The Mueller Report
Well, the big day has arrived. We now have the Mueller report which after 600+ days of investigation and expenditure of over $35 million found no collusion with Russia. And not enough evidence to conclude that the president obstructed justice.
I think it important for those people who hate Trump and for those Republicans who style themselves as “never Trumpers” to understand that despising the president is not a tool to be used to remove him from office. Some say we know he is boorish, a racist, a bigot, and I’m sure several other pejoratives would come quickly to mind for many. None of these charges amount to impeachable offenses.
What about obstruction of justice? The Mueller team had not one Republican in a position of authority while conducting their investigation. In fact, it was populated with people who were partisan Democrats and had contributed to Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Surely if this team could not find impeachable, indictable offenses, it was not for lack of trying.
By what authority do I claim that this investigation is not only over, but it produced nothing that rises to an impeachable offense? I offer two authorities amongst many. First, Alan Dershowitz, a noted right-wing Harvard professor, a lifelong Republican and partisan. Actually, he’s a lifelong Democrat, a Harvard Law professor and one of the greatest legal minds of the last 50 years. He has written a book about the Mueller investigation. He also believes that redacting portions of the report is legal and necessary.
In this assertion, he is supported by Judiciary Committee Chairman Nadler, Oversight Committee Chairman Cummings, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Elliott Engel and Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters. Actually, that’s not true. If you go back to 1998, these lawmakers were amongst the more than 60 members of the House who voted against releasing Independent Counsel Ken Starr’s report on his investigation into Bill Clinton. What changed? What changed is the person being investigated is the hated Donald Trump. Hatred demands a scorched earth approach without respect for due process and the reputations of innocent people. So that’s what we’ve had for two years.
Is there anyone else who believes the full unredacted report should not be released? How about professor Jonathan Turley.
“He must redact,” Turley says of Barr. “The portrayal that this is some type of rogue conduct by the Attorney General is rather fallacious. The fact is, he can give certain information to Congress under seal.”
Do I expect the nation can get back to normal, whatever that is? No, afraid not. Democrats will continue to pursue every false narrative to “resist” President Trump.
There is a piece of unfinished business that we should all want explained. How did all this get started? Were top people at the FBI involved in trying to use the FISA court to spy on a presidential campaign? Who in the Obama administration knew and set this process in motion?
As citizens of a democracy, we need to know if the top echelons of the FBI and Justice Department were attempting to influence the outcome of an election and then conduct the equivalent of a coup on a duly elected president. There was a time when journalists would be doggedly pursuing this story, but no more. Now we must wait for the DOJ Inspector General and the professional staff at DOJ. A grand jury is required. Perhaps this next phase will begin soon and not take two years to get at the truth.
In November 2020, there will be an election for President of the United States. The country will vote and that is the appropriate way to decide whether Donald Trump deserves another four years or should be turned out of office. I’ll be voting for Trump.
Emil Monda has lived in Laguna Beach for 25 years with his wife, Michèle, and three sons. He is president of the Laguna Beach Republicans and a member of the Laguna Art Museum Board of Trustees.
“The Mueller team had not one Republican in a position of authority while conducting their investigation. In fact, it was populated with people who were partisan Democrats and had contributed to Hillary Clinton’s campaign.”
This is not only complete nonsense, it is demonstrably false. Robert Muller is a lifelong Republican. The assistant Attorney General who appointed him and who has overseen the investigation is a lifelong Republican and a Trump appointee. The 3 Attorneys General who have been the titular person in the highest position overseeing this entire investigation AND the FBI itself are all Republicans and Trump appointees. While it may not be possible to enumerate exactly how many Republicans served as investigators or lawyers on the team only because their political affiliations are their own private business, it is certainly false to state, as Mr. Monda does here, that the Muller team had not one Republican in a position of authority.
this is the exact type of false statement that Trump makes every day, and why he is so unfit for his office. It is just the kind of statement that TrumpNews (aka Fox) blasts all day long and people who watch nothing else believe to be true, when in fact the tiniest bit of actual thought or possibly inquiry would contradict. It’s a shame that the Indy is providing a weekly column to someone who is spouting easily disprovable lies and thus degrading our local politics in the same way that Trump and his STATE TV have degraded our national politics.
Common CENTS: the Republican led Clinton probes over Whitewater and Lewinski passed $70 million in cost(not adjusting for inflation). The Justice Departments Asset Forfeiture Fund has received nearly $22 MILLION due to the Mueller probe.
The entire Donald Trump phenomenon has proven what so many of us have known or suspected for so long:
The media collude with the ruling elite to lie to you.
There is a Deep State, a Shadow Government, un-elected, who are working behind the scenes to deny us a government for the people and by the people.
The time has come to expose and take down the Fake News.
The time has come to Drain the Swamp.
Illegal aliens are financial burden on this country, one which we can not afford. The Power Elite want to destroy our borders in order to exploit these people, to divide our people, to turn these trespassing colonizers into Democrats and change the character of America.
