Trump may be floating a plan to fire Jeff Sessions, potentially jeopardizing Mueller's Russia probe - Polidicks

[B][U]Trump may be floating a plan to fire Jeff Sessions, potentially jeopardizing Mueller's Russia probe[/U][/B] * President Donald Trump is drawing up a plan to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions, according to a Vanity Fair report. * Trump's opinion of Sessions took a nosedive after Sessions recused himself last year from the FBI's Russia investigation. * Trump is said to be considering replacing Sessions with Scott Pruitt, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator. * Should he become the attorney general, Pruitt could theoretically fire the special counsel Robert Mueller. [url]http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-may-fire-jeff-sessions-jeopardize-mueller-probe-2018-3[/url] [QUOTE] Sessions has been a target of Trump's ire since he recused himself last March from the FBI's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 US election, following reports that he was not forthcoming during his Senate confirmation hearing about his contacts with Russian officials during the campaign. Sessions' recusal is a key point of frustration for Trump, who once reportedly asked why he couldn't order "my guys" at the "Trump Justice Department" to do what he wanted. When the Russia investigation began picking up steam last summer, so did Trump's attacks on his hand-picked attorney general, whom he called "weak" and "beleaguered" in a string of Twitter rampages. [/QUOTE] [QUOTE] [B]On Wednesday, The New York Times reported that Sessions was weighing whether to fire McCabe over allegations of misconduct days before he's set to retire.[/B] Trump's tweets last summer came soon after he acknowledged in an interview with The Times that he would not have nominated Sessions to be attorney general if he had known Sessions would recuse himself from the Russia investigation. [/QUOTE] [QUOTE] [B]Should Sessions be fired, Trump is mulling replacing him with Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency[/B], Vanity Fair reported. [B]Though he is already a Cabinet secretary, Pruitt would need to go through a second Senate confirmation hearing because he would be moving to a different department.[/B] [/QUOTE]

If this doesn't wake up his die hard supporters, I don't know what will. This just screams suspicion.

Saturday Night Massacre in full swing right here. The ride just never ends, does it?

Welp, better be ready to march.

[QUOTE=Sombrero;53202109]If this doesn't wake up his die hard supporters, I don't know what will. This just screams suspicion.[/QUOTE] Considering they believe the Mueller investigation is a deep state Clinton plot I imagine they'd be really pleased if this happened.

