ads out of the show....


    http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/fox-news-laura-ingraham-return-1202741838/

    ReplyDelete
  24. BREAKING

    So important it's due a repost:

    Saudi Crown Prince declares Israel has a ‘right’ to its homeland - 4/3/18
    Important history was made yesterday, and the tectonic plates of Middle East moved More


    https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2018/04/saudi_crown_prince_declares_israel_has_a_right_to_its_homeland.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Things are afoot in Saudi -

      Women driving
      Israel exists
      The old guard in jail

      Delete
  25. .

    QuirkMon Apr 02, 04:19:00 PM EDT
    .

    However, I usually just assume he is a dumb ass. That or that he simply judges his base is a bunch of dumb asses and is trying to throw them a bone.



    Judging from the last couple dozen comments, I would say it's probably the latter and that he is probably right.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The list of Promises Kept by The Donald is nearly endless.

      Alas, so far he has failed to arrest Quirk, one of his primary bigly promises.

      If he hasn't accomplish this by the end of his first term I am going to be sorely disappointed.

      It is, of course, the primary reason I voted for the man.

      Delete
  26. Hannity Warns of Civil War

    Hannity: “This Country Is Headed Towards A Civil War” If Mueller Hits His “Big Red Button”
    One of the biggest critics of the Mueller investigation into Russian election meddling over the past year — outside of President Donald Trump — has been Fox News’ Sean Hannity. The conservative commentator and Trump loyalist has devoted endless hours on the air railing against the probe while claiming there is an anti-Trump Deep State conspiracy within the FBI and DOJ.

    During his radio program this afternoon, Hannity warned listeners that a “civil war” could tear this country apart if Special Counsel Robert Mueller decides to go after Trump.

    “This country is headed towards a civil war in terms of two sides that are just hating each other and if Robert Mueller wants, there’s a big red button in the middle of the table,” he exclaimed. “And if Robert Mueller is so pompous and so arrogant and so power hungry and so corrupt that he’s going to hit the red button and he’s going to ignite a battle that we’ve not seen in this country before.”


    https://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2018/04/hannity-country-headed-towards-civil-war-mueller-hits-big-red-button/

    Bob again makes urgent appeal to Quirk and his gals to come to the rural Idaho refuge while time is still on his side.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Why Bob do you want The Donald to arrest Quirk and at the same time want him holed up in your rural refuge ?

    Ans: If he's arrest I can bail him out on my responsibility then I can get him out to the refuge.

    His running around Detroit making a fool out of himself and blogging like a fool is what I am striving to end, anyway I can.

    Wayne and I will put him on a diet of healthy food and healthy work.

    In two weeks he will begin to feel like a new man.

    ReplyDelete
  28. We're going to beef up the Baltic States cause Pooty the Killer has been threatening around.

    Press conference with The Donald and the Baltic States politicos on shortly.

    ReplyDelete
  29. It's all up to Ash now -

    Even Venezuela's Russian and Chinese sugar daddies are dumping the socialist hellhole - 4/3/18
    Vladimir Putin has been getting his fingers burned in Venezuela's money-pit. More


    https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2018/04/even_venezuelas_sugar_daddies_russia_and_china_are_dumping_the_socialist_hellhole.html

    Ash, and Bernie, and Turdeau.....even Quirk, an economic miracle worker, wants nothing to do with this losing tar baby....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One thing about ol' Quirk, he can spot a sure loser from miles away.

      Ash, Bernie, Turdeau....all they see is a glimmering mirage, luring them onward....

      Delete

  30. Leaders from Russia, Turkey and Iran will meet on Wednesday to plan the future of Syria and how to end the bloody civil war that has dragged on for seven years. But the U.S. and other Western countries are conspicuously absent from the meeting.



    No Testosterone

    ReplyDelete
  31. We should be supporting the Kurds.

    One of the things pisses me off at The Donald.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe Bolton will talk some sense to the man.

      Delete
  32. Vadim Lavrusik

    Verified account

    @Lavrusik
    Follow Follow @Lavrusik
    More
    Active shooter at YouTube HQ. Heard shots and saw people running while at my desk. Now barricaded inside a room with coworkers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds like a lover's quarrel, or a love triangle, gone bad.

      Shooter is a woman, reports say.

      Delete
    2. 'Never underestimate a woman scorned'

      Delete
    3. First reports are often wrong - now mention of a male shooter is made -

      Delete
    4. No one has a clue wants going on....

      Delete
    5. Shooter is'down'- threat over-

      Delete
    6. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete

    7. Latest - woman shot the boyfriend then shot herself.

      Delete
    8. Female shooter seems to have shot herself at the end.

      from Police presser

      Delete
    9. Romance gone bad ??

      Sounds like it....

      Delete
    10. (if you are dating always carry heat)

      Delete
    11. Quirkie always carries three guns - one on his chest, one in his pocket, and one taped to his leg.

      Ooooo I feel safe.

      Delete
  33. Should Republicans and Trump supporters hold their fire with Sessions decision?

    Yes, for now.

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

      Robert Mueller testifies on Feb. 16, 2011, before a Senate committee in Washington. On March 5, 2018, a former aide to President Donald Trump said he would not appear before a grand jury as part of Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling into the 2016 election. (James Berglie / Tribune News Service)
      Carol D. Leonnig, Robert Costa
      Washington Post

      Special Counsel Robert Mueller III informed President Donald 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 greater legal peril.


      Delete
    2. 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 Russian probe.

      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 Rosenstein, who has the authority to decide whether to release the information publicly.


