Category: Mueller

Mueller, Politics, Russia, Trump May 29, 2019September 22, 2019

Mueller Was Emphatic | Pay Attention

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Analysis | May 29, 2019) – With only an hours prior notice, at 11:00 AM this morning, Special Counsel Robert Mueller spoke directly to the American public, providing a brief ten minute official statement about his investigation and final report. The first several minutes of Mueller’s briefing was riddled with audio difficulties, but it appears he was walking us through the timeline of events which were all documented in his report, as well as shared with the public along the way through his investigation. It doesn’t seem that we missed too much in the muted first few minutes. The only question really then, is what caused the audio disruption. Foreign hackers perhaps, maybe GOP obstructionists, or a technical fluke.

“Now I hope and expect this to be the only time that I will speak to you in this manner. I am making that decision myself.” ~ Robert Mueller, May 29, 2019

Mueller made several significant clarifications that are noteworthy in light of the current public debate about Mueller’s Investigation and Report, particularly the GOP’s current investigation of the investigators.

Special Counsel’s office falls under the Department of Justice and is thus required to follow DOJ policies
According to DOJ, it’s unconstitutional to charge a US president of a “federal crime” while he’s in office
(Note that Mueller clearly stated federal crime, which seems to imply that charging the president with state crimes is lawful – hopefully this isn’t wishful thinking)
Under DOJ, the Special Counsel is explicitly permitted to investigate the president
Further, the “Constitution requires a process other than the Criminal Justice system to formally accuse a sitting president of wrong doing”
Neither Mueller or his investigators will speak beyond the findings released in the Mueller Report. “We chose those words carefully, and the work speaks for itself.”

“The report is my testimony. I would not provide information beyond that which is already public in any appearance before Congress.” ~Robert Mueller, May 29, 2019

Mueller emphasized that the findings contained in the Mueller Report, along with the analysis shared in the 400+ pages, as well as the reasons for the decisions that were made and outlined in the report, and then his statement today, is all he’ll say about it.

In closing, Mueller was emphatic that we pay attention and not lose sight of the central focus of his investigation:

“There were multiple, systematic efforts to interfere in our election. And that allegation deserves the attention of EVERY American. Thank you. Thank you for being here today.” ~Robert Mueller, May 29, 2019

Mueller, Russia, Trump May 11, 2019May 11, 2019

Trump’s Panic Immediately After Inauguration Which Led to Comey Firing

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Analysis | May 11, 2019) – The Mueller Report is so deep and wide with hard core facts, that it may be possible to analyze and comment for years to come. House Democrats are moving forward with their oversight agenda. There will be a full House vote to hold Barr in contempt of Congress as soon as next week. This could potentially lead to Barr being arrested and sent to jail.

In Volume II of Mueller’s Report, under section “C. The President’s Reaction to Public Confirmation of the FBI’s Russia Investigation,” Mueller cites Trump’s reaction to learning Attorney General Sessions was planning to recuse himself from the Russia investigation, and how Trump “tried to prevent the recusal.” Trump was angered that the FBI investigation was in public domain, and advised that news of the Russia investigation was preventing Trump from moving forward with improving relations with Russia. Trump was determined to “lift the cloud” of the Russia investigation so he could begin executing his foreign relations strategy.

Perhaps it’s the way the Mueller Report is laid out, all the evidence lined up like dominoes, that it appears Trump’s number one priority for improving relations with Russia was lifting sanctions. With each breaking news story about Russia and members of Trump’s campaign, Trump’s efforts to lift sanctions became stymied. Reading the Mueller Report makes it seem clear that Trump was panicked he couldn’t act swiftly to lift sanctions. He seemed pressured to make the sanctions go away. One can’t help but ask if Trump and Russia had some type of time sensitive arrangement about how quickly sanctions needed to be lifted.