[url]https://act.moveon.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response-events/search/[/url] Be ready. This is all we, as citizens, can currently do to protect our democracy and our rule of law. Sessions is a fox in the hen house, but he has enough legal sense to realize that terminating Mueller's investigation directly would put him in massive legal jeopardy given his status as a subject of the investigation -- a mistake that Trump already made with Comey. Trump, never one to learn from his mistakes, wants to do the same thing again by firing the people investigating him, and intimidating and tampering with witnesses to his crimes. If Sessions or Rosenstein are fired, it is a move towards firing Mueller. Don't let that go unanswered. Register to protest. Here's every city where a protest is ready to spring on a moment's notice. If yours isn't on here, consider taking the first steps to organize one. [quote]AK: Anchorage, Cordova, Fairbanks, Juneau, Palmer AL: Birmingham, Florence, Huntsville, Mobile, Tuscaloosa AR: Arkadelphia, Bentonville and Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Little Rock, Texarkana AZ: Flagstaff, Payson, Phoenix, Prescott, Sedona, Show Low, Tucson, Winslow, Yuma CA: Alameda, Arcata, Auburn, Bakersfield, Beaumont, Berkeley, Bishop, Burbank, Calistoga, Cambria, Carlsbad, Castro Valley, Chico, Claremont, Colusa, Compton, El Cerrito, Escondido, Fort Bragg, Fresno, Grass Valley, Healdsburg, Irvine, La Quinta, Laguna Beach, Lakeport, Lancaster, Long Beach, Los Altos, Los Angeles, Monterey, Napa, Oakland, Pacifica, Palm Springs, Palo Alto, Palos Verdes, Pasadena, Petaluma, Pittsburg, Portola Valley, Quincy, Ramona, Rancho Cucamonga, Redding, Redlands, Ripon, Riverside, Roseville, Rowland Heights, San Diego, San Dimas, San Francisco, San Jose, San Leandro, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, San Rafael, San Ramon, Santa Ana, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Clarita, Santa Cruz, Santa 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Hilo, Honolulu, Kahului, Kailua-Kona, Lihue IA: Ames, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Decorah, Des Moines, Dubuque, Indianola, Iowa City, Sioux City ID: Boise, Idaho Falls, Ketchum, Idaho, Pocatello, Sandpoint IL: Arlington Heights, Aurora, Barrington, Bloomington, Carbondale, Champaign, Charleston, Chicago, Crystal Lake, DeKalb, Deer Park, Dixon, Effingham, Elgin, Elmhurst, Evanston, Frankfort, Galesburg, Glenview, Highland Park, Joliet, Kankakee, Libertyville, Macomb, Maryville, Naperville, Ottawa, Peoria, Rock Island, Rockford, Springfield, St Charles, West Chicago, Woodstock IN: Bloomington, Columbus, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Hammond, Indianapolis, Kokomo, Lafayette, Muncie, South Bend, Terre Haute KS: Lawrence, Manhattan, Topeka, Wichita KY: Bowling Green, Covington, Danville, Elizabethtown, Georgetown, Hopkinsville, Lexington, Louisville, Morehead, Owensboro, Paducah LA: Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Metairie, New Orleans, Ruston, Shreveport MA: Amherst, Andover, Belchertown, Boston, Bridgewater, Concord, Fall River, Falmouth, Framingham, Gloucester, Greenfield, Haverhill, Ipswich, Lowell, New Bedford, Newburyport, Northampton, Orleans, Pittsfield, Plymouth, Reading, Rockport, Salem, Springfield, Stoughton/Canton/Sharon intersection, Worcester MD: Baltimore, Bel Air, Catonsville, Cumberland, Frederick, Rockville, Salisbury, Silver Spring ME: Augusta, Bangor, Bar Harbor, Belfast, Biddeford, Brunswick, Eastport, Houlton, KITTERY, Lewiston, Machias, Newcastle, Portland, Prospect Harbor, Rockland, South Paris MI: Adrian, Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Brighton, Detroit, East Lansing, Ferndale, Flint, Grand Rapids, Holland, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lennon, Manistee, Marquette, Petoskey, Royal Oak, Saginaw, Saline, Saugatuck, Traverse City, Troy, Ypsilanti MN: Bemidji, Burnsville, Duluth, Eden Prairie, Glenwood MN, Grand Marais, International Falls, Mankato, Minneapolis, Morris, Northfield, Rochester, Saint Cloud, Saint Joseph, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Virginia, Wadena, Willmar, Winona MO: Columbia, Jefferson City, Kansas