Several of Mueller's prosecutors may have been allowed to color outside the lines.

[pnwmom]

According to a May 2018 Politico article, their special status as Special Assistant U.S. attorneys gave them the same authority as a US attorney -- like the US attorney in SDNY. They might not have been bound to the limits set by Rod Rosenstein in his letter to Robert Mueller.

So it would seem that they wouldn't be stopping their investigations just because Mueller stopped his.

And, as it turns out, one of the attorneys who has been representing Mueller on the mystery Supreme Court case, which is ongoing, has this special status: Scott Meisler.

https://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2018/05/21/mueller-virginia-case-special-assistant-us-attorneys-600777

Several court filings indicate that when lawyers from Mueller's office appeared in federal court in Alexandria earlier this year, they did so not only as representatives of Mueller's office but as special assistant United States attorneys (SAUSAs) attached to the United States attorney's office there.

SNIP

One lawyer who has studied the use of SAUSAs said the granting of that status to lawyers on Mueller's team theoretically gives them the authority to pursue matters that aren't within the special counsel's mandate.

"As special assistant U.S. attorneys, they are not confined to the scope the special counsel is acting under," said Haley White, a North Carolina attorney who wrote a 2015 law review article on the SAUSA phenomenon. "They can potentially have the ability to go outside that scope. ... They have all the powers and abilities that just a regular U.S. attorney would have."

At least four of Mueller's prosecutors have submitted court pleadings indicating they have SAUSA status: Andrew Weissmann, Greg Andres, Kyle Freeny and Scott Meisler.

It's unclear at precisely what point Mueller's lawyers acquired their SAUSA status.

SNIP

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/01/docs-firm-that-handles-cases-for-russian-interests-is-locked-in-mueller-grand-jury-fight-1144016

Attorneys from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office are the prosecutors locked in a mysterious grand jury subpoena fight that a state-owned foreign company has taken all the way to the Supreme Court, court records now confirm.

A docket unsealed by the U.S. District Court in Washington shows two prosecutors from Mueller’s office, Scott Meisler and Zainab Ahmad, are handling the dispute on behalf of the special counsel.

[Wounded Bear]

1. Why does that smell of RW spin to discredit the investigation?

Sorry, but I don't buy much of what Politico spews, and this looks like planting another seed of disbelief among Trumplodytes.

[pnwmom]

4. Or maybe Robert Mueller was protecting the investigation against the possibility

of Trump shutting it down.

[George II]

11. I think that's it, he was making sure it would proceed.

[lagomorph777]

5. I see it differently - no claim that this is against regulations.

This looks like one of the Mueller's insurance policies against a Bill Barr type shutdown. Barr will never be able to chop off every tentacle of the probe. Mueller's spread the work and the data throughout the Federal and state governments. And probably elsewhere too; it will take a long time for it all to come to light, but the truth will come to light.

[uponit7771]

15. There has been spin against Mueller lately, don't think this is it though

[NewJeffCT]

2. wow

that's potentially huge - they have the background on the case and still have their status...

[cilla4progress]

3. Fire w. fire

can't be afraid of these lunatics

[bigbrother05]

6. Almost like their overseer anticipated the need to follow through

Maybe Rosenstein made sure some of the folks on Mueller's team would be able to chase down any prosecutable acts uncovered.

Mueller had a defined scope, but it was always thought that there could be spin-offs. By integrating the SAUSAs with the team, there could be a seamless transition after the initial probe concluded.

[pnwmom]

7. I'm thinking it was Mueller who decided this. n/t

[toddwv]

8. They also work for free...

[pnwmom]

9. Some do, some don't.

https://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/job/special-assistant-united-states-attorney-sausa-compensated-1

[UniteFightBack]

10. Mueller farmed out so many investigations I'll bet that it is in the blood of the DOJ and ain't no

getting rid of it.

[erronis]

12. It only takes a few decent people in the right places to make sure we get informed.

And I believe that the DOJ and other government agencies are mainly staffed by very decent people.

The truth will out.

They can try to quash it in the M$M (fux) but there are too many ways to get it out - keep the internet open!

[triron]

13. Andrew Weissman is one of those!

[johnnyfins]

14. Break out the Big Macs, Buckets of Extra Crispy(White Meat of Course) and Chips and SAUSA

...I see a WH rage eat-a-thon about to commence

[LiberalFighter]

16. I disagree with the coloring outside the lines assessment.

They just had different boundaries they had to stay within.

[pnwmom]

18. I was referring to the lines of the Rosenstein letter. nt

[LiberalFighter]

17. They need to lock out Giuliani so he can't have an impact.

Anyone that is friends with him in the DOJ/FBI needs to be removed.