Indictment-O-Rama, Act 3: Cohen Up the River

[Person Man]

Ethics official said Whitaker should recuse from the Mueller probe, but his advisers told him not to, officials say

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I think if Whittaker does something stupid, the House should immediately move to Impeachment.

[Former Dean Phillips Supporters for Haley (I guess???!?) 👁️]

Ethics official said Whitaker should recuse from the Mueller probe, but his advisers told him not to, officials say

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I think if Whittaker does something stupid, the House should immediately move to Impeachment.

You mean impeach Whittaker or impeach Trump?

[Crumpets]

Ethics official said Whitaker should recuse from the Mueller probe, but his advisers told him not to, officials say

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I think if Whittaker does something stupid, the House should immediately move to Impeachment.

Meh. I still think the best course of action with Whittaker is to just challenge his "appointment" as null and void until the Senate votes. There is no legal reason at all to believe that Rod Rosenstein is not the current acting Attorney General. It is up to the Trump administration and Whittaker to prove otherwise before anyone else should recognize anything he does in his capacity as acting AG.

[President Johnson]

Haven't seen this.

Trump reportedly lashed out against Whitaker after the Cohen News.

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CNN

[Badger]

Haven't seen this.

Trump reportedly lashed out against Whitaker after the Cohen News.

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CNN

Still trying to corrupt the judicial system and shut the investigation down, eh? What a shock.

[Silent Hunter]

This man vents a lot, but he doesn't actually do much, does he?

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

This man vents a lot, but he doesn't actually do much, does he?

Pulls American forces out of the Russian periphery, gets sanctions on major Russian companies dropped, creates an international incident with China, shuts down the government, and attacks the Federal Reserve as there's an historic drop in the stock market.

That was this week.

If he wasn't convincing as a vile idiot, I might wonder if the demented rants were camouflage for a traitor.

[Silent Hunter]

In terms of this investigation, he's not done very much though.

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

Cell signal puts Cohen outside Prague around time of purported Russian meeting

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[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

In terms of this investigation, he's not done very much though.

Fired Comey, fired Sessions, pressured them both to shut down the investigation, more obstruction of justice than I can count.... Dump has done a great deal. It's just that he puts out so much meaningless noise on this (and any other) topic that it obscures the magnitude of what he has done by comparison.

[Silent Hunter]

But the investigation is still ongoing; Mueller is getting convictions and flip witness. Trump could do a lot more if he was so inclined. Like have the Special Counsel's Office mysteriously catch ablaze.

[Mike Thick]

But the investigation is still ongoing; Mueller is getting convictions and flip witness. Trump could do a lot more if he was so inclined. Like have the Special Counsel's Office mysteriously catch ablaze.

We have no idea what Whitaker is doing behind the scenes, though, do we?

[Obama-Biden Democrat]

Remember when Devin Nunes and other deplorables in the house went to that that intelligence briefing about the Russia investigation after screaming for months about how it was all a with hunt, and a political hit job from Comey and other Democrats? After the classified briefing, Nunes and other Republicans have been dead silent on the issue.

[TarHeelDem]

But the investigation is still ongoing; Mueller is getting convictions and flip witness. Trump could do a lot more if he was so inclined. Like have the Special Counsel's Office mysteriously catch ablaze.

We have no idea what Whitaker is doing behind the scenes, though, do we?

Whitaker is getting briefed on major developments, but that's it (he has no authority or input). Rosenstein is still supervising.

Side note: does anyone else feel like Atlas as a whole has severely underestimated the scope and potential impact of this investigation since it started?

[pbrower2a]

But the investigation is still ongoing; Mueller is getting convictions and flip witness. Trump could do a lot more if he was so inclined. Like have the Special Counsel's Office mysteriously catch ablaze.

We have no idea what Whitaker is doing behind the scenes, though, do we?

Whitaker is getting briefed on major developments, but that's it (he has no authority or input). Rosenstein is still supervising.

Side note: does anyone else feel like Atlas as a whole has severely underestimated the scope and potential impact of this investigation since it started?

