Trump: “There was no talking to Russia. There was no phone calls. I didn’t make phone calls to Russia. I didn’t receive phone calls. I didn’t have meetings. I didn’t have texts. Anything. I have nothing to do with Russia.” #muellertinyurl.com/yahwud9s
2/ It’s very telling that this is the way Trump thinks collusion has to work to be collusion. But no one in his or her right mind has ever supposed that the collusion would be that ham-fisted. #mueller
3/ It’s not as though Mueller is trying to find an email that says: “I hereby commit myself to lifting sanctions if and when elected, if you, Vladimir Putin, agree to help my campaign by hacking and disseminating Hillary’s emails.” --(signed) Donald J. Trump.
4/ Or a telephone call intercept that says the same thing.
5/ For how conspiracy investigations and prosecutions actually work (at which Bob Mueller is arguably the nation’s most proficient expert) see here.
See: THE FEDERAL DEFRAUD STATUTE (18 U.S. CODE § 371), TITLES 50 AND 22 OF THE U.S. CODE, PAUL MANAFORT, AND THE MUELLER PROBE tinyurl.com/ydawwsny
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I posted this to Twitter a long time ago. It’s from Yuri Felshtinsky and Vladimir Pribylovsky, The Corporation: Russia and the KGB in the Age of President Putin. Encounter Books. 2008, pp. 40-41 (not available online):
(THREAD) Collins votes YES, so Kavanaugh’s confirmed.
This is the finale of the confirmation VOTE, but it is NOT the end of the #Kavanaugh ISSUE. 1/14
The FBI “investigation” was a sham, and that makes Collins’ special pleading for her YES vote a sham. It was a sickening performance. 2/14
The fatal weakness of her defense of her vote is that there was no meaningful investigation. Merely seeking corroboration in the form of direct, eyewitness testimony from the participants of the 1 Jul 1982 meeting does not constitute a meaningful investigation. 3/14
A subjective impression, admittedly, but in the pics and videos I have seen, Senate Rs look grim and worried--even, on occasion, angry.
D claim that this was a cover-up (20+ witnesses not called) is getting traction. No adequate push back from Rs yet.
McConnell saying on the floor that the Senate must vote to confirm b/c “in this country you’re not guilty until proven innocent” has this whole matter so wrong (it’s a job interview, Mitch, not a trial) that he must be feeling a little desperate.
(THREAD) The predicted early conclusion of the FBI background check on #Kavanaugh that has been reported by Politico and the WSJ is surprising and cause for anxiety and concern, but let’s look try hard to look on the (possibly) bright side. 1/8
We must keep in mind that this investigation is essentially a background check on #Kavanaugh, in light of newly surfaced allegations of belligerent drunkenness and sexual violence alleged against him by Ford and others. 2/8
So this investigation is more about Kavanaugh and his nomination than it is about Ford or any other accusers, and while the FBI does not reach conclusions, it does uncovers facts, and presents those facts to others so they can better reach their own conclusions. 3/8