As usual, Joy Reid had a killer panel on her show to (as expected) dissect the ramifications of the delivery of Mueller's report to Attorney General Bill Barr. Reactions were mixed, ranging from frustration to calm, to anticipation of what's next to come out of the Southern District of New York's excellent prosecutorial team. One of the things causing frustration was the Congressional Democrats' reluctance to move on any impeachment charges pending Mueller's report. Fernand Amandi and Elie Mystal were definitely in that camp.
AMANDI: I hate to be in the position to criticize Speaker Pelosi who I think is doing an outstanding job otherwise. But I think she was absolutely wrong with those ridiculous comments that impeachment is not really worth doing for Donald Trump. There is a Constitutional duty to engage in the process, and it is the very process of impeachment that, I think Nick Ackerman will speak to, or the beginning of that, is what got the Republicans in '74 to finally flip on Nixon. I think that methodical comprehension of taking this case to the American people, and having the American people be the judge, because they're the ones who impeachment is for, not Republican senators. It's for the American people and for the rule of law. That's why we need to begin impeachment proceedings. And I don't think we need that Mueller permission slip from the report again to do so, Joy.
Nick Ackerman agreed, but also seemed reassured and reassuring, reminding us that the Dems in control of the important committees in the House have already begun to show this administration that they are in charge, and they're not about to sit quietly while the criminals and grifters steal an election and literally sell our country's resources, people, and principles to foreign interests. He said, "I think it's already started. We saw 81 different organizations and people being subpoenaed already. I mean, that is the precursor to impeachment proceedings." But Elie Mystal was not convinced, nor was he reassured.
MYSTAL: Nobody kills Humperdink. Nobody kills Humperdink. I mean, there are other things that can happen and there are other ways you can go about this...
REID: You mean Englebert???
MYSTAL: I mean from "The Princess Bride." Nobody kills Prince Humperdink. I want to tell Mueller, "Mueller, Grandpa, why did you even tell me this story?"
WE FEEL YOU, ELIE MYSTAL — We are all, at least a little bit, that sick boy from the movie in the bed when Grandpa finishes the story and the bad guy isn't defeated, and we're like, WHUT?
Then Reid asked Nance to wrap this up by helping the average American see how the Mueller report affects them. And it does. It's so easy to believe one is disconnected completely from what happens in Washington D.C., but there is nothing further from the truth. Nance, as usual, laid it out with the clarity of one of the finest teachers around.
REID: I'm going to finish where we started with you because it does bother me that the average American doesn't see the sort of through-line between the potential for a president of the United States got elected with a foreign power and why that matters to them.
NANCE: Right.
REID: Why does it matter to the average person if Donald Trump in fact used help from a foreign power to become president?
NANCE: Let me put it this way. When Benedict Arnold tried to sell West Point to the British for the equivalent of about 1 million dollars today, and at the same time was going to turn over General George Washington and his staff, Benjamin Franklin said, "You know, Judas sold one man. Benedict Arnold may have tried to sell 3 million." The question that we have right now is, did Donald Trump try to sell 340 million people to Russia? That's the question.
It's pretty clear that regardless of what the Mueller report says, Trump sold the country to Russia in one form or another. Last I checked, I still live here.
