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Former Obama Department Of Justice Official: Mueller ‘Almost Certainly Won’t Indict Trump’
The Daily Caller ^ | 27 Jan 2018 | JOE SIMONSON

Posted on 01/27/2018 7:02:15 AM PST by mandaladon

A former Department of Justice appointee under former President Barack Obama said special counsel Robert Mueller “almost certainly won’t indict” President Donald Trump at the conclusion of his investigation.

Eric Columbus, former senior counsel to the deputy attorney general under Obama, explained on Twitter why we should not expect any criminal charges against Trump, despite a growing chorus of pundits and Democratic politicians predicting that Mueller is building an obstruction of justice case.

Mueller almost certainly won't indict Trump – not because it would be unconstitutional, but because Mueller's authority is very different from Ken Starr's was. I can explain. As Columbus points out, the law guiding independent counsel Kenneth Starr that allowed him to indict then-President Bill Clinton Starr’s investigation into the Clinton during the 1990s had expired in 1999 “amidst concern that ICs had too much leeway,” he writes.

Mueller is a “special counsel,” the position that replaced independent counsels, out of concern that ICs had too much power, Columbus notes.

In other words, Mueller “is essentially the equivalent of a U.S. Attorney, except that his jurisdiction is defined by topic rather than geography,” wrote Columbus. Therefore, Mueller reports to deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein because Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: ericcolumbus; fbi; jamescomey; mueller; peterstrzok; robertmueller; robrosenstein; trump; trumprussia; twitter
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To: amihow

“What act did Trump do which could obstruct justice?”

He was elected. /s


21 posted on 01/27/2018 8:10:11 AM PST by chuckee
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To: CurlyDave

“One more year of the same and popularity may be over 50%.”

Come on, you know polls are fake news. It’s probably over 65% already.


22 posted on 01/27/2018 8:24:29 AM PST by dsc (Any attempt to move a government to the left is a crime against humanity.)
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To: Gahanna Bob; LS

Don’t tell CNN.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

don’t tell mad maxine either


23 posted on 01/27/2018 8:25:08 AM PST by thinden
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To: mandaladon
My only reason for thinking that Mueller will blink and not make a “finding” that Trump obstructed justice will be because at that point any and all evidence that may have influenced the president's actions MUST be made public, including all “classified” evidence. You can't allege a president committed a crime and then claim that ANY of the evidence is classified. And Trump would, of course, mount a vigorous defense of his actions. And there would of course be congressional hearings, all in public. This would rip the heart out of the deep state, and ultimately, it would implicate 0bama in a bevy of criminal acts.

Knowing what we know now, I suspect Mueller's pals in the deep state are pleading with him not to make any allegations against Trump, and to let the matter go. If he presses forward they know they will all be exposed.

24 posted on 01/27/2018 8:32:28 AM PST by mojito (Zero, our Nero.)
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To: Parmy

“Don’t forget that Mueller is as dirty as the rest of them. “
Anyone who by sheer agreement to serve in the filthy Obama administration is by definition a snake.


25 posted on 01/27/2018 9:01:59 AM PST by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: Spok

Consider the timing.

All hell will soon break loose on the Obama/Hillary/DOJ/FBI felonies and attempted coup.

And after fifteen months of nothing but the certainty of Trump/Russia collusion we read today: <>For starters, Rosenstein can “veto any Mueller action he deems inappropriate or unwarranted,”<>

This is a peace (probably too late) offering. IOW, Rosenstein can make the phony investigation go away if Congress & President Trump stop the pending leg chains for lots of senior rats.


26 posted on 01/27/2018 9:48:35 AM PST by Jacquerie (ArticleVBlog.com)
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To: LS

Thank you!!


27 posted on 01/27/2018 10:29:22 AM PST by snarkytart
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To: mandaladon


28 posted on 01/27/2018 10:35:29 AM PST by gaijin
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To: LS

A sitting POTUS cannot under any circumstances be indicted, EVER


29 posted on 01/27/2018 10:50:04 AM PST by stockpirate (TYRANNY IS THY NAME REBELLION IS OUR ANSWER. HANG THEM ALL!)
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To: Texas Fossil

Trump will not have Mueller charged, but Mueller will leave a disgraced man.


30 posted on 01/27/2018 10:54:11 AM PST by stockpirate (TYRANNY IS THY NAME REBELLION IS OUR ANSWER. HANG THEM ALL!)
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To: mandaladon

Because Trump isn’t guilty of anything.


31 posted on 01/27/2018 1:06:02 PM PST by ViLaLuz (2 Chronicles 7:14)
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To: amihow
The only action they can point to as supposed obstruction of justice is firing Comey...after Rosenstein wrote a memo outlining why Comey deserved to be fired.

That, and supposedly thinking about firing Mueller.

As far back as 167 B.C., Cato the Elder pointed out that you can't be prosecuted for just thinking about violating a law. But of course the Romans did not have to contend with the Ninth Circuit.

If the supposed conversation between Trump and the White House counsel took place when only two people were present, and assuming that the counsel is not leaking to the enemy media, it would seem that the story must be based on a leak from Mueller's team (whether Mueller ordered it or not).

32 posted on 01/27/2018 3:35:06 PM PST by Verginius Rufus
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To: Verginius Rufus

If Comey the lynchpin to obstruction why haven’t they moved sooner?


33 posted on 01/27/2018 3:51:54 PM PST by amihow
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To: amihow

Maybe Mueller’s timetable is geared towards making the maximum impact on the November 2018 elections. If the Democrats get a majority in the House of Representatives, they will use his report as a basis for impeachment.


34 posted on 01/27/2018 3:55:21 PM PST by Verginius Rufus
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To: mojito
There are no rules or standards for any of those people. If there were, we wouldn't have had FISA warrants from a fake dossier or a special council.

They make up the rules as they go along. And with a nonexistent AG, we are stuck in hell.

35 posted on 01/27/2018 3:58:35 PM PST by Lagmeister ( false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders Mark 13:22)
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To: Verginius Rufus

Uh. Justice delayed is collusion. Hehe.


36 posted on 01/27/2018 4:24:22 PM PST by amihow
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