Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
The Republican obfuscation of the Mueller investigation
#21
Quote:For the past 17 months, the investigations led by House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes (R-CA) have looked to anyone with eyes like they’re chiefly about protecting President Trump. Now a new tape of Nunes speaking at a fundraiser, obtained by The Rachel Maddow Show, makes indisputably clear that that is indeed his aim — even, he says, if special counsel Robert Mueller finds presidential wrongdoing. “If Sessions won’t unrecuse and Mueller won’t clear the president, we’re the only ones,” Nunes says on the tape, referring to his colleagues in the GOP-controlled House. “Which is really the danger.” He continues: “That’s why I keep — and thank you for saying it, by the way — I mean, we have to keep all these seats. We have to keep the majority. If we do not keep the majority, all of this goes away.” The logic is obvious, albeit cynical. Mueller really may find wrongdoing from Trump, Nunes effectively admits, and if he does, the president will need a House GOP majority to boldly look the other way. 

In a sense, it’s shocking that the chair of the House Intelligence Committee would reveal that his goal isn’t to get to the bottom of Russian interference in US politics, and find out whether President Trump or his associates were involved in it — but rather, to protect the president in case investigators refuse to “clear” him. But of course, Nunes has been doing this in public view for nearly a year and a half now. He’s seemed largely indifferent to questions of the Trump campaign and Russian interference. Instead, he’s has focused his work on trying to investigate the investigators themselves — aggressively aiming his subpoena power at the Justice Department, to try to find whatever documents and information he can that he can use to discredit the investigation.
Devin Nunes tape tells us what we knew: he’s all about protecting Trump - Vox

The article continues discussing Nunes efforts to shield the President, irrespective of whether he's guilty or not.

Quote:Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, has accused Republicans on the panel of attempting to block witnesses from answering certain questions in an effort to protect President Trump. "As you know, they would frequently interject with the witness when we were asking them questions, 'You know you don’t have to answer that question,'" Schiff said in a forthcoming interview for the foreign policy podcast "Diplomatic Cable" hosted by Rep. Joaquín Castro (D-Texas). "That’s how you obstruct an investigation, not how you conduct one," the California lawmaker added, according to a transcript of the remarks obtained by The Hill. Schiff also suggested that Republicans have refused to publicly release transcripts from the committee's witness interviews because that would help special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, which is examining ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. This is something the president's allies in the House do not want to do, Schiff noted.
Schiff blasts GOP for Russia probe conduct: 'That's how you obstruct an investigation, not how you conduct one' | TheHill
Reply
#22
Quote:One of the key things that the House Intelligence Committee will do under its new Democratic majority is investigate the Trump Tower meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who was charged with obstruction of justice on Tuesday. In particular, the committee is interested in a call that Trump Jr. had with a blocked number before and after the meeting. Unfortunately, said Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) Tuesday on MSNBC, Republicans have dragged their feet so long on investigating the issue that the trail of evidence may have gone cold“What are the questions, what is the information you’re seeking, and who should be worried about those calls getting unblocked?” said host Nicolle Wallace. “Again, Nicolle, it all goes to candidate Trump’s knowledge,” said Swalwell. “Did he know that these efforts were taking place on his behalf, and if he did, why didn’t he stop it? Was it because he welcomed it? So, my fear, Nicolle, is that — we know that Donald Trump Jr. took a call from Russia in which dirt was offered, and they wanted to set up a meeting, then he talked to this blocked number and then called back to Russia. We know that candidate Trump has a blocked number.” He continued: “My biggest fear, though, is that because the Republicans blocked us from obtaining this, is that in the orderly course of business, that they may have been destroyed because most cell phone providers destroy their records 6 to 9 to 12 months, I’ve found as a former prosecutor. So they may have successfully prevented us from getting that.”
Democratic lawmaker says GOP worked to suppress key evidence in Russia probe — and it may be gone forever – Alternet.org
Reply
#23
And curiously, these are Deripaska's firms, the guy that Manafort worked for..

Quote:The Treasury announced on Dec. 20 that it would lift sanctions imposed in April on the core businesses of Deripaska, including aluminum giant Rusal, its parent En+ and power firm EuroSibEnergo, watering down the toughest penalties imposed since Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. The companies agreed to restructure to reduce Deripaska’s stakes and the oligarch remains on the sanctions list.
Treasury's Mnuchin defends U.S. decision to lift sanctions on Russian firms | Reuters
Reply
#24
They never provided transcripts to Mueller when they were the majority, and now this:

Quote:House Republicans are refusing to name members to the House Intelligence Committee and, in the process, are effectively stalling special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation into the Trump-Russia scandal. After pointing out that the arrest of former Trump adviser Roger Stone on Friday had been made possible because the House Intelligence Committee provided a transcript of Stone’s testimony to the special counsel’s office, MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow explained on Friday that the committee could also provide transcripts for testimony from other current and former Trump officials. If it was revealed to Mueller that they had lied under oath, they could file criminal charges against those individuals and perhaps acquire more information about the president in the process.
Republicans are slow-walking House Intelligence Committee staff appointments — and crippling Mueller’s Russia probe – Alternet.org
Reply
#25
Quote:To sum up, Devin Nunes, the freelancing then-chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, compiled a memo purporting to show that a bunch of biased FBI agents abused the FISA warrant process against a member of the Trump presidential campaign, Carter Page, to help undermine Trump’s 2016 election.  The Nunes Memo was issued on Feb. 2 last year, after the president blessed its release, despite objections by the FBI and intelligence community because of inaccuracies and omissions (can you say, “cherry-picked facts?”). House Democrats issued their own rebuttal of the memo later that month. Then, in July, the Justice Department reluctantly released heavily redacted FISA records, at the request of the Republican rabble rousers, pertaining to several warrant applications on Page signed by four different judges beginning in October 2016.

Those documents reflected the inaccuracies in the Nunes memo, and by inference supported the Democrats’ rebuttal. Kaboom! Karma struck. I remember writing the day the memo was first released about how incredulous I was that Nunes would actually go through with such an obvious political stunt at great risk to his credibility and that of his cohorts. I likened the stunt to a cartoon scene, and explained how and why House Republicans could and would resort to such folly, because of my history with them.  And I predicted: “If history is a judge, I’ll bet that memo is so full of cherry-picked ‘dots’ that it looks like one of their gerrymandered districts.” Six months later, that prediction proved out.
Barr's summary gambit could backfire, al la Nunes's memo | TheHill
Reply


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  The Republican take-over of Trump Admin 6 6,460 01-17-2018, 02:00 AM
Last Post: Admin
  Republican nomination, ok, but Donald for President? Admin 15 22,529 09-14-2016, 03:33 AM
Last Post: Admin

Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)