US Politics February 2019: This is one of the great losers of all time.

So many crystal clear examples of obstruction of justice, it’s insane that we are living through all this

I'm pretty sure I said it at least 18 months ago. Obstruction of justice, however obvious it might be, won't be enough to successfully impeach him or even change anyone's minds about his fitness to be president.

Sure, I’m with you there. It’s just a reflection of the bizarre times we live in - a single incident of these clear cases of corruption would have been enough to make a politician resign in disgrace as recently as 3 years ago

should we make a thread about all the insane things about this presidency that's faded from public memory? just for posterity? I mean stuff like

Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me "old," when I would NEVER call him "short and fat?" Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend - and maybe someday that will happen!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 12, 2017

a single incident of these clear cases of corruption would have been enough to make a politician resign in disgrace as recently as 3 years ago

It still works on Democrats!

Except in Virginia!

On Tuesday, after The Times article published, Mr. Trump denied that he had asked Mr. Whitaker if Mr. Berman could be put in charge of the investigation. “No, I don’t know who gave you that, that’s more fake news,” Mr. Trump said. “There’s a lot of fake news out there. No, I didn’t.”

the NYT replied "Yeah huh!!"

They trotted out Kellyanne Conway on CNN tonight--I haven't seen her for ages, but that doesn't necessarily mean she hasn't been on there. Anyway, I take that as a sign there's real concern over this McCabe thing. (I wish there were a Mrs. Miller somewhere in the mix.)

Maybe Stephen wouldn’t be so fucking awful if there was.

https://oversight.house.gov/news/press-releases/multiple-whistleblowers-raise-grave-concerns-with-white-house-efforts-to

Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, issued an interim staff report after multiple whistleblowers came forward to warn about efforts inside the White House to rush the transfer of highly sensitive U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia in potential violation of the Atomic Energy Act and without review by Congress as required by law—efforts that may be ongoing to this day.

Yikes!

but you don't understand, it's part of the deal

fuck.

Sell everything! https://t.co/L0W3QioYe8

— Doug Henwood (@DougHenwood) February 19, 2019

The lawyers settled on it. pic.twitter.com/V6SadQkyBb

— Richard M. Nixon (@dick_nixon) February 20, 2019

so the Covington MAGA teen is suing WaPo for $250,000,000. cool country we live in

tbf he and his defenders did seem like assholes.

I expect him to grow into a fine, upstanding gentleman.

Good morning!

Huh so weird that he would specifically start with the Washington Post. How odd.

I mean he continues to exhibit the behavior you'd expect from someone who's been acting in good faith from the very start. I daresay Jesus himself would've taken similar steps.

1. You start by suing the Washington Post because it's not rich in its own right, but it is owned by the richest humanoid in the galaxy. Willie Sutton principle. Suing poor people is stupid.

2. Right-wingers (of course) gleefully mock what they consider to be the obsession the left and the media ("but I repeat myself," hyuk hyuk) with the Covington Kidz.

"The alleged crime of Smirking While White" is a typical zing.

There are a lot of other plenty rich media moguls to sue who aren't the President's archenemy

The suit by the Covington Kid (in reality this would be his parents who are suing) has several obvious purposes. The most important is to keep the story alive, so the family can find some indirect way to profit from the massive publicity this got. Next would be to frame the story to make it appear they have a legitimate case, and therefore have suffered a grievous harm ($250,000,000!!!) at the hands of the villainous liberal media, thus making their story better bait for FOX News & the conservative media. Lastly, there's always a tiny chance the WaPo could settle the suit and they'd get to pocket maybe fifty or a hundred thousand, free and clear after legal fees. It's like dropping a quarter in a slot machine and pulling the handle to see if it pays off.

Well now that's certainly a cynical take!

If they had sued for, let's say, $100,000 plus legal fees, I would not treat them like dropped their trousers in public and painted their genitals in fluorescent colors in the hope of attracting attention.

The suit is absurd but I think a number of media organizations and social media personalities made fools of themselves during that whole Covington thing. Not a proud moment for America.

This job applicant was both raised in a racist community, and litigious. Top of the pile.

I’m sure his family is comfortable but a lawsuit like that requires serious money if it’s something other than a publicity tour. I assume an even dumber Peter thiel is behind that.

There’s no reason to assume anything other than the most cynical motivation for the lawsuit.

I'm surprised at you all! This is simply a matter of a concerned family looking out for the best interests of their son. These are good people, pillars of their community.

(On the off chance that anyone is unable to recognize the visible waves of sarcasm radiating from my posts, please note that I'm of the opinion that this is probably a garbage family who should be permasealed in a subterranean chamber so that functioning members of society never have to encounter or interact with them.)

I'm surprised at you all! This is simply a matter of a concerned family looking out for the best interests of their son. These are good people, pillars of their community.

