does anyone think mueller will eventually reveal any actual surprises?

[unblock]

my guess is that the only "surprise" will be just how compelling the evidence he has is in backing up what we already know. damning emails, for example.

i really don't think he's going to reveal anything that isn't already widely rumored already. i don't think there will be any, "wait, he also did *what*?" story.


the question is whether republicans will be able to get away continuing to deny it and call it a witch hunt in the face of mueller's evidence.

[zipplewrath]

1. The only one

If it is his intent to show that Manafort and Trump conspired to coordinate their lies, that could be huge.
Manafort has been caught doing this before, so it will be of little surprise if he gets caught doing it again. And you KNOW that Trump would convince himself that what Manafort told him was "true", despite any evidence to the contrary.

[pnwest]

2. I do...I think there will be some nefarious back-door underhanded dirty shit we've not

even imagined. Maybe wishful thinking, but I do think we will learn new things. I would have said shocking new things, but we're all incapable of being shocked anymore.......

[Hortensis]

3. You're kidding? Yes. For months I've watched

various experts be outright surprised as they're presented with new, formerly unknown information when Mueller took actions that required public disclosures. Investigative journalism has turned up a lot, including information useful to government investigators, but hardly everything.

As for the boob tube discussions running 24/7, those are notorious for frequently giving viewers false pictures of reality. It's important to always remember that.

[gratuitous]

4. I tend to agree

The detail and the scope of the evidence will be truly amazing for some folks. What will be amazing to me will be the depths of pettiness. These are venal people who don't miss a chance to pile on. I expect the report will be overwhelming, and support for Trump will melt like light frost when hot water is poured on it. There will be pockets of resistance, but most of his support will be badly damaged.

[unblock]

6. not kidding, just speculating. you may certainly be right.

but my take is that donnie and his gang of incompetents are certainly no good at keeping secrets or covering their tracks. he has always relied on lying, blustering, distracting, gaslighting, and bullying to get his way. i don't think he's ever really felt the need to become really accomplished at actually concealing nasty secrets.

so i think we may be surprised at just how stupid they were to have laid it out in emails or contracts or whatever, sure.

but there's been so much leaked out of the white house and campaign, i think it's entirely possible that we already know what he's done, just maybe some surprises in terms of evidence.

now, of course, that may put previous statements in a different light, e.g., maybe he denied something at a rally or in an interview and we later find out there was direct evidence to the contrary from an email he sent earlier that same day. that could be politically damaging.

but i suspect that all the crimes are things we already know about, we just don't know how solid mueller's case is (i suspect very).

[Hortensis]

7. I agree with most and with Gratuitous. One of the

truly astonishing things we've learned is how stupidly, arrogantly, sloppily this type of criminal, the ones like Trump and those he allows close, are. I mean, literally executing crimes by exchange of emails, after Hillary's? Sure, that was a manufactured attack, not normal police work, but didn't they learn anything from it? The ex- federal prosecutors all over talk TV aren't surprised, though. They say they've seen it all the time, coupled with outrage at being treated like criminals.

I think part of this is definition of what's going to be new. Those for whom this is really about Trump might have to mostly settle for having their worst suspicions verified, or possibly disappointed, although there should be a few new surprises.

But all along, this has given us a glimpse into a giant web of connections between our Republican political and donor worlds and international finance, crime rings and hostile governments. Instillation of corruption into our systems. Where do extremist cyber billionaires like Peter Thiel and Robert Mercer, and ?, come in, or don't they? justice Kennedy's son and his retirement, could there be anything there? Even ruling out most speculation, I'm thinking what's been uncovered has to be a lot bigger than Trump, but harder to comprehend. Of course, if it doesn't relate to Russia, it wouldn't be within the scope of this investigation.

Speaking of. Russia. Trump being paraded like a pet dog at Helsinki by a smirking Putin.

I have no guess at what Trump's hiding. Maybe the big thing for him is a sex party 30 years ago that included men; I can believe that dysfunctional idiot would turn a nation upside down to pander to his ego and public image.

But it's also hard to believe he's lived such a depraved and illegal life without giving many power groups, including right here in the U.S., material he could be blackmailed with, and what happened after that?

Information is power. And lots of powerful people have information we do not, for all we know we're living in very interesting times.

[elleng]

5. Yes.

We 'know' nothing; rumors are worthless.

[eleny]

8. I hope for proof that can stand up in court

[anarch]

9. I was already surprised by some of the Saudi connections that recently came to light

although only at first; after some consideration, I thought "yeah, that figures."

The only thing that would surprise my about fuckface would be to learn that at some point in his life, he performed some truly altruistic, generous act, or gave someone a thoughtful gift, or otherwise did anything that demonstrates respect or consideration for any other human (or hell, sentient being of any kind) other than himself.

There are no depths of depravity that would surprise me from any of this cabal of soulless scum.