(THREAD) Far and away the worst take on Mueller's testimony is that we learned nothing new from it. In fact, the *new* facts we learned were jaw-dropping. This thread focuses *only* on 10 new things we now know. I hope you'll RETWEET this for anyone you think might be interested.
1. A VAST TRUMP-RUSSIA COUNTERINTELLIGENCE PROBE IS ONGOING. It's exponentially broader than Mueller's probe, it covers "collusion" (a fair term in the counterintelligence sphere) and its findings are being kept from America *and* Congress. The fight to see them began yesterday.
2. FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT CAN'T CONFIRM TRUMP ISN'T COMPROMISED BY RUSSIA. Because "compromise" is a counterintelligence issue, and compromised politicians are national security threats, and no one has seen any FBI counterintelligence report, we don't know if Trump is a threat.
3. MUELLER DIDN'T INVESTIGATE ANYTHING TRUMP WAS ACCUSED OF BESIDES OBSTRUCTION. The non-obstruction allegations against Trump were aiding/abetting, bribery, money laundering, and illegal pre-election receipt of in-kind donations from non-Russians. Mueller looked at none of that.
4. THERE IS SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE TRUMP AIDED AND ABETTED COMPUTER CRIMES. Mueller testified—under oath—that Trump gave "hope" and a "boost" to WikiLeaks' "criminal activity" after he knew such activity was afoot. The crime that describes—aiding/abetting—must now be investigated.
5. THERE IS SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE TRUMP COMMITTED THE FEDERAL FELONY OF MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS TO LAW ENFORCEMENT. Mueller testified—under oath—that Trump's written answers to the FBI and the Special Counsel were "generally" *untruthful*, as the facts in Mueller's report confirm.
6. TRUMP AND GOP CLAIMS OF "NO COLLUSION," "NO OBSTRUCTION," AND "NO EVIDENCE OF CONSPIRACY OR COORDINATION" ARE ALL FALSE. It isn't news to anyone paying attention, but as much of America isn't, many learned for the first time from Mueller that these GOP talking points are lies.
7. MUELLER SAID TRUMP COULD BE CHARGED WITH OBSTRUCTION POST-PRESIDENCY AND WOULD HAVE BEEN CHARGED NOW IF NOT FOR THE OLC. Mueller's later (confusing) "walk-back" of the second claim—which many had taken as an accidental truth—didn't erase the specter that he meant what he said.
8. ANY TRUMP CRIMES INVOLVING OTHER NATIONS ARE STILL UNREPORTED. Mueller's testimony made clear that evidence involving nations besides Russia—whether past election interference or future election interference, past collusion or future collusion—went to FBI counterintelligence.
9. REPUBLICANS HAVE NO OBJECTIONS TO ANY OF THE DAMNING FACTS IN THE MUELLER REPORT. Media waited with baited breath for Republicans to contest the Report's damning findings rather than just opine about what else Mueller could have looked at—and shockingly, the moment never came.
10. MUELLER ONLY CHOSE NOT TO INTERVIEW TRUMP FACE-TO-FACE BECAUSE HE ADJUDGED HE HAD ENOUGH EVIDENCE OF "CORRUPT INTENT" ON OBSTRUCTION. Mueller resolved a *longstanding* mystery: why didn't he insist on keeping Trump to his public promise of a live interview? Well, now we know.
BONUS. TRUMP WITNESSES "IMPEDED" THE MUELLER INVESTIGATION. Mueller testified under oath—in answers to questions by Rep. Demings—that contrary to Trump and GOP claims that the White House facilitated campaign aides assisting Mueller, the opposite was true: they tried to stop him.
BONUS. MUELLER BELIEVES TRUMP AND HIS AIDES OPENED THEMSELVES TO KREMLIN BLACKMAIL. Mueller told Rep. Correa he "doesn't disagree" that a series of acts answering to behavior by Trump and his aides would be sufficient to give the Kremlin leverage and blackmail material over them.
BONUS. MUELLER SAYS NOT REPORTING FOREIGN AID OFFERS IN A CAMPAIGN CAN BE A CRIME. Trump says it isn't; the GOP is today fighting as hard as they can not to legislate on it—as they think Trump will do (may already have done) it—but Mueller told Rep. Himes it can be a crime *now*.
