Trump Lining Up Protection: Always Him First Everything Else Last — Will He Succeed

Showdown brewing: Interim AG Whitaker vs. Mueller

(Whitaker has shown prejudice against Mueller) 

 Trump Criminal Troika (story): Trump, Cohen, Weisselberg

Trump made his move against the Russia investigation to shut down Mueller’s probe

My introduction note: That Mueller probe by all accounts has been very successful and is nearing completion since he held off until after the election in a very smart decision. 

The source is this fine article at the Daily Beast – edited below to fit the blog:

By forcing AG Jeff Sessions to resign and then going around the established line of succession at the DOJ to appoint a rabid partisan Trump loyalist, Matt Whitaker as the Acting AG, the one who will now oversee Mueller, Trump clearly has signaled his intent to end Mueller one way or another. 

Possible scenario follows since there is no mystery as to why Sessions was removed: He recused himself and Trump has been crystal clear about that and that he wants in an AG who is someone who will protect him. Sessions’ recusal took that away from Trump and he has been livid since. Now he gets his way – maybe?

Picking Whitaker first off is quite possibly illegal. So why put at risk the authority of your Acting AG?

Whitaker is a nasty hardcore Republican loyalist. 

He wrote an op-ed a year ago outlining a strategy to kill the Mueller investigation by strangling it bureaucratically by seeing the Mueller budget cut – ergo starving it of funds.

Also, the AG can stop Mueller from issuing any more indictments and try to quash the release of any reports from the investigation to Congress.

For example, on CNN last year, Whitaker previewed that saying: “I could see a scenario where Jeff Sessions is replaced. It would be a recess appointment, and that attorney general doesn’t fire Bob Mueller but he just reduces his budget to so low that his investigations grinds to almost a halt.” 

Now Trump is running that exact chapter.

Consider Nixon’s Watergate actions and see how that fits Trump today: Nixon initiated the so-called “Saturday night massacre”— that is he removed the AG, then Dep. AG, then the Special Counsel investigating Watergate.

— Robert Bork suddenly became acting AG he immediately gave the new Special Prosecutor full authority over the investigation. So, if the “Bork standard” was good enough for Nixon then, it should be good enough for Trump now, right? DEMS actions needed:

They should send a message to career officials making it clear that anyone that participates in this effort to obstruct justice will be held to account – whether it’s the President, Acting AG, or any other DOJ officials. 

Note: As an employee of the executive branch, Mueller simply may not have many great options in this showdown with Trump – the Chief Executive as it were.

Stopping Mueller would not stop the investigation – here’s why:

For weeks Washington has been a buzz about coming activity from the investigation.

Mueller’s grand jury is clearly busy and an indictment of Roger Stone appears imminent, as Stone himself expects to be indicted.

However, should no indictments come, should the Mueller investigation, which was quiet before the election, stay quiet, then it is likely that the investigation is being strangled to death. 

Mueller’s record to date here, here, and here.

So, who is next line that is close to Trump who may be indicted (even he says so himself) is: Roger Stone. See below – FYI:

1.  Is Roger Stone Next

2.  Roger Stone Claims Trump Jr. is Getting Indicted

3.  Roger Stone predicts he'll be indicted next in Mueller probe

4.  If indicted, Stone says, I will never roll on Donald Trump

5.  Stone on Indictment: I'm probably unnamed U.S. person

If Whitaker refuses to meet the “Bork standard and give Mueller full independence,” the new Democrat-run House needs to act fast from day one in January. Steps needed:

The House Judiciary Committee will need to immediately investigate to determine whether the investigation is being killed (or has been) from within.

They should bring before Congress: Matthew Whitaker, Jeff Sessions, Dep. AG Rod Rosenstein, possibly Robert Mueller himself, and any other officials from the DOJ and find out whether the investigation is or was obstructed.

Finally, there will be a debate if this is politically the best course, as this might be seen as distracting from a more, preferred messaging. But this goes beyond politics.

If Trump is able to get away with killing an investigation into him, in effect showing that the rules don’t apply, that he is above the law, he will feel emboldened to get away with so much more.

This is how democracies often die. An elected leader uses their position to eliminate the checks on their power, and when they’re not stopped they eliminate additional checks. 

This can happen here, just as it is happening elsewhere. Fortunately, a buffer now exists in the form of a Democratic Congress. But they have to be ready to act.

Full details at the Daily Beast link – enjoy, and thanks for stopping by.