538 "How Mueller's First Year Compares To Watergate, Iran-Contra And Whitewater"

[NRaleighLiberal]

And what those past investigations tell us about where the Russia investigation might go next.
By Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux

Filed under The Trump Administration

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-muellers-first-year-compares-to-watergate-iran-contra-and-whitewater/

It’s a big day for Robert Mueller and his team: One year ago today, Mueller was appointed to lead the special counsel investigation into possible ties between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russian officials. It’s a miracle, in some ways, that Mueller has lasted this long. President Trump’s relationship with the investigation has grown increasingly adversarial, and at many moments over the course of the past 12 months, it seemed like Mueller’s job was in jeopardy.

So this hasn’t been an easy year for Mueller, but it’s certainly been productive. Since the first indictments came down in the investigation last fall, the special counsel has racked up five guilty pleas and 14 indictments of individuals.1 He also reportedly gave a referral to the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York that led to a raid on the office, home and hotel room of presidential lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, which has turned into its own separate investigation.

We’ve taken a look at how Mueller’s first year measures up against the initial 12 months of other special counsel and independent counsel investigations. In terms of the number of charges he’s been able to file, Mueller is moving quickly. At one year after the formal appointment of a special or independent counsel, only the Watergate special prosecution force had obtained more indictments and guilty pleas.

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snip - more at the link

[Gothmog]

1. From NPR

Link to tweet

[procon]

2. That chart ob Mueller is going to come in very handy. nt

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. giving this a kick

[HAB911]

4. K&R

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. Notice how NO indictments during the OBAMA years. Despite years & years of Benghazi & emails. . . nt

[Hortensis]

10. Yes! :) And ONE presidential indictment from Whitewater,

Clinton's lie about sex with Lewinski, which had nothing to do with Whitewater. The conclusions by TWO special prosecutions (the GOP wouldn't give up and replaced the first to continue the smear) was no wrongdoing by either Clinton, so they're doubly innocent. All other indictments were from the part of the investigation into business crimes other people committed back in Arkansas, and I strongly question the motive of including them in this chart. Actually, I"m pretty sure the intent is to deceive.

Also note that H.W. Bush's administration only looks as clean as it down because several people who would have linked him and his administration to Iran-Contra felonies while he was Reagan's VP were pardoned before he took office. Scandal laundering.

[djacq]

13. No Drama Obama

[apkhgp]

29. That is something the Right Wing tried

and tried and tried

[Rabrrrrrr]

6. Did Iran-Contra really go for 6.5 years?

Wow. I have no memory of it being that long. I thought maybe a year, tops. But I was young then, and not paying quite as much attention as I learned to do so later.

[Glorfindel]

7. Brilliant chart...easy to understand. Best part? No Obama Admin. investigations!

Of course, the people who NEED to understand it won't believe it, but that doesn't mean it's not the truth. Thanks, NRaleighLiberal, for posting it!

[ProfessorGAC]

8. Noticed That Too

So did a poster above. Nothing to see here during Obama, literally. Now, if want to talk witch hunts, see Benghazi.

[progressoid]

9. And none of them took down a president.

While Donnie's approval numbers continue to creep up.

It's a mistake to put all our hopes and dreams into the Mueller investigation. It's a brave new political world.

[erronis]

18. Agree about not putting all our dreams in the Mueller investigation. However, dump's approval

ratings creeping up? From the low level of the cesspool, the turd rises a bit on every new flush.

(Every time I write the word "creep" I think about the Committee to RE-Elect the President [Nixon]). I never thought I'd see more corruption than then. Guess I wasn't alive during the Harding administration.

[yardwork]

21. Watergate took down a president.

[progressoid]

23. Sort of.

It's arguable that Nixon resigned primarily due to the negative public opinion of him (thanks to the NYT and WaPo) and his lack of support from Congress. The investigation did nab quite a few of the committee to re-elect et. al., but not actually Nixon.

Of course today we are in a completely different political landscape. Assuming Mueller and his team have the smoking gun(s), a large swath of the American public either think this is a deep state witch hunt or they just don't care about it. Also, we certainly don't such an honorable Congress to put pressure on Trump to resign. Finally, is Trump principled enough to resign?

Shit's gonna get really weird in the coming couple years.

[MrScorpio]

11. Bigger than Watergate

And he's just getting started.

[TalenaGor]

12. Notice who is missing....

does that mean Obama had no investigations that had any indictments or resignations?

also - seems like there should be more under Bush 2 or was there really nothing else?

[ornotna]

14. Everyone notices that President Obama's name is missing from the chart

Jimmy Carter's name is also missing. Imagine that.

[maddiemom]

28. Investigations of all five Republican administrations during this period.

Only one out of three for the Democrats. Also, I don't remember hearing "witch hunt' complaints coming constantly coming from the Clintons, who definitely had more reasons to complain over a FAR longer period of time than Trump (nearly 4 times longer in presidential office, not to mention Hillary's continuing years in public office AND her presidential campaign AND her 11 hour grilling from Congress added to abuse weathered).

[2naSalit]

15. K&R

[dalton99a]

16. Kick

[BobTheSubgenius]

17. The idea that the Watergate investigation obtained more

indictments and pleas than the current investigation led me to a strange little point. Does this mean that the current subjects of investigation are smarter than Nixon's posse?

That hardly seems possible, given how many times they have proved to be glaringly inept. Perhaps it's the influence and tradecraft of the foreign actors that is making it a wee bit harder to unwind. It could also be that a flood of pleas and indictments may happen at any time.

Here's hoping....

[Uncle Joe]

22. I believe this is because the Russia interference investigation to be

not only greater in scope but infinitely more complex.

Unlike Cox during Watergate days, Mueller has the Reich Wing corporate media gunning against him as well, so he must make sure all his ducks are in a row.

[certainot]

19. one reason it's going faster is the use of computers,

making reading, printing, copying, scanning, coordinating, etc a lot faster

[JayhawkSD]

20. It might be worth noticing, however...

That all of Mueller's indictments either have nothing whatever to do with Russia meddling in the election, or with anyone conspiring with Russia to do anything, or they are against Russian persons and/or corporations which cannot be brought to trial in this country.

Can we name one indictment for any US person that is directly related to the purpose for which his special investigation was created?

[Drunken Irishman]

24. More proof Obama was the least corrupt president in American history.

[JNelson6563]

26. Wow! That is stunning!

Like a tall, refreshing glass of STFU for Trumpers whining about "too long" and "nothing there". Assholes.

[Ztolkins]

27. I love Obama's name is missing

Fuck you, racist alt-right assholes.