Mueller gets to work & brings along 2 veteran lawyers with him-including one who worked on Watergate

[kpete]

Washington (CNN)By choosing Robert S. Mueller III for the job of special counsel, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein tapped a veteran of the law -- a seasoned prosecutor, former FBI director and private lawyer -- who will methodically peel back the layers of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.

Any other prosecutor might think twice before taking on a job so fraught with political controversy.

But as a stunned Washington digested Wednesday's surprise announcement, Mueller released a terse statement at 7:04 p.m. ET

Wednesday night acknowledging that he would "accept the responsibility" and "discharge it to the best of my ability."

And then he got 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.


http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/18/politics/robert-mueller-gets-to-work/index.html?sr=twcnni051917robert-mueller-gets-to-work0323AMVODtopLink&linkId=37771298

[Javaman]

1. just keep in mind that the orange menace can fire him...

mueller isn't an independent investigator.

he will be gone just like Comey if he gets too close.

but I have this feeling this is nothing more than a guise of responsibility by Rosenstein.

never trust a con artist or his minions.

[forgotmylogin]

4. If 45 fires Mueller that strengthens the case

for obstruction of justice. And I *think* like Nixon, he would have to get Rosenstein to do it for him.

Rosenstein was none too pleased that Tramp tried to use him and his memo initially as the sole excuse for firing Comey, and it seems that hiring Mueller was a bit of retaliation. I don't expect the resident will convince Rosenstein to fire Mueller anytime soon.

[hamsterjill]

8. +1

I think Rosenstein got pissed about his treatment, and I think Mueller was his revenge. Not to mention that Mueller is seen as the "perfect" choice. It was a very calculated and sly move on the part of Rosenstein.

[Javaman]

12. when tRump wants Mueller fired, and he eventually will want him fired...

things are going to get very interesting for sure.

as crazy as nixon was and everything surrounding watergate, I think this with tRump will be outright insane before it's all said and done.

[WoonTars]

6. Not technically accurate. Twitler can't fire him, but he can tell the DOJ to fire him...

...and then the Nixonian/Watergate circle will be complete

[forgotmylogin]

11. Sessions is recused.

So if he breaks recusal, once again, another shovelful of dirt from the deepening grave.

[Javaman]

13. interesting. I wonder who will be tRumps hatchetman. nt

[ananda]

2. Excellent.

Mueller is serious and is forming a great team!

45 c o u l d get Mueller fired, but that would have
very harmful repercussions down the line.

IOW, 45 and co. are now between a rock and a hard place.

Good.

[Martin Eden]

3. True Public Servants must know Trump is dangerously unfit

This is not to say they will be biased in their investigation, but rather that they will NOT be complicit in a cover-up.

[flamingdem]

5. Can we trust this breath of sanity?

We've been mired in the crazy for so long this feels like a miracle.

[monmouth4]

7. I remember watching Richard Ben-Veniste and he is no slouch either. n/t

[hamsterjill]

9. I remember him, as well.

He won't put up with any bullshit IMHO. Glad to see that he's aboard.

[monmouth4]

10. Me too, smart guy, this makes a great team..n/t

[DFW]

14. I have another name to look for

A friend of mine from North Carolina (sort of a young Sam Ervin type at the time, except now at 75 with sort of an aristocratic look to him) worked on Watergate, too. He vetted Hillary's choices for VP last year. I'm sure that if he's free and gets asked, he wouldn't mind this gig one bit. This is all rather recent, and I don't know if he has even been contacted, but if the name Jim Hamilton shows up along with Ben-Veniste, don't be surprised.

I don't supposed Hillary would want to get involved again, but if she did, it probably wouldn't give any comfort to the doctors charged with monitoring Trump's blood pressure.

[Mr. Ected]

15. So what if Trump orders DOJ to fire Mueller?

And for argument's sake, what if Rosenstein refuses and resigns, a la Watergate. Who is next in succession? Who would do Trump's bidding at that point in time?

And then....we hear how that would spell doom for Trump. Oh, the consequences! Really?

2 chambers of Congress in bed with the GOP, and you think Trump would suffer consequences for obstructing justice?

Sure, the Democrats could take the House and maybe even the Senate in 2018, and that would change the outcome, but that's far from guaranteed, particularly with all the voting dirty tricks up the Republican's sleeves.

Seems to me that the Constitution is sadly silent on matters in which a crook President is protected by hundreds of other crooks; that checks and balances is a wonderful concept that wasn't quite baked into the doctrine with respect to the two-party system, and gerrymandering and the compromise of elections by hostile foreign sovereigns means even the last bastion of support, the vote of the American people, is compromised.

On a bad day, I ruminate over these things and get very depressed and more than a little frightened.