The special counsel’s grand jury investigating Russian collusion into the 2016 presidential election is “continuing robustly” despite the end of Robert Mueller’s probehttps://t.co/nWI6EBMN9B
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) March 28, 2019
SCOOP: The total of 300-plus pages suggests that Mr. Mueller went well beyond the kind of bare-bones summary required by the Justice Department regulation governing his appointment and detailed his conclusions at length. https://t.co/0gk9BvEtJN w/@npfandos
— Adam Goldman (@adamgoldmanNYT) March 28, 2019
… The new ballpark page length came about a week after a senior Justice Department official told reporters that the report was “comprehensive.”
Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, added the description “very substantial” after talking to Mr. Barr on Wednesday, although neither he nor any other member of Congress has seen the report and he declined to give a page count. Andrew Napolitano, a legal analyst for Fox News and a favorite of Mr. Trump, caused a stir on Wednesday when he said multiple times on the air that the report was 700 pages…
[Probably does, including supplementary evidence, I’m guessing.]
By contrast, the Watergate “road map” sent to Congress by the grand jury investigating President Richard M. Nixon and his associates was only 62 pages. Sent to lawmakers in 1974, the court report was not unsealed by a federal judge and made public until last year.Mr. Mueller probably collected and generated hundreds of thousands if not millions of pages of paper during his investigation. Congress has made clear it would eventually like access to all of them, but the Justice Department could have good reason to block the release of some, leaving it once again to the courts to determine who sees what.
Members of Mr. Barr’s and Mr. Mueller’s teams are currently reviewing the full report to redact information that they do not believe should be made public for intelligence or other reasons. Mr. Barr has told lawmakers in recent days that it will take weeks to make more of Mr. Mueller’s findings public.
If the report is really a nothingburger, it’s best for the GOP to get it out as quickly as possibly, in hopes that the Media Village Idiots will get bored with picking over details. Running out the clock through litigation is good for Donald Trump escaping his obligations — it’s been one of his most successful tactics as a ‘businessman’ — but the longer the GOP obstructs the release of the Mueller report, the closer the 2020 election looms. Given all the vibrant Democratic candidates presenting exciting ideas to revitalize America, do the rest of the Repubs want to limp through their campaigns with this kind of Damoclean sword hanging over them?
The devil is in the "other reasons." https://t.co/TSKMFFt301
— Schooley (@Rschooley) March 28, 2019
Usually doesn’t take 300 pages to say no collusion
— Xeni Jardin (@xeni) March 28, 2019
Someone, somewhere, with access to the full report is staring at a thumb drive and thinking about Reality Winner. https://t.co/QmzoGswGOk
— Schooley (@Rschooley) March 25, 2019
Ever heard of John N Mitchell?
He was the US Attorney General 1969-1972 under Nixon.
He was found guilty of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and perjury. Sentenced to 30 months, ended up serving 19 months in a Federal prison.
Are you listening William Barr…
— Stu Cameron (@stucam7771) March 28, 2019
A Ghost To Most
Their malevolent intents are often mitigated by their arrogant incompetence.
Even their grand cover-ups suck, and are easily disproved.
Schiff’s counterpunch was most excellent.
catbirdman
“We can never let this happen to another president again.” Ah Trumpie, always thinking of others!
Steeplejack
Barr in a nutshell:
ruemara
I think the fact that McConnell is going to a nuclear option vote next week, says they think their timetable is shorter than they think. They want to confirm judges. I’m wondering what the urgency is. What IS in the this report, I wonder?
Also, anyone appointed should be stripped of their position.
Aleta
THE MUELLER BLUES – Randy Rainbow
A Ghost To Most
@Steeplejack:
It’s easy if you are working backwards from the desired results.
Jeffro
I actually had to Google ‘Reality Winner’, how’s that for time flying, one scandal after another, in this swampiest of administrations?
Frankensteinbeck
It’s amazing how every time the media jumps on the ‘Trump wins!’ train, it takes about two days for that to turn to shit. That one exception in 2016 really sucked, but yeah, I knew the Mueller Report Exonerates Trump narrative was going to die a fiery death.
rikyrah
Trump Ally Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University Has Pentagon Contracts
Falwell has used Liberty-owned Freedom Aviation for personal, business, and political travel. Now it’s selling jet fuel to the Pentagon.
Lachlan Markay
03.28.19 4:20 AM ET
Just months after President Donald Trump took office, the federal government signed a contract to buy hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of jet fuel from a university run by one of the president’s top political supporters.