Good investigations are secretive, and investigators do not leak out information except to set traps for unwary suspects who might do something incriminating. The idea is that the suspect is to do something stupid, like trying to flee, destroy evidence, or discuss with associates how to testify in court.

For incompetence, think of the late Senator Joseph McCarthy, who leaked ill-prepared stories of Communist infiltration of the federal government in the 1950s. For competence, look at Robert Mueller, who leaves the announcements to jury trials or plea bargains. 

[The Mikado]

Side note: does anyone else feel like Atlas as a whole has severely underestimated the scope and potential impact of this investigation since it started?

Part of the problem is that, as this is a political forum, people tend to only care about the political ramifications, rather than the other ones, of which there are many. The Trump Organization as a business will likely not exist at all five or even three years from now, for example.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Side note: does anyone else feel like Atlas as a whole has severely underestimated the scope and potential impact of this investigation since it started?

That's because both the alt-left and the alt-right for their own reasons tried to dismiss the Russia/Trump collusion affair as a conspiracy theory concocted by the Evil Democratic establishment.

[brucejoel99]

But the investigation is still ongoing; Mueller is getting convictions and flip witness. Trump could do a lot more if he was so inclined. Like have the Special Counsel's Office mysteriously catch ablaze.

We have no idea what Whitaker is doing behind the scenes, though, do we?

Whitaker is getting briefed on major developments, but that's it (he has no authority or input). Rosenstein is still supervising.

Yeah, despite becoming Acting AG several weeks ago & technically taking over supervision of Mueller's probe, Whitaker has actually yet to still be briefed on the details of the investigation & has left supervision of Mueller's day-to-day operations to Rosenstein. And per federal regulations, Rosenstein must inform Whitaker of major developments in the Mueller probe, meaning he'll soon be briefed on more of what Mueller has uncovered.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Paul Manafort pressured by Russians to pay back debt while Trump's campaign chair, Time magazine says

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You may recall the name Deripaska from the week before Christmas.

Trump admin to lift sanctions on firms owned by Russian oligarch Deripaska

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[Badger]

But the investigation is still ongoing; Mueller is getting convictions and flip witness. Trump could do a lot more if he was so inclined. Like have the Special Counsel's Office mysteriously catch ablaze.

We have no idea what Whitaker is doing behind the scenes, though, do we?

Whitaker is getting briefed on major developments, but that's it (he has no authority or input). Rosenstein is still supervising.

Side note: does anyone else feel like Atlas as a whole has severely underestimated the scope and potential impact of this investigation since it started?

The alt left and almost everyone right of center have, yes.

[Silent Hunter]

The Treasury Department announced Wednesday that it would lift financial sanctions on Deripaska’s aluminum company, United Co. Rusal, as well as En+ Group plc and JSC EuroSibEnergo in 30 days, after Deripaska agreed to reduce his ownership stake in each of the companies to below 50 percent.

If he has reduced his ownership stake to below 50%, he isn't actually the owner any more. He is a minority shareholder.

[Badger]

The Treasury Department announced Wednesday that it would lift financial sanctions on Deripaska’s aluminum company, United Co. Rusal, as well as En+ Group plc and JSC EuroSibEnergo in 30 days, after Deripaska agreed to reduce his ownership stake in each of the companies to below 50 percent.

If he has reduced his ownership stake to below 50%, he isn't actually the owner any more. He is a minority shareholder.

The way Russian oligarchic practices play out in both business and politics, I will bet you 1000 to 1 that the shares sold necessary to make him a "minority shareholders are still very much in his effective control through some combination of shell corporations and reliable friends who will always do his bidding for any management decisions.

Yet more obscene levels of overt corruption, which 40-ish% of the country is perfectly willing to give Trump a pass on so long as he promises them White Power and to stick it to the libs.

[Silent Hunter]

I concede your point there. Proving that will be another thing though.

[Badger]

I concede your point there. Proving that will be another thing though.

True, but I have faith in Mueller to at least provide strong indications.

[Virginiá]

Natalya Veselnitskaya, Russian attorney at Trump Tower meeting, charged with obstruction of justice in unrelated money laundering case

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/08/natalya-veselnitskaya-attorney-at-trump-tower-meeting-charged.html

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