Mueller Is Done. Trump Isn't Safe.

[DonViejo]

Mueller Is Done, but the Trump Investigations Are Just Heating Up

Congress can go further than he could against the president. Meanwhile, prosecutors are digging into him in New York and associates like Roger Stone elsewhere. This isn't over.

Barbara McQuade
03.22.19 9:56 PM ET

-snip-

So what comes next?

It appears that Mueller and a small staff will close up shop in the near future. But that does not mean that the investigation into President Donald Trump is over.

Depending on the contents of Mueller’s report, Congress may have some work to do. Mueller’s original mandate required him to comply with all policies of the Justice Department. It seems likely, then, that he would adhere to the DOJ opinion that a sitting president cannot be indicted. If so, then even if Mueller found evidence of conspiracy between Trump and Russia to defraud the United States by interfering with the fair administration of elections (sometimes referred to as “collusion”), he would refrain from filing an indictment, and instead provide his findings to members of Congress for them to consider whether impeachment is appropriate. If that is the case, then Congress’s work will just be beginning.

Other prosecutors may also have more work to do. During the course of his investigation, Mueller has kept a narrow focus on his own mission and farmed out related cases to at least four U.S. Attorney’s Offices. Those investigations remain ongoing. It is possible that Mueller has handed off additional investigations in which charges have not yet been filed, and so would be unknown to the public.

For example, the investigation of fraud and campaign finance violations against former Trump attorney Michael Cohen was handed off to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Cohen pleaded guilty in that case and was sentenced to three years in prison, but it appears that work on that case continues.

Earlier this week, a judge approved the release of redacted search warrants in the Cohen case, permitting prosecutors to keep more than 18 pages of text from public disclosure. The redacted pages appeared under the heading “Illegal Campaign Contribution Scheme.” The court stated that redaction was necessary because “disclosure would jeopardize an ongoing investigation.” This language suggests that the work of SDNY is far from over. Subjects of the investigation could include Donald Trump, Jr., who reportedly signed at least one of the checks that were provided to Cohen as reimbursement for his illegal payments to silence woman from publicly accusing Trump of extramarital affairs. Reports have indicated that Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer for the Trump Organization, has received immunity in exchange for his cooperation. Even if Mueller’s work is done, the work of the SDNY continues.

-snip-

more
https://www.thedailybeast.com/mueller-report-is-done-but-the-trump-investigations-are-just-heating-up?ref=home

[Vinca]

1. The Mueller investigation was a key to the Trump family box of secrets.

The SDNY and NY AG are now inspecting the contents of the box. Don might not be indicted now, but he's going to be indicted someday.

[olegramps]

20. I am not in the least surprised. We had Whitewater, Watergate now Whitewash.

I find the so-called "policy" that a president can not be indicted to be a sham. Show me where in the Constitution that it says anything approaching it. Here is what I ask the lawyers to explain to me in a hypothetical case: The police investigate a crime and find the president is involved. Suppose they arrest him, present the evidence to the district attorney who proceeds to arrange a grand jury that issues an indictment.

This would seem to me what would be normal procedure upholding the principle that no person is above the law. Now we have the case where a special prosecutor has been appointed and he investigates finds that there is evidence that laws have been broken yet on the pretext to some so-called policy, he refuses to prosecute. The only recourse is for the congress, the House of Representatives to form a committee to reinvestigate and to bring forth an indictment which is sent to the Senate where they have to have a 2/3 majority to find the president guilty and remove him from office. Suppose that they fail to do so and vote along party lines. The only recourse is to wait for his term of presidency to end and then he can be arrested and tried. But what happens if the statue of limitations prevents this and they go free and the crime is not prosecuted. Seems to me to be a total miscarriage of justice that the founders of our nation believed to be unjust.

Is this what the founders of our nation proposed? I can't hardly believe so especially when you read the Federal Papers and other material published during our formative history. It would be tantamount to total capitulation of the basic principle that all humans are created equal and the claim of the aristocracy and kings that they are not subject to subject to the law and justice of common mankind due to their divine birth and divine appoint to rule. I am not aware that at the inauguration of our president that we are willingly bestowing divine rights upon them that make them impervious to judgement as long as the can maintain to hold office. The terms of which could very well be extended by the majority party of congress.

I would appreciate any thoughts that people have to offer.

I am of the opinion that this so-called policy is nothing more than a construction to shield presidents from justice solely motivated by political purposes and has nothing to do with justice.

