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Notes on the Mueller Report: A Reading Diary
https://www.lawfareblog.com/notes-mueller-report-reading-diaryThursday I surveyed the entire Mueller report. I read some sections carefully; I skimmed others. My job was to anchor Lawfares initial coverage, so I needed to have a sense of the big picture, as well as detailed knowledge of certain findings and arguments. Starting Friday, however, I am reading the entire document carefully, starting at the beginning. Im writing up my thoughts as I go in this post. There will be no cohesive argument to this journal. It will simply be a collection of my observations, questions and thoughts as I go through the document. It will get long. I will not attempt to summarize the underlying document, merely to reflect on it, but I will organize this post by document section. I will update the post as I read. I hope people find it useful.
The following table of contents are links to the sections of this journal, which correspond to sections of the report itself:
Introduction to Volume I
The Special Counsel Investigation
Russian "Active Measures" Social Media Campaign
GRU Hacking Directed at the Clinton Campaign
Russian Government Links to and Contacts with the Trump Campaign
Prosecution and Declination Decisions
Introduction to Volume II
Background Legal and Evidentiary Principles
Factual Results of the Obstruction Investigation
B. The President's Conduct Concerning the Investigation of Michael Flynn
C. The President's Reaction to Public Confirmation of the FBI's Russia Investigation
D. Events Leading Up to and Surrounding the Termination of FBI Director Comey
E. The President's Efforts to Remove the Special Counsel
F. The President's Efforts to Curtail the Special Counsel Investigation
G. The President's Efforts to Prevent Disclosure of Emails About the June 9, 2016, Meeting Between Russians and Senior Campaign Officials
H. The Presidents Further Efforts to Have the Attorney General Take Over the Investigations
I. The President Orders McGahn to Deny That the President Tried to Fire the Special Counsel
J. The Presidents Conduct Toward Flynn, Manafort, [REDACTED]
K. The Presidents Conduct Involving Michael Cohen
L. Overarching Factual Issues
Legal Defense to the Application of Obstruction-of-Justice Statutes to the President
Introduction to Volume I
This is a short little section, barely two pages, but it has several interesting items in it, starting with Muellers almost casual endorsement of the FBIs historical account of the Russia investigations origins. In the middle of page 1, Mueller describes the investigation as beginning when a foreign government contacted the FBI about a May 2016 encounter with Trump Campaign foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos. Papadopoulos, Mueller writes, had suggested to a representative of that foreign government that the Trump Campaign had received indications from the Russian government that it could assist the Campaign through the anonymous release of information damaging to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. It was that information, the paragraph concludes, that prompted the FBI on July 31, 2016, to open an investigation into whether individuals associated with the Trump Campaign were coordinating with the Russian government in its interference activities.
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Notes on the Mueller Report: A Reading Diary (Original Post)
steve2470
Apr 2019
OP
elleng
(131,103 posts)1. Thanks.
Encourages me to do some digging.
canetoad
(17,183 posts)2. Thank you
Useful blog.