Posted on 12/05/2017 7:01:53 AM PST by SeekAndFind
The probe into Russian collusion is about to get a lot more personal. Bloomberg reports that the main lender for the Trump family’s financial empire has begun cooperating with Robert Mueller’s investigation after the special counsel got a subpoena for their records. Democrats in Congress have long demanded to know whether Trump’s dealings with Deutsche Bank had any connections with Russia, but Trump warned early on that he’d act if Mueller attempted to go that far outside his mandate:
Special prosecutor Robert Mueller zeroed in on President Donald Trump’s business dealings with Deutsche Bank AG as his investigation into alleged Russian meddling in U.S. elections widens.
Mueller issued a subpoena to Germany’s largest lender several weeks ago, forcing the bank to submit documents on its relationship with Trump and his family, according to a person briefed on the matter, who asked not to be identified because the action has not been announced. …
Deutsche Bank for months has rebuffed calls by Democratic lawmakers to provide more transparency over the roughly $300 million Trump owed to the bank for his real estate dealings prior to becoming president. Representative Maxine Waters of California and other Democrats have asked whether the bank’s loans to Trump, made years before he ran for president, were in any way connected to Russia. The bank previously rejected those demands, saying sharing client data would be illegal unless it received a formal request to do so. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
Five months ago, Trump called any move by Mueller into unrelated financial issues a “red line” that could prompt him to exercise his executive authority in regard to the special counsel. That depended on whether the inquiry had a relation to the Russian question:
SCHMIDT: Last thing, if Mueller was looking at your finances and your family finances, unrelated to Russia — is that a red line?…
TRUMP: I would say yeah. I would say yes. By the way, I would say, I don’t — I don’t — I mean, it’s possible there’s a condo or something, so, you know, I sell a lot of condo units, and somebody from Russia buys a condo, who knows? I don’t make money from Russia. In fact, I put out a letter saying that I don’t make — from one of the most highly respected law firms, accounting firms. I don’t have buildings in Russia. They said I own buildings in Russia. I don’t. They said I made money from Russia. I don’t. It’s not my thing. I don’t, I don’t do that. Over the years, I’ve looked at maybe doing a deal in Russia, but I never did one. Other than I held the Miss Universe pageant there eight, nine years [crosstalk]…
SCHMIDT: But if he was outside that lane, would that mean he’d have to go?…
TRUMP: No, I think that’s a violation. Look, this is about Russia.
That’s the $64,000 question, right? What does Deutsche Bank’s loans to Trump have to do with Russian influence on the election? The bank has worked with Trump since the 1990s, long before the tycoon decided to enter politics as a candidate. The special counsel’s mission — or at least its original mandate — was supposed to determine whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russian intelligence to hack the DNC and John Podesta, as well as coordinate a propaganda campaign during the election. Deutsche Bank seems like a target far afield from that mission, and more like Mueller has taken on a far broader role as a shadow Department of Justice.
In fact, this is rather curious. Democrats may have wanted to depose Deutsche Bank but Russia was only an excuse. They wanted to get to Trump’s financial records to dig up any tax evasion or other financial crimes to use against him. Without any clear connection to Russian collusion in 2015-16, why exactly does Mueller want to see those records? Has this become a tax evasion case? If so, what dirt could Mueller get that the IRS couldn’t make stick in tax audits every year for the last two decades, the last eight of which took place during the Obama administration’s politicization of the IRS?
However, that is the unfortunate history of special counsels under any name over the last few decades. The nature of their authority lends itself to ever-expanding scopes as they attempt to gain leverage over material witnesses. We’ve already seen that with the indictment of Paul Manafort and Rick Gates for money laundering and rarely-charged FARA violations, none of which had to do with the theory of Russian collusion that started the investigation. This is why appointing special counsels is a very bad idea; one should only make that choice when all of the other options are so bad that they make a special counsel look good, and it’s arguable as to whether that was the case in May.
The other $64,000 question is what Trump does now. He has the authority to fire Robert Mueller, or more accurately to order Rod Rosenstein to do so, but that puts Trump in position for an impeachment — especially if Rosenstein refuses. Trump likely didn’t commit obstruction in the legal sense in firing Comey, but he’d be clearly committing obstruction in the political sense if he fired Mueller now. Trump’s supporters would be delighted, but so would Democrats in Congress who might get enough Republicans to wonder just what Trump has to hide after all. This could be the briar-patch toss for which Democrats have salivated since Mueller got appointed seven months ago.
I fully expect that Sessions will be transferred after Dec. 12th. when the Judge takes his seat in the senate.
