Rumor: "Melania wants to talk to Mueller"

[Eliot Rosewater]

Only a rumor, allegedly coming from a DC lawyer who is plugged in, saying this.


Anybody here, have you heard anything like this?

I am not saying it is true but I hear the rumor and want to find out if anybody else has heard it.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. About what? In what capacity?

Be there to cover for him or something? Provide evidence?

[Eliot Rosewater]

3. Implication my source gave was against hubby, but it is all very

gray at the moment.

I just wondered if anyone else heard the rumor, especially our plugged in members, DC people, etc.

check this out


http://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/first-lady-melania-trump-compares-white-house-to-political-prison-1066288195691?playlist=associated

unrelated but gives context, sort of

[Me.]

45. Then She Should Just Go Away & Stop Costing Us Millions

if she considers it a prison

[Eliot Rosewater]

46. Agreed. Her continued marriage to him is license to him to continue to destroy

lives.

[marlakay]

47. A lot of presidents have said

It is sort of like a prison because they can’t leave anytime to go where they want.

[Eliot Rosewater]

48. Not in the same way she is saying it or with the same history she has with being disgusted

with him.

[tanyev]

2. Sweet Schadenfreude, make it so.

[jodymarie aimee]

4. Eliot..

you my friend, are connected..

[Tipperary]

18. I seriously doubt this is the case.

[NightWatcher]

5. thanks for setting me straight re spousal privilege

[Eliot Rosewater]

8. I thought of that, she doesnt necessarily know that plus what she said could be used

to form the referral though.

Remember, there is NO chance of trump being indicted. Best case is a referral to congress, which until patriots take over is meaningless.

If it turned out she wanted to provide cover for him, I will vomit at the site of her from now on.

[GallopingGhost]

22. No chance of Trump being indicted?

Did I miss an article or thread about his? I haven't been able to keep up with the news much the last few days.

[Eliot Rosewater]

23. DOJ has a rule they wont do it, long time rule. This has been discussed.

NY might indict him though.

[GallopingGhost]

24. Sure hope it's more than "might."

Things feel so bleak right now.

[GeorgeGist]

38. Mueller's can bypass DOJ if he chooses to.

[Eliot Rosewater]

39. Can you link me to that please, not questioning you but I need the source.

[marylandblue]

42. It's been discussed but not answered

There isn't a rule about it, there is an Office of Legal Counsel opinion about it. That's different, and although the opinions are supposed to be binding on DOJ as a whole, they aren't binding on the Attorney General, or in this case, Rosenstein.

As a separate issue, DOJ rules and opinions are not binding on courts. So if Mueller does go ahead and violate the rule, the court will decide whether the opinion is correct or not. The two times it came up, with Nixon and Clinton, the OLC decided that the president couldn't be indicted, but the Special Counsel's staff disagreed and indictment was never pursued, so we never found out who was right.

[Eliot Rosewater]

44. Too bad the GOP arent patriots, if they were this whole thing could be cleared up in a day.

An impeachment day.

If you reverse this and it is a dem, both parties do that day one.

[GallopingGhost]

59. After I posted I

remembered seeing a panel on CNN recently discussing the indictment issue, with a range of responses ranging from yes, his treasonous ass absolutely can be indicted to no, he can't.

I think the scope of criminal activity and treason is bigger than most people realize, and it's going to be an uncharted shit show.

[smirkymonkey]

60. Good to know.

I know it's a long shot, but it's nice to know that it's not impossible. I have to be optimistic or I would lose my mind.

Thanks for the info!

[fifthoffive]

9. I'm not a lawyer,

and I don't play one on TV. I think a spouse cannot be compelled to testify against a spouse, but they can volunteer to do so if they wish.

[NightWatcher]

13. you're right

[Dem_4_Life]

21. True and ...

Who knows maybe she is planning on NOT being a spouse in the NEAR future!

[klook]

57. Yes, she's going to marry

Trey Gowdy, her true soulmate!



Who knows? The way things are going, it seems as plausible as anything else!

[Dem_4_Life]

61. LOL OMG

I wouldn't be surprised the way things are going!

[djg21]

49. It depends.

There are actually two different privileges: one for marital communications; and another covering testimony as to any adverse facts no matter how the testifying spouse learns of them.

There is a discussion of the privileges in the context of a 7th Circuit Court of Appeals decision at http://federalevidence.com/blog/2013/august/neither-marital-communications-privilege-nor-adverse-spousal-testimonial-privilege-

I doubt she’d have anything useful even if she did agree to speak to Mueller. The only reason she’d offer speak to him is to have some leverage to undue the prenup she undoubtedly was forced to sign when she agreed to marry the fat old dumbfuck.

[Yonnie3]

14. Spousal Privilege

I thought that meant she could not be compelled to testify against him.

