Reactions to Rip Van Mueller’s Selectively-Amnesiac “Testimony”

Ted Leiu: “The reason, again, that you did not indict Donald Trump is because of OLC opinion stating that you cannot indict a sitting president. Correct?”

Robert Mueller: “That is correct.”

Game over.

@Deplorable Me:

A 74-year-old public servant gave over 2 years of his life to this investigation when called on to do so, and has been savaged by republican and media Trump tools for doing so. His own prepared report summary was then suppressed while a Trump-appointed DoJ head misrepresented its conclusions, and then locked it down to give the man in the White House two weeks to take those misrepresentations on tour. He then showed up for hours of hostile questioning about things falling well outside the scope of his official report, having first been warned by the DoJ that he must restrict his responses only to things falling within the boundaries of the public report.

I imagine Mueller was feeling a bit beset and worn down. The next president should give him a medal. Mueller may well have been the best and most honest man in the room today. A number of his hostile interrogator actually struck me as being a bit stupid.

@retire05:

Both you and and your shadow come up short on elaboration. Wonder why? Let’s review that “clarification”:

Robert Mueller: “Based on Justice Department policy and principles of fairness, we decided we would not make a determination as to whether the President committed a crime. That was our decision then and it remains our decision today.”

Based on the DOJ policy, no determination was made. Mueller had the info, just didn’t or wasn’t allowed to make a decision because he was ordered not to.

Again: Ted Leiu: “The reason, again, that you did not indict Donald Trump is because of OLC opinion stating that you cannot indict a sitting president. Correct?”

Robert Mueller: “That is correct.” “Uh, ole, let me clarify that, we decided we would not make a determination due to the department of Justice policy”.

@Deplorable Me, #5:

Mueller didn’t even know who Fusion GPS or Steele was.

Fusion GPS and Christopher Steele weren’t within the scope of the Mueller investigation. Apparently he wasn’t particularly interested in following the rumors, speculation, and outpouring of total bullshit that made up much of your information over the two years he was narrowly focused on the task at hand. Trump supporters have taken in so much of it that they can no longer distinguish established fact from the Trump organization’s disinformation and propaganda.

Trump refuses to acknowledge that the nation has been under a disinformation attack by Putin’s Internet Research Agency. Mueller just reminded us that this attack is ongoing. Trump is falling short in one of the most fundamental duties that are part of his oath of office. He’s not protecting us from an identified and active foreign enemy. He’s giving that enemy cover, because its part of giving himself cover.

@retire05: AJ doesn’t understand English. If they did not determine Trump committed a crime, he didn’t commit a crime, which would, of course, include obstruction. Those pulling Mueller’s strings couldn’t bring themselves to admit the obvious, that Trump was innocent, so they ran it around the block until some could interpret it anyway they chose to. Bottom line is, no crimes and no impeachment. But, AJ is too stupid to understand.

Fusion GPS and Christopher Steele weren’t within the scope of the Mueller investigation.

They were the GENESIS of the investigation. Steele was even cited within the report, but Mueller didn’t know that, so he didn’t know that he WAS within his “purview”.

Trump refuses to acknowledge that the nation has been under a disinformation attack by Putin’s Internet Research Agency.

No he doesn’t. He simply doesn’t blame all his problems on it. Obama stopped the efforts to block any such disinformation; did HE refuse to acknowledge the threat or did he aid the Russians so they could more easily help Hillary? I guess you feel Obama fell WAAAAY short of his fundamental duties, huh?

@Deplorable Me:

Steele was even cited within the report, but Mueller didn’t know that, so he didn’t know that he WAS within his “purview”.

Steele’s report was mentioned a total of 9 times in the Mueller Report, only in the context of that topic having been mentioned in various meetings or discussions involving Trump and his associates. At no time was it or anything in it “cited” by Mueller’s report as evidence. Don’t take my word for it. Click on the link, and search the report for “Christopher Steele”. You’ll quickly find all 9 places where he or his report comes up.

It wasn’t Mueller’s job to look into republican conspiracy theory regarding the origins of the investigation.

I guess you feel Obama fell WAAAAY short of his fundamental duties, huh?

Obama took all of this seriously enough to allow the investigation of Trump’s organization to continue, didn’t he?

Mueller told Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi today that the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into the Russian disinformation operation is currently underway. That’s reassuring. Maybe not so much to Donald Trump.

@retire05, #13:

Why didn’t Obama institute an investigation into Russian interference?

Because Trump, his organization, and the Russian’s were all part of same investigation.