[marble falls]

2. Thanks, Don for this calm voice of reason!!

[Perseus]

3. It is still very discouraging if nothing happens

The longer this drags and the orange buffoon is in power the worst it will become. If the orange buffoon does not loose his powers it will only enhance them, knowing he can get away with murder will only lead to trying to get away with mass murder, they will try to do worst things because people like them will only push the envelope more and more because they will feel they can get away with anything they do, and they will because as they move along with their agenda they will change the rules to favouur them. That is what Chavez and his band of thieves did in Venezuela, they slowly changed the constitution, the laws to favour their agendas.

To think that something like what happened in Venezuela cannot happen here is fantasy, it CAN happen here as well. This is not good if the Muller report does not open the doors for impeachment, if it doesn't take the mask off many of the republicans that I feel are compromised, and if it doesn't move the DOJ to issue more indictments, if that is the case then the two years of Muller will be more detrimental to the USA democracy than even the evil acts of this administration because all it will accomplish is to validate the current government and their corruption, nothing will make Putin happier and the orange buffoon running around with a "I told you there was no collusion" rant, we will never hear the end of it.

I am an optimist, but I don't feel much of one at this time...I really hope that I am wrong.

And let me be clear, I am not for impeachment, that would only give us Pence, but I am for indictment and for a rule that would prevent both, the orange buffoon and Pence, to not run on 2020.

[smirkymonkey]

9. +1000

[Goodheart]

4. Well, that might explain no indictment against trump, but what about Junior and Jared?

Did Barr quash those indictments?

[paleotn]

8. No.

[Buckeyeblue]

13. I don't think he was as ever going to indict the family either

This will be a campaign issue, unless the Republicans want him out. Then it could be an impeachment issue.

[Eyeball_Kid]

16. Barr's notice did NOT mention any sealed indictments that exist already. n/t

[Goodheart]

18. I think that's a bit pollyannish, honestly.

If Mueller said no further indictments I take that to mean that there are no sealed indictments waiting to be revealed, either.

[Honeycombe8]

5. The main event is the Russian aiding and abetting and obstruction of justice.

That's what the Special Counsel was charged with investigating. So if Mueller didn't find enough evidence of that for the Trump campaign's inner circle, then that's that.

Of course, other crimes are still being investigated by other authorities. It's possible the SC Report has evidence that can be used for those things.

It's also possible that the SC Report finds obstruction of justice, but does not believe a President can be indicted.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. Mueller isn't done. Read Seth Abramson 40 pt thread that explains.

Link to tweet

[Shanti Mama]

11. Make an OP. IMPORTANT

I've read the entire twitter thread. He's spot on.

[paleotn]

7. Far from over.

Some may have thought this would all be neatly wrapped up at the end of a one hour episode. OK, maybe a 2 hour special. Nope. The real world doesn't work like that.

[UniteFightBack]

10. If Mueller declared rump 'innocent' somehow well then I'll take up what rump said that it was an

illegitimate investigation.

[2naSalit]

12. I'm interested in seeing

the difference between the released report that Barr issues and the testimony Mueller gives before the House Committees.

[oldsoftie]

14. Trump will be done in by his dirty business deals in NYC.

Just a matter of when

[Joe941]

15. Exactly. Congress needs to keep investigating until...

We get the indictments that should have come from mueller.

[Mustellus]

17. Department policy:

Department Policy: Can't indite a sitting president
Department Policy: No derogatory information on those not indited.

Result: No information on Trump in the report.

What does this mean? No evidence on Trump? Not hardly.

It means the "good stuff" has been saved. Saved for later. Saved for other channels. Saved for when more information becomes available. Saved.

If you can't indite, the Justice Department doesn't run a smear campaign. But they don't forget, either.

( And the kids? Why indite them and just have Trump pardon them? There's lots of time to get "Trump Pardons Kids" off the headlines before 2020. )

[avebury]

19. Could the Mueller Report end up being the biggest

end run around the Trump crime family and their cohorts in Congress?

Think about it, by taking Federal prosecution off the table, Mueller has totally released the Kraken. We know that he has passed information off to various other Prosecutorial offices. All state and local offices with credible cases are free to go after the Trump family for whatever charges they think they can win.

1. They are not hampered by the DOJ policy of not prosecuting a sitting President. They can file their charges and fight it out in court.
2. They don’t have to worry about double jeopardy.
3. If any of the can successfully prosecute any of the Trump family there is nothing that Trump or his Congressional enablers can do about it.