Thread by @ITGuy1959

This summary level analysis is spot-on. I read the Wapo article very carefully, there are several buried leads worth calling out. Here's the article again, for anyone who has missed this. Thread follows.

washingtonpost.com/world/national…

https://twitter.com/JohnWHuber/status/1050162534400122882

1- So right after Trump fired Comey, Andrew McCabe as acting FBI Director IMMEDIATELY opened a criminal investigation into POTUS Trump for obstruction of justice. This is the buried lede. Wow.

2- This despite the fact that acting AD Rosenstein penned a detailed memo justifying firing of Comey. And not to mention that fact (pointed out by numerous Constitutional scholars) that Trump, as POTUS, was within his authority to fire Comey for pretty much anything.

3- But wait, there's more. Not only was Trump obstructing justice in the eyes of McCabe, but Rosenstein must be a co-conspirator. We are into real tinfoil hat country now.

4- Remember this was almost a year after the idiotic "collusion" investigation was opened up by the famously non-partisan Peter Strzok. In which they based everything on a DNC/Clinton funded "dossier". And where they managed to get wiretaps approved of the Trump campaign.

5- So in spite of the fact that listening in on Carter Page and everyone 2 hops away from him (which could go to some pretty high places), they had nothing. And yet, when Comey was fired, immediately OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE!!

6- And meanwhile, the article also softly confirmed the reporting that McCabe is under criminal investigation with a grand jury convened.

7- And so, is there any doubt who is leaking the "ROSENSTEIN WANTED TO TO WIRE THE PRESIDENT AND INVOKE THE 25TH AMENDMENT!!" stories?

8- And now that we know all this, is it any wonder that Trump meets with Rosentstein aboard AF1, & they come off the plane looking like they have been bff's since high school?

9- And is it any wonder that now that James Baker has been singing like a bird & the real story continues to leak out, that Congress no longer needs to talk to Rosenstein?

thehill.com/homenews/house…

10- It is pretty clear now. McCabe, Strzok, Page, Bruce & Nellie Ohr, & others were using every weapon at their disposal to try to damage or take down the Trump presidency.

11- Rosenstein saw what was going. Sessions had already recused. Trump would eventually appoint a new FBI Director, but Rosenstein couldn't count on that person cleaning this up - the political pressure of the "Trump appointed guy" shaking up the FBI would be overwhelming.

12- So Rosenstein did the only thing he could do, & it didn't hurt that there was already political pressure for it. He appointed Mueller as SC. He pulled everything from McCabe, totally neutered him. McCabe had no role in the SC. And per Wapo this was quite contentious.

13- Strzok came over with the investigation, at first, because he was the lead investigator. But soon it became clear that 1) he had nothing, & 2) he had extreme bias. So out he went.

14- This explains why Muller's probe was so slow to unfold, for reputedly taking over an active investigation. He had to start over. So he did what any prosecutor would do, he squeezed people like Flynn & some junior woodchucks (Papadopoulos, etc.). And went after Manafort.

15- Because if there was any "there" there, Flynn or Manafort would have known about it. And all this took time, b/c to get Manafort they had to dredge up some lobbying stuff for pro-Putin Ukraine that was years old.

16- And even then, Manafort's cooperation appears to be directed at some FARA stuff with prominent lobbying firms, including Tony Podesta's (hence why he resigned and his firm disbanded).

politico.com/story/2017/11/…

17- I am convinced that at this point Mueller is just trying to salvage the reputation of the FBI & also prove beyond any doubt that if there was a "there" there, they would have found it. And Trump knows this.

18- This is why lately Trump has seemed so relaxed, & why he has backed off the "witch hunt" rhetoric. He knows it's over. Mueller may ultimately report some "conduct unbecoming" stuff, but there is nothing that will hurt Trump politically, or legally.

19- And who do we have to really thank for this massive sh$t-show. Who was the dumb boy scout with the God complex, that was so easily manipulated by more devious actors (Brennan, McCabe, Strzok, Ohr, etc.) that it is cringe-worthy?

20- I'll just leave this right here.

/end of rant