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The midterms are as much a referendum on Muller as Trump
Yesterday, DUer Brooklynite posted Graham Says He Expects Trump to Oust Sessions After Election. It was based on an article from Bloomberg
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said it’s “very likely” President Donald Trump will replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions but warned against doing so before the midterm elections.
“The president’s entitled to an attorney general he has faith in, somebody that’s qualified for the job, and I think there will come a time, sooner rather than later, where it will be time to have a new face and a fresh voice at the Department of Justice,” said Graham of South Carolina, who may be in line to head the Judiciary Committee next year. “Clearly, Attorney General Sessions doesn’t have the confidence of the president.”
Graham however warned against acting before the election, calling that possibility “a nonstarter.” That “would create havoc” with Senate efforts to confirm Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and with the midterm elections in November, he said.
“The president’s entitled to an attorney general he has faith in, somebody that’s qualified for the job, and I think there will come a time, sooner rather than later, where it will be time to have a new face and a fresh voice at the Department of Justice,” said Graham of South Carolina, who may be in line to head the Judiciary Committee next year. “Clearly, Attorney General Sessions doesn’t have the confidence of the president.”
Graham however warned against acting before the election, calling that possibility “a nonstarter.” That “would create havoc” with Senate efforts to confirm Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and with the midterm elections in November, he said.
The meaning is clear: Republicans are telling the President that he can fire Sessions and install an AG. The new AG, who will not have to recuse himself from the investigation, will have the power and the incentive to end the Russia investigation immediately. Firing the AG now would lead to having to prioritize replacing sessions over replacing Kavanaugh - especially since the interim AG would be Rosenstein, whom he'd also want to fire. The ensuing political firestorm could cost them their Senate, as well as their House majority -- assuming we will go through the formality of holding free and fair elections in November.
A Blue House and/or Senate assures that the investigation continues in some form - most probably with loud public hearings. Hearings don't get derailed by pardons; if anything, pardons make the hearings simpler -- no grants of immunity are necessary and the witnesses can't claim the protection of the Fifth. Lying witnesses can still be prosecuted for perjury. But I digress - whether Dem candidates actually run on "impeachment" or not, this election is now really about whether we will continue to investigate the real possibility that members of this administration colluded with a not-exactly-friendly foreign power to meddle in a Presidential election, and whether the SDNY should continue to investigate what appears to be the misuse of campaign funds to pay off mistresses and quash damaging stories. Or we can vote that we are really tired of republican democracy, and want to give gangsterism a try for a generation and see how that works.
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