And now, the rest of the story...

[kentuck]

They know.

FDR is credited with the quote: "In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way."

The "Anonymous" editorial in the NYTimes was part of a plan.

The Republicans on the Senate Judiciary are very much aware that Robert Mueller has the goods on Donald Trump. Mueller has the evidence of some very, very serious crimes. The Republicans in the Senate are trying very hard to prevent him from exposing the charges before the election. After all, he has been a "good Republican" all his life.

Not only do Republicans know what Mueller is holding, but so do several Democrats. Republicans have been threatening some Democrats with expulsion if they expose "confidential" Senate Committee information. They are attempting to bully the Democrats into silence.

But, they know.

They know Mueller has discovered some very, very serious stuff about the businessman, Donald Trump. That would include racketeering, bank fraud, and many cases of money-laundering. Republicans are desperate to keep this information from going public before the mid-term elections. They talk about some unwritten rule about going silent for "60" days before an election?

So, why would they plant an "anonymous" story in the NYTimes?? Why did the NYTimes print it?

As FDR said, "Nothing happens by accident in politics". There is a reason the Republicans are rushing Kavanaugh thru so rapidly. There is a reason an "anonymous" letter is mailed to the NYTimes.

It is very unfortunate that the entire Republican leadership has been complicit in covering up for Donald Trump. Somehow, in my opinion, they have received information from the SCO (Special Counsel Office) that the investigation has uncovered some very serious charges against Donald J Trump. All the while, the GOP has been negligent in doing their jobs, most specifically, oversight of the Executive Branch. Perhaps, they could print an anonymous letter in the NY Times, explaining how there has been a sort of "soft coup" in the White House and the "adults are now in charge"?

Also, this may explain why Donald Trump has been so scattered and paranoid for the last few weeks?

But little happens in Washington by coincidence. From all outward appearances, it looks like the Republicans know what information Mueller has gathered? Sometimes leaks are opportunistic and sometimes they are necessary.

In my opinion, the Democrats should expose all the information they have on hand. From this vantage point, it looks like the Republicans are trying to cover-up and conceal information until the election is over?

They know.

[malaise]

1. Interesting

Get thee to the greatest page

[Vinca]

2. I have a hard time imagining the GOP in Congress coordinating with the GOP executive branch

appointees to this extent. The letter, while a nice cover if they end up with evidence so bad they have no choice but to impeach Trump, could have an impact on the November elections. The only thing the GOP cares more about than their party is self preservation. I'm more inclined to think the letter writer was inspired by the Omarosa and Woodward books and the millions of dollars made by "Fire and Fury." If you are that letter writer, not only will you be perceived as a hero, you'll have publishers lining up. I'd love to believe it was someone so patriotic they just had to write the letter, but these are swamp people not Nathan Hales. And I really can't imagine Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan cooking up a plan that might put their majorities in jeopardy. Time will tell.

[njhoneybadger]

13. The Koch brothers are the GOP, it's more important to them to lock up the Supreme Court.

That is the ultimate Preservation of their party for the foreseeable future. They will govern from the bench.
Absolutely a diversion tactic!

[heaven05]

3. this nt

[BSdetect]

4. Clearly the dems need to release all the info and keep going

The gop made it clear that they are not playing by any standards of fairness once O was elected.

Time to make them pay.

[lunatica]

5. I would add to your point

There have been some surprising sudden and complete capitulations like Senator Graham and the confusing unconditional support of McConnell and Paul Ryan which are more than suspicious. Either they are being promised personal gain which is too good to turn down, or they’ve been threatened with sudden death by Putin. Or both.

Maybe I’m seeing things that aren’t there but all three of them look stressed, tired, and deflated.

They aren’t the only ones. In general the Republicans don’t look as full of themselves as they did when they were persecuting Clinton and thwarting Obama. Their shriveled little hearts don’t seem to be in it lately. I see strain when I see them speaking to journalists. Maybe even exhaustion.

[Boomer]

6. About Lindsey Graham

I'm convinced he's being blackmailed. He gave up the fight too quickly, turned around too far. Someone has incriminating evidence -- like photos of him with a rent boy -- and he's been brought back to the party line.

[lunatica]

7. Exactly

I’ve never seen him look so meek. He probably has good reason to protect himself.

Watch how they look and sound too when they’re speaking. Body language is every bit as important as words are and in many cases more important, because people forget to school their bodies when they lie. Even Trump has his tells.

[llmart]

8. And I think that Ryan's soon to be departure from Congress...

was announced because he has always had designs on the Presidency and wanted to distance himself as soon as possible from the shit show that keeps getting worse each day. Then somewhere down the road he can say "that's why I left because I just could not be a party to the corruption, blah, blah, blah..." even though politically aware people on DU know he's already been a party to all of it. However, most of the public have short memories, so he thinks leaving now will give him time to lay low until he decides to run for President.

[Fred Sanders]

11. The capitulation and not just silence of some is inexplicable, for now. As to the "60 day rule", how

the fuck can anyone say there is such a rule anymore?

Hello, media, Citizen's United, dark money ads, a bloodless coup in the WH in the window! Oh, forgot, Director Comey's Clinton nothingburger days before a Presidential election...not a mid-term.

Fuck the window, fuck anyone saying there is reason for one anymore.

