If Tea Leaves Are Showing Trouble Ahead, Why Doesn't Drumpf Fire Mueller Now?

[SoCalMusicLover]

DU seems to think this is the beginning of the end for Drumpf and those around him. Lots of people also believe that Drumpf will get someone to fire Mueller to end his investigation.

What possible reason would Drumpf have for waiting on bringing the axe down on Mueller? If there is only more bad news to come, and Drumpf would I assume has been told this by his attorneys, why not take the hit now for having Mueller fired, since he's going to take it eventually anyways, and his standing could suffer more between now and then.

[nmgaucho]

1. Rosenstein wont fire Mueller

Trump is screwed

[SoCalMusicLover]

5. What About Nixon?

Rosenstein could get fired, and his replacement would do the dirty work. I thought that was the most likely scenario that's been discussed.

[C_U_L8R]

2. Even if he fires Mueller, the evidence doesn't go away

Trump is going down one way or another.
If not in by Mueller, then by NY State
or the next Dem congress.

[SoCalMusicLover]

3. So You Don't Think He'll Have Mueller Fired? nt

[C_U_L8R]

7. I got no idea... but

If Trump is a stupid as I suspect, then he probably will fire Mueller.
I just don't think that dumb move will stop justice, even if it takes longer.

[SoCalMusicLover]

10. Well, it would not necessarily stop it....

But it seems like Drumpf would like to delay the inevitable for as long as possible, and firing Mueller would be at least somewhat of a setback. Not to mention Mueller might be too aggressive and it would be a benefit not having him specifically in charge of an investigation.

Maybe he is waiting until a point of no return, when he's 100% certain things are collapsing all around him, and firing Mueller is the least of his worries.

[lagomorph777]

28. The evidence will explode in all directions.

You can be sure that Mueller has laid a complex legal and digital minefield. RePutins all over town will be destroyed.

[Achilleaze]

4. Republicans don't read tea leaves. They read Pee Leaves.

[JI7]

6. That's what the jeff sessions thing was about

[SoCalMusicLover]

8. Did GOP Tell Him That If Mueller Is Fired, Impeachment Is On Table? nt

[Bettie]

9. I think that while he's angry

he truly doesn't understand that there might be consequences for HIM.

He's been involved in unethical and illegal activity all of his adult life and he's never had to do more than pay some money.

Add that to his enormous ego and lack of awareness of anything outside of himself and he figures maybe someone will go to jail, but it won't be him so that's OK.

[SoCalMusicLover]

11. Isn't That What His Attorneys Are Supposed To Tell Him?

I realize they're probably out to make as much off Drumpf as they can, but if he is in deep trouble, shouldn't they convince him of that?

[marylandblue]

13. Probably not worth the effort

[Maeve]

15. He is notorious for NOT listening to his attorneys

He' so sure he's the smartest one in the room...until he's proven not to be.

[Bettie]

22. Again, he's probably been told before that he was in big trouble

and then, meh, he pays a fine and goes on his merry way.

I truly believe that he thinks he can not be touched. By anyone.

[marylandblue]

12. I am sure whenever he asks for advice on it, they say don't do it

He isn't decisive at all. He just does what people tell him, and literal nobody thinks it would be a good idea.

[highplainsdem]

14. He wants other people to stop Mueller for him, which is what yesterday's "DO SOMETHING!" was about.

RW media stories and posts have focused on two possible ways that could be done.

One is that Sessions could un-recuse himself and fire Mueller. That would put the onus on Sessions.

The other is the GOP Congress slashing Mueller's funding to cripple his investigation.

Both of those would be obstruction of justice. But with both, Trump could try to claim he wasn't the one responsible for the obstruction.

[Kablooie]

16. Trump can't fire Mueller. Only the AG can fire him.

As I understand it:

Normally the AG, Sessions, could fire Mueller which is why Trump put him there.
But Sessions recused himself so his Deputy, Rosenstein is over Mueller and is the only person now who can fire him.

