Good to the Last Drip

What we know, as of Friday evening, is that one or more indictments have been filed against one or more people targeted by Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in last year’s election.

We know nothing else. We don’t know names. We don’t know charges. The charges have been sealed, at least until we get a perp walk out of it. Which we probably won’t — prosecutorial courtesy — but a citizen can dream.

All we can do is speculate. Which, honestly, is more fun anyway.

What catches our attention is the news itself. It was leaked — from an investigation that has run a pretty tight ship so far. We eventually learn what Mueller’s up to, but news can follow events by weeks. Sure, there was a notable flurry of activity at the DC courthouse Friday, but a bunch of lawyers running around their playground isn’t enough to source a story. Somebody snitched.

We’re going to guess that wasn’t an accident. Not after the propaganda campaign against Mueller and diversionary tactics about something Hillary didn’t do have kicked into high gear. Robert Mueller may be a professional’s professional, but he knows the game, and he knows how to put points on the board.

Such as by filing indictments as soon as they’re ready.

This was not what we had been led to expect. It was understood that Mueller’s team was going to be thorough and methodical, taking as many months as required to gather what they needed, probably not hanging up the Piñata of Joy until sometime next year. And he was just getting around to interviews with brand-name Oval Office drop-ins, after presumably building up the record below then.

And maybe he really is just filing when ready. Which might make sense — if the first we heard of it was when charges were actually announced. But a leak about the existence of a sealed indictment? That’s a strategic move.

So what might be the strategy?

Watergate, which gave us Leaks and Plumbers, also gave us the Drip-Drip-Drip of an unfolding story. The news cycle was far more casual in those pre-cable, pre-Internet days, but two headlines are better than one, and a series of headlines is better than a special section that ends up soaking your dog’s accidents the next day. That’s why, if you’re the subject of bad news, you’re supposed to dump it all at once, one and done, so the herd can feast and move on.

On the other hand, if you’d like to keep the herd around for awhile, well… Here’s a taste today. We’ll have more later. Stay tuned.

Add to that the very high stakes involved: Mueller is going after powerful traitors, who have powerful collaborators supporting them. These people are shameless in their exercise of power, which, after all, is why we have Robert Mueller in the first place, and not some mere FBI chief.

Say you’re investigating obstruction of justice, and you’re well-familiar with the Saturday Night Massacre of one of your predecessors. Why not get an indictment out early, making your own firing a poison pill? Comey was still just investigating, after all. Shitcan Mueller after charges have been filed, and the obstruction case is made.

In any event, we may know Monday whether this one is Manafort with the pipe in the study. And we’ll surely have future drips to savor sooner rather than later. Because this one’s not going down like a piñata after all. More like an Advent calendar.

19 Comments

Maybe not drip drip, but rather flip flip to see which rat fucker is going to turn on the other rat fuckers to save his rat fucking ass.

So…that this “story” has no presence yet (Sat 8:30 AM PST) in the NYT, WaPo or Politico…could it mean that they’re not going to let it get buried in the weekend? Why would this leak be leaked late Friday — the best time to ensure that as few people as possible see a story?

Before you can get a drip-drip you’ve got to let it mess the floor, not go straight into the sink.

@jhoughton1: The Friday News Dump ain’t what it used to be.

Time was, you leaked or announced late Friday to time it for the Saturday papers, which nobody reads, and it was old news by Sunday, never mind Monday.

Same thing even with 24-hour cable news, and well into the Internet era.

But now? I saw it on Twitter, and folks were already posting to Facebook when I got there. If anything, Friday night/Saturday morning is social-network primetime, as I’ve discovered after getting in the habit of churning out my weekly spew in time for the rush. You can’t bury news like you used to.

“I see you shiver, with antici…

…PATION!”

@¡Andrew!: I really wanna make a prison Pelvic Thrust joke, but I understand that’s not cool anymore.

The Trumpers are going on the offense, and this will put them on the back foot. The way to off the back foot is not through screaming about HRC. And I want jail time for these fuckers. We’ve got plenty of room in NYS prisons. Come on up!

@blogenfreude: I’m thinking one of our outstanding private prisons would be nice, but they’d probably buy their way out of them.

Also, as we have learned, administrations are above the law, for fear that manifestly criminal acts may be politicized. Besides, if Trump doesn’t churn out pardons, President Pence will. Or President Ryan.

Yup, just gamed that out. More incentive to take back the House!

/Best of America/

This week was, shall we say, light on good news. So, let’s jam while we’re waiting for the hammer of justice to squash the evil Tdumbp regime.

Neon Trees — First Things First

I discovered this awesome track while watching Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.

Sweet FSM, please let this be the beginning of the end for the evil Twitler regime and the malevolent Republinazi Party.

Manwhattafart chose Dense as VP, so hopefully this will take down that psycho “hang all the gays” theocrat as well.

@¡Andrew!: It’s a good start. The other guy is a stoolie who copped a plea deal. You might wanna stock up on bulk popcorn.

@nojo: Plea deal for stoolie cut late July. All conversations since may have been recorded. Mueller revealing the plea now suggests he has what he needs.

Trump has spent his short presidency attacking the news media, the CIA and the FBI, among other things. There’s a price to pay for making such powerful enemies.

@blogenfreude: @nojo:

How many cigarettes does it cost these days to buy starch for white collar criminals?

@Michael Scott: It’s incredible to think that the CIA and the FBI were absolutely feared for over half a century, and now they’re a fucking joke after they allowed the GOP and Ru$$ia to carry out a decapitation strike against our own country.

Maybe sanity, honor, and dignity will return once this national nightmare is over.

Faux still trying to deny anything happened. Self actualization that they might be the villains…

https://splinternews.com/fox-news-people-wait-is-our-network-bad-1820014838

@¡Andrew!: It certainly is, and the members of those agencies won’t forget how they are being treated by the Oaf in the Oval Office.

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