So, now it’s the “Russia Inquiry”? Up until it was the Russian Collusion and Obstruction Investigation. Now, the NYT softens the wording so it sounds like a quaint little inquiry into Trump, and his entire campaign. Really cute. Does that make the Dems feel a little better since they lost this complete ruse? You should really move on to starting your research on all the indictments of the Obama/Clinton-led players in this sad excuse for an investigation.
2
Imagine if a non-partisan had received the report!
6
So whenever the parsing of term collusion is done, the high standards of criminal conspiracy left lacking, the intent to obstruct justice thwarted by incompetence and insubordination, what we are left with is this:
Candidate Trump and over a dozen of his circle knew crimes were about to be committed, were being committed, had already been committed and said what to the Justice dept, the Secret Service or law enforcement to stop them?
It seems he or they said nothing; in fact candidate Trump encouraged their commission publicly and expected to receive a reward (election) for their commission. I am no expert in law, but if I'm aware of a crime that is underway, with more avenues of the crime about to be executed, I'm a co-conspirator... If I knew of a plan underway to assassinate a presidential candidate and didn't tell law enforcement, couldn't and wouldn't I be hauled in in the aftermath of the plot's discovery, whether it was successful or not?
In many ways I understand and agree with the sentiments of Rep Hoyer and Speaker Pelosi, who doubt the efficacy of impeachment, preferring to remove him by election, but he should be glad that many of the people don't hold those keys... for it would be ox-cart time for these traitorous Bourbons... that's what Donald J. Trump is - a traitor.
12
No surprises, Donald has led a life of lying being deceitful and bullying his way through. At his age don't expect an epiphany.
16
If you hire a hit man and he doesn't kill anyone, you are still guilty of attempted murder.
How is it that Trump isn't guilty of obstruction of justice?
15
Trump is damaged goods after the Mueller report. Domestically, he can get nothing passed with a democratic House. World leaders will question how long he can stay in power with the threat of impeachment or possible 2020 defeat and refuse to negotiate with him. They can afford to wait it out.
10
From what I understand, “collusion” is not recognized as specific crime whereas conspiracy is. Why then did
Rosenstein, in his Aug 2,2017 memorandum (quoted on p 11 of the Special Council’s report) confirm that the Special Council had been authorized to investigate allegations that three Trump campaign officials “committed a crime or crimes by colluding with Russian government officials....”? Why use that term if it has no legal standing? Catch-22?
3
If Trump is able to get away with all of this, just imagine what the Democrats will be able to do when they’re in charge in 2020. The Republican Congress won’t have a leg to stand on. I can’t wait!
5
The word “Honorable “ must be removed from the Attorney General’s title.
The 25th Amendment would save us and Congress a lot of time. C’mon Pence, we know you want it.
8
Memo: To all future presidents
From: Barr’s Department of Justice
Re: What’s OK to get elected and be president
1) accept the help of a foreign power to
get elected
2) give favors to said power in return
3) if/when the Justice Department investigates, lie, cheat, and disparage the people and institutions involved it in the investigation
4) better yet: help get them fired
5) destroy evidence
6) refuse to testify
6). do not hire people who will thwart your attempts to obstruct
7) don’t be afraid the defer to the foreign power that helped you get elected every chance you get
8) refrain from preventing foreign interference in future American elections
12
Mr. Putin must be laughing with delight. He installed an incompetent candidate as President instead of the one western politician who had stood up to him over the past 20 years. Our country will now continue to be preoccupied with limiting the damage our President can do while Mr. Putin and his dictatorial sympathizers can continue to work their mischief around the world virtually unchecked.
14
Imagine this…
A neighbor accuses you of being a drug dealer and claims that you have been having all kinds of meetings with questionable people. The neighbor hires a top lawyer to file charges against you. The local press picks up on this and starts running daily stories about you being a drug dealer. The prosecutor launches an investigation. Your life is in turmoil with you and your family being accused daily of one thing after another. And yet...you are not a drug dealer. You yell it out, but no one will listen. You say this is a witch hunt and tell your family and lawyers not to cooperate with these people who are out to get you. And finally, after two years, the prosecutor announces that no, you are not a drug dealer -- BUT, because you told you family and lawyers to not cooperate that they are going to get you anyway for obstruction of justice.
Doesn’t seem fair.
Imagine... collusion between political wastrels and the mainstream new media, or a political hoax. Aside swamp creatures and the political mumbo-jumbo coming from democratic talk shows, aka the mainstream news media. We have all been aware of the fact that ‘deep state’ conspirators and their democratic operatives committed the only collusions and conspiracies. Since learning the fake Steel dossier and the illegal FISA warrants were obtained and paid for by operatives with the Democratic Party.
Imagine… wondering when we might see ‘deep state’ conspirators and their democratic operatives trussed up in manacles and escorted to a prison van by a couple of burly cops, while frantically alluding to their constitutional rights. All while screaming their Trump derangement neo-nonsensical mumbo-jumbo in hopes they might gain sympathy with their entitlement fans, devoted cohorts and wastrels associated with the mainstream news media.
Imagine… wondering who but legislative wastrels are debasing the rule of law; or wondering why legislators like Waters, Cummings, Schumer and Pelosi might need legal protection themselves, or wondering why Mueller went thru millions over years to reach the conclusion that the Russian collusion was a hoax perpetuated by political operatives associated with the democratic party. Mueller’s report exposed third world antics of political wastrels involved in a ‘deep state’ putsch to destroy the electoral process and an American President.
1
The report does not say that there was a hoax. Russia interfered with the election to favor Trump—Fact. Trump's campaign was in frequent contact with Russian agents (including Wikileaks)—Fact. Trump attempted mightily to impede the investigation—Fact.
It is debatable that there is insufficient evidence for a criminal charge.
We will never agree, but you are backing a corrupt and incompetent person who wants to be a dictator.
8
“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” Trump said. “I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.”
1. It was a joke.
2. Even if it wasn't, he was asking the Russians to give the emails to the New York Times and the Washington Post who would have published them in a minute.
Oh, by the way.
She set up the secret server so she could hide the shake down operation she ran as Secretary of State to enrich her foundation to the tune of two hundred million.
Setting up a foundation to milk your position was a new one.
4
Back to Hiliary.... how original.
24
@True Observer: My question to you is “Whose foundation was forced to close because of misuse of foundation funds?” Hint. It wasn’t Secretary Clinton’s.
23
@True Observer
Malignant Narcissists always, always, use the “it was a joke” card to get away with whatever.
Trump is an extreme Malignant Narcissist.
It wasn’t a joke.
It never was a joke.
9
We learned from the report that in the President’s “take home” test which he submitted in lieu of in person testimony, he testified that he could not recall 37 times. Mueller gave as the reason for accepting his written responses, which were almost certainly prepared by a legal team, a desire to wrap things up in a timely manner. Had Trump testified in person, there would have been a stronger case for obstruction and the other areas within the scope of Mueller’s team. This was an unfortunate capitulation to the pressure from Rudy Giuliani, Hannity, Fox & co. By comparison, The Starr investigation took four years.
10
I understand that Trump supporters are never going to accept the fact that a foreign country interfered in our democratic process, and feel that Russia is now our ally.
They are dead wrong, Russia is implementing a campaign of expansionism and influence to undermine our global interests. The Russians are pursuing the same resources and assets that we currently control, that has taken us decades of hard work and the sacrifice of thousands of lives to achieve.
The Russians have paid us back, for our assistance in the dismantling of the USSR and the support of Gorbachev, Donald Trump is our Gorbachev and he is assisting the Russians in dismantling our country, weaken our institutions , and prosecuting our defenders.
Trump, Barr and all other republicans have sold us out.
6
We elected a deeply-flawed, wilfully-uneducated man to be our president, a man who refuses to understand or bow to the limits of his power written into the constitution. Further revelation of his corruption and ineptitude will not change the minds of his supporters.
If those of us who are deeply troubled by his behaviour do not want to see him re-elected, it is time to urge the democrats in power to stop wasting time and energy on him and find an electable candidate who will bring ethics, decency and order back to our executive branch.
6
Just because Miller didn't find anything doesn't mean it didn't happen.
3
Their is nothing in the constitution that says a president cannot be indicted. It does say he can be impeached. Congress through the House of Representatives has a moral obligation to impeach this President and the Senate must then hold a formal public trial. If Congress refuses then every person incarcerated for a now -violent crime should be immediately released. This is an dreadful and permanent mark on the history of our country. We cannot take the low road and claim the higher one. We have attacked, and destroyed the infrastructure of other countries - killing thousands of innocent people because of an immoral head of state. Are we to sit silently and witness the decay of morality in our country?
5
Although impeachment is a horrible waste of legislative time, there also needs to be a limit to the damage that the negative party can do to the American Republic. Nothing is ever enough for money, no corruption, no lie, no intimidation, no propaganda, no conspiring with a foreign power for oppo dirt is too far. Money doesn't really have a country does it? No jail cells for them when they cross borders. Golf courses, planes, yachts, bank accounts in sinecures far from the taxes the rubes have to pay. The 99% need a functioning country. The Republicans have done exactly nothing but give a tax cut to those who don't need one since Mr. T. came to rule. That's his signature accomplishment, robbing the middle class to benefit his class. Putting refugees seeking asylum in jail cells and helping the murderers in Saudi Arabia bomb and starve Yemenis. Promulgating hate against the poor and nonwhite. No healthcare or educational funding resources, no resources for crumbling infrastructure or climate change. A government at war with governing and the idea of government. Lose-lose, a waste of my tax dollars whichever way you cut it.
6
I'm a bit surprised that many commenters still argue what this commenter argues:
"Mueller asked Russia to hack ..."
I assume we should replace "Mueller" with "Trump," but that's not the main point. Trump DID ask Russia to hack 30,000 emails on Hillary Clinton's private server, but Clinton herself had just confirmed that none of those emails even existed. She'd erased them all, according to her. In addition, at that point in time, Hillary Clinton had been gone from the State Department for over 4 years. If Russia wanted those emails (which, again, HRC said did not even exist), it would have hacked HRC's private server long before then (and probably did). I'm sure the thought had occurred to Russia without Trump having mentioned it.
"The report laid bare that Mr. Trump was elected with the help of a foreign power..."
I guess the Russians won the Cold War after all.
6
Setting a Low Bar(r) — Pressure is to be expected in the Oval Office. William Barr’s excuses for its occupant as being “frustrated and angered” is a poor commentary on both Donald Trump and his like-minded Attorney General. As President Truman said, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen”. Further, we need reflect upon the observation that “You can measure a man’s character by the choices he makes under pressure” (Winston Churchill). Our President has been measured and found lacking.
3
A prosecutor worth his salt would never indict a person in a crime of INTENT without attempting to take their testimony and forcing them to plead the fifth or talk. Muller decided against forcing the issue as Trump's lawyers apparently were ready to refuse Trump's voluntary deposition and take the issue of whether a prosecutor can force a President to testify to court. Clinton had the Chutspah to testify in the sexual harassment case filed against him, for which he was impeached for lying in the deposition (I did not have sex with that woman).
