Liz Peek
  • Articles
  • Videos
  • Radio
  • About
  • Contact
Screenshot 2018-05-17 16.43.25
May 17, 2018

One year after Mueller’s free-for-all began the costs are incredibly high and Putin is the only real winner

Liz Peek Articles

 

 

 

One year ago Thursday,  Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein dove down a rabbit hole by appointing Robert Mueller as a special counsel to look into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between President Trump’s campaign and the Russian government.

Specifically, Rosenstein’s order directed the special counsel to look into “any links between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump,” any “matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigations” and “any other matters within the scope” of the Code of Federal Regulations applicable to the special counsel.

In other words, Rosenstein launched a free-for-all.

Exactly 365 days later, where are we?

Operating on a budget of $10 million in taxpayer funds, Mueller and his team have conducted thousands of hours of interviews and collected millions of documents.

Mueller has indicted one allegedly corrupt lobbyist, Paul Manafort, who has been charged with tax evasion and money laundering in connection to his work for shady Ukrainian politicians carried on years before he briefly went to work as chairman of the Trump presidential campaign.

Mueller has also charged Manafort’s business partner, Rick Gates, for similar alleged misdeeds and accused several campaign hangers-on of lying to the FBI.

To date, there has been no indication that the Trump campaign – and certainly not the president – had anything to do with Russia’s efforts to meddle in our election process. That Russia did indeed interfere with the U.S. presidential race seems certain.

The Russians spewed false propaganda, as Moscow has done in the past, and leaked harmful communications to discredit Hillary Clinton. Why? Because Russian President Vladimir Putin was angry with Clinton for calling his election in Russia “rigged,” and decided that two could play that game.

Instead of collusion, we have breathless revelations about payments made to quash porn star Stormy Daniels’ recounting of a one-night stand with Donald Trump that she claims took place in 2006 – and that the president denies ever happened.

Over the past year, the cost of the Mueller investigation has gone way beyond the expenditure of taxpayer money. It has cast a cloud over the Trump presidency, allowing his opponents to press their no-holds-barred opposition with righteous zeal.

The millions of Americans who protested his win were energized in part by the completely unsubstantiated notion that President Trump had cheated, depriving Clinton of her rightful time at bat.

Ironic, really, because the only cheating we actually know about for sure came from Hillary Clinton’s camp, which engaged in nefarious and unfair activities aimed to hurt rival Bernie Sanders in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Also, the only politically nefarious contact with Russian operatives that we know of was carried out by Fusion GPS. That purveyor of opposition research was acting on behalf of Clinton’s campaign when it charged Christopher Steele with digging up dirt on Donald Trump. Steele excelled at the task by assembling the now infamous dossier, with the apparent help of Putin’s minions.

The cost of the special counsel’s probe also includes a major hit to the reputation of the FBI and the Justice Department, which has shown itself to have behaved in a partisan and possibly illegal manner.

Not only did those organizations apparently rely on the Steele dossier – which fired FBI Director James Comey has described as “unverified” – to get permission to spy on Trump campaign workers; they also appear to have set up former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who was charged with lying to the FBI.

There are also indications that President Obama, who micromanaged every aspect of his government, may have even weaponized those institutions to undermine a political rival. If true, this is a low point in our history and our democracy.

Another cost is the further rending of the country into two camps. Democrats are convinced that only skullduggery could account for President Trump’s victory and want Mueller to prove collusion; Republicans think the investigation is, to quote the president, a “witch hunt.”

Interestingly, and maybe not surprisingly, voters from both sides of the aisle are losing interest and confidence in Mueller’s inquiry. A recent Monmouth University poll showed that 54 percent of voters support continuing the investigation, a drop from 60 percent in March. Some 43 percent said the investigation should end, compared with 37 percent two months ago.

Meanwhile, an NPR/PBS/Marist poll a few weeks ago found that 45 percent of voters believe the special counsel is overseeing a “fair” investigation, several points lower than in previous readings. That survey also showed that only 16 percent of Republicans and 35 percent of independents view Mueller favorably – figures that are quickly dropping.

Trump backers see a double standard. Supporters resent the seeming indifference of the Justice Department to Clinton’s possible misdeeds, such as her involvement in the sale of Uranium One and her lying about her using a personal server to transmit classified information. They think Clinton got off lightly, courtesy of Comey’s kid glove treatment, while President Trump has been hounded for months for offenses yet to be identified.

