OOOOOORRRRR ... Barr is basically full of shit, and this ISN'T really what the Mueller Report says

[mr_lebowski]

We (the public, Congressional Dems, etc) literally have absolutely no way of determining that at this point.

We're going to need to press for seeing the whole thing.

And let's see if Mueller, once he steps down, feels comfortable with this characterization of his work.

[GoCubsGo]

1. Yep. It reeks. nt

[Claritie Pixie]

2. I had the same thought. I'm in wait and see mode.

Curiously - I'm not upset and don't care how much Trump gloats. Lots more to come.

[Initech]

33. Same. Trump gloats and expects us to bend over and pout.

I'm not. Something about this stinks and I can't quite put my finger on it.

[triron]

37. This was a fix from the get go. Why do you think Trump nominated Barr?

And fired Sessions. It's all part of an incredible cover up.

[Initech]

42. Barr is a yes man and will carry out Trump's every evil bidding.

Even Sessions, for all of his faults, had more integrity than Barr does. Trump wanted a guy who has none and Barr may just be that guy. This was a coup and they're getting away with it.

[writes3000]

3. EXACTLY

[uppityperson]

4. K&R

[UniteFightBack]

5. How could he do that we he knows everybody is going to see it eventually. Too risky I think. nt

[mr_lebowski]

12. Dude didn't even have a job 3 months ago, and he's in what, his 70's?

Not to mention he has a ton of leeway when it comes to judgement. Even if Mueller had openly suggested he thought the evidence was enough to charge Trump, Barr is still totally within his authority to review it all, and decide 'I disagree'.

But I doubt Mueller even did that.

However, there could still be considerable evidence of (a) crime(s) in the report, and Barr is still totally within his rights to decide a) this isn't enough to win in court, and/or b) a sitting POTUS cannot be indicted per USDOJ rules, ergo, he's not going to do so.

Furthermore, this letter is not 'under oath'.

I could see a scenario where Congress, being possession of ALL the report, would decide ... we disagree with Barr's judgement.

But he'd not be in legal jeopardy for having made that judgement, and sent that letter ... unless you could prove he conspired to not bring charges, which is unlikely.

[Takket]

6. you think he just made that summary up out of thin air?

How long would that work for?

people... it's over.

time to just forget about all the Russia stuff and find a way to overcome all the tactics that are going to be used to steal 2020

expect a MAJOR public backlash against Democrats when the next polls come out. People are going to feel like we've been bullshitting them and drumpf is the victim.

[toddwv]

8. Standard GOP media control. Get your message out first and then pound it over everyones' heads

Even if it is refuted, the message sticks.

[mr_lebowski]

15. See my last note, #12 :) (nt)

[Pepsidog]

23. Yep. We are screwed.

[czarjak]

29. "Russia, if you're listening"

Made up out of thin air?

[Sunsky]

7. Yup nt

[musicblind]

9. I do want to see the full report, but

if Barr lied/lies about what is in the report, it would destroy his career. Surely, even Republicans would turn against him if he lied to protect the President.

That seems like an enormous risk for Barr to take. Do you really think he would take that huge a risk?

That being said, I very much want to see the full report. We paid for it. We deserve to see it.

[writes3000]

16. Of course, he would lie and contort. That's why he was appointed by TRUMP!

[triron]

38. Probably no 'lie' but contort and distort I bet.

[mr_lebowski]

18. See my reply in #12 (nt)

[Volaris]

32. 'If he lied to protect the president' lol

What Republicans lol? OURS?!?
these Republicans have been lying to protect this president for 2 and a half years, and they would keep doing it if Mueller found video evidence that Trump's hobby was drowning puppies at Christian childrens' birthday parties, and then fucking their mothers as payment for services rendered.

[D_Master81]

10. There's zero chance of this

People need to move on lest we look like the GOP and Hillary’s emails. The AG isn’t going to just make something up that could be refuted with subpoenas.

[writes3000]

13. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. We need the full report!

