Asked about the fact Mueller did not exonerate him, Trump said the special counsel "didn’t have a right to exonerate" even though Trump has claimed a million times that the Mueller report "totally" exonerates him.
Trump dismissed Mueller's refusal to exonerate him. Said the special counsel “didn’t have a right to exonerate.” Asked if he's worried about being indicted on leaving office, @POTUS criticized the suggestion as "fake news" and criticized the reporter.
https://twitter.com/markknoller/status/1154128078957940738
Trump: I was totally exonerated.
Mueller: Nope.
Trump: This is a witchhunt & hoax.
Mueller: Nope
Trump: Twelve angry Dems put together this report.
Mueller: Nope.
Trump: Mueller interviewed for FBI director job.
Mueller: Nope.
People are getting so caught up in party politics that they are
forgetting that the threat of Russian interference in the 2020 election is the big problem
that Congress must address. Whether or not Congress tries to eject
Trump from the Presidency is just a distraction that the Russian
government benefits from, since their only goal at the end of the day is
to disrupt our government and country's way of life. Whether or not
their actions put Republicans into power is inconsequential because
focusing energy and hate on the GOP is just part of Russia's main goal
of sowing discord among our citizens. I think it's fair to assume that
the average Democrat & average Republican voters both agree that
they do not want a foreign government meddling in their elections no
matter who it would benefit.
On the one hand the Mueller sputtered a bit. On the other, he said Trump wasn’t exonerated, could be charged after he left office, was “generally untruthful” in his answers, accused Trump's team of lying, misleading and covering up, and called his love of WikiLeaks problematic. Mueller clarified that it wasn’t that he found no evidence of conspiracy, but that he found insufficient evidence to prove the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. He could have said that about obstruction but didn’t. The Judiciary hearing was first because it was Mueller and the Democrats laying out the facts of the report with citations, and with Mueller looking nonpartisan to the extreme. This afternoon, he gave his thoughts on the Russian interference. And that did not go well for Nunes (who stormed out at the end) or Trump. This is a masterstroke by the Democrat leadership, Schiff carried it out beautifully. Mueller was ready for this. It must be capitalized on.
Schiff: "Trump and his campaign welcomed and encouraged Russian interference?"
Mueller: "Yes."
Schiff: "And then Trump and his campaign lied about it to cover it up?"
Mueller: "Yes."
Schiff asks if knowingly accepting foreign assistance in the midst of a presidential election is an "unethical thing to do." MUELLER: "And a crime"
When Nunes sheathes his sword, you know something is up.
https://twitter.com/davidaxelrod/status/1154109661655777280
Rep. Will Hurd: "Did you think that this was a single attempt by the Russians to get involved in our election or did you find evidence to suggest they'll try to do this again?"
Mueller: "It wasn't a single attempt. They're doing it as we sit here and they expect to do it during the next campaign."
Mueller: "It is not a witch hunt."
Mueller defended his investigation as thorough and fair, restated that it didn't exonerate Trump, and called Russian election interference one of the gravest threats to democracy. But he's refuses to help anyone do a single thing about it.
Schiff: "When the president said the Russian interference was a hoax, that was false wasn't it?" Mueller: "True."
Mueller corrected his answer to Ted Lieu from earlier about not charging the president because of DOJ/OLC guidelines, clarifying, "We did not reach a determination as to whether the president committed a crime." The reversal and the fact of the confusion are helpful to Trump/Republicans.
Mueller: "The President cannot be charged with a crime."
Congressman: "Could you charge the President with a crime after he left office?"
Mueller: "Yes."
Congressman: "You believe you could charge the President of the United States with Obstruction of Justice after he leaves office."
Mueller: "Yes."
https://twitter.com/joshscampbell/status/1154038990003036161?s=19
"The Trump campaign officials built their messaging strategy around those stolen documents?"
Mueller: "Generally, that's true."
Schiff: "And then they lied to cover it up?"
Mueller: "Generally, that's true."
Mueller said it is correct that his investigation turned up evidence of conspiracy. Asked if his investigation found collusion, Mueller says they decided not to use the word collusion, opted to use conspiracy instead.
