Mueller agrees to "tentative date" to testify before House Judiciary Committee

[babylonsister]

https://www.axios.com/robert-mueller-testify-house-judiciary-committee-28f3fba4-2c72-47ad-bbfb-d50437814827.html

Mueller agrees to "tentative date" to testify before House Judiciary Committee


The House Judiciary Committee and a representative for special counsel Robert Mueller have agreed to a "tentative date" of May 15 for Mueller to testify about his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) said on Fox News Sunday.

Why it matters: Calls for Mueller to testify were reinvigorated after Attorney General Bill Barr's appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, with Democrats accusing Barr of lying about his knowledge of Mueller's dissatisfaction with the rollout of his report. The House Judiciary Committee has reportedly been negotiating directly with Mueller's team, though Barr has repeatedly said that the Justice Department has no problem with Mueller testifying.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has extended an offer for Mueller to testify if he has any objections to the way that Barr characterized their conversations about the report. If there are no objections, Graham said he will not bring Mueller in to testify.

[2naSalit]

1. Good!

[Nevilledog]

2. I wonder who Mueller's representative is.

[Dennis Donovan]

3. Lindsey Graham will die on this hill, so to speak...

...meaning they MUST have some seriously heinous shit on him, if this is the hill he chooses to die on.

My money is on a tape of him and a farm animal.

[jmowreader]

35. No, it's nothing that elaborate

Graham is probably involved in feeding Russian money to the NRA...and he knows the GRU videotapes meetings.

[manor321]

4. I'm going to use a vacation day! I want to be home for this!

[narnian60]

9. Same here.

[Sneederbunk]

12. I fear we expect too much.

[manor321]

13. I think I'm OK with what to expect

I'm not expecting too much outside the four corners of the report, but now we have this documented friction with Barr that he will be testifying about under oath.

Then after Mueller we get to the real business with testimony from McGahn and others.

[Nuggets]

17. Doubtful

...McGahn thus faces a dilemma. As “one person close to McGahn” told the Washington Post, “He’s not eager to testify. He’s not reluctant. He got a subpoena. It compels him to testify. But there are some countervailing legal reasons that might prevent that.”


The only “countervailing legal reason” identified is executive privilege, which the administration reportedly plans to invoke over McGahn’s testimony.

https://www.lawfareblog.com/executive-privilege-and-compelled-testimony-presidential-advisers-don-mcgahns-dilemma


Plus he’s a Republican and there isn’t any reason to trust any of them.

[StarfishSaver]

29. That will be a tough one for them

But it will work of McGahn decides to go along with it and refuses to testify.

But if he's willing to testify and the House rejects the executive privilege claim and orders him to appear and answer questions, we're good to go.

Unless ... The White House goes to court. This will delay things, but in the end, I am confident a court would throw the executive privilege claim out the window. Which would take us back to whether McGahn wants to testify or not.

If he continues to refuse, it would be a lot easier to find him in contempt and arrest him (since he doesn't have the FBI or Secret Service protecting him around the clock).

[Nuggets]

32. Thus far Republicans either refuse

to testify or testify with a rash of can’t recalls or pleading the fifth.


Then we have the FBI and those directing them. People seem to want to separate them from this debacle even though Comey, McCabe, Rosenstein , and Barr have lied or otherwise gone against protocol and a faux investigation done by the FBI to clear Kavanaugh. All of them also Republicans. All of them painted as victims of tRump at one time or another.

Who still trusts Republicans and why?

[StarfishSaver]

33. Are you responding to me?

[Nuggets]

34. Yup

We’re not good to go
McGahn is a Republican who doesn’t want to testify and likely it will go nowhere for all the reasons I posted earlier.

[StarfishSaver]

38. You don't seem to have read my post

I said that IF McCann is interested in testifying, we'd be good to go. And then I said, in great detail, what would likely happen if he's not. So, I don't understand the need to lectured as if I need to have Republicans explained to me.

But since neither of us knows for sure what he will do and both of us are just guessing, I'll just take your comment for what it is and move on.

Have a lovely Sunday.

[Nuggets]

40. I am sorry if pointing out the reality

that McGhan is wiling to testify isn’t in the cards as it’s already being blocked by Republicans hurt your feelings.