BONUS. TRUMP AND THE GOP SAY NEITHER MUELLER NOR BARR CAN "EXONERATE" TRUMP ON OBSTRUCTION. One of yesterday's oddest moments came when *multiple* Republicans said no one at DOJ can exonerate Trump on obstruction—meaning Mueller's report is definitionally an impeachment referral.
BONUS. TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN MANAGER PAUL MANAFORT SPENT THE WHOLE CAMPAIGN EXPECTING TO RECEIVE FINANCIAL COMPENSATION (NOT JUST LOAN FORGIVENESS) FROM THE KREMLIN FOR HIS STEWARDSHIP OF TRUMP. Many thought this shocking fact was discussed at length in Mueller's report—but it wasn't.
PS. Mueller also refused to say there was "no evidence" Manafort met with Assange; refused to say there was no evidence Trump's campaign was involved in the theft of HRC/DNC emails; rejected the "hoax" and "witch hunt" slurs; and said Putin could have compromising tapes of Cohen.
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(🚨) EXCLUSIVE: This report is epic, crossing years, continents, and scandals some readers won’t have encountered before—from golf to crypto, intel to international law. Everything comes back to why the Iran War happened, and why it’ll likely restart.
1/ I’ve been thinking about what else I want to say on this subject since I first posted this report a few hours ago. The report is of course extremely long, detailed, and well-sourced, so there’s much that I could write that would simply be redundant.
2/ I do have thoughts I want to expand on, though.
Stunning how media turned passage of the Abominable Bill into a will they/won't they romcom with a July 4 deadline for Cinderella to kiss the prince, rather than a situation in which members of Congress say they're terrified they or their family will be killed if they cross Trump
The only journalistically responsible way to cover what's happening in DC is to report that the Dear Leader of a cult set an arbitrary deadline for his cult to dance for him on penalty of sinister punishments, and now we're watching a gruesome public whipping unfold in real time
The grotesque mummery playing out at the Capitol is not just joyless and borderline violent but without any suspense whatsoever, as in an authoritarian regime—which is what the GOP is—the outcome isn't in doubt, only whether 1-2 rebels choose to sacrifice themselves to the flames
Agents of Trump business and political partners MBS, MBZ and el-Sisi were secretly in the White House as Trump agreed to go to war with their enemy Iran?
How is this not the big news right now? How is this not bigger than every other story media is covering?
This is beyond journalistic malpractice.
We're talking about matters of war and peace—historic lies told by a POTUS to push America to war—and CNN is burying the lede that the attack was a byproduct of secret negotiations with those who support Trump financially and politically?
And should it not also be noted that the man representing Trump in these hours of secret negotiations inside the White House—assuming Trump wasn't there himself, which I suspect he was for part of the time—is a man (Witkoff) with financial ties to parties he was negotiating with?
(🚨) BREAKING: Exactly as happened in 2020 after Trump illegally assassinated the second-most-popular Iranian—and therefore as Trump could easily have predicted, and as media should already have forecast for Americans—Iran has just launched missiles at multiple US military bases.
CNN:
It is certainly possible that, as in 2020, this response is gestural rather than serious. But it might not be, and Trump might deliberately pretend that it is not, and either way there could still be some Americans injured, so who knows what is going to happen now.
2018: Gen. Kurilla—“Israel’s favorite general”—is made CENTCOM Chief of Staff
2018: CENTCOM urges Trump to add Israel to CENTCOM’s Area of Responsibility
2021: 4 days before leaving office, Trump adds Israel to CENTCOM AOR
2021: Process making Kurilla CENTCOM commander begins
(🚨) MAJOR BREAKING NEWS: Trump Tells America He Planned His Iran Policy—Including Unprovoked Major Military Strikes—“A Long Time Ago” and As a “Team” With Israeli War Criminal Netanyahu, Confirming the Entirety of the Proof Trilogy and Proof Project in Stunning Public Confession
(PS) Am watching CNN and there is no acknowledgment whatsoever that Trump said this. It was far and away the only significant thing he said in his two-minute, somewhat mumbling declaration.
(PS2) Jake Tapper is now on-air telling America that this war is not inconsistent with Trump’s pledge of peace.
He then indicated that he trusts Israeli intelligence over American intelligence.