So the country has a President charged with negotiating deals with dangerous heads of states, one on one, that have nuclear warheads at their disposal, and that President is too cowardly to face a deposition with an American prosecutor. I'm very comforted...
The country has a President who is an unindicted co-conspirator in a felony case in the Southern District of NY, who if found guilty has a room waiting for him right next to his former attorney.
If the President is indeed immune from prosecution while he is President (which is nuts in clearly non-political cases-i.e. if he was molesting/killing small children in the Oval Office-really immune?), then one would assume that the Statute of Limitations is tolled, and the former President will face a hard reality in the future-one to five years on the felony charge he will face. He has admitted to knowledge of the payoff-it doesn't seem that there is a viable defense.
3
I have gotten about one-third through the Mueller Report, and yesterday I watched the talking heads on MSNBC and FOX (as much as I could stand), and I've spent about 20 minutes reading many of the Comments to this article. What I find intriguing is that the words written by Mueller are the same, whether you believe that Trump is a saint and did nothing wrong and we should forget all this, or if you believe that he's a thug, criminal, corrupt and should be impeached. As the Bard said, "there's the rub". I am amazed at how human beings can rationalize and interpret certain lines without taking into account so many others.
Let's face it, Trump is slimy. He's corrupt. He acts like a mob boss. He lies...constantly. Having grown up in Brooklyn, having read a great deal about the Kushner empire and Trump's businesses, having seen corruption first hand (payoffs, strong-arm tactics) it's clear that he isn't fit to be President; at least not as our Founding Fathers had devised the office to be.
My opinion is that Congress should vigorously investigate all of the issues surrounding this man, if not to remove him from office, then at least to help wright the listing democracy that we find ourselves in. I'm old, but I have children and grandchildren and I worry that if we let this all go now, the U.S. will, in 10 or 20 years just be a second rate country.
6
If congress won’t impeach a Trump with all the evidence they have, whether it comes from Mueller or their own eyes,then they are neglecting their duty of oversight. If prosecutors cannot indict a sitting president, then it is the duty of congress. Pelosi and Hoyer must act. Political considerations are irrelevant.
4
Reminder to Trump and his Toadie Barr. This is from page 2 of the Mueller Report:
"In evaluating whether evidence about collective action of multiple individuals constituted a crime, we applied the framework of conspiracy law, not the concept of "collusion." In so doing, the Office recognized that the word "collud[e]" was used in communications with the Acting Attorney General confirming certain aspects of the investigation's scope and that the term has frequently been invoked in public reporting about the investigation. But collusion is not a specific offense or theory of liability found in the United States Code, nor is it a term of art in federal criminal law. For those reasons, the Office's focus in analyzing questions of joint criminal liability was on conspiracy as defined in federal law. In connection with that analysis, we addressed the factual question whether members of the Trump Campaign "coordinat[ed]"-a term that appears in the appointment order-with Russian election interference activities. Like collusion, "coordination" does not have a settled definition in federal criminal law. We understood coordination to require an agreement-tacit or express- between the Trump Campaign and the Russian government on election interference. That requires more than the two parties taking actions that were informed by or responsive to the other's actions or interests. .."
(Apparently, Trump has found his Roy Cohn in William Barr.)
3
The GOP is correct in one respect when they say it is time for the country to "move on."
We should "move on" to ask the serious question of "Why did Vladimir Putin want Donald Trump to be president so badly?"
The answer to that question - how Russia correctly assessed that having a US president with a corrupt business background, a history of racism and xenophobia, no respect for law or the Constitution, a disdain for women, and ignorance about basic economics, history and international relations generally would undermine America's strength at home and abroad - should be the defining issue in the 2020 elections.
10
Maybe so, but that isn't even an issue here:
"The idea that a sitting president cannot be indicted is is seriously, seriously flawed and narrow-minded."
Maybe Barr is lying on this, but Mueller hasn't disputed Barr's report on this (or, for that matter, on anything else). Barr said that Mueller was asked several times whether his decision not to opine on the "obstruction of justice" claim was based on Mueller's understanding of the DOJ policy that a sitting President cannot be indicted. According to Barr (and Mueller doesn't dispute this), Mueller confirmed, several times, that he was well aware of this DOJ policy but that that DOJ policy had played no part at all in Mueller's decision not to opine on whether Trump was guilty of obstruction of justice.
These are the possibilities:
Barr lied about what Mueller said back then, but Mueller has decided not to tell us what he really said.
OR
Barr accurately reported what Mueller said, but Mueller had in fact been influenced by the DOJ policy but declined to mention that influence -- then or since?
OR
Barr accurately reported what Mueller said, and Mueller has not disputed Barr's report because he felt that way then and feels that way now?
Have I overlooked any possibility?
2
@MyFourCents
No, it doesn’t appear so.
Regarding your first possibility, there’s likely a ‘gag order’ on Mueller sharing anything regarding the investigation with anyone, Congress or otherwise.
And this being a ‘mob-style’ Presidency, I’m sure he’s well-aware of the implications of such ‘betrayal’ having investigated the likes of Cohen, Ailes and Papadopoulos first hand (as part of the investigation).
Even a subpoena by Congress for Mueller to testify would require DOJ or more specifically AG Barr to authorize such testimony in the first place (not without lackey Barr making clear the consequences of betrayal’ to Mr. Mueller).
Impeachment is the only answer or 2020.
3
When all is said and done, here is my biggest question:
Since President Bill Clinton was impeached for having lied about his consensual affair with Ms. Lewinsky, WHY is it all right for President Trump to repeatedly LIE about his dalliance with the Russians on his behalf to be elected to office? This just doesn’t equate in my book.
4
Res Ipsa Loquitur - the GOP is corrupt.
The reason they are all working to help Trump right now is not loyalty, it is self preservation. If the facts prove trump guilty of all it seems very clear by the report he is guilty of the inevitable process of elimination will turn to the elected members of the GOP who helped Mr Trump get into office and perpetrate what he has perpetrated without real consequence because of their protection since. They don't want to be held to account themselves and the best way to avoid that is to help the president avoid being held to account.
Who knew you could conspire to obstruct justice and be let off just because those you chose to conspire with said no? What happened to the legal concept of "attempted"?
Who is going to investigate Barr?
5
@magicisnotreal
And that is why the GOP will not oppose him when he refuses to leave the White House.
2
In the law-abiding society that is America, none is above the law. We have heard this repeated ad nauseam, both by politicians and legal scholars. But we have also heard as many times that a long-standing tradition followed by the Justice Department prevents a sitting president from being indicted. How can these two be reconciled?
If the latter trumps the former (pun intended) aren’t we giving a free pass to a thug to get away with all the criminal acts he does while in office? It is no consolation that he can be held accountable for his crimes once he leaves office. By the time he leaves, irreparable damage will have been done, not just to individual victims but even to the country as a whole.
So, the stupid tradition that prevents a sitting president from being indicted should be discontinued right now. It makes a mockery of the hallowed principle that none is above the law.
We must also abolish that antiquated institution called the Electoral College, which makes a mockery of the very definition of democracy. If democracy is the rule of the majority, how can we call ourselves a democracy, if a nondemocratic entity that has the power to overrule the outcome of democratic process is allowed to function side by side? The founding fathers established it for a good reason. But it has long outlived its usefulness.
Abolition of the Electoral College would do one more good thing: We wouldn't be saddled with a president whom the majority of the electorate voted against.
2
Trump's written responses to Mueller's questions reveal an astonishing lack of ability to recall significant event during the campaign. A stable genius should be able to do much better!
5
your article fails to make clear why mueller did not indict trump for obstructions of justice: he felt constrained by justice department policy, while acting within the justice department's authority, not to indict a sitting president.
that policy, created by an internal opinion written prior to spiro agnew's resignation, never has been tested in court and is felt by many not to be justified by the constitution or statute. likely the only way such a "policy" can be tested is if a state jurisdiction, such as new york, indicts trump.
most professionals i've talked to think there is more than enough evidence to indict trump for obstruction of justice, based upon the facts in other cases in which obstruction convictions have been affirmed.
2
If the US was a politically healthy nation, our Congress would be overwhelmingly in favor of impeachment proceedings of the president. And then, if impeached by the House, the Senate would calmly vote to ratify or not, as the evidence dictates. There would be no political grandstanding over this matter. The Congress would handle this grave situation with dignity and solemnity.
Of course it won't happen.
4
Putting Trump aside just for a second, take this in. A foreign power definitely and successfully interfered with our national election.
4
All politicians in powerful nations try and spin to their own electorate and use their espionage agencies to interfere in others'. The US is the historical grand master of this chess game. There is probably a fine line between Russian hacking, and run of the mill stuff, backing one candidate with covert $ or Cambridge Analytica's subliminal advertising. In the digital age this will only get worse. People have to rely on their own judgement more than ever. Thinking any Presidential/PM candidate is whiter than white is foolhardy, as only political street-fighters with dubiously wealthy backers are likely to make the short-list, in any country these days. Vested interest and power trump everything.
Perhaps a commenter can enlighten me but I do not understand the doctrine that a sitting president cannot be indicted. I get it that, for example, you can't indict Truman for murder for his decision to drop the bomb(s). But what if the president takes a gun and kills James Comey? Is that done in furtherance of his presidential powers? what if he takes a gun and shoots a clerk in a convenience store? There has to be a line there somewhere, beyond which impeachment is not the sole remedy. I'm not suggesting that these circumstances cross the line but I am deeply troubled if the law is that the president cannot under any circumstances be indicted.
8
Thank god we have a House that will follow-up on obstruction charges. It will be riveting to watch the results from the additional 14 criminal referrals to SDNY, etc. Which shoe will drop next?
5
Mueller could have found the president guilty on all counts and it wouldn't have made any difference. Racism and bigotry "trump" criminality. While praising the intelligence of the American electorate, he secretly knows that they can be led around like a bulls with nose rings - only instead of bull rings, he uses their beliefs and prejudices to lead them wherever he wants.
If DJT doesn't destroy our fragile democracy, he has published the blueprint and playbook for some other demagogue to do it later. If a democracy like America's is going to exist, there will have to be a paradigm shift in human thought throughout the world.
In the near future, we will program the human mind in the computer based on a "survival" algorithm, which will provide irrefutable proof as to how we trick the mind with our ridiculous beliefs about what is supposed to survive - producing minds programmed de facto for destruction. These minds see the survival of a particular belief as more important than the survival of us all. When we understand all this, we will begin the long trek back to reason and sanity.
See RevolutionOfReason.com
1
The Democrats need to talk about impeachment for the next six months then take a series of procedural votes over the next 9 months then publish articles of impeachment. While doing all that Trump will get elected to a second term.
2
The report tells us a lot about Trump, but what we do with it will tell the world about us.
13
The Attorney General should not be appointed by the president, there is too much potential conflict of interest. He/she should instead be appointed and the DOJ overseen by the Supreme Court.
4
"I'm f****d" is totally something an innocent person would say.
7
What did Vice President Mike Pence know about all of Donald Trump's malign machinations and when did he know it?
What did Mike Pence do or not do with that knowledge?
What should Mile Pence have known about Donald Trump's malign machinations and when should he have known it?
12
Trump has done bad things and must be punished.
