McConnell blocks bill calling for public release of Mueller report

If it’s all good for Trump, why hide it?

I just asked for the Senate to pass a resolution to make public the full Mueller report.

This same resolution passed the House 420-0.

But @SenateMajLdr McConnell just objected.

What are they trying to hide?
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) March 25, 2019

You know, because the report is a TOTAL EXONERATION of Trump. https://t.co/zAD301puPj
— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) March 25, 2019

NEW: Mitch McConnell has blocked a non-binding resolution to make Mueller's full report public that passed unanimously in the Househttps://t.co/AkUp4FhOkI
— Axios (@axios) March 25, 2019

If the report clears Trump, why are you blocking its release to the American people? https://t.co/Q18mtg3298
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) March 25, 2019

The Barr letter on the Mueller report

I don’t think we can evaluate the report until we see it. I am not surprised that Barr concluded there was no obstruction of justice – he has basically endorsed presidential authority which is why Trump picked him.

I don’t know what the legal definition of conspiracy is and apparently Trump and his campaign didn’t meet it. They met with the Russians to get dirt on Clinton. If that’s not illegal, it’s still wrong. Trump told Russia on live TV to get Clinton’s emails and they listened. If that’s not illegal, it’s still wrong.

Barr has helped Trump by squashing the obstruction of justice issue. I want Congress to weigh in.

I still believe Trump is a criminal and belongs in jail. If nothing else, he (AKA individual 1) participated on the election-related crimes that Michael Cohen is going to jail for. I hope he is indicted by SDNY as soon as he leaves office. There are lots of other investigations and we’ll see what they find.

The letter states that Mueller found Russia interfered in the 2016 election. Will Trump finally admit this or does his still believe his friend Putin?

If I was Trump and his team, I would be pleased with the outcome. However, they still have to lie about it and claim it was total vindication. It wasn’t. Isn’t the truth ever good enough for them?

One big question – if they didn’t commit crimes, why did Trump and his team lie over and over again about contacts with Russia? Doesn’t that matter?

There have been hundreds, maybe thousands of tweets. I am posting a few of the best overviews.

The Barr story, made simple:

* Trump won in part due to a massive foreign attack on our democracy.

* Trump engaged in extensive abuses of power to prevent a reckoning into that.

* Trump's AG is blocking a public airing on both those fronts.

My piece:https://t.co/Ox6969NPcs
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) March 25, 2019

This is a terrific, highly skeptical NYT deconstruction of William Barr's decision to jump in and clear Trump on obstruction, when Mueller pointedly did not do so.

First, the NYT strongly suggests decision was highly irregular and driven by politics:https://t.co/XsnJT6EC5P pic.twitter.com/jctH9kpvbf
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) March 26, 2019

Trump may not have “conspired” or “coordinated” with the Russian government, but he welcomed its interference in the U.S. election, lied to cover up the attack, and did his utmost to stymie investigations of Russia’s actions. My @PostOpinions column: https://t.co/U9Pz3RRlUy
— Max Boot (@MaxBoot) March 25, 2019

Why did Mueller punt on obstruction, leaving the decision to Barr?https://t.co/1lNuqiZTB3
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) March 25, 2019

A very smart take on Barr and the Mueller Report, from one not hostile to Trump, @henryolsenEPPC https://t.co/Pryx8IDI0J
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) March 26, 2019

This thread 🔥 https://t.co/ZBZspCk2U1
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) March 25, 2019

Brilliant thread. I hope all media reads. https://t.co/nl5m6AjYVM
— Mimi Rocah (@Mimirocah1) March 25, 2019

My new Letter from Washington>>> https://t.co/aQKPTSr0B1
— Susan Glasser (@sbg1) March 25, 2019

Not to get crazy here: but how does Barr’s summary memo negate concerns over Trump’s pursuit of business deals in Moscow, his shady inauguration funding or his false statements (such as the one dictated on AF1)? Can’t people find that troublesome even sans proof of collusion? https://t.co/d46WbIDdeB
— Sam Stein (@samstein) March 26, 2019

