There has already been much written, and generations from now historians will be delving into details and writing books & lectures on what the Obama Administration did and did not do about Russian interference in the 2016 election. I suspect a part of him will always feel sick inside over what went down, and particularly over the lack of his agency heads failing to, prior to the campaign starting or at least by the time of the conventions connect the dots about how long and widespread the Russia attack was. Had that review he ordered only after the election taken place even during the summer he might well have had enough ammo to tell Mitch McConnell to fuck off. However, like so many of us he assumed (at least prior to the October Surprise courtesy of James Comey) that Clinton would win and a solid program of pushback & retaliation that made strategic sense would take place.
Well, things didn’t work out as planned but President Obama did in fact order a multi-agency deep dive going back years. And it turns out there were plenty of clues that what we’d been seeing Russia do overseas was not only possible here but that they were laying the groundwork to hit us. Actions were taken to retaliate, much to the dismay of Donnie Two-Scoops who was desperate to start paying back his best bud (only in his mind though), role model and benefactor Vlad. But he and his crew figured they’d be able to start making good on the “quo” part of quid pro quo soon enough. Hell, we’ve learned that they cut a deal with ole Vlad to hold off on retaliating over our retaliations!
However, while it was reported at the time & has been mentioned since there’s something else Obama ordered that might well be the thing that leads to scratchy polyester (orange) jumpsuits for many in the Trump campaign & administration — including Brylcreemhead himself.
www.bing.com/…
The NYT article I’ve linked to doesn’t go into a lot of detail, but in practice a strong plan was implemented to spread and imbed information/documentation of all that was by then known about the Russia attack and surely classified stuff like who was caught talking to Russian folks who were under surveillance. Obama knew who he was dealing with, including Mike Flynn and had no problem believing (correctly I think) that they would destroy evidence as easily as they lie. So it was spread and imbedded far and wide and no doubt in many instances hidden in a way that only a dogged investigator who knew what to look for and how to find it (with assistance from trusted career holdovers in agencies) would find it all.
An experienced Washington hand with tons of experience in high profile investigations & prosecutions of folks with lots of resources to fight back. Someone who knew all the nooks and crannies including & especially in the National Security apparatus. Someone like Robert Mueller.
Decades of not listening to lawyers and frequently stiffing them on legal fees has meant Trump hasn’t been able to attract the kind of legal talent a President would normally get in his situation. And needs. Ty Cobb is the only one who has the chops to at least be in the same arena with Team Mueller, but his role on team Trump is different than what most people (I think) perceive. Cobb is not on Trump’s personal legal team, but rather the White House payroll with the specific function of coordinating the response to the Special Counsel’s and Congresses requests for documents, coordinating schedules so people can meet with investigators, and provide actual testimony if required. He gave up a lucrative Partnership to take the job, but he also made sure that if not what he’s used to he’s going to at least get paid something! But he’s not in the inner circle of Trump’s defense, and I think it’s because he doesn’t want to be.
First, and perhaps most importantly he’s not a long-time Trump guy which means the odds of him being stiffed on millions of dollars in legal bills is quite high. Then there’s the issue of someday going back to a high-end firm having maintained just enough distance to avoid a permanent stench from being associated with Trump. And a nice “boutique” set of skills/experience to market to some future firm. Cobb has had a good career and isn’t about to risk his law license by taking part in or even ignoring attempts to cover up/hide or even destroy information. The same can’t be said for Trump, team Trump and their personal lawyers. If you’ve been paying attention, there’s been tension all along between Trump’s personal team and Cobb & his folks over cooperation. In my own reading between the lines Cobb is tap dancing and trying to avoid acquiring any knowledge of shenanigans. And I’ll bet that he has in fact learned about some, and being on the govt. payroll means he has to answer questions if Mueller and/or his team want to have a chat — Ken Starr litigated that particular issue which is a nice bit of irony!
Unlike most of the idiot savants on team Trump Cobb realizes the implications of Obama having gone to extraordinary lengths to preserve records. And that that Bannon or Trump or Kushner or Trump’s personal lawyers (Pence & Kushner have good ones who like Cobb aren’t about to risk their licenses or freedom) have probably destroyed evidence because they don’t appreciate how hard it is to make sure they gotten rid of ALL the copies of various records/documents that have been spread around. Flynn himself knows how screwed/vulnerable he is & I even wonder if he’s got some leads on who’s been trying to destroy evidence to pass along!
The really interesting part will be when Kushner is squarely in the crosshairs — he’s already withheld stuff from his lawyers. For all the diplomacy about it I’m certain that’s why Jamie Gorelick and her firm are out of the picture. Kushner’s antics embarrassed the hell out of her and her reputation had already taken a hit for representing him in the first place. But in the end a lot of people not named Trump will be getting urgent advice from their lawyers to tell all they know and beg for mercy.
Obama scattered perjury traps far and wide. Add in the paranoia that had been present with White House staff about a mole(s) turning out to be justified with the Papadopolous plea, especially how long his plea and cooperation had been kept secret and I’m wishing I owned stock in a pharmaceutical company that sells leading blood pressure meds.
The knowledge that the Obama Administration took significant (hints of extraordinary in fact) to distribute evidence to ensure its preservation has been out there for almost a year. Trump and many around him are too stupid to care, or think that getting rid of a set of records and maybe findi.ng and getting rid of a duplicate set in another place/agency will protect this administration. That’s one helluva role of the dice. And the fact that Flynn finally gave up and accepted a plea (with plenty more charges hanging over his head — charges on which Mueller has him cold) means even he can’t be sure what’s in Mueller’s hands, and that his former boss Obama and those in that administration are smarter than him and members of Team Trump. And Trump family lawyers.
A lot of people are or at least should be very afraid tonight. And their fear will only build in the days, weeks and months ahead.
And Ty Cobb? The one high-end lawyer on the wrong end of the investigation? I don’t see his public pronouncements (like today’s) as whistling past the graveyard. I think he knows there have been crimes committed to hide/destroy evidence and that he’s stuck for the moment. If he leaves or gets fired he’ll be talking to Mueller’s folks the next day. He knows he will have to eventually, but right now his best bet is to do his best to keep doing the job of organizing and delivering documents provided by investigators. And keep good notes on anything hinky for the time when winds up under oath himself. Keeping his job includes “stroking” the Prez and his personal lawyers with statements like todays, and public statements about all this being over soon — IOW saying what Trump wants to hear.
Wouldn’t it be fun to be a fly on the wall on the day Trump realizes it’s not only not over, but that he and his family are going to be charged with crimes?
If he didn’t do all I wanted, I know President Obama did a great deal for us and the world. Trump’s little feelings got hurt because big bad Obama told some jokes at his expense at a Correspondent’s Dinner and everyone was laughing at him. So he’s now doing everything he can to erase every bit of good Obama ever did.
It could be that the most significant thing Obama did was ordering special measures to make sure evidence was preserved for the (inevitable) time that all the misdeeds of the Trump campaign & administration are brought to light, and that those assholes wind up in prison. By the time that happens the damage that has been wrought will be massive, and some of it irreparable. But at least we will have a chance to rebuild like we did after Watergate. I Just hope we do a better job, and avoid getting suckered only a few years after reforms by another Reagan.