The good news is that the country is moving forward. If the purpose of this endless, far-reaching investigation into all things Trump was to undermine his presidency, as some charge, that effort is failing.

President Trump’s approval ratings are rising (now at 48 percent according to Reuters/Ipsos), and Americans are more upbeat about the direction of the country. The economy is humming, and increasingly voters are crediting President Trump with the acceleration in growth and in job openings.

Still, the liberal media stick limpet-like to the Mueller probe, sapping the rising optimism and diverting resources from the work of the people. The investigation is achieving just what Moscow aspired to create: discord and distraction.

During his self-promoting book tour, Comey said that after a year, an investigator should have a good idea of where he is going, or he should be fired. The year is up, Special Counsel Mueller. Time to show your cards, or call it a day. The only winner here so far is Vladimir Putin.

 

Published on Foxnews.com

Seattle is attempting to kill its golden goose: Amazon Appointing women to run companies is the smart, safe bet

Related Posts

Wsrya8C9

Articles

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Amazon takedown shows progressive programs can do real harm

wu6-Wvz4

Articles

Trump’s pick will get World Bank back to doing its job: Fighting poverty

Screenshot 2019-02-20 15.47.14

Articles

GOP’s 2020 campaign will put Dem extremism on trial

Recent Posts

  • Wsrya8C9Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Amazon takedown shows progressive programs can do real harm
  • wu6-Wvz4Trump’s pick will get World Bank back to doing its job: Fighting poverty
  • Screenshot 2019-02-20 15.47.14GOP’s 2020 campaign will put Dem extremism on trial
  • Screenshot 2019-02-07 00.04.05State of the Union speech showcases talent of Trump on the stump

Liz on Facebook

Liz Peek

4 months ago

Liz Peek

Remember how certain Dems were that anti-Trump fever would annihilate GOP candidates in the midterms? here we are, with the House up for grabs and most critical races too close to call. www.foxnews.com/opinion/liz-peek-midterm-election-visions-of-a-blue-wave-still-fill-pelosis-head-… … See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

Liz Peek: Midterm election visions of a Blue Wave still fill Pelosi’s head but Trump is upending expectations

foxnews.com

President Trump will not fix all our problems, but he has a better shot than most, because he approaches the country’s and the world’s problems with an untutored eye.

Share

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Google PlusShare on Linked InShare by Email

  • Likes: 22
  • Shares: 1
  • Comments: 8

 

Comment on Facebook

Well this sure didn’t age well did it? Kind of like your recent article about disarray in the democratic party. Appears the GOP has lost grip on reality. Kind of like their grip on Orange county where the GOP was completely swept!!!! Only reason they kept the Senate is because so few seats were up for election. Keep spinning that top lady

I just finished reading Liz’s article from Fox News Channel titled " GOP’s 2020 campaign will put Dem extremism on trial , yessss , I did , it was Brilliant ….

Liz, baby or fetus? Can’t work it both ways. Thank your lucky stars your parents didn’t dehumanize you by labeling you a "fetus" as as pretext to correct an inconvenient mistake.

"Just days after the New York law went into effect, a man stabbed a woman in New York, killing her and her unborn fetus. Because of the recently signed bill, the prosecutor said he could charge the assailant with murdering the woman, but not the baby. That is the horrible outcome of a horrible bill, which Democrats will have to defend in the months to come."

Long time ago, but still wondering how exactly you lost your mind? Fox must be paying you a lot! After 2020 you’re going to need some new shtick.

Let’s stay the course.

WELL , Well , well , what have we here but a few pesky lefty Democrat males in here pestering one of America’s finest journalist , yessss , Liz Peeks insights are always Brilliant , I mean , even Babe Ruth struck out more at bat than he hit home runs , though it was his home runs we all remember …. respectfully

Your article on Fox News hit the nail on the head. I have soured on all the investigations on Trump. Let’s get something done that matters. Turn your sights back to our country and our people and our military and ICE!

+ View more comments

Liz Peek

4 months ago

Liz Peek

Chuck Schumer dismisses the importance of 250,000 people getting a job. What are Dems offering middle class Americans? nothing….
thehill.com/opinion/campaign/414910-the-numbers-dont-lie-working-americans-are-better-off-under-gop
… See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

The numbers don’t lie: Working Americans are better off under GOP

thehill.com

Not since the year 2000 have people been so cheery.

