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AG Jeff Sessions has resigned at President Trumps request, announced via twitter.

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  • WinkyWinky rRegistered User regular
    SyphonBlue wrote: »
    Dehumanized wrote: »


    Lawrence Tribe (a Harvard Law professor) says that the new interim AG will take oversight of the muller investigation from rosenstein

    presumably to kill it

    So Mueller will probably be fired today

    cool

    Not if they're smart about this, in which case they'll just choke the investigation of resources and make it die quietly.

  • PolaritiePolaritie Sleepy Registered User regular
    Oghulk wrote: »
    I guess the question is: why? What can the house do that would impact this

    Hire Mueller as a special investigator, apply the subpoena power liberally...

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  • CogCog What'd you expect? Registered User regular
    Oghulk wrote: »
    I guess the question is: why? What can the house do that would impact this

    Subpoena shit.

  • CogCog What'd you expect? Registered User regular
    Winky wrote: »
    SyphonBlue wrote: »
    Dehumanized wrote: »


    Lawrence Tribe (a Harvard Law professor) says that the new interim AG will take oversight of the muller investigation from rosenstein

    presumably to kill it

    So Mueller will probably be fired today

    cool

    Not if they're smart about this, in which case they'll just choke the investigation of resources and make it die quietly.

    So Mueller will probably be fired today

  • SyphonBlueSyphonBlue The studying beaver That beaver sure loves studying!Registered User regular
    Undead Scottsman wrote: »
    Viskod wrote: »
    OneAngryPossum wrote: »
    DarkPrimus wrote: »
    HamHamJ wrote: »
    So, does this mean we are going for firing Mueller before the new congress?

    IIRC even if you move to shut the investigation down they get like six months or something to wrap things up, right?

    People have been saying 30 days, but I’ve personally never seen actual statutory evidence for that.

    Again, this is if his investigation is going to be ended or he is going to be fired. This is not what will happen. Whittaker will just deny any further indictments, and bury Muellers reports.

    House can request the reports though.

    What reports? I don't see any reports around here.

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  • monikermoniker Registered User regular
    Oghulk wrote: »
    I guess the question is: why? What can the house do that would impact this

    House Oversight Chair Elijah Cummings can re-hire everybody and also run a parallel investigation.

  • CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    NYMag contributer:

    Can Trump just not nominate any permanent replacement and keep this guy in?

  • monikermoniker Registered User regular
    Couscous wrote: »
    NYMag contributer:

    Can Trump just not nominate any permanent replacement and keep this guy in?

    Legally, no. Effectively...

  • Undead ScottsmanUndead Scottsman Cybertronian Paranormal Eliminator Registered User regular
    Couscous wrote: »
    NYMag contributer:

    Can Trump just not nominate any permanent replacement and keep this guy in?

    Thr answer is supposed to be "no" but that's only if someone enforces it.

  • OldSlackerOldSlacker Registered User regular
    Ugh, those assholes and their acronyms.

    So wait, if Whitaker fires Mueller, can't Rosenstein just rehire him since he is now AG?

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  • TomantaTomanta Registered User regular
    Couscous wrote: »
    NYMag contributer:

    Can Trump just not nominate any permanent replacement and keep this guy in?

    Who is going to stop him?

    I'm not sure how this plays with the Vacancies act, but the Trump admin has shown they know how to play that game very, very well.

  • HedgethornHedgethorn Associate Professor of Historical Hobby Horses In the Lions' DenRegistered User regular
    Oghulk wrote: »
    I guess the question is: why? What can the house do that would impact this

    Reports from early this morning said Don, Jr. expected to be indicted soon. That might have been the proverbial back-breaking straw.

  • WinkyWinky rRegistered User regular
    Undead Scottsman wrote: »
    Couscous wrote: »
    NYMag contributer:

    Can Trump just not nominate any permanent replacement and keep this guy in?

    Thr answer is supposed to be "no" but that's only if someone enforces it.

    Will the House have any ability to do that?

  • CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    From August 2017:
    https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/06/opinions/rosenstein-should-curb-mueller-whittaker-opinion/index.html
    Mueller's investigation of Trump is going too far
    By Matthew Whitaker

    Updated 5:21 PM ET, Sun August 6, 2017
    It is time for Rosenstein, who is the acting attorney general for the purposes of this investigation, to order Mueller to limit the scope of his investigation to the four corners of the order appointing him special counsel.
    Welp.

  • Undead ScottsmanUndead Scottsman Cybertronian Paranormal Eliminator Registered User regular
    Slacker1913 wrote: »
    Ugh, those assholes and their acronyms.

    So wait, if Whitaker fires Mueller, can't Rosenstein just rehire him since he is now AG?

    No, Whitaker is acting AG. Deputy AG would still be under him.

