More Russiagate Research

Mike Pence thinks Mueller is dragging it out: 'I think it's time to wrap it up': Pence tells Mueller he's had a year to run his Russia probe but won't say it's a 'hoax'

'I would very respectfully encourage the special counsel and his team to bring their work to completion,' Pence added Thursday.

I don't think that's gonna do it. Predictably, Slate is horrified and accuses him of multiple felonies, by associating with Trump.

Via Wombat-sochos "In The Mailbox: 05.10.18" Don Surber asks If the FBI doesn't have to comply with a subpoena, why should the president? or you or I? This is the problem with the FBI having been caught trying to hide their own indiscretions with slow walking discovery and redactions. It's hard to know when they're actually trying to protect national security issues.

More collusion from Ace Judicial Watch: Emails Show That Comey "Coordinated" With Robert Mueller About His Congressional Testimony Before His Appearance

Getting their stories straight.

Why does a truthful man need to consult with anyone about what he'll say or not say under oath?

Judicial Watch today released new emails from the Department of Justice (DOJ) showing that former FBI Director James Comey was advised by FBI officials in May 2017 to consult with Special Counsel Robert Mueller prior to testifying before any congressional committees regarding Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and his firing as FBI director.
According to numerous news reports, Comey met directly with Mueller previous to his June 8, 2017, testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Sources said that Comey's opening statement and subsequent testimony were coordinated with Mueller.

Subpoena Mueller and ask him about Comey's testimony. Roger Kimball asks What Happened to Carter Page? Remember the guy who allegedly triggered the FISA investigation into Trump? He remains unindicted.

We haven’t heard much about Carter Page recently because, after more than a year of sleuthing, Robert Mueller and his pack of bloodhounds have turned up—nothing. Nada. Riens. Nihil. Instead they have been sniffing around Stormy Daniels, Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, and anyone else who might have something, anything, compromising about the president.

Althouse:  "Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee released thousands of Russian Facebook ads on Thursday...", "... offering the public its first in-depth look at the troubling messages used to heighten tensions among Americans during and after the 2016 U.S. presidential election," USA Today reports."

I looked at a bunch of them. There's a slideshow of 31 at the link. It's a mishmash of stupid. But who knows what weird little thing might tip somebody's vote?

ADDED: If I believed these ads mattered, I would not support voting as a way to determine who exercises governmental power. But I'm thinking that the Democrats who are making such a big deal out of these ads really don't themselves believe in democracy. They have been going on and on for a year and a half about how Donald Trump shouldn't be President. Personally, I want to believe in democracy, and what I saw back in November 2016 is that the American people voted Donald Trump into office. I accept that he is rightfully President because he won the election. It bothers me tremendously that so many people won't do that. I think they do not believe in democracy. And I know they are leaning very hard into the argument that what happened wasn't real democracy. Look at those stupid ads they've made such a big deal about!

And then onto the follies of Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen: The Latest Private Info Dump From Stormy Daniels’ Lawyer Tests The Ethics Rules

As I read more and more about Avenatti and his theatrics, I harken back the Rules of Professional Conduct. Every state has its own set of rules that govern the conduct of lawyers and dispense discipline as appropriate. It’s not far-fetched to believe that Avenatti may have violated the state of California’s Rules of Professional Conduct.

Rule 5-120 covers “Trial Publicity.” In layman’s terms, a lawyer can make general statements about a case, but cannot make statements outside of court that may be detrimental or cause harm to a pending litigation. (For the lawyers reading this, the language is “substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing an adjudicative proceeding in the matter.”)

I have a hard time believing that Avenatti’s three-ring circus and personal and professional attacks on Cohen do not violate this rule. . .

Lawyers in California have ethics rules? Who knew? Now Avenatti obtains Michael Cohen's EMAILS and posts one showing how he still identified as Trump's lawyer in April - despite Giuliani saying he no longer represented the President. So now the Russian email hackers are working for Stormy Daniels? Collusion! Ace has Mark Penn: Given That Stormy Daniels Has Admitted She's Not Paying Her Lawyer -- Who Is Paying Him? It's Time For Camera-Hungry Lawyer Michael Avennati to Come Clean Who's Paying His Bills:

And shouldn't the media at least pretend some interest in this question?

Unless they all know Avenatti's just a front for yet another Democrat political operation with deep pockets and are simply active partisans actively colluding with the op.

Even Mark Penn -- Mark Penn! former Clinton pollster Mark Penn! -- seems to think that this question needs answering.

Michael Avenatti’s Rules for Radicals - Where Stormy Daniels’ lawyer got his tricks.

Avenatti grew up in St. Louis, and attended college at the University of Pennsylvania, and graduated from law school in Washington, D.C. His media politics owe much to the famous teachings of Chicago political organizer Saul Alinsky (1909-1972), who formulated a set of 13 “rules for radicals” that have gained devotees on both the left and right for several generations, including Barack Obama and Rahm Emanuel, for whom Avenatti worked while in college.
. . .
If Cohen were a better lawyer representing a better client, he might have a chance against a rowdy like Avenatti. But he is a bad lawyer working for a rotten client. That’s given Avenatti license to savage the poor sod, who has become the living embodiment of Alinsky’s Rule No. 13: “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.”

WaPo: Cohen’s $600,000 deal with AT&T specified he would advise on Time Warner merger, internal company records show. Remember, the Clintons prosper by selling influence. Trump Told His Lawyers He Knows Nothing About Michael Cohen's Business, but he could probably guess.

Rick Wilson of the Beast: Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump: This Will End Badly. And Probably Soon. Could be. Trump is rather hard on subordinates. But the article is over the top nasty:

Trump has been mostly unable to hire and retain top-flight litigators because he destroys everyone around him. His record of stacking former staffers like cordwood as they are either fired, humiliated, shamed, permanently scarred, forced to cut off a finger by the Yakuza, morally compromised, or moved into the Witness Protection Program will go down in presidential history. It’s no secret that he’s a spectacular liar at all times and on all subjects, leaving his legal team constantly wary they have a client who combines a stubborn streak and a self-destructive nature with an endless capacity to lie to them about his marital, financial, and political lies.

However, like so many others who should know better, Rudy staked his legacy on one last waltz with Trump, and may soon learn why no one else wanted the job.