Mueller could not indict Trump because of a DOJ memo
policy that states that you can't indict a sitting president.
This is a fallacy - and Mueller failed to test this in court.
Now the Dems must do the right thing and start impeachment investigations against Trump, and give
the people of America the facts, so that they can make the
correct choice for the 2020 elections.
Do you job Dems.
4
the USA is no longer a democracy. I have moved to Switzerland.
4
Congress needs to proceed immediately and aggressively, continuing from where Muller felt he was constrained by longstanding OLC policy. Congress has a duty to investigate and make a determination on whether to impeach, regardless of Senate Republicans who are guaranteed to protect the flagrantly corrupt president. And regardless of impeachment, the ground needs to be prepared for an indictment immediately upon termination of Trump's presidency. Also, OLC needs to be directed by Congress to abolish its absurd and destructive policy -- the very thing that hamstrung Muller all along -- that a sitting president can not be indicted. The future of our democracy depends on these and other actions.
1
As a former prosecutor I’ve seen conspiracy indictments based on less circumstantial evidence. Mueller asked Russia to hack and loved Wikileaks. Then had his inner circle work with Wikileaks to time releases of the hacking.
That’s like saying “I want to hire a killer, but don’t tell me his name.”
Every occurrence of attempted obstruction is still obstruction. Trump clearly explained his intent. Each one is a count.
And what happened to the guy who committed suicide that was hired directly by Trump.
I’predict that Mueller will go down in history as badly as Trump does.
His job, as was mine, was to seek justice on behalf of his client, the American people.
He was the only recourse his clients had.
He had plenty of evidence and failed to serve justice. There’s simply no excuse.
3
Don Trump should have had the sense to be careful regarding relations with Russia. Like Reagan said about Russia; "Trust but verify". He should be across the table, not on the same side of it with us opposite.
Why did you fight the investigation? We needed to know what you knew and you refused to cooperate. That is why you look guilty to us.
If you were trying to create a Peace Through Strength, you were sadly deceived. You sacrificed the American social tranquility for the sake of international cooperation while also making our allies upset. Your coarse conduct is risking war here for the sake of peace elsewhere. It's a poorly thought strategy. We always were a great nation, until now.
Recognize that you must correct the volatile situation before our great nation succumbs to the stress of anger and hatred. You should resign if you really care about our nation. I don't hate you. I love this nation of misguided people.
Ask yourself; How can you care so much about our nation while defending the Russians who may have elected you in an effort to undo us? I hope there is some underlying strategy with a goal of peace, but you should know you are a danger to peace at home, especially if you continue to lead the nation in hate and anger.
3
More work will have to be done by Congress to get to the truth.
The report had some interesting nuggets especially with regard to how dangerous Russia was to our elections and how they manipulated us countless ways prior to the election.
The president not recalling critical incidents multiple times within the document also stands out to me as evidence of the presidents guilt. The political spin by the ag prior to the release was bad theater and an embarrassment to our country.
7
Why has Trump been so solicitous of Putin — over and over again? Why did Trump have the interpreters’ notes of his private meetings with Putin destroyed? (And is that true) Did Mueller’s team interview the interpreters about what transpired? If not, why not? If so, what did they learn?
Questions for Congress to follow up on.
6
Lets be honest that Trump has deliberately disregarded the law and the Constitution of America.
The people need to know the facts and the truth,
therefore the Democrats need to start impeachment
investigations to give the people of America the facts so that they can make the correct political choices for the 2020 elections.
Democrats must do their elected duties - Impeach Trump
3
Republicans and their supporters are analogous to Benedict Arnold. The Attorney General is the legal representation of the traitors. What amazes me is how less than half of the country don't care about the truth. In black and white it is written that Mueller would have convicted the "Clown Prince" if he didn't believe that, legally it wasn't his place to do so. Mueller clearly points out all the instances of his obstruction. He clearly points out at how often he tried to have his henchmen try to obstruct. But those henchmen didn't want to expose themselves legally. Mueller clearly lays out the multiple not singular attempts by the Russians to help The Clown Prince win an election. Yet Republican refuse to accept these truths. The POINT is that we have a President that was aided by a FOREIGN POWER to win an election. Yet Republicans refuse to admit COLLUSION. We have a President that doesn't remember or recall anything when questioned by Mueller's team but claims to have one of the greatest memories of all times. Essentially we have TRAITORS in our government. That's why elections matter.
3
An innocent man says, "Not I." He does not attack all the institutions of Justice or his opposition. He invites a clear investigation of the facts and exculpatiion through judicial means. This "president" has hidden behind the skirts of his adamant supporters, bravado, and deception. This "president" has chosen to deny while trying to shame the entire process. If Congress does not act, pray to God, in all His Guises, that the American people will.
4
Congress needs to continue its investigations relating to Mueller’s report and Barr’s shameful handling of it. However it is also time for the Democrats to get their act together, stop the infighting and choose a presidential candidate who can win in 2020. The best (maybe only) way to punish Tump for his disgusting behaviour is to propose a platform that offers concrete answers to the problems people face in their lives, sell that platform to the electorate and work extremely hard to get out the vote. That must be the laser focus of the Democratic Party from now until Election Day!
2
Richard Nixon stated that the American people have a right to know whether their President is a crook. Attorney General Barr has told us that our President is not a crook. Richard Nixon stated that he was not a crook, but this statement was not enough to save his Presidency. The fact that the Mueller Report did not recommend criminal charges does not mean that Donald Trump is fit to be President. Incompetence and abuse of power are political charges which must be decided in the voting booths and the halls of Congress. The final verdict will be political rather than legal.
3
A significant takeaway should be the Mueller has been overrated by the press for the past two years.
In the face of profound evidence that Trump obstructed justice on more than ten occasions, and admitting in his final report that in his written answers the President failed to recall important events on at least thirty occasions, Mueller appears either to have been out-lawyered by Trump's team, unwilling to challenge DOJ policy regarding a sitting President, or averse to forcing Trump to testify in person perhaps because he knew that in doing so he would be able to determine intent and that the report would have to conclude that obstruction did occur.
I think that Mueller acted as he did so that he would avoid being at the center of the political storm that would certainly follow a definitive conclusion on obstruction.
1
What? Politicians worry? no worries no one pays for their misdeeds.Nixon was pardoned, all the Reagan and Bush 41 guys got off. Condi rice and Cheney are still walking free. American presidents are off limits to true prosecution. Barr represents all that is American.
2
There is pathetic irony here: Trump knew he was a crook, clearly, and wanted his aides to cover up for him. But they knew he was a crook, too, and were fearful of their own hides to cover up for him. There are numerous episodes of this in the report.
If Trump would have had a Gordon Liddy or a John Halderman or a Robert Bork he would have been indicted.
What I don't get is this: how is the intent not clear and demonstrated over many occasions - even by his public comments about Sessions.
The bottom line about the Russians is this: the Republicans don't care - in fact they *love* the fact that the Russians helped elect Trump. They helped them "win". And winning is all that counts for them; not policy. Just be the liberals and win for America. Democracy is beside the point for them.
4
Trump's corrupt use of power must be punished,
and the Democrats need to start impeachment hearings now to
give the people of America the truth, so that they can make
the correct choices for the 2020 elections.
*The Dems must stop hiding now from the fact that Impeachment should be started now.
3
Trump and his merry band of warriors on the truth are trying to dismiss this report as inconsequential because it anticipates no direct legal actions against the president at the present time.
I wonder what they'd be saying right now if the subject of the report were named Clinton?
Not that I'm a fan of the Clintons. Just saying.
Trump claims he can get away with just about anything including murder. Remember the infamous comment about how he could shoot someone in the street in NYC without significant consequences?
The rest of us? Not so much. What we could do is figure out a way to keep him from continuing to get away with murder, even if only allegorically. Given the utter distaste for presidential accountability among Republicans for THIS president, it's up to us the voters to prevent four more years of lies and corruption.
3
This report was and is a critical part of our system's checks and balances. Donald Trump believes he is above the law. While there are no criminal charges,so far, that is just a technicality. Donald Trump is immoral, mean-spirited and vindictive. His outrageous and harmful policies are enough to justify his removal from office. No innocent person spends that much time trying to cover-up, encourage others to lie, punish those who oppose him and, simply acts like he knows he has done something terribly wrong.
2
You do not have to be successful in obstruction to be charged with obstruction... you just have to think your actions have bearing and that qualifies as obstruction.
And the idea that "he was frustrated" might work as a motive... but it doesn't work to exonerate. If anything, it's just evidence of why he might obstruct.
And finally... do we really need a report from some guy to tell us what we all saw and heard from national TV interviews, countless books and documentaries... if you want to know his intent... if intent is the "bar" for proving obstruction... just take him at his words already... "I fired the guy so now the heat is off..."
Honestly, you don't need to be a lawyer to figure this one out... you just need eyes and ears.
2
I use this analogy. Imagine you are a runner in the Olympics. Not a very good one. The Russians decide they want you to win a Gold medal. So they do things to undermine your better opponents during the qualifying rounds. You know the Russians are helping you but you say nothing. You don’t go to the officials and tell them the Russians are hurting your opponents. You are happy they are helping you and in the final race you win the Gold medal. You didn’t collude or conspire with the Russians but you took their help. Is that not cheating? Should you not be stripped of your Gold medal? And most worrisome would you not be beholden to the Russians for their help? Would they not want something in return for their help? And wouldn’t the Russians then help you win the Gold medal in the next Olympics.
2
The idea that a sitting president cannot be indicted is is seriously, seriously flawed and narrow-minded. I respect rule of law. I respect conducting an objective investigation. I don't respect allowing tradition and notional preservation to overrule common sense. The president is more corrupt than Nixon. He was and is compromised by Russians. He committed treason and instruction. And once we see his tax returns and financial statements, we will undoubtedly find high crimes. He needs to be impeached and indicted.
Any "President" is merely a human being. Nothing more. He is not above the law. I don't care if you're the Pope or a billionaire or celebrity. If you are a criminal you CAN and SHOULD be indicted and punished.
Furthermore, any person who holds an office of highest public trust in the nation should be held to the highest standards. This does not place the President above us. In fact, it places that person humbly at our side as OUR public servant. He or she holds the highest executive position in the nation and is supposed to execute duties that serve and protect ALL citizens of this nation. Trump serves only himself, and he does so by gifting the nation with the help of Russians.
133
@Misplaced Modifier According to the Mueller report and the DOJ combined, evidence collected during the past 2 years by the SC is insufficient to charge Trump with any crimes not withstanding the DOJ policy not to indict a sitting President.
1
@Misplaced Modifier At the very beginning of our republic, one of our greatest Presidents had the opportunity to be our first King instead, by popular acclaim. George Washington refused. He knew that the United States did not really want, or need, kings.
Now, we say that a sitting President cannot be indicted, which evidently - to Mueller - means you can't even say he should be indicted. A president can break any law and, if his political party owns the Senate and is complicit or at least enabling, wreak any havoc at will because successful impeachment is off the table.
Now, we say that a President can declare any old emergency desired and negate the will of Congress on matters that Congress has constitutional power over.
