Donald Trump is the President Mark IV (Read Mod Warning in OP)

pixelburp · 07-11-2018 07:59PM

When does the new Congress take its seats? Is there a chance now that the GOP try to nuke Mueller before the changeover? Cos presumably there's now an interim phase in which anything can happen with a new AG in play...

Gbear · 07-11-2018 07:59PM

What if anything would Trump gain by sacking Mueller with the Dems in control of the house?

relax carry on · 07-11-2018 08:01PM

Thargor wrote: »

Everybody seems to have forgotten his completely batsh1t answer about why his tax returns cant be released from the start of the press conference:

https://lawandcrime.com/opinion/president-donald-trump-comically-claimed-his-tax-returns-are-unknowable-and-got-torn-apart-for-it/

I'll have a go Don. Not too great with us tax law but I've seen a tax return or two. Maybe release them and people can have a go at admiring your tax greatness.

prawnsambo · 07-11-2018 08:01PM

pixelburp wrote: »

When does the new Congress take its seats? Is there a chance now that the GOP try to nuke Mueller before the changeover? Cos presumably there's now an interim phase in which anything can happen with a new AG in play...

The new houses of congress don't start until Jan 20th.

MightyMandarin · 07-11-2018 08:01PM

Gbear wrote: »

What if anything would Trump gain by sacking Mueller with the Dems in control of the house?

They're not in control until Jan 3rd

Harika · 07-11-2018 08:02PM

Gbear wrote: »

What if anything would Trump gain by sacking Mueller with the Dems in control of the house?

Two years to calm the mess before the next election

Captain Obvious · 07-11-2018 08:02PM

pixelburp wrote: »

When does the new Congress take its seats? Is there a chance now that the GOP try to nuke Mueller before the changeover? Cos presumably there's now an interim phase in which anything can happen with a new AG in play...

They'll just rehire him when they take their seats.

I love how he lambasted Flake who is responsible for Kavanaugh getting through. Flake's loyalty not being rewarded.

MightyMandarin · 07-11-2018 08:02PM

Watch him fire Mueller now

Pelvis · 07-11-2018 08:03PM

Whitaker is supposedly a loyal Trumpist, and has written in the past that Trumps personal finances are beyond the scope of the special counsel.

I don't think Mueller will be fired, yet, but I imagine the investigation will be severely constrained.

pixelburp · 07-11-2018 08:07PM

prawnsambo wrote: »

The new houses of congress don't start until Jan 20th.

So 2 months essentially, which is more than enough time to hobble or nuke any investigation straying too close to the centre, whatever stage it finds itself in. You'd think Mueller and his team are currently sizing up their options carefully. You'd wonder how loyal someone like Whitaker truly might be once he sees the extent of the damage.

circadian · 07-11-2018 08:07PM

Eric Cartman wrote: »

I see the republican voters are out in for e rioting , looting , smashing windows and doing all the things that the democrats did when trump won, ohh wait...

This post makes absolutely no sense in light of the behaviour of Trump supporters over the last 2 years.

Gbear · 07-11-2018 08:10PM

MightyMandarin wrote: »

They're not in control until Jan 3rd

He could fire him now even if they were in place.

The question is what stopping this investigation does when it can, as far as I'm aware, just be resumed in a couple of months under the control of the House.

Are there more constraints on a House-run investigation led by Mueller?
I presume all the data, subpoenaed material, interviews and so on are held by the FBI, and can just be picked up by any investigation?

The other element here is that while presumably the investigation could be wound up, any prosecutions passed off elsewhere (such as Manafort in NY) would, I assume, now be out of the hands of the office of the AG.

2 Scoops · 07-11-2018 08:13PM

Harika wrote: »

Two years to calm the mess before the next election

Firing Mueller wouldn't be a recoverable situation. Many if not most Republicans would turn if it happened.

SimonTemplar · 07-11-2018 08:17PM

Watching NBC, my understanding is that although the AG has the power to fire a special council, it can't be done on a whim. There are strict guidelines that state when a firing is warranted, such as breach of Justice Department policy.

batgoat · 07-11-2018 08:21PM

Eric Cartman wrote: »

Thats why norwegian companies constantly loophole taxation to buy products in other countries , Its why finish companies regularly stockpile money in other countries to not pay tax on it, Theres loads of norwegians here working in call centres because they cant afford to live in norway.

