Realistically, where do you see the Russian investigation ending?

[kentuck]

Will there be indictments and jailtime?

Will most of the indictments be lower level advisors?

Will they find Russia and Facebook as the primary guilty parties?

Or will a lot of the investigation be white-washed?

Is it likely that Mueller will wait until after the next election to come forth with any charges? If the Democrats could somehow win back the House and Senate, there would likely be an impeachment vote waiting for Donald J Trump? We cannot expect that to happen so long as Republicans are in control. That may be the trial that Mueller prefers?

When do you see this investigation ending?

[bearsfootball516]

1. Well, for starters...

1. I don't think Trump will be impeached, or even close. I don't think the Republicans lose the House or Senate in 2018. I think they expand their majority in the Senate by a seat or two, and the Democrats gain a big chunk of seats in the House but fall 3-5 short of a majority.

2. The Mueller investigation will display a lot of attempted collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign, but nothing that specifically ties Trump himself to it. I.E., there won't be any phone record or audio recording of Trump saying to someone that completely buries him.

3. Manafort, and other lower level advisers like you mentioned, will go to jail because someone has to take the fall.

4. Trump's reputation will be damaged, and his approval rating will drop, but not to the point that he resigns.

5. The investigation proves costly to Trump in the long term, and he is defeated in the 2020 election with the investigation proving to be a key factor. Democrats also take back the House in 2020.

[leftstreet]

2. That's really depressing

...but probably spot on

[bearsfootball516]

3. To me, the Mueller investigation doesn't have to end with impeachment to be successful

As long as the results are harmful enough that it prevents him from winning reelection in 2020, it did it's job in my mind.

[ProudLib72]

4. Bah!

If it doesn't ruin tRump and tear the GOP a new asshole, then I'll consider it an academic exercise.



Also, you're assessment is probably correct, and I am already disheartened.

[Leith]

6. Yeah, What Bears Said

If Don Jr gets in hot water, daddy will pardon him. Democrats will yell, but be ignored like usual.

[Awsi Dooger]

14. I agree with 1 and 2 but not necessarily 3, 4 or 5

Trump is a life long liar and cheat. That's what sets this apart and makes the historical reference points all but meaningless. When you lie and cheat every day you know how to conceal it just well enough to avoid legal ramifications, and to surround yourself with people who similarly make the lies and the cheat the top priority, along with keeping their mouths shut.

Nothing of consequence will come of the investigation.

Once Trump is not legally damaged he will declare victory and witch hunt, and his devotees will agree.

I am never going to predict an incumbent to lose if his party has been in power only one term. The situational advantages are massive, massive, massive. My partisanship always takes back seat to big picture situational logic.

[airplaneman]

5. My guess on this.

Muller like Comey like the Supreme Court, like the Senate like the House are very partisan compromised - they will find a way not to damage the party.
Muller cannot arrest trump. Trump can pardon anybody Muller can arrest.
Being partisan compromise Muller just wont find enough to really do anything.
Trump will not be removed from office.
It has been real quiet for quite some time.
We are stuck with Trump until 2020.
I hope I am wrong but my gut tells me nothing is going to happen.
-Airplane

[Major Nikon]

7. Nuclear option

[JonLP24]

8. Falling short of what should be happening

He's being treated with kid gloves now that he has a position of power but what should end up happening is the end of the Republican party (can you imagine if this were the Democrats?)

[Hoyt]

9. Fitzmas II. Maybe a few aides get indicted, if not pardoned first.

[DonaldsRump]

10. He will be impeached or resign

There is FAR too much smoke here. Does anything actually think these guys (and gals) were very bright in covering their tracks?

It will come out. There may be no tapes like with Nixon, but there are cool things like IP addresses, forensic technology, etc. that these buffoons have no idea about that will lay the trail all the way back to the Buffoon-in-chief, who clearly has obstructed justice from the little we already know.

It won't happen today or tomorrow, but it will happen.

[MFM008]

12. DonaldsRump

I agree with your assesment the most.
There MAY be indictments but asshat will probably pardon them,
but will most likely resign due to "health" problems or
removed because of an severe break with reality ( like now....)
a historical joke.
Worst president ever.
Bush sighs with relief.
of course we can always hope for something like he keels over...........

[DonaldsRump]

13. Agreed on the Presidential's pardoning power for federal criminal offenses by others

However:

1) Possibly not for the Buffoon-in-Chief 's pardoning himself (debatable); and
2) Definitely not for crimes under state law.

And a pardon doesn't remove the possibility of impeachment. In fact, a self-pardon adds fuel to the fire to impeach and convict (dependent, of course, on the Dems' regaining control of both houses of Congress).

Also, if the economy trends down (and there are indications that it already is), his "base" erodes more and more. That makes impeachment more and more likely regardless of what happens in the mid-terms.

Right now, my greatest fear is that the Dems become too close to the Buffoon-in-Chief. The Repugs will have a field day in twisting this one if the Dems aren't careful. As I said in another post, if the Repugs could swift-boat John Kerry and somehow make W look more presidential, they are capable of anything (and they really are!).

Speaking of which, I actually think W is worse than Trump, at least at this moment in their respective presidencies. The Iraq War is perhaps the worst mistake this country ever made (except, of course, for Trump!).

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

11. I think it will play out just like the Plame scandal but with pardons

I suspect Flynn will be the only one to be convicted of anything too serious, but Trump will pardon him which won't shift anyone's opinion of Trump at all.

[Mr. Ected]

15. You think 16+ superlawyers quit their jobs to join Mueller's investigation...for NOTHING?

Oh, hell no. Too many folks are already willing to throw up the white flag because....that's what we do. We moan that the Republicans always win, in spite of their spineless, callous, disgraceful behavior, and we always lose, because we're willing to subjugate our own success for the overall "good" of the nation.

Fuck that shit.

These lawyers are going to construct an absolute trap for Trump and his felonious, treacherous co-felons. They are ALL going down, in numbers that will resonate for centuries to come. Every pardon will be met with an indictment at the state level in NY. You think Mueller + 16 can't outfox Trump and his hapless legal representatives? Seriously?

You don't blatantly fuck with federal campaign laws in broad daylight and think you'll get away with it. Ain't gonna happen.

Come on. The evidence heretofore released to the general public via our most-esteemed media sources is enough to warrant obstruction charges. Other evidence clearly points to campaign fraud, racketeering, conspiracy and income tax evasion at the very least. Rest assured Mueller is sitting on written and oral evidence of a myriad of crimes perpetrated by dozens and dozens of co-conspirators. The evidence piles up, and the prosecution strategy continues to develop, with each potential contingency being strategized and a countermove constructed.

Don't give up, folks. This is going to happen.