CONGRESSWOMAN ASKS MUELLER WHY TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER SHARED EXCLUSIVE POLLING DATA WITH RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE OPERATIVE

“You also described in your report that the then-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort shared with a Russian operative, Kilimnik, the campaign strategy for winning Democratic votes in mid-Western states and internal polling data. Isn’t that correct?” Lofgren asked during the hearing.

“Correct,” Mueller responded.

“They also discussed the status of the Trump campaign and Manafort’s strategy for winning votes in mid-Western states. Months before that meeting, Manafort had caused internal data to be shared with Kilimnik and the sharing continued for some period of time after their August meeting. Isn’t that correct?” the Congresswoman continued.

“Accurate,” Mueller responded.

“In fact, your investigation found that Manafort briefed Kilimnik on the state of the Trump campaign and Manafort’s plan to win the election. And that briefing encompassed the campaign’s messaging, the internal polling data, it also included discussions of battleground states that Manafort identified as Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota. Isn’t that correct?” Lofgren continued, citing page 140 of volume 1 of the Mueller report.

“That’s correct,” Mueller responded.

“Did your investigation find who requested the polling data to be shared with Kilimnik?” Lofgren asked.

“I would direct you to the report. That’s what we have in the report with regard to that particular issue,” Mueller answered.

Lofgren responded by pointing out that Congress does not have the unredacted version of the report, and consequently may be missing key information. Attorney General William Barr released a public version of the report in April, but some sections of the document are almost 50 percent redacted to protect grand jury material or information relating to ongoing investigations, among other reasons.

Lofgren continued her line of questioning by asking how the Russian government could have used this Trump campaign polling data to further its sweeping and systematic interference in the 2016 election.

“That’s a little out of our path,” Mueller responded.

Mueller, you see, was warned not to venture beyond the boundaries set by the public version of his report. The public doesn’t know what was blacked out. Congress hasn’t been allowed to see the full version, either. About 10 percent of the report remains redacted—a bit under 50 pages.

Better not to comment and have people think you are an idiot than to comment and prove it.

Some people aren’t smart enough to follow their own advice.

Where is the Greg who was so sure that all of Trumps crimes would be reviewed by the impeccable and truthful Mueller. Impeachment would be right down the road after this testimony. It was quite evident that Mueller did not even write the document let alone head up the investigation. Yes, this is an opinion that will become a fact “as the World Turns”.

After spending $millions on this, tax payers can by a sack of candy at the $.05 and dime store.

@Deplorable Me: Greg and the other lefties have no where to go now. It is like the swimmer clinging to the last fibers that prevent him from being cast over the waterfall. They would be grasping at straws, but they outlawed straws. Soon, the opinions will become facts.

@Deplorable Me: Is there an address where we can send a rubber nipple?

@retire05: Now they pin all their hopes and dreams on the redacted parts of the report… which they have ALL been offered to see but not take possession of. This is like their approach to all the evidence they base their accusations on; they don’t WANT to know the truth, so they avoid looking at it. Their only defense is their personally maintained stupidity.

@another vet:

Whoever’s idea it was to put him on the stand needs to be prosecuted for elder abuse.

What I saw was a man who epitomizes the saying “The lights are on but no one is home.” Surely, the Democrats knew that Robert Mueller was not at 100%. But they put him on the stand anyway. Destroying the reputation of a man who served his nation his entire life was secondary to trying to get a “gotcha” statement out of him, which did not happen. Ironically, the DNC was pandering for donations based on Mueller’s answer to Ted Leiu, after Mueller corrected that answer in his opening statement to the panel in the afternoon’s hearing. That pandering is proof that the Democrats will put out a false narrative just for the bucks.

No matter how much the collective tries to spin this, it was a disaster for them.

Yes, it was. And now, there is no walking that back and the only thing the Dems can do is spin the truth, i.e. Greggie Goebbels and his ilk.

@Greg: So your answer is always the Democrat answer. Ignore the laws already in place and add new ones that cost more money. Just like your gun laws. Add more laws when the current laws are not enforced . Immigration laws: Get another judge to hinder the President from enforcing current laws through a court order. Your ignorance continues to reflect your ideology and lack of common sense.

@Greg: Mueller was lucky to even remember his name. It was very apparent that Mueller didn’t write the report and could not have replied to any questions with out his attorney giving him the answers. Even all of the lefty “fake news” channels panned his performance.

@Greg: Were you not able to understand what the Republican response in the reference you gave ? “The bill did not add anything new to the effort to make elections safe”. You continue to make our opinion of your JA opinion into a fact!

@Randy, #28:

It was very apparent that Mueller didn’t write the report and could not have replied to any questions with out his attorney giving him the answers.

