Is Donald Trump Done for?

[Hrothbern]

I think none of it will have to. I can't guess how much of it will, but I think there will be intense pressure for it to. I myself will very much want to see it.

Would at least (a selection of) Democratic representatives and/or Senators see it completely ?
If not... the door is wide open for selected info from the report, possibly giving a misleading picture.

 

[Gori the Grey]

If I have to guess, Mueller will forward it to Rosenstein. Rosenstein will initially send it to the House and Senate Judiciary (?) committees. Or maybe to what's called the Gang of Eight. And they'll decide what to start doing with it. What happens will depend heavily on who controls those committees, Dems or Republicans (and that depends on this Tuesday's elections). If it's Republicans, they'll try to keep the report confidential as much as possible and give (as you say) a misleading report of its contents to the public. If it's Dems, they'll try to make it public as much as possible. If its Republicans, Dems may try to leak as much of it as they can find a way to do.

 

[Patine]

If I have to guess, Mueller will forward it to Rosenstein. Rosenstein will initially send it to the House and Senate Judiciary (?) committees. Or maybe to what's called the Gang of Eight. And they'll decide what to start doing with it. What happens will depend heavily on who controls those committees, Dems or Republicans (and that depends on this Tuesday's elections). If it's Republicans, they'll try to keep the report confidential as much as possible and give (as you say) a misleading report of its contents to the public. If it's Dems, they'll try to make it public as much as possible. If its Republicans, Dems may try to leak as much of it as they can find a way to do.

The United States government is third only the to Governments of Romania and Taiwan among First World Nations for utter lack of government transparency and accountability to it's constituents, and a complete and unapologetic flouting of that status proudly as though it were as though it were an entitlement over it's own people. Right here is a classic case of that.

 

[Gori the Grey]

Yes, it's very distressing. The US populace at large has a right to know everything Mueller turns up.

Leaves me having to hope I'll live until it is made public information (as, as I understand it, some Watergate information only just has been).

 

[Hrothbern]

If I have to guess, Mueller will forward it to Rosenstein. Rosenstein will initially send it to the House and Senate Judiciary (?) committees. Or maybe to what's called the Gang of Eight. And they'll decide what to start doing with it. What happens will depend heavily on who controls those committees, Dems or Republicans (and that depends on this Tuesday's elections). If it's Republicans, they'll try to keep the report confidential as much as possible and give (as you say) a misleading report of its contents to the public. If it's Dems, they'll try to make it public as much as possible. If its Republicans, Dems may try to leak as much of it as they can find a way to do.

ahh....... there could be a choice.... by Rosenstein
to the gang of eight for intelligence (the formal task is this russian thing), it would mean a 4-4 vote... that is no decisions possible in partisan deadlock. Is there someone with a casting vote ?
to the judiciary committees:
if to one of them it will be the Senate committee (ofc).
if always to both it could be 1 GOP majority and 1 Dem majority (fingers crossed for the election)...
are those two then independent from each other in their decisions ? If yes... this looks like the only scenario able to hit Trump.

 

[Gori the Grey]

to the gang of eight for intelligence (the formal task is this russian thing), it would mean a 4-4 vote... that is no decisions possible in partisan deadlock. Is there someone with a casting vote ?

I don't know that Gang of Eight has any official powers. They're an advisory body, one can take delicate matters to, if you need to be able to say, "this has been seen at the highest levels." Obama took his evidence of Russian meddling to them, and McConnell refused to encourage him to do anything with it.* It's one of the "norms" of democracy that are presently being trampled under partisanship/incipient autocracy.

*That's why, right before the election, the case on Hillary's e-mail servers was briefly re-opened, even while there was better evidence of Trump-Russia collusion, and nothing was made public on that.

 

[Patine]

Yes, it's very distressing. The US populace at large has a right to know everything Mueller turns up.

