If this comes to fruition, it could be one of the larger developments in the Russia investigation:
Kelly is the only thing that’s been keeping Trump from making more dumbass moves like firing James Comey, the last many months. (Not to say that he hasn’t been a dumbass even still, but it has been noticably less than the early months of his presidency.) If Kelly leaves, the odds that Trump goes into hardcore Obstruction of Justice mode increases dramatically.
I sense that, regardless of how he might feel about Trump, he would still choose to fall on his sword than hurt the administration by testifying against it. I don’t think that he would lie, per se, but he might stonewall to such an extent that it’s just a waste of taxpayer money to try and force him to admit something.
Refusal to obey a grand jury subpoena can be prosecuted as criminal contempt of court. Such prosecutions are very rare. Civil contempt is a thing, though.
The number of traitors keeps increasing, doesn’t it. One thing they all seem to have in common, is they are rightwing conservative , mostly draft dodger, multiple deferment flag waver types, who will fight anywhere anytime, to the last drop of someone else’s blood (while they line their pockets and yell ‘Murrica’).
Being led and cheered by Donny Bone Spurs hisself. The other traitor.
My sense is that, as a career officer, Gen. Kelly takes his oath to the nation and Constitution seriously, and puts that above any personal loyalty to Trump he may feel (if any). But we’d have to see.
I want to know what this (Reuters) is about. I have a feeling it relates to Mueller’s investigation. And other things that should stay as far removed from gratuitous political manipulation as possible.
My faith in John Kelly’s integrity ended last October, when he refused to apologize for his lies about the Florida Congresswoman.
These are not the actions of a basically-sound man. These are the actions of an ideologue with an ax to grind. And we can’t know how such a man interprets his own duty “to the nation and Constitution.” He might well define that duty in a way that people of integrity would not.
Hard to say without the text of the provision to go by. Does “intelligence spending” mean the FBI, CIA, NSA, or plain off everyone?
I don’t think it would much matter if the President tried to arrange an intelligence mission for the FBI that lacked Congressional oversight. If they did something hinky, there would be a complaint raised to Congress.
But the CIA could be used to do something like disappearing Russians that know Trump’s financial dealings. While indirect, that would impact the Mueller investigation, and it’s just as likely that the CIA people wouldn’t even know that it was relevant to Trump’s history, since they’d give them some alternative explanation for why those people needed to be taken out.
Heeeeeeeeee!! Hadn’t thought of that angle, but it makes sense.
I think the bit tickled me so much because just based on what we in Plebe Land know, Mueller has already got an obscene amount of criminal activity/material to work with. I’ve more than once imagined that there must be at least some small part of Mueller’s brain that, anytime he happens to catch some talking head speculating about the state of his prosecution, must think, “You. Have. No. Idea. Yet!!!”
I’ve read up on him, what little there is available. It’s been noted by a number of folks who know him personally that he enjoys inserting the element of surprise in his cases.
I hope he still enjoys it, and that the ones he has in store for us are doozies. (I think they will be.)