Rosenstein Secretly Authorized Mueller to Investigate Manafort -- After FBI Raided Manafort's Home

[libertybele]

Rosenstein Secretly Authorized Mueller to Investigate Manafort -- After FBI Raided Manafort's Home

On May 17, 2017, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein wrote a brief memo appointing Robert Mueller as special counsel and authorizing him to investigate alleged Trump-Russia "links and/or coordination" -- and "any matters that...may arise directly from the investigation."

It was a vague memo, giving Mueller's investigation wide latitude.

But three months later, on August 2, Rosenstein wrote a second, classified memo that has just been released in a batch of court filings by the special counsel’s team.

In that August 2 memo, Rosenstein says his May 17 order “was worded categorically in order to permit its public release without confirming specific investigations involving specific individuals.”

Rosenstein said his August 2 memorandum “provides a more specific description of your (Mueller’s) authority. The following allegations were within the scope of the Investigation at the time of your appointment and are within the scope of the Order.”

The unredacted part of Rosenstein's August 2 memo authorizes Mueller to investigate allegations that Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, “commited a crime or crimes by colluding with Russian government officials” and “commited a crime or crimes arising out of payments he received from the Ukrainian government before and during the tenure of President  Viktor Yanukovych.”

Much of the August 2 memo is redacted, until the end, where Rosenstein tells Mueller:

“You therefore have authority to continue and complete the investigation of those matters…”..........

............    Because the Acting Attorney General lacked power to grant the Special Counsel jurisdiction to bring the charges now before this Court, the Special Counsel lacks authority to bring them. And the charges exceed any authority the appointment order purports to grant. Because the Special Counsel lacks authority, the Court lacks jurisdiction. The superseding indictment must be dismissed.

In response to Manafort's motion to dismiss the superseding indictment, the Mueller team released Rosenstein's second, secret August 2 memorandum – again, dated a week after the raid on Manafort’s home.................

https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/susan-jones/rosenstein-secretly-authorized-mueller-investigate-manafort-after-fbi

[Frank Cannon]

The DOJ is so shady.

[libertybele]

The DOJ is so shady.

Absolutely and Trump has the ability to fire all the 'players'.  What is he waiting for?

[aligncare]

If this so called investigation continues I fear we are headed for a constitutional crisis. I don’t know how this situation will end. Either Sessions or President Trump must take definitive action to restore order to this madness.

Trump is the duly elected president, and those that support stripping Trump from the presidency because of some fantastic election collusion scenario must accept the vote and move on or I’m afraid this will not end well for America.

[libertybele]

If this so called investigation continues I fear we are headed for a constitutional crisis. I don’t know how this situation will end. Either Sessions or President Trump must take definitive action to restore order to this madness.

Trump is the duly elected president, and those that support stripping Trump from the presidency because of some fantastic election collusion scenario must accept the vote and move on or I’m afraid this will not end well for America.

Again, I ask, what is Trump waiting for?  He has the authority.  The longer he waits, the longer the corruption continues, the longer the left gains more power and the deeper the corruption is buried.

[edpc]

Again, I ask, what is Trump waiting for?  He has the authority.  The longer he waits, the longer the corruption continues, the longer the left gains more power and the deeper the corruption is buried.

What's he waiting for?  The midterms.  The race for control of the House is going to be very tight and there's a good chance to pick up seats Senate seats.  Firing both Rosenstein and Mueller right now would pour hypergolic fuel on explosives.  The political fallout would guarantee the loss of the House - perhaps by a massive margin - and his impeachment on something the new majority would concoct.  It would also make loss of the Senate a very real possibility.

[Frank Cannon]

Absolutely and Trump has the ability to fire all the 'players'.  What is he waiting for?

I don't think he does the way the MSM and Crapitol Hill have the chairs set up. They have already said if he fires anyone for anything they will impeach.

[Restored]

The Dems won't impeach. Trump is the goose that lays the golden egg for them. They will win Congress because Trump is in office. If they impeach for no reason, there could be a backlash that sweeps the Republicans back in. They need a Trump whipping boy in 2012.

[edpc]

The Dems won't impeach. Trump is the goose that lays the golden egg for them. They will win Congress because Trump is in office. If they impeach for no reason, there could be a backlash that sweeps the Republicans back in. They need a Trump whipping boy in 2012.

If they win a small majority with things as they stand, now, probably not.  However, firing Mueller between now and fall - they most definitely would.

[truth_seeker]

Absolutely and Trump has the ability to fire all the 'players'.  What is he waiting for?

Well for one, Nixon brought the ceiling down on himself, by firing the Special Council.

Assuming Trump is truly innocent, as the investigation and Trump himself have thus far claimed, it would be spoiling everything, for no gain.

I'm going with this: Trump hasn't been touched by the investigation yet. His approval is up. And every day, it makes his accusers look worse.

[libertybele]

Well for one, Nixon brought the ceiling down on himself, by firing the Special Council.

Assuming Trump is truly innocent, as the investigation and Trump himself have thus far claimed, it would be spoiling everything, for no gain.

I'm going with this: Trump hasn't been touched by the investigation yet. His approval is up. And every day, it makes his accusers look worse.

?? To those who believe Trump is innocent it may make his accusers look worse, but the fact still remains that Trump is allowing those within in DOJ who are knee deep in corruption during this administration and the past are continuing to get away with it.  Which IMHO either makes Trump look incompetent or just as guilty.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Absolutely and Trump has the ability to fire all the 'players'.  What is he waiting for?

I'm not trying to be disrespectful here, but to promote the President fire half of the department of justice suggests you've not heard of the other charge making the media rounds .... obstruction of justice.  Are you seriously saying the president can fire everyone involved in the investigation of his campaign and not be subject to such an accusation?

[libertybele]

I'm not trying to be disrespectful here, but to promote the President fire half of the department of justice suggests you've not heard of the other charge making the media rounds .... obstruction of justice.  Are you seriously saying the president can fire everyone involved in the investigation of his campaign and not be subject to such an accusation?

Not at all.  What I am saying is that there has been enough evidence involving Uranium One (and other incidents), Bammy, Clinton, Rosenstein and Mueller, that Sessions should have fired those members of the DOJ and held them and others accountable - nothing to do with his campaign, so neither would be his reason for firing them or Sessions firing them.  Then we have the dossiers, etc. and we have some of the same players in action; again not being held accountable.  So when do you think they should be held accountable?  Or perhaps they shouldn't for fear of being accused of obstruction of justice?  How can one obstruct justice if there is no justice to obstruct?  In essence in firing them for their past corruption dissolves any credibility that they may have had.

To let this go based on what he could be accused of is irrational. Trump firing people because they got their hands caught in the cookie jar for past corruption is prudent.

[edpc]

I'm not trying to be disrespectful here, but to promote the President fire half of the department of justice suggests you've not heard of the other charge making the media rounds .... obstruction of justice.  Are you seriously saying the president can fire everyone involved in the investigation of his campaign and not be subject to such an accusation?

Dershowitz thinks he’s immune to obstruction by exercising his constitutional power to fire people.  Hopefully, he’s not listening to that kind of advice.