Now, we say that Presidents can start wars, again usurping power that the constitution originally gave to Congress. And, use the military and redirect funds appropriated for it for political effect.
Now, a President can flagrantly ignore the emoluments clause, even up to taxpayer money flowing into his private businesses when those businesses charge the government for services incurred during vacations at those businesses.
And, now, a President might be able to pardon himself, or order subordinates to break federal laws and expect a pardon if they comply.
How the heck did the United States of America end up being able to elect virtual kings?
Why are the conservative, constitution-originalist legal minds silent?
16
@NYChap
That is wrong. According to the report he could, in fact, be charged. But Mueller is guided by a personal opinion that a sitting president can't be indicted.
7
Another Special Prosecutor would have lit Trump up. Mueller blew it on obstruction. Why? Because he's an institutionalist. Period. I've been telling people this for years while cable news convinced America that Mueller was courageous. He's not a bad person, but he's not courageous, he's, I repeat, an institutionalist. He's not going to rock the boat, serve subpoenas on Trumps or anything as "improper" as that. As soon as Barr jumped on the Trump train, everyone knew Muller was doing nothing.
Mueller was disappointing and Democrats have to learn how to say that.
1
OBTW, the Mueller team declared that the story we all heard about the Obamas’ Russian hotel bed was a complete lie.
The expensive Steele Dossier – denied by Steele himself – was never in any part true but it was used by Brennan & Comey’s team to justify domestic spying on an opposition party political campaign.
For those felonies, and especially for the FISA lies and abuses, several D.C, Swamp players will need to be be indicted.
Mueller didn't indict Trump because there is a memo policy that states that you can't indict a sitting president, so being
a conservative constitutionalist Mueller has referred his
report/investigation/results to Congress for impeachment hearings to expose Trump and his criminality and the widespread attack by Russia upon American democracy.
If the Democrats fail to impeach Trump then they are complicit in Trump's criminality and the Russians attack upon American democracy.
#Dems do your job - Impeach Trump
3
“Mr. Trump was elected with the help of a foreign power …”
There is NO evidence that the UK was involved directly even though Cambridge Analytica, a UK based Company provided the critical mass of information management which possibly was decisive.
“how Russian hackers penetrated the personal email account of Mrs. Clinton’s campaign chairman”
NO: - The personal email account was downloaded not hacked. That evidence is available in the Public realm and NYT is trying to pretend otherwise. The material was downloaded to a thumb drive possibly by a member of Mrs Clintons team who may have been angry at the successful conspiracy to deny the Democratic Nomination to Bernie Sanders.
1
Expect nothing from a government that does nothing.
2
Summary:
Too incompetent to collude or obstruct justice.
2
America is at the crossroads.
If the Democrats don't start impeachment hearings then America will descend into a lawless and chaotic era that will be very dangerous for national security, and global security
and peace.
Russia the main enemy will be laughing in the Kremlin
as they continue to control the agenda/debate/chaos
in America.
Do the right thing Dems and impeach Trump.
3
Democrats will not impeach Trump after Mueller reported that no American or any member of the Trump campaign conspired or colluded with any Russians.
AG Barr can now claim the Democrats do not trust him and therefor he should appoint a Special Counsel to investigate how Trump was investigated with no proof of any crime having been committed. Trey Gowdy should be appointed as they Special Counsel.
If the NYTimes' candidate, Hillary Clinton, had been elected would you have written, "Hillary was elected with a foreign government's help."? Of course, you would never write such a thing. Never mind the fact that Hillary received 10s of millions of dollars in money from foreign actors who oftentimes had nefarious ties. Never mind the fact that this is not the first or the last time that a foreign government will attempt to meddle in our election. Lord knows the USA has meddled in countless foreign elections. Why then do we expect our elections to be inviolate from foreign influence? And, of course, the innumerable lobbyists and campaign donors from abroad make it abundantly clear that foreign governments have openly been involved in our elections for quite some time. And never mind the fact that "negative media" and "negative campaign ads" have been studied widely by political scientists within academia. There is not conclusive tie between negative messaging (i.e., negative campaign ads) and any last impact. It is all conjecture on the part of Mueller and the media as to whether "Hillary's emails" played any role whatsoever in the outcome of the election. Hillary's reputation, unfortunately for her, preceded her campaign. She was known to be a corrupt, duplicate and disingenuous bad actor among the American people. Also, she was seen as an offshoot of the corrupt Obama Administration which your paper aided, abetted and never wrote a critical word of.
This has got to be the most ridiculous witch hunt since the McMartin Preschool Scandal of the early 1980s. It's an embarrassment and a threat to our political stability. Trump won because a lot of people saw through Hilary Clinton. He won because of the electoral college system.
We have either a national psychosis in which a huge segment of society refuses to accept reality or a national entitlement problem. Trump won 2016 fair and square. Deal with it.
Donald Trump has been caught out in over six thousand lies. While Mueller found "no collusion", he left many "obstruction" possibilities for the House and Senate to investigate. At the least, Trump's behavior paints a picture of a corrupt and vile person who has destroyed the trust and legitimacy of the Office of the President.
1
Maybe Trump will resign and Pence will pardon him.
And.......... all will live happily ever after, Trump and his dynasty with billions made from this charade and Pence can be Pope of America in our newly formed Theocracy.
Good Mourning America.
1
And Trump thinks he is "having a good day"; well if he thinks that is good then his standard of what is "good" is very low as for most people this would be pretty awful! Most decent people would hang their heads in shame, apologise and resign, not Trump as for him his notion of what is decent seems to be rather scued.
The Robert Mueller report will go down in history as an classic example of making a mountain out of an molehill.
The President’s needs no exoneration.
What’s the inquiry about ??
It’s about Russian influence peddling...& it’s impact on helping the President to sit in Oval Office.
The inquiry says, their’s no no influence peddling by Russia or even If it is there,it’s very minimal to influence the Coke heads,soggled by an overdose of never ending media blasts.
So now from where has this New Agenda of supposedly Presidential interference into the Mueller inquiry come about.
Is this part of the original inquiry or did it join the game...
I mean what’s the inquiry about, Russian interference transmuting into Presidential obstruction of Justice...& finally what ...where’s this headache heading.
The former Director of FBI,should by now,know if the President’s interfered or not.
At least, I need a closure.
32 million $ is a pretty huge sum of money to Vacillate.May or Maybe.
You assert: "The report laid bare that Mr. Trump was elected with the help of a foreign power.."
But that's your take--not Mueller's. Mueller lists "foreign" efforts to influence the election (not Israel's) but provides no evidence that they influenced any actual voting behaviors.
Maybe they did, as political scientists should be called in to investigate, but until then you reporting is false. evcisdewnce
Would someone please explain that black graffiti scrawled over that glass window?
Headline: Barr does for Trump what he previously did for Iran-Contra and Reagan.
4
It’s your move, Senate Republicans—
Lift this blight of Trump from the United States.
You must see by now that there is no way he can prevail in 2020.
Cut your profound losses
4
It is time to cleanout the White House, which is way overdue. I know our country deserves and can do better. President Trump is a disgrace to our nation, a danger to our security, unfit for office. Congress do your jobs or the people will vote you out.
4
Mueller has given the Democrats a road map for the impeachment of Trump, and the people voted for them in the 2018 elections so that they can do their jobs.
If the Democrats fail to start impeachment hearings then they are complicit and agree to all Trump's criminality and the Russian attack upon American democracy.
#Do your job Dems
2
There is something terribly wrong with the GOP morals and runaway corruption. It is clear that Trump is a gangster without scruples or honesty and AG Barr is protecting him like a rabid dog. AMERICA is down the tubes and is unfit to lead the world.
@terry brady I agree with all you say especially that America is unfit to lead the world. The sooner we get away from the idea that either America or the President is the leader of the western world the better, it always was an arrogance with a hint of truth but in the era of Trump it is an un-truth with a massive arrogance.
1
In 2020 the American people will go to vote and America will ask the Democrats what they did for us Americans? The Democrats have spent all of their time just trying to get Trump.
The media has totally lost their minds about a President that hovers in the upper 40% approval with 98% negative news coverage. For 2 1/2 years they have printed lies. So pathetic.
Russia was wildly successful in putting Trump into the White House.
Now it's the Democrats responsibility to investigate
and expose the criminality by impeaching Trump.
Anything else would be to "collude" with Trump/Russia.
2
The report actually has no revelation. It just confirms this is a lying and thieving admin.
2
John Smithson. Do you really believe Nixon's Watergate burglary was a molehill? Do you really believe the special counsel appointment was baseless? If yes, your mind has been corrupt by Trump's lies; stick to the facts!
2
William Barr's desperate, last-minute, hamfisted attempt at obstruction is itself the latest example of it in this case-
“'There is substantial evidence to show that the president was frustrated and angered by a sincere belief that the investigation was undermining his presidency', Mr Barr said."
Well.
That . . . settles that.
(sidenote: I am reminded of Charles Durning's little number, "Sidestep", as the sleazy governor in "The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas"):
"OOh, I love to dance a little sidestep,
And lead The People on.")
This assertion is Mr. Barr's defense against obstruction, but it doesn't stand up against the president's behavior on the campaign trail, when he didn't even know about the investigation.
But he certainly lied about Russia. Even then.
Which had nothing to do with "frustration", and everything to do with "coverup."
Mr. Barr also asserts that the report found "evidence on both sides" for obstruction. But, as has been already pointed out from many quarters, . . . it doesn't.
Rather, the report states that no conclusion was found (on obstruction) only because OSC was following DOJ guidelines (about indicting a sitting president), and therefore thought it unfair to say a president committed crimes, but was allowed no trial to rebut the charges, and no ability to clear their name.
That isn't "evidence on both sides."
Like this whole tawdry saga, Barr's audition memo was outrageously inappropriate, and should have forced his recusal.
5
"Bill Barr and Robert Mueller have been close friends for 30 years, from the Justice Department to family weddings and the Bible study attended by both of their wives." @ Political
1
The Editorial Board's claim that the rails held is a strange fantasy. There were some people who disobeyed the law to save the President from committing crimes. They could not raise the 25th, and those who dare to defy Donnie are now all gone. Barr happily spins these damning details as an absolution. Pompeo smiles and agrees with Donnie's disgraceful lie that we don't know who killed Kashloggi. The rails did not hold and there are no heroes left standing. If the House does not impeach him, he has two years of unfettered crimes to committ.
2
No contact with Russians. No help from Russians neither solicited nor unsolicited. No lying. No firing of officials. No threats issued to said officials to stop investigation. No staff indictments of ‘said’ Russian involvement.
No collusion. No coordination. No Russian interference.
Complete and unequivocal ‘exoneration’ by Mueller, right?
At the sight of a ‘special investigator’, Innocent Presidents don’t utter the words, ‘This is the end of my Presidency. I’m f***ed’.
Case closed.
3
It's a nice quote: "This is the end of my Presidency. I am f...d." And here's the end of that quote from the report:
"Everybody tells me if you get one of these independent counsels it ruins your presidency. It takes years and years and I won't be able to do anything. This is the worst thing that ever happened to me."
Democrats seem to have gone all in with the Mueller report, hoping that he would come back with evidence that would lead to Trump's indictment or impeachment. That hasn't happened, so now what?