Adam Schiff to Mueller deputy Aaron Zebley, who has also been sworn in to testify to the Intel Committee: "I realize, as you probably do, Mr. Zebley, that there is a angry man down the street who is not happy about your being here today." (Trump already feverishy tweeting)
Mueller: "I am not making any judgments or offering opinions about the guilt or innocence" in any particular case"
Republicans to Mueller: "He may be guilty, but you can't indict him, so investigations are pointless."
Republicans complaining that all the Democrats are doing is reading the report and asking Mueller if that's what the report says.
My favourite parts of the Mueller hearing are the parts when they quote his report to him and then ask if it's true
Nunes pretending it's unusual for multiple witnesses to be sworn in. Also pretending it's unusual for lawyers who have represented partisan clients before to testify before Congress. Neither of those assertions are true.
Mueller is a very reluctant witness. He seems to be going out of his way NOT to explain his report.
Speier: "Would you agree that it was not a hoax that the Russians were engaged in trying to impact our election?"
Mueller: "Absolutely. It was not a hoax."
Schiff: "Several individuals associated with the Trump Campaign were also trying to make money during the campaign an transition. Is that correct?"
Mueller: "That is True."
Sometimes the book actually is better than the movie:
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5955118-The-Mueller-Report.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/politics/read-the-mueller-report/
Mueller confirms Trump asked staff to falsify records related to investigation
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/454528-mueller-confirms-president-asked-staff-to-falsify-records-related-to
Mueller agrees lies by Trump officials impeded his investigation
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/454519-mueller-agrees-lies-by-trump-officials-impeded-his-investigation
Quigley: "Donald Trump October 31st, 2016. ’Boy, I love reading those Wikileaks … How do you react to those?"
Mueller: "It’s problematic is an understatement in terms of what it displays in terms of giving some hope or some boost to what is and should be illegal activity" and "certainly calls for an investigation"
Swalwell: "As a result of lies, obstruction, is it fair to say you were unable to fully assess the scope and scale of Russia's interference and Trump's role?"
Mueller: "I'm not certain I would adopt that characterization in total. There may be pieces of that that are accurate."
Mueller: "I can't and won't discuss the Steele Dossier" (Steele Dossier is not the basis or the evidence in this investigation. )
All the Republicans: "ALL OF MY QUESTIONS ARE ABOUT THE STEELE DOSSIER. OR HER EMAILS."
A Republican asks a non-sequitur question: "I can't answer that"
A Democrat asks something that's literally written in the report: "That is correct"
Mueller explained his team decided against subpoenaing Trump "because of the necessity of expediting" the probe: "The reason we didn't do the interview is because of the length of time it would take to resolve the issue attended to that." "The expectation was, if we did subpoena the president he would fight the subpoena and we would be in the midst of the investigation for a substantial period of time."
Sean Maloney: "What did you think of the president's written responses?"
Robert Mueller: "Certainly not as useful as the interview would be"
Clever questioning from Sean Patrick Maloney: You didn't decline to subpoena Trump out of cowardice, or because you were forbidden from doing so. Thus you must've made the decision because you felt you already had sufficient evidence of his corrupt intent."
Krishnamoorthi did a great job of getting Mueller to confirm that there's a lot of stones left unturned regarding Donald J. Trump and Russian conspiracy to collude to interfere.
Asked if failing to notify the FBI when a political campaign suspects or receives foreign interference is the "new normal", Mueller answers, "I hope this is not the new normal, but I fear it is."
Mueller confirmed that the FBI is currently looking into Trump's associates' vulnerabilities to Russian blackmail.
Schiff: "We should hold our elected officials to a higher standard than mere avoidance of criminality?"
Mueller: "Absolutely."
Demings: "Isn't it fair to say that the president's written answers were not only inadequate and incomplete, because he didn't answer many of your questions, but where he did, his answers showed that he wasn't always being truthful."
Mueller: "I would say generally."
Watch out for those who focus on Mueller's optics and his demeanor. He's not a showboat like Trump and certainly doesn't have that persona. He's a federal prosecutor, he's been doing this for years. He's exhausted. And sounds a little bored. But he's been 100% clear in his testimony and that's the real takeaway here. His words are what's important.
