Return of the Rudy
Well, look who’s back. Former NYC Mayor and long-time Trump supporter Rudy Giuliani has joined President Trump’s legal team. Additionally, Jane Serene Raskin and Marty Raskin also join the Trump legal team.
CNN:
Giuliani, who spoke to CNN on the phone soon after news broke about his role, was careful to praise Trump’s current legal team, but he said that sometimes it helps to bring on a fresh perspective.
Giuliani also noted that he has known Mueller for a long time. They worked together in the Justice Department as well as when Mueller was FBI director and Giuliani was New York’s mayor.
Giuliani said he is going to get a list from Mueller of what is needed to “comply” with the rest of the investigation as soon as he can, and depending on what is on the list, that compliance might go quickly, even as soon as “a couple of weeks.”
Giuliani pushed back on the idea that Trump ever had any intention of firing Mueller. He said the President never gave him any indication he was considering such a move because he knows it would be “counterproductive.” Dismissing Mueller would mean the investigation would take longer, Giuliani said, adding that “Bob is the best we can do” and saying he is fair.
Seth Abramson is unimpressed:
So Trump has just hired, as his new attorney, an almost certain witness in the Mueller probe. That means he will be paying money to, and sharing his own confidential testimony with, a fellow Mueller witness. This is both Obstruction and Witness Tampering. But hey, who’s counting? pic.twitter.com/vPvvEvWX47
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) April 19, 2018
Popehat demures:
Rudy Giuliani is qualified to give advice on federal criminal investigations. Not clear whether he’s able or inclined to give advice this client doesn’t like, though.
— IPleadTheFifthHat (@Popehat) April 19, 2018
Ryan Fournier approves on behalf of #MAGA
Hell yea America’s Mayor Rudy Giuliani is joining President @realDonaldTrump’s legal defense team. Let’s see the politically motivated FBI try to unconstitutionally raid or attack him. Not going to end well for Mueller and co if they do. #MAGA
— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) April 19, 2018
What say you?
Conspiracy Theory that I saw today that I could not immediately dismiss: Rudy still has some guys in New York’s FBI branch.Report
A few wild conspiracy theories, at least the remotely plausible ones not involving aliens, from this:
Rudy and Mueller are besties so he can get all the info
Rudy has contacts and dirt and can leverage the individual investigators of Mueller team
Trump wants Rudy under attorney/client privilege
Trump couldn’t get any other lawyers to rep himReport
The one that was more easily dismissed: The police who confiscated Anthony Weiner’s laptop saw Hillary Clinton’s emails and showed them to Rudy.Report
We are in this weird place where the best refutation of conspiracy theories is not that they are too fantastical, but that they require skills of clear planning and directing on the part of their actors.
Who occupy the highest positions of planning and directing the affairs of state.Report
We are in this weird place where the best refutation of conspiracy theories is not that they are too fantastical, but that they require skills of clear planning and directing on the part of their actors.
And we have way too much evidence from the inverse direction, also: The conspiracies that are true are often outed by _really stupid_ shit, like, oh, one of the members literally admitting it on Twitter. Seriously, the secret conspiracies that are actually going on are a damn _farce_.
Like Roger Stone saying he ‘dined’ with Assange right before Assange released all those email. Which, hilariously, appears to have been a joke, and Stone _actually_ was just Skype texting with Assange during his dinner.
Often, the parties involved don’t seem to understand they should keep them secret, like Pruitt literally putting on his schedule that he was flying on the government dime to Morocco to lobby them to use natural gas. Like…you realize you can’t do that, right?
And even when they do realize the actual thing should be secret, they make the barest minimal handwave.
—
Hey, guys, quickly before we go. I think this thing we’re doing might technically be illegal, maybe. So if anyone asks, just lie. I mean, just make up whatever story seems good. No, we don’t need to make a story in advance. Just, I dunno, maybe orphans or something? Real estate? Some legal businessy thing. I mean, some legal political thing. Or both, we can mix them up, business and political at once, keep people guessing.
Also, guys, last time we were in here, someone forgot to erase the whiteboard with the illegal plan on it. So let’s try to remember that on the way out.
