# 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:** 174
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/3462 "2018-03-22T18:07:11Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > He is Trump’s “personal attorney” on matters not related to the Russia investigation. He appears to be a goon and a fixer who doesn’t really practice law in any conventional sense. He’s also a [very rich dude](http://https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/remember-michael-cohen-is-a-very-rich-dude). Yeah, like _consigliere_ Tom Hagen in the Godfather. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/3463 "2018-03-22T18:09:17Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > I’ve been waiting for a specific sign that the ball will start rolling- a specific clusterfuck tantrum shitshow. That is, Mueller really forcing the issue of a Trump interview/deposition. That has to happen, right? And if it does Trump will at first claim to want to cooperate, then change his mind, tantrum and shitshow ensues. > Alternatively, I’d expect to see Mueller flat out fired; or the whole investigation somehow halted by the oh-so-honorable congressional Republicans. I suspect we’re getting closer to that point and maybe that’s why his top law man quit. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/3464 "2018-03-22T18:27:01Z")
Probably more directly, Dowd concluded he could no longer represent a client who wouldn’t follow his counsel and is at a high risk for perjury on top of obstruction charges. Plus he was never going to get paid anyway. ---
**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:** [March 22, 2018, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/3465 "2018-03-22T18:29:48Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > I’ve been waiting for a specific sign that the ball will start rolling- a specific clusterfuck tantrum shitshow. That is, Mueller really forcing the issue of a Trump interview/deposition. That has to happen, right? And if it does Trump will at first claim to want to cooperate, then change his mind, tantrum and shitshow ensues. > Alternatively, I’d expect to see Mueller flat out fired; or the whole investigation somehow halted by the oh-so-honorable congressional Republicans. [The Latest: Trump says he’d like to testify in Russia probe](https://apnews.com/94f0078aba704da0aa7c879ecab035a9/The-Latest:-Trump-says-he'd-like-to-testify-in-Russia-probe): > [@](#): > > WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump and the special counsel’s Russia investigation (all times local): > > 1:10 p.m. > > President Donald Trump says he “would like to” testify before the special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. > > Here’s what Trump said when he was asked at the White House whether he would like to testify: “”Yes. I would like to.” > > His comment comes shortly after his lead lawyer in the Russia investigation resigned amid a shake-up of the president’s legal team. ---
**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:** [March 22, 2018, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/3466 "2018-03-22T18:32:27Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > He is Trump’s “personal attorney” on matters not related to the Russia investigation. He appears to be a goon and a fixer who doesn’t really practice law in any conventional sense. He’s also a [very rich dude](http://https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/remember-michael-cohen-is-a-very-rich-dude). Actually looking at that article makes you wonder if Cohen is not so much “a very rich dude” as a guy who specializes in fronting for all sorts of other shady rich guys (though that itself is probably pretty lucrative in its own right). I’m thinking of this in the specific context of his payment of $130K to the porn actress. Supposedly out of his own personal funds, but that just seems weird. Unless you look at it in the context of a guy whose MO is acting on behalf of other people in situations when they’d rather not use their own names. If that’s correct, it would be hard to know how much of the various assets in Cohen’s name are actually his, though I would imagine he’s not poor. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/3467 "2018-03-22T18:37:17Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Probably more directly, Dowd concluded he could no longer represent a client who wouldn’t follow his counsel and is at a high risk for perjury on top of obstruction charges. Like “I told you not to order me to say the Russia investigation should be shut down”? ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/3468 "2018-03-22T18:41:13Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Actually looking at that article makes you wonder if Cohen is not so much “a very rich dude” as a guy who specializes in fronting for all sorts of other shady rich guys (though that itself is probably pretty lucrative in its own right). > > I’m thinking of this in the specific context of his payment of $130K to the porn actress. Supposedly out of his own personal funds, but that just seems weird. Unless you look at it in the context of a guy whose MO is acting on behalf of other people in situations when they’d rather not use their own names. > > If that’s correct, it would be hard to know how much of the various assets in Cohen’s name are actually his, though I would imagine he’s not poor. Good point. The guy could be a front or straw purchaser. I really expect that Cohen is going to get indicted for something really serious. I don’t think his career and associations will stand up well under legal scrutiny of the sort that Mueller is putting on him. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/3469 "2018-03-22T18:41:51Z")
I think being a mob attorney is becoming a harder gig to find these days, so guys like Cohen and Dowd decided to go into showbiz and politics to defend monsters like Weinstein and Trump. ---