Share

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Google PlusShare on Linked InShare by Email

  • Likes: 21
  • Shares: 7
  • Comments: 4

 

Comment on Facebook

Cryin’ Chuck!

America is winning !

Democrats like victims not winners.

Liz Peek

6 months ago

Liz Peek

Imagine: @Google won’t help US military w #AI but ready to boost suppression of free speech in #China … See MoreSee Less

Share

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Google PlusShare on Linked InShare by Email

  • Likes: 12
  • Shares: 7
  • Comments: 4

 

Comment on Facebook

Cannot find a place to send a message to Cavuto. Will you pass along a message telling him that Gasperino is a true downer. Every time he is on any Fox show, I start feeling depressed.

Unconscionable!!!

Western Civilization is under a coordinated attack from every other belief system in the world.

Another appearance on the Fox propaganda channel filled with rabidly partisan attacks. And next time you want to pretend our Russian hooker piss loving POTUS didn’t collude, remember the Trump Tower meeting with Kremlin Reps ;). May Allah remove your ignorance and toss in a splash of objectivity sweetie

LOAD MORE

Tweets by Liz

Retweet on TwitterLiz Peek Retweeted
Jeanine Pirro@JudgeJeanine·

4h

So crony capitalism hasn’t escaped AOC – her boyfriend reaps benefits from PAC with whom she’s aligned.

https://t.co/MNCpiF42zV

Reply on TwitterRetweet on Twitter1437Like on Twitter3441Twitter
Retweet on TwitterLiz Peek Retweeted
Charlie Kirk@charliekirk11·

3h

Did you know:

Russia donated over $145,000,000 to the Clinton Foundation

Hillary Clinton sold 20% America’s Uranium to Vladimir Putin

And Robert Mueller has spent 2 years and millions of dollars investigating Donald Trump for colluding with Russia during the 2016 election?

🤔

Reply on TwitterRetweet on Twitter7636Like on Twitter15241Twitter
Retweet on TwitterLiz Peek Retweeted
Ronna McDaniel@GOPChairwoman·

7h

Democrats & many in the media have accused @realDonaldTrump of lying about criminals hiding in caravans.

But just yesterday, we learned that at least 25 MS-13 gang members were found in a caravan right over the border.

Democrats need to get serious about illegal immigration.

Reply on TwitterRetweet on Twitter2348Like on Twitter4694Twitter
Retweet on TwitterLiz Peek Retweeted
Bulls and Bears@BullsBearsFBN·

6h

Tonight joining @DavidAsmanfox on @BullsBearsFBN we have @JonasFerris @zacharykarabell @lizpeek @MBlockTSA! Tune in at 5 PM ET to follow all the action!

Tonight joining @DavidAsmanfox on @BullsBearsFBN we have @JonasFerris @zacharykarabell @lizpeek @MBlockTSA! Tune in at 5 PM ET to follow all the action!

Reply on TwitterRetweet on Twitter5Like on Twitter5Twitter
Liz Peek@lizpeek·

8h

Bernie Sanders targets Amazon during 2020 campaign announcement – https://t.co/m5vR6PdUWY #GoogleAlerts

Reply on TwitterRetweet on Twitter3Like on Twitter3Twitter

LOAD MORE

Tags

AGENDA AIR FORCE BIG GOVERNMENT BORDER WALL CHINA CLINTON CONGRESS CYBERWAR DEMOCRATS DRAIN THE SWAMP E-VERIFY ECONOMY ELON MUSK FILLIBUSTER FREEDOM CAUCUS FREEDOM WATCH GOP GORSUCH GRADUATION HACKING HEALTH CARE HILLARY IMMIGRATION INFRASTRUCTURE KUSHNER MEDIA MIDDLE EAST MOODY'S NUNES NYC OIL RAND PAUL STOCK MARKET SUPREME COURT SUSAN RICE TAXES TAX REFORM TECHNOLOGY TED CRUZ TERROR TRUMP TURKEY WALL STREET WEATHER WELLESLEY
  • Articles
  • Videos
  • Radio
  • About
  • Contact
©2017 LizPeek.org. All Rights Reserved.
Site by Steeplechase Strategies