Reporting on the Mueller Report
As far as I can tell, the Mueller Report is exactly and precisely as expected.
Here’s the summary by Professor Bill Jacobson at Legal Insurrection:
Trump won. Big League. People are [poring] over the details of the report, but the top line is that Mueller found no collusion and would not reach a determination on obstruction.
You can find the entire report (redacted version, of course) here as well as at the Legal Insurrection post I already linked.
Also as expected, the report says it does not “exonerate” the president. Actually, it couldn’t possibly do so, for reasons I’ve stated many times, most recently in my post from two days ago entitled “Anticipating the Mueller Report, in which I wrote this:
It’s a no-brainer to say the Democrats will react as though it indicates Trump was guilty of obstruction at the least and perhaps more, no matter what it actually says. The longer version will give them ample opportunity to nitpick over each word and phrase…
Here’s Byron York on the matter, with a list of five things the report won’t resolve. Most of them won’t be resolved because they cannot be resolved; short of finding someone else’s fingerprints and DNA in a murder case, plus a confession, a person can’t be proven innocent (maybe not even then). Russiagate is not a case involving that sort of forensic evidence anyway, and more importantly, Trump’s opponents have no intention of ever accepting any finding that doesn’t implicate him.
The Democrats will do what they will do, of course.
And here Bill Barr explains to a word-challenged reporter what “unprecedented” means:
Barr: "I'm not sure what your basis is for saying I'm being generous to the President."
A reporter then brings up his use of the word "unprecedented."
"Is there another precedent for it," Barr asks.
"No," the reporter answers.
"OK so unprecedented is an accurate description." pic.twitter.com/5Mkso4BOCR
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) April 18, 2019
And about “obstruction of justice”:
One of the Democrats’ basic problems is that “attempting” to obstruct the investigation doesn’t make a lot of sense. If Trump had really wanted to obstruct the investigation, he could simply have terminated it. And Mueller acknowledges that the administration fully cooperated with the investigation in every way. So the “attempts to obstruct” come down to Trump expressing outrage at the fact that a baseless, partisan investigation was hampering his administration. Arguably Trump should have brought the Mueller farce to an end, but he didn’t.
Nothing will stop the Democrats from going on and on about it, except the next story that emerges that gives them hope of destroying Trump.
Here’s a great cartoon found at that Powerline link:
[ADDENDUM: Here’s a whole slew of articles from National Review.]
If you think that liberal and media (but I repeat myself) heads are exploding now, just wait until the hammer drops on the real conspirators who attempted to subvert our election, in concert with the !!!!RUSSIANS!!!!
The next year and a half will be a wonder to behold. Pop! Pop! Pop!
“So the ‘attempts to obstruct’ come down to Trump expressing outrage at the fact that a baseless, partisan investigation was hampering his administration.”
That says it well. Another way to look at it is, who’s justice was being obstructed? Rod Rosenstein’s? The guy that lied to the FISC in order to spy on a presidential campaign? The guy and his notions of justice are not worth a gob of spit.
Quoting from Volume II, Introduction, bottom p. 1 continuing on p. 2: “Given those considerations, the facts known to us, and the strong public interest in safeguarding the integrity of the criminal justice system, we concluded a thorough factual investigation in order to preserve the evidence when memories were fresh and documentary materials were available.”
I note “…the strong public interest in safeguarding the integrity of the criminal justice system…” and find this phrase, in the absence of any attempt (none!) to address the plain interference with our electoral process on the part of numerous foreign governments and foreign agents acting in conspiracy with both the H.Clinton campaign, its hired guns, the DNC, and the FBI-DOJ complex — why, this phrase is no more than the Mueller SP team spitting in the faces of every American seriously interested in “safeguarding the integrity of the criminal justice system”. It is a “fuck you, little people”, plain and simple.
Expressions of frustration and outrage by Trump, about an investigation that was a hoax, are being pointed to as acts of obstruction of justice. Yet the Mueller probe continued, unobstructed, for over two years (Even though it was apparent after six months that there was no collusion.) and has snow concluded with no evidence of collusion or conspiracy with the Russians by ANY American. Hallelujah!!
The thing that is plain is that the Progs are trying to criminalize political activity. If the DNC/Hillary campaign can hire a foreign government agent to collect oppo research on her opponent and call it legal political activity, then the Trump campaign’s activities were as pure as the driven snow.
It is clear that the Mueller Report’s release is not the end of the incriminations. It is merely the end of the beginning. The combat will continue. More ferociously and dirty than ever. Gird up your loins my friends, this is only the beginning.
One thing missing from all the reportings is mueller completely exonerated trump of collusion
Dave::
Oh pul-eaze, collusion is so 2017-2018. In 2019 it’s all about obstruction. And if Trump isn’t proven to have been absolutely innocent of it then he’s guilty.
Back in 2016, I never thought I would be a djt partisan, but the leftists have shown me I had no other choice. I hope he goes after them without mercy or any sense of remorse. Burn them down.
Heh.
“Vengeance is mine,” saith the Lord, adding, “unless you’re Donald J. Trump having been accused of a bullshit Russian collusion for two years straight, in which case, have at it kid.”
The report did exonerate Trump on interference. We require a prosecutor to prove accusations beyond a reasonable doubt or the person is not guilty. The report repeatedly admits the evidence can not even approach this burden. Therefore, Trump is exonerated. That a biased prosecutor does not express this does not change that it is true.
Today in the NYT and Boston Globe are articles, opinion pieces, that say Trump was saved from obstructing the investigation, as he wanted and demanded be done, by disobedient staff and advisers. Let that sink in for a second: they are admitting Trump did not obstruct the investigation. Yet in other news and opinion pieces, in the same sources, Trump is morally and ethically bankrupt and unfit for the office of POTUS because he considered terminating the Mueller investigation, which they argue makes him guilty of obstruction of justice.
Thus the Mueller report supplies the fuel for anti-Trump talking points the Left will use to flood the news in an attempt to undermine his presidency and re-election. Unfortunately, too many of our fellow citizens and voters will be too busy living their lives and working to see through the dishonest partisan attacks.
I was hoping the report would tell us what crime Trump was suspected of committing that Mueller was supposed to investigate.
As Barr said, one can’t really obstruct justice over an investigation with no crime.
So the Dems will keep crying about it until …
indictments start happening against the deep state criminals.
I like how Andy McCarthy has almost become anti-anti-Trump, much like Norman Podhoretz did become.
McCabe hasn’t been indicted yet, nor Comey, nor those who illegally did unmasking. There are lots of actual crimes to be investigated.
I hope it includes Hillary’s illegal server with illegal Secret stuff.
I’ll be happy with any indictments and happier with more.
As Barr said, one can’t really obstruct justice over an investigation with no crime.
I’d like the government to arrest Manju for resisting arrest.