# 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:** 239
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/4762 "2018-05-23T18:14:49Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I’m as despaired as the next guy, but I’m also very motivated to vote. If nothing else, I want Trump to be humiliated Special elections continue to bear out the level of enthusiasm among the more liberal/moderate/independent. I know people across this country who, if deprived of arms and legs, would use their teeth to motate to the nearest voting booth in November. Those who stay even peripherally informed are angry as hell. I believe this matters a lot – as will Mueller’s findings, whenever they are rendered. Public opinion can turn on a dime. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/4763 "2018-05-23T18:19:17Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I’m as despaired as the next guy, but I’m also very motivated to vote. If nothing else, I want Trump to be humiliated Thank you for being motivated! I think it’s possible to channel anger in useful ways. I also think it’s possible to give up, or to allow ourselves to funnel our anger into endless cutting and pasting from websites and feeling outrage but without really thinking. Trump’s administration is both worse and not as bad as it is portrayed in these threads. I think it’s important to focus on the things that are permanent and not to be tempted into horrible behaviors because someone else did it first. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/4764 "2018-05-23T18:19:35Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > YOUR ignorance certainly appears to be growing exponentially, but I see no signs that that is true of the general population. Oh honey, you can’t even craft a good insult. It’s okay. I’m sure your dog appreciates you. You’re dismissed. Thoroughly. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/4765 "2018-05-23T18:30:53Z")
No, I’m not dismissed. I’m still right here, calling you a fucking idiot. See? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/4766 "2018-05-23T18:39:22Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > No, I’m not dismissed. I’m still right here, calling you a fucking idiot. See? So erudite! So smart! Such a vocabulary! \ Ok. Enough fun. I’m dismissing myself. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/4767 "2018-05-23T18:39:36Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Oh honey, you can’t even craft a good insult. It’s okay. I’m sure your dog appreciates you. You’re dismissed. Thoroughly. You assume he cares enough about you to waste a good insult on you. Perhaps a few more eye rolls and angry faces will change his mind. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/4768 "2018-05-23T20:20:10Z")
Yes, a majority of the country doesn’t give a damn about what Trump is doing. But that’s not as bad as it sounds, because that group has a very large overlap with the group of people who don’t vote and who therefore don’t matter politically. Among those who do vote, even in November 2016, a majority opposed Trump. And even among those who supported Trump, not all did so for deplorable reasons, and some of them have changed their minds and are continuing to do so. There is hope. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/4769 "2018-05-23T20:21:54Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > No, I’m not dismissed. I’m still right here, calling you a fucking idiot. See? _Ah, le mot juste!_ ---
**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:** [May 23, 2018, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/4770 "2018-05-23T20:29:22Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Recognizing that you have a problem is the first step towards giving up. _“Sometimes in life we must fight not only without fear, but also without hope.”_ – F. Nietzsche (_attrib._) ---
**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:** [May 23, 2018, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/4771 "2018-05-23T22:27:10Z")
Well, Kushner had 6 hours on the Mueller hot seat. I’m sure he kept his story straight. He seems smart like that. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/4772 "2018-05-23T22:36:35Z")
> [@MindsEye\_Watering](#): > > Please, do not feed the TrumpSucking troll. He’s really desperate for my attention, isn’t he? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/4773 "2018-05-24T00:26:25Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > You assume he cares enough about you to waste a good insult on you. Perhaps a few more eye rolls and angry faces will change his mind. That’s not it. I can distinguish indifference from ineptitude. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/4774 "2018-05-24T00:32:34Z")
Returning to topic. Can someone explain the following? I’m even more confused than usual. **[Bowing to pressure, White House to host bipartisan briefing on Russia investigation](http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/389111-bowing-to-pressure-white-house-to-host-bipartisan-briefing-for-russia)** > [@](#): > > The White House is planning a separate meeting for bipartisan House and Senate leaders to receive classified information related to the Russia investigation, bowing to pressure over a decision to exclude Democrats from a highly anticipated Thursday briefing. > > White House spokesman Raj Shah said the group, known as the Gang of Eight, will huddle with officials representing the Justice Department, law enforcement and intelligence “following the Memorial Day recess.” > > The plans, which were first reported by ABC News, were also confirmed to The Hill by a congressional source. > > Shah said in a statement that Thursday’s planned meeting with House Republicans “will proceed as previously scheduled.” The meeting is expected to cover a