Chuck Todd is a great believer...meaning all of corporate media will be defending this rule", count on it...without mentioning Comey, of course.

[ancianita]

9. Not only do they know, but they are guilty of conspiracy

to obstruct justice. They should/could be indicted, as well, not only on that charge but the charge of abuse of power, and failure to uphold their oaths of office.

[JayhawkSD]

10. Why don't the Democrats expose this information?

And expose the Republican plot to conceal the information?

According to the OP, it's because the Republicans would "expel them from the Senate," but that makes very little actual sense. In the face of the exposed Trump criminality, and of the Republican collusion in that criminality, any effort those Republicans to expel Democrats would be ineffective. It would be an admission of their guilt, and would therefor openly be a takeover of the Senate by criminals, and that act would never stand.

American voters are surely dolts, but they are not that doltish, and would never sit still for avowed and openly admitted criminals casting out the clean members of the Senate and taking control of it for themselves.

The Department of Justice is sufficiently corrupt that it failed to indict the perpetrators of the financial collapse of 2008, but even they would never stand by and allow something so blatant as the takeover of the Senate by openly criminal elements.

The OP says that "Democrats should expose all the information they have on hand," but never suggests that they are in any way guilty of anything wrong by not exposing it.

The whole discussion, based on the premise that, "Republicans on the Senate Judiciary are very much aware" with no supporting evidence of said awareness, just makes no real sense.

[MineralMan]

12. Indeed they do know.

And they're trying to do as much damage as possible before the truth is fully known.

[The Liberal Lion]

14. I don't know if they know who the letter writer is

but republicans most certainly DID know, during the primaries and up to this day the multiplicity of crimes donald trump committed while a private citizen, as well as the crimes being committed now. They all but admit it when they say either to fire Mueller or that if the orange gollum interviews with Mueller it will lead to trump putting himself in legal jeopardy. I also agree that SOME democrats know the score and are inexplicably being quiet, and in their silence being complicit. I don't know which democrats it is, nor do I wish to speculate about it. The grand notion here in my head is that the system is SO corrupt it can't be allowed to continue, it is beyond repair. The solution, which is in my head, is a very unpopular one, but I fear is the one many will find to be the only one. We shall see after the midterms.

[sagesnow]

15. If the situation were reversed, what would the Republicans do with the information?

Democrats must get it out to the public, one way or the other. Otherwise, as they are often accused, Democrats will be taking a slingshot to a gunfight.

[moriah]

16. I agree the letter is a stunt.

If we accept it as reality, it's accepting that Donald Trump's presidency is not a grave disaster, because as it says, "the adults are in charge".

It (and the manufactured outrage about it) reeks of propaganda to distract from, not enhance, Woodward's allegations. "Keep calm and carry on. Nothing to see here."

If there's anything absolutely known by high-ranking Democrats about the Mueller investigation that hasn't already been released against traditional rules (Nunes memo and response, etc), releasing it prematurely could damage the integrity the investigation of impeachable offenses that we can't even get a House vote on without taking back the majority.

To do it right, we have to win the midterm elections based on the currently demonstrable issues that require no reliance on information that could be in ready-to-present affidavits. We still have the next Manafort trial, or a plea that will result in at least the information in the indictment he will plead guilty to.

The "anonymous letter" was allegedly a plea to the Republican base of voters that even if they don't have confidence in Truml, they should have confidence in the GOP. I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was an absolutely authorized "leak", and giving it veracity is giving the propaganda message within it veracity regardless.

We don't need whatever might be known to those who also know how far an impeachment attempt would go at the moment to win back the House and at least let attempts have a chance. We need to get majorities in the House and hopefully Senate to allow the Democrats to take over those committees and do what can be done by the legislative branch as a balance on executive power.

And we can do it if we GOTV. Yes, even for DINO-like candidates if that's the Dem on the GE ballot, because when we have majorities or their votes are needed to win a particular major victory, they do join with the caucus even if they might vote to appease constituents when the caucus wouldn't have enough with them (why sending Collins coathangers is a far better thing to do, appeal to Flake in a different way and Murkowski in another -- Flake has nothing to lose and could vote against confirmation if ethical concerns are put strongly by AZ residents, AK residents will have their own ideas I'm sure). In states with DINO-like candidates winning primaries, we know the people who will defeat them in a General will NEVER vote our way.

In midterms Democrats aren't known for massive turnout, but turnout wins elections. We need to get started in our own districts, our own circles of friends and acquaintances, with making sure everyone is registered and has any required ID to vote. At least a month before registration deadlines we need to be doing what we can, phonebanking, door-knocking, making sure people know how to get registered, how to search online if it's available in your area to make sure the information is correct, and have transportation to vote. Younger working populations move more than elderly retirees, so mail roll purges affect younger voters more.

That, and the fact that it's highly unlikely Mueller will be done after Manafort, will have to be enough, I'm afraid.

[kentuck]

17. With all the people assisting Mueller in the investigation, it would be naive to think...

..that Senators in both Parties are not aware of what Mueller has uncovered, in my opinion.

[CrispyQ]

18. Democrats should tell the GOP to take their 60 day rule & stick it.

The GOP threw the rule book in the trash in 2000 & Comey invalidated the 60-day rule in 2016. The dems better not take this shit.