  • PolaritiePolaritie Sleepy Registered User regular
    SyphonBlue wrote: »
    Undead Scottsman wrote: »
    Viskod wrote: »
    OneAngryPossum wrote: »
    DarkPrimus wrote: »
    HamHamJ wrote: »
    So, does this mean we are going for firing Mueller before the new congress?

    IIRC even if you move to shut the investigation down they get like six months or something to wrap things up, right?

    People have been saying 30 days, but I’ve personally never seen actual statutory evidence for that.

    Again, this is if his investigation is going to be ended or he is going to be fired. This is not what will happen. Whittaker will just deny any further indictments, and bury Muellers reports.

    House can request the reports though.

    What reports? I don't see any reports around here.

    Contempt of Congress, Mueller testifies he wrote reports, toss em behind bars until they produce em.

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  • OldSlackerOldSlacker Registered User regular
    Undead Scottsman wrote: »
    Slacker1913 wrote: »
    Ugh, those assholes and their acronyms.

    So wait, if Whitaker fires Mueller, can't Rosenstein just rehire him since he is now AG?

    No, Whitaker is acting AG. Deputy AG would still be under him.

    Ah, I misunderstood.

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  • DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    in theory his interim should be replaced with a permanent successor within 210 days, but in practice there are a lot of ways to get around it. he could, for example, wait until august next year when the senate is in recess to appoint another crony until a new senate is seated

    he could also just keep putting interims in place; anyone who has been senate confirmed for any position anywhere can be installed that way

  • WinkyWinky rRegistered User regular
    Couscous wrote: »
    From August 2017:
    https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/06/opinions/rosenstein-should-curb-mueller-whittaker-opinion/index.html
    Mueller's investigation of Trump is going too far
    By Matthew Whitaker

    Updated 5:21 PM ET, Sun August 6, 2017
    It is time for Rosenstein, who is the acting attorney general for the purposes of this investigation, to order Mueller to limit the scope of his investigation to the four corners of the order appointing him special counsel.
    Welp.

    Yeah, this is a good argument for immediate protests.

  • CogCog What'd you expect? Registered User regular
    Tomanta wrote: »
    Couscous wrote: »
    NYMag contributer:

    Can Trump just not nominate any permanent replacement and keep this guy in?

    Who is going to stop him?

    I'm not sure how this plays with the Vacancies act, but the Trump admin has shown they know how to play that game very, very well.

    If Matthew Whitaker was confirmed by the senate to his current position, he can debatably hold the acting AG spot for 210 days. However, the Vacancies act doesn't specifically address if it's meant to apply if the previous person is fired. Sessions resigned, but obviously did so "by request".

    The senate absolutely won't hold Trump accountable in any fashion, so TL;DR: Probably.

  • OldSlackerOldSlacker Registered User regular
    Let's just hope Mueller has a good contingency plan for this inevitable fuckery.

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  • CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    edited November 2018
    NBC is saying Rod Rosenstein will cease oversight of Mueller investigation. Acting AG expected to step in but can only fire Special Counsel "for cause."



    I am sure a cause is as easy to make up as it is for terrible bosses looking for an excuse to fire someone.

    Couscous on
  • ChaosHatChaosHat Hop, hop, hop, HA! Trick of the lightRegistered User regular
    Slacker1913 wrote: »
    Let's just hope Mueller has a good contingency plan for this inevitable fuckery.

    Mueller is no idiot and I'm sure he reads newspapers. If anyone is prepared for this it's him and his team.

  • WinkyWinky rRegistered User regular
    Slacker1913 wrote: »
    Let's just hope Mueller has a good contingency plan for this inevitable fuckery.

    Break the seals.

  • ViskodViskod Registered User regular
    Undead Scottsman wrote: »
    Viskod wrote: »
    OneAngryPossum wrote: »
    DarkPrimus wrote: »
    HamHamJ wrote: »
    So, does this mean we are going for firing Mueller before the new congress?

    IIRC even if you move to shut the investigation down they get like six months or something to wrap things up, right?

    People have been saying 30 days, but I’ve personally never seen actual statutory evidence for that.

    Again, this is if his investigation is going to be ended or he is going to be fired. This is not what will happen. Whittaker will just deny any further indictments, and bury Muellers reports.

    House can request the reports though.

    And they can be denied.

    Trump political protection plan is replace Sessions with Mueller saboteur
    ...Make no mistake — a Whitaker Justice Department would be a Trump Political Protection Plan. His record as a Republican operative and even in his time at the Justice Department make it clear, Whitaker would be the president’s willing choice to oversee and sabotage the special counsel’s investigation to the president’s liking.

    Don’t take my word for it — just listen to Matt Whitaker himself. He’s been against the Mueller investigation from day one, and even offered up ways the investigation might be kneecapped from within. In an op-ed, Whitaker argued that calls to appoint a special counsel to investigate Russia’s attacks were “craven attempts to score cheap political points.” In an interview on CNN last year, Whitaker said, “I could see a scenario where Jeff Sessions is replaced with a recess appointment and that attorney general doesn't fire Bob Mueller but he just reduces his budget so low that his investigations grinds to almost a halt.”...
    ...What can he do as attorney general? He can restrict the special counsel’s budget, prevent him from following credible allegations, or overrule a subpoena to compel the president to testify. All these actions would be hidden to the public and Congress since the special counsel regulations don’t require them to be reported.

