2 key law partners of Mueller's resigned from their law firm to help him investigate DT.

[pnwmom]

Last edited Fri May 19, 2017, 01:14 AM - Edit history (1)

They announced their resignations only a half hour after he announced his. They must have had SOME time to make their decisions and arrange their affairs, so Mueller and Rosenstein (and maybe even Comey) had probably been working on this plan for days.

(By the way, I've heard that DT or an associate had some business with a lawyer at this firm. The firm employs 1,000 lawyers around the world so I doubt that this matters.)

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/18/politics/robert-mueller-gets-to-work/

By 7:38 p.m. ET, his now former firm, WilmerHale, announced that two other partners had stepped down to help -- including one who worked for the Watergate prosecutor back in the 1970s.

"Bob Mueller's attributes are legion," said Richard Ben-Veniste, who served as a special prosecutor during the Watergate scandal and knows the new special counsel.

SNIP

Aaron Zebley was Mueller's chief of staff at the FBI. He also worked as the senior counselor in the National Security Division and knows his way around the Justice Department. Zebley earned his law degree in 1996 from the University of Virginia School of Law and an undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary.

James Quarles has spent the last several years at a private firm focusing on complex litigation matters and management, but it's how his career started that might prove critical. Like Ben-Veniste, Quarles worked on the Watergate Special Prosecution Force, for which he served as an assistant special prosecutor.

"There is nothing comparable to the kind of pressure and obligation that this kind of job puts on your shoulders," said Ben-Veniste. "Having been there before, gives him the confidence to know how to do it and how to do it right."

[greyl]

1. "at the FBI"? nt

[pnwmom]

2. Thanks. All 3 lawyers have resigned their law firm jobs to work on DT/Russia. n/t

[unblock]

3. i don't believe special counsel is part of the fbi.

mueller happened to run the fbi one upon a time, though....

[pnwmom]

4. Okay, you're right. He has the resources of the FBI at his disposal, but he's separate.

[lunasun]

6. They will be going to the FBI to talk to the agents who have investigated this

That's where he starts . What do they have ? He has the power to grant mmunity to a witness and he can bring it all to a grand jury . Glad his partners joined him I have much hope invested in this team but it will not be tomorrow , or next week
Sorry Twitter
Let also hope they are not compromised
"Mueller will start with reviewing existing files and talking to the agents who have been on the case. Then he will collect facts and piece together the time line as he sets his investigative strategy. There could be a variety of records, emails, texts, and maybe even recordings.

If past is precedent, he will work his way up to those who are more centrally involved, something that could take months and leave the Trump administration under somewhat of a shadow.

"He will have the opportunity to interview witnesses at a pace he decides is appropriate and, if necessary, he will have the power to immunize witnesses and present evidence to a grand jury," Ben-Veniste said."

[pnwmom]

7. It will take a while, for sure, but he's not starting from the beginning. This investigation

began last summer and he'll be building on that.

[PinkTiger]

14. He was the director of the FBI once. nt

[Bleacher Creature]

5. Wow!

They'll obviously go back when this is over, but leaving a law firm as a partner is still a big deal. They obviously see this as a historic opportunity and figure it's worth the money and hassle.

This is a very good sign.

[Glimmer of Hope]

9. It is not that unusual but opportunities like this is what they live for.

There were quite a few partners who left Wilmer when Obama entered office to work for DOJ, the Whitehouse, the SEC, etc. They are usually welcomed back.

[flamingdem]

8. hmm promising

[Hekate]

10. Tasty

[luvMIdog]

11. isn't this nice to finally have something being done ?

[NBachers]

12. And these guys ain't crook traitor scumbags

[luvMIdog]

13. in the final count I wonder how many will fall

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

15. I'm starting to hear a film score behind this.

[ATL Ebony]

20. Hmm, All the President's Men - Part 2

[ecstatic]

16. I think Rosenstein was only pretending to be against special counsel

Had he admitted he was leaning towards it, he would have been fired alongside Comey. Either way, thank you Rosenstein!! 😘

[pnwmom]

18. I'm wondering that, too. And whether Comey even might have discussed with him

a Plan B -- for what would happen if Comey got fired.

Maybe Rosenstein even gave Comey a heads-up about the letter he was writing, and he and Comey decided to approach Mueller.

[Scurrilous]

17. K&R

[iluvtennis]

19. I like this - a team that has work together in the past and can "hit the ground running"