"It seems hard for me to imagine that Bob Mueller asked Bill Barr to do this"

"That's just not the way he's wound" – fmr AG @EricHolder on Barr making Mueller probe obstruction conclusion pic.twitter.com/HnM9OzUZR9
— TheBeat w/Ari Melber (@TheBeatWithAri) March 25, 2019

"I talked to my former boss Eric Holder today, he said he couldn't remember one time in 6 years that a prosecution decision came to him without a recommendation"@matthewamiller on former Attorney General Eric Holder and the Barr report: pic.twitter.com/79yMLOPbDL
— TheBeat w/Ari Melber (@TheBeatWithAri) March 25, 2019

“On close reading, Barr’s putative summary of the Mueller report clears Trump of only the most narrowly drawn accusations, which nobody was making.” Read @brianbeutler. https://t.co/5yzPzgCipI
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) March 25, 2019

THIS IS WHAT WE CARE ABOUT👇🏾 https://t.co/6Er8iDTzQD
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) March 25, 2019

THREAD. The claim that the activities of the Trump campaign didn't meet the criminal threshold of conspiracy doesn't address the nat security question of whether these members were or are acting in the country's best interests. A trip down memory lane of my pieces that explain:
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) March 25, 2019

"[Barr's] version of the Mueller report is imprinted on the brains of lots and lots of people. So when it later comes out that, well, it's more of a mixed bag for the president, everyone's moved on, it's old news, and I worry about that." — @PreetBharara https://t.co/1oKi61n1Gz pic.twitter.com/tMPrXOenSm
— Pod Save America (@PodSaveAmerica) March 25, 2019

This is a very important read as the entire media rushes to exonerate Trump based on a report they haven’t read summarized by a Trump ally with a known bias against the Mueller probe https://t.co/2qCxZyIFQV
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) March 25, 2019

President Trump's potential criminal liability is far from over. There is compelling evidence that he may have personally committed up to eight criminal offenses while campaigning for president and during the first year of his presidency. https://t.co/gvM99107yI
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) March 25, 2019

"If there is any exoneration on the question of whether Trump obstructed justice, it has been done by Barr, not by Mueller," writes @neal_katyal: https://t.co/Taj59EyjcG
— POLITICO Magazine (@POLITICOMag) March 25, 2019

The president and his talkers falsely denied Russian interference. They falsely denied meeting with the interferers. They falsely denied that Trump was pursuing business opportunities in Russia through election day …
— David Frum (@davidfrum) March 25, 2019

One question:
What the Mueller probe established, according to the AG, is that the Russians hacked the DNC and engaged in an aggressive, covert campaign to influence our election.
So why did @realDonaldTrump stand next to Putin in Helsinki and meekly accept his denials?
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) March 24, 2019

My first reaction, having not read the report, is how could Ken Starr and Republicans conclude Clinton obstructed justice based on the facts and Donald Trump did not. Clinton never interfered with probe, never fired FBI director, never dangled pardons or threatened witnesses
— Joe Lockhart (@joelockhart) March 24, 2019

Mueller found no smoking gun of collusion, but he clearly has no doubts that Russia interfered in the election to benefit Trump. Barr’s letter discusses Russian interference as a given, even though the president has previously suggested it's a hoax. https://t.co/lq4AEhKfHw
— James Hohmann (@jameshohmann) March 25, 2019

In case what's missing from your life is a @lawfareblog emergency podcast with @DavidKris @Susan_Hennessey @carriecordero and me–on you know what. https://t.co/z8hO306gAC
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) March 25, 2019

Pee tape prayer candle

You can get a Pee tape prayer candle here: https://omfg.church/

I think they’re great – the picture is of the one I purchased.

The Pee Tape made it into the report. https://t.co/7h8ODxpA5u
— Slate (@Slate) April 21, 2019

We must see the Mueller report no matter what Trump thinks

The House voted 420-0 to release the Mueller report to the public and 81% of the public thinks it should be released. Republicans in the Senate will block a vote on releasing it, according to Trump stooge Graham.

