why did robert mueller, as the u.s. attorney, let asimov walk free

What did Robert Mueller do for a living?

Robert Mueller, in full Robert Swan Mueller III, (born August 7, 1944, New York, New York, U.S.), American law enforcement official who served as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2001 to 2013. In 2017–19 he was special counsel to a Department of Justice investigation into possible Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election of 2016. …

When did Robert Mueller become a US Attorney?

Jul 24, 2019 · AFP. Image caption, Robert Mueller is a former prosecutor who served as FBI chief from 2001 to 2013. The special counsel was put in place to oversee the investigation looking into alleged Russian ...

Is Robert Mueller taking close control of the Russia investigation?

Aug 10, 2016 · Robert S. Mueller III (1990 - 1993) Early History: Robert Swan Muller III was born in New York City and grew up outside of Philadelphia. He received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University in 1966 and earned a master’s degree in International Relations from New York University the following year. Mr. Mueller then served for three ...

What happened to special counsel Robert Mueller?

Mar 22, 2019 · Mueller has indicted or secured guilty pleas from 34 individuals and three companies, including six former Trump aides, five of whom pleaded guilty: Roger Stone has pleaded not guilty, while Flynn ...

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Jan 23, 2019 · In 1998, David Asimov (son of famed science fiction author Isaac Asimov) was arrested in California with the largest horde of child pornography ever discovered on US soil. Asimov had so much child porn in his possession – some of it homemade – that police said they would never have enough man hours available to catalog all of it, let alone ...

What was the Mueller investigation?

In February 2018 Mueller indicted 13 Russian nationals and 3 Russian organizations for election interference, alleging that they used “information warfare” to aid Trump’s candidacy. The various charges included conspiracy to defraud the United States.

How many FBI agents were sent to investigate 9/11?

Mueller was confronted with the task of assigning some 4,000 FBI agents to pursue thousands of leads and gather intelligence relating to the activities and identities of the perpetrators behind the attacks. In the wake of the national crisis, Mueller sent agents to at least 30 countries. Later in September 2001, fears of terrorism were further stoked by a series of anthrax-filled letters sent to American media outlets and to two U.S. senators. Mueller was asked by the White House to find out if there was a link between the anthrax and al-Qaeda, the militant Islamist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks, but FBI investigators ruled out that possibility.

Why did the FBI change its focus?

In 2002 Mueller announced that the FBI would be shifting its focus from combating crime to countering terrorism. This change in course was in part a response to accusations of the FBI’s mishandling of crucial intelligence prior to the September 11 attacks. In the following years, the FBI and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as well as detractors of both, continued to spar over issues related to terrorism and domestic security and over whether the events of September 11 could have been prevented.

How many people were indicted in the Mueller investigation?

By March 2019 Mueller’s investigation had resulted in the indictment of 34 people, 7 of whom had pled guilty.

What is an encyclopedia editor?

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. ...

Did Barr say Mueller had insufficient evidence to prove Trump had obstructed justice?

Barr went on to say that, in the absence of a legal conclusion from Mueller, he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had decided that there was insufficient evidence to prove that Trump had obstructed justice. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Who overruled the 2001 wiretap?

The situation was defused when Pres. George W. Bush overruled Gonzales.

What did Mueller say about the indictment of Trump?

He said if his team had had confidence that Mr Trump "clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so".

Why did Barr fire Sessions?

Mr Barr can fire a special counsel for the following reasons: misconduct, dereliction of duty, incapacity, conflict of interest or for other "good cause", including violation of department policies.

What did Rosenstein say about Mueller?

Mr Rosenstein said that given the "unique circumstances", it was in the public interest for a special counsel independent "from the normal chain of command ", to lead the investigation. By placing authority for the probe into the hands of Mr Mueller, the idea was that it would be able to proceed without any interference, ...

How many federal prosecutors did Robert Mueller hire?

Mr Mueller had reportedly hired at least 17 federal prosecutors, including experts in money laundering, fraud, foreign bribery and organised crime. Who can get rid of a special counsel? The attorney general.

How many people have been charged with wrongdoing in the Mueller investigation?

His investigation ventured into work done by former Trump advisers and Russian nationals. Thirty-four people have been charged with wrongdoing.

What committee is reviewing the underlying evidence from the report?

The House Judiciary Committee recently negotiated a deal with the Department of Justice to review some of the underlying evidence from the report in exchange for not holding the attorney general in contempt.

Can Mueller prosecute?

And Mr Mueller did so. He can also prosecute anyone who interferes in his investigation through crimes including perjury, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence, and intimidation of witnesses . The special counsel can also ask for his jurisdiction to be widened, and is not supervised on a day-to-day basis.

Where did Mueller go to school?

Despite their radically different personal paths, Mueller and Trump, 72, are contemporaries born in New York City to wealth and privilege. Trump, who reportedlyhad inherited $1m of his father’s real-estate fortune by the age of eight, was packaged off to military school and graduated with an economics degree from the Wharton School in Pennsylvania. Mueller, the son of a navy officer turned chemicals executive, was sent to the exclusive St Paul’s boarding school in New Hampshire and graduated from Princeton.

