At the extreme risk of putting way too big a cart in front of a Russian racehorse, whose head lay soaking your bedsheets, to mix and murder three to four metaphors, I would like to propose what Einstein called a “thought experiment.”
This “thought experiment” calls us to do something scientists are often forced to do, propose a hypothesis to explain what one sees, based upon some reasonable pre-set assumptions, and accounting for some peculiar data that does not quit “fit” known systems.
Our experiment is called “What it would look like” and it involves answering the question: “What would it look like if Robert Mueller and/or the SDNY discovered some truly monstrous crimes in Trump’s business past, crimes that might relate in some way to Russia, and might not, but were serious crimes, which Mueller and the SDNY wanted to see get through to justice without the tinge of politics.”
Of course, our first pre-existing assumption would be that Mueller and the SDNY is and are FAR too good to be totally outplayed by Trump, and perhaps good enough to outthink even the most hardened Right-Wing operators running interference.” We know Mueller would do everything possible to avoid having his career ending on Trump muttering “No collusion, no obstruction.”
Let me say again, our pre-existing assumption is that for the purposes of this thought experiment, we are assuming that Mueller and/or the SDNY found truly horrific crimes pertaining to Trump. That assumption is just that, an assumption.
But if we ASSUMED that he did or they did, what would it look like” to have that case “come out?”
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I am sorry, but we have to go over some limited data, and a few more pre-set assumptions.
First, we KNOW that Mueller referred several aspects of his investigation to the SDNY for further investigation and possible prosecution. We also know that those crimes would necessarily be of the type that would NOT involve conspiring with Russia to win the election and/or obstruct about it.
Second, we know that despite the SDNY being highly “sovereign” in its own mind, it is, in fact, more under William Barr’s thumb than Mueller had been, and could not possibly be investigating Trump without Barr exercising however much “control” he felt comfortable exercising. One would have thought that would be very little, but we’ve already seen Barr’s shocking willingness to control everything. He intends to “investigate the investigators.”
This would deeply frustrate those very good (top of the top) SDNY folks, and likely depress some. Perhaps they were depressed enough about it that they swapped some ideas around over beers.
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“What we need is a case that STARTS as something that isn’t a Trump case, but it has to be something important enough that we could use a lot of resources, and call it another case, a case that Barr could not oversee, due to a conflict or something.”
“You mean like a Trojan horse? Something to get it in the door, and get us going on it, and have all the stuff ready that by the time AG Barr finds out about it, it will be clear he cannot interfere.”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“We need to drudge up some kind of old case for which Barr is clearly conflicted, and use that as a Trojan horse …”
At which point someone laughed; “Yeah, right”: and someone did not: “What’s the name of that guy that Trump appointed, the guy, what’s his name, that gave that other guy such a good deal?”
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A series of things in the Epstein matter bother me, and there are two things I understand perfectly well. One of the two things is that the case was defended by Barr’s old law firm, and would be of the top top type that Barr would not interfere with (never mind it involves about the most reprehensible type of crime with the least sympathetic defendant and never mind that SOME will immediately wonder how “such a good deal was engineered), and the other thing is that the case is being brought by the Public Corruption section of the SDNY, thus is NECESSARILY involves an elected official somewhere along the line.
The three things that bothered me:
1. The complaint as alleged brings up NO new criminal activity. IOW, as opposed to what I thought when I heard news of the arrest, they did NOT allege any NEW criminal activity. (the search did find child porn and that will result in new charges, but he was originally arrested on OLD behavior).
2. The no-prosecution agreement is a real thing, and despite it stating it only binds the Southern District of Florida, it is just “weird” that the same DOJ wouldn’t feel bound by that agreement. No matter how many times they say “It’s perfectly fine for US to prosecutor him” it ain’t “perfectly normal.”
3. Given it started in the Public Corruption division, and the number of political officials that a case like this COULD impact, there is no way that William Barr would ever get near a case involving a child molester that implicated both his old firm and powerful men all over the place such ...
Oh, snap.
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I just saw your eyes rise, too.
But what’s the nexus, right? How does that work, exactly? Remember, the goal would be to fit as much of the original Trump “monstrous crimes” stuff into a trojan horse, an investigation/criminal matter, and getting it far enough down the road such that by the time Barr would realize he needed to protect his friend, it would be too late.
“Too Late” being the moment he figured out that his friend’s case is linked — in the public’s mind — with a child molester’s case, “child-sex trafficking” and “public corruption division” are not the types of words Barr wants to plant his “Save Republicans” flag.
The “nexus” might be those monstrous crimes.
It might be a nexus of:
A) Trump, a man whose main connection to “Russia” might well be based initially on his CLEAR preference for eastern European women, and especially young women and teens.