Marxism did not die after WWII, it went underground and took new forms in Academia, in Hollywood and is now calling the useful idiots who promote it “Progressives”.
The big Marxist lie, that all people belong to one of two classes – the Oppressors (straight white men apparently) and the Oppressed is a lie that is being challenged by Trump. Enemies of America have tried to silence his opposition to the big lie by calling him a “racist” and a “white supremacist” and at least half of the American people are not buying it.
Islamic terrorism is terrorism that is Islamic, and finally we have in Trump a leader who is unafraid to call out that threat by it’s name: Islam.
The witch hunt has failed. Surveys show that now Americans find the Mainstream Media to have less credibility than at any other time in our history. But the elites are going to double down in 2020 and try to lie to you, to tell you that Trump is now getting ready to “collude” with the Russians (again). At least half the people are not buying it.
If you love this great country of ours then you will want to Make America Great Again. Those who throw themselves in front of the Trump Train do not stop it from gaining momentum. Rather, they get crushed.
Why will Trump win again in 2020? Because of the very reason Winston Churchill put forth, that the American people will always do what is best, but only after they have exhausted every other option.
If you love this great city of ours, if you love Laguna Beach, and you want to preserve and conserve what we’ve got here, then you already want to Make America Great Again. The Republican Party is inclusive and not divisive and if you love these United States then the Republican Party welcomes you.
Hmmmm???
Below is the complete list of the special counsel team members, their donations and the party affiliation noted in their past or present voter registration records.
1) Brian M. Richardson, a former Supreme Court clerk and clerk for a judge serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York City.
No donations.
Voter registration: No affiliation.
2) Ryan Dickey, a lawyer on detail from the Justice Department Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.
No donations.
Voter registration: Democrat.
3) Kyle Freeny, a lawyer from the Justice Department Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section.
Freeny donated $250 to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008, another $250 to Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012 and $250 to Clinton’s campaign in 2016.
Voter registration: Democrat.
4) Scott Meisler, an appellate lawyer from the Justice Department Criminal Division.
No donations.
Voter registration: No affiliation.
5) Zainab Ahmad, a lawyer from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
No donations.
Voter registration: No affiliation.
6) Greg Andres, a former partner at Davis Polk, a former deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department Criminal Division and a former assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York
He donated $2,700 to the campaign of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) this year and $1,000 to the U.S. Senate campaign of David Hoffman (D) in 2009 when he ran unsuccessfully in Illinois.
Voter registration: Democrat.
7) Rush Atkinson, a lawyer from the Justice Department Criminal Division Fraud Section.
He donated $200 to Clinton’s campaign in 2016.
Voter registration: Democrat.
8) Michael Dreeben, an appellate lawyer from the Office of the Solicitor General.
No donations.
Voter registration: Democrat.
9) Andrew Goldstein, a lawyer from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Goldstein donated $3,300 to Obama’s campaigns in 2008 and 2012.
Voter registration: Democrat.
10) Adam Jed, an appellate lawyer from the Civil Division.
No donations.
Voter registration: Democrat.
11) Elizabeth Prelogar, an appellate lawyer on detail from the Office of the Solicitor General.
She donated $250 each to Clinton’s campaign in 2016 and the Obama Victory Fund in 2012.
Voter registration: Democrat.
12) James Quarles, a former partner at WilmerHale and a former assistant special prosecutor for the Watergate Special Prosecution Force.
He donated more than $30,000 to various Democratic campaigns in 2016, including $2,700 to Clinton, although his giving spans two decades. Quarles also gave $2,500 in 2015 to Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and $250 to Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) in 2005.
Voter registration: Democrat.
13) Jeannie Rhee, a former partner at WilmerHale who has served in the Office of Legal Counsel and as an assistant U.S. attorney in Washington.
Rhee donated a total of $5,400 to Clinton’s campaign in 2015 and 2016, and a total of $4,800 to the Obama Victory Fund in 2008 and 2011. She also made smaller donations totaling $1,750 to the Democratic National Committee and to various Democrats running for Senate seats.
Voter registration: Democrat.
14) Brandon Van Grack, a lawyer on detail from the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
He donated $286.77 to Obama’s campaign in 2008.
Voter registration: Democrat.
15) Andrew Weissmann, a lawyer who headed the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. He has served as general counsel at the FBI and as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Weissmann donated $2,300 to the Obama Victory Fund in 2008, $2,000 to the DNC in 2006 and $2,300 to the Clinton campaign in 2007.
Voter registration: Democrat.
16) Aaron Zebley, a former partner at WilmerHale who has previously served with Mueller at the FBI and as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia.
No donations.
Voter registration: No affiliation.
17) Aaron Zelinsky, a lawyer on detail from the U.S. attorney’s office in the District of Maryland.
No donations.
Voter registration: Democrat.