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Fani Willis claps back at Trump chihuahua, Jim Jordan.

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Ron DeSantis, the grand wizard, oops, governor of FL

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You are here: Home / Politics / Activist Judges! / Interesting Read: “What I Learned From Briefing Robert Mueller”

Interesting Read: “What I Learned From Briefing Robert Mueller”

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David Priess, at Lawfareblog:

When Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed former FBI Director Bob Mueller as special counsel to investigate Russian election interference, I found myself neither surprised that Mueller had been tapped nor shocked when he accepted the call to duty…

The challenge Mueller agreed to tackle looked deep and wide: everything from the capability and intent of foreign governments and individuals, to the use and abuse of social media, to the labyrinth of international financial transactions. It was daunting, to say the least, even with the top-notch team of specialists he then gathered. My confidence nevertheless ran high that this complicated investigation would get the comprehensive treatment it demanded and be handled with the utmost integrity.

This trust in Mueller and his investigation didn’t come out of the blue. For more than a year, while serving as a CIA officer, I was his daily intelligence briefer in his role as director of the FBI. Five, often six, days a week I delivered to him the president’s daily brief (PDB) as well as voluminous other pieces of intelligence information and analytic assessments, primarily on terrorism…

The relationship between daily intelligence briefers and their “customers,” as CIA officers for many decades have called senior policy makers, is a special one. The details of the briefing materials—including, but not limited to, information about intelligence sources and methods—and the sensitive conversations in that room remain sacred. I won’t discuss those things here, or anywhere.

But presenting complex information to Mueller, watching him digest it, answering his inevitable questions, and chatting with him and his staff on the margins of the sessions afforded me insight that I can appropriately share regarding his approach to complex problem sets—from L’Affaire Russe to Mueller’s personal style. This experience gave me confidence then about the fight against terrorism and the integrity of the Bureau under his watch, and it gives me confidence now in the work he is doing as special counsel.

What stood out to me most upon my starting the job, just months after 9/11, were Mueller’s attention to detail and his desire to understand how the CIA analysts arrived at their assessments. For a while, most of my briefings devolved into de facto intelligence hazing rituals. I discovered the hard way that when my presentation casually offered judgments lacking robust sourcing or logic, Mueller would ask me about the substantiation or argumentation until either my desperate searching through background materials could satisfy him or—more often in those first few months—I admitted that I’d have to get back to him after talking to the experts on that issue.

He wasn’t sending me down rabbit holes for the joy of doing so; he simply didn’t seem to trust analysis anchored to weak evidence or unclear reasoning. Inevitably, my follow-up on his questions resulted in either a quick nod of thanks or, particularly during the early briefings, another set of questions sending me back for more. Never did I feel that I’d been sent on a fishing expedition. Anything that initially appeared to be a tangent ended up having a purpose, usually to help him bring into focus one of the many pictures we were puzzling over…

Read the whole thing — it’s not long! — and take heart.

Reader Interactions

38Comments

  1. 1.

    Corner Stone

    where, as the president’s briefer wrapped up his PDB session, the attorney general, FBI director, and homeland security adviser would enter the Oval Office. Bush would hear from each of them and lead daily discussions about how to use that day’s top secret information and analysis to protect the United States from additional attacks.

    Good God. This is how George Freakin’ Bush handled the briefings and PDB’s. Now contrast that against Trump…Yikes.

  2. 2.

    Corner Stone

    The president and his allies began arguing early in the special counsel’s investigation that ego and attention-seeking are driving Mueller in this probe.

    And now contrast that against the insufferable prick James Comey.

  3. 3.

    Elizabelle

    Thank you, Anne. I think it’s important to highlight the good, and the green sprouts. Too much idiocy and outrage these days. I don’t want to wallow in it.

  5. 5.

    germy

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on U.S.-led missile strikes on Syria:

    The U.N. Security Council has rejected a Russian resolution calling for condemnation of the “aggression” by the United States and its allies against Syria.

    Only three countries — Russia, China and Bolivia — voted in favor of the resolution at the end of an emergency meeting of the 15-member council called by Russia on Saturday. Eight countries voted against and three abstained.

    A resolution needs at least 9 “yes” votes to be approved.

  10. 10.

    Arclite

    Listening to LRC. McCardle and Yglasias are the hosts this week. McCardle is an idiot, but Yglasias is also pretty weak tea. It’s a shame Katrina isn’t on to eviscerate McCardle, esp when discussing the monumental events of the past week. And I don’t agree with Lowery, but at least the man can put a coherent sentence together.

  11. 11.

    Waratah

    I keep telling myself that Mueller is human, not to expect too much but now I will have to control myself to not put him on a pedestal.

  12. 12.

    efgoldman

    @Arclite:

    I don’t agree with Lowery, but at least the man can put a coherent sentence together.

    Is that “sparkles” Lowery? Has he gotten over Snowbillie Snookie yet?

  13. 13.

    WaterGirl

    @efgoldman: It’s on kind of me and probably politically incorrect for me to say so but I saw a photo of her the other day and I don’t think she would get any extra votes because of starbursts if she ran again.

  15. 15.

    rk

    I’m sure Muller is brilliant, but what really has helped him is the sheer stupidity and incompetence of the opposition. Apparently Trump and the gang has been brazenly corrupt for the last few decades at least. What needs to be investigated, after this is all over is how he was allowed to get away with it for so long? How many more rich guys are getting away with open criminality? I’d also like to know if he was so openly racist and NBC has the outtakes, why did he have a show for so long? These are the things which really undermine democracy.