The Pentagon’s energy procurement arm inked the contract, worth nearly $900,000, with a company called Freedom Aviation on May 9, 2017, and has purchased more than $400,000 in turbine fuel from the company since then. Freedom Aviation is wholly owned by Liberty University, a conservative school in Lynchburg, Virginia, led by high-profile Trump supporter Jerry Falwell Jr.
rikyrah
@ruemara:
For real?
mrmoshpotato
Three hundred pages! Hot damn! Even double-sided, so it’s only 150 sheets, I could master hitting some Senators over the head with a hardcover edition!
Frankensteinbeck
@rikyrah:
I don’t see it. I wish I did, but I don’t. Trump and Pence aren’t going anywhere before the next election, especially not both at once. There’s been no hint that McConnell himself will be in trouble. What could he be afraid will change?
Chyron HR
“I love this country. I love this county as much as I could love anything. And I will hump as many flags as I have to to prove it.”
Steeplejack
@Aleta:
“You in that pink blouse. People are getting away with murder here.”
ETA: And people are litigating Barr/Mueller even in the comments to this video!
mrmoshpotato
@rikyrah: If I understand correctly, you’re saying Falwell Jr is going to burn in a jet fuel-fired Hell, right?
:)
Steeplejack
@rikyrah:
As someone on Twitter put it: “Who knew that a Christian college’s side gig was selling jet fuel?”
rikyrah
Don’t know if I believe this, but I am inclined to ??
https://twitter.com/themermacorn/status/1110923363655012354
Betty
@Frankensteinbeck: I recently read that McConnell’s approval was in the 30% range. There may be hope.
Steeplejack
Ah, opening day. The Braves are getting shellacked after giving up a grand slam, so I guess I’ll switch over to Ari Melber and see what horrors happened today.
Steve in the ATL
@Steeplejack: you think that’s bad? The Appleby’s in Edinburgh, Indiana has NO SALAD BAR. It’s almost as if David Brooks can’t be trusted.
Steeplejack
@Steve in the ATL:
Holy shnikeys! The humanity.
Ditto about being in Edinburgh, Indiana, in general. No good barbecue in the vicinity?
ETA: Hickory Hills Barbecue gets a 4.8 on Google, and El Jefe gets 4.4, if you want Mexican.
randy khan
@Steve in the ATL:
You say that like it’s a bad thing.
Gin & Tonic
@Steve in the ATL: What’d you do to be sentenced to Edinburgh, Indiana?
Raven
@Steve in the ATL: my wife has been at Dulles since 10:30m and boards the London flight at 11.
Steeplejack
@randy khan:
Why, I oughta . . . [shakes fist].
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Gin & Tonic: Many very bad things.
Steve in the ATL
@Gin & Tonic: arbitrating a case for a local mill. My karma must be way fucked up.
@Steeplejack: having spent most of my childhood in Memphis, I’m wary of Indiana barbecue.
B.B.A.
Your daily doom-n-gloom from Mr. Grumpypants:
The only way Trump leaves office before noon on 1/20/2021 is in a coffin, and only a fool would believe otherwise.
There’s probably something juicy buried in the report, but it’s not going to bring this maladministration down.
There. I’m done. Carry on.
debbie
Huh. Someone at NPR said the report was 700 pages. I blame the Deep State.
Gin & Tonic
@Raven: Wow, 12 hours in IAD. Sounds like a blast.
Steve in the ATL
@Raven: with that much time, she should have gone to the smithsonian!
Steve in the ATL
@Steeplejack: and the waitress assures me that the cedar plank salmon, which did not come on a cedar plank, was caught fresh off the coast of Indiana this afternoon
Steeplejack
@Steve in the ATL:
Oh, jeez, you’re not one of those barbecue purists, are you? They’re worse than the Académie Française.
(And don’t anybody @ me about the A.F.’s views on barbecue.)
Yutsano
Since open thread…
My brother just had his gall bladder removed with over 100 stones in the ducts. He’ll be back with the family tonight. He’s okay but I guess he was a hurting unit.
Taking a nap. Will catch up with y’all soon.
Litlebritdifrnt
As people on twitter have been saying if the Mueller report totally exonerated Twitler as the RWNJ’s are claiming it would be published on the front page of every newspaper in town. As it is the Repubs are blocking its release. Hmmmm why could that be?
Steeplejack
@debbie:
They’re repeating what “legal analyst” Andrew Napolitano said—repeatedly—on Fox News yesterday.
Steve in the ATL
@Steeplejack: don’t get me started on beef “barbecue”. C’est merde d’enfer, ça!
Gin & Tonic
@Steeplejack: Props for the cedilla, though.