[mr_lebowski]

17. See my reply in #12 (nt)

[UniteFightBack]

19. I do find it odd that you want to move on already when just a letter came out a few minutes ago. nt

[yaesu]

11. I did a quick read of it

It seemed to me that it was written to be as ambiguous as possible yet in a way to give tRump the ammo to use it as vindication. Now, if I'm not mistaken House Dems have already said they will refuse a summary & will only take the entire, unredacted report.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

25. But what about Rosenstein being in on decision?

[triron]

41. What about it? Anyway how do you know whether he really was or just chose not to contradict Barr?

[Vinca]

14. We have to see the entire report, not a Barr-generated synopsis.

Barr decided their was no obstruction before he took the job of AG.

[UniteFightBack]

20. Well there is some advise going around that we should all just move on. Fucking letter - not report

came out 5 minutes ago and already there are let's move on. I can't stand rehashing but talk about ridiculous.

[GeorgeGist]

21. The Barr Report

[BigmanPigman]

22. Hear, hear!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

24. I think Rod Rosenstein is on Trump's payroll remember how

He went running to trump...". Oh I'm so sorry, I never went all 25th amendment on you"

[Pepsidog]

26. We need to see the full report but we are done. We know that Russia swung the election to Trump

but does anyone really think Trump himself is smart enough to engage in this conspiracy? No, they accepted the help but that’s not a crime. It goes against all our values but Trump has no values. We all got caught up in the madness propagated by the media and our hatred of Trump and Republicans that we hung onto the unrealistic hope that Mueller would bail out the country from the menace that is Trump.

[regnaD kciN]

30. The problem is, "accepting the help" of a foreign country IS a crime*...

...which makes it all the more puzzling that the conclusion was "no coordination."

*(This was established last year. Accepting help fro a foreign government, either in money or "services," is a federal crime. It needs to be, because otherwise...well, you get just what we have now, a president beholden to and bearing loyalty to a country not his own.)

[Pepsidog]

36. Like all Republicans, Trump is complicit in not speaking out against Russian interference. it's

like a doctor walking by a choking person and not helping, it’s not a crime but the doctor is morally reprehensible. Like Trump and the Republicans are morally bankrupt, totally devoid of American values. So he didn’t commit a crime, what a great standard to set for a president.

[BlueJac]

27. Barr wanted this job...

Now, he will repay Don the Con for the history books! Time to drink a few beers! This news suck,but tomorrow is a new day!

[BamaRefugee]

28. What good will the full report be, when "he's just not worth it"...nothing will happen

[JI7]

31. yup. why not just release the report if there was nothing.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

34. Barr weasel words turned Mueller's "did not establish" into "did not find". tRump not home free. nt

[rufus dog]

35. It is fucking ridiculous

A proven partisian hack (Barr) and a highlight suspect one (Rosenstein) put out a for page summary of a report that is x pages long (we don't know if it was 100, 1000, 10000 pages) and the media is allowing that to drive the narrative.

[MFM008]

39. maggot has started to crow

no collusion.
(*&&^*&^%*&^%^%%$@*&^#&)^$@!!!

[mr_lebowski]

40. Here I thought for SURE he'd take this opportunity to try to bring this divided country together ...

[SayItLoud]

43. We need the Daniel Ellsberg of 2019.....

[LoudMan1]

44. Barr is Full of Shit

Barr is full of shit, but it doesn't matter. Most folks will only concentrate on the No Collusion headline and not really care about obstruction. I am sorry that I allowed myself the fantasy of thinking that this report would produce justice. I see we are going to have to remove this monster, through the vote. We have to mobilize our efforts regarding taking the Senate. Health Care, Income Inequality, Climate Change have to be issues we hammer home.

[Honeycombe8]

45. Yes, we do. But if Mueller saw Barr misrepresenting the findings....

he'll let Congress know at his hearing. So I don't think Barr would do that. Stretch the findings and word them in the most favorable way to Trump, yes. Lie about the findings, no.