  16. 16.

    donnah

    While the White House leaks info like a sieve, Mueller and his team have been buttoned up right from the start. If nothing else in this disaster of a presidency, there seems to be a bright light in Mueller. Please let him be able to finish out the investigations as he sees fit and release the results of all the hard work he’s done, with no interference from Trump and his minions.

    Please.

  18. 18.

    efgoldman

    @WaterGirl:

    probably politically incorrect for me to say so but I saw a photo of her the other day and I don’t think she would get any extra votes because of starbursts

    Never got them myself, and I’m a dirty old man

  20. 20.

    WaterGirl

    Where on the front pages today I can’t believe they left us at home alone all this time.

    It’s 62 and kind of damp but I’m out on the porch anyway because by tomorrow will have hard freezes for several days. So I’m enjoying the outside while I can.

  21. 21.

    WaterGirl

    @efgoldman: that’s because you have good taste! If Trump look like George Clooney I wouldn’t be attracted to him at all because you can see what a person is like on the inside.

  22. 22.

    Waratah

    @Corner Stone: my concern is that the news media is going to keep propping him up until Mueller starts handing out indictments instead of doing the reporting they should be doing. They don’t have to look far it is staring at them.

  23. 23.

    Amir Khalid

    @WaterGirl:
    Sarah Palin’s appeal, such as it was, lay mostly in her looks. That, and her mean-girl shtik. She’s a decade older than ten years ago when she was the hot new thing and people Republicans were willing to overlook her readily apparent deficiencies. Looks fade. The shtik loses its sting, A Hillary Clinton or a Nancy Pelosi has the substance, the record of achievement, and the gravitas to command respect; Palin never had any of that. Her political stardom faded away as she and her family showed themselves to be the feckless sort you see on reality TV. She’s fading back into obscurity where she belongs.

  26. 26.

    Matt McIrvin

    I don’t know… If McCain/Palin had won, we might be a year and change into Hillary Clinton’s second term now.

  27. 27.

    MattF

    It seems pretty clear that Mueller is the anti-Trump. My guess (and hope) is that he’s got a ‘dead hand’ plan– no matter what happens specifically to his office or to himself, the truth will get out.

  28. 28.

    Chet Murthy

    @Amir Khalid: I remember in 2002 (04?) when Pelosi & Daschle did the SOTU response. She[*] was (I felt) awful. Just awful. I was horrified. But she’s really grown into her job, and she even gives speeches that are … uh …. brutally efficient in their bloodletting. Makes a boy feel proud of his rep & soon-to-be-speaker. So some of those wimminz don’t just “make it on more than their looks”, they get better as they get older, b/c yaknow, experience and all dat.

    [*] ETA: Daschle was awful too. But he’s not part of the story here, so I skipped him first time.

  29. 29.

    Corner Stone

    @Chet Murthy: Pelosi can be effective at the podium in short bursts or sound byte releases. She is woefully bad at speeches and longer interactions. That’s just not her strength. What she does excel in is leading her caucus.

    ETA, Daschle could bore milk into curdling just in an attempt to get away from him.

  30. 30.

    Brachiator

    @Matt McIrvin:

    I don’t know… If McCain/Palin had won, we might be a year and change into Hillary Clinton’s second term now.

    Ooh. That’s a wild alternate history timeline.

  31. 31.

    Mnemosyne

    @WereBear:

    I seem to be fending that off so far, thanks to sunscreen. I assume it’s coming for me within the next decade, though.

  32. 32.

    Brachiator

    @Amir Khalid:

    Sarah Palin’s appeal, such as it was, lay mostly in her looks. That, and her mean-girl shtik.

    I think that people continue to underestimate her early appeal to women. I remember when she came to Southern California early in the campaign. Women from all political stripes came out to see her. Unfortunately, she quickly dashed a lot of hope with a series of speeches that were stridently partisan and tinged with bigotry. But she continued to wow a lot of conservative women.

    Her political stardom faded away as she and her family showed themselves to be the feckless sort you see on reality TV.

    Well said. Unfortunately, this also excellently describes Trump.

  34. 34.

    zhena gogolia

    I finally read the article linked in the OP. Thank you, it’s very heartening.

  35. 35.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @efgoldman:
    Ugh. Yes. From day one, I found Palin unpleasant looking. There is a leathery, deep-lined stiffness that is carved into a face by a lifetime of hate, and she has it. Most of the supposedly pretty conservative women do.

  36. 36.

    Zinsky

    As long as Trump ends up either in prison or teats up and six feet under, I will be fine with Robert Mueller.

  37. 37.

    jc

    The problem is that Mueller isn’t a showboater, but Trump is a guy who’s game is to put over the Big Lie as publicly as possible (unless the wind shifts, then he hides). Trump is a stupid risk taker, and he threatens his opponents and dares those who challenge him to fight (his lawyer) or back down. Now that Trump has real power (stupidest thing America ever did), it’s inconceivable that he won’t abuse it, that’s why he wanted the power in the first place, to show everyone what a Big Man he is.

    Trump has that problem where he wants all the other guys to see what a big stud he is, and he thinks all the women are dying to get with him, since he’s the studliest stud. Right, everyone? I possess the hottest chicks, I’ve got the most money, and I’ve got my finger on the nuke button. Don’t fuck with me, cuz I’m the manliest man in the whole damn town. The rules don’t apply to me, you peons, cuz I’m The Man. I’ll just change the rules if I want. I’m smart because I say I’m smart.

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