The conflict over the Russia Investigation, and Trump’s distress, began less than 48 hours after Trump was inaugurated. It appears, that whatever arrangement was made, would have had to have been nailed down before inauguration. Which brings us back to the original question: Did Trump and Russia conspire before the election? It appears so. What did Trump agree to do, once he was elected? Apparently lift sanctions by a specific date. There might not be tangible evidence, such as a taped phone call or written email, to this effect. But Trump’s obvious discomfort, even anger, about being delayed in moving forward with improving relations with Russia, seems like clear confirmation that Trump and Russia did conspire, and that Trump was given a timetable to work under. This type of evidence may not be what’s required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt and win a conviction, but it does seem valid enough to convince a reasonable mind that we’re in unchartered territory. It’s very dangerous. There are dark forces hiding in the shadows behind every corner. And the only way out of this frightening maze is to proceed forward doing everything by the book.

Mueller, Russia, Trump May 6, 2019October 31, 2020

Legal Definition of Conspiracy, Agreement | Mueller Hearing Essential

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Analysis | May 6, 2019) – After a deep dive with the Mueller Report, fully consumed for a week, it seems baffling that Mueller did not charge Trump and/or his campaign with conspiracy, considering how many contacts there were between the Trump campaign and the Russians, and the mutual support each party had for the other. Additionally, both the Trump campaign and the Russians consistently showed appreciation for the other’s actions and conveyed this in plain sight for the public to see throughout the campaign. With both Russia and Trump mutually supporting the other, for a full year before the election, and two plus years after, it almost seems incredulous that there was no conspiracy, since they still to this day give the impression that they’re conspiring. But since Mueller is a patriot, held in the highest esteem by the vast majority, there’s no doubt that his finding of no collusion or conspiracy is accurate based on the information he had in his possession at the time he concluded the investigation. So then the collision of these two divergent realities, does create cognitive dissonance for some of us, and has resulted in my extended analysis in order for the glaring incongruity to be resolved. During this extended analysis, I’ve made several deductions:

The black & white legal definition of conspiracy (18 U.S.C. 951) is what Mueller appears to have used to base his decision
The word “agreement” appears to be the critical word that becomes the game-changer (I’m not a lawyer so don’t know the history of this word and generally how it may or may not impact a prosecutor’s ability to charge someone for a crime, it does appear to be pivotal though in determining conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia)
How was agreement defined for this investigation? Perhaps the House Judiciary Committee will have the opportunity to ask Mueller.

Another factor to consider in analyzing the Mueller Report in the hopes of reducing cognitive dissonance, is the various methods of communication that were used. It appears that much of the evidence (or lack there of in some cases) was eyewitness account, emails, texts, and phone calls.

Repeatedly throughout the Mueller Report, the vast majority of the 500 witnesses gave the reply of “I don’t recall” at one time or another during an interview. Saying “I don’t recall” doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, it simply means that it can’t be proven to have happened
There were several examples of texts being deleted, Steve Bannon and Eric Prince for example, this despite the fact that all texts and emails were supposed to be preserved. Bannon’s and Prince’s response to a direct question about the missing texts was something to the effect that they didn’t know how the texts vanished from their phone. Reading something like this about such a serious matter, and understanding that there were no consequences for this offense, is quite unsettling.
There were multiple examples provided in the Mueller Report revealing that Trump campaign members were cautioned about communicating with Russians, and advised not to, especially after the media began reporting on it. It appears that after being warned, several parties followed the advice. However, they may have simply altered the way they communicated rather than break off all interaction with the Russians.

There weren’t very many examples of alternative forms of communication that may have been used between the Trump Campaign and Russians, but there was at least one example of coded messaging that was cited in the Mueller Report. There are several questions that can hopefully be asked about the many forms of alternative communication:

Russians are notorious for the symbols and signs used by spies (NYC International Spy Museum); Trumps uses numerous symbols and signs and seems to speak in code when he gives a speech (CPAC, NRA Convention, his rallies); communicating may be as simple as wearing a red MAGA hat on a specific day or tweeting “Make America Great Again” the way he was doing repeatedly back in March; there are many books about how to signal messages in the public
Trump says that he doesn’t email or text, but is that really true? Trump’s a chronic liar, so why should we believe this. If he tweets, it’s very possible he texts and emails, using an alias of course. He then tells everyone “I never email or text” so he doesn’t have two explain using a private server. Seriously. I can picture this so clearly.
Since we’re dealing with the Russians, the possibilities of alternate forms of communication are endless. According to many blockbuster films, (Sum of All Fears and Hunt for Red October to name two) Russian spies are incredibly sophisticated and know not to send an official written agreement to conspire, but can certainly craft a coded agreement.