City, Saint Louis, Springfield MS: Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Jackson, Starkville, Tupelo, University MT: Billings, Bozeman, Helena, Kalispell, Livingston, Missoula, Polson NC: Asheville, Black Mountain, Boone, Brevard, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Concord, Durham, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Greenville, Morganton, Pittsboro, Raleigh, Southern Pines, Sylva, Waynesville, Wilmington ND: Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks NE: Alliance, Chadron, Grand Island, Hastings, Holdrege, Kearney, Lincoln, McCook, Norfolk, North Platte, O'Neill, Omaha, Peru, Scottsbluff, Wayne NH: Concord, Hanover, Keene, Littleton, Manchester, Peterborough, Portsmouth, Wilton NJ: Cherry Hill, Fair Lawn, Flemington, Freehold, Glen Rock, Marlton, Mays Landing, Morristown, New Brunswick, Newton, Ocean City, Red Bank, South Orange, Toms River, Trenton, Westfield, Westwood, Woodbury NM: Alamogordo, Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Los Alamos, Portales, Roswell, Santa Fe, Taos, Truth or Consequences NV: Carson City, Elko, Incline Village, Las Vegas, Minden, Reno NY: Albany, Auburn, Batavia, Beacon, Binghamton, Bronx, Buffalo, Canandaigua, Canton, Cobleskill, Corning, Cortland, Fredonia, Geneseo, Geneva, Glens Falls, Huntington Village, Ithaca, Jamestown, Kinderhook, Kingston, Lyons, Massapequa Park, Middletown, Mineola, Nanuet, New Hartford, New York, Newburgh, Oneonta, Patchogue, Peekskill, Plattsburgh, Port Jefferson Station, Riverhead, Rochester, Rockaway Park, Syracuse, Warwick, White Plains OH: Akron, Athens, Canton, Chillicothe, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Lima, Mansfield, Norwalk, Oberlin, Toledo, Warren, Westerville, Wilmington, Wooster, Youngstown OK: Norman, Oklahoma City, Tulsa OR: Albany, Ashland, Astoria, Beaverton, Bend, Brookings, Coquille, Corvallis, Eugene, Florence, Fort Rock, Grants Pass, Hillsboro, Hood River, Klamath Falls, Lake Oswego, McMinnville, Medford, Portland, Roseburg, Salem, Sherwood, The Dalles, Yachats PA: Abington, Allentown, Beaver, Bethlehem, Bloomsburg, Carlisle, Chesterbrook, Doylestown, Erie, Hanover, Harrisburg, Hershey, Hollidaysburg, Indiana, Kennett Square, Lancaster, Langhorne, Lewisburg, Meadville, Media, Milford, Mt Lebanon, Norristown, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Reading, Scranton, Selinsgrove, Sharon, Stroudsburg, West Chester, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport, York, state College PR: Mayaguez, San Juan RI: Providence, Westerly SC: Beaufort, Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, Mount Pleasant, Myrtle Beach, North Augusta, Rock Hill SD: Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Vermillion TN: Bristol, Chattanooga, Clarksville, Cookeville, Crossville, Greeneville, Jackson, Johnson City, Knoxville, Loudon, Memphis, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Sewanee TX: Amarillo, Athens, Austin, Beaumont, Brenham, Cedar Hill, College Station, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Denton, Edinburg, El Paso, Euless, Fort Worth, Frisco, Harlingen, Houston, Kerrville, Llano, Lubbock, Lufkin, Nacogdoches, Rockwall, San Antonio, Sherman, Stephenville, Tyler UT: Provo, Salt Lake City, St George VA: Blacksburg, Charlottesville, Glen Allen, Harrisonburg, Manassas, Norfolk, Richmond, Roanoke, Stafford, Staunton, Sterling, Tappahannock, Warrenton, Winchester, Woodstock VT: Burlington, Castleton, Manchester Center, Montpelier, Putney, Rutland, Springfield, Underhill WA: Bainbridge Island, Bellevue, Bellingham, Bremerton, Ellensburg, Issaquah, Langley, Lynnwood, Mount Vernon, North Bend, Ocean Shores, Okanogan, Olympia, Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Pullman, Puyallup, Richland, Seattle, Sequim, Shaw Island, Shoreline, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, Vashon, Walla Walla, Wenatchee, Winthrop, Yakima, forks WI: Appleton, Eau Claire, Elkhorn, Fond du Lac, Hudson, Kenosha, La Crosse, Madison, Mauston, Milwaukee, Racine, Rhinelander, Superior, Wausau WV: Beckley, Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown, Parkersburg, Wheeling WY: Cheyenne, Cody, Jackson, Lander, Laramie, Pinedale, Sheridan[/quote]