It was apparent that Mueller was a stressed out, worn-down, 74 year old man who was being asked questions about a 448-page document that were sometimes so long and convoluted that understanding them properly would require a couple of careful readings, even if they were presented in writing. This hostile interrogation went on for hours.

As he repeatedly said, all of the answers are in the report itself. He was told by the DoJ that he could say no more than what already appears in the public version.

Trump was too chicken-shit to be interviewed under oath. How do you think he would do under such an interrogation, where he wasn’t allowed to just stand there and blow hot air out of both ends?

@Greg:

It was apparent that Mueller was a stressed out, worn-down, 74 year old man who was being asked questions about a 448-page document that were sometimes so long and convoluted that understanding them properly would require a couple of careful readings, even if they were presented in writing.

So what you are trying to convince us of is that Mueller could not remember what was in the report that he was supposed to have written because a) he is 74 years old and b) because the report was so long and convoluted that even the author can’t understand what he wrote?

You really want to go with that excuse?

Then there is this from the NYTs:

Soon after the special counsel’s office opened in 2017, some aides noticed that Robert S. Mueller III kept noticeably shorter hours than he had as F.B.I. director, when he showed up at the bureau daily at 6 a.m. and often worked nights.
He seemed to cede substantial responsibility to his top deputies, including Aaron Zebley, who managed day-to-day operations and often reported on the investigation’s progress up the chain in the Justice Department. As negotiations with President Trump’s lawyers about interviewing him dragged on, for example, Mr. Mueller took part less and less, according to people familiar with how the office worked.

That hands-off style was on display Wednesday when Mr. Mueller testified for about seven hours before two House committees. Once famous for his laserlike focus, Mr. Mueller, who will turn 75 next month, seemed hesitant about the facts in his own 448-page report. He struggled at one point to come up with the word “conspiracy.”

“[H]e was unmistakably shaky. Roughly 15 times, he asked for a question to be repeated. He repeatedly said, “If it’s from the report, yes, I support it” — a line that seemed to suggest that he did not know what the report actually said. He seemed to struggle to complete his sentences, and not always because he had been interrupted.

Had Mr. Mueller delivered a commanding performance — even if he said little — he might have cemented that impression. Instead he may have ignited a whole new set of questions about whether he was too old for the job he took on, whether he delegated too many decisions to his top deputies, and whether he was reluctant to testify because he was not up to it.

In fact, those suspicions already had some currency. In Senate testimony this year, Attorney General William P. Barr suggested that in a March 5 meeting, Mr. Mueller did not clearly articulate his reasoning about why he declined to decide whether President Trump had committed a prosecutable crime.

But what has dribbled out suggests that Mr. Mueller’s wobbly performance might not have come as a surprise to his subordinates.

The calendars of one of the team’s top prosecutors, Andrew Weissmann, suggest that he met infrequently with Mr. Mueller, except for daily 5 p.m. meeting, which typically lasted 45 minutes.

Instead, the calendars cite Mr. Zebley’s initials 111 times, often next to “team leader” meetings, suggesting he may have led them.”

Zebley was the attorney sitting to Mueller’s left during both hearings and the person Mueller relied upon to tell him what the Mueller report said.

Admit it, Greggie Goebbels, Mueller’s testimony was a disaster. Even David Axelrod texted “This is very, very painful” because he knows that the Mueller does no longer possess all his mental facilities. What kind of Democrats would put a mentally challenged man though that just for the sake of trying to get a “gotcha?” I can tell you, Democrats with absolutely no ethics.

Of course, you totally ignore what came out of those hearings that doesn’t mesh with your TDS. Things like Mueller saying that at no time was his investigation hampered or obstructed in any way or that the Russian social media interference also benefitted Hillary.

July 25, 2019 — Senate Intel Committee Unveils Election Security Report In Wake Of Mueller Hearings

@Greg:

It was apparent that Mueller was a stressed out, worn-down, 74 year old man who was being asked questions about a 448-page document that were sometimes so long and convoluted that understanding them properly would require a couple of careful readings, even if they were presented in writing.

If all he put in the report was true, what was there to be stressed out about? And who PUT him in that hot seat? Why, it was whiny crybaby Democrats that can’t give up on the notion of destroying Trump’s Presidency.

As he repeatedly said, all of the answers are in the report itself. He was told by the DoJ that he could say no more than what already appears in the public version.

WE know the answers are there; NO collusion, NO conspiracy, NO obstruction, NO crimes. Yet, it was YOUR Democrat spoiled children that can’t accept the truth and insist on trying to make a media event they can use to try and bury the fact that they don’t have any idea how to govern.

Trump was too chicken-shit to be interviewed under oath.

