Russiagate: MI6 Dodges Blame, Mueller Gets His Man

From the UK, the Telegraph reports MI6 battling to stop Donald Trump releasing classified Russia probe documents

MI6 chiefs are secretly battling Donald Trump to stop him publishing classified information linked to the Russian election meddling investigation.

The UK is warning that the US president would undermine intelligence gathering if he releases pages of an FBI application to wiretap one of his former campaign advisers.

However Trump allies are fighting back, demanding transparency and asking why Britain would oppose the move unless it had something to hide.

It forces the spotlight on whether the UK played a role in the FBI's investigation launched before the 2016 presidential election into Trump campaign ties to the Kremlin.

It isn't that secret. You made your bed; now lie in it. Today George Papadopoulos begins paying his heavy debt to society today, 14 days in jail for disagreeing with Mueller's characterization of his thoughts "lying" to the FBI:

Papadopoulos pleaded guilty in October 2017. In addition to the two-week jail term, Papadopoulos was sentenced to one year of supervised release, 200 hours of community service and a $9,500 fine.

At sentencing in September he told the judge that he had made a "dreadful mistake" and that he hoped to redeem himself. But he soon started attacking the Mueller probe on Twitter and in media appearances, describing the investigation as unjust and politically charged.

I hope he pays his fine with Stephan Halper's money.

The Department of Defense’s Office of Net Assessment — a shadowy think tank that reports directly to the secretary of defense — paid Halper $282,000 in 2016 and $129,000 in 2017.

Also a view from the UK, the Guardian posits 'He has moved incredibly quickly': Mueller nears Trump endgame. Puff piece featuring some law professor from New Jersey that nobody knows. But Alan Dershowitz, OJ Simpson's lawyer says Mueller's final report 'is going to be devastating' for Trump

"When I say 'devastating,' I mean it's going to paint a picture that's going to be politically very devastating. I still don't think it's going to make a criminal case because collusion is not criminal," he said. "What I think Mueller is going to do if he's smart is he's not going to take the chance on being rebutted. He's just going to lay out just the facts."

No crime, but devastating. How does that work? Ann Althouse explores the meaning of the word devastating in Alan Dershowitz says, "I think the [Mueller] report is going to be devastating to the president and I know that the president's team is already working on a response to the report."

I looked up "devastating" in the OED and thought it was funny that it said "Frequently fig., esp. in trivial or hyperbolical use: very effective or upsetting; astounding, overwhelming, ‘stunning’...."

Especially in trivial or hyperbolical use.... From the OED's historical examples:
1925 New Yorker 8 Aug. 4/2 Not since the Tango provided luscious livelihoods for many svelte youths has so devastating a dance agitated the town....
1927 H. T. Lowe-Porter tr. T. Mann Magic Mountain (London ed.) I. v. 378 Everything, whether in jest or earnest, was ‘devastating’, the bob-run, the sweet for dinner, her own temperature.
1933 E. Shanks Enchanted Village ix. 133 Oh yes, poor old Julian—I think, to be honest, that he's a devastating bore.
1936 R. Lehmann Weather in Streets i. 11 Oh, darling have you got to go? How devastating.

Lastly, Democrats to probe Trump money ties to Russia, Saudis: lawmaker (Yahoo). So, pretty much business as usual.