Bernard Madoff asks Trump to reduce his prison sentence for massive Ponzi scheme
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/24/bernard-madoff-asks-trump-to-reduce-prison-sentence-for-ponzi-scheme.html
New research shows that the recent rise in global temperatures is unlike anything seen on Earth during the past 2,000 years.
https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/climate-scientists-drive-stake-through-heart-skeptics-argument-ncna1033646
Trump administration asks court to let it restrict federal unions now
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-administration-asks-court-to-let-it-restrict-federal-unions-now/2019/07/24/1bce1200-ae33-11e9-8e77-03b30bc29f64_story.html
"[Obama] did a significant background check on me ... I doubt he would have picked me if these accusations about my being wrong on civil rights is correct,” Biden said.
https://twitter.com/latimes/status/1154111538254491650
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-07-24/democrats-biden-race-trump-naacp
QAnon Has Already Made Its Way from 4Chan to Two Republicans’ Campaigns
https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/7xggmy/qanon-has-already-made-its-way-from-4chan-to-two-republicans-campaigns
RNC host city Charlotte votes to condemn Trump’s ‘racist and xenophobic’ comments
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/rnc-2020/article232975797.html
Trump just filed an emergency request asking a judge to preemptively block House Dems from getting his state tax returns from NY until he gets "an opportunity for judicial review"
https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6212989/7-24-19-Trump-Emergency-Application.pdf
Biden, the candidate with the most polling support, is inexplicably attacking Booker, one of many candidates at the bottom of the polling pond. Biden deputy campaign manager: "Since next week’s debate format will give Senator Booker twice as much time to make his attacks than it allows Vice President Biden to respond to them, we thought we would begin to respond now."
https://twitter.com/AlxThomp/status/1154116581712105479
Green groups sue EPA over 'sweeping overhaul' of public records policy
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/454545-green-groups-sue-epa-over-sweeping-overhaul-of-public-records
Temperatures in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands break all-time records as European heat wave continues
https://bnonews.com/index.php/2019/07/temperatures-in-belgium-and-the-netherlands-break-all-time-records/
Bernie Sanders Boasts About Staff’s PRIVATE Insurance: ‘Best Health Care Plan You Can Imagine’. His campaign is a mess.
https://www.mediaite.com/tv/bernie-sanders-boasts-about-staffs-private-insurance-best-health-care-plan-you-can-imagine/
Warren/Sanders answers on gentrification were perfect studies in their differences. Warren: “I have a plan to build 3.2 million housing units.” Sanders: “We’re going to tell the developers you just can’t come in and build expensive condos and drive working class people out."
https://twitter.com/daveweigel/status/1154048387316158464
Beto: This (Mueller)hearing only confirms the facts: Trump invited an attack on our democracy, obstructed the investigation into it, & made clear there won't be consequences for launching another. As I've said since I was running in TX, he's unfit for office. Begin impeachment proceedings now.
https://twitter.com/BetoORourke//115405426653492status4294
Beto O'Rourke calls for a sweeping $500 billion fund to address education inequality | According to a February report by EdBuild, an advocacy and research group that focuses on school funding, predominately white school districts receive $23 billion more than predominately non-white school districts in state and local funding, even when they serve the same amount of students. O'Rourke's permanent fund would aim to close that gap while also making sure states and districts allocate funds weighted based on the number of "low income students, English learners, students with disabilities or other groups of students in need of additional resources." The fund would be financed with a tax on Wall Street speculation. "This would increase the cost of a $1,000 stock purchase by just $1 but would cut down on the destabilizing speculation of high-frequency traders," the O'Rourke campaign says. The plan states that the permanent fund would not replace existing federal programs supporting public schools. In a recent Medium post addressing his family's history of owning slaves, O'Rourke pointed to this disparity and said, "I benefit from a system that my ancestors built to favor themselves at the expense of others. That only increases the urgency I feel to help change this country so that it works for those who have been locked-out of — or locked-up in — this system." The plan also calls for an end in racial disciplinary disparities. Citing figures collected by the Government Accountability Office that show black children are more likely to be disciplined, suspended and expelled than white children, O'Rourke vows to issue a federal ban on corporal punishment in schools and provide funding for schools to implement teacher preparation programs to "address racial bias and cultural competency." According to the campaign, the disparate treatment of color faced by children of color "contributes to the schoolhouse to jailhouse