Trump can't fire Rosenstein either only Sessions can and Rosenstein can only be fired for cause, not on a whim.

So to fire Mueller Trump has to convince Sessions to invent a reason to fire Rosenstein and then find someone who will agree to fire Mueller and install him as Deputy AG. Mueller can then be fired.

Of course by doing this Sessions and the new Deputy have both publicly obstructed justice and if anyone other than Trump becomes president they will probably be indicted and go to jail.

So it will be pretty difficult for Trump to convince Sessions to to risk his career like this and who on earth would take the Deputy AG position knowing it would almost certainly be a straight railroad track right into prison?

[Kaleva]

17. And Mueller himself, a civil servant, can only be fired for cause. Not on a whim.

[Kablooie]

19. That's right. The new Deputy would have to invent a reason to fire Mueller.

[Kaleva]

20. And it'd have to be a reason that stands up to scrutiny. From the media and Congress.

[grantcart]

18. He has to stay in until he can process pardons for everyone.

[Arazi]

21. The R meme is that Mueller is going to take down Bill Clinton and HRC

That Tony Podesta is now roped into Mueller's investigation signals to them that he's going to get into Clinton "crimes".

R's don't yet understand the severity of the problem. They're still operating under the delusion that the DOJ will "nail" the Clintons. Trump is only watching Faux. His advisors are shielding the inevitable from him and only providing the most promising spin.

Your error is assuming Trump/this WH admin digests bi-partisan reporting. He doesn't/they don't.

I relish the popping of this bubble

[Garrett78]

24. The R's in Congress and on Fox know better, but they're desperately wanting to alter the narrative.

They need their constituents to remain outraged (about Clinton/women, about the "librul witch hunt," etc.) and eager to vote Republican any chance they get.

[SoCalMusicLover]

23. I Hope You're All Correct

It's just that the other side does not like to lose. They fight with every ounce they have to emerge victorious, even when they are doing so in the name of something illegal, unethical or immoral. There is no level they're not willing to stoop, and an arrogant POS like Drumpf is their leader.

I don't trust them one bit, and do not think they'll sit by willingly and watch this happen, even if it's inevitable. They certainly are not going to win the PR war with Hillary Clinton Spin with each succeeding indictment.

[kentuck]

25. He will probably have a meeting with Rod Rosenstein tomorrow?

...since he met with Jeff Sessions today.

He is looking for someone to fire Mueller would be my guess. If Rosenstein steps down, we might surmise that to be the case?

If Mueller were to indict several more of the Gang, Trump would have to pardon all of them.

Otherwise, the trials would continue and justice would decide innocence or guilt.

Unless the Senate lets him know that he should not be so foolish as to attempt such a trick.

[NanceGreggs]

26. To fire Mueller at this juncture ...

... would be widely perceived as an admission of guilt. Trump may not understand that, but the Republican PTB do.

The WH/GOP line has been "we're cooperating, we're handing over documents, we have nothing to hide" - a position that would be blown out of the water if Trump tried to fire Mueller (which he can't do directly, and the process of doing so would draw even MORE negative attention).

They've tried to explain away Trump's firing of Comey for months, claiming it had nothing to do with the Russia investigation. How could they possibly explain away Trump doing it a second time, just as the first indictments are announced?

Even a lot of dumbass Republican voters would be skeptical of lightening coincidentally striking the same place twice.

[Corgigal]

27. If I know Trump

and being raised near NYC, I couldn't get away from this clown.

He will try to do it in anyway he can, he will see that he has no choice. Muller knows it to, which is why he has state DAs offices on standby.

Hope I'm wrong, but I can't see him behaving any other way.

[Kathy M]

29. Trump is not going to fire Mueller or have Asst DA fire

Let this play out ..... i think it be good to clean up a little / a lot in Washington where ever it goes ........