Trump doesn’t think it should even exist. Let’s see if he tries to block the release or reduce what is made public. He wouldn’t be going through all of this “witch hunt” nonsense if he had nothing to hide. If he is innocent, the report would clear him and he should want it released. The White House should not see it before Congress. Forget executive privilege.

That said, there may be security reasons to redact parts of it. The impact on unfinished investigations should also be considered.

White House lawyers expect to have an opportunity to review whatever version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report that Attorney General Bill Barr submits to Congress before it reaches lawmakers and the public, sources say https://t.co/xW16vnYttG pic.twitter.com/UuWSHD1KFs
— CNN (@CNN) March 18, 2019

ICYMI
Do you think Mueller's final report on the investigation should be made public in its entirety?
Yes 81%
No 15%
(Washington Post/Schar School Poll, 2/6-10/19)https://t.co/y7sFCxMUS3
— PollingReport.com (@pollreport) March 14, 2019

Not a single member of the House voted against making the Mueller report and findings public, but now Senator Lindsey Graham is blocking a vote in the Senate.

There’s no justification for trying to keep the report hidden unless you’re afraid of what it might contain. https://t.co/bUYu8fr0Qu
— Adam Schiff (@AdamSchiff) March 16, 2019

The House voted 420 to 0 to release the Mueller report. So why is Lindsey Graham blocking the bill? https://t.co/rEQRazfXUn
— Eugene Scott (@Eugene_Scott) March 15, 2019

What is he afraid of? https://t.co/ovyWCmN6MG
— Neal Katyal (@neal_katyal) March 14, 2019

utter disgrace https://t.co/rIdIfNJzgo
— Jennifer Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) March 14, 2019

From that same Suffolk/USA Today poll: "A 52 percent majority say they have little or no trust in the president's denials that his 2016 campaign colluded with Moscow in the election that put him in the Oval Office." https://t.co/hDYEsqOaQm https://t.co/B9iXhAjwnh
— Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) March 18, 2019

Depressing ratification of the Goebbels thesis that if you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth for many people. Media has to avoid needlessly repeating Trump disinformation as it creates 'belief echoes' among many Americans. https://t.co/B9d2VfjRJu via @usatoday
— Richard Stengel (@stengel) March 18, 2019

Analysis: Fox News may be driving skepticism about the Mueller investigation https://t.co/r3VxOr8ezc
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 18, 2019

NEW POLL: Most Americans trust Mueller, Dems in Trump investigations (@HillTVLive) https://t.co/DPfnfKqvmr pic.twitter.com/WUucMJHcXM
— The Hill (@thehill) March 18, 2019

Cherry-picking single polls that are contradicted by just about all other polls is bad. Don't do it.

Trump is not winning this argument. Most polls show solid majority support for the Mueller investigation and minority backing for the view that it's a witch hunt. cc @nycsouthpaw https://t.co/vtw7Mo7C34
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) March 18, 2019

"He doesn't know exactly what Mueller knows. But he knows what he's done wrong." @JillWineBanks on Trump. #Hardball
— Hardball (@hardball) March 18, 2019

Trump’s legal troubles extend well beyond the Mueller investigation. He may have committed as many as 8 criminal offenses connected to his presidential campaign. https://t.co/dODPTGtJDy
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) March 18, 2019

Trump/Russia investigation – a soundtrack

A song list for the Trump/Russia investigations (based mainly on the titles and/or choruses.
"I Fought the Law" – Bobby Fuller Four/The Clash
"Stormy" – Classics IV
"A Legal Matter" – The Who
"In the Jailhouse Now" – Jimmie Rodgers
"Life in Prison" – Merle Haggard/The Byrds
— Harris Levy (@HarrisL585) March 14, 2019

Team Trump’s changing story on Russia

How Team Trump keeps changing its story in the Russia investigation https://t.co/y1JqsoXMgG pic.twitter.com/ZTRLBcoMyG
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) February 18, 2019

I call this lying. What are they hiding?

They complain about the length of the investigation. It would go faster if they told the truth instead of making Mueller dig it out.

Roger Stone’s disgraceful Instagram post

Stone posted a picture of the judge in his case next to rifle crosshairs. This is dangerous.

