How would you like to entrust America’s future to Senate Majority Leader, Bought Bitch Mitch McConnell (R-KY)? Frankly, I’d feel more secure putting my kitty dingles in a vice! However, we may not have any choice in the matter. There are strong indications that Putin’s Puppet intends to wait for the Senate to go on vacation, fire Sessions, and replace him using a recess appointment. The only way to prevent it is for McConnell to keep the Senate nominally in session.
As soon as Congress goes into recess, Donald Trump will have the opportunity to remove special prosecutor Robert Mueller—unless Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) stops him.
What will McConnell do?
Our Constitution provides Trump with a simple two-step process to rid himself of the meddlesome prosecutor he so fears.
First, when Congress starts its August recess, Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigns, which Trump has been signaling him to do. Trump could fire Sessions, but for reasons explained below would rather not. Sessions cannot fire Mueller because he recused himself from the Russia investigation, in which he is entangled.
Second, while Congress is in recess, Trump appoints a new attorney general. A Trump toady can immediately take the oath of office and a minute later fire Mueller.
The instant attorney general replacement is possible because our Senate cannot give its advise and consent when it is in recess. The framers of our Constitution, in an era before jets or even trains, provided for that circumstance in the third clause in Article II, Section 2 of our Constitution:
“The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.”
Given Trump’s ease in finding unqualified people to fill high positions in our government, finding someone so craven that they would fire Mueller just so they can serve 18 months as our 85th Attorney General would be easy…
From <DC Report>
Lawrence O’Donnell discussed this possibility with a panel of "experts".
First, it is true that Bought Bitch Mitch nominally kept the Senate in session to prevent recess appointments by Obama. However, before Bought Bitch Mitch does the same to stop Trump, I’ll be able to enjoy an ice cream cone in the cool breeze in Antonin Scalia’s place of residence.
Even though several Republican pundits are saying that would be enough to prompt Congressional Republicans to take action, it won’t happen. Republicans might make a few noises, but they will just roll their eyes and go back to pillaging the country.
If this happens, Democrats must become the Party of No, doing everything possible to block and delay everything Republicans try to do.
RESIST!!
14 Responses to “Why Mueller May Be Toast”
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Dolt.45 is definitely dumb enough to do this. Definitely. And, if he does, Mueller would definitely be in a position to take him to court over it. In a court of law, vague references to good reason don’t cut it. There have to be real reasons presented in evidence, and there aren’t any that would hold water. However, the collateral damage to the nation (to all of us, in other words) from this process would be horrendous. And not least would be having Giuliani or Cruz as Attorney General for eighteen months. The mind simply boggles. It certainly would make the 2018 elections the most important in history. But, with all the tin foil around, that may even be scarier!
It just gets more dismal as days go by, doesn’t it? ugh!!
With Drumpf’s obsession with Muëller and the Russia investigation, reasonable people would draw the conclusion that Drumpf is as guilty as sin of colluding with Russia in some form or way, or guilty of some other crime (financial ?). There can be no other explanation in my mind. Is there evidence to support this conclusion that would stand up in a court of law? That is for Muëller to uncover and organise.
At the Boy Scout Jamboree, Drumpf did his usual “I’m so good!” speech which was not the place. He even talked about loyalty, his brand of loyalty. He wants loyalty to Drumpf not the nation which is, in my mind, contrary to all the oaths that his appointees take — loyalty to the US and upholding the constitution. Muëller demonstrates this loyalty to country and constitution, something that Drumpf has no knowledge about. Muëller is the kind of man that the country needs.
Question: If Drumpf fires Muëller, is there anything that can be done to continue the investigation and file charges, short of relying on a hapless Republican dominated Senate and House? For example, could Muëller continue on his own?
I was reading earlier as I ate breakfast and a Drumpf supporter (you know, one of the vast masses of the “uneducated”) commented about draining the swamp. “When is he going to do that?” the man asked. As I thought about it, if Drumpf wants to drain the swamp, he must resign and leave politics . . . and take all his fat cat and familial connections with him. The Drumpf régime is nothing but a cesspool of billionaires who are completely unqualified for their positions.
