Thursday, May 18, 2017
Political Mayhem Thursday: Bringing Robert Mueller off the bench!
Yesterday, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller (above) as the Special Counsel to investigate Russian influence on the election and the Trump administration. It's a good and welcome development, and one that promises a renewed hope that facts will rise to the surface out of the swamp of politics.
Of course, and awful lot of facts have surfaced in the last week:
-- We learned that Donald Trump directly divulged classified information to the Russians; an act that is legal but possibly pretty unwise;
-- Also, we found out that Jim Comey apparently reported in a memo that President Trump asked him to back off of the investigation into Gen. Flynn, his first National Security Advisor; and
-- Most recently (and least significantly), it came out that some House Republican leaders knocked around the idea that Trump was paid by Putin (perhaps in jest).
Mueller is a good choice, and this helps restore Rosenstein's credibility in some minds after his role in the Comey firing. In Rosenstein's letter outlining the appointment, it is clear that Mueller's mandate is broad.
A Special Counsel is different that an Independent Counsel (a position that no longer exists) in that it is... less independent. Mueller can be fired by Trump-- much as Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox was fired by Richard Nixon (via Robert Bork) in the Saturday Night Massacre in 1973 (Bork replaced Cox with Leon Jaworski, who pretty much finished the job).
So what happens next?
Comments:
<< Home
Trump is apparently very active on Twitter this morning. He has referred to this as a witch hunt. To those doing the so called hunting - have at it.
Robert Mueller is a great choice. He will be fair as long as 45 doesn't fire him.
There is also a problem with AG Sessions taking part in the hiring of the new FBI director since Comey was fired because of his refusal to let the Russia investigation die. Sessions has recused himself from all things Russia.
I think in the end McGhan, Pence and Sessions are going to have some big issues to try and wriggle out of.
Post a Comment
Robert Mueller is a great choice. He will be fair as long as 45 doesn't fire him.
There is also a problem with AG Sessions taking part in the hiring of the new FBI director since Comey was fired because of his refusal to let the Russia investigation die. Sessions has recused himself from all things Russia.
I think in the end McGhan, Pence and Sessions are going to have some big issues to try and wriggle out of.
<< Home