>>Trump’s best move at this point would be to fire Jeff Sessions and insist that his replacement start a parallel investigation of Hillary and the Clintons.
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And add another Special Counsel to investigate Mueller, Rosenstein, Weisman, McCabe, etc.
“The impeachment “way” has already been “paved.” Trump must fire Sessions, Mueller and Rosenstein - and accept the ‘Rat/Media fallout.”
Yup. Gut the DOJ top to bottom, stem to stern. If the Repukis want to try impeachment, they better be immune to tar and feathering.
I say it’s not Mueller as much as it is Hillary.
The cockeyed obsessed woman desperately needs a reason for her loss.
Mueller is obviously on a string......being manipulated.
He MUST find a Russian connection to Trump. Even if its only that Trump ate wild salmon that once swam in Russian waters (smirk).
Hillary’s obsessions are being visited on Mueller.
And Mueller will do anything to appease loser Hillary.
I see eventual civil disobedience ...this time from the right....and they won’t be wearing pink hats.
As soon as the tax bill passes the President will be free to fire Jeff Sessions. The President can then appoint an AG in the interim that is an all out attack dog. Rudy Giuliani comes to mind. If the President fired Sessions and appointed Giuliani he would not have to do anything more to end the scam investigation of Mueller. Mueller would end his investigation, retire and decide to travel the world the same day.
“Fill your hand you son-of-a-bitch!”
Rooster Cogburn, US Marshall
Fishing for a crime in Trump’s banking records is way beyond Mueller’s mandate. Trump should fire Mueller and carefully explain why (not on Twitter).
All enemiwws, foreign and domestic.
Waaaay passed time that congress grow a spine and defund and end Muellers witch hunt
He , Comey , and McCabe should all be in jail
Mueller has NOTHING!!! He has used his tokens and have found not a thing that Trump/ Russia were colluding on anything...
This thing with Flynn was planned a long time ago in the beginning of this ‘witch hunt’ because Flynn was an Obama dude, let then Candidate Trump know some information and then sided with Trump...Mueller and gang are upset about that, why all the ‘wire taps’ if they weren’t worried about what they ‘didn’t know’...
Mueller is grabbing at straws, if Donald J. Trump and Company (civilian) American with a business had done anything wrong at any time, there are plenty of Businessmen out there that would have hauled his company to court...some tired, but didn’t have the goods...they don’t have the goods now and won’t have...
Our President is one of the most honest, God Fearing men we have had leading our Great Nation for many years, the dirty, filthy, pedo-RATS can’t take it, everything including the kitchen sink is coming out on them, very little coming out on the GOPe’s ... we don’t have REPUBLICANS anymore...
I trust Our President and support him in all he does, or I wouldn’t have fought as hard and long as I did to get him in office...as a lot of you have fought long and hard to do the same...
‘THE FORCE AWAKENS!!!’...Trump and Pence: MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!.
Trump, *ORDER* sessions to appoint a special prosecutor to look into the Uranium One scandal in which Mueller is involved. Let us see if we can bring criminal charges against the Witch Hunt prosecutor himself!
“Otherwise the Dems will destroy this nation.”
They have...
Don’t think so. Mueller is dirty imho and is all wrapped up in Uranium one and Hillary’s e-mails. He is trying to muddy the water to avoid being indicted himself.
This is crappy analysis and just plain WRONG. Trump can fire Mueller if he doesn't like his haircut. No reason needs to be given. It means nothing about "obstruction."
This. Trump needs to *ORDER* Sessions to appoint prosecutors to go after the Hillary Mafia, and to include Mueller's involvement in it.
Put Mueller's @$$ in Jeopardy. That needs to happen anyway.
We are fast on our way to a constitutional crisis here. Mueller, Comey et al are leftovers from a rival political party. It can be argued at this point that they are impeding the Office of the President United States to do its job and engaging in a coup. If shown to be done for political purposes, they would all be arrested without question, preferably by the military.
Mueller.....
He is trying to generate an excuse for an impeachment charge resulting from a response that can be twisted and bent and contorted
The defense is the indictments of hundreds of both big and small fry democrats
Fear of such events is the sole reason for the existence of Mueller.
Now would be a good time for Trump to declare a State of Emergency, drop a MOAB on Congress and start rounding up domestic enemies Erdogan style.
Hell, I’d pay all kinds of extra taxes if he could pull that off.
No Muellers’ investigation is falling apart. The DOJ and FBI are shown to be utterly corrupt. In a few more months it will be Mueller, Comey, Yates and others under investigation. Trump should not take the bate. Let things play out. Muellers’ got nothing.
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