Andrew Weissmann is a legend in his own mind. He’s been hailed as a crusading avenger against the Mafia in New York before moving on to Washington DC and leading the campaign to tackle boardroom corruption on corporate America when he was picked to lead a DOJ task force prosecuting cases connected to the collapse of ENRON. But the “legend” of Weissmann has always been tarnished by the “ethics” — or lack thereof — of Weissmann. This was nowhere better displayed than in the reversal of one of his most famous ENRON scandal victories, when the Supreme Court ruled 9-0 in United States v. Arthur Anderson that Weissmann’s jury instructions that he convinced the District Court Judge to give failed to state a crime. Yes, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and John Paul Stevens agreed with Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia that Andrew Weissmann didn’t know what he was doing. //

But in 2011, Weissman left DOJ and became General Counsel of the FBI. Note the symmetry to that date — that is the same time that Aaron Zebley left DOJ to be Mueller’s Chief of Staff. In the two roles, Zebly had the much better of the “action” while Weissmann was left tending to internal legal matters for the FBI. And, more significantly, Weissmann would have reported to Zebly in the chain of command.

So the former FBI agent and line AUSA was now in a position of authority over vaunted DOJ “ENRON Champion” Andrew Weissmann. Weissmann returned to DOJ when Mueller departed, but Zebley got the invitation to the lucrative partnership at WilmerHale.

So, when Weissmann was given the offer to join the Special Counsel’s team, it’s likely that he was not all that happy to look up and find Aaron Zebley once again looking down at him in the Chain-of-Command and holding his reins.

And it was Aaron Zebley who Mueller asked to sit beside him at his appearance before Congress and assist in answering questions about the Mueller Report — not Andrew Weissmann. //

kirkeidman
a day ago
Mmmmmmmmm?

Perhaps the root problem was basically no EVIDENCE that anything was wrong?

junkbondtrader41
a day ago
So there were tactical errors in your fundamentally illegitimate "investigation" based on a "crime" that never happened??

Good to know!

BoDeen3417 junkbondtrader41
a day ago
When has lack of a crime ever stopped Weismann from prosecuting?