:D:D
Don’t break out the happy dance just yet.
Mueller’s press officer {sidebar: Mueller has a press officer? Who knew?} has issued a denial of the report. Check out the original buzzfeed article:
This is why people bitch about the “liberal media.”
Looks like I got snookered. Am I as credulous and easily led as the political opponents I mock as such? Damn.
He didn’t deny it at all. There are a number of ways to read this:
- The two references to the SC office make it sound as if they are denying being the source of this information.
- The “characterization of documents” may mean “not memos, texts, etc”.
- And, yes, “this is false” is also a possibility.
It’s a well-written statement which could be taken a number of ways.
Regardless, this strong rebuke to Buzzfeed will be noticed by WaPo, NYTimes, etc.
Exactly. The statement from Mueller’s office was not a simple black and white denial. You can be sure that every word in that statement was carefully chosen. Let’s keep our wits about us and not go off into unwarranted extrapolations. Yes, the statement can definitely be taken a number of ways.
No. Read the nuance of Mueller’s statement: “BuzzFeed’s description of specific statements to the Special Counsel’s Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen’s Congressional testimony are not accurate.” (emphasis mine, obviously)
They are not saying the core narrative is wrong. They are saying they would describe the specific statements and characterization of documents and testimony in a different way.
There is no question that Mueller already has other supporting evidence that Cohen lied to Congress.
Read Mueller’s December 7, 2018, sentencing recommendation for Cohen on Page 4, second paragraph under the heading, "Acceptance of Responsibility: “The information provided by Cohen about the Moscow Project in these proffer sessions is consistent with and corroborated by other information obtained in the course of the SCO’s investigation.” (emphasis mine)
Those are Mueller’s own words.
Regardless, Cohen did lie to Congress.
The important part about Cohen’s proffer sessions with Mueller is that he said he lied at the behest of Trump. Mueller’s sentencing recommendation makes it clear that they have other evidence that what Cohen asserted is true. Their beef is with how Buzzfeed characterized the supporting evidence.
Well I’m pleading that I have been reading news and posting in little breaks at work. I am going to zeep eet and say more later, when I am better informed.
Trump has announced a major announcement for 3 PM Saturday. Emergency declaration?
I’ve been reading end of shutdown.
In exchange for what?
Only $11.4 billion for a wall along the southern border.
This friend is a conservative in every sense of the word. Another sample from that same convo I mentioned upthread:
“The news this week? What? This shit is over 2 years old and nothing has come out but dirt on the corruption in the FBI using fabricated lies that are FELONY CRIMES”
Me: "Two years? Puh-leeze. When we hit Benghazi numbers, then you can complain.
And the FBI opened up its own independent investigation into Trump being a foreign asset.
It’s bordering on treason. There’s nothing BUT a “there” there."
Him: “Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha”
Then again, I live in a conservative area of the country. Kentucky. Mitch’s turf.
I’m so sorry.
So am I. Apparently.
As I said in one of the Elections threads, Trump’s base has eroded as far as it will. The MAGAts who are left think he’s the best thing since Jesus (maybe more than JC since He did not espouse the prosperity gospel) and will continue to do so when he is sitting in prison, if we get that lucky.
Rather than trying to woo the unrepentant, the Dems should woo members of the Apathy Party. After all, people eligible but did not vote outnumber the the ones who voted for Trump and Clinton combined. They need to be convinced their vote does count, even it it is only one small pebble in an avalanche.
Well, Nancy Pelosi has said “no wall,” and she doesn’t strike me as one who gives in to bullies.
Whatever thump announces (if indeed he even bothers–there have been plenty of times when a big announcement was promised and a nothingberder arrived instead), he will spin it to prove that he is The Winner and that has he reduced his opponents to squealing, groveling LOSERS!
If he can’t do this, he’s not going to announce anything.
If he’d worked out a deal, hell if he’d proposed a deal, we’d have heard about it from the congressional side. I also think we’d have heard if it was an emergency declaration. I can’t imagine it will be anything more than grandstanding and blaming like last time.
Could we hope for a resignation, with him saying “You won’t have me to kick around anymore”?