Roger Stone texts me this in response to my inquiry about his Instagram post of Judge Amy Berman Jackson that featured crosshairs in the background: pic.twitter.com/smh8bs4JD2
— Kathryn Watson (@kathrynw5) February 18, 2019

The young intern who accidentally did a Retweet apologizes https://t.co/Spxj107v8x
— Andrew Prokop (@awprokop) February 18, 2019

Got a notification for another Roger Stone Instagram post…it’s the judge presiding over his case. And in the upper left hand corner it looks like the symbol for crosshairs. pic.twitter.com/m6IW3QznTF
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) February 18, 2019

This is completely out of bounds. The cross hairs will likely lead prosecutors to ask for revocation of his pre-trial release. At best, this is a cheap stunt designed to get the judge to recuse, at worst, an outright threat. https://t.co/wJ1jlWFLIM
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) February 18, 2019

This is beyond unacceptable and Donald Trump better condemn it. If he does not, his silence will speak volumes. This is a direct attack on the rule of law and its guardians. https://t.co/gIGwAsb64n
— Neal Katyal (@neal_katyal) February 18, 2019

Good luck with that. Remember the pictures attacking CNN that Trump has posted.

Obviously completely unacceptable, and probably means the US Marshals will have to being providing security to Judge Jackson. https://t.co/63YjaQZltq
— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) February 18, 2019

Days after Judge Amy Berman Jackson decides *not* to gag Roger Stone, he… attacks her on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/cBNsrvkJ6m
— Andrew Prokop (@awprokop) February 18, 2019

Roger Stone's instagram post directs people to https://t.co/Q4iFn76syz, which also sells Free Helicopter Rides t-shirts – a nod to Pinochet death squads pic.twitter.com/xfszp78A7x
— Betsy Woodruff (@woodruffbets) February 18, 2019

This also means a pardon of Roger Stone is a pardon of a thug and someone who stands for the destruction of the Rule of Law. It would be an impeachable offense for Trump to pardon him, it would violate everything the Constitution is about.
— Neal Katyal (@neal_katyal) February 18, 2019

Trump helps Putin again

Trump has done so much to support Putin’s goals.

Trump also pulls out of treaties without having a plan to replace them.

Trump gifts to Putin:
— End INF Treaty, so Putin can move ahead with medium range nuclear weapons.
— Threaten NATO pull out.
— Leave Syria.
— End sanctions on RUSAL, giant Russian aluminum firm under control of oligarch Oleg Deripaska.
— Let Putin encroach on Ukraine.
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) February 1, 2019

Dem criticism over Trump decision to pull out of INF treaty is building. House Intel Chairman Adam Schiff: “Unilateral American withdrawal from the treaty allows Putin to expand without constraints development of a class of weapons he has coveted.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 1, 2019

In fact, the Russian military has wanted out of the INF Treaty ever since Gorbachev signed it. Trump’s abrogation doesn’t penalize them at all – quite the contrary. https://t.co/D6eT0SPw8n
— Fred Kaplan (@fmkaplan) February 1, 2019

Trump: “We will move forward with developing our own military response options . . . to deny Russia any military advantage from its unlawful conduct.” If you think DJT didn’t clear this statement with Vlad in advance, I have a penthouse in Trump Tower Moscow you can buy cheap.
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) February 1, 2019

Here are all the treaties and agreements Trump has abandoned https://t.co/eSpEy5BWsc pic.twitter.com/JcD9r4JKkf
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) February 1, 2019

Trump's written statement on suspending the U.S. commitment to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty: pic.twitter.com/zvGYivk4GY
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) February 1, 2019

Pelosi on INF move: “The Trump Administration is risking an arms race and undermining international security and stability.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 1, 2019

Leaving the INF Treaty Is a Gift to Russia https://t.co/am1hUl9n3S
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) February 1, 2019

The @realDonaldTrump Administration withdrawal from the INF Treaty will encourage an arms race.

