# 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:** 431
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/8603 "2018-12-28T02:02:39Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > OK, I shouldn’t have looked that up before dinner. Very much not a term you would find in a Harvard Law book. “When I said I would squinch in high school, that referred to farting. Don’t you fart sometimes, Senator?? I farted sometimes, we all do it!! I would squinch with Timmy in his garage, along with Squi and No-Ball Billy…and yes, sometimes we’d drink beer while we squinched. Is that a crime now, Senator? I like beer, OK?!?” ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/8604 "2018-12-28T02:16:13Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > Apparently Bob Mueller has someone’s nude selfie. Every possibility that occurs to me is fairly horrifying. > > [Concord Management Court Filing](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5668542-Memorandum-in-Opposition.html) Looks like the nude selfies were collected from social media accounts of the [Russians](https://www.thedailybeast.com/special-counsel-robert-mueller-seized-russian-trolls-nude-selfies?ref=home) indicted by Mueller, not other targets. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/8605 "2018-12-28T02:44:14Z")
Do we have any idea what Concord Management is charged with? I couldn’t tell from that bizarre motion. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/8606 "2018-12-28T02:48:17Z")
Concord Management is one of the Russian entities that Mueller [indicted](https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1035562/download) back in February. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/8607 "2018-12-28T05:21:26Z")
Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/8608 "2018-12-28T06:10:19Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > That’s a very unprofessional pleading. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Judge smacks them around a little. :eek: That’s putting it mildly. It reads like a script for a _Fox and Friends_ segment. ---
**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:** [December 28, 2018, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/8609 "2018-12-28T08:20:10Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Pro-Tip: When criming, leave the cell phones at home! > > [Cell signal puts Cohen outside Prague around time of purported Russian meeting](https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/investigations/article219016820.html). > > To be clear, the article places the _phone_ near Prague, not Cohen himself. > > It very well could be one of those times when an associate… even your wife… goes to another country and, after kissing them goodbye, watching as they are lining up at the TSA line, you toss your Samsung at them saying “Take my phone to Prague!” > > Shit like that, telling people to take my phones to random cities I have repeatedly denied visiting, happens to me _all the damned time_. Did Cohen ever make a counter-assertion as to where he actually WASduring the period in question? ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/8610 "2018-12-28T08:56:42Z")
Burner phones are literally crime 101. How are these people this stupid? ---
**Author:** ![DragonAsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DragonAsh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DragonAsh)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/8611 "2018-12-28T10:06:33Z")
I am always slightly amazed that Spiro Agnew isn’t more infamous - but in any event, it’s starting to look to me like this will be the playbook to get him out of office. Agree to only charge him with one crime, no prison time, in return for his immediate resignation. In Spiro Agnew’s day, obviously prosecutors were initially livid that he’d be getting off with no time behind bars, with the only reason that wasn’t in his future was his position in government. But at the time, the prosecutors decided getting him out of office ASAP before he might become president given the growing Watergate cloud was the lesser of two evils. One could argue that we don’t really have that situation (that we’re aware of, at any rate) right now, so maybe there’s no need to rush to get him out of office, if you can both get him out of office with jail time. I don’t know how the calculus works out on that. Would having a faster solution be preferable to a more fair solution as far as the rest of the country is concerned? As much as I would love to see Trump rot in jail, I think happily let him plea bargain to no jail time for any federal charges if he resigned today - and let him spend the rest of his life throwing away what remains of his assets defending himself from a multitude of state charges. Rachael Maddow did a[podcast this year on the Spiro Agnew affair.](https://www.msnbc.com/bagman) It’s about two hours of content spread over four hours, but is still pretty comprehensive. Worth a listen. Again, I’m shocked that more people aren’t talking about Spiro Agnew and how this might play out for Nixon. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/8612 "2018-12-28T15:55:54Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Did Cohen ever make a counter-assertion as to where he actually WAS during the period in question? This latest “discovery” that Cohen lied about where he was, should mean the judge can put him away forever - soon as Meuller is done with him and he’s been dangled on a string long enough to get others talking. And then, all previous deals should be null and void. As his former boss Trump would do, “renegotiate”, renege and then fuck him over royally. ---
