# A Thread for the Mueller Investigation Results and Outcomes (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 28, 2017, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093 "2017-10-28T20:14:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 125
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2482 "2018-02-16T16:43:56Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > She turned me into Newt Gingrich! > I got better. rofl ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2483 "2018-02-16T17:00:57Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > I can’t wait for “the right” to start screaming about freedom of speech. I more expect them to claim ‘it never happened’ since no one can (now) point to the tweets themselves. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2484 "2018-02-16T18:11:31Z")
Holy shit, new indictments… 13 of them, all involving election interference by Russians. "NEWS: Special Counsel Mueller/Grand Jury have indicted 13 Russian nationals and 3 Russian entities for interfering in the US Elections. Indictment here: [http://bit.ly/2GmxEcH](https://t.co/m75xliP2rA) " Link goes to PDF. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2485 "2018-02-16T18:30:27Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Holy shit, new indictments… 13 of them, all involving election interference by Russians. > > "NEWS: Special Counsel Mueller/Grand Jury have indicted 13 Russian nationals and 3 Russian entities for interfering in the US Elections. > > Indictment here: [http://bit.ly/2GmxEcH](https://t.co/m75xliP2rA) " > > Link goes to PDF. Well that’s a lot to wade through. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2486 "2018-02-16T18:32:44Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Holy shit, new indictments… 13 of them, all involving election interference by Russians. > > "NEWS: Special Counsel Mueller/Grand Jury have indicted 13 Russian nationals and 3 Russian entities for interfering in the US Elections. > > Indictment here: [http://bit.ly/2GmxEcH](https://t.co/m75xliP2rA) " > > Link goes to PDF. Now he should start squeezing them. Maybe threaten them with GITMO or “rendition” for espionage maybe? I bet Trumpty Dumpty is having a fit. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2487 "2018-02-16T18:34:15Z")
> [@simster](#): > > I more expect them to claim ‘it never happened’ since no one can (now) point to the tweets themselves. Nothing on the internet ever REALLY goes away. Shit gets copied and archived somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2488 "2018-02-16T18:36:48Z")
[The AP story](https://apnews.com/d7eeadacc3e442ebbe23916a053856fa/13-Russians-charged-in-Mueller-investigation): > [@](#): > > Thirteen Russians and three Russian entities were charged Friday with an elaborate plot to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, federal prosecutors announced Friday. > > The indictment , brought by the office of special counsel Robert Mueller, alleges that Russians used bogus social media postings and advertisements fraudulently purchased in the name of Americans to sway political opinion during the race between Republican Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, his Democratic opponent. > > The charges are the most direct allegation to date of illegal Russian meddling in the election. > > The goal, the indictment says, was to “sow discord in the U.S. political system, including the 2016 presidential election.” > > Charges include conspiracy, wire fraud, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Oh, and: > [@](#): > > The White House had no immediate response to the indictment. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2489 "2018-02-16T18:44:20Z")
No allegations of collusion or conspiracy with any campaign staff, according to the Bloomberg article. Contacts in the Trump campaign are specified as “unwitting.” ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2490 "2018-02-16T18:48:49Z")
To the extent that there’s any implications at all for the Trump team, it’s probably a positive one. Because the more people Mueller indicts, the less pressure he would feel to justify his investigation by making dubious indictments. But that’s a very minimal impact, if any. Based on everything I’ve read about Mueller, he’s a man of the highest integrity, and wouldn’t be swayed by that kind of pressure anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2491 "2018-02-16T18:53:04Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Contacts in the Trump campaign are specified as “unwitting.” Indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2492 "2018-02-16T19:01:32Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > To the extent that there’s any implications at all for the Trump team, it’s probably a positive one. Because the more people Mueller indicts, the less pressure he would feel to justify his investigation by making dubious indictments. The more criminals he finds, the less chance Trump is a criminal? That’s the new argument? Good job with the backhanded attempt to discredit Mueller, though. Nunes would do well to take note. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2493 "2018-02-16T19:03:19Z")
Saw a couple of interesting takes on this: 1. Indicting Russians makes it harder to (ever) fire Mueller or shut down his investigation. 2. Indictment of Russians also undercuts Trump’s ability to pardon his way out of this. Politically hard to pardon Russians… [https://t.co/5nOjC3ssGl](https://t.co/5nOjC3ssGl) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2494 "2018-02-16T19:04:19Z")
> [@Chisquirrel](#): > > The more criminals he finds, the less chance Trump is a criminal? That’s the new argument? Good job with the backhanded attempt to discredit Mueller, though. Nunes would do well to take note. Phippers gotta Phipp. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2495 "2018-02-16T19:08:23Z")
> [@Chisquirrel](#): > > The more criminals he finds, the less chance Trump is a criminal? That’s the new argument? Good job with the backhanded attempt to discredit Mueller, though. Nunes would do well to take note. If you don’t understand things, you can always refrain from commenting. Though it’s possible that would be too big of a constraint for you … ---
**Author:** ![Crybaby\_Boobie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crybaby_boobie/32/545_2.png) [@Crybaby\_Boobie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crybaby_Boobie)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2496 "2018-02-16T19:15:09Z")
Some unwitting folks happen to be named Donald Trump Jr: [![](https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0a7ac0945f1824e088ec47bad650ad5f6718c9e68d165b65f0e21122bf6f0719.jpg?w=800&h=220) ](https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0a7ac0945f1824e088ec47bad650ad5f6718c9e68d165b65f0e21122bf6f0719.jpg?w=800&h=220) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2497 "2018-02-16T19:16:23Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > To the extent that there’s any implications at all for the Trump team, it’s probably a positive one. Because the more people Mueller indicts, the less pressure he would feel to justify his investigation by making dubious indictments. > > But that’s a very minimal impact, if any. Based on everything I’ve read about Mueller, he’s a man of the highest integrity, and wouldn’t be swayed by that kind of pressure anyway. Know how one can tell this is great news for Trump? Because he tweeted this about 10 minutes after the news broke: “Russia talk is FAKE NEWS put out by the Dems, and played up by the media, in order to mask the big election defeat and the illegal leaks!” > ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2498 "2018-02-16T19:20:55Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Know how one can tell this is great news for Trump? Because he tweeted this about 10 minutes after the news broke: > > “Russia talk is FAKE NEWS put out by the Dems, and played up by the media, in order to mask the big election defeat and the illegal leaks!” > > [x.com](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/835916511944523777) That tweet is from last year… ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2499 "2018-02-16T19:21:07Z")
3 things about Trump’s tweet above: 1. This isn’t news, it’s indictments. Nothing fake about them. 2. I’m pretty sure the world knows Hillary lost the election. 3. Interesting that there no leaks that these indictments were coming. 3 lies in 140 characters. Good job, Trump! ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2500 "2018-02-16T19:25:43Z")
> [@simster](#): > > That tweet is from last year… Goddamn it. Sorry about that. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2501 "2018-02-16T19:26:52Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > No allegations of collusion or conspiracy with any campaign staff, according to the Bloomberg article. Contacts in the Trump campaign are specified as “unwitting.” I highly doubt they were all unwitting. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093.md?page=124) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093.md?page=126)