The U.S. people have more rights to knowledge of what they're government is doing than that. They have a right to know exactly where EVERY PENNY of the Federal Budget is going to, the TRUE intentions and motives when war is being mulled (a la Iraq 2003), and EXACTLY what happened at Roswell and what's in Area 51, and an end to closed-doors Congress sessions, secret inquiries of government officials with no minutes (like the one George W. Bush said, seemingly mockingly, he "enjoyed"), and an abolition of all the unaccountable, highly-secretive, and criminal "alphabet soup" agencies. That's what the U.S. people have the right to. And both major parties push those dystopian tactics, or at least don't lift a finger to change them when they're in power, except for fringe members like Paul or Kucinich, who make good, but ultimately powerless, screeds against them.

 

[Patine]

I don't know that Gang of Eight has any official powers. They're an advisory body, one can take delicate matters to, if you need to be able to say, "this has been seen at the highest levels." Obama took his evidence of Russian meddling to them, and McConnell refused to encourage him to do anything with it. It's one of the "norms" of democracy that are presently being trampled under partisanship/incipient autocracy.

"Gang of Eight" was a media term for Gennady Yanayev and seven other Soviet CPSU hardliners who orchestrated the August 1991 coup on Gorbachev that didn't even last 48 hours. I think that's the "Russian" reference @Hrothbern is referring to.

 

[Hrothbern]

"Gang of Eight" was a media term for Gennady Yanayev and seven other Soviet CPSU hardliners who orchestrated the August 1991 coup on Gorbachev that didn't even last 48 hours. I think that's the "Russian" reference @Hrothbern is referring to.

I want a succesful and legal coup de grace !

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I don't know that Gang of Eight has any official powers. They're an advisory body, one can take delicate matters to, if you need to be able to say, "this has been seen at the highest levels." Obama took his evidence of Russian meddling to them, and McConnell refused to encourage him to do anything with it.* It's one of the "norms" of democracy that are presently being trampled under partisanship/incipient autocracy.

*That's why, right before the election, the case on Hillary's e-mail servers was briefly re-opened, even while there was better evidence of Trump-Russia collusion, and nothing was made public on that.

Comey gets a ton of blame for not speaking up about Russian interference. He didn't need McConnell's, Obama's, or anyone elses blessing to speak on the issue. He even broke historic FBI precedent to speak out on Hillary but wouldn't do the same on Russian interference because reasons. Yes, McConnell also deserves scorn for scuttling a joint announcement and Obama deserves at least a proper nagging for not having the spine to speak out alone when McConnell obstructed.

Plenty of blame to go around really

 

[Patine]

I want a succesful and legal coup de grace !

Do you really want modern politics to descend into just "counting coup."

 

[Gori the Grey]

Plenty of blame to go around really

Yeah, but McConnell is the worst.

Not only in this situation, but just generally speaking.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Yeah, but McConnell is the worst.

He and Gingrinch will go down in history along side McCarthy. They have different MOs and methods but the net effect was the same. In the end it is all naked power grabs at the expense of our democracy.

It is very easy to lapse into jingoistic thinking ''at the expense of our democracy' being a good example. However this really is the fate of our democracy at stake. This is the game that's been playing out since the 90s. I truly believe it stops here and now or not at all.

 

[Patine]

Yeah, but McConnell is the worst.

Not only in this situation, but just generally speaking.

Fortunately, he doesn't have the charisma, presence, or captivating platform to make a viable Presidential run, and I think, like Dick Cheney, he knows this and hasn't seriously tried.

 

[Gori the Grey]

He's done all the damage he needs to do from the position he is in, including enabling a horrible president in his horribleness.

 

[Hrothbern]

Do you really want modern politics to descend into just "counting coup."

counting coup
never heard that before.... it is amazing how many words used here I have to look up in wiki, dictionary, urban... to learn yet another word... and I am farfrom a hero in language....

No... no counting coup on Trump... he has no honor... and so no real honor for anyone to gain by touching him.... a long hot bath to wash away the dirt when it's done.

 

[Farm Boy]

Counting coup always seemed a bit like grabbing people by the... only with even more stabbing, starving, and rape to come.

But it's honor more in the raw power eastern sense than the code of constrained action western sense, so by definition the POTUS has it to fondle.

 

[Zkribbler]

All-time record trade deficit with China this month.

 

[Hrothbern]

All-time record trade deficit with China this month.

It’s huge

 

[JollyRoger]

Yuge and bigly