Has Mueller remained silent?

As Trump has tweeted and raged, repeatedly calling Mueller’s work a witch-hunt, Mueller has remained silent, allowing his work to do the talking. Mueller has indicted or secured guilty pleas from 34 individuals and three companies, including six former Trump aides, five of whom pleaded guilty: Roger Stone has pleaded not guilty, while Flynn, George Papadopoulos, Rick Gates, Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen pleaded guilty). The special counsel is estimated to have clawed back at least $48mthrough tax fraud cases.

What was the challenge of Mueller?

Mueller’s challenge in the ensuing years was to implement a technological and organizational revolution in the bureau, and to manage a shift in its traditional role from a focus on prosecuting crimes to preventing terrorist attacks.

Did the President respond to the Mueller investigation?

The president, who was at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, did not immediately respond. But in close to two years since the former FBI director started work, he has repeatedly attacked his credibility. In doing so, he has not merely been trying to knock down an investigation Mueller built with stunning speed since he was appointed special counsel in May 2017. He has been attacking his very reputation.

Who is Robert Mueller?

Robert Mueller, special counsel for the Russia investigation, has a reputation for being a serious straight-shooter. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock

Who was the FBI director in 2001?

His subsequent work as US attorney in California’s northern district won similar praise, and in July 2001, George W Bush nominated him as FBI director.

How long did Epstein serve?

He served 13 months after pleading guilty to a single count of soliciting a minor in Florida. The identities of the four women who acted as Epstein’s “Pied Pipers” were shielded from public release and they faced no charges.

How many victims did Epstein have?

Prosecutors had located more than 40 victims who were sexually abused by the rich and powerful on Epstein’s private island. Epstein was facing a sentence of life in prison, which he very much deserved. But by the end of the trial, Epstein ended up with a sweetheart deal.

What is the problem with propping up a public figure like Mueller in such a fashion?

The problem with propping up a public figure like Mueller in such a fashion is that it’s easy for the average person to look up his record and do a little digging. The free flow of information on the internet has been the bane of the Clintons and other elites who still have figured out that it’s no longer 1994.

Who was the US Attorney in the pre-FBI days?

And the US Attorney was? Robert Mueller, of course, in his pre-FBI Director days. Straight-shooter Mueller certainly has encountered a lot of liberal pedophiles in his career – and they always seem to slip through his fingers. Draw your own conclusions.

Did Mueller cut Epstein's deal?

The appearance is that Mueller cut Epstein a deal and then did nothing with the information that Epstein provided.

Who was arrested for child pornography?

In 1998, David Asimov (son of famed science fiction author Isaac Asimov) was arrested in California with the largest horde of child pornography ever discovered on US soil.

Was Epstein a confidential informer?

In other words, Epstein was a confidential informer for the FBI in 2008, when Robert Mueller was the Director of the agency. In the eight years since then, no one has been prosecuted for anything within Epstein’s circle of friends. The appearance is that Mueller cut Epstein a deal and then did nothing with the information that Epstein provided.

How many episodes of obstruction are there in the Mueller report?

The report lists 10 episodes of potential obstruction examined by Mueller's prosecutors. It is unclear which of the 10 were the subject of contention between Barr and Mueller. But legal theories that may have been in dispute include how heavily to weigh the OLC opinion, whether the lack of an underlying crime should be considered in determining Trump's intent, and whether Trump was rightfully exercising his executive powers by firing James Comey as FBI director.

Why did Barr exonerate Trump?

Barr's decision to exonerate the president on the issue of obstruction was based, in part on the inability to prove intent because there was no crime to cover up. But Mueller said there may have been "other possible personal motives" for Trump's behavior.

Why was Trump not charged?

Mueller goes on to cite other reasons why Trump could not be charged: There was no evidence of an underlying crime to establish intent, some of the evidence was ambiguous and many of the actions took place in public view. But it remains unclear how big of a factor the OLC's opinion was in Mueller's decision not to charge the president.

What kept Mueller from reaching a conclusion on obstruction?

The report goes on to say that Trump's position as president made him an unusual subject, which kept Mueller from reaching a conclusion on obstruction.

Did Trump commit obstruction of justice?

Mueller's report stops short of explicitly saying that Trump committed obstruction of justice and he would have been charged had he not been the president. But it does frequently cite a longstanding opinion from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) that says a sitting president cannot be indicted.

Did Mueller say Trump committed a crime?

Mueller seems to indicate here that Trump may have thought he committed a crime and could be working to cover up those actions. But he does not establish — in bold terms, at least — whether those motivations could have led the president to obstruct justice.

Does the Constitution authorize the President to engage in such conduct?

The Constitution does not authorize the President to engage in such conduct, and those actions would transgress the President's duty to 'take care that the laws be faithfully executed.'".

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