pipeline." Another component to the plan is working with Congress to "relieve the outstanding debt of educators and other professionals working in our nation's public schools." This would be accomplished by granting teachers who have worked more than five years in a public school total loan forgiveness. The plan says "others would have their student loan payments suspended while teaching in public schools, have 20% of their principal forgiven per year of service and total loan forgiveness after 5 years of service." Data collected by the National Center for Education Statistics found during the 2015-16 school year that racial and ethnic minorities accounted for 20% of all public elementary and secondary school teachers while 51% of students were nonwhite. O'Rourke's plan hopes to change that by investing $500 million per year for postsecondary institutions to "partner with high need school districts to create residency programs." According to the campaign, teaching residencies have been proven to improve gender and racial diversity in districts. An additional $500 million would go toward the creation of teacher academies at minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to provide scholarships for low-income or first generation students pursuing teaching. The funds would also support mentorship programs for students in teaching programs by teachers of color in the community. Finally, the plan would provide support for educators advancing their careers by providing free tuition to acquire a graduate degree and ensuring federal funding to cover the costs of national board certification. Fellow Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro have released plans that call for similar tenets.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/beto-orourke-calls-for-a-sweeping-500-billion-fund-to-address-education-inequality/
https://edbuild.org/content/23-billion
https://medium.com/@BetoORourke/rose-and-eliza-51d8be9fb675
https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-18-258
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/08/27/americas-public-school-teachers-are-far-less-racially-and-ethnically-diverse-than-their-students/
https://betoorourke.com/education/
International lawmakers should adopt a fifth Geneva convention that recognises damage to nature alongside other war crimes, according to an open letter by 24 prominent scientists. The legal instrument should incorporate wildlife safeguards in conflict regions, including protections for nature reserves, controls on the spread of guns used for hunting and measures to hold military forces to account for damage to the environment, say the signatories to the letter, published in the journal Nature. The UN international law commission is due to hold a meeting with the aim of building on the 28 principles it has already drawn up to protect the environment in war zones.
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2019/jul/24/make-environmental-damage-a-war-say-scientists-geneva-convention
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02248-6
French legislators hurl insults, boycott address of 16 year old environment activist Greta Thunbergat
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49092653
Ethiopia plants 2.6 billion tree seedlings as part of national project
https://www.journalducameroun.com/en/ethiopia-plants-2-6-billion-tree-seedlings-as-part-of-national-project/
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was arrested and faced up to 30 days in prison Wednesday, in an apparent move by the authorities to prevent a major protest rally this week
https://www.france24.com/en/20190724-russian-opposition-leader-navalny-arrested-ahead-protest-0
Federal Judge Blocks Rule That Would Bar Most Asylum Applications at Southern Border
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Federal-San-Francisco-Judge-to-Hear-Challenge-to-New-Rule-Severely-Restricting-Asylum-Seekers-513160811.html
Trump vetoes 3 bills prohibiting arms sales to Saudi Arabia
https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/07/24/politics/saudi-arms-sale-resolutions-trump-veto/index.html
North Korea fires 'missiles' into sea
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/north-korea-missile-south-korea-latest-news-a9019751.html
Republicans once again block election security bills after Mueller testimony. Senate Republicans blocked two election security bills and a cybersecurity measure on Wednesday in the wake of former special counsel Robert Mueller warning about meddling attempts during his public testimony before congressional lawmakers. Democrats tried to get consent to pass two bills that would require campaigns to alert the FBI and Federal Election Commission about foreign offers of assistance, as well as a bill to let the Senate Sergeant at Arms offer voluntary cyber assistance for personal devices and accounts of senators and staff.
https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/454635-gop-blocks-election-security-bills-after-mueller-testimony
The Department of Justice won't prosecute the attorney general or Commerce secretary after the House voted earlier this month to hold them in criminal contempt, Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said Wednesday.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/24/politics/doj-contempt-wont-prosecute-barr-ross/index.html
No comments:
Post a Comment