Misamericanthrope
Can’t somebody please re-purpose the footage of Nunes, Hannity and others during their “Release the Memo” phase to make it look like they’re referring to the Mueller report?
Steeplejack
@Steve in the ATL:
I’m sure her air of plain-spoken Hoosier honesty put your mind at ease.
rikyrah
@Yutsano:
DAMN!!!
I hope that he isn’t in any pain for the long term.
debbie
@Yutsano:
Yikes, that’s worse than painful! Hope he mends soon. Hope your mending is also going well.
Steeplejack
@Steve in the ATL:
It’s brisket, damn it! And it’s good!
debbie
@Steeplejack:
Oh, FFS. Thanks.
grammypat
@Steve in the ATL: In Texas, “beef “barbecue””, aka brisket, is considered the height of fine dining. Bah! Gimme Memphis pork (rib or pulled) any day over beef brisket.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Steve in the ATL: I think this means they found it on a cedar plank in the lake.
Gin & Tonic
@Steeplejack: You want brisket, go to Montreal.
Steve in the ATL
@?BillinGlendaleCA: ah—that’s why it was more expensive than the shredded tire salmon
Steve in the ATL
@grammypat: [upvote]
Steve in the ATL
@Yutsano: wife had hers removed a couple years back. He should bounce back pretty quickly.
ETA: trifecta! Changing my nym to Tenguphule 2.0
zhena gogolia
@grammypat:
You haven’t had my Uncle Jim’s brisket.
Or even Arthur Bryant’s.
Steeplejack
@grammypat:
Why not both?!
Gin & Tonic
@Yutsano: That’s enough stones to pave a driveway.
Steeplejack
@debbie:
Not necessarily saying Napolitano is wrong. What with Fox News being state media, who knows who’s feeding them what tidbits behind the scenes?
satby
@Steve in the ATL: @?BillinGlendaleCA: coho salmon; which doesn’t taste at all like ocean salmon to me. Get a burger.
Keith P.
@rikyrah: I consider it a mild victory that they don’t have the news anchors calling it “The Constitutional Option” this time around.
Steeplejack
Oops, Daniel Dale posted earlier today that he won’t be covering Trump’s rally. My bad.
Here’s a live stream, if you can stand it. I don’t think I can, although I might give it a few minutes. But if Trump humps the flag I’m out!
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
@Steve in the ATL: But did you win? Is that close to Columbus IN? For some reason I think it is.
eemom
@Steve in the ATL:
What ever happened to the original?
Kathleen
@debbie: They must listen to Fox News then.
ETA: Note to Self: Read other comments before posting. That is all.
Steve in the ATL
@Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho: yes, Columbus and Edinburgh are the twin cities of southern Indiana. Tomorrow is last day of the arbitration; won’t get a ruling for months.
WaterGirl
@Gin & Tonic: Followed by a long flight! Yay? (Not yay.)
grammypat
@zhena gogolia:There’s an abundance of small, really good barbecue joints in a number of small towns of central texas. I’ve eaten barbecue in Elgin, Bastrop, Lockhard, and Luling. All tout their brisket, and some even look askance when I request pork.
@Steeplejack: I’ve had both and prefer pork (Memphis-style, of course). YMMV
A Ghost To Most
@Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho: He’s in Indiana. How could he have won?
Eric S.
@Steve in the ATL: Haven’t you heard of Indiana Beach? There’s more than corn in Indiana, you know.
Steeplejack
Trump just took the stage. No flags in the vicinity, so no danger of flag-humping.
MoCA Ace
I have been trying to reduce my depression inducing Mueller Report intake so maybe this has been discussed here already and I missed it but what are the chances that Mueller pulled his punches “for the good of the country”. I mean he wouldn’t be the first, and would Barr risk reporting a conclusion that was diametrically opposed to Mueller’s own in the report.
PaulWartenberg
You know if the government wants to tackle the huge GOP-created deficits, they should put the Mueller Report to a hardcover book and sell it for $85.99 and put all the profits into deficit reduction.
Steve in the ATL
@Eric S.: Indiana: now with soy beans too!
zhena gogolia
@MoCA Ace:
Nobody knows.
I can, however, share many details of a consensual affair that Bill Clinton had in the 1990s.
Wapiti
@PaulWartenberg: I don’t think they give an actual shit about the deficits, except as an excuse to take money from things they already wanted to take money from.
mrmoshpotato
O’s lost. :(
Mets won. :)
PVDMichael
Does anyone else think that no substantial portion of the Mueller report will ever be released?