[Catch2.2]

22. Same here

...unfortunately

[UniteFightBack]

46. I'm so screwed I think we are short staffed that week and I won't be able to take off I must go to

plan B which is where I will watch it in a back corner of the office while the secretary sends everything to voicemail. Fuck this. And I have over 20 vacation days and I'll have to resort to this.

[manor321]

49. Can you check Twitter on your phone?

I'm sure some journalists will tweet live comments.

[UniteFightBack]

55. LOL I guess I shouldn't complain I can watch TV while at work via the phone and I don't

even have to hide it. But I don't want to be disturbed, this needs my full attention!!

[DallasNE]

5. Beware The Ides Of May n/t

[Iliyah]

6. Tentative date is key here.

I guess we are going to have another round of Graham doing his "K" tantrum.

[watoos]

7. Graham has no say,

Mueller has agreed to testify in the House.

[machoneman]

14. Yes, this is a major slap in little Lindsey's face!

He may still respond to the letter but I don't think he will until AFTER his House testimony.

[Nuggets]

16. Tentatively

He left himself a way out.

tentative adjective, not certain or fixed; provisional.

[lunatica]

23. If you've ever worked on meeting calendars when all members are very busy

you’ll know that all time and date times are negotiated in order to come to an agreed upon time to actually hold the meeting. It is a very complex process because all the parties have to agree on a date and time. Until the meeting time has been agreed on by all parties everything is tentative. It’s not about shyness or unwillingness. It’s about working around schedules and availability.

[Nuggets]

30. Mmhmmm

I’ll just wait and see just like McGahn’s testifying.

[lunatica]

36. As we all.

[pdsimdars]

8. Can't come soon enough. That is the path the Dems need to take.

[watoos]

10. May 16, Democrats can start impeachment hearings.

I'm willing to wait that long.

So will Barr/Trump try to block him. Look for a court challenge. Mueller may have to resign from justice to be able to testify.

[spanone]

11. K&R...

[Nitram]

15. I put it on my calendar. Bob, be there or be square.

[Honeycombe8]

18. I don't get cable. I hope it's streamed somewhere, or on PBS. nt

[aeromanKC]

20. Google: lnc rockinrooster

It will be there.

(Make sure you click on go to full screen)

[Honeycombe8]

50. ???

There's a rockinrooster, Inc. company. There's a site for rockinroostercomics. I don't see any streaming service site called rockinrooster. Is it legal?

[aeromanKC]

52. Try this

It should take you here. https://livenewschat.eu/politics/ (LiveNewsChat = LNC)

Yes. There are ads (that's why I suggested you go full screen so they go away) I pay for the no ads premium since I watch it so much. ($40/year) BUT it's free if you want. Just go full screen.

They also have a chat room. https://livenewschat.slack.com/messages/CDDKUT75W/ (I'm a regular)

It's mostly MSNBC viewers.

[Honeycombe8]

58. Thanks so much!!!! I owe you one! nt

[aeromanKC]

53. open first

Don't click on the watch TV banner. That's an ad.

[Honeycombe8]

57. Thanks. nt

[B Stieg]

19. Keep the date secret!

Or tRump will try to shut down the entire government (again).
Sheesh. What a mess. Thanks GOP!

[PufPuf23]

21. Mueller is playing a role, to deflect to Protect the GOP

More delays then, if Mueller House Judiciary Committee testimony occurs, disappointing, incomplete, and further pacifying and confusing the public while weakening the Democratic position.

Mueller is GOP hardcore for decades back to the Bush years. Mueller may not be a Trump-cultist but his bias is to protect the GOP.

I don't get why so many think he is a savior for our Democratic cause and play into this manipulating BS.

[lunatica]

24. Some Republicans are actually patriots of Democracy.

I know. It’s hard to believe. But it’s a fact nonetheless.

[PufPuf23]

25. I understand that about Republicans.

The Mueller investigation and report reminds me much of "Fitzmas" where the GOP Fitzgerald essentially and successfully deflated the Cheney/GWB scandal.

The bar for impeachment too was set pretty high by Fitzmas given the stolen election of 2000 followed by lying the nation into a war of aggression and war crimes like torture championed by the nation's top politicians (not to mention the 9-11 failure and the financial crash which was basically grabbing cash on the way out the door).

