That Crazy Talk About Robert Mueller

New Post Public Reply Private Reply Replies (0) Message Board

Nov 1, 2017 at 2:13 AM 190

Quote:

That Crazy Talk About Robert Mueller

Editorial

]

CreditIllustration by John J. Custer; Photograph by Tom Brenner/The New York Times

By The Editorial Board
Oct. 31, 2017

And then they came for Robert Mueller.

If there were any remaining hope that Republicans would accept the precise, methodical work of this veteran, highly respected, Republican-appointed law enforcement official — the man Newt Gingrich once called a “superb choice to be special counsel” — it has evaporated in a fog of propaganda and delirious conspiracy theories.

In the real world, Mr. Mueller, appointed as special counsel after President Trump fired the F.B.I. director, James Comey, in May, is doing the job he was hired to do — smoke out any and all links between the Trump campaign and the Russian government officials who assaulted American sovereignty in 2016 in an effort to get Mr. Trump elected.

These days, the most serious attacks on American governance are coming not from abroad, but from Mr. Trump’s aides and his allies in the right-wing media and Congress. As ludicrous as these attacks seem, they could yet lead to a constitutional crisis.

Reading the increasingly outlandish theories cooked up by Mr. Trump’s defenders and apologists is like entering an alternate, upside-down universe where Hillary Clinton remains Public Enemy No. 1.

In these irrelevant tales, Mrs. Clinton (or, as Sean Hannity called her on Monday, “President Clinton”) is the real colluder, working stealthily with the Russians to — stay with us here — destroy her own candidacy.

Also, she and Bill Clinton once sold American uranium to the Russians. Also, Robert Mueller failed to fully investigate that sale when he led the F.B.I., so he’s complicit in it, too, not to mention he has ties to Mr. Comey, who also led the F.B.I. Also, some of his investigators donated to Democratic candidates.

There’s no bottom to the delusion on display. At this point, investigators could release videotapes of Vladimir Putin personally handing Mr. Trump a uranium-lined briefcase filled with stolen emails, and the right-wing armada would find a way to blame Mrs. Clinton. (This would be followed, of course, by a congressional investigation to identify who leaked the tapes.)

These efforts at obfuscation and misdirection would be laughable, but they are linked to a very real and dangerous move by Trump allies throughout right-wing media and the government to shut down the Russia investigation for good.

It’s no secret that Mr. Trump has been itching to get rid of Mr. Mueller since soon after his appointment as special counsel in May. Mr. Trump’s advisers have told him that would be a terrible idea and have reportedly talked him out of it more than once. But the calls for such a move are now coming from some of the most influential voices in conservative media, as are other equally bad proposals, like urging that Mr. Mueller resign and that Mr. Trump pardon anyone and everyone caught up in the Russia investigation — including himself.

Mr. Trump would be wise to continue to ignore these loony ideas and restrain his own authoritarian reflexes. The president of the United States, no less than any citizen, lives under the law, not above it; Mr. Mueller’s investigation is the embodiment of that fact . Removing him now, after he has already secured two indictments, including one for Mr. Trump’s former campaign chief, and a guilty plea by a foreign-policy adviser, would send the message that Mr. Trump and his aides are accountable to no one.

Over the last several weeks, a few top Republicans have found the courage to say out loud what a majority of Americans have known for a long time: With his erratic behavior and antidemocratic eruptions, Donald Trump is presenting a profound danger to security of the nation and the stability of the world order. So far, these dissidents have beat their chests in a safe space, giving eloquent speeches on their way out the door.

But it will not be hard for them to turn their words into actions if Mr. Trump gives in to an impulse to fire Mr. Mueller. Do the math: Three Republican senators (looking at you, Mr. McCain, Mr. Corker and Mr. Flake), joining with 48 Democrats, could bring the Senate to a halt until Mr. Mueller was reinstated — no tax cuts, no more judges confirmed.

The scenario in which Mr. Mueller loses his job, or Mr. Trump further abuses his pardon power, is hypothetical — and may it remain so — but if it materializes, it will fall to Congress to defend the foundations of American democracy, the separation of powers and the rule of law.

