It’s a clever move only if you think that Comey’s little dance was clever. Mueller is playing the same games that government insiders like him usually do. But there’s too much public scrutiny now and too many questions. Like why Mueller chose to throw the book at Manafort with a pre-dawn raid, humiliating his wife, solitary, while letting Obama, Clinton and Bernie allies take a walk.
So now he’s sending those cases over to the Southern District of New York.
Special counsel Robert Mueller has referred a collection of cases to New York federal prosecutors concerning whether several high-profile American lobbyists and operatives failed to register their work as foreign agents, according to people familiar with the matter.
The transfer of the inquiries marks an escalation of Mueller’s referrals to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York in the period since he turned over a case involving President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen.
Since the spring, Mueller has referred matters to SDNY involving longtime Democratic lobbyist Tony Podesta and his work for his former firm, the Podesta Group, and former Minnesota Republican Rep. Vin Weber and his work for Mercury Public Affairs, the sources said.
One source said that former Obama White House counsel Greg Craig, a former partner at law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, is also part of the inquiry.None of the entities involved have been charged with wrongdoing, and there is no indication the SDNY inquiry will result in criminal charges.
Of course they won’t.
SDNY will do Mueller’s dirty work the same way that McCabe did Comey’s dirty work. And when Republicans challenge Mueller on why Obama, Clinton and Bernie allies got a pass, while he went after Manafort, he’ll pass the buck to SDNY, whose credibility won’t affect his probe. Mueller will claim that it was their decision not to press charges or give them a slap on the wrist.
But conservatives should pay close attention to this double standard and call it out for what it is.
Mueller laundering his dirtier laundry through SDNY changes nothing.
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