[lunatica]

26. Fitzmas didn't have a record of indictments and convictions

attributed to his investigation even before the report was released. Only Scooter Libby was accused of acting alone and that was after the report was finished, so already there is a huge difference.

[PufPuf23]

28. Look back to Reagan and Iran Contra and BCCI scandal

Same story.

Attempted Business Plot against FDR.

Same story.

I don't think one could make a complete list of crimes by Trump and Trump enablers and beneficiaries.

All the crimes of Cheney/GWB condensed to Scooter Libby and then he was pardoned.

So yes the Mueller investigation has had more impact but we are looking at an administration and associates where not being a criminal is a reason to be fired.

[TwilightZone]

51. Agreed. They're just not comparable.

[Nuggets]

31. And you have evidence of this

right?

Name a patriotic Republican please.

[lunatica]

37. Not all Republicans are representatives.

But I’ll name a lifelong Republican who is patriotic. George Will.

[Nuggets]

39. George Will?

The “journalist” who
Wrote a piece for the Washington Post about global warming filled to the brim with scientific baloney and right wing dung filled arguments.

From the WP: It would not have survived even the most perfunctory fact-checking–despite claims ?”


Says. “ It is hard to think of an innocent reason why Democrats spend so much time, energy and money, scarce resources all, resisting attempts to purge the voter rolls, that is to remove people who are dead or otherwise have left the jurisdiction. It's hard to think of an innocent reason why they fight so tremendously against Voter I.D. laws”

Says: Supporting ACA means violating Constitution
https://www.providencejournal.com/opinion/20170824/my-turn-george-f-will-supporting-aca-means-violating-constitution

Or: attacking and dismissing rape victims. Throughout the year, Will failed to disclose several major conflicts of interest in his columns, and his tangled relationship with political entities backed by Charles and David Koch was cited by the outgoing ethics chair of the Society of Professional Journalists as the kind of conflict journalists should disclose in their writing.
https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2014/12/22/misinformer-of-the-year-george-will/201946


This is all just good ol patriotism , you say? Surely you jest!

[lunatica]

43. You and I can disagree with George Will, and even hate him

But his patriotism isn’t in question.

[Nuggets]

44. Absolutely his patriotism is in question

He’s been lying to the American public for years to help Republicans get and retain office. He is as much responsible as Fox News and the other propagandists are for this Constitutional crisis were in now.

He didn’t just disagree, he flat out lied. If that’s your version of patriotic I think you need to re examine what patriotism is.

[lunatica]

45. Love of your country and what you think is best for it

is patriotism.

Everyone feels it in their own way.

There is no rule that what you think is patriotism is what everyone should adhere to.

[Nuggets]

47. So now doing anything is patriotic

so long as you do it for love of country?

Publishing outright lies about climate change is patriotic so long as he says he loves America?

That type of “patriotism” includes people like Hitler who literally used love of Deutchland to garner support.


Hmmm it also sounds just like

“ you don’t know what tRump was thinking. you don’t t always want to go by what's come out of his mouth ... But mostly we can't do this because we don't know what's in his heart... Kellyanne Conway Jan 9, 2017

[lunatica]

48. Yes. But I'll give you last word

I despise George Will so I’m not interested in defending him, but I don’t doubt he loves his country.

Lots of people are gun ho about going to war and call it patriotism. I’m anti war and a pacifist. I think our government should have a Department of Peace so it can actually be a policy to actively seek peace. Many people would call me unpatriotic for that.

[babylonsister]

41. I know there aren't many honorable rethugs left, but

I think he is one. If he's so hardcore he would not have confronted Barr with his lies.

[PufPuf23]

56. Hope you are correct.

But Mueller is GOP and sincerely doubt he will go out of his way to help us Democrats

[helpisontheway]

27. I read that the White House is not fighting it. Why? They must not be concerned

about what Mueller will say. I’m always suspicious of all Republicans until they give me a reason not to be. Guess we will see..

[babylonsister]

42. Not exactly...

Link to tweet

[Kurt V.]

54. l'll take a breadcrumb at this point. it'll feel like a loaf. :)