First it gets stripped of all the spy knowledge.. then it gets stripped of all of the “pending cases” stuff.. then Trump gets to claim executive privilege on all of his post-1/2017 conversations..
I’m thinking that final product is going to be pretty skimpy and many court battles away.
Jay
@MoCA Ace:
http://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2019/03/the-plot-against-america-3
Jay
@PVDMichael:
http://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2019/03/the-plot-against-america-3
Nethead Jay
@Yutsano: Damn, that’s a lot. I had mine removed half a year ago. They didn’t give a number on stones, but the system was so backed up my pancreas got inflamed and that’s an amount of pain I wouldn’t wish on anybody. The good news is the recovery is fairly quick, depending on general health of course, I was up and functioning in a week or so.
Bill Arnold
Unless they canary-trapped the instances of the report (unlikely but I suppose possible) a clean leak is likely to be quite possible and easy. Every major news org has a few ways for leakers to leak to them. (e.g. https://securedrop.org/ or as a specific example https://www.washingtonpost.com/anonymous-news-tips/)
If Barr releases a rewritten version with whole sections redacted and no page count of redactions, then a leacker could leak a version that had precisely the same redactions but with black bars, and not feel a twinge of guilt.
SiubhanDuinne
@B.B.A.:
(Thundering Yul Brynner voice): So let it be written … so let it be done.
SiubhanDuinne
@Steve in the ATL:
Mmmm … Lake Michigan salmon … mmmmmmmm
SiubhanDuinne
@Steve in the ATL:
You’ve never had barbecued tofu, have you?
debbie
Speaking of the Great Lakes, can’t embed on this iPad, but Trump is at a Michigan rally and is very impressed by the Great Lakes. “Record deepness, right?”
Gin & Tonic
@SiubhanDuinne: Why would one?
SiubhanDuinne
@Kathleen:
Remember, Mar-a-Liasson works both sides of the street.
Steve in the ATL
@SiubhanDuinne: zut alors—que tu es cinglé!
SiubhanDuinne
@Gin & Tonic:
One wouldn’t oneself, but one has read about vegans and vegetarians.
SiubhanDuinne
@Steve in the ATL:
Pas cinglé! Pas cinglé! Tu es le cinglé!!
Peale
@PVDMichael: it will include only those sections about Loretta Lynch, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Valerie Jarrett too if they can find them, so that they can be hauled into the Senate for more hearings.
Steve in the ATL
@Gin & Tonic: #NotWinning
Steve in the ATL
@SiubhanDuinne: morte de rire
SiubhanDuinne
@Steve in the ATL:
ah, pauvre petit
Steve in the ATL
@SiubhanDuinne: we better stop before Omnes shows up and corrects our grammar!
SiubhanDuinne
@Steve in the ATL:
Vraiment
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
@Steve in the ATL: Vérifier vos courriels. Aussi, tu es cinglé, comme SD l’observe correctement.
Steve in the ATL
@Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho: je l’ai vu—c’etait trés drôle!
Gin & Tonic
@Steve in the ATL: Hey! You’re in America. Speak American.
Steve in the ATL
@Gin & Tonic: no, dude—I’m in Indiana. I speak corn, soy beans, and racism!
Aleta
@ruemara: I got that feeling — no time to waste. Is it because they need to start steamrolling abortion rights, voting rights, etc in states asap, so they can get the cases in and out of the SC before Nov 2020.
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
@Steve in the ATL: Ausgezeichnet! Mir auch.
@Gin & Tonic: Oops. (Excellent! Me too.)
Chris Johnson
@Bill Arnold: News orgs won’t want it because they’re aligned with Russia and Trump. Wikileaks won’t want it because they’re aligned with Russia and Trump. That is not to say a leak couldn’t happen regardless, but it will not come through those channels.
scott alloway
@Gin & Tonic: In my youth, in the 60s and early 70s, Ben’s Deli was a must go to in Montreal.
James E Powell
@grammypat:
I have yet to meet any regional variation of BBQ that I do not like.
Steeplejack
@James E Powell:
Amen.
A Streeter
@Steve in the ATL:
Might not be a lie — Indiana actually does have a coast, maybe 20 miles of it, and there’s even a (non-native) salmon population in Lake Michigan.
TomatoQueen
@James E Powell: Except that exploitation-of-workers-dreck from Piggie Park, somewhere in the Unspeakable Region of the Carolinas.
MMM.Barbecue.
momus
Barr: “The President needs something more concise. Can you give us 3 sentences? They don’t have to be coherent.”
Uncle Cosmo
@SiubhanDuinne:
FTFY. (Works whether you syllablize it between “r” and “s” or between “s” and “p”.)