[QUOTE=Popularvote;53202113]Welp, better be ready to march.[/QUOTE] Reposting for exposure: [url]https://act.moveon.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response-events/search/[/url] As for the article - yeah, I saw some speculation that Trump might be using his "clean slate" firings/dismissals to portray a Sessions removal as him changing his staff members around like he did with Tillerson and the others, as opposed to him trying to stymie the Mueller investigation.

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;53202122][url]https://act.moveon.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response-events/search/[/url][/QUOTE] [quote]IL: Rockford[/quote] Oh neat, wonder where exactly [editline]14th March 2018[/editline] Appears to be a park not too far from the courthouse. Good idea tbqh

after Trump, the presidential vacancy laws need serious reform considering he's playing musical chairs with cabinet level officials. the senate confirmed Pruitt for the EPA not as the AG, and just because Trump CAN temporarily appoint him does not mean that he is respecting the will of the senate

[QUOTE=Sableye;53202147]after Trump, the presidential vacancy laws need serious reform considering he's playing musical chairs with cabinet level officials. the senate confirmed Pruitt for the EPA not as the AG, and just because Trump CAN temporarily appoint him does not mean that he is respecting the will of the senate[/QUOTE] We'll really need to consider reworking the separation of powers once all this is said and done. It's ridiculous that a president can indirectly work to fire the person investigating him. Of course, this wouldn't be as much of an issue if half of the legislative branch wasn't also complicit in this wrongdoing.

As I recall the head of the EPA has a private soundproof phone booth that supposedly is a direct line to the White House that went over budget. Not surprised that he is a candidate.

An innocent man would do the exact same :downs:

[QUOTE=Rocâ„¢;53202304]An innocent man would do the exact same :downs:[/QUOTE] This reminded me of an argument I recently heard from Sam Harris about Trump: if you don't already think he's a pathological liar and narcissist, what would he have to do to convince you? What would that look like? And what has he not done yet to confirm this? Same thing with his guilt in this Russia ordeal: if you don't think he's guilty, what would a guilty Trump look like? What kind of rash, unexplainable decisions and statements would he make? Now compare that to what he HAS done. What is missing to convince people how blatantly guilty he is?

Not that you should get complacent but the investigators have been keeping in mind the possibility of Mueller getting fired for awhile.

[QUOTE=srobins;53202519]This reminded me of an argument I recently heard from Sam Harris about Trump: if you don't already think he's a pathological liar and narcissist, what would he have to do to convince you? What would that look like? And what has he not done yet to confirm this? Same thing with his guilt in this Russia ordeal: if you don't think he's guilty, what would a guilty Trump look like? What kind of rash, unexplainable decisions and statements would he make? Now compare that to what he HAS done. What is missing to convince people how blatantly guilty he is?[/QUOTE] I've asked people this and usually they double down and say there's nothing I could do say to convince them or go to criticize my sources, since they're critical of trump.

In the event Mueller does get fired, I hope he's arranged to leak all his investigation's findings to the public.

[QUOTE=Sombrero;53202109]If this doesn't wake up his die hard supporters, I don't know what will. This just screams suspicion.[/QUOTE] Oh, I've no doubt that it will "wake up" his supporters... to the fact that [I]the Deep State goes even deeper then previously believed![/I] :disappoint:

[QUOTE=Splarg!;53202536]Not that you should get complacent but the investigators have been keeping in mind the possibility of Mueller getting fired for awhile.[/QUOTE] My bigger fear is not Mueller getting outright fired, but in a new AG or DAG simply choking off funds and resources to the investigation, bogging it down with red tape, and killing it softly. A slow death by bureaucracy is less explosive than just firing Mueller would be, as it wouldn't be a singular death blow event, but a series of subtle pushes and behind-the-scenes administrative decisions -- a hundred "small" abuses instead of a single colossal one, both leading to the same end.

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;53202859]My bigger fear is not Mueller getting outright fired, but in a new AG or DAG simply choking off funds and resources to the investigation, bogging it down with red tape, and killing it softly. A slow death by bureaucracy is less explosive than just firing Mueller would be, as it wouldn't be a singular death blow event, but a series of subtle pushes and behind-the-scenes administrative decisions -- a hundred "small" abuses instead of a single colossal one, both leading to the same end.[/QUOTE] I would like to think that Mueller has THAT covered, too.