A lot of the time this is the case, not always but people are masters of their own destiny and often its poor choices made have left them poor.

Here's one for you. I'm in a good job, I benefited from a highly subsidised education system and do pay plenty of tax. I'm lucky enough to either afford insurance and even have my employer paying it. Just before I started college, I ended up hospitalised for a number of weeks. Turns out I have a genetic condition that can make me severely ill at times. The cost was covered by insurance at the time but I would have been covered in the public system otherwise. The cost of my stay amounted to about 30 thousand.

Now fast-forward a decade, I've been in full time employment for years thanks to that dreadful subsidised education system. I get ill again and recover. Then I got ill again within a few months. I was hospitalised both times. As a result, I'm on a treatment that would cost 4 grand every 3 months. I'm very lucky, I can opt for private healthcare if needed and I am insured. I might not be if I weren't in a well paying job as a result of that socialist education system. Either way, I'd be covered.

In your ideal world, if I weren't so lucky. I'd be left with a lifetime of debt before I even had an opportunity to get a college level education. As a result of a more socialised system, I contribute to the economy and I actually have a quality of life while dealing with a relatively serious chronic illness.... Your idealised world is pretty cold and nasty.

Christy42 · 07-11-2018 08:23PM

2 Scoops wrote: »

Harika wrote: »

Two years to calm the mess before the next election

Firing Mueller wouldn't be a recoverable situation. Many if not most Republicans would turn if it happened.

If he feels he has no other option it may be his only shot.

As for whoever said that Ireland is closer to Boston than Berlin should remember that we have healthcare and cheap university education in this country. (Though Boston has pretty good healthcare itself with Romneycare)

Penn · 07-11-2018 08:33PM

SimonTemplar wrote: »

Watching NBC, my understanding is that although the AG has the power to fire a special council, it can't be done on a whim. There are strict guidelines that state when a firing is warranted, such as breach of Justice Department policy.

No but I believe he can restrict the budget for the investigation to the point of essentially restricting the investigation itself.

Jolly Red Giant · 07-11-2018 08:39PM

Before Trump's tax cuts -

If you are earning $25,000 a year in America you pay the all your wages on Monday and about 40 minutes on Tuesday in taxes to the federal government

If you earn $1million a day you pay the first six hours of Monday in tax to the federal government. Someone on $25,000 a year has a bigger tax burden than someone earning $1million a day.

America is not a 'low tax' country - you pay federal taxes, state taxes (some of which can be written off against federal taxes), local government taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, etc. High income earners in California pay 52.9% tax on their income. On top of that you also pay for things like water (average $112 per month for a family of four).

The USA is a country for the rich - real incomes for 99% of the population have barely risen in the last 50 years ago - for the 1% it is a different story.

Itssoeasy · 07-11-2018 08:43PM

Penn wrote: »

No but I believe he can restrict the budget for the investigation to the point of essentially restricting the investigation itself.

For a hoax and a witch hunt and there was no collusion Trump is trying hard to give off an impression there was.

ARNOLD J RIMMER · 07-11-2018 08:48PM

2 Scoops wrote: »

Firing Mueller wouldn't be a recoverable situation. Many if not most Republicans would turn if it happened.

I haven't seen any evidence so far that republicans would turn as you say

aloyisious · 07-11-2018 08:54PM

CNN [despite the undated letter] has it as AG Jeff Sessions fired. Now the question is how long has this latest coup being in the planning - one week, two weeks [while everyone else was prepping for the elections] and is it the lead up to: 1. getting the deputy to resign and 2. getting rid of the investigation? Who was behind the planning? Whittaker is not bothered by any recusal. Next question is, if this is an attempt to scupper the investigation, will Meuller go the USSC and request it to safeguard his independence from interference in completing his work? Will the USSC declare it has the interest of the constitutional independence of the special counsel as a priority from intereference by the president in ANY WAY.

prawnsambo · 07-11-2018 08:55PM

pixelburp wrote: »

So 2 months essentially, which is more than enough time to hobble or nuke any investigation straying too close to the centre, whatever stage it finds itself in. You'd think Mueller and his team are currently sizing up their options carefully. You'd wonder how loyal someone like Whitaker truly might be once he sees the extent of the damage.

