Week 77: Mueller Gets at New Master



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After treating Attorney General Jeff Sessions The President of the United States, Donald Trump has been appointed President of the United States. They make "people of faith" with a "biblical view of justice." He makes Steve Bannon look like Adlai Stevenson. Like Bannon, his highest qualifier for serving the president as the nation's top trump is his skill at slathering Trump with his fawning and bootlicking. As an attorney general, Whitaker will now exercise oversight over special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's Russia investigation, an undertaking he has called a "lynch mob." In 2017, Whitaker claimed to be a "single fact" interference in the 2016 election. He also suggested on CNN that year that Mueller's team could be thrown into the limelight "so low that his investigations grinds to almost halt."

On Friday, as disbelief over Whitaker's appointment, and its transparent motive, Trump on his way to Paris, Trump began to backpedal, saying "I do not know Matt Whitaker." This despite reports Whitaker had briefed him in the Oval Office Fox & Friends, "I know Matt Whitaker." When a reporter has been pressed, he has been chosen Whitaker to "rein in Robert Mueller." Trump's surly response- "What a stupid question" -only proved it had hit home.

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Whitaker's appointment is acting at the mouthpiece of the Mueller probe, but it is nowhere near the knockout punch Trump seems to be reaching for. Neal Katyal and attorney George Conway (Kellyanne's husband). Writing for the New York Times op-ed page this week, they asserted that the Senate's position to the Senate is power to confirm and hence violates the Constitution. "[I]It does not matter what Mr. Whitaker does, or tries to do, in that position is invalid. "

Ben Wittes explains in the Atlantic that Trump can not undo 541 days of Mueller's work by putting Whitaker in a supervisory capacity now. Mueller has subpoenaed the hell out of the Trump universe, enlisted countless prosecutors and FBI agents in collecting and assessing evidence, and refined many of the unknown unknowns of the Russian meddling as known.

One example of Mueller's share-the-wealth strategy Trump attorney Michael Cohen to Prosecutors of the Southern District of New York to make sure that if anything happened to his investigation, Cohen would still face the music . Mueller also discussed the issues of Russian interference in the U.S. elections, such as the Maria Butina and Elena Khusyaynova prosecutions, "Wittes continues. Mueller has schooled others in the Department of Justice in the ways of scandal and avoids that he's the big foot of Washington who wants to prosecute every case that falls into his sights.

If Whitaker's metaphor is to starve Mueller by his budget, his timing is way off. Mueller is fatter on a trumpy right now than a September grizzly gorging on a salmon run. Whitaker may be able to hinder Mueller on the margins, questioning his investigative and prosecutorial decisions and overturning any move that violates Department of Justice practices. But Paul Miller, Michael Flynn, Rick Gates, and George Papadopoulos, is one of the world's leaders. .

With the Democrats Taking Charge of the House investigative committees starting in January, Mueller now has a national megaphone for his findings should Trump and Whitaker attempt to prematurely shut him down. As my colleague Darren Samuelsohn writes, the incoming chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Adam Schiff plans to reopen his committee's Russia investigation. Democrats also made plans to issue a hit to the special counsel to testify before the TV cameras should Trump attempt to short-circuit his investigation. "Mueller has used silence as a powerful strategic instrument throughout his investigation," "Wittes writes," giving him enormous moral and political power "on the day he decided to declare" that his investigation is facing interference from the Justice Department. " write an unclassified summary of the report that he is currently working on for the general and give it to the Democrats for release, which could be damaging to Trump's political and legal future.

Spooked at the prospect of a wide-ranging investigation by House Democrats and the prospect of trus Twitter this week that he would use his head in the field of research. "Even if it's playing that game!" But even if Trump's proxies find evidence of Democratic wrongdoing, that will not help him much if the Democrats find and air damaging material on him. Trump's latest bluster is the game of mutually assured destruction.

As the week ended, Trump found himself plagued by a legal issue that can not be resolved by persuading Robert Mueller. Tea Wall Street JournalTrump-hush-money-to-his-paramours story from the beginning Karen McDougal are bunk.

"Tea Wall Street Journal found that Mr. Trump was involved in the process. He is in charge of Michael Cohen, and others. The U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan has gathered evidence of Mr. Trump's involvement in the transactions, "The newspaper writes. Where is this information coming from? The story quotes interviews with three people, with whom they have been briefed on the subject, in addition to short filings and corporate records. David Pecker, a longtime friend of Trump whose National Enquirer Moved for his silence, was granted "immunity for his grand jury testimony" Newspaper reports, and "told investigators about Mr. Trump's involvement in the McDougal deal."

$ 250,000 fine, according to Larry Noble, former general counsel of the Federal Election Commission. Maybe he could be cellmates with Manafort.

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Shut down my column with emailed threats to investigate me: [email protected]. My email alerts, just angry looks. My Twitter feed to go to Congress My RSS feed wants to edit the National Enquirer if the job becomes available.

Jack Shafer is politicoSenior media writer.

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