Thread by @msbellows

Short law thread. "President Donald Trump has at least twice in the past few weeks vented to his acting attorney general, angered by federal prosecutors who referenced the President's actions in crimes his former lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to....

https://twitter.com/LauraAJarrett/status/1076277862574055425

"Trump was frustrated... that prosecutors Matt Whitaker oversees filed charges that made Trump look bad." cnn.com/2018/12/21/pol…
2/

The Special Counsel regulations are REALLY short. A three-minute read. (Eight, for Trump.) I guarantee he hasn't bothered to read them. 3/

28 CFR 600.6: "Except as provided in this part, the Special Counsel shall determine whether and to what extent to inform or consult with the Attorney General or others within the Department about the conduct of his or her duties and responsibilities."
4/

28 CFR 600.8 - Notification and reports by the Special Counsel:
"(b) The Special Counsel shall notify the Attorney General of events in the course of his or her investigation in conformity with the Departmental guidelines with respect to Urgent Reports."
5/

So even for IANALs, this is pretty straightforward:
• Mueller runs his own shop.
• Mueller only has to notify Whitaker of what he's doing (and only in certain circumstances) He doesn't need Whitaker's permission to, eg, note the existence of co-conspirators in indictments.
6/

Trump's mad at Whitaker for something Whitaker has no power or authority to do. It's like getting mad at the babysitter for something the gardener did.

This is the level at which Trump understands everything, even when his own interests are at stake.

Which is... scary.
7/7