range of issues related to the Russia investigation and the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation of the Trump campaign. > > It is still unclear whether the bipartisan meeting will be identical to the briefing planned on Thursday with Republicans. > > White House officials threw together Thursday’s briefing for GOP lawmakers after Trump demanded the Justice Department investigate unsubstantiated allegations that the FBI planted a spy on his 2016 campaign. > … ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/4775 "2018-05-24T01:55:20Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Returning to topic. > > Can someone explain the following? I’m even more confused than usual. > > **[Bowing to pressure, White House to host bipartisan briefing on Russia investigation](http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/389111-bowing-to-pressure-white-house-to-host-bipartisan-briefing-for-russia)** After Sunday’s Twitter tantrum and Monday’s meeting between Trump and the DOJ, the DOJ agreed to refer “Spygate” to the FBI’s Inspector General, and also to release some classified documents to some Congressmen. Those Congressmen initially were Republicans Trent Gowdy and Trump’s special toady Devin Nunes. Not exactly bipartisan. But now apparently the group has been expanded to include both House and Senate, both (D) and (R)'s. The Gang of Eight is the bi-lateral bi-cameral group that normally receives similar classified briefings. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/4776 "2018-05-24T02:48:35Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > After Sunday’s Twitter tantrum and Monday’s meeting between Trump and the DOJ, the DOJ agreed to refer “Spygate” to the FBI’s Inspector General, and also to release some classified documents to some Congressmen. Those Congressmen initially were Republicans Trent Gowdy and Trump’s special toady Devin Nunes. Not exactly bipartisan. > > But now apparently the group has been expanded to include both House and Senate, both (D) and (R)'s. The Gang of Eight is the bi-lateral bi-cameral group that normally receives similar classified briefings. Oh. Is it just me, or does this sound dumb to anyone else? The real reason behind this is to distract from Mueller, right? I know, I know… trying to make sense of it is pointless. ---
**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:** [May 24, 2018, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/4777 "2018-05-24T03:32:41Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Well, Kushner had 6 hours on the Mueller hot seat. I’m sure he kept his story straight. He seems smart like that. He got his clearance back, that probably means he kept his trap shut, or else put it all on somebody like Flynn or Manafort. ---
**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:** [May 24, 2018, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/4778 "2018-05-24T03:34:12Z")
Sarah Huckster was asked why no Democrats were invited to the review of the so called classified proof of Obama spying on the Trump campaign, and she said “Why would we invite somebody who hasn’t asked to attend?” ---
**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:** [May 24, 2018, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/4779 "2018-05-24T03:51:03Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Just a random worried thought, not sure if it belongs here or in the Pissed Off thread or the Clusterfuck thread… > > I often hear that we should take solace in the Constitution; that checks and balances will keep things from getting too out of hand. But I don’t think the Founders considered what would happen if the leadership of the Legislative branch is just as corrupt as the leadership of the Executive branch. **Checks and balances falls apart when one is willfully ignoring the other.** Go deeper. How does the legislative branch come to power? There are elections every 2 years, right? Democracy depends on an enlightened, civic-minded republic, not a citizenry that behaves like adolescents extending their middle fingers. President Trump shouldn’t surprise us – he’s a reflection of us. What’s surprising is how badly we’ve declined, how low our standards have become. We’re a society without virtue. And I don’t give a shit about all of the legal analysis – a society without virtue, without civic duty, eventually becomes a society without the rule of law. You will see. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/4780 "2018-05-24T05:01:33Z")
Then I’m enthusiastically gonna support Trump and everything he does from here on in! Hell, I’ll actively aid his efforts to do anything! ‘Cause if there’s no point fighting, might as well be on the winning side, right? Thanks for convincing me of the futility of opposing Trump. MAGA! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/4781 "2018-05-24T05:17:06Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Democracy depends on an enlightened, civic-minded republic, not a citizenry that behaves like adolescents extending their middle fingers. > > President Trump shouldn’t surprise us – he’s a reflection of us. What’s surprising is how badly we’ve declined, how low our standards have become. We’re a society without virtue. And I don’t give a shit about all of the legal analysis – a society without virtue, without civic duty, eventually becomes a society without the rule of law. I said after Trump’s election that Republicans were unhappy with the people they voted for when they were angry, so they voted for someone while they were furious and hoped he’d be better. My current hope is that people will realize that voting out of anger doesn’t help things. If not, what comes after ‘furious’? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093.md?page=238) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093.md?page=240)