* The other day I mentioned that Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller has hired lawyers with expertise in the Mafia and fraud. That tells us a lot about where this Russia/Trump investigation is going. Today he brought on Michael Dreeben.
Deputy solicitor general Michael Dreeben, who has argued more than 100 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and oversees the Justice Department’s criminal appellate docket, will be assisting Mueller on a part-time basis, according to sources familiar with the arrangement…
“Michael Dreeben is to criminal law what Robert Mueller is to investigations,” former acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal said Thursday night. “Literally the very best. Yet another sign of how serious Mueller is about this matter.”
Here is what Matthew Miller said about the hire:
My word, he’s putting together a serious team. Dreeben the guy you add to think thru hard criminal q’s like obstruction by a sitting POTUS. https://t.co/cTuLChNTHK
— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) June 9, 2017
* David Simon has a fascinating twitter thread that begins here. In the middle of it, her relays this tale:
An old law school saw tells young trial lawyers to remind their clients to stay curious in front of a jury. There’s a famous tale of a murder case in which the body of the defendant’s wife had not been recovered yet he was charged with the killing. Defense attorney tells the jury in final argument there’s been no crime and the supposed victim will walk through the courtroom doors in 10 seconds. 30 seconds later the door remains shut. “Ok, she isn’t coming today. But the point is all of you on jury looked, and that my friends is reasonable doubt. You must acquit.” Jury comes back in twenty minutes: Guilty. Attorney goes to the foreman: “I thought I had you.” Foreman: “You had me and ten others. But juror number 8 didn’t look at the door, he looke at your client. And he didn’t eye the door, he was examining his nails.”
Here is his conclusion:
Why? Because Trump already knows that there is some fixed amount of Russian interference on his behalf, and possibly, collusion as well.
— David Simon (@AoDespair) June 9, 2017
* While we were all focused on Comey and/or what is happening in the Senate with their attempt to repeal/replace Obamacare, this happened in the House:
The House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill that would roll back key parts of the Dodd-Frank act aimed at Wall Street and financial industry regulatory reform which was passed in the wake of the mortgage meltdown.
The House voted 233-186 to approve the Financial CHOICE Act. The bill would give banks a choice between complying with Dodd-Frank or holding onto more capital.
Critics also say it would eliminate the independence of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau created by Dodd-Frank, and greatly reduce its ability to regulate.
What does the guy who ran a campaign as a so-called “populist” think about giving the car keys back to the guys that ran our economy into the ditch in 2008?
* We’re all a little bit wary of polling these days, but if the latest on the runoff in Georgia’s 6th District is accurate, it’s good news.
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released Friday shows Democrat Jon Ossoff has a 7-point edge over Republican Karen Handel in the nationally watched race to represent Georgia’s 6th Congressional District.
The poll of likely voters has Ossoff leading Handel by a margin of 51 percent to 44 percent ahead of the June 20 runoff. About 5 percent of voters are undecided. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.
* Finally, as I mentioned before, this summer I’m trying a little gardening for the first time. Today’s celebration was all about the first clematis bloom of the season.