Newer

Older

Scroll down for more posts ▼

Top 10 Most Recent News Articles

Capricor Faces Lawsuit: Investors Should Take Note

Capricor Therapeutics: A Rough Road Ahead If you've got skin in the game with Capricor Therapeutics, these latest developments might have you feeling a bit queasy. Forget the greasy diner fare today; this situation calls for some serious contemplation and maybe a bit of antacid. Over at NASDAQ:CAPR, the air is hot with allegations, stock price nosedives, and looming legal...

CAPR Faces Lawsuit and FDA Delay: Investor Alert

Trouble Brewin' for Capricor Investors Buckle up, folks. Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CAPR) is caught in a storm, facing not just the lengthy arm of law with a securities class action, but also a seemingly endless wait with the FDA's decision on their lead product. We're talking serious implications for anyone with skin in the game. The FDA's Delayed Blessing So the...

Travel Smart: Support Wildlife, Avoid Exploitation

Rethink Wildlife Tourism for Ethical Travel You ever stopped to think about what those so-called wildlife attractions are really selling? It’s a feel-good illusion wrapped up in exploitation. Travelers often see animals as part of the backdrop of their holiday stories, but the reality is far from picturesque. Behind the photo ops, there's typically a grim story of...

ECRI Welcomes Safety Expert Meshkati to Its Board

The Safety Maverick Steps into Healthcare They've gone and done it—appointed a rockstar of systems safety to ECRI's Board of Trustees. Professor Najmedin Meshkati, who's practically been around every major industrial accident of the past few decades, is about to shake things up. Imagine the guy who's dissected calamities like the BP Texas City Refinery explosion and the...

United Imaging's CE Mark Ignites CT Innovation in Europe

United Imaging's Big Leap in CT Technology Listen up, folks. United Imaging just got the go-ahead to shake things up in Europe with their dual wide-coverage CT family. We're talking about the uCT SiriuX and the even more amped-up uCT SiriuX Ultrix. They’ve snagged the CE mark, a passport to roll out these impressive machines across the continent. Revolutionizing...

Cypress Wood's Resilience in Louisiana's Humidity

Timber Talk with Wes McAdams Diving into the nitty-gritty of building materials isn't everyone's cup of tea, but when you live in a place like Baton Rouge, understanding what stands up to the swampy summer heat is plain survival. The main focus? Cypress wood. Now, Wes McAdams from Cajun Cypress throws his hat into the ring, shedding some light on why cypress might just be...

Drones Propel Precision Agriculture Market's Skyrocketing Growth

Transforming Fields with a Bird's Eye View The old-school way of agricultural surveying is about as appealing as a broken plow in a rainstorm. Trudging across miles of farmland, hoping to spot issues before they turn into wallet-drainers—who's got time for that? Enter drones, the buzzing saviors of the modern farm. These high-tech marvels, loaded with multispectral and...

Innventure Faces Securities Lawsuit After 74% Stock Drop

Innventure's Stunning Plummet: A Lesson in Investor Caution Investors in Innventure, Inc. (NASDAQ: INV) got a harsh reminder of the market's volatility when the company's stock value nosedived by a staggering 74%. From May 27, 2026, just before the forensic bombshell by Morpheus Research, to August 14, 2026, Innventure's stock went from shaky to downright catastrophic....

Aurra Markets Wins 'Most Transparent Broker' Award 2026

Spotlight on Transparency in Trading Alright, so Aurra Markets snagged the 'Most Transparent Broker' award at the Money Expo in Mumbai this year. From the greasy streets of trading floors to the polished halls of Jio World Convention Centre, transparency is one of those golden words you hear tossed around, but like finding a needle in a haystack, it’s not always easy to...

Eluvio's Broadcast Revolution: Zero-Copy AI Streaming

The Game-Changing Shift in Broadcast Tech Eluvio's latest reveal at IBC 2026 shows they've taken the gloves off in the broadcast arena. They're pitching an all-in-one Global Broadcast Fabric that's turning heads with its zero-copy distribution and inline AI capabilities. No more dilly-dallying with satellites or cumbersome cloud solutions. Instead, they've cut right to...