A house committee wants to pick up the baton and try to move it forward. This effort needs to be quickly set aside. Continued efforts to impeach Trump will blow up in the Democrat's combined faces.
The Democrats are losing. Yes they won over the House in the last election. But they lost ground in the Senate, something that usually doesn't happen in an off year election.
So far, the Democrats have no coherent message. Meanwhile, the Republicans are already working to label Democrats as extremest left wingers. I have no idea what the Democrats reply to that is.
I'm already preparing myself for a big defeat in 2020 and an additional four years of Donald Trump.
No, I did not read the entire 400 plus page redacted report by Mr. Robert S. Mueller III before making this comment. The comment section would be closed long before I would finish reading the report and able to submit a comment. Is a comment necessary? Perhaps.
The actions of Trump not only during the 2016 election, but years prior to, and currently, are unprecedented signals of just how fractured the state of not only our political system is, but the very essence of our country. The actions by AG Barr, the WH leading up to todays events, including the press remarks by AG Barr, are doing further damage to our democracy than a considerable amount of people are actually being made aware of. By redacting sensitive areas of Mr. Mueller's report, it does provide certain measures to ensure levels of national security is maintained. However, at what cost? There is no reason the House Intelligence Committee should be denied a un-redacted copy of Mr. Mueller's report. Other than Trump, and his supporters to deflect and delay.
Americans who care for a 'more brighter and promising future for everyone' should not be deterred to get to the truth. Political propaganda has evolved with the advent of social media. Trump clearly understood, and understands this despite his now obvious denials about Wikileaks. Mr. Mueller adequately passed the torch to Congress to make further determinations. Does the 'greatest deliberative body' have the fortitude to do so? Does it, Senator Mitch McConnell?
1
MMW
Mueller Muddied Waters, giving the country even more headaches.
Trump and his allies criminally intended to kill the investigation in several incidents ... and acted to do that very thing.
The other investigations from among the Southern District, Manhattan prosecutors, New York State prosecutors, DC and Pennsylvania prosecutors will finally bury Trump and still others, including other Trumps. Then too, the so-called 12 other prosecutor offices which may be among the ones cited are on the case(s).
Many of them will be more or less concluded before the 2020 election.
Mueller has laid out the trail of evidence to try the current president once he has left office, for a range of crimes, which have now spun off 14 cases that will be investigated and lead to at least some trials and which will drag some of his family and more of advisors in before this whole thing wraps up. This is just beginning. Of course, Mr. Trump now has even more reason to try to win the presidency again. He can delay an indictment that much longer.
1
Now the question is: when do we see the non-blacked-out Version? Or shall we better call it uncensored version?
Of course naive but, why can’t Mueller himself simply tell us what is missing?
The trick of „blacked out because of ongoing investigation“ is great, that is a universal tool to censor everything. Because there could alway be made up an ongoing investigation. It’s all a matter of perspective.
1
Regardless of whether there was collusion with Russia, it is abundantly clear that Trump was elected into office with the active assistance of the Russian state. If one believes that Russia's pro-Trump and anti-Clinton campaigns had no effect then you also have to accept that legitimate domestic campaigns have no effect - you can't have it both ways.
2
It is now up to the American people, whoever they are, whatever the position they hold, wherever the live. If they represent the people in any way, if they are employed or unemployed, no matter their condition they must make their voice heard, they must above all vote in the 2020 election and every other one from the most local to the presidential election itself. To vote is one of the most precious rights any citizen has and not to use it is frankly a dereliction of duty. I do not know enough about your voting system but do whatever you need to do to exercise your right to vote in every election possible.
1
With no indictment, no exoneration ambivalence not only the FBI Special Counsel has washed off his hands on the whole Trump-Russia collusion story but also allowed a bitter partisan wrangling which could further vitiate and polarise the political discourse in coming days.
No, I did not read the entire 400 plus page redacted report by Mr. Robert S. Mueller III before making this comment. The comment section would be closed long before I would finish reading the report and able to submit a comment. Is a comment necessary? Perhaps.
The actions of Trump not only during the 2016 election, but years prior to, and currently, are unprecedented signals of just how fractured the state of not only our political system is, but the very essence of our country. The actions by AG Barr, the WH leading up to todays events, including the press remarks by AG Barr, are doing further damage to our democracy than a considerable amount of people are actually being made aware of. By redacting sensitive areas of Mr. Mueller's report, it does provide certain measures to ensure levels of national security is maintained. However, at what cost? There is no reason the House Intelligence Committee should be denied an un-redacted copy of Mr. Mueller's report. Other than Trump and his supporters to deflect and delay.
Americans who care for a 'more brighter and promising future for everyone' should not be deterred to get to the truth. Political propaganda has evolved with the advent of social media. Trump clearly understood, and understands this despite his now obvious denials about Wikileaks. Mr. Mueller adequately passed the torch to Congress to make further determinations. Does the 'greatest deliberative body' have the fortitude to do so? Does it Senator Mitch McConnell?
So if you have a "sincere belief" that some people try to undermine your presidency as a president you can not be charged with obstruction of justice , according to Mr. Barr.
Remember Watergate? President Nixon believed that his ennemies were after him. He also believed that every order given by the President were legal. We know now how the story finished.
1
It is the responsibility of every American to read this report, and to store a copy against the future. So while other publications made that possible, the NYTimes didn't, and offered tech and search engine magic instead. That may seem more forward looking and cool than other outlets, but this time what matters is that we all have a copy and we all read a copy.
It is important to remember that the famous quote about eternal vigilance isn't a call to arms but a call to oversight, and there are times when one's duty as a citizen or a U.S. person is to know what your government did in your name. This is one of those times.
1
No, I did not read the entire 400 plus page redacted report by Mr. Robert S. Mueller III before making this comment. The comment section would be closed long before I would finish reading the report and able to submit a comment. Is a comment necessary? Perhaps.
The actions of Trump not only during the 2016 election, but years prior to, and currently, are unprecedented signals of just how fractured the state of not only our political system is, but the very essence of our country. The actions by AG Barr, the WH leading up to todays events, including the press remarks by AG Barr, are doing further damage to our democracy than a considerable amount of people are actually being made aware of. By redacting sensitive areas of Mr. Mueller's report, it does provide certain measures to ensure levels of national security is maintained. However, at what cost? There is no reason the House Intelligence Committee should be denied an un-redacted copy of Mr. Mueller's report. Other than Trump and his supporters to deflect and delay.
Americans who care for a 'more brighter and promising future for everyone' should not be deterred to get to the truth. Political propaganda has evolved with the advent of social media. Trump clearly understood, and understands this despite his now obvious denials about Wikileaks. Mr. Mueller adequately passed the torch to Congress to make further determinations. Does the 'greatest deliberative body' have the fortitude to do so? Does it Senator Mitch McConnell?
No, I did not read the entire 400 plus page redacted report by Mr. Robert S. Mueller III before making this comment. The comment section would be closed long before I would finish reading the report and able to submit a comment. Is a comment necessary? Perhaps.
The actions of Trump not only during the 2016 election, but years prior to, and currently, are unprecedented signals of just how fractured the state of not only our political system is, but the very essence of our country. The actions by AG Barr, the WH leading up to todays events, including the press remarks by AG Barr, are doing further damage to our democracy than a considerable amount of people are actually being made aware of. By redacting sensitive areas of Mr. Mueller's report, it does provide certain measures to ensure levels of national security is maintained. However, at what cost? There is no reason the House Intelligence Committee should be denied an un-redacted copy of Mr. Mueller's report. Other than Trump and his supporters to deflect and delay.
Americans who care for a 'more brighter and promising future for everyone' should not be deterred to get to the truth. Political propaganda has evolved with the advent of social media. Trump clearly understood, and understands this despite his now obvious denials about Wikileaks. Mr. Mueller adequately passed the torch to Congress to make further determinations. Does the 'greatest deliberative body' have the fortitude to do so? Does it Senator Mitch McConnell?
I would think that sales of Tacitus' Annals should rocket, because the only well documented and detailed historical precedent would be the imperial government of Tiberius and, later, Nero, which the Roman historian records with such style, wit and controlled anger.
No, I did not read the entire 400 plus page redacted report by Mr. Robert S. Mueller III before making this comment. The comment section would be closed long before I would finish reading the report and able to submit a comment. Is a comment necessary? Perhaps.
The actions of Trump not only during the 2016 election, but years prior to, and currently, are unprecedented signals of just how fractured the state of not only our political system is, but the very essence of our country. The actions by AG Barr, the WH leading up to todays events, including the press remarks by AG Barr, are doing further damage to our democracy than a considerable amount of people are actually being made aware of. By redacting sensitive areas of Mr. Mueller's report, it does provide certain measures to ensure levels of national security is maintained. However, at what cost? There is no reason the House Intelligence Committee should be denied an un-redacted copy of Mr. Mueller's report. Other than Trump and his supporters to deflect and delay.
Americans who care for a 'more brighter and promising future for everyone' should not be deterred to get to the truth. Political propaganda has evolved with the advent of social media. Trump clearly understood, and understands this despite his now obvious denials about Wikileaks. Mr. Mueller adequately passed the torch to Congress to make further determinations. Does the 'greatest deliberative body' have the fortitude to do so? Does it Senator Mitch McConnell?
Game Over Trump must be Impeached.
The Mueller report is explicit in its recommendation that Congress must start investigations into impeachment.
The Dems must not consider the talking point of the GOP
about the Clinton impeachment trial and how the Republicans lost the election.
In reality the Republicans went on to win elections
and Bush in the White House The GOP gained by impeaching
Clinton.
Therefore the Democrats will regret their political and elected duty to impeach Trump, as the Republicans laugh to power because the Democrats failed to impeach Trump.
Just do the right thing and Impeach Trump.
Just do your job Dems.
3
No criminal actions found.
No recommendations for prosecution.
No collusion.
No criminal obstruction.
No crime to obstruct.
Good outcome. Now will Congress get on with the important actions for Americans or continue to waste our time and theirs on a nothing burger?
With 1,300 comments here so far, I do not expect that I'm the first one to ask this question but, if the numerous instances of deliberate contacts with the Russians for the purpose of stealing (or "influencing") the election, and of attempts to obstruct the subsequent investigation do not add up to indictable criminal offenses, what does? Before the election Trump boasted that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose supporters. Now it appears that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not get indicted either.
3
I fault Mueller with not taking steps as he had previously to correct the BuzzFeed report, to correct Barr's gross mischaracterizations of his own report.
Better yet, Mueller could have pushed to have his summary the one published or, at minimum, made a greater effort to edit Barr and thereby limit the continued propaganda on Trump's behalf.
Maybe at Mueller's congressional hearings we'll learn more of how Barr was able to spew his lies, but I think Mueller could have should have done more to help.
2
From a companion NYT article:
"18 percent of the redactions were based on legal rules that generally forbid the disclosure of grand jury material."
This morning, Barr promised to give the investigating House and Senate committees a copy of the Mueller report with no redactions other than the "grand jury" redactions. According to the NYT, this would eliminate 82% of the redactions. Barr promised to deliver this before releasing the more heavily redacted report to the general public.
