But democrats can reappoint Mueller in January, so this seems a bit like an attempt to delay or complicate for a bit.
Problem is it gives the Acting AG time to make Mueller's work disappear, forcing them to start from scratch.
Also any investigation through the House would be entirely academic; they wouldn't have enforcement power.
Disappearing it risks contempt of congress charges when the house subpoenas for it, doesn't it?
contempt of congress is a joke
Nowadays, at least.
Congress has successfully thrown people in jail until they're willing to cooperate with it before, and there's no tangible reason they couldn't again if they decided it was time for it to no longer be a joke.
That might wind up backfiring as Trump could easily paint that as the Dems jailing political opponents.
They're going to say whatever they like, and already have many times, but the threat can't be an impediment to actually doing the right thing.
So Whittaker has a history of op-eds that demonstrate clear hostility toward a proper investigation to be undertaken. Is it possible for a recusal to be forced upon this person?
oh my god just let him be Kansas' governor instead.
I wonder if a federal judge would be willing to send a potential AG Kobach to remedial law classes. I mean, it wouldn't be a new experience for him at this point.
I don't suppose there is any fine print resource for if you are a special investigator, and you have obvious iron clad evidence of crime but your supervisor refuses to allow indictments or subpoenas for obvious political motivations. I wonder what its like as Mueller to look at Whitaker and see someone committing blatant obstruction of justice but not having any recourse for it?
Also from what I understand, one of the protections built into the special prosecutor is that whenever the AG denies the SP something it triggers a report to congress about what the SP requested and why the AG denied it.
Am I incorrect in this understanding?
Nope, that's right. The AG has to notify congress if they believe a request or action by the SP is inappropriate.
Who in congress do they have to notify? Just the committee heads? Can they keep those notifications away from Dems? (until Jan)
Senate and House Judiciary Committees, both chair and ranking minority, so no, they couldn't keep it from Dems.
That makes me feel a lot better.
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The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
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I wonder if they were worried about indictments and they did this so when the indictments come out they can say its revenge for the firing. Which is stupid, but that's all I got
So Whittaker has a history of op-eds that demonstrate clear hostility toward a proper investigation to be undertaken. Is it possible for a recusal to be forced upon this person?
The only person with any direct power over this person is Trump, as far as I understand it.
I just got out of teaching all my courses for the day, so I don't really have the ability for cogent thought, and my feelings on this matter can be summed up mostly as incoherent screaming
So Whittaker has a history of op-eds that demonstrate clear hostility toward a proper investigation to be undertaken. Is it possible for a recusal to be forced upon this person?
The only person with any direct power over this person is Trump, as far as I understand it.
Yeah, there's no forced recusal. Trump can fire the AG or not.
Now, if after this, Whittaker recuses himself? I may laugh myself unconscious.
Legislation is nice, it would be nice to see him say “I will introduce legislation, and once they deny a vote on it I’m just going to leak the report anyway”.
But seriously, Kris Kobach falling upwards from losing the Kansas governorship to a democrat toward becoming AG of the US is really fucking something
He lost his own case in court so hard that the judge literally ruled he had to return to law school for specific classes. What he would try as AG just... I cannot imagine.
Rosenstein should resign in protest if he has any spine or dignity
if the goal is to leave in protest, you definitely make them fire you. Resigning is largely a symbolic gesture in favor of the POTUS to allow them to save face and be a good guy.
Rosenstein should resign in protest if he has any spine or dignity
if the goal is to leave in protest, you definitely make them fire you. Resigning is largely a symbolic gesture in favor of the POTUS to allow them to save face and be a good guy.
The point is that Rosenstein isn't getting fired: Trump has no reason to now that he took the investigation away from him. If this is the case, Rosenstein should resign in protest, it would be a signal for us to start the protests.
Iowa U.S. Senate Candidate Profile: Q&A with Matt Whitaker
19. What’s the role of the courts and what is or what are some of the worst decisions in the Supreme Court’s history?
Whitaker: “The courts are supposed to be the inferior branch of our three branches of government. We have unfortunately off loaded many of our tough public policy issues onto the court and they’ve decided hem. Unelected judges are deciding many of the issues of the day. There are so many (bad rulings). I would start with the idea of Marbury v. Madison. That’s probably a good place to start and the way it’s looked at the Supreme Court as the final arbiter of constitutional issues. We’ll move forward from there. All New Deal cases that were expansive of the federal government. Those would be bad. Then all the way up to the Affordable Care Act and the individual mandate.”
But democrats can reappoint Mueller in January, so this seems a bit like an attempt to delay or complicate for a bit.
Problem is it gives the Acting AG time to make Mueller's work disappear, forcing them to start from scratch.
Also any investigation through the House would be entirely academic; they wouldn't have enforcement power.
EDIT: And, despite Trump's repeated claims about X Angry Democrats. Mueller was the republican attorney assigned by a Republican Deputy AG who was hired by Trump. That lended what came out of his investigation more weight. Things dug up by the House will be brushed off as being biased for the Democrats.
Not necessarily. All government work of note is copied and transferred to the National Archives, including classified or confidential documents. Normally not right away but usually in a periodic fashion by various agency and department policy.
That said if I wanted my evidence preserved and was worried someone would destroy it, it’s what I would do. Not necessarily foolproof but it’d circumvent anyone only asking for all of his current evidence.
