What Went Down In The 2018 Midterms

Hey, Ollie, turns out there are MORE Alaska stickers. Jenny L. Miller tells me that these are part of a series by Juneau artist @alaskarobotics.

The Mueller Investigation Has Been Quiet. Will That Change Post-Election?

Robert Mueller has kept a low profile throughout the final months of the midterm season, possibly thanks to an informal Department of Justice rule (which former FBI director James Comey infamously ignored in 2016) that discourages prosecutors from making announcements that could affect the outcome of an election. But as soon as the dust settles after today, we should expect to hear more from Mueller. What’s more, his job — specifically, his relationship with Congress — could change dramatically if the Democrats are able to retake the House or the Senate.

In the current Congress, Democrats have taken a hands-off approach to the special counsel’s work, except for repeated attempts to advance legislation that would protect Mueller from being fired. That approach makes sense for a minority party with little power to speak of — but things could shift in 2019 if Democrats win control of either chamber and, with that, the ability to issue subpoenas. With that new power, they could call a wide range of witnesses to testify about what happened in the 2016 election, including people who may be on Mueller’s interview list.

That’s why Democratic control may not necessarily be good news for Mueller. In the past, Congress’s eagerness to shed light on a scandal has ended up undermining the work of special counsel probes. As the Iran-Contra probe was just getting off the ground, Congress offered immunity to former Reagan administration official Oliver North in exchange for his testimony — over the protestations of independent counsel Lawrence Walsh — which ultimately resulted in North’s conviction being thrown out. And even if immunity isn’t on the table, it’s easy to imagine that Democrats in Congress might butt heads with Mueller if they begin aggressively scrutinizing people and areas that fall under his purview, creating new complications for an investigation that’s already very politically fraught.

That said, a simultaneous congressional investigation isn’t necessarily a bad thing for a special counsel probe. During the Watergate investigation, for example, White House aide Alexander Butterfield revealed in Senate testimony that President Richard Nixon had a secret taping system — a bombshell that transformed the trajectory of the investigation. And even if Democrats end up stepping on Mueller’s toes, their investigations could offer more transparency to the American public than the notoriously secretive special counsel.

Luke Sonnet offers another multicultural sticker and says the “San Mateo county sticker reflects its population.”

And Rod Truesdell says this Durham, NC sticker incorporates the city logo.

But Tom (@bicycult) is not a fan… “Durham almost had the most incredible sticker and we ended up with this milquetoast disappointment.”