Does anyone know whether Barr followed through on this promise? Either way, has the House or Senate complained?
1
If we have any type of national crises, is Trump really going to lead? Is he even capable? Will we trust his judgement? Or anything he or anyone around him says?
2
In what business or organization (other than the mob) would you leave someone like this in charge? He must be stopped from making any further decisions, especially appointing new judges.
2
It will be interesting how the Report folds out over the next two years. by not pushing the button, Mueller may have hung a Sword of Damoclese over the President. As each new action based on the Report unfolds, Justice may write a compelling story. Robert Mueller’s hands may have been somewhat tied by the circumstances, but he may have constructed a solid platform upon which others, in Congress, in various state and federal jurisdictons will be able to construct the gallows and enjoy a generous supply of rope.
1
"Mr. President, what would you say is the most important achievement of your presidency over the past two years?"
"Well, they were never able to indict me for a crime. I'm very proud of that!"
1
I am exhausted by all of this. I think all of America is exhausted. The danger in this fatigue is that those of us who are horrified by Trump and his presidency who have been fighting for the past two years may feel like giving up, despite the encouraging results of the midterm elections. It has been so discouraging to see one man disassembling the very foundations of our democracy with alacrity, without conscience, and unbelievably, without any real consequences while the GOP turns a blind eye.
I have a friend who is now deceased, who worked at a parachute factory in London during the blitz as a girl of 17. She walked to work every day with her mother and sister, despite the bombing, and even after they were unsuccessfully strafed by a german fighter pilot. I asked her how she had the courage to keep walking to work under fire and she said "Because staying home was exactly what the Luftwaffe wanted us to do."
I've never been so worn out by my country, but I'm not staying home either, not by a long shot. The President and congress work for us, NOT the other way around, and I don't want them to keep living with the delusion that they can keep their pay checks and their perks and their status without actually carrying out their ethical responsibilities to this country. Many of us are working hard to make sure that those who are not serving the interests of the american people don't get a pay check from us anymore, particularly Trump, the most corrupt President ever.
1
Was Mueller’s investigation shut down too early? Seems the Barr appointment and the end of it was too coincidental.
33
@Debbie
That is a very good observation Debbie because timing is everything and people are creatures of time.
1
@Debbie
NO pressure from President Trump was EVER applied. This was either Mueller's decision or the Congressional Democrats'.
But remember, Mueller already knew before this began that there would never be any collusion or crimes by Trump found.
Your news sources knew this too, especially CNN. Remember the Van Jones quote.
So let me get this straight:
Manafort, Trump’s campaign manager, gave polling data (including info about swing states) to Kilimnik, (who Mueller identified as a Russian spy operative), and after Manafort got caught Trump tried to obstruct Mueller’s investigation by telling Manafort he would “take care of” him while at the same time Trump openly chastised Cohen for “flipping” because Cohen was cooperating with investigators.
Wow, this sounds just like a mob boss.
58
I’m looking forward to Sarah Sander’s next press briefing!!!
26
@Saul ~
Probably in 2021.
The only thing missing from the Barr press conference was Spicer's ill fitting suit. May he be thrown under the bus like past Trump chumps.
11
What a disgraceful waste of time. We have lost our way if we let a foreign power install a president and then allow that person to remain in office. We have lost our way and squandered our liberty. Shame!
46
Wake up. That didn't happen.
A patriotic citizen running for public office would immediately call the FBI if they were contacted by an agent of a foreign power. We now live in a time when Republican candidates contemplate whether it might work out for them to conspire against their fellow citizens. If they’re lucky, they’ve accidentally hired people on their campaign to point out how anti-American they are.
28
William Barr has trashed his own reputation. Long after he is dead, he will be known as the protector and enabler of a criminal president.
49
This is brilliant.
Volume 2 of the report lays out a case for multiple counts of obstruction.
However the Special Council recognizes that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted. While in office.
BUT does not rule out prosecution, once OUT of Office.
Mueller has created a driver for the 2020 Election. Donald Trump HAS to win, otherwise he faces terrible consequences from this report.
Voters in essence will have the ability to vote Donald Trump out, if he loses he will face dire consequences.
What an incentive for voters, who have had enough of Donald Trump. How ironic. Bob Mueller has taken a plot line from the Apprentice, and made Donald face a feverish, MUST win race in 2020
This is like King Lear or am Akira Kurosawa story. This is an amazing well done job by Robert Mueller and team.
23
The presidency protects Trump from his statutes of limitations of many crimes that he has committed.
6
@MarcR
We really have to bring pressure to bear to reverse the DOJ policy (NOT a law) that a sitting President cannot be indicted. That's what has stopped Meuller from going forward.
If ever a sitation existed that invited re-visiting that policy, the incompetence, corruption and venality of the Trump Admin is it. And Barr has to go!
2
What a ridiculous assertion:
“Some Americans invested so much hope in the Mueller investigation that they made plans to hold rallies in predetermined locations if Mr. Trump fired the special counsel and terminated the investigation. He never did.”
People who planned rallies about the possible firing of Mueller did it for the same reasons they protested the government shutdown over building the wall, the Brett Kavanaugh hearings and separating families at the border.
They’re protesting this President and his conduct, which the Mueller report catalogs in vivid detail: sabotage, lies, evasion, and more lies.
31
If everything was perfectly legal, there's no reason not to let the Russians provide an assist in 2020. Why not, it worked well last time, for Trump. I can't imagine he'll be trying too hard to keep them out, esp. now that he even has the blessings of the Justice Dept.
20
Nancy Pelosi was right when she said that Trump is not worth impeaching. He should be investigated thoroughly by the House though both on the matters that the Mueller report has begun to explore and even more vigorously on those it has not, especially his business and tax fraud schemes.
12
Face it NYT readers and move on: you've been duped by the media and Democrat politicians. This whole investigation has been a big nothing burger based on a phony dossier from day one, yet people have been so filled with hate and vested in removing the orange man by any means possible that they became delusional, believing any and every leak and rumor that reinforced their belief. It's all a bit nutty. Move on. If you put half of the effort and thought into finding and promoting a quality candidate it should be no problem to defeat Trump in the next election. But that has not happened. Instead there's now a clown car full of flawed candidates who realistically won't be able to win against the strong economy under Trump. It's not too late, but the door of opportunity is quickly closing: let go of the hate for Trump and instead channel your energy toward positively promoting a better alternative. Why not Howard Schultz?
12
@Eric seems you forgot these little important phrases from the report now available for your reading pleasure, "While this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him" and, the evidence "about the President's actions and intent presents difficult issues that prevent us from conclusively determining that no criminal conduct occurred."
and
"The President's efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surrounded the President declined to carry out orders or accede to his requests."
Tell me more about which political party is being duped.
1
@Eric ~
A number of people have already been indicted, several sent to jail, with 12 more investigations underway.
That is a "Big nothing"?
And despite the claims about ALL of he dossier being a phony political document (started by the GOP) there are a number of points that have not been contested, even by Sean and Rush.
2
I just continue to be amazed at people like you who seem incapable of recognizing the overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing, corruption, and incompetence outlined in this report. You must inhabit some kind of parallel universe to be so blind.
1
The Mudd family will be much relieved to have the name Trump replace it in infamy.
William P. Barr will be but a sad comparison to Roy M. Cohn, a man without morals using the law to advance his own implosion in history.
What a circus - with sad clowns crying innocence and exhoneration to an audience unamused and throwing peanuts.
The Trump family must be stripped of every ill-gotten gain and sent to Siberia.
21
Once again we need to learn the perils of politicizing the criminal law. Robert Mueller's report makes clear that Rod Rosenstein had no basis for appointing a special counsel to investigate the Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.
Just as Donald Trump immediately realized it would, Robert Mueller's investigation has crippled his presidency. The Democrats and the media will ensure that the harm will never stop.
From Richard Nixon (the Watergate burglary) to Bill Clinton (perjury about a sexual liaison) to Hillary Clinton (unwise emails) to Donald Trump (Russian interference) molehills have been turned into mountains by politicians acting as prosecutors. It's shameful. Our criminal law should never be used as a political weapon.
Justin Trudeau has been caught in the same kind of net in Canada. He (quite rightly) considers the political implications of a criminal prosecution and gets criticized for it? That's unfair. But at least in his case he is facing political punishment only, not criminal charges.
The idea that a prosecutor, judge or jury should be passing judgment on a politician's motives for their lawful acts is a dangerous one. We need to stop doing it. Now.
127
@John Smithson Russian interference in the interest of Trump won the election for him. The bombardment of "bots" without question convinced at least 80,000 voters ,less than 1 % of of the electorate to vote against Hillary. Any other president would be impeached over this report.
303
@John Smithson Donald Trump and his actions crippled his own presidency, and it is absolutely clear that he attempted to obstruct justice on at least 10 occasions. Trump brought Mueller upon himself by firing Comey and going on national television and admitting that he was fired over the Russia investigation.
Trump is not above the law.
347
No one is above the law.
195
Everything Trump did was lawful. Mueller's report in a paraphrased nutshell- " he did not collude with the Russians. he tried to influence the investigation, but we have no evidence that shows what he did was a crime because what he did may have been lawful". 2 years. Over 40,000 man/woman hours of investigation. $7-$20 million dollars.
133
@Tom Becker Even if that is true, it would be nice to think that a president can be held to higher standard than simply not being behind bars.It's no great compliment to say that the degree of corruption, lies, viciousness in this administration cannot be proven in a court of law.
200
@Tom Becker Collusion? Maybe. Conspiracy? Yet to be determined. SDNY and EDVA, among others, have yet to conclude their work.
107
@Tom Becker Legal, but far from innocent.
98
Who knew the founders inadvertently rigged the presidency for such a character as trump. One where he can shred every sense of decency, law or constraint with impunity? We truly have a man who is above the law - who can’t be indicted, charged or impeached because of “legal constraints“ that don’t apply to the rest of us. This is the new precedent this president will govern on for ever since he can’t lose.
Everything trump has done on the face of it as a candidate, president and citizen is wrong, immoral, unethical, unpatriotic, divisive, destructive, unChristian, fake, mean, deplorable, unAmerican, etc. He now has the precedence of immunity to continue in the same manner - who is going to tell him otherwise? Republicans who deserve as much blame for obstruction, lies and enabling this American horror show and tragedy?
He knows he can’t lose - even if he doubles down and escalates the theft of our democracy - who will investigate new crimes? When he loses in 2020, who will make him go? He will never go.
17
Regardless of this report, which we didn't need to conclude that Donald Trump is an amoral, criminal con man who antagonizes America's allies like the UK, Germany, Australia and Canada, while giving aid & comfort to our enemies like Russia and North Korea, there is something either morally or intellectually wrong with anyone who supports Donald Trump. I'm not sure it matters anymore what it is. What does matter is these people cannot be viewed as benign. Now that Donald Trump and his white nationalist propaganda ministers like Brad Parscale are threatening revenge, everyone should be on guard for even more violence from the right wing like we've seen all over the country (Pittsburgh, Orange County, Charleston, Gainesville, Kentucky, Charlottesville, etc.), encouraged by the likes of Donald Trump, Jared Taylor, Richard Spencer, David Duke, Alex Jones, etc. It's already on the upswing as a direct result of this presidency and is likely to get worse. It's what Trump supporters want.