[Ford_Prefect]

47. Its a fine line between legal opinion and actionable conclusion...eh?

I think Barr has done what we expected. He fudged the language to make it sound like Trump's claims are supported, and no collusion, and like that. According to at least one source the language Barr used should be called obfuscation and misdirection. Barr's commentary focuses on something which Mueller did not pursue so there are no conclusions to draw about that. What Mueller did investigate and conclude is other legal territory than Barr discusses.

In short Barr reported that nothing was found or was concluded about Trump and XXXX doing A, B, or C, cooperatively, so therefore no collusion or involvement, or impeachable offense. I doubt much that Mueller's report was either that vague or inconclusive. Full disclosure will bear me out but in the mean time the MSM and the White House are thoroughly tied up in a game of who spins meaningless quotes better. I can relate to those in England watching in terror as the Tory party drags them towards the Brexit cliff all the while insisting that this is what the people voted for so it will be done.

We are ever so far from the end of this with at least 19 other investigations underway and more likely to develop as some of those proceed. One measure of how bad the details are for Trump et al will be the degree of resistance to allowing them out into public domain. Several have commented that the people paid for this investigation and have a right to see the complete and un-filleted, unvarnished truth.

[Honeycombe8]

49. Yes. He's a lawyer, so...legal, but gives the wrong impression.

I just hope we get the full report at some point, even if leaked. And I am hanging my hat on those other investigations, but he can't be indicted. But his family can.

[Ford_Prefect]

52. The consensus of opinion seems to be that he can be indicted but the DOJ likely won't allow it.

To date there is no definitive constitutional judgement which states that the President may not be indicted. There is the commentary prepared under Nixon which said it would be very inconvenient to do it to a sitting President. No-one has yet stated categorically that the President is beyond the law, at least while sitting the office. The paperwork supporting the Grand Jury which looked into Clinton suggests that they had a written opinion that he could be charged.

Given the probability that there is much more rather than less to process the odds are that the preponderance of evidence will fall on the side of multiple indictments. While that may present some in Congress with awkward choices (to put it mildly) it was only when the evidence was made public that those of President Nixon's own party realized how deep the rabbit hole went and just how far the President might drag them into it.

I suspect it will take much to persuade GOP Senators and Congress members just how bad this is going to be if they don't act in the Nation's interest. So many of them are true believers and more than a few who ought to know better imagine they can skate through to 2020. Then there is the Terrorist in Chief and his horrible hordes to scare those who are trying to have 2nd thoughts into submission. If Trump is gone and in prison how much influence do they imagine he will retain?

[Honeycombe8]

54. The Republicans are never going to go against Trump, as long as he has his supporters.

They're too scared of him. I think the most Schumer can hope for is to get the votes he needs from a few moderates. That may be enough.

[mr_lebowski]

48. Which is why I say I wanna see if Mueller has issues with how this was framed ...

No I don't mean he'd OUTRIGHT lie, but he could easily subtly mischaracterize (legally subtle, but politically ... anything but), and he has the authority to do so.

I'm just sayin ... I really don't trust Barr to do anything but try to make this letter as favorable to Trump as possible.

[Honeycombe8]

50. I agree totally. Technically legal, but not in the spirit of the law, as they say. nt

[2naSalit]

46. That's what I think, too.

I suspect the reason Mueller left early was because they did not agree on what was about to be released. I suspect that Rosenstein may have stayed on to witness this so when he testifies...

Congress is going to be some must see teevee this season.

Hopefully this will have pissed off enough people to affect change from the streets, seems like that's the thing to do these days. I just feel too old for this shit but I'll go out and march again.

[Fla Dem]

51. While his interpretation may be off, I doubt his summary is made up of lies.

He runs the risk of Mueller testifying before a House Committee and refuting Barr’s lies. I would think that would not be a good thing for him.

[blueinredohio]

53. Congress will find out if they subpoena Mueller.