This move has all the hallmarks of panic. Full on, red mist terror. There is absolutely nothing that a new AG can do at this stage. However, he might be able to find out how far it's progressed.

Water John · 07-11-2018 08:57PM

Trump hadn't the guts to call Sessions himself,

prawnsambo · 07-11-2018 09:01PM

aloyisious wrote: »

CNN [despite the undated letter] has it as AG Jeff Sessions fired. Now the question is how long has this latest coup being in the planning - one week, two weeks [while everyone else was prepping for the elections] and is it the lead up to: 1. getting the deputy to resign and 2. getting rid of the investigation? Who was behind the planning? Whittaker is not bothered by any recusal.

Well it's not hard to do the sums. Dems take the house and Sessions gets the door. So Trump is in fear of what the Dems can start in the house. But that's not something that on the face of it, needs a new AG. And it's 'only' Russia that Sessions can't act on. So it comes back around to Mueller and his investigation.

So what can the house do? Impeach.

UsedToWait · 07-11-2018 09:02PM

Water John wrote: »

Trump hadn't the guts to call Sessions himself,

Rosenstein apparently arrived at the White House.

Could the master of 'You're Fired' get someone else to force him to 'resign' too?

MadYaker · 07-11-2018 09:02PM

Just on that clip of trump and the CNN reporter. The CNN reporter asked a few questions and trump answered them. Then when trump tries to move on to another reporter that guy just keeps trying to ask more questions even though he had his chance and now trumps moving on. It’s not a CNN interview with trump it’s a press conference. There’s a load of reporters and they all have to get a chance to ask questions. Seemed to me like the reporter was being rude, although trump was rude to him too.

I thought the way it works is the person giving the press conference picks people and when you’ve asked your question or two that’s it you’re done and it moves on to someone else. If I was giving the press conference and people refused to follow the rules I’d have their press passes revoked.

Edit: I guess Trump didn't really answer his questions, but does he really think heckling is going to help? Everyone knows that the caravan is a total red herring but Trump isn't going to say that so why ask it?

Hande hoche! · 07-11-2018 09:05PM

prawnsambo wrote: »

This move has all the hallmarks of panic. Full on, red mist terror. There is absolutely nothing that a new AG can do at this stage. However, he might be able to find out how far it's progressed.

Alternatively it was hardly surprising, given that it was discussed in August that Sessions job would be safe till after the midterms. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/30/jeff-sessions-job-safe-until-the-midterms-trump-says

prawnsambo · 07-11-2018 09:11PM

Hande hoche! wrote: »

Alternatively it was hardly surprising, given that it was discussed in August that Sessions job would be safe till after the midterms. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/30/jeff-sessions-job-safe-until-the-midterms-trump-says

Yeah. But the day the result is out? That smacks of panic. Literally the minute that he can do this without affecting the election result.

Tell me how · 07-11-2018 09:11PM

prawnsambo wrote: »

This move has all the hallmarks of panic. Full on, red mist terror. There is absolutely nothing that a new AG can do at this stage. However, he might be able to find out how far it's progressed.

Hande hoche! wrote: »

Alternatively it was hardly surprising, given that it was discussed in August that Sessions job would be safe till after the midterms. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/30/jeff-sessions-job-safe-until-the-midterms-trump-says

Yeah. This isn't surprising. what will be interesting is who goes in there and how they try to stymie Mueller.

If the eyes of the world weren't on America and the fact that there is so much visible via the media and the internet, we'd be hearing of accidental deaths and unexplained terminal illnesses in a manner similar to what comes out of Russia.

Pelvis · 07-11-2018 09:13PM

prawnsambo wrote: »

This move has all the hallmarks of panic. Full on, red mist terror. There is absolutely nothing that a new AG can do at this stage. However, he might be able to find out how far it's progressed.

A new AG can do anything he wants. He can refuse to sign off on indictments, he could limit the budget and scope of the investigation.

If he couldn't do anything then there'd be no point in any of this.

Donald Trump is the President Mark IV (Read Mod Warning in OP)

Comments