29
I feel disheartened by this. The Dems have the moral, factual, and legal upper hand. The Mueller report is absolutely teeming with damaging information. Still, for some reason, the Dems, and the Dem-favoring media, just can't get it together. They are getting played, both the Democratic party and the party's supporters.
Barr's handling of the report was a tour de force. He owned the narrative; his timing and language was spot on; the media bought it and was played. His sequence of actions took the wind out of the sails of a 2 year, $10MM effort developed by the US's best team of lawyers having the best access to information. Despite all that amazing raw material, Dems do not seem positioned to use the report to get any traction to convert their moral, legal, and factual authority into political power.
Why? It's not a rhetorical question but a genuine one. Why? How can they do better?
Dems are regularly being defeated. Pro-Trump troll bots are still sowing discord. Read literally any tweet and look at the comments. Where are the counter-trolls? I never see any. Where is Dems' counter media strategy? Where is their counter strategy in general? How can they win gut-feelings and minds en masse? Why aren't they investing more where it matters? Where is it that matters?
Dems seem to be banking on the fact that they have the legal, factual, and moral upper hand. I don't believe it's enough. How can they invest more effectively in strategy and tactics, and who will lead them?
12
Perhaps, Ver S, if you dug a little deeper, you would realize that the Clinton-funded, Christopher Steele-authored “Trump dossier” (which in due course was exposed as a sham) led to Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) justification for Obama Administration FBI senior leaders probing into candidate Trump. But I doubt you will, just as I doubt The NY Times has the guts to print this comment.
1
@Edwin
Wrong on all counts, Edwin.
11
Edwin, that is factually incorrect. It is a fact that the FISA ruling (that allowed investigation of Carter Page on the campaign) was based on information compiled months before any reference to the Steele Dossier. Here is the full timeline from NPR, which is not a biased source: https://www.npr.org/2018/07/23/631343524/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-much-discussed-carter-page-fisa-document
8
Trump's inability to recall, remember, recollect are indications of amnesia, which is a sign of dementia. In edition, Trump has made numerous language errors since becoming president.
Is he dementing and is it time for the 25th amendment?
13
@turbot: looks at some of his old lawsuit depositions. His “memory” long ago was just as ‘weak’ when he was under oath. Hahaha. And yes, he’s developing dementia, which you can easily tell from prior videos of when he was younger and lucid. Although, again, “can’t recall” was his go-to mantra back then too. Something that worked, which he’s retained in his “a-brain” so far. Learning new things is his Achilles heel, but the old stuff still works.
4
Trump is a professional criminal and con-man. He knows how to break the law in a way that doesn't lead to an easy indictment.
Trump is a sleaze, and the Mueller report shows that he is more than willing to break the law and obstruct justice.
28
Trump's "I'm fucked" comment to Sessions sure reminds me a lot of OJ's slow-speed freeway chase. The implications of each couldn't be any clearer.
11
@Sixofone The implication is that Trump knew that an investigation would greatly weaken his position in the Presidency, which is exactly what happened. We've had two years of the Dem-Media machine grinding away with the whole Russian delusion. He's held up fairly well, though.
3
@Sixofone also consistent with someone who believes they are being framed by the sore-loser opposition party.
1
Anyone who spouts statement such as below, cannot be innocent.,
“Oh, my God. This is terrible,” he said. “This is the end of my presidency. I’m fucked.”
This NYC conman and his bought & paid for corrupt soldiers are a plague on our system of democracy and values. A pox on them and their homes, for they are the problem, not the solution they cravenly decry. Shame on them and their ilk!
10
Looks like the smartest man in Trumpworld was Jeff Sessions. He talks about nothing with the Russian ambassador which he uses to recuse himself from overseeing the mess he sees brewing. Makes one wonder if he arranged the meetings on purpose, like a chess master looking 10 moves ahead. Trump berates him on Twitter but Sessions already has his endgame carefully planned.
Similar to reversing course on the ill-conceived policy of separating children from their families at the border after the public outcry which makes him look both loyal and humanitarian.
Reminiscent of the politician in Hunt for Red October who says, “I’m a politician, which means when I’m not kissing babies I’m stealing their lollipops, But I keep my options open.”
Smart man. No doubt Sessions will survive politically and we’ll hear from him once SDNY does it’s thing.
2
“After my election I have more flexibility,” President Obama told Russian President Medvedev in 2012.
Medvedev replied, “I will transmit this information to Vladimir.” (Putin)
Embarrassingly, this conversation was captured on a “hot mic.” You can verify it on Snopes.
So, what is the point of this article by The NY Times? There is no point!
American politicians talk with foreigners. This is reality in a small world.
Democrats, you suffered a humiliating loss in 2016. Get over it. Move on!
4
Dear Democrat's there are problems to solve both great and small. Trump is an idiotic road bump, and we now know that William Barr is his lackey. So if you want to make Trump uncomfortable, then please do so, but don't waste your time on impeachment. Instead create policies that show people what we stand for. A health care system that works for all. An education system that doesn't bankrupt the young. Infrastructure that doesn't fall apart. And above all an environment that will still be livable two centuries from now.
2
So, if you discover that there is a threat to our Democracy, and you welcome that threat, than what are you?
4
Why don't you report some truth instead of clinging to your biased debunked narratives, New York Times? You might actually regain some credibility.
2
A Republican investigating a Republican. What did you expect?!
4
Let us not wish the Trump detractors here that THEY should be subjected to two and a half years of being wrongly accused, like Trump was.
Although they deserve it.
The bottom line from the report is this:
Trump’s team, including his family, gladly encouraged support from Russia to win the election at the same time they ALL knew that Russia was concurrently interfering with the election in order to get Trump elected. Connect the dots folks.
7
The Mueller report released Thursday, even with its redactions, makes clear that Trump engaged in misconduct that included numerous offenses of both active contact with Russian operatives and attempts to obstruct justice. Mueller makes clear that he questions if the behavior, especially obstruction, could be proved criminal in a court of law, beyond a reasonable doubt. But he also alludes to his acceptance of the unofficial and questionable policy within the DOJ that a sitting president cannot be indicted. And he obviously intends for his report to be taken up by Congress for further review, investigation and measures such as impeachment, at the discretion of that body charged with oversight of the executive. This is what happened in the Watergate situation as well.
There is very strong evidence of a range of "high crimes and misdemeanors". If a man like Trump is not impeached for so many offenses, then Congress is neglecting its duty to protect the country against a president who is abusing his power, defrauding the nation, behaving in corrupt ways, and endangering our national security. The Dems now seem to be twisting themselves with a pretzel logic in order to avoid addressing the need for impeachment, instead falling back on a political calculation that they want to be in the strongest position possible for 2020.
As for the Trumpists posting their warped spin here about how this report exonerates Trump, you're simply delusional and can't read.
6
"Mr. Trump was elected with the help of a foreign power."
It's telling that throughout Mr. Mazzetti's article he calls him Mr. Trump instead of President Trump: without now-proven Russian interference, Mr. Trump would not have been elected President.
2
@common sense advocate
I don't think we can blame Trump on the Russians. The Constitution--the people's Constitution, after all, had something to do with it in the form of the electoral college.
And Trump is really just the end result of a lot of things that have been done wrong here for quite awhile now. I'm thinking of the needless, endless wars of the military industrial combination alongside rampant unchecked capitalism which benefits the few at the expense of the many. That's just for starters as far as things gone wrong are concerned.
Trump is our fault. The Russians were just doing what we would do to them, that is taking advantage of our mistakes.
2
Well Russia couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome. The two yr investigation into Russia’s tactics caused so much animosity btw parties that we are now permanently divided. Had it been purely about Russia it could have unified us as a country and inspired us to care anew for our democracy. Since it was about Trump possibly colluding (a false pretense by Democrats with political motivations) - it has instead pushed us so far apart we may never reconcile, and will remain as Russia wants us, weakened. Ironic.
2
I am a lot more concerned about climate change, wealth inequality, health care costs, voting rights, student loan debt, social security, infrastructure, rebuilding decent relationships with our global democratic allies, and etc, than all the hullabaloo over Russiagate. Obviously Trump and most of the GOP in power at this point are corrupt, authoritarian-bent slobs doing their best to line their pockets and keep grabbing power without regard for civil discourse or participatory democracy. Sure they love Russia, what a great model for them. The rest of us, the majority of Americans, must be unified in voting out Trump and as many of the GOP Senators as we can in 2020 and if they refuse to go it’s pitchforks time.
7
The critical issue, central to this investigation, was that Mueller interview Trump. Of course, Trump's lawyers and advisers would fight that from happening, as they knew - everyone knew - that Trump would lie.
But that is precisely why you have to have that interview! The whole point of proving obstruction of justice is intent, and if you want to get intent you have to talk to the guy in question. A historic failure by Mueller and his team. Yes, it would have resulted in court battles - but those battles need to be fought to elucidate what kind of democracy, if any, this country actually has.
6
In the end, impeachment comes down to whether the 12 Republican Senators will stand up for American law, ethics and morality.
As for impeachment, Democrats should not shy away from such action. Republicans sought to impeach Clinton for a far lesser “crime” - lying under oath about a sexual affair. Trump lies everyday. Trump tried to obstruct a Federal Investigation. The fact that he did not lie under oath because he refused to answer questions under oath does not constitute non-criminal behavior.
7
How the roll out of this report has been handled by Attorney General Barr and Rod Rosenstein, how Republican Senators and Congressmen/women have chosen to gaslight us by pretending "there's nothing to see here," and how Fox News has unabashedly defied reality itself by claiming the Mueller Report exonerates Trump, all these things have left me disgusted by this country. My whole family feels the same way. All we see is a country now in the gutter.
10
This is exactly how I feel!
1
Oh drat those legal and factual constraints, we wanted a bully prosecution to bring down the duly-elected President of the United States.
Pesky thing, facts.
2
Of course he wanted to thwart the investigation. He did nothing wrong. Except maybe to Thwart the investigation. So What.
3
If Mueller is in need of more work, Canadians are desperate for Trudeau to be investigated next, please.
In Alberta they just elected a xenophobic Govt who think that the world wants its dirty oil at a high price. Their new PM Jason Kenney is making false promises much like Trump. Gaslighting Canadians is typical of the extreme right wing white supremist Conservative party. Canadians will give Justin Trudeau another majority Govt thankfully
1
Several months ago I posted this:
To me the central question is: did the Russians (or anyone else) attempt to sway the election? And if yes, were they successful? If they did, and a reasonable analysis of the data shows that the result was changed by these efforts (whether persuasion or hacking or both) then what do we do? Even if Trump and his campaign were not complicit in this effort (and FWIW I think they were) then his election was invalid. But absent complicity, there is no impeachable offense. And even if Mueller comes up with evidence of collusion and Trump is impeached and convicted, how is Pence a solution? His election as VP was equally invalid. The Constitution has no answers and we are in uncharted waters.