[QUOTE=Sableye;53202147]after Trump, the presidential vacancy laws need serious reform considering he's playing musical chairs with cabinet level officials. the senate confirmed Pruitt for the EPA not as the AG, and just because Trump CAN temporarily appoint him does not mean that he is respecting the will of the senate[/QUOTE] That's the thing though, isn't it? When even two branches start working together and have the power to influence the third, what separation of powers would work at that point? Not that i disagree, Trump is very well broadcasting the wide powers people forget the President has in his own house. But in a situation like this I think it's less separation, and more like we need less scumbags in our government willfully ignoring the rules because they get more offices painted in their color.

[quote]AL:Huntsville[/quote] Stack up boys.

[QUOTE=Sableye;53202147]after Trump, the presidential vacancy laws need serious reform considering he's playing musical chairs with cabinet level officials. the senate confirmed Pruitt for the EPA not as the AG, and just because Trump CAN temporarily appoint him does not mean that he is respecting the will of the senate[/QUOTE] Trump: "I [i]am[/i] the Senate"

I find it fucking stupid how US government works. How can one person have so much fucking power, I mean yeah he's president but the system is so shit - nobody can remove him. It seems that literally the only way to remove him is if a mob of protesters stormed into white house and just lynched him.

[QUOTE=arleitiss;53203170]I find it fucking stupid how US government works. How can one person have so much fucking power, I mean yeah he's president but the system is so shit - nobody can remove him. It seems that literally the only way to remove him is if a mob of protesters stormed into white house and just lynched him.[/QUOTE] It's not that he can't be removed. Impeachment is rather simple, it's getting people to give up their power for the greater good. The GOP controls Congress currently, and they have Trump as their man. Whatever bad publicity he brings, he also brings the White House to their side.

[QUOTE=Sombrero;53202109]If this doesn't wake up his die hard supporters, I don't know what will. This just screams suspicion.[/QUOTE] Any die-hard supporters should've vacated ages ago simply because Trump is a goddamn abominable path to follow behind on. But they didn't, and they won't, even if you dragged the truth out in front of them, kicking and screaming the entire time. Hell, some supporters do so out of validation for their own bullshit. My aunt, who I love dearly and spoils me excessively, is an absolutely staunch Trump supporter and gives anyone a real badgering and arguing sort of hell if anyone disagrees with her. You're waiting for a decisive matter that genuinely would either oust Trump / the GOP, or a massive scandal that Trump can't just meme away. Not yet another desperate threat that may or may not occur to impede the investigations for the umpteenth time.

[QUOTE=arleitiss;53203170]I find it fucking stupid how US government works. How can one person have so much fucking power, I mean yeah he's president but the system is so shit - nobody can remove him. It seems that literally the only way to remove him is if a mob of protesters stormed into white house and just lynched him.[/QUOTE] In defense of our framework, the president isn't supposed to have this much power. We were intentionally designed to not place any more power and authority in the president than was absolutely necessary. He was a figurehead that was intended to serve as the chief diplomat for the country and permit a collection of united states to maintain diplomatic relations as though they were a singular entity. He was granted power over the military as a simple measure for preventing the centralization of military power in military figures. He commands the military to avoid a military coup. We aren't even supposed to have a standing army. The president wasn't even supposed to be elected by the people. He is a representative of the collective state governments and was supposed to be elected by the state governments. He represented the collective interests of the states, rather than the people and the people were thought to be too stupid to be trusted with the selection of an individual who primarily deals with international diplomatic affairs. Surprise. They were right. We further compound this bullshit with a two party system. Which Washington knew was an awful idea and said as much in his farewell address. [url]https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=15&page=transcript[/url]

I would worry more about rod rosenstein being fired than jeff sessions. Remember that rosenstein appointed mueller in the first place.

Trump can't fire Mueller, nor could Sessions, but Sessions' replacement could fire Rosenstein (who currently stands by Mueller) and replace him with someone who will fire Mueller.

Does anyone have that image of Trump and his cabinet members where each time he fires one the image gets more cropped like Stalin?

Wouldn't Sessions' replacement just be able to fire Mueller directly since the only reason Sessions can't is because he recused himself?