      Delete
    3. "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.....


      http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-mueller-trump-investigation-20180403-story.html

      Delete
  34. Speaking with CNBC, China's ambassador to the United States said his country would strike back against U.S. trade measures "very soon."

    "We will certainly respond accordingly," said ambassador Cui Tiankai. ""We will resort to the WTO — World Trade Organization — dispute settlement mechanism, and we'll, in accordance, with Chinese laws, take measures to fight back."

    ...

    China has been broadly accused by companies from outside the country of forcing them to undertake "technology transfers" in order to operate there. Beijing also forces many foreign companies into joint ventures with Chinese partners before allowing them access to its market.

    ReplyDelete
  35. ‘‘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.’ ‘‘

    ReplyDelete
  36. If Trump falls for an interview with Mueller it's his PRIDE that will bring him down.

    Then he will look like a tragic hero of the authentic old sort.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Special Counsel Robert Mueller told President Donald Trump's attorneys last month he was continuing to investigate the president but did not consider him a criminal target in the Russia probe "at this point," the Washington Post reported on Tuesday night.

    ...

    The president's outside attorney, Jay Sekulow, told NBC News: "We do not discuss real or alleged conversations between our legal team and the Office of Special Counsel." And Trump lawyer Ty Cobb declined to comment on the report.

    ReplyDelete
  38. However, Mueller’s team has offered hints that investigators continue to scrutinize possible coordination between Trump associates and Russia.

    In a court filing last week, prosecutors indicated that the FBI has assessed that a longtime Manafort business associate who was in contact with both Manafort and Gates during the campaign had ties to Russian intelligence. They also said that a London-based lawyer who worked with Gates has told prosecutors that Gates knew the man had been a Russian intelligence officer.

    A hearing on the motion to dismiss charges against Manafort is set for April 19. In the meantime, he faces two pending trials related to his work in Ukraine: one in Virginia, scheduled to begin in July, and the other in Washington, set to take place in September.

    ReplyDelete
  39. I am calling for stronger U-Tube control.

    Someone posts something personal and soon you got blood on the floor somewhere.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When I grew up we never had U-Tube killings.

      What the hell is wrong with this country ?

      Delete
  40. Don't Fall For It - Do Written Questions Instead

    WOW: Robert Mueller Delivers Some Good News To President Trump

    Posted at 8:55 pm on April 3, 2018 by Susan Wright

    This will make some Trump fans happy. The word is, it sure caused Trump, himself, to loosen up the ‘ol sphincter muscles.

    While negotiating with President Trump’s legal team last month, special counsel Robert Mueller told them that the president is not currently considered to be a criminal target, at this point, in the ongoing Russian investigation.

    It’s not that he’s completely off the hook. There’s just no dastardly plot to bring Trump down.

    But Mueller also said that he still considers Trump to be a subject of his investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential election, and emphasized the need to interview the president as part of the probe, The Washington Post reported.

    Mueller is reportedly preparing a report about Trump’s actions in the White House and whether he sought to obstruct the investigation into Russian meddling in the election, according to the Post.

    Let’s point out that these are Trump’s own actions that have put him on the map with this probe. The reckless tweeting and appearing in a TV interview to contradict the words of his own people, admitting he fired former FBI Director James Comey because of the “Russia thing,” these all got him in hot water.

    Mueller reportedly stressed that he needed to interview Trump to determine whether the president acted with corrupt intent to undermine the Russia probe and in order to conclude that portion of the investigation.

    Legal experts are saying it would be a bad idea for somebody as undisciplined as Trump to sit with a seasoned investigator like Mueller. They’re absolutely sure Trump will lie and end up getting himself in real trouble.

    John Dowd, the former lead attorney of Trump’s legal team resigned last month, due to what some say is Trump’s insistence on taking his case straight to Mueller. Dowd advised against sitting with him.

    Having this assurance that he is not a target may convince what is left of his legal team to allow for some kind of interview.

    https://www.redstate.com/sweetie15/2018/04/03/wow-robert-mueller-delivers-good-news-president-trump/

    ReplyDelete
  41. Robert Mueller, the U.S. Justice Department’s special counsel, is specifically authorized to investigate allegations that Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, colluded with Russia to interfere with the 2016 presidential election, a court filing showed late on Monday.

    ...

    Manafort does not currently face charges related to the 2016 presidential election or Russian interference. But he is charged with bank fraud, filing false tax returns, conspiring against the United States by plotting to launder money and failing to register as a foreign agent when he lobbied for the former Ukraine government.

    ReplyDelete
  42. http://nasimesabz.com/

    Kill (human) meat, but don't eat it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BE AWARE!
      Dictatorship exists in all countries but with different tactics! They only care for
      personal short term profits & do anything to reach their goals even by fooling simple-minded people,
      hiding the truth, manipulating science & everything, putting public mental & physical health at risk,
      abusing non-human animals, polluting environment, destroying family values, promoting materialism &
      sexual degeneration in the name of freedom,..... & turning people into programmed robots!

      "Make the lie big, Make it simple, Keep saying it, And eventually they will believe it" Adolf
      Hitler... There is no free speech in real world & you will be suppressed for telling the truth that is not
      supported by the system. Videos of targeted users are filtered & merely relegated, so that people can
      hardly see their videos!

      .There is no equal growth opportunity on YOUTUBE or any other video sharing site,
      your channel will grow if they want to!!!!!

      Delete
    2. My Revenue For 300,000 Views Is $0.10?????

      Delete
    3. China: Dog Boiled Alive As People Laugh

      ===

      Didn't watch that.

      Shoulda nuked China when we coulda.

      Delete