B) So clear were these man’s proclivities that he owned a modeling agency that imported such teens into the United States
C) Such girls would also be (please, I know this is hard) wanted by the type who were loaning Trump money to begin with, oligarchs, and who could be “offered” as such for “visits” in the U.S. away from wives and family. If you want to stay on good terms with oligarchs, you keep them happy. (I am sorry, God forgive me).
D) Perhaps one cannot be involved in illegal Russian money and Russian “Models” without running into sex-trafficking?
E) Robert Mueller and/or the SDNY following-up on Mueller’s referral might well have run into these monstrosities, just by asking people about Trump’s Russian businesses, and they knew they would need a trojan horse with allegations this explosive.
And:
F) There is one credible witness, who filed a lawsuit, alleging that Trump raped her at the age of 13, at an Epstein party. But she pulled her original complaint due to “death threats.”
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Remember, our thought experiment is “What would it look like” if we assume that Mueller and/or the SDNY ran into monstrous crimes in Trump’s past, either just horrific money laundering, undeniable tax dodging, something, but something so bad that Trump is going to jail, yet they also needed “cover” to investigate it.
A big “child sex-trafficking investigation would be the perfect vehicle, because no one wants to be in the way of one of those. There is ONLY one “good side” and that is on the side of watching from the sideline, hoping it goes well.
Perhaps it is all money laundering, but perhaps enough involved the “modeling agency” that they can lie with a straight face and say it was originally concerned about “child sex trafficking ..”
Perhaps it’s not just about money laundering.
In terms of “what it would look like,” I believe it might look like a case that begins with someone who is already vilified, Epstein, who would be called to do no more than to verify a few things held by that “child sex-trafficking investigation” aka “the Trump-Russian investigation” and the details of which would then come out as “part of the larger Epstein case.”
If the investigators wanted to cloak enough validity on to the investigation as possible, remove as much politics as possible and remove it from Barr’s oversight, cloaking it all as resulting from the Epstein matter IS the perfect vehicle.
Epstein may be asked no more than a few questions about that party, and then asked some questions about the modeling agency.
Voila, the rest of the facts coming out in the media and the criminal complaints to follow all “‘spring from evidence established in the Epstein matter” and of course it doesn’t matter in the least if that is actually “true,” we’re just trying to avoid Barr AND avoid politicizing the evidence and making sure the “investigators” are not questioned as to their integrity.
Here, the “investigators” are those guys trying to protect children.
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Keep in mind. NO NEW INFORMATION is alleged in that criminal complaint, and yet the indictment was signed on July 2nd, why now?
Mueller testifies on July 17th, but I am not sure that’s definitive.
It IS about right for the SDNY to START the SDNY cases about 90-120 days after Mueller pulled-up shop; “Wait a good 90 days to avoid any connection with us initially …” It is also 18 months prior to the next election.
It would also involve the TIGHTEST LIPPED prosecutors in NY, the public corruption section, another KEY consideration.
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Originally, I thought there was no way I was going to believe Epstein could be linked to Trump, not formally, anyway. But then I read enough here today to convince myself that there was no way he couldn’t be linked, at least some, at least with respect to the Alex Acosta, labor secretary aspect.
Speaking of whom, I noticed today that Stephanie Ruhle on MSNBC kept going back to the fact that the non-prosecution agreement signed by Acosta covered “co-conspirators” and that is
A) Bizarre
B) Shows the stakes
C) is something she HAD to be tipped about as “important.”
Who all could have been an original “co-conspirator” and could also be in a place to keep Acosta “under thumb” when people started sniffing around?
Then I noted that there was no real link between Trump and Acosta prior to him being named Sec. of Labor from a 2nd tier law school.
And then I asked myself ...
“What would it look like if …”
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I know I don’t need to remind anyone this is STILL — at this point — nothing but a thought experiment. But there ARE some weird things here. And one cannot get around the fact that the DOJ sees this as involving a public official, and that Barr IS conflicted …
It does get one thinking … that if it didn’t start OUT as the perfect vehicle, then I sure as shit wouldn’t be the only person who wouldn’t note that it COULD BECOME the perfect vehicle real quick-like.
My novels, linked today unlike last Friday. Just a thought.
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UPDATE:
Someone noted that Barr recused himself today, and was nice enough to state it made me look smart. I am not convinced of that, but it is a non-issue bc of course Barr recused himself TODAY, that is the whole point, it is WAY too late for him to involve himself. I was looking more at him recusing himself 6 months ago when someone walked to him about “re-opening the Epstein matter” and didn’t tell him all they had “planned in the background” …. and having Barr state 6 months ago “I am not involving myself on this …”
But if he did just do it today, it certainly NOW covers the Trump-Russia investigation folks at SDNY who want to ask Mr. Epstein’s counsel some questions.”