And I know it’s not obvious, but other people can see our Twitter, so if you want to talk about this criminal activity on Twitter, use some euphemisms if you remember. Like, instead of saying what it is explicitly, call it a ‘thing’ and ‘you know what’. I mean, like, no big deal if you don’t, I’m pretty sure Twitter isn’t admissible in court, but maybe try.
Also, at some point, they’re going to come to us to ask to search our email, so everyone be ready to scrub your email when that happens. Also they might want to tap our phones, so be ready for that. Luckily, I’m pretty sure they have to run any searches and wiretaps by us. As far as I know there’s no way to do a secret one of those. Although I’m not a lawyer.
…wait, I forgot, I technically am a lawyer. Oops. I’m just a really bad one.
*they all leave, forgetting to erase the whiteboard. Michael Wolff, who was standing in the corner writing all this down, exchanges a long glance with the FBI guy hiding in the potted plant, and they both sigh*Report
“Is you takin’ notes on a criminal f*ckin’ conspiracy?”Report
Made me laugh, first of all, but reminded me of a conversation with a NYC friend over the weekend: this really is a totally in character Rudy move.Report
Yesterday the tag line was that Giuliani was going to “negotiate an end” to the investigation. I felt annoyed that I never knew that was an option for my clients.
Seriously though, I think he knows his stuff, so maybe this will be a good thing for everyone, IF the president will listen. That is one hell of an IF. He will also need to keep himself out of the limelight, no pontificating on cable news etc. That is also a solid maybe, in my opinion.Report
This made me laugh out loud.
Of course, Rudy! has no more power to negotiate an end to the Mueller investigation than he has the power to bodily levitate. And unlike some others of the President’s personal legal team, it doesn’t seem particularly likely that Rudy! has used his law license to cloak criminal activity.
I’ve noticed that people who have some sort of physical proximity to Trump seem to wind up getting elevated regardless of their apparent capacity to fulfill their new roles. Ronny Jackson’s nomination to run the V.A. is a very good example of this. So in considering the rather obvious fact that Trump will, as if drawn by gravity, disregard advice he doesn’t like, I’ve got to think that Rudy! has noted that Jeff Session’s star has faded quite a bit in recent months…Report
So in considering the rather obvious fact that Trump will, as if drawn by gravity, disregard advice he doesn’t like, I’ve got to think that Rudy! has noted that Jeff Session’s star has faded quite a bit in recent months…
As you suggesting that, during an investigation of the President, someone has joined Trump’s defense team with the utterly absurd idea that Trump might appoint a member of his personal defense team against the Department of Justice to run the Department of Justice?
That would be an astonishing level of conflict of interest, and imply absolutely no ethics both of the part of the President, and on the part of the person so appointed. Frankly, Giuliani should be outraged by the implication he would be expecting that, and President Trump should be outraged by the implication he would ever stoop to such impropriety.
And if Giuliani actually believes Trump would do this and his joining the defense team is part of the plan you are suggesting (Although I certainly doubt it, and find it extremely offensive to Giuliani that you are even suggesting it), then Trump should immediately let him go and filing some sort of legal complaint about him with the Bar.
You have basically suggested our President Trump and Ruby “9/11” Giuliani have no ethics whatsoever, and you should be ashamed.
(The great thing about the internet is no one can tell you can’t keep a straight face while typing.)Report
The thing that gets me is that he makes it sound like a personal injury lawsuit. Like Trump rear-ended Mueller!
This is like a 4th rate comedyReport
I mean, if they plead guilty to all charges, that will sure end any investigation quick.Report
Dammit, you stole my joke! 😉Report
hey you had a day and a half to jump on that! 😉Report
I blame a series of unfortunate events.
I binge-watched the second season yesterday and today.Report
Yesterday the tag line was that Giuliani was going to “negotiate an end” to the investigation. I felt annoyed that I never knew that was an option for my clients.
Pffft. I’m not a lawyer and even I know the client immediately ending the investigation is always an option.
All the client has to do is tell the police all their crimes, produce a bunch of the evidence documenting said crimes, and sign a full confession. Tada. Investigation over and everyone can just go home.Report