I still think that. For Trump to take a victory lap because there is not 'beyond a reasonable doubt' evidence that he and/or his posse cooperated with or condoned Russian effort is laughable. Any reasonable president would take the first conclusion of Mueller's report - "The Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in sweeping and systematic fashion. " and mount a Manhattan Project effort to rescue and strengthen our democracy. The threats to that democracy are no less than they were in the 1940s and are possibly greater.
1
America is sinking into quicksand unless Congress continues with the investigation, and impeachment. America's hard earned democracy CANNOT and will not be corrupted by Trump. Otherwise, the future for America and the world will be bleak. Russia and China, countries that do not respect human rights and freedom of speech will increase their meddling in our politics. Senator Polosi should start the House investigation, even if the consequence may affect the chance of Democrats take back the Presidency and the House and Senate. TRUTH is far more valuable than winning for winning's sake. Democracy in ancient Rome, Greece, and much later the French Revolution al declined only to be replaced by dictators practiced politics over truth. Trump's presidency will live in infamy in American history.
Let's all stand up for the TRUTH, Trump and his supporters assisted Russia to intervene in our election by leaking emails from Hillary Clinton. Long-live "Democracy"!
3
Thank you for winning for us, President Trump. You gave the workers the best two years they've EVER had, especially the people the Democrats completely failed duing the Obama years: Black America, Latinos, and women.
Meanwhile, the Fake News culture MELTS DOWN & that is delicious.
You did NOTHING wrong, and 16 determined Democratic Party donors and $25 million could find no crime and no obstruction.
America knows that stuff gets made up - like over 500K attack articles run by a corrupted media. But Mr. Mueller could not sign his name to ANY accusation even as he played his poitical role for the Swamp Culture in D.C.
Thanks for winning this fight, too, Mr. President. Maybe you should start accepting those paychecks after all.
Whether intentionally in order to protect a fellow Republican: Donald Trump, or due to pressure from William Barr, and Trump and his minions, Robert Mueller failed. Mueller didn't complete his job, and mystifyingly refused to reach an obvious conclusion. Mueller fills the lengthy report with excuses for his failure to act. The evidence of obstruction, and collusion is there, plain and obvious, and Trump's moronic behavior betrays him. Yet, Mueller is unable to reach a conclusion? This doesn't pass the smell test. Something is rotten.
2
So let me see if I got this right: the president could shoot someone on 6th Avenue in broad daylight with hundreds of witnesses but couldn't be charged with that crime because he's the president.
7
Small correction: on ‘Fifth’ Ave.
Sadly, he was quoted saying that at a rally in Iowa.
His actual quote:
"I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters.”
3
Republicans and Democrats all agree that Russia was actively interfering with the US election in 2016.
So what is the president of the US doing to defend our nation? What are the elected republicans in congress doing to prevent a repetition?
Treason, that's what.
4
Expect an investigation on Obama and Hillary....and I don't think this bunch will have any trouble finding(or manufacturing) wrong doing when the target is.....us.
1
I cannot remember a time that the WH staff all needed to go for the safety of our country.
7
I can. It was called the Obama administration.
Am I wrong? Is someone whose first words on hearing he's being investigated by a special counsel are "I'm f-----d" declaring innocence? Seems contradictory to me.
Trump is probably breathing a 'Yuge' sigh of relief that the special counsel didn't unearth his nefarious ties to Russia. But watch for him to vigourosly prevent any attempts to publish his tax returns.
6
What is discussed here as obstruction are simply the actions of an innocent man subjected to made up accusations...
The American people will not take well this attempt to criminalize the self defense of the innocent.
The NYT had a big list a few weeks ago of all the times Trump said the Mueller investigation was a witch hunt.
Now we know that it WAS a witch hunt. So that was an attempt to make an innocent man guilty of the crime of claiming that he is innocent...
7
If it was a witch hunt, why was Trump and his team so busy attempting to obstruct the probe? And why did they never stop meeting with Putin’s team?
4
@novoad You didn't read the report did you? We have. I just finished it. If that was a witch hunt it sure caught a lot of witches and it sure illuminated a captain witch that barely, through the very letter of legalese, got away with trying to get a foreign power to enter our elections (they were going to anyway and did) to sway it in captain witches' own favor.
If that's the kind of president you want there are plenty of countries out there that have people like this on the dime a dozen rack. This type is a first for our country.
5
Has anyone done an analysis of the polling data Manafort gave to the Russians and compared it to the election districts that the Russians attempted to hack? How would that in turn compare to the vote in the Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania districts that carried Trump to his win in the electoral college?
3
This is all 4 years of colossal, obscene wasted time and effort unless we reform the presidency itself. Reform the powers of the president, reform the vetting of the president.
5
@Murray Bolesta
We DEFINITELY did not see the Dems vet Barack Obama, not in the least. On Election Night 2008, NBC anchors admitted to each other that we knew VERY little of this winner.
Of course, their intentional non-reporting on the winner was somehow NOT a topic of that conversation, unless it was continued in the lounge later that triumphant night.
1
Dear NYT:
This is a skillfully written, jaundiced report that, unintentionally, betrays its deep bias by elaborating dozens fo pages of trump campaign "contacts" with Russians that demonstrate only their ephemeral, accidental character.
The Mueller team went all out ot get Trump, and it shows.
No wonder he was angry, and toyed with the idea of terminating the probe, which in his correct view was a witch hunt.
Now the real investigation begins -- Obama, Rice, Clapper, et al; the Clinton campaign; Fusion GPS and its foreign spy who relied on second-hand Russian intel sources to spin a tale of treason; Comey and the FBI cabal who -- either duped or earnest and profoundly mistaken, we shalll earn which -- bought the Russian disinformation and tried to destroy Trump using it.
It should be a lot more credible and interesting read that the two years of tinfoil hat collusion siliness we have endured.
Obstruction? Triump showed remarkable forbearance in allowing this dishonest and partisan witch hunt ot continue until its conclusion.
7
Who is the bigger fool, the fool or the one who blindly follows the fool?
You must be pretty blind to say this kind of stuff in the face of overwhelming evidence. But then again, Trump followers aren’t known for paying attention to actual evidence.
Q.E.D.
4
His base literally will not care. Not one little bit. Babies and children at the borders are getting turned away in droves. The economy is flying high (thanks to him, of course). And Trump is just trying to do the best job possible but “fake news” keeps getting in his way. This is noise to them. Carry on...
People believe what they want to believe. And his base is completely enamored with him. The man can do no wrong.
It pains me heavily to say this, but I don’t see how he loses in 2020. Very hard to unseat a sitting president with the economy this “strong” and the base this fired up. I live in Northeast Pa-the red hats are everywhere.
Ball is in your court, Congress.
6
The big question is what do we do with almost half of our neighbors who are deplorable. Hillary did not give us a path forward for this she just pointed them out to the rest of us. Trump will eventually leave but maybe dividing the country into 2 separate countries would work. I mean, there is no long term future when a big chunk of our neighbors are deplorable. We discussed this in Social Studies this morning and the teacher agreed that dividing the country into 2 is where we should put our energy when we graduate. Someone has to move.
2
Is this comment a joke?
1
Move the rest of the deplorables to the South and then the productive states should stop sending money their way. See how long they stay in the South.
1
Trump, the head of the snake, wasn't required to lie under oath, while Trump's cronies all lied under oath, and Mueller ran out of time. That covers the collusion part of the report.
I see this report as having 1 main revelation: Trump's principal war is against the DOJ, and always has been. Barr is a stooge whose been called in to politicize and destroy the department, not oversee it. The House should go through the motions of impeaching Barr: his 4-pager is deceitful propaganda and a treasonous attack on the DOJ -- he deliberately misquoted the report to make it say the opposite to what it said. Barr is the same sick object as all Trump cronies: appointed to destroy what he supposedly 'leads'. The House must hear Mueller under oath. They logic of his testimony will compel impeachment, and, despite Fox shrieking and Tweetstorms, the House must impeach, and then invite the Trump Senate to cover for their boss, and call the repubs the Coverup Party. Prepare to answer all Tweetstorms with effective documentation. You must get Mueller to fill in the blanks. Any analogies between Clinton's impeachment & Donald's are idiotic, because the casual Clinton wasn't a seditious crook. By the way, not 6 months ago, Bannon boasted in public that the destruction of law & order was irrelevant, his word, if his base got what they wanted out of the Trump regime.
4
Robert Muller provided Congress with a road map.
Congress needs to perform their Constitutional duties,
and whine about political risks later.
6
Oh . He’s done now !
Oh. He’s not ...
Repeat ad nauseam .
5
Just finished reading "A portrait..." If half of what is in there is true, Trump is an amoral criminal who thinks ethics is something to sneer at. Please, please, please, Congress, investigate this person and save America.
11
No matter how the banana Republicans spin this, it is clear from the report that trump is as corrupt as they come.
#AnyoneButTrump2020
12
Please, every day, strongly urge your readers to read the Mueller report. I've only read some of the beginning of it but already I am stunned. I had assumed that despite all the hoopla about how the Russians tried to influence the 2016 election that their effort was not all that large and extensive, but from what I've read so far I believe they may actually have turned the tide in his favor. As a quick example, it turns out they had thousands of operators in all the social media, Facebook, Twitter, etc. and actually reached 129,000,000 people. In those key states in the midwest where the electoral college numbers can be mpre easily manipulated to give an advantage to someone who might not have the popular vote sewed up, the Russians were everywhere. And when you see all the slimy things Trump pulled trying to block Mueller's investigation actually spelled out in detail one thing is certain. He will pay for it either though impeachment or indictment at the end of his term.
12
But we knew from the beginning that Russia used social media to interfere w our election. Why not go after twitter and FB for being too lazy to figure that out!
3
STOP THE PRESSES.
Bob Mueller has established that not everyone on the Internet is who they say they are, and that not everyone on the internet is telling the truth.
Imagine that. I never would have thought that possible.
6
Read the report. You might learn something.
3
Conspiracy, conspiracy. We are full of conspiracies: Trump conspiracies, FBI conspiracies, Hillary Clinton conspiracies and the list goes on. Politics is a nasty business and in the end the losers are citizens who deserve better leadership. Trump could not have been more correct when he said we need to drain the swamp. It is indeed full of alligators that prevent anybody from crossing to the other side to do the people’s business. I have decided that in the next election if we each vote only for candidates we have never heard of before we could do no worse than what we have now.
4
A crook acts to obstruct justice. If you are innocent, why are you acting to obstruct justice?
5
Whatever the report , we know that there were collusion between Trump campaign and Russia. If there is no crime, then why so many people in Trump campaign are in jail or convicted or indicted?
AG Barr took the job of Trump’s personal attorney which was vacated by Michael Cohen. Shameless!
6
Why everybody cites Trump's remark "This is the end of my Presidency", but nobody finishes his quote from the report: "Everybody tells me if you get one of these independent counsels it ruins your presidency. It takes years and years and I won't be able to do anything. This is the worst thing that ever happened to me."?
10
@areader
Because that might give context to his remark, and nobody here is looking for context.
I doubt very much that Bill Clinton welcomed the appointment of an independent prosecutor; in fact, his language probably was a lot more graphic than this.
7
I