David Corn: Here's the Bullshit That Republicans Are About to Throw at Mueller. Be prepared.

[babylonsister]

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/07/mueller-hearings-trump-russia/

Here’s the Bullshit That Republicans Are About to Throw at Mueller
Be prepared.
David Corn

BIG snip//


The big picture

Strzok and Page are only a piece of the uber-conspiracy theory cheered by Trump and his followers. The bottom line of their narrative is this: The FBI, as part of a grand plot, schemed to stop Trump from becoming president, and then, once he was in the White House, attempted to take him out. And the Russia investigation was the main tool for this job.

But…this doesn’t make sense. During the summer and fall of 2016, the FBI knew it was investigating the Russian attack and possible connections between the Trump campaign and Moscow. Did it reveal or leak this information to harm Trump? Not at all. It did the opposite. During an appearance before the House Judiciary Committee on September 28, 2016, Comey was asked repeatedly by Democrats if the bureau was examining links between the Trump campaign and Russia. He stuck to the rulebook and refused to answer the question. Perhaps more important, when the New York Times weeks later was investigating this subject, FBI sources told the paper’s reporters that it had found no ties between Trump and the Russian government. This is not what a Deep State conspiracy to smash Trump would have done. (Meanwhile, Comey revived the Clinton email server controversy in the final stretch of the campaign—a move that damaged Clinton and possibly resulted in Trump’s victory. Another Deep State oops?)

The FBI did not turn its Russia investigation into ammunition against Trump during the campaign. Nor did it do so after the election. It was not the FBI that leaked the Steele dossier—which contained lurid, unsubstantiated allegations about Trump cavorting with prostitutes in Moscow—to Buzzfeed, which posted the memos in early 2017. It was a John McCain aide—and he was horrified when the memos were made public. And shortly before Trump moved into the White House, Comey tried to give the president-to-be a head’s up about the dossier and its salacious contents. There is one inescapable conclusion: If there was a Deep State plotting against Trump, it did a damn poor job.

All of the above may be far too many weeds for the average viewer who tunes into the Mueller hearings. But for the past two years, the Trumpsters have tried conjuring all of this and more (I left out other mind-numbing details) into an alternative reality. A reality in which the Russian attack barely figures and doesn’t matter, in which Trump’s lies about his actions in Russia and his denials and dismissals of the Moscow assault do not exist. The endgame is not persuading America that their bizarre and untrue reality is what actually happened; it’s providing a counter to the damning (for Trump) reality that did transpire. Trump, Fox News, and the rest are purposefully breeding confusion and muddying up what truly is the most significant political scandal in modern American history.

Mueller’s report, though, presents a clear and basic view of what occurred. If his facts cannot be challenged, the Republicans will have to try to impeach his investigation, his people, and perhaps even Mueller himself. And if they cannot do that, the next best thing is to create a mess, make each of the two Mueller hearings a chaotic ruckus with plenty of theatrics, shouting, and conspiratorial charges. The cult of Trump has no choice. He is president in part because of the Russian attack. Worse, he encouraged it and helped Moscow cover it up. He then attempted to block the investigation. Neither Trump nor his supporters can admit this without undercutting his legitimacy. Any serious recognition, consideration, and acceptance of Mueller’s finding is a threat to Trump and his tribe. They need a different script—even if it’s fake.

[Hoyt]

1. GOPers will sling BS, but they will also repeatedly ask Mueller if

he concluded “the investigation did not establish that the Trump Campaign coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”

[kentuck]

2. Democrats should remain calm during the Republican chaos.

They can say: "We don't know what they want to hide - we are just trying to get to the truth..."

[Hoyt]

3. GOPers will sling BS, but they will also repeatedly ask Mueller if

he concluded “the investigation did not establish that the Trump Campaign coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”

Unless Mueller backtracks at this point, that’s exactly what his report says regarding actions related to Russian interference. Now, Obstruction is a different matter, but it doesn’t seem to register with voters, even though we saw trump obstruct for two years.

[bluestarone]

4. If they do this it would be a good time for Mueller to

State that IF he were allowed to finish his investigation, HE could have established EXACTLY that and MORE!

[Hoyt]

5. Not likely to do that, Mueller hasn't got the guts.

If we ask him if he was rushed, he’ll likely say “No,” leaving is screwed.

If he was rushed, he should have said so in report, in May, and yelled it to anyone who will listen every day.

[Caliman73]

7. Didn't the report say ...

that he was not able to establish evidence because so many people did not give truthful testimony or were blocked from providing testimony?

[Hoyt]

9. It is certainly implied in a few places, and the report said the following --

"Accordingly, while this report embodies factual and legal determinations that the Office believes to be accurate and complete to the greatest extent possible, given these identified gaps, the Office cannot rule out the possibility that the unavailable information would shed additional light on (or cast in a new light) the events described in the report."

Unfortunately, Mueller says over and over that "the investigation did not identify evidence . . . . . ." and "the investigation did not establish that the Trump Campaign coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities."

If only he had said -- "However, it is HIGHLY LIKELY if witnesses were more forthcoming, etc. . . . . . ." He didn't say that.

[triron]

19. Mueller seemed to bend over backwards to avoid implicating Trump or any of his campaign in a

conspiracy. His report is BS in that respect.

[Hoyt]

20. I agree completely. He should have at least said, "They are friggin criminals and traitors,

I just can’t prove it will all the crud they flung to obscure the truth.”

[customerserviceguy]

6. Hmm

that may be why Trump hates McCain so much.

[empedocles]

8. 'cons may be prepared to aggressively follow up on issues that Dems open in their efforts

to get more out of Mueller.

[BlueIdaho]

10. The White Supremacist GOP will attack

No matter what we do. Their argument is 100% Q Anon bullshit. We might as well expose it now. Let them try to prove their allegations. If we come out swinging the whole Trump dynasty could just fall like a house of cards.

[kentuck]

11. There is that possibility...

...that a couple of Republicans will embarrass themselves tomorrow.

[babylonsister]

14. ...

Good chance!

[Zambero]

18. And of course there's Gym Jordan...

who invariably checks in his coat and brain at the door. So whenever he makes an utter fool of himself, which is most of the time, he's too brainless to even realize it!

[maxsolomon]

12. RW Media and Government have fully adopted Russia's media techniques.

The Firehose of Falsity.

[ehrnst]

13. I think that Democrats are aware of this.(nt)

[Ohioboy]

15. Republicans and Trump supporters always ignore the whole point of the investigation

It was to investigate how Russia interfered with the election. It wasn't a smear tactic on Trump. Trump would have never been part of the investigation if it hadn't been for all the suspicious ties between the Russians and his campaign! Please tell Trump supporters to stand up for America when she is trying to investigate how a foreign power meddled in our elections. Instead they always want to make it about "getting Trump", like it was a one-sided political thing, and not about Russian interference.

[BigmanPigman]

16. I love this line...

"But…this doesn’t make sense". Of course it doesn't, the GOP doesn't care if it makes sense or not. They are there to distract and grandstand for their Dear Leader. Their cult will eat it up, whether it makes sense or is crazy BS.

[farmbo]

17. It's called the "Gish Gallop"... a tactic used by debaters with weak, silly positions

... also known as, “Republicans throwing as much BS against the wall as possible to see what might stick.”

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gish_gallop