How does him being there help? He’s no longer mueller superior. He’s useless. So at least make a statement to signal hey this is the Saturday night massacre it’s not hidden
Ryan Reilly of Huffington Post: DOJ official says ethics officials have yet to examine whether Whitaker has to recuse on anything Mueller related given his prior commentary and role.
Have yet to, I guess means this will at least get looked it. So what happens if the ethics officials tell him his editorials and comments mean he'd have to recuse like Sessions, and Whitaker say "Naw"?
I just want to imagine that they do, and he does, because then I can imagine the crying, flailing, temper tantrum that would happen if his brand new AAG also had to recuse himself.
Rosenstein should resign in protest if he has any spine or dignity
if the goal is to leave in protest, you definitely make them fire you. Resigning is largely a symbolic gesture in favor of the POTUS to allow them to save face and be a good guy.
The point is that Rosenstein isn't getting fired: Trump has no reason to now that he took the investigation away from him. If this is the case, Rosenstein should resign in protest, it would be a signal for us to start the protests.
I don't get this.
"If they take the investigation away from Rosenstein, that will be the signal to protest!"
*take investigation away from Rosenstein*
"They did it, but not in the exact way that we outlined in chalk. The didn't put their foot across the line, they just reached over it from where they were standing and grabbed the investigation. Please won't someone tell us if that counts?"
Shouldn't the interim AG automatically recuse himself from any investigation in which the president is involved if he is appointed by that same president?
Or is he appointed by someone else?
Trump's stated reason for wanting Sessions gone was because he recused himself from the investigation.
I'll give you 5 to 1 odds that Trump has a list of potential replacements in front of him and when he interviews them his first question is "If appointed, would you recuse yourself from overseeing the Mueller investigation?"
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He could be meeting with Kelly.
They're going to say whatever they like, and already have many times, but the threat can't be an impediment to actually doing the right thing.
With Kelly, probably.
Kelly, however.
Maybe he’s gonna film it
subtle he is not
I wonder if a federal judge would be willing to send a potential AG Kobach to remedial law classes. I mean, it wouldn't be a new experience for him at this point.
That makes me feel a lot better.
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
The only person with any direct power over this person is Trump, as far as I understand it.
ArghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHH
It would be absolutely bizarre after threading the needle on Mueller firing protest conditions to then turn around and deliberately trigger it.
So yeah sure why not.
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Will McConnell allow it to come up?
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Yeah, there's no forced recusal. Trump can fire the AG or not.
Now, if after this, Whittaker recuses himself? I may laugh myself unconscious.
But seriously, Kris Kobach falling upwards from losing the Kansas governorship to a democrat toward becoming AG of the US is really fucking something
Who needs to pull the trigger on breaking the glass?
Wouldn't he literally be following in Sessions footsteps?
Legislation is nice, it would be nice to see him say “I will introduce legislation, and once they deny a vote on it I’m just going to leak the report anyway”.
He lost his own case in court so hard that the judge literally ruled he had to return to law school for specific classes. What he would try as AG just... I cannot imagine.
Could be why he's going to the White House
No. No more resigning in protest, it just lets them appoint more flunkies. You get in the way, and make them fire you.
Or hell "accidentally" cc Pelosi and Schiff all Mueller's documents.
NO! er, I mean, We just kicked his ass to the curb. Let him cool it there for a bit before he tries doing anything else.
if the goal is to leave in protest, you definitely make them fire you. Resigning is largely a symbolic gesture in favor of the POTUS to allow them to save face and be a good guy.
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and the gengars who are guiding me" -- W.S. Merwin
How does this help?
The point is that Rosenstein isn't getting fired: Trump has no reason to now that he took the investigation away from him. If this is the case, Rosenstein should resign in protest, it would be a signal for us to start the protests.
I've never felt a post more earnestly in my soul than this one
https://caffeinatedthoughts.com/2014/05/iowa-u-s-senate-candidate-profile-qa-matt-whitaker/ He didn't even mention Dred Scott or Plessy.
@Undead Scottsman
Not necessarily. All government work of note is copied and transferred to the National Archives, including classified or confidential documents. Normally not right away but usually in a periodic fashion by various agency and department policy.
That said if I wanted my evidence preserved and was worried someone would destroy it, it’s what I would do. Not necessarily foolproof but it’d circumvent anyone only asking for all of his current evidence.
That doesn't seem right but also I technically never took civics
Have yet to, I guess means this will at least get looked it. So what happens if the ethics officials tell him his editorials and comments mean he'd have to recuse like Sessions, and Whitaker say "Naw"?
I just want to imagine that they do, and he does, because then I can imagine the crying, flailing, temper tantrum that would happen if his brand new AAG also had to recuse himself.
Man where the fuck does Trump even find these people
Don't assume bad intentions over neglect and misunderstanding.
I don't get this.
"If they take the investigation away from Rosenstein, that will be the signal to protest!"
*take investigation away from Rosenstein*
"They did it, but not in the exact way that we outlined in chalk. The didn't put their foot across the line, they just reached over it from where they were standing and grabbed the investigation. Please won't someone tell us if that counts?"
It counts.
Trump's stated reason for wanting Sessions gone was because he recused himself from the investigation.
I'll give you 5 to 1 odds that Trump has a list of potential replacements in front of him and when he interviews them his first question is "If appointed, would you recuse yourself from overseeing the Mueller investigation?"