So much to think about. So many questions to ask Mueller. Lastly, can the Trump campaign’s decision NOT to report Russia’s offer to help Trump win the election be considered as evidence that Trump did communicate directly with Putin his “agreement” to conspire with Russia? It certainly appears like an agreement commitment. Trump’s actions since his inauguration further convey committed agreement. The Russians have reached out to presidential candidates for decades. In the past, the presidential candidates have gone straight to the FBI and reported it. Why didn’t Trump? It seems obvious why he didn’t. Trump’s decision to not go to the FBI, which he extended toward a foreign enemy that’s in direct conflict with our laws, may not by definition be considered “conspiracy,” but may in spirit strongly communicate to a foreign enemy that the Trump campaign and Russia entered into an agreement before the election. After so much reading, research and analysis, there’s still quite a bit of cognitive dissonance. How will this be resolved? It seems the only way possible is that Mueller have the opportunity to answer questions for the House Judiciary Committee during a hearing. Mueller seems concerned the American public may be confused because of Attorney General Barr’s partisan response. Yes, very confused. A Mueller hearing is essential.

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Mueller, Trump May 2, 2019May 2, 2019

Barr Provided Tangible Proof He Knows Trump’s an Illegitimate President

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Analysis| May 2, 2019) – Attorney General William Barr’s testimony during the Senate Judiciary Hearing on the Mueller Report was so disturbing in its bias and lack of objectivity, that it undermines the pillars of our judicial system and the American Rule of Law. Barr’s arrogance and defiance, indicating that he, like the president, does not have to live or play by the rules, felt like an attack at the heart of America.

Senator Lindsey Graham, was equally as brazen, leaving millions around the country extremely concerned about the stability of our government. The most unsettling acknowledgement that both leaders made during the hearing, was that neither had fully read the underlying evidence on which Mueller based his conclusions. Why would Attorney General Barr publicly admit to Senator Harris that he hadn’t read the underlying evidence? This makes no sense. Especially in light of the fact that there were numerous questions that Barr just flat out refused to answer, for example Senator Harris’s first question:

Senator Harris: “Has the President or anyone at the White House ever asked or suggested that you open an investigation of anyone?”
Barr: “I don’t know.”

So then how do we interpret such an egregious error on the part of our Attorney General? Well, honestly, there can be only one interpretation of Barr’s outright admittance to not reviewing the massive mountain of evidence in Mueller’s Report. Barr clearly did not want to own what the evidence reveals, for it forces one to act, particularly someone in his position.

The Mueller Report evidence proves irrefutably that Russia succeeded with their plan to install Trump into the Oval Office. If the US Attorney General admits to not reading and absorbing this alarming fact, then he can willy will pretend that it’s not true. And if he alerts the American public that he hasn’t read the evidence, after millions in the public reading every last word in the Mueller Report, Barr can plead forgiveness for not taking action to address this frightening reality.

Barr needs to be impeached forthwith.

DOJ, Mueller, Russia, Senate May 1, 2019May 2, 2019

Wait, How About Trump Collusion with Russian Oligarchs?

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Opinion | May 1, 2019) – Attorney General William Barr’s Hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee today, presented himself as uninformed, out of touch and severely biased. It was a very sad day for American justice.

The Mueller Report. The scope of Robert Mueller’s Investigation was as follows:

“Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election”
“any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump; and
“any matters that arose or may arise directly from investigation; and
“any other matters within the scope of 28 C.F.R. 600.4(a)“

Russian interference was extensive and pervasive. The staggering number of details in Mueller’s report have so much meat, that by the end readers can easily conclude that Trump is an illegitimate president. Further, Trump has acted like he knows he’s an illegitimate president ever since his inauguration.

