Friday, July 26, 2019
Overview
After Robert Mueller testified to Judiciary on July 24, 2019, he testified further that afternoon to Congressman Adam Schiff's Intelligence Committee. Adam Schiff gives this brilliant introductory speech to that testimony, summarizing the importance of the Mueller Report. That report was released in redacted form 4-18-19 and mis-framed by the President's defense attorney William Barr, the appropriately "held in contempt" Attorney General. Trump, Barr, Fox News, and congressman Nunes have all shamelessly lied to concoct a narrative to justify the president's ongoing criminal conduct since Trump's cooperation with the Russians to win election. The president colludes in secret whenever he meets with Putin, especially in the shameful Helsinki statements. Here is the brilliant Schiff statement in its entirety:
Congressman Adam Schiff:
"At the outset, and on behalf of my colleagues, I want to thank you, Special Counsellor Mueller, for a lifetime of service to the country. Your Report, for those who have taken the time to study it, is methodical, and it is devastating. It tells the story of a foreign adversary's sweeping and systematic intervention in a close U.S. presidential election. That should be enough to deserve the attention of every American, as you well point out. But your report tells another story as well. The story of the 2016 election is also about disloyalty to country, about greed, and about lies. Your investigation determined that the Trump campaign, including Donald Trump himself, knew that a foreign power was intervening in our election and welcomed it, built Russian meddling into their strategy, and used it. Disloyalty to country, those are strong words, but how else can we describe a presidential campaign which did not inform authorities about a foreign offer of dirt on their opponent, did not publicly shun it or turn it away, but which instead invited it, encouraged it, and made full use of it. That disloyalty may not have been criminal. Constrained by uncooperative witnesses, the destruction of documents, and the use of encrypted communications, your team was not capable of establishing each of the elements of the crime of conspiracy beyond a reasonable doubt. But not a provable crime in any event, but I think maybe something worse. A crime is a violation of law written by congress, but disloyalty violates the very oath of citizenship, our devotion to a core principal of which our nation was founded, that we, the people and not some foreign power that wishes us ill, that we decide who governs us. This is also a story about money, about greed and corruption, the leadership of a campaign willing to compromise the nation's interest, not only to win, but to make money at the same time. About a campaign chairman indebted to pro-Russia interests who tried to use his position to clear his debts and to make millions. About a national security advisor using his position to make money from still other foreign interests. About a candidate trying to make more money than all of them put together, the real estate project that to him was worth a fortune, hundreds of millions of dollars, and the realization of a lifelong ambition, a Trump tower in the heart of Moscow. A candidate in fact, who viewed his whole campaign as the greatest infomercial in history. Donald Trump and his senior staff were not alone in their desire to use the election to make money, for Russia too there was a powerful financial motive, Putin wanted relief from economic sanctions imposed in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and over human rights violations. The secret Trump tower meeting between the Russians and senior campaign officials was about sanctions. The secret conversations between Flynn and the ambassador of Russia were about sanctions. Trump and his team wanted more money for themselves and the Russians wanted more money for themselves and for their Oligarchs. But the story doesn't end here either, your story talks about lies, lots of lies, lies about Trump tower Moscow and the Kremlin, lies about the firing of James Comey, and lies about the effort to fire you, director Mueller, and lies to cover it up. Lies about secret meetings about negotiations about sanctions and lies about Wikileaks, lies about polling data and lies about hush money payments. Lies about secret meetings in the Seychelles to set up secret back channels and lies about a secret meeting in Trump tower. Lies to the FBI, lies to your staff, and lies to this committee. Lies to obstruct an investigation into the most serious attacks on our democracy by a foreign power in our history. That is where your report ends, director Mueller, with a scheme to cover up obstruct and deceive every bit as dramatic systematic and pervasive as the Russian disinformation campaign itself, but far more pernicious since this rot came from within. Even now after 448 pages and two volumes, the deception continues, the president and his acolytes say your report found no collusion, though your report explicitly declines to address that question. Though collusion involves both criminal and non-criminal conduct. Your report laid out multiple offers of Russian help to the Trump campaign. Acceptance of that help and over-active furtherance of that help, that is the very definition of collusion, whether it is a crime or not. They say your report found no evidence of obstruction, though you outline numerous actions of the president that is intended to obstruct the investigation. They say the president has been fully exonerated though you specifically declare you could not exonerate him. In fact, they say your whole investigation was nothing more than a witch hunt, that the Russians didn't interfere in our election, that it's all a terrible hoax. The real crime they say, is not that the Russians intervened to help Donald Trump, but that the FBI had the temerity to investigate it, when they did. But worst of all, worse than all the lies and the greed, it the disloyalty to country. For that, too, continues. When asked if the Russians continue, will you take their help, Mr. President? Why not, is the essence of his answer, everyone does it. No Mr. President, they don't. Not in the America envisioned by Jefferson Madison and Hamilton, not for those who believe in the idea that Lincoln labored until his dying day to preserve, the idea animating our great national experiment, the idea then so precious still that our government is chosen by our people, through our franchise, and not by some hostile foreign power. This is what is at stake, our next election, and the one after that, for generations to come, our democracy. This is why your work matters, Director Mueller, this is why our investigation matters, to bring these dangers to light."
Dangerous Times
Many Americans are worried about dictatorial and fascistic authoritarian tendencies of President Donald Trump, who despite unprecedented opinion polls that have never exceeded 50%, many fear he will be re-elected in 2020. He compares to Caligula, the Roman Emperor who was considered the crazy one, yet he continues to dominate the news with an unending stream of outrageous "tweets" to some 64 million followers. Caligula lasted only four years, and many hope that Trump will last only four years. President Trump has told over 10,000 documented lies.
Additional information about How Empire Explains America Best:
https://www.academia.edu/28545758/EMPIRE_Explains_America_Best_2013-2016_13p
Please cite this work as follows: Reuschlein, Robert. (2019, July 26), "Schiff Mueller Testimony" Madison, WI, Real Economy Institute. Retrieved from: https://www.expertclick.com/NewsRelease/Schiff-Mueller-Testimony,2019183327.aspx
Dr. Peace, Professor Robert Reuschlein, Real Economy Institute, Nominated Vetted 2016 (2 Web Looks), Given Odds 2017 (3 Web Looks), Strongly Considered 2018 (48 Web Looks, one million words) for Nobel Peace Prize, a favorite in 2019 (double pace of last year 82 Web Looks in 10 months) for Nobel Peace Prize to be announced Friday October 4th, 2019.
Contact: bobreuschlein@gmail.com,
Info: www.realeconomy.com