As opposed to the four plus years Ken Starr and his army of expensive lawyers spent fruitlessly trying to catch-out the Clintons?

After nearly eight years of ceaseless investigation into Whitewater related matters, a grand total of 15 people spoke to about 40 crimes. Mueller, in what amounts to less than a quarter of that time, has five people stitched up for almost 80 crimes (not including the 12 Ruskies and their hundred or so indictments).

So, in the big scheme of things, Mueller is orchestrating a well-oiled investigative machine. Mueller has yet to deal with the nucleus of the Trump group, the very people whose actions Bannon referred to as "borderline treason". Bear in mind, Starr never did dig up enough dirt on the Clintons to warrant indictment. My trick knee tells me Mueller's probe and Starr's will differ on two counts: time to conclude and outcome for the target.

We all know Trump is as bent as a Soviet sickle and too vain to think laws don't apply the same to him as to others, seems his daughter is likewise afflicted. When his base starts baying at rallies, "lock her up", they might as well be referring to Ivanka...she seems to be guilty of the same sin as Clinton--vis, Emails.

LL&P

http://www.chrisweigant.com/2018/11/20/program-note-68/

Sorry, no new column today... gotta deal with the car...

-CW

Good point about Trump now being informed better on what's going on.

And as for who will take the job, you're spot on there, too. Didja notice how fast Lindsey Graham expressed no interest whatsoever, after months of speculation that he might want the job? Giuliani as AG would scare me, that's for sure. But what scares me even more is the thought that I've overlooked some possible Trump choice who could be much much worse...

ListenWhenYouHear [7] -

Yeah, I am haunted by the thought that I truly am seeing this through far-too-rosy glasses. You might prove to be right in the end. I also hope the courts get involved very quickly, and I shuddered when I read your bit about Trump possibly pardoning Whitaker, because I hadn't even considered that possibility.

C. R. Stucki [8] -

See the bit above about Mueller not leaking. Nobody knows -- good or bad -- what Mueller's going to come up with. For historical perspective, look into the length of other special counsels or independent counsels -- some of them took many years to finish. So far, Mueller's investigation is about par for the course, if he wraps it up next spring, say.

OK, made it to the end. Whew! Nobody noticed my goof-up with his name! We're all still getting used to the new guy, I suppose...

:-)

-CW

Whitaker may ask, but he may not receive in as timely a manner as he might like. Or as completely as he might like.

As a lawyer and Marine infantry officer Mueller should know a thing or two about delaying actions, playing for time, chain of command and the obligations of duty.

If Mueller believes that Whitaker was improperly appointed than any decisions Whitaker takes could invalidate Mueller's investigation and compromise rule of law. Mueller may well conclude it is his duty to resist, either overtly challenging Whitaker's authority, or simply slowing things up by doing everything exactly by the book.

I don't completely discount the possibility that Mueller might simply resign his appointment, but I don't think he wants that to be the last act of his career. He strikes me as a steely eyed fighter who you do not want to back into a corner.

From Mueller's bronze star citation:

“With complete disregard for his own safety, he then skillfully supervised the evacuation of casualties from the hazardous area and, on one occasion, personally led a fire team across the fire-swept area terrain to recover a mortally wounded Marine who had fallen in a position forward on the friendly lines."

"mass media 3 Card Monte" -- now there's a handy phrase! Well done!

:-)

-CW

When I wrote this article yesterday, I did a quick web search on the name "Whitaker" because I didn't know his first name. I either saw a news article about a "Michael Whitaker" or I just had a momentary lapse of reason and read his name wrong. Either way, I wrote this entire article (with headline and a subsequent tweet) about "Michael" Whitaker.

This, obviously, was wrong. The newly-appointed acting attorney general's name is actually Matthew Whitaker. There is no real excuse for me to give, here -- I just flat-out blew it. My apologies for my mistake, both to Acting Attorney General Whitaker himself and to all my readers. There's no excuse for shoddy research. Mea culpa maxima. The article has now been corrected.

-CW

Isn't Mueller required to respond fully as part of his role as a temporary contractor of the DoJ?

You are correct! He could also demand Mueller hand over all of his work for Whitaker to review. Mueller refusing to abide by a direct order would be grounds for Mueller’s immediate termination. Yes, stopping the investigation would prove to be a massive headache for Trump, but it isn’t nearly as bad for Trump as if Mueller was allowed to complete the investigation!

Isn't Mueller required to respond fully as part of his role as a temporary contractor of the DoJ?

Intelligence gathering may be the intent, but
I don't think Mueller or his team are going to immediately reveal their roadmap to their new "boss" who they likely view as an illegitimate, or - at the very least - a very questionable appointee. The under new management House of Reps is going to back Mueller if he chooses to resist, which I think he will....and at least some courts are likely to jump in against Whitaker too. Trying an end run just to get some intelligence of dubious value is a risky Make My Day move for Trump, as it just puts another round of Obstruction of Justice ammo in Mueller's clip.

Have you ever seen any re-runs of the old FBI show? They all end the same way - the perp fails to freeze and goes down in a hail of lead. :)

I see Whitaker's primary role is to find out for Trump what Mueller knows and what he is planning.Obviously this knowledge will be useful to plan a counter strategy, if there is anybody in or near Trump with the ability to plan a legal strategy (his first one was a disaster as it let the WH Council talk freely to Mueller without even a post meeting debriefing).

However it is most likely that Trump just wants to sleep again at night - he knows the hounds are off the chains now the Dems have the House, and it is killing him.

Remember when Rudi was confidently predicting that the Mueller investigation would be over by Christmas (2017)?

Trump's big worry is 2020. If he loses the Presidency, the Senate and the House then the fear that Republican politicians have for him will evaporate and the knives will come out. Half the country is baying for his blood and that of his hideous brood (obviously the kid is not included, nor Tiffany, whose mother is obviously the only intelligent person in the whole clan). They want to see convictions and jail time, and this isn't a "Lock Her Up" chant that goes away after the election, this is a payback for the damage he has done to our nation and the grand theft he is committing leveraging his position.

For me, the best outcome will be two more years of the Mueller investigation, with complete silence except for indictments and Grand Jury testimony. This is Trump's nightmare, long may it continue.

C.W, I have to agree with you, the person who follows him could well be the long prophesised hatchet man. With the Dems holding subpoena power in January, I'm sensing the Mueller probe will go on unfettered, whether the findings, whole or in part, ever see the light of day, is another thing entirely.

The other thing worthy of note is, Mueller and his fellow probers are such a hot potato in Washington at the moment, anyone doing Trump's dirty work would have to see such a role as political suicide...given everything we know about Whitaker, his career suggests that he's ambitious beyond the dreams of avarice--hardly kind of civil servant that would willingly hang himself on the petard that is Mueller's investigation.

Giuliani, well he's just the ticket if one is ever in need of a busy idiot, he's totally unconcerned with minutia such as right, wrong, honour and shame.

LL&P

You make a very good case. My primary worry is that other Trump scams may fly under the radar while everybody is focused on the Whitaker gambit. Trump ha a talent for mass media 3 Card Monte.