Scared yet? If so, support HR 669 / S 200 from Sen @EdMarkey and me that requires @POTUS to have Congressional authorization before launching a nuclear first strike. https://t.co/9c1JAfE7HJ
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) February 1, 2019

Colin Powell to @jaketapper in December: "There are a lot of people now saying… The Soviets have been cheating on the INF Treaty, so let's get out… You do that and guess what? The Soviets aren't cheating anymore, because there is no treaty to cheat. It doesn't make any sense"
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) February 1, 2019

Andrea Mitchell reports on why the US decision to suspend participation in the INF Treaty with Russia will cost the global economy billions.https://t.co/ADP9sYPhpd
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 1, 2019

Decisions like INF make me wonder: Does Putin ever think that maybe he'd be better off with a president less beholden to him, but more in control of the US government?
— David Frum (@davidfrum) February 1, 2019

In short, we're dumping INF because of crazy stuff *we* want to do, including in Asia, rather than anything the Russians are doing. We could have mounted a better, integrated, US-led NATO response, but we didn't want to, so now we've given Putin a gift, again. /8
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) February 1, 2019

Why would we withdraw from INF allowing Russia to proliferate nukes w/ impunity rather than impose economic sanctions on Russia for non-compliance? https://t.co/BpYVpD8d6y
— Susan Solomon (@SusanSolomon) February 1, 2019

Trump, Jr’s calls with blocked numbers

It turns out that Trump, Jr.’s calls to a blocked number were to family friends and not to Trump. That still leaves lots of questions:

Did Trump know about the meeting? He says he didn’t but he lies all the time. If he got the calls, this would have proven he knew but it still doesn’t put him in the clear.
Why did they lie about the meeting? Trump prepared a false statement saying it was about adoptions.
If the calls were to business associates, why didn’t Trump, Jr. just provide that information?

NEWS: Senate investigators have obtained information that shows Donald Trump Jr.'s calls with a blocked number surrounding the Trump Tower meeting were NOT with his father, but with two business associates. W/ @PamelaBrownCNN @mkraju https://t.co/IGZFmZnNPS
— Jeremy Herb (@jeremyherb) January 31, 2019

Trump Jr.'s calls ahead of 2016 Trump Tower meeting weren’t with his father

"[This] new information doesn't change the fundamental concern about what the President knew. It just means he wasn't those blocked numbers — not that he didn't know about the meeting." – @ChrisCuomo pic.twitter.com/52wgF7bW1Q
— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) February 1, 2019

.@DonaldJTrumpJr on the speculation the blocked numbers had belonged to his father: “After a year of hearing about this one ad nauseam, yet another left-wing narrative officially bites the dust.” https://t.co/Fh6Z3BWeqU
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) February 1, 2019

He could have just told us who he called.

Didn’t say it exonerated Trump. Just said it undermined the case because there had been widespread suspicion that Don Jr had called the old man prior to meeting. https://t.co/5OLRgNicN3
— Max Boot (@MaxBoot) February 1, 2019

“I believe that there are serious questions about Donald Trump Jr.’s appearance before our committee … I’m suggesting there are serious questions. He needs to come back before the committee. He ought to be subpoenaed,” says Dem @SenBlumenthal of the Senate Judiciary Committee. pic.twitter.com/e1p3jppEtZ
— The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) January 31, 2019

As investigators learn Trump Jr.'s blocked calls weren't w/ his father, Rep @GerryConnolly notes theirs is a relationship where "son really wants to make daddy happy," adding it "stretches credulity to believe he never told" his dad about the 2016 meeting.https://t.co/VnqsQ77xjX pic.twitter.com/2OAn3H96sk
— OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN) February 1, 2019

The fact that Trump Jr’s phone calls to blocked numbers around the time he set up the Trump Tower meeting weren’t with his Dad is not proof the two didn’t discuss the meeting in some other setting. https://t.co/EqviGVLHzF
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) February 1, 2019

Per CNN and ABC: Don Jr.'s blocked phone calls before Russia meeting weren't to Trump. These are the calls Adam Schiff considered suspicious and planned to probe. https://t.co/8JwPYUZmuw
— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) February 1, 2019