About The Author
BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
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Recent Posts
- Day 40: Republicans Contemplate Giving Up On Deficit Control Forever
- Progress Pondcast Episode 22 With Bill Hangley Jr, on DOGE and U.S. Alliance With Russia
- Day 37: The Last Bulwarks Protecting the Merit-Based Civil Service
- Day 36: German Conservatives Win, Denounce American Conservatives
- Day 33: Trump and Putin Pursue a Deal on Ukraine
I hope you’re right I hope you’re right I hope you’re right.
Boo, I’m very interested in your take on this piece by David Frum. He’s certainly not my favorite opiner, by any means, but does he have a valid point here?
Booman will express himself, obviously, but I found Frum’s thesis silly. He prefers some sort of CONGRESSIONALLY mandated special commission. And what evidence suggests the GOP congressional leadership would so that?
I have spent some time this evening looking into the concerns expressed by Frum, and I think your characterization that his thesis as silly is spot on.
For what difference it makes, Josh Marshall at TPM has a post up reacting to the Mueller appointment, and it’s somewhat along the lines of Frum’s piece. As Marshall points out, there are extensive issues that may not involve crimes but which nevertheless require a thorough investigation and public accounting. We need, for example, a full explanation of Russian meddling, including how it was carried out and how we and other Western countries can protect ourselves from further such attacks. If criminal actions were involved, of course those should be dealt with; but a special-prosecutor investigation focused on criminality would not cover the entire ground, and it’s unclear how public Mueller’s report will be. (Reports by U.S. attorneys to prosecutors are typically confidential, Comey’s behavior in 2016 notwithstanding.)
Those who are dismissing Frum’s piece might want to look at Marshall’s comments. I’ve generally found his views thoughtful and worth considering.
To add to this: there’s an extensive discussion of Mueller’s appointment up on the “Lawfare” blog, and it makes many of the same points made above. That post makes clear that Mueller’s report will be confidential — and a confidential report just won’t get large parts of the job done. Although they are very pleased with the Mueller appointment and generally favorable to the terms set for his work, the “Lawfare” group strongly supports “an additional appropriately-resourced and more independent investigation,” along with Mueller’s work and the Senate and House intel committee efforts (“one of which is credible and the other of which may still redeem itself”).
As far as I’m concerned what happened in the open represents grounds for impeachment. Trump publicly encouraged Russia to continue their interference in the election after it was made public. Specifically he openly encouraged them to commit criminal acts against Clinton to help him win the election and made a quid-pro-quo offer to accept the annexation of Crimea.
By itself that walks right up to the edge of being criminal. It’s certainly collusion. The rest is details.
I’d love to be just as enthused as Mr. Longman, but I think there are reasons this event could have all the sonic impact of a cherry bomb.
— As David Frum suggests, the special prosecutor (for which Democrats were perhaps politically required to call, since that’s what everyone has been trained to expect) may not be the best course.
— By sending the whole “Trump issue” over to a special prosecutor, Republicans have created a perfect excuse to say and do absolutely nothing about anything for as long as the special prosecutor’s investigation goes forward, which will be functionally forever in “political time.” Trump can do whatever he wants to do, and Republicans now have a perfect all-purpose pressure-relief valve. In particular, they will be able to deflect any idea of impeachment or likely of a 25th-Amendment solution. Those have of course been long shots to start with, but a certain amount of public clamor was emerging for real Congressional oversight leading perhaps to decisive action. That may now be dissipated in return for a Republican-led investigation of uncertain outcome and very uncertain duration.
I’m not sure that in this situation “BOOM!” is exactly the right response.
otoh T’s admin is pretty dysfunctional and should remain dysfunctional for the duration, making carrying out R agenda difficult or impossible.
David Corn’s twitter has some interesting items
Yeah. The embarrassing, possibly-illegal revelations may slow to a trickle of only one or two a week, but still.
one to two a week is still a lot
Sorry, I think this is a bit naive and assumes that the Trump Administration will become normal when there is no reason to think that’s the case. Yes, it potentially removes some of the pressure on the investigating committees but it’s not as if they are going to drop the matter.
The Republican Congress wasn’t going to do anything substantial anyway. And while Mueller may keep tight-lipped, what is killing Trump is all the leaks from within his administration. The intelligence agencies and some people within the administration are trying to take him down by a thousand cuts, and Mueller can’t stop this. In fact, I think a lot about the Mueller investigation will leak, just not from Mueller – from staffers or even TLAs.
“He’s an absolutely superb choice,” said Kathryn Ruemmler, a former prosecutor and White House counsel under Mr. Obama. “He will just do a completely thorough investigation without regard to public pressure or political pressure.”
It is good news for the country. Someone regarded as independent will look into all of this.
I have no idea what he will find.
Well, surely you’ve got some idea.
Not based on evidence.
No matter what he finds, it won’t be enough for the sore losers.
Finding evidence of an impeachable offense wouldn’t be enough for “sore losers”?
I accepted that on November 9. She lost and while the Russian propaganda campaign in support of the fascist candidate (something they have repeated all over Western Europe) was one factor it wasn’t the only factor or even the main factor.
This is about Trump not being fit for office. If Clinton lost to Kasisch I wouldn’t have liked it but I also wouldn’t fear for our country’s long term relationships with allies.
You are the one making this all about Clinton not the rest of us here.
If you follow @LouiseMensch @TrueFactsStated and @20committee you know much, much more. Usually far overstated, and often before their “skis” but I think they are being used as conduits of real info.
…almost as if they were a counter-intelligence op being run by “the good guys”. (I just couldn’t figure out if it was disinformation to scare the hell out of TeamTreason…and I still think that some/much of it is.)
The Russia-Trump collusion to steal the 2016 election investigation has been going on for nearly a year. One would think that in this hysterical climate if there were any shreds of evidence it would have been leaked.
So, is Rachel Maddow gonna shut-up about Russia if Mueller finds a big dud? Nah! This is all about ratings and keeping the horse race mindset in full gear. Nothing about truth or debate on the real issues.
What I find amazing is that those hysterical about alleged Russian influence peddling have no qualms about being in the pocket of the Saudis and the Likudniks. It is all about the pot calling the kettle black.
hey, you forgot to mention George Soros and Elizabeth Warren!
PS Last time ab initio posted a comment @BooMan! How the value of this community has deteriorated, seems like a different century we’re living in. 🙁
WARNING: Today such a comment will get you a troll rating!!
First Mueller, now Jabba the Hutt Cosplay Enthusiast Roger Ailes has died.
I’m told not to speak ill of the dead. Ergo, I have nothing to say about that __ ___ ____.