[Flaleftist]

25. Yes. Im pretty sure that is accurate.

She can willingly testify.

[Yonnie3]

27. Divorces would be tough otherwise! n/t

[LanternWaste]

20. Spousal Privilege applies to court cases, so possibly her testimony during the investigation

Spousal Privilege applies to court cases, so possibly her testimony during the investigation (or even in front of a Grand Jury) may be allowed.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

54. See #34. It doesn't apply to prevent Melania from testifying if she wants to,

because the privilege belongs to her and she can waive it. In any event, the whole purpose of Mueller's investigation is for possible criminal prosecutions in court.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

34. Spousal privilege only means a person can't be *forced* to testify

against a spouse about communications between them. The privilege belongs to the witness spouse and not the party spouse and can be waived, meaning that the witness-spouse can testify against the other spouse if she wants to. In other words, if Melania wants to talk to Mueller about her icky husband she can, and icky husband can't claim the privilege to protect himself. However, without better attribution I'm not expecting this to happen.

[lagomorph777]

6. She heard he's the smartest lawyer in town,

and it looks like she'll be needing one in a civil case soon...

[Dem_4_Life]

7. Oh please please please be TRUE

[spanone]

10. is mueller a divorce lawyer on the side?

[Eliot Rosewater]

12. LOL

[Tipperary]

11. I call BS. This is irresponsible to post unsubstantiated nonsense like this.

A “rumor” , uh huh. “Allegedly” coming from a “DC lawyer” who is “plugged in.” What lawyer? A traffic court lawyer? An estate lawyer? A criminal lawyer? A corporate lawyer? You “hear” the rumor - what does that mean? Someone told you? A little bird? The lawyer him or herself? A wandering town crier?

[melman]

15. The source of this rumor

is a dentist in North Carolina.

Link to tweet

[Eliot Rosewater]

17. The person I got it from implied she knew the source, this would imply otherwise.

Thanks for the find.

Probably meaningless.

We need to be prepared for anything, though.

[Bonx]

16. I've heard some rumors.

[UTUSN]

19. It's our duty to assist this patriot. How can we ask the pretzeldunt to make resources available?!1

[Flaleftist]

26. Ha! Please be true. Hell hath no fury....

[Kingofalldems]

28. Why did she and Trump come to the SOTU in seperate cars?

Is this the protocol?

[Eliot Rosewater]

29. If you hate your husband, it is.

[Kingofalldems]

30. Now that is effed up

and no one in the press seem concerned.

[Eliot Rosewater]

31. Of course not. The guy said nazis were good people, they allow him to do anything

[Flaleftist]

32. Ive read they neither of them were wearing their wedding bands.

I’m not sure if that has been confirmed.

[Dem_4_Life]

35. I noticed she wasn't wearing hers when the camera zoomed in

Which was very telling.

I really didn't pay attention to if he was wearing his or not. I tried not to really look when he was on the screen.

[Dem_4_Life]

36. Going back Googling pictures it is hard to say for sure about Melania not wearing hers.

[left-of-center2012]

33. "Only a rumor, allegedly coming from ..."

Good grief, Charlie Brown.

[Tipperary]

62. Thank you. So many wanting to believe. Wishful thinking is one thing.

But this is plain silly. I could post anything like this: “my banker told me that her hairdresser knows the barber who cuts the hair of a “plugged in” aide to a highly placed WH staffer. And the aide said - blah blah blah. We all want this administration to be gone forever, but this kind of stuff just is ridiculous.

[left-of-center2012]

63. RUMOR: world ends tomorrow !

I heard it in the grocery store !

[Tipperary]

65. Lol. Yes. I will not be holding my breath over this rumor.

We should be smarter than this.

[C_U_L8R]

37. Most likely, Melania's under a restrictive NDA

but that cannot prevent her from testifying.
Perhaps she's figured that this may be the best way to get her story out...
and get even with the philandering cheez doodle at the same time.

[Honeycombe8]

40. Nonsense. nt

[pintobean]

64. That's being kind

[enid602]

41. StRumpet

Maybe tRump plans to use her as a gift or bribe for Mueller.

[SammyWinstonJack]

43. Probably shouldn't have pissed off Natasha with a pay out to a porn star.

[eleny]

50. This sounds like a distraction

Shiny keys gossip to keep us occupied.

[Eliot Rosewater]

51. You should make it clear you are NOT accusing ME of trying to distract!

[eleny]

52. You? Never!

It's the rumor put out there that has me squinty eyed.

[Eliot Rosewater]

53. Thanks, and yes anything like that is possible.

[eleny]

56. !

[trueblue2007]

55. i hope she spills her guts and incriminates TRUMP .... info that will put him in JAIL forever.

#LockUpAllTheTrumps

[no_hypocrisy]

58. Then Melania better lock her bedroom door at night.