‘The Dirt’s Not There’: Dems Have Nothing to Show For Midterm Russiagate Panic

The two-year investigation by US special counsel Robert Mueller into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election has yielded scant evidence. That didn’t stop fearmongering about a Russian repeat in the 2018 midterms, of course, but now those claims, too, remain unsubstantiated ‒ and even the Democrats have dropped the Russiagate storyline.

The two-year investigation by US special counsel Robert Mueller into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election has yielded scant evidence. That didn't stop fearmongering about a Russian repeat in the 2018 midterms, of course, but now those claims, too, remain unsubstantiated ‒ and even the Democrats have dropped the Russiagate storyline.

The 2018 midterm elections in the US — when Americans voted for congressional as well as state and local offices but not for the presidency — have come and gone with no signs of the alleged hack attacks by Russian operatives that mainstream media sites and US intelligence officials promised us were sure to come. So now, just like after 2016, the question remains: where's the proof?

Throughout the year, promise after promise was made, warning bell after warning bell sounded: the Russians were far from done manipulating Americans and their electoral system, and if you thought 2016 was bad, just you wait for what's coming. A June Vanity Fair article, whose vagueness on specifics was matched only by the fever pitch of its apocalyptic hysteria, warned that for Russia, "2018 will likely be a testing ground for 2020," in which it would "do everything it can to ensure [Trump's presidency falling apart] doesn't happen," including hacking voting booths, "quadrupl[ing] their efforts on social media," and most nefariously, "they'll do things [intelligence officers] haven't even thought of yet."

Other publications did their part to make sure Americans knew whom to fear and whose fault it was if the November 6 elections didn't go their way or encountered any sort of problem: it was the Russians; it was always the Russians.

https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201811071069606262-Democrats-Nothing-Show-Midterm-Russiagate-Hysteria/

BREAKING: Jim Acosta White House Press Pass Suspended

BREAKING NEWS.

Jim Acosta’s White House press pass has been suspended following the incident wherein he assaulted a female White House staffer on Wednesday.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders broke the news:

“President Trump believes in a free press and expects and welcomes tough questions of him and his Administration. We will, however, never tolerate a reporter placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern.

This conduct is absolutely unacceptable. It is also completely disrespectful to the reporter’s colleagues not to allow them an opportunity to ask a question. President Trump has given the press more access than any President in history.

Contrary to CNN’s assertions there is no greater demonstration of the President’s support for a free press than the event he held today. Only they would attack the President for not supporting a free press in the midst of him taking 68 questions from 35 different reporters…

…over the course of 1.5 hours including several from the reporter in question. The fact that CNN is proud of the way their employee behaved is not only disgusting, it‘s an example of their outrageous disregard for everyone, including young women, who work in this Administration.”

“As a result of today’s incident, the White House is suspending the hard pass of the reporter involved until further notice.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/11/breaking-jim-acostas-press-pass-suspended/

Will Mueller Use "Constructive Discharge" To Challenge Sessions Replacement?

Special Counsel Robert Mueller could use a legal concept known as "constructive discharge" to challenge the appointment of Matt Whitaker, the acting Attorney General, by arguing that Attorney General Jeff Sessions was forced out as opposed to voluntarily leaving, reports Bloomberg, citing a former federal prosecutor.

Mueller could argue in court that Trump effectively fired Sessions after months of verbal abuse, a legal concept known as a constructive discharge, said Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor. Under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, Trump can appoint an acting official without Senate confirmation if he replaces someone who has been incapacitated or resigned. It doesn’t apply if the previous official was fired. -Bloomberg

Whitaker was appointed to run the DOJ after Sessions submitted his resignation Wednesday at Trump's request. While Sessions had recused himself from the Trump-Russia probe, Whitaker will now control oversight of the investigation - a duty which has fallen on the shoulders of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein - despite the fact that he himself was involved in the FISA warrant process to spy on the Trump campaign.

Sessions' resignation letter begins with "At your request," making it unambiguous that Trump fired him.

"The question is whether he was constructively fired, which means he didn’t resign from his post," Mariotti said. "I don’t know the answer as to how the courts would view that."

Challenging Whitaker's appointment "could be Mueller himself," said Mariotti, adding "That would be one obvious person."

Legal experts agree it would be difficult to remove Whitaker from a post he can hold for seven months under the law. He can’t be appointed permanently, and Trump said he would appoint someone at a later date. -Bloomberg

"It’s not clear whether a firing would allow Trump to appoint him as an interim," said former federal prosecutor Barbara McQuade, who teaches law at the University of Michigan. If Sessions voluntarily resigned, "it's permissible for Trump to make this interim appointment."

"I don’t see any reason why Whitaker would not be the one to supervise the Mueller investigation and take it out of the hands of Rod Rosenstein," she added.

Rosenstein appeared at the White House on Wednesday for a previously unscheduled appointment.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg notes that special counsels can be removed under the law for "misconduct, dereliction of duty, incapacity, conflict of interest, or for other good cause." Whitaker is on record saying that if Mueller investigates the Trump family finances beyond anything to do with Russia, "that goes beyond the scope of the special counsel."

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-11-07/will-mueller-use-constructive-discharge-challenge-sessions-replacement