**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:** [March 22, 2018, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/3470 "2018-03-22T18:44:03Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [The Latest: Trump says he’d like to testify in Russia probe](https://apnews.com/94f0078aba704da0aa7c879ecab035a9/The-Latest:-Trump-says-he'd-like-to-testify-in-Russia-probe): Worth noting in that context, that per the media reports, one particular point of disagreement between Dowd and Trump is that Dowd was very concerned about Trump getting into trouble if he testified, while Trump himself is (naturally) much more confident of his own abilities in this regard. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/3471 "2018-03-22T18:45:07Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Actually looking at that article makes you wonder if Cohen is not so much “a very rich dude” as a guy who specializes in fronting for all sorts of other shady rich guys (though that itself is probably pretty lucrative in its own right). I was just thinking that I wouldn’t mind being “a very rich dude.” Maybe this is a profession I would be good at! What’s the actual professional title? “Bag Man?” “Fixer?” “Slimy Weasel?” I got to get my business cards printed. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/3472 "2018-03-22T18:52:10Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > I was just thinking that I wouldn’t mind being “a very rich dude.” Maybe this is a profession I would be good at! > > What’s the actual professional title? “Bag Man?” “Fixer?” “Slimy Weasel?” I got to get my business cards printed. According to Breaking Bad, it’s “criminal” lawyer. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/3473 "2018-03-22T19:06:21Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Not sure why your link didn’t work, so [try this one](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/remember-michael-cohen-is-a-very-rich-dude). Extra http in the url. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/3474 "2018-03-22T19:34:49Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Extra http in the url. Pickiest of nits - I believe it was a missing colon. And we all know how hard it is to recover from a missing colon. Unless you don’t give a shit. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/3475 "2018-03-22T19:42:24Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Pickiest of nits - I believe it was a missing colon. > > And we all know how hard it is to recover from a missing colon. Unless you don’t give a shit. You’d think discussions pertaining to the Donald would constantly remind you of colons. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/3476 "2018-03-22T20:43:53Z")
There are reports that Trump tried to get Ted Olson for his legal team, but Olson wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/3477 "2018-03-22T21:38:12Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Pickiest of nits - I believe it was a missing colon. > > And we all know how hard it is to recover from a missing colon. Unless you don’t give a shit. True, there was no colon after https, but there was also the extra http://, which would be a killer. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/3478 "2018-03-22T21:41:57Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > There are reports that Trump tried to get Ted Olson for his legal team, but Olson wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole. Given Trump’s level of competence, are we sure it wasn’t the Olson twins? Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/3479 "2018-03-22T22:06:47Z")
Newest Trump attorney invokes Marion Barry: “[Bitches are trying to set him up!](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/joseph-digenova-who-alleges-fbi-plot-frame-trump-joins-president-n857966)” ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/3480 "2018-03-22T23:54:26Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Newest Trump attorney invokes Marion Barry: “[Bitches are trying to set him up!](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/joseph-digenova-who-alleges-fbi-plot-frame-trump-joins-president-n857966)” Trump is the white Marion Barry. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/3481 "2018-03-23T00:21:45Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > I was just thinking that I wouldn’t mind being “a very rich dude.” Maybe this is a profession I would be good at! > > What’s the actual professional title? “Bag Man?” “Fixer?” “Slimy Weasel?” I got to get my business cards printed. I’d say “goombah,” but apparently that usage is anti-Italian. So, maybe “enforcer”? Seems too dignified. “Slimy Weasel” is more descriptive. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093.md?page=173) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093.md?page=175)