Very well put! Trump is the monster from the swamp!
Not watching Rumplefuck, period!
One of the troubles of all these checks and balances a functioning government has in place is that they’re full of amendments to cover all those “in case of” moments, there to make sure a government keeps on functioning in emergency situations, but never tried out. Lately, a lot of these emergency clauses have been scrutinized by both the GOP and the Drumpf administration and turned into loopholes for them to stay in power and get their way. And, oh irony, they have this loophole fresh in mind because in 2016 Mitch McConnell kept the Senate technically in session so that Barack Obama couldn’t make a recess appointment of Garland to the Supreme Court after Scalia died last year.
There are a lot of questions surrounding this:
1. The DC Report article is an Op-Ed, not a report on signals coming out of the White House – for now – but the possibility apparently has occurred to many insiders, Lawrence O’Donnell being one of them. So the White House is aware of this now too.
2. For this to work, Sessions needs to resign during the recess. No one seems to know if he will leave the Justice Department on his own accord, but I think Drumpf firing him could prevent Drumpf from calling on that third clause in Article II, Section 2 as it would be an “emergency” he had created himself. Even if Drumpf could use it, firing Sessions to recess-appoint someone else who’ll then fire Mueller for him would be too much to swallow for a number of Republicans in Congress.
3. Would Drumpf be foolish enough to make use of this loophole to get rid of Mueller and thereby make his ties to Russia even more suspect? He’d antagonize a lot of Republican Senators by going behind their vacationing backs and he’d put McConnell in an impossible position and make this a game with only losers. If he does, it would spell the end of Drumpf Reich the Republicans have been supporting.
4. When have considerations like the one above kept Drumpf from doing his worst?
That hot summer has only just started.
Well, a recess appointment of a new AG by Twitler is off the table because blocking adjournment for the upcoming Labor Day recess by using pro forma sessions is available to both parties – not just the majority party.
And Sen. Schumer has made it clear he will use any and all tools available to him to block Trump.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/25/politics/trump-recess-appointments/index.html
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/343643-senate-dems-warn-they-will-block-recess-appointments
https://newrepublic.com/minutes/144006/democratic-partys-better-deal-isnt-great
HOUSEKEEPING NOTE:
I’ve decided that in lieu of a “Friday Fun” I’m going to tackle the critical question of what are Trump’s option to end the investigation into Russia’s clear meddling in our 2016 elections, and what the fallout would be.
I hope to have it up by tomorrow – but there’s a lot of meat on those bones, so it’ll take some time
Great Catch!
Thanks. I’m in a huge rush. Wendy needs to come three hours early.
Hugs!
These names have been floated to become the new AG of USA. These are the names that I have either read or heard in the past few days.
Chris Christie of New Jersey.
Ted Cruz of Texas.
Rudy Giuliani of New York.
Kris Kobach of Kansas.
Pam Bondi of Florida.
Trey Gowdy of South Carolina.
Maybe there will be a new “surprise” name nomination or an outright straight replacement of Sessions when the timing is right. Yup, gotta keep your panties in a tight twist. lol.
.
Those are some damn scary “people”!
I’m glad you put “people” in quotes. I doubt any of them even have a mirror reflection.
My understanding of the recess appointment, is that *EVEN* if Trumo fires Sessions, the person Trump picks can only serve until the end of the year at which time he must go through the normal confirmation hearing process.
Also, Sessions has a *LOT* of Republican friends in the Senate and they are giving a message to Trump don’t fire him as if you do you will be impeached. Sessions has indicated he will *NOT* resign, that leaves Trump the only option to fire him.
If Trump thinks he stirred up a hornets nest with firing the head of the FBI, the senate will not put up with it, that means impeachment.
Ed, if he could, which apparently he can’t, he only would hjave neeeded the New AG long enough to fire SEssions.