Links and/or coordination with Russian government. It seems that the operative word here is Russian “government.” What definition did Mueller and his team use when investigating the Russian government? The assumption is that Mueller’s Team went by the official definition of the Russian government:

Prime Minister
Deputy prime ministers
Federal ministers

The list of government officials is very straight forward. These are highly visible politicians. I can understand why Mueller didn’t find any evidence connecting Trump and his campaign to conspiring with Russian government officials. But did Mueller find evidence connecting Trump and his campaign to oligarchs, business professionals, and influential Russian citizens? It’s highly probable Mueller did. Was Mueller able to investigate these connections, or was it considered out of scope? Were these lower level Russians associated in anyway to the Russian government? So many questions still unanswered. If Mueller’s Report is narrow in scope, only addressing what Rosenstein stated in his original order, then Mueller’s summary makes sense, and seemingly Trump will be blindsided On November 3, 2020 when he leaves office.

But this troublesome void of not knowing whether or not Mueller’s summary was based solely on Trump and his campaign’s conspiring with Russian politicians, versus oligarchs and business professionals and other Russians, leaves many in the public feeling unsettled. Hopefully we’ll learn the answer to this sooner rather than later.

Constitution, Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, Mueller, Trump April 30, 2019December 24, 2019

Does Mueller Report Confirm Trump is Illegitimate?

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Opinion | April 30, 2019) – There’s a very dark cloud hanging over the White House following the release of the Mueller Report. The extensive evidence outlined in Volume 1, the Russian Influence Campaign section of the report, is so dense, despite the large blacked out gaps, that halfway through it becomes clear that Trump is an illegitimate president.

Beginning in 2014, Russia became fixated on influencing our 2016 presidential election. Mueller has outlined the Russian plan of attack in a very systematic fashion, lining up all the dots of evidence very neatly, and in so doing proving that Russia was intent of installing a candidate who’d be open to accommodating Russia’s needs and wishes. They believed Trump was this man. Success. And now that we can see the boundless Russian efforts outlined, it doesn’t actually matter if Trump or his campaign colluded. Russia’s influence campaign worked. Period. And we’ve been suffering the consequences ever since.

The massive Russian Influence Campaign:

Russian “Active Measures” Social Media Campaign
- Structure of the Internet Research Agency (IRA)
- Funding & oversight from Concord & Prigozhin
- The IRA targets US elections
  - The IRA Ramps Up U.S. Operations as Early as 2014
  - U.S. Operations Through IRA-Controlled Social Media Accounts
  - U.S. Operations through Facebook
  - U.S. Operations through Twitter
    - Individual Twitter Accounts
    - IRA Botnet Activities
  - U.S. Operations involving Political Rallies
  - Targeting and Recruitment of U.S. Persons
  - Interactions and Contacts with the Trump Campaign
  - Trump Campaign Promotion of IRA Political Materials
  - Contact with Trump Campaign Officials in Connection to rallies
Russian Hacking and Dumping Operations
- GRU Hacking Directed at the Clinton Campaign
  - 5 sub headings
- Dissemination of the Hacked Materials
  - 7 sub headings
- Additional GRU Cyber Operations
  - 2 sub headings
- Trump Campaign and the Dissemination of Hacked Materials
  - 9 sub headings
Russian Government Links to and Contacts with the Trump Campaign
- Campaign Period (September 2015 – November 8, 2016)
  - 51 sub headings (extremely disturbing)
- Post-Election and Transition Period Contacts
  - 18 sub headings

With Trump now refusing to comply with House Investigations, in defiance of the U.S. Constitution, on the heels of Mueller’s big reveal, it appears we’re a government in crisis. The House Oversight and Judiciary Committees have a plan. They need the support of the American people. The key to understanding the depth and breadth of this crisis is reading the Mueller Report.

Legislative Branch, Mueller, Senate April 25, 2019April 25, 2019

Silent GOP Senators Are the Force That Enables Trump’s Obstruction of Justice

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Opinion | April 25, 2019) – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s silence is deafening. It appears that McConnell didn’t even read the Mueller Report. Or Lindsey Graham for that matter. The GOP game-altering “silence is complicity” perspective in 2018, led to the blue tsunami sweep on November 6, 2018. The Senate overhaul will be next.

