Rep. Eric Swalwell is sort of like the male Alexandria Ocacio-Cortez, except he doesn’t get quite as much attention and his lipstick isn’t quite as bright red. Maybe he’s doing this on purpose, maybe he’s seen how much attention AOC is getting for being a doorknob and he thinks this is his ticket to running for president.
Or maybe he’s just as big of a doorknob as AOC.
Take this tweet for example.
If #Mueller says he’s done and was allowed to follow the evidence, then let’s see the report. America will welcome it. But if he’s been forced to stop investigating, there will be hell to pay. We’re not powerless anymore.
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) February 20, 2019
Ok, but the real question is did Eric ever get his coffee?
And seriously, we get that he’s trying to do some preemptive damage control just in case Mueller’s report is the nothingburger we expect it to be, but c’mon. This looks silly. What, ‘Hell to pay,’ is he talking about? What’s he gonna do? Tweet more mean things at Trump? Try and impeach him only to have the Senate laugh at him? Stick to coffee selfies, Eric.
Benjamin Wittes who is far from a Trump enthusiast wrote a fascinating thread on what is happening with Mueller and unfortunately for Swalwell, it makes his tweet look even sillier than it already did.
This is certainly correct. If Mueller were being shut down against his will, he would say something. This clearly reflects his professional judgment, not a nefarious conspiracy by Barr, Whitaker, or anyone else. As such, it is good news. https://t.co/2oM0Goq6t9
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) February 21, 2019
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If Mueller were being shut down he’d say so.
Sorry not sorry, Eric.
It means that to the extent Mueller believes answers are obtainable, he has gotten them.
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) February 21, 2019
It means that he is in a position to give his findings to Barr–and through Barr, to the Congress and the public.
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) February 21, 2019
Yes, there is a question about whether Barr will allow the transmission, but a precondition for that to happen is that Mueller finishes the investigation and reports his findings.
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) February 21, 2019
So it is in no sense a bad thing it Mueller is now finished. It is a moment we have been waiting for for the better part of two years–a moment we had good reason to worry would never come.
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) February 21, 2019
It is a moment of accountability.
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) February 21, 2019
It is a moment we should all welcome, whether we believe the president friend or fiend, whether we believe that there was "NO COLLUSION!" or whether we believe the president conspired with a foreign power.
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) February 21, 2019
It’s time to poop or get off the pot.
Yeah, Benjamin said it way better but the same thing.
An investigation is not a permanent state of affairs. It is an effort to answer questions.
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) February 21, 2019
This. All day this.
That said, I trust Bob Mueller. I trust his staff. I trust the FBI personnel who conducted the investigation. And if they are comfortable referring ongoing matters back to DOJ, then I am comfortable with it too.
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) February 21, 2019
And if Mueller is ready to tell us he is done, I have not a shred of interest in the investigation's being prolonged a day longer than it needs to.
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) February 21, 2019
We may or may not have a fight on our hands to find out what Mueller has concluded. I'm happy for that to be the fight. It means that Mueller has apparently gotten to finish his probe to his satisfaction. That's a huge win. And we should pause a moment to value it.
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) February 21, 2019
What makes you so confident this report is on Mueller’s terms and timetable?
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) February 21, 2019
Read the thread, ding dong.
Total confidence that if Bob Mueller were not satisfied that he had been able to finish the investigation to his satisfaction, he would find a way to make that clear. Unless and until I hear from Mueller that there's a problem, I will assume this is his call. https://t.co/1MvIv1eXnU
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) February 21, 2019
So much for that whole Hell to pay thing, right Eric?
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