Robert Mueller, Former F.B.I. Director, Is Named Special Counsel for Russia Investigation

Trump claims the FBI is in total crisis, not giving a single reason. I don't see Trump needing a real excuse to fire Mueller. It could be as easy as "well, my personal lawyer told me that the investigation was over, so I saw no need to keep Mueller around". If that tack does not work, Trump will just go the next until he gets traction.

 

It will all come down to will he GOP congress stand up to Trump if he fires special prosecutor, if they will not, will the voters throw them out.

 

I just do not see the GOPs in Congress ever impeaching a GOP President. If the GOP loses the House, it gets interesting.

 

It's really all in how they spin it. I've said it before, if someone can act as a lightening rod, and steer the conversation to a return to old Republican views, something can be done. It's not an impeachment of an R, it's a firing of an inept employee at that time. The issue is, the republicans need to decide who is president come next election. Do they have faith in pence after acting as JB Bickerstaff to the nation?

 

I wonder if Pence plans to fall on the sword for Two Scoops?

 

Doesn't seem in Pence's nature...

MIKE PENCE ONCE RATTED OUT HIS FRATERNITY BROTHERS FOR HAVING A KEG
http://www.newsweek.com/mike-pence-once-ratted-out-his-fraternity-brothers-having-keg-735711

Seriously with Mrs. Pence already dropping bombs on Trump, I doubt she'd let her husband take the fall for him...

 

Believe me, this is the most incredible thing anyone has ever read. I loved the part about where his frat house recreated the scenes from their favorite movie, "animal house." what a mother lover that pence. What kind of american doesn't like Animal House. Trump's defense team could get their entire defense from the parliamentary procedure scene.

 

I wonder if Pence gave Trump a loyalty oath?

Pence was “in the room” for both the Flynn and Comey firings. Pence made a bunch of public statements wrt the firings that he will certainly have to walk back.

 

Yeah Pence was the head of the transition team and it’s impossible he wasn’t this ignorant of the facts enough to save his own behind. I believe he will certainly throw Trump under the bus to become president, but I would imagine that in his testimony he would likely give a lot of “I cannot recall”’s and hope that Mueller finds only high crimes with Trump that gets Trump impeached but Pence stays clean.

Make no mistake about it, this guy wants to be president really really bad, but I certainly don’t see him as a cooperating witness.

 

So Pence will perjury himself?

You gotta think that Mueller already has testimony from the lower level transition team members and perhaps a paper/email trail. The best that Pence could do is pull a Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III and not recall a thing.

"Mr Mueller, even though I was in charge of the transition team and attended all of the transition meetings, I can not recall a single thing about the transition. I even a bit fuzzy on who the President actually is."

 

The Session's testimonies we've seen are in front of Congress. Not to Mueller FYI.

I do expect Pence to pull the Beauregard approach honestly if brought before Congress because its what everyone in that circle is doing, and in the court of law its really up to the opinion of the jury to make an opinion of whether they should remember or not remember a damn thing. In this case knowing half of the Congressional panel have an R by their name, they will give Pence the benefit of the doubt with his recollection, so the "I don't remember" excuse will work there like with what Sessions has shown in his lame attempts at testimony to Congress.

In testimony to Mueller & the FBI that is a totally different case. With Mueller I'm just not sure if he's going to pursue perjury charges for everyone in the White House that has lied because there would be no White House left. I'm inclined to say that the "I can't recall" testimony will probably fly with Mueller too IF there is no underlining crime that someone like Pence has committed. If he had a major hand in the aquid pro quo with Russia though... Perjury is the lowest charge Pence has to worry about.

 

If Pence does go down on perjury charges and Trump on obstruction charges, that would clean out the White House.

Sensing an opportunity for Romney. Probably makes to much sense for the current set of Repubs.

Sen. Angus King: Impeachment is 'intermediate step' before indicting Trump

 

It is funny that all the sudden out of nowhere Mitt Romney's name seems to be everywhere, and you now have the likes of Bannon going on some bizarre offensive on Romney just yesterday.

That being said, we are getting way ahead of ourselves here (its probably just a 2020 primary threat), but it is pretty interesting that his name has popped up overnight so much. Kind of makes you wonder what kind of rumors are going around behind closed doors.

But if Pence gets indicted on perjury and removed from office as well, Paul Ryan is the next in line. Ryan is the defacto GOP leader anyways right now. He is the most powerful man in the country make no doubt about it. The only problem is he not held Trump in check whatsoever which he certainly has the power to do.... So Trump thinks he is more powerful than Paul Ryan, but he's not really. Maybe Ryan knows something we don't and is actively letting the world see how dangerous Trump can get so he can sieve the Presidency himself.

Again though... thats getting ahead of ourselves. What we do know now is that -

A. More indictments are coming for Trumps inner circle
B. Trump either way will be politically toxic going into next year and will be primaried in 2020
C. The Judiciary will almost certainly have to take up Obstruction Hearings (whether through impeachment recommended by Mueller or they move on their own). Unclear if he will be charged with the partisanship of the Judiciary committee in Congress
D. Trump will make a move soon to remove or cut the legs out from under Mueller triggering a response or a non-response from Congress

If i was in Vegas I would bet alot of money this would happen. The big questions we have to think about, rather than Paul Ryan become president in some scenario, is what happens in reaction to these 4 key areas which are going to happen as early as next year. I've been cautioning that alot of worst case scenarios are more likely than not to happen that we should prepare for.

 

I'm not sure what I think Pence's involvement in the Russia stuff might have been during the campaign and transition. They might have excluded him for the inner circle. But the longer this goes on, the dirtier Pence gets. Surely, by now he has a pretty good understanding of what the exact arrangements with Russia were (if there were any). If these arrangements are proven, and proven to be illegal, and we know that Pence knew about them even after the fact and yet said nothing and did not contribute to the delivery of justice in any way, is that a guy you want assuming the presidency?

 

Timing is everything.

If Trump is impeached and censured, Pence becomes President.
If Pence gets indicted and resigns, Trump appoints a new VP.
If a meteorite strikes the WH, Paul Ryan becomes President.

My mention of Romney is this generation's safe pick, the next Gerald Ford.

As an aside, if Trump did collude with the Russians, that would throw the 2016 Presidential election in question. Any perceived Republican mandate vanishes.

 

Assuming Trump and Pence are done for, does this create a prisoner's dillemma for house Republicans?

They could move to impeach and Ryan becomes president.

Or they could just not impeach, and bet that Dems don't retake the house in 2018. If they did, president Pelosi?

 

Pelosi is better than Trump but she is not good fit for the country at this time.

 

You guys want Pelosi to be president? LOL.