Trump was SMART. He knew the chickenshits would try to trap him with questions about obscure events and dates where he would make a mistake they could exploit as perjury, just as they did General Flynn, Manafort, Papadopolis and others. What was chickenshit was this entire witch hunt.

That is a totally ridiculous statement for multiple reasons:

No it isn’t. It is absolutely correct. Please provide for me the false, salacious information Putin’s associates provided Trump’s campaign to use against Hillary, like what they provided Hillary’s campaign to use against Trump. Of course Putin despises Hillary; EVERYONE does. However, he undoubtedly has a truck load of information (the money paid for uranium, bribes, contributions to the Clinton Foundation, ALL of Hillary’s State Department emails, etc) and having her as President would have been a gold mine of opportunities and one he was not able to pass on.

(3) There wasn’t a damn thing released by Wikileaks intended to damage the Trump campaign, or to benefit the Clinton campaign. Clinton and the DNC were targeted for hacking and Wikileak information dumps, again and again.

That’s because Seth Rich didn’t give them any of Trump’s information (if there was any). If the Russians could hack the DNC, you think they couldn’t hack the RNC? Such naivete is absurd. There was a reason the DNC would not allow the FBI to review their server; IT WAS NEVER HACKED.

(4) The FBI and our intelligence community have all concluded and repeatedly stated that the Russian effort was intended to help Trump be elected.

Would these be the same guys that sent an agent to London to feed Papadopolis false information about the DNC emails, and then another agent to extract that same information out of him in order to make a (weak) case that Papadopolis was working with Russians? The same guys that took Russian disinformation and, without checking the information out, built a case for treason around it? THOSE guys? Yeah, they’re probably giving us their best estimates, aren’t they?

There is an entirely real possibility that Russia has leverage over Trump

Well, they better get to leveraging because he is working to put them out of business. Remember, it was Obama, not Trump, that promised Putin to be more “flexible” to his demands. Obviously, that “flexibility” included allowing Russians free access to help Hillary win and to aid them in destroying Trump if he won. The facts and results are irrefutable.

@retire05:

You really want to go with that excuse?

ANY excuse is better than the reality.

Admit it, Greggie Goebbels, Mueller’s testimony was a disaster.

The Democrats hoped that they would score some bombshell soundbite to use over and over to try and damage Trump in light of the fact that the report revealed it WAS a witch hunt and it failed in its mission to trap Trump into perjury or obstruction. Aside from their failed ideology and policies, who could possibly want such weak, immature, failed temper-tantrum throwing crybabies to lead this nation (again)?

Their little theater of the absurd was a failure. It hasn’t yet dawned on Greg.

@Greg: @Greg: Maybe you do not have adequate clearance, JA. Do you think something like that does not have a clearance?

Right. The other mantra. Obama, Clinton, yada yada yada.

@Greg: Here JA

WASHINGTON — The Obama White House’s chief cyber official testified Wednesday that proposals he was developing to counter Russia’s attack on the U.S. presidential election were put on a “back burner” after he was ordered to “stand down” his efforts in the summer of 2016.

The comments by Michael Daniel, who served as White House “cyber security coordinator” between 2012 and January of last year, provided his first public confirmation of a much-discussed passage in the book, “Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin’s War on America and the Election of Donald Trump,” co-written by this reporter and David Corn, that detailed his thwarted efforts to respond to the Russian attack.

@Greg:

Right. The other mantra. Obama, Clinton, yada yada yada.

Glad you admit that you have a directed “mantra” from which to repeat..over and over…with no discourse and no question. It falls on deaf ears, just like “the other one” falls on yours.

So why even bother here, unless you’re a paid mouthpiece?

@Greg:

Do you think Obama should have revealed the Trump organization’s suspected coordination with the Russians before the election as part of those counter-measures?

It was so weak and unsubstantiated that they would have been embarrassed by an open revelation. Don’t you wonder why Obama stopped the efforts to keep Russia from interfering? Sure sounds complicit.

Why did Obama communicate with Hillary on her secret, private, unsecured server then lie about it? I guess that’s why he interfered in all the investigations into her emails and consequent massive security breach. He doesn’t seem like a very reputable person.

What HAPPENED to all that evidence all your honest, credible Democrats swore they had proving Trump colluded with the Russians? How could people say they had so much evidence, they just forget about it all? Not only that, but the continually pivot from one accusation to another… as if they are grasping at ANYTHING they can possible use to attack Trump. Why is that?

@Greg: Don’t you ever are concerned that you are always wrong? So, when Democrats testify about Obama’s mistakes, then they are lies too! Is that right? I am sorry I have been running down the poor donkeys in this world by comparing you to them.