So, the Mueller Report has finally been released.
Far from the “No collusion and no obstruction” that Trump has been trying to gaslight the nation with, there are a number of startling disclosures.
Summarized, the report basically says these two things:
On collusion: The Russians definitely interfered with the election to help Trump, and the Trump campaign was aware of this. While they did not actively coordinate the interference activities, they also did nothing to stop it.
Here’s the meat of Mueller’s conclusion on collusion: “Although the investigation established that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome, and that the Campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts, the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.“
On obstruction: Trump was afraid that the investigation would pick up on some possible crimes committed by his campaign and took steps to obstruct justice. The only thing that definitely saved him was the people underneath him deciding not to do anything illegal.
In Mueller’s own words: “Fourth, if we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice , we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards , however , we are unable to reach that judgment. The evidence we obtained about the President ‘ s actions and intent presents difficult issues that prevent us from conclusively determining that no criminal conduct occurred. Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.“
You have to ask: If Trump is as innocent as he claims he is, why did so many people lie to cover for him. If his campaign was so innocent, why are so many who worked on it in prison or facing charges.
And just because of the tired “Lock Her Up” chant about Hillary’s emails, there’s this tidbit from the report: “Further, the Office learned that some of the individuals we interviewed or whose conduct we investigated–including some associated with the Trump Campaign—deleted relevant
communications or communicated during the relevant period using applications that feature encryption or that do not provide for long-term retention of data or communications records.” Does this mean we can start chanting “Lock Them Up” when we see the Trump Campaign? Why would they delete them, if they had nothing to hide (taking a page from the Trump Hypocrisy Playbook)?
And finally, you have to ask – if the positions were reversed, and it was Hillary Clinton turning a blind eye to known Russian interference and then attempting to undermine the investigation, would the same Republicans be chanting “No collusion”? I believe they would. They need to put the politics aside and do what is right for the nation and seriously reconsider the man who leads their party – and our nation.