    Even if Mueller is allowed to finish the investigation, he will submit his final report to the attorney general. This fact-based report will have the Justice Department’s conclusions about Russia’s attacks and any assistance they received from their American accomplices. Whitaker will have broad discretion to claim executive privilege on the report and could stuff it in a drawer without sending it to Congress or releasing it publicly — exactly what Rudy Giuliani has called on the attorney general to do...

  • ForarForar #432 Toronto, Ontario, CanadaRegistered User regular
    Slacker1913 wrote: »
    Let's just hope Mueller has a good contingency plan for this inevitable fuckery.

    I think we both know the answer to that.

    I expect it to be within professional standards, and also laser focused on doing the most it can with the time and resources available.

    If there's a time for his team to review 'break glass in case of fuckmuppetry' contingency plans, now seems to be it.

    First they came for the Muslims, and we said NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKER!
  • PolaritiePolaritie Sleepy Registered User regular
    edited November 2018
    Winky wrote: »
    Slacker1913 wrote: »
    Let's just hope Mueller has a good contingency plan for this inevitable fuckery.

    Break the seals.

    So, uh... is the eschatological meaning here intended? Or just me being in a foul mood all of a sudden?

    Polaritie on
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  • DisrupterDisrupter Registered User regular
    Fuck. We had what a few hours of reprieve?!

    Man the battle stations. Jesus Christ. When and where are the protests!?

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  • WinkyWinky rRegistered User regular
    Polaritie wrote: »
    Winky wrote: »
    Slacker1913 wrote: »
    Let's just hope Mueller has a good contingency plan for this inevitable fuckery.

    Break the seals.

    So, uh... is the eschatological meaning here intended? Or just me being in a foul mood all of a sudden?

    If the shoe fits...

  • ViskodViskod Registered User regular
    Slacker1913 wrote: »
    Let's just hope Mueller has a good contingency plan for this inevitable fuckery.

    The only thing he can do is farm out his cases to other branches of the Justice Department where immediate oversight can't deny indictments.

  • HamHamJHamHamJ Registered User regular
    Does he have any actual authority to tell a special counsel what the scope of their investigation is or how to run it?

    While racing light mechs, your Urbanmech comes in second place, but only because it ran out of ammo.
  • spool32spool32 Contrary Library Registered User, Transition Team regular
    Oghulk wrote: »
    I guess the question is: why? What can the house do that would impact this

    Schiff takes over the House Intelligence committee, which has been blocking for the President the whole time. Shit with Nunez will come out immediately.

  • CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    Whitaker spelled out the fuckery he could use back in 2017.

    http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1707/26/cnnt.01.html
    WHITAKER: And that's why those same code of federal regulations govern the budget of the special counsel and that is well within the purview of the attorney general. So I could see a scenario where Jeff Sessions is replaced, it would recess appointment and that attorney general doesn't fire Bob Mueller but he just reduces his budget to so low that his investigations grinds to almost a halt.

  • PantsBPantsB Fake Thomas Jefferson Registered User regular
    Oghulk wrote: »
    I guess the question is: why? What can the house do that would impact this

    Mueller went on hold basically from September to not interfere with the election. Firing Mueller before the election would have been politically unpopular. Now there's more danger and less of a cost

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    QEDMF xbl: PantsB G+
  • CogCog What'd you expect? Registered User regular
    I assume McConnel's stance will continue to be something like "We could take action to protect the special counsel, but I don't see any indication that the investigation is under threat".

  • CelestialBadgerCelestialBadger Registered User regular
    PantsB wrote: »
    Oghulk wrote: »
    I guess the question is: why? What can the house do that would impact this

    Mueller went on hold basically from September to not interfere with the election. Firing Mueller before the election would have been politically unpopular. Now there's more danger and less of a cost

    Wasn’t that gracious of him. See how Trump repays weakness.

  • NecoNeco In My Restless Dreams Registered User regular
    Definitely not a surprise. Well maybe I am a little surprise at just how quickly he pulled the trigger, but there was no way the investigation would continue as is by the time the dems take back the house in January.

  • AstaerethAstaereth In the belly of the beastRegistered User regular
    Since firing Rosenstein was supposed to trigger the protests, firing Sessions to make Rosenstein irrelevant should also trigger the protests, right?

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  • UnknownUnknown
    This content has been removed.

  • silence1186silence1186 Character shields down! As a wingmanRegistered User regular
    The election was yesterday. Couldn't even wait until Friday?!

    Please fasten your seatbelts and keep your arms and legs inside the country at all times. It's going to be a bumpy ride.

This discussion has been closed.
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