Characters behind legal twists of Trump-Russia probe a tangled maze of Washington establishment

[Geee]

Washington Times

The Trump-Russia investigation, with its dynamic cast of judges, defenders and prosecutors, can have the look of an exclusive club.

Checks of official biographies and legal sources reveal a maze of professional connections that, while not unethical, show that the Washington establishment thrives inside the Justice Department. What President Trump called “the swamp” is often controlling legal maneuvers — and possibly his fate.

“Personnel is power in D.C., and Trump advocated an Andrew Jackson takeover [of] the government with half measures and bad hiring,” said a former Justice Department lawyer who asked not to be named for career reasons.

When defense counsel Eric A. Dubelier filed an argument Dec. 20 for his Russian client, he attacked special counsel Robert Mueller, the top Russia investigation prosecutor and longtime Washington figure, by harking back to a major Justice Department conviction that failed.

On the surface, the reference to the defunct accounting firm Arthur Andersen appeared to be pure legal arguing.

[Valin]

Geee

For the last 2 years I have been striving to take this story crisis scandal seriously....with a notable lack of success.