**Author:** ![llcoolbj77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb9ed0/32.png) [@llcoolbj77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/llcoolbj77)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/8613 "2018-12-28T18:21:07Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > My take exactly. What a load of overheated nonsense. > > Pound the table… The tenor of the filing was not great, and distracted from the real meat of the filing, which in my mind may have some merit. As a criminal defense attorney, I take a very dim view of any prosecutor being the sole arbiter of what is or is not discovery in a criminal case… even the illustrious Mr. Mueller. My civil law is severely rusty. But any request for an ex parte ruling has the appearance of impropriety in my mind; the bar for its necessity should be high indeed. And Counsel for Concord should be pissed. But I do not believe the Judge will be happy with the tenor or language in this filing. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/8614 "2018-12-28T19:25:17Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > If I were Corsi’s neighbor, I would enlist all the other neighbors in a WiFi naming contest… Things like “Mueller Van #24”, “Orbiting Drone Hotspot a3v7” and so on 😃 “Wire Tapps” ---
**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:** [December 28, 2018, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/8615 "2018-12-28T19:29:38Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > If I were Corsi’s neighbor, I would enlist all the other neighbors in a WiFi naming contest… Things like “Mueller Van #24”, “Orbiting Drone Hotspot a3v7” and so on 😃 “DeepState1” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/8616 "2018-12-28T19:35:39Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > “DeepState1” 😃 Even better: “DeepState23” ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/8617 "2018-12-28T19:42:50Z")
So far the Cohen is unsubstantiated rumors in the press. If he did go to the Czech Republic, I’m sure it won’t be that hard to find supporting evidence such as flights, entering the US, customs and immigration, etc. Much as I would love this to be true, methnks it’s easy enough to collaborate and make a real case ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/8618 "2018-12-28T19:56:32Z")
Yeah, I’m not terribly impressed with the sourcing, especially given that it’s listed only as “people familiar with the matter.” ---
**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:** [December 28, 2018, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/8619 "2018-12-28T19:57:07Z")
> [@llcoolbj77](#): > > The tenor of the filing was not great, and distracted from the real meat of the filing, which in my mind may have some merit. As a criminal defense attorney, I take a very dim view of any prosecutor being the sole arbiter of what is or is not discovery in a criminal case… even the illustrious Mr. Mueller. My civil law is severely rusty. But any request for an ex parte ruling has the appearance of impropriety in my mind; the bar for its necessity should be high indeed. And Counsel for Concord should be pissed. But I do not believe the Judge will be happy with the tenor or language in this filing. IANAL as most who post in this thread are aware, but from years of working as a paralegal in a public defender’s office and as a judge’s assistant, I’ve drafted/seen a buttload of pleadings. I also have great admiration for criminal defense attorneys and the work they do. But AIUI – and please, correct me if I’m wrong! – the defendant is not seeking the actual discovery; rather, he is seeking information on how the discovery was obtained. Big difference. Mueller’s reason for moving for an ex parte ruling is to maintain secrecy around sources and methods, not to deprive the defendant of the actual discovery itself. It’s a little hard to tell, given the vaporous tenor of Concord’s responsive pleading and without seeing all motions that have gone before in this dust-up (meaning Concord’s motion to disclose discovery pursuant to protective order, Mueller’s response in opposition, Mueller’s motion for leave to file an ex parte, in camera addendum). As for ex parte hearings/rulings, there is nothing improper about them. They are extremely routine. Our judges held them every single morning between 8-8:30 a.m. One of the most egregious aspects of Concord’s pleading is to make this seem like an unusual move on Mueller’s part. Concord is cynically counting on the general ignorance of the public to do so. It’s not. I would only add that the prosecutor is _not_ the final arbiter of of what is or is not discovery in a criminal case. The judge is. Hence the ex parte hearing/ruling. We agree that the judge will not be happy with the tenor or language in the pleading. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/8620 "2018-12-28T20:17:43Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > “DeepState1” 😃 That’s Obama’s code name. 🙂 ---
**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:** [December 28, 2018, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/8621 "2018-12-28T20:51:49Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > …We agree that the judge will not be happy with the tenor or language in the pleading. So…you don’t think the judge will start dropping the word \*squinch \*in his rulings, opinions, and general conversation? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/8622 "2018-12-28T22:06:19Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > So far the Cohen is unsubstantiated rumors in the press. If he did go to the Czech Republic, I’m sure it won’t be that hard to find supporting evidence such as flights, entering the US, customs and immigration, etc. Much as I would love this to be true, methnks it’s easy enough to collaborate and make a real case Cohen went to Italy once and London twice in 2016. Going to Italy would put him in the Schengen Zone where he wouldn’t need a passport to travel to the Czech Republic. He could go all the way to Prague and back without an official trace. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093.md?page=430) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093.md?page=432)