Pretty good Treeship imitation, but to really sell the bit you have to put some of it in the form of a question, or state "I just learned about (huge aspect of modern existence) today, but..."

Kinda feel like these folks are symptomatic of a shift in shitty people over the past couple of years, where before people would embrace venality simply out of, I dunno, the general lack of a moral center. Kind of a more casual and incidental turd-dom. But nowadays people seem more inclined to intentionally steer into outright nigh-cartoonish villainy. I foresee an uptick in velvet capes and scepters coming 'round the bend.

roger stone was ahead of his time

Here's to hoping all of this ilk aspire to the Shkreli arc in toto.

Hey unperson, leave me alone.

xp

Hey unperson, leave me alone up yours.

ftfy

Lots of flurry re this new story but I'd say look at more of the details in it:

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/20/politics/special-counsel-conclusion-announcement/index.html

The regulations require Mueller to explain in his report all decisions to prosecute or not prosecute matters under scrutiny. Barr would also need to inform Congress if the Justice Department prevented the special counsel team from pursuing any investigative steps....

Mueller has referred certain matters that fell outside the scope of the Russia probe to other US Attorneys to pursue. Some of those investigations have already been revealed, including the investigation in New York into former Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen. That probe has spawned subsequent federal investigations in New York into the Trump Organization and the Trump Inaugural Committee. It is possible the special counsel's team has referred other matters that have not yet come to light.

For close watchers of the federal courthouse and the Mueller team, small changes have added up in recent weeks.

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday last week, special counsel's office employees carried boxes and pushed a cart full of files out of their office -- an unusual move that could foreshadow a hand-off of legal work....

Mueller and his prosecutors are still reporting to work as frequently as ever -- with some even coming in on recent snow days and Presidents' Day. But also visiting them more often than ever before are the prosecutors from the DC US Attorney's Office and others in the Justice Department who've worked on the Mueller cases.

roger stone was ahead of his time, but "balloon-boy was a fucking visionary" is waht we are coming to terms with here xp

Also, adding to the above (this leaped out to me as well)

I also don't think this is Barr shutting this down. I think it is Mueller waiting until Barr is in place.

If they were moving files LAST WEEK that was before Barr was confirmed.

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) February 20, 2019

The only tremor of trepidation I have at Mueller handing off a pack of indictments, evidence and prosecutions to their local districts is that some federal prosecutors and their offices are much less competent than the crack team Mueller assembled. Having watched my local federal prosecutors bungle two different trials of the Cliven Bundy clan and their armed henchmen, my faith in their professionalism is somewhat shaken.

Goddamnit that Bundy shit was infuriating.

Granted but in this case the handoffs have been notably going to the SDNY office -- which pretty much everyone agrees operates in their own universe, and whose own Trump-appointed head has recused himself -- and the DC one, which probably ranks second. This all makes sense given the principals involved. Further, handoffs likely mean a lot of evidence -- and it's worth remembering that the Stone prosecutors have already said there's a ton of stuff they need to go through. The Bundy fuckups are just that, but I'd also argue it was also the jury that made the decision, and dare I say there's a world of difference between juries out West in more rural areas re land use issues (and obvious assholery) and juries in those two locations dealing with big scandals. The Manafort case is instructive in this regard, where even that one MAGA type interviewed afterward said "Yeah I wanted to let him off but no, the evidence was all there."

holy shit Rutger Bregman owns

Watch Fox News host Tucker Carlson call one of his guests a 'tiny brain...moron' during an interview. NowThis has obtained the full segment with historian Rutger Bregman that Fox News is refusing to air. pic.twitter.com/kERYPUaGLY

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) February 20, 2019

Wheeler adding this:

Re: Timing this around Barr's arrival:

1) CNN says Mueller was moving files last week before he was confirmed
2) He presumably hasn't done ethics review yet, so Rosenstein in charge of day-to-day for now
3) W/him in place no concern abt inferior officer supervising Mueller

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) February 20, 2019

i know ned posted it just upthread, but i'm surprised there's not more of a reaction to the announcement about the upcoming conclusion of the Mueller investigation (tentatively set for next week)? maybe everyone is just exhausted with all this shit

Washington (CNN)Attorney General Bill Barr is preparing to announce as early as next week the completion of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, with plans for Barr to submit to Congress soon after a summary of Mueller's confidential report, according to people familiar with the plans.

The preparations are the clearest indication yet that Mueller is nearly done with his almost two-year investigation.

I'm definitly going to hold off on any excitement or expectations about this.

Yes, I'm fairly sure I'm just exhausted with all this shit. Particularly as I remain unconvinced that the ultimate response to the case Mueller meticulously lays out will be much more than 'okay, and...?'

i guess the least i'm hoping for is that the conclusions give pause to those that are not in the Trump cult but voted for him last time for whatever stupid reason that climbed into their heads.