Twenty-one months of GOP silence now has Trump by the throat. It’s the very reason why Mueller’s obstruction investigation uncovered so much evidence. The very reason why Mueller can’t exonerate Trump. If McConnell and the GOP Senators had followed-through with their sworn oath to the Constitution, Trump wouldn’t be able to obstruct. It’s become a Catch-22. Mitch McConnell and GOP Senators are enablers of Trump’s obstruction of justice, allowing him free reign to obstruct. Are GOP leaders now part of Trump’s criminal enterprise, or has their long game always been Trump’s demise? McConnell’s silence will eventually lead to Trump’s destruction, as well as his own. The ultimate goal in 2020 is to flip the Senate and the White House. McConnell’s pro-Putin, anti-American Constitution obstructionism will finally become the nail in his coffin.

McConnell has only made one official statement since the release of the Mueller report and it is completely unapologetic of any of Trump’s ludicrous attempts to subvert the United States legal system.

“I’m grateful for the Attorney General’s diligent work to release as much of the Special Counsel’d report as possible to Congress and to the American people. The nation is fortunate to have an experienced leader like Bill Barr in place to ensure maximum possible transparency while carefully protecting classified material and legally restricted grand jury information. Like all of my colleagues, I look forward to carefully reviewing the report.” ~Mitch McConnell, April 18, 2019

Lindsey Graham, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is in a state of denial. The statements in his tweet read like lies, except that he does clarify that they’re IMO (“To me”). But is it appropriate for the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee to spin the Mueller Report in this way, or does he feel justified in doing so because he’s simply following Barr’s lead? Isn’t Graham obligated to adhere to professional standards in this leadership position?

Sad. The gagged Senate GOP has become the springboard that will lead to Trump’s “day with destiny” (Neal Katyal) much sooner than otherwise.

Mueller, Trump March 31, 2019March 31, 2019

What’s Barr Up To?

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Opinion | March 30, 2019) – During this short week, Barr and the Mueller Report and the public’s perception of both, now seem like a strange concoction of extensive facts outlining Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election, extensive connections between Donald Trump, his children and the Trump Organization and Russia, the public’s perception of Trump’s connection to Russia, Trump’s bizarre behavior toward Putin including their secret meetings and conversations, all mixed together in a massive witch’s kettle.

In less than a week, Bill Barr has sent three letters explaining and countering the Mueller Report:

AG Bill Barr Letter 1, March 22, 2019
AG Bill Barr Letter 2, a summary, March 24, 2019
AG Bill Barr Letter 3, clarifying the summary letter, March 29, 2019

After stirring everything together, around and around, and thrashing it out for six days, what do we get?

Are we supposed to factor into the equation that Bill Barr began his career in public service with the CIA and served there for four years, from 1973-1977… the Watergate years and its aftermath? Does this have any bearing on the weird way this Mueller Report release is going down?

The one positive about Barr’s unbelievable summary that revealed “the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities,” despite mountains of information in public domain that highlights the many strong connections between Trump, his business, Russian oligarchs and Putin, leaving any reasonable person to deduce that Trump indeed conspired with the Russians in the 2016 presidential election. Thus, it’s imperative we see the full Mueller Report so we have a better understanding of why Mueller concluded otherwise.

Because Barr is an attorney, and worked for the CIA, we have to hyper analyze the words he chose to express his personal opinion about the Mueller Report in his summary. These may be tactical word choices. We’ll know more when we see the full report. But Trump will continue exploiting Barr’s phraseology to his benefit in the short term.

The silver lining of Barr’s personal conclusion in his summary is that we’re safer right now because of the way Barr phrased his summary. Thus Trump’s white nationalist army didn’t feel compelled to retaliate and slaughter Democrats in the short term, the way they seemed to be plotting if the Mueller Report had immediately been released, and boldly stated that Trump had colluded with the Russians to win the 2016 presidential election.

Trump has spent two years heating up this fierce conflict into an intense, raging boil. The mystifying Barr summary seems to have defused the situation, thankfully.

This being said, the American public needs to have the real facts, not selective facts that paint another picture. Has the public ever been this engaged toward a single issue? The internet didn’t exist during Watergate. We know too much to be told so little.

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” ~ Aristotle

Mueller, Trump March 25, 2019March 25, 2019

Faithful Trump Supporter’s Reaction To Barr’s Summary Texted To Die Hard Anti-Trump Friend

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Opinion | March 25, 2019) – Some private texts are meant to be shared with the world, and this happens to be one of them. It sums up in a concise rage text, just how much negative emotions a work friend can harbor, never revealing the true depth of their contempt for a colleague being a Trump hater, when they personally believe Trump was sent by God to save the world.

The text, sent at the crack of dawn after the infamous Barr letter:
Good Morning. Not to be mean, but do you think Democrats and the media will apologize to President Trump for two years of lying about what was very easy to see was false – and thousands of false stories to support a false narrative, or will they pretend they were never wrong?

Again, I’m not trying to be mean, but most of what is happening, if it weren’t laughable, is just very sad. Most of what Mueller got people on, was that he didn’t like them, because they were Trump people. And he found crimes they committed five, ten, fifteen years ago. I think its highly disgusting the way that Mueller conducted this procedure.

People like Comey, McCabe, Clapper belong in jail.

I just think its disgusting how the media has lied and lied and lied and lied and the Democrats have lied and lied and lied and lied. I’ve been silent for a long time. I will be silent no longer, because I’ve been waiting for this day.

When the facts proved what all the Democrats have known all along that it’s a lie, a lie that they created with the media and a couple of never Trump Republicans. Never Trumpers. The whole thing to me is disgusting. What all those people did, was to destroy their own credibility. The political left and their obsession for false narratives.

CNN is a joke, except no one is laughing. The political left has pretty much killed much of what was once news. The whole idea from day one that Trump colluded with Russia was crazy. But Schiff and his crew created false narratives to fan the left. They knew it was false. A fifth grader would know it was false. Enough said. It’s all very sad how confused the left is, I mean the political leaders and media. I was no fan of the Special Council, but he made them look silly. I feel sad that American was duped by the media and the left. The people polarizing America who fight free speech are the left. The left own the issue of being the most intolerant.

In this new polarized America, with extreme emotions spilling forth through every available spigot, in reaction to each and every calamitous Trump tweet, Trump rally, Trump speech, Cohen’s public hearing, Matt Gaetz threat, Representative Shiff soundbite, Rachel Maddow show… perhaps it’s important for us to pause and try to understand why a “good person” can think someone as evil as Trump is a hero. The word that explains the phenomenon is cakeism (only seeing the good side, and then holding a blind eye to all the negatives, no matter how extreme).

It must have been a year ago that I advised the above work friend, to please never talk politics because our views were 180 degrees opposite, but instead show through his actions what his political positions were. So he was actually silent for an entire year. Thus, I can imagine how thrilling it must have been for him to hammer out a angry text bright and early this morning.

So now, since this is the voter we’re trying to guide towards the light in order to throw Trump out of office in 2020. What’s the brick road that will lead him there?

Mueller, National Security, Russia, Trump March 24, 2019March 25, 2019

National Cherry Blossom Festival & Grim Mueller Report

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report |Perspective | March 24, 2019) – This weekend, with the warmer spring temperatures finally arriving, and the cherry blossoms wrapping National Mall in a cheerful radiance, the breaking news that Mueller found no collusion between Trump and the Russians in the 2016 election felt like a debilitating blow, shrouding DC in a dark cloud despite the beautiful sunshine.

Click here to read Attorney General William Barr’s summary of the Mueller Report.

A vast majority were shocked by this seemingly incongruous outcome. Twitter was the platform for venting.

There are currently 200,000 tweeting about the Mueller Report, this number falling off a bit from the million who were tweeting in the late afternoon.

A universal consensus from Democrats, was that if there really was “no collusion,” then Barr should have no problem releasing Mueller’s full report.