So does mass media need to issue a blanket apology to Trump?

[CitizenBBN]

Barr's letter released today with Mueller's findings. TWO years, millions upon millions of dollars with near unlimited power to investigate, put in the hands of a staff of on the record Democratic party donor attorneys, finds:

which stated definitively that Mueller did not establish evidence that President Trump's team or any associates of the Trump campaign had conspired with Russia to sway the 2016 election -- "despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign."

Aaccording to Barr's letter, "The special counsel's investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its effort" to interfere with the 2016 presidential election in that manner.

"The Special Counsel did not find that any U.S. person or Trump campaign official or associate conspired or knowingly coordinated" with Russians who worked on those hacking efforts, according to Barr's letter, "despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign."

Barr'rs letter concluded: “After reviewing the Special Counsel’s final report on these issues… Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and I have concluded that the evidence developed during the Special Counsel’s investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense.”

Mueller said he employed 19 lawyers and approximately 40 FBI agents, executing hundreds of search warrants, 10 pen registers, and interviewed approximately 500 witnesses.


So can CNN, MSNBC, the networks, the Times, the Post all get together and write a single letter of apology and all sign it, or should they do an individual mea culpa for their outrageous partisan bias acting like a bunch of leg humping dogs drooling over the possibility of ending Trump's Presidency without another election?

Trump is not and never was some Russian operative. He an ass, he's petty, he's tempermental and childish, but he's not part of some vast Russian plot and he's not up at night secretly plotting how to overthrow the Constitution. Any more than Obama was a Muslim agent trying to do the same thing.

In fact, Mueller found that Trump and his people were OFFERED things by Russian connected people MULTIPLE times and they refused. How much more powerful of a vindication of the man and his people do we need before we can admit people may not like him or his politics but he is the LEGITIMATELY elected President of this nation, and return to debating policy instead of finding any means possible to undermine a legal, legitimate Presidency?

[CitizenBBN]

Oh and the Democrats have already announced this means nothing to their continued witch hunt (and Trump was proven right, that's what this is) in the House.

In the end such a move will hurt them IMO. Up to this point it's all about Trump and what he may have done. With Mueller saying he did nothing, it's now going to be the Democrats looking like the side that is continuing to divide instead of bring together, and trying to undermine a LEGITIMATE election b/c they didn't like the outcome. It's an abuse of power to subpoena 80+ people at a time with any possible connection to Trump in a fishing expedition, when the DOJ and FBI clearly threw their own procedures utterly out the window two years ago in an election, on both sides, and they refuse to do anything about it.

[CitizenBBN]

Oh, and on the obstruction, the report itself ends that question. To have obstruction you have to have an underlying crime someone is trying to cover up. Since there is no crime, there can't be obstruction of a crime.

this is an utter win for Trump. Utter and total. Trump has screamed "no collusion" at the top of his lungs, and that's what is now unequivocally found.

Democrats need to put a fork in this and go back to debating policy for elections, but of course they won't b/c if they run on The Green New Deal and AOC level extremism they will be crushed and they know it. Getting out the vote just b/c of it being Trump is their only hope. If Trump isn't the devil they have real issues in 2 years and they know it, so they will continue to try to make him the devil. Despite the fact it's crap.

2,800 subpoenas btw by Mueller, 500 witnesses, clearly turned Cohen and Manafort, and nothing. Nada.

[Catonahottinroof]

I hope the media, and the left side of this elected congress realizes that this vendetta they seek will make his re-election that much easier..... just do the country’s business and leave him be...

[CitizenBBN]

Personally I hope they're dumb enough to do just what they say they're going to do, subpoena and flail about and focus on Trump being the devil, and I hope the GOP and Trump are smart enough to utterly ignore it and focus on policy and accomplishing actual things.

Put up a real immigration reform package. A balanced one with increases in legal immigration limits but a wall to stop illegal immigration. Make Democrats vote it down, including DACA protections. Put up a health care solution and make Democrats vote against it.

[Doc]

I'm not naive enough to believe that Trump does not push the envelope. He is in real estate so its part of the deal. Odds are less than most politicians though. Harry Reid's outright lies about Mitt, or Hillary criminal handling of classified info, or ACO's campaign finance, or Charlie Rangles tax evasion, or Eric Holders numerous contempt charges, etc....I could list hundreds.

Nor am I naive enough to believe much of this is not retribution for the Starr investigation of Slick Willy where he was nailed for lying as a result not of anything prior to the investigation but during the investigation (just like Cohen and Flynn).

Nor am I naive enough to believe that the left will accept the results despite touting it as the do all for so long. They believed the investigation team was stacked enough to influence the investigation to the point they would find something (just like Kenneth Star's).

But its odd that the left wants full transparency with a FULL release of the report, and anything short will bring claims the redacted portions are where the proof is. That is because classified information and grand jury testimony is fine for public viewing (eye roll). Of course classified is only a recommendation...... and when the GOP wanted "transparency" concerning the IRS or Fast and Furious,or Benghazi, there was none from the previous administration. And when a border wall is deemed "too expensive" it falls on deaf ears when you consider the $25,000,000 plus price tag for a pile of nothing, something that 2 years from now has zero value, but it made democrats feel better to do anything and everything possible to obstruct the duly and legally elected Presidents agenda, not things they fundamentally disagreed with or policies they did not feel were good.....just doing whatever to interfere with the running of the country.

My prediction is they pay and pay hard come Nov 2020. Trump gets re-elected and the GOP gains back the Senate and keeps the House. Not something I want but the consequences will be monumental. Obama care will be repealed because the left will be in the minority and a party line vote will happen. Plus the SCOTUS will move further right when Ginsberg dies

[CitizenBBN]

Doc, I agree pretty much completely.

The investigation of Clinton and the absurdity of impeachment is crap, and I get some of this is retribution for it. That said, this investigation's scope was even more broad than that one, and that one was obviously a fishing expedition as well. Both have been.

The hypocrisy of wanting everything about Trump made public without regard to 'sources and methods' while arguing that actual questionable actions like Fast and Furious and Benghazi and the email scandal are all to be protected b/c of "sources and methods" is insulting.

Heck, the Democrats even wanted to block the House report on collusion, as did the senior intelligence and FBI/DOJ, and there was NOTHING in that release that risked anything. Washington is awfully funny about what they think should be secret and what should be public.

Judicial watch is STILL trying to get Clinton related docs and emails. Holder was held in contempt as AG for not releasing Fast and Furious Docs to CONGRESS.

For them to stomp their feet and act like there's a coverup over this is insulting and stupid, and you'd think even their supporters would call them out. If Barr withheld anything there are about 10,000 willing reporters ready to accept info from the Mueller people, and since all but one of his senior staff are donors to the DNC I'm sure one would happily get them that information. There's no way anything of significance could be suppressed from that report. No way.

People need to step back and get away from "their side". Trump is an asshat, but he's not a Russian agent or the devil or a hood wearing Klan member, just like how Obama was a socialist but not a Muslim foreign agent sent to overthrow the US.

Call out the GOP when they hide their dirty laundry and call out the Dems when they do it too. Demand ACCOUNTABILITY and TRANSPARENCY all the time, no matter which side it hurts.

In short, demand a government of, by and for The People. Release the entire Mueller report, and simultaneously release ALL the information on Clinton and the Clinton Foundation, on Benghazi, on Fast and Furious, on all of it. Release it all, all at once, even for both sides.

[CitizenBBN]

Nice article by Darrell Issa, who was IMO a throwback Congressman who was big on oversight and proper accountability.

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/demo...e-during-obama

He was a moderate GOP Congressman, California, retired, and a real loss to the Congress. He and Senator Grassley are two of my very favorites for their consistent determination to hold government accountable, no matter the party in power.

Elijah Cummings on the other hand is as bent and political as a Chicago Alderman. And yes I know that to be the case.

[badrose]

^^^Should be required reading^^^

[ukpumacat]

Nice article by Darrell Issa, who was IMO a throwback Congressman who was big on oversight and proper accountability.

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/demo...e-during-obama

He was a moderate GOP Congressman, California, retired, and a real loss to the Congress. He and Senator Grassley are two of my very favorites for their consistent determination to hold government accountable, no matter the party in power.

Elijah Cummings on the other hand is as bent and political as a Chicago Alderman. And yes I know that to be the case.

Not that it matters but I live really close to Issa. I've been to his office and had dinner with him several times.

[ukpumacat]

Btw, I am just glad all this is over. Tired of hearing about it on both sides.

[CitizenBBN]

Not that it matters but I live really close to Issa. I've been to his office and had dinner with him several times.

I'm curious if you're OK to share if he lives up to the image I have of him. He seems to have been more sincere than most, less spin and more focus on what are supposed to be GOP goals of things like reducing government waste, etc.

[Catonahottinroof]

I hope you are correct. But I believe social crusading lawmakers want the report made public and will try Trump in the court of public opinion over any evidence that exists. I do believe it will be released once all grand jury and classified data is redacted and it starts all over again.

Btw, I am just glad all this is over. Tired of hearing about it on both sides.

[CitizenBBN]

This is clearly not over. Now comes the thread of "obstruction" b/c he fired Comey, despite a recommendation from the Deputy AG to do so, and the fact that Comey should have been fired.

And in fact should have been fired for the handling of the Clinton thing AND the Russia investigation, which apparently was a gross violation of FBI rules to start with such insufficient evidence, and maybe fraud in the FISA warrant process.

But this won't end. Heck it's all the Democrats have to fluff up the base and get out the votes. The radical wing of their party wants to run on stuff that won't win general elections so they can't run on that and if they run on something moderate that wing goes up in arms.

So they'll still paint Trump as a deep cover Russian agent, they'll still scream obstruction when there was no crime, they'll subpoena everyone down to his bartender to hunt for any dirt they can get, etc.

What had to be the most partisan legal investigation in our lifetime found nothing after 2 years and thousands of subpoenas and 500+ warrants executed, but that's not good enough.

Mueller only left in the lifeline on obstruction to try to help the Dems have something to cling to, even that was partisan. He knows there's no obstruction b/c there was nothing to obstruct and that Comey was fired for good cause on the recommendations of a non-Trump AG.

[Doc]

What had to be the most partisan legal investigation in our lifetime found nothing after 2 years and thousands of subpoenas and 500+ warrants executed, but that's not good enough.

Mueller only left in the lifeline on obstruction to try to help the Dems have something to cling to, even that was partisan. He knows there's no obstruction b/c there was nothing to obstruct and that Comey was fired for good cause on the recommendations of a non-Trump AG.

But the summary was written by William Barr, who is clearly a Trump puppet. Despite congress confirming him, he clearly is not the lawyer he was reported to be.

[CitizenBBN]

But the summary was written by William Barr, who is clearly a Trump puppet. Despite congress confirming him, he clearly is not the lawyer he was reported to be.

And clearly he's stupid enough to misrepresent a report that a) will be made public, and b) could be leaked by any number of people who hate Trump and have access to it if it contained anything other than what he summarized.

He has direct quotes from the report that Mueller, after all this, not only found NO collusion (not just "not enough to prosecute" but NO collusion) but also found that the Russians tried on multiple occasions to collude with Trump people and were rejected.

How much more damned clear does it need to be?

This is reaching the point of pathetic. It's like the Dumb and Dumber scene where he asks "so you're saying there's a chance?".

And Schiff is out there doing his best McCarthy impression with "I have evidence" that he never releases. What a joke.

[dan_bgblue]

I do not think the media owes him an apology as in all fairness he gave as good as he got in that tit for tat war.

However, I do believe they owe the American people an apology for their lack of investigative reporting of the facts surrounding Hillary's private email server and the confidential documents that server held, the dealings she and Bill had with Russia, and the justice departments refusal to nail her mangy hide to the wall for what she did as SOS.

[ukpumacat]

I'm curious if you're OK to share if he lives up to the image I have of him. He seems to have been more sincere than most, less spin and more focus on what are supposed to be GOP goals of things like reducing government waste, etc.

Well, I can't say that I can say too much about him personally just because I don't feel I know him well enough.

Two things stand out: He has a very hard (and unpopular) line he draws on Middle East relations that I actually found to be refreshing. He is a stalwart for peace there and visited countries when it was not popular to do so (especially in conservative circles). I really appreciated that side of him.

As far as spin...I would say that changed while he was in office. For years, he didn't care a lot about that. People around him loved him because of it. He hired a PR guy who changed all of that several years ago. They started referring to themselves (mostly privately) as Issa Enterprises. They started really managing his interviews. And before long, Issa was almost never home and local constituents grew frustrated.
At the same time...as a career move, it worked. He quickly became a power player in Washington and he was not before at all. Locally, that wasn't popular and eventually cost him his job (that and his support of Trump early on). This area is considered a moderately conservative area. A lot of wealth and therefore folks who are fiscally conservative (especially on taxes). But Trump is about as unpopular as you can possibly be here (and I mean amongst conservatives). So, Issa supporting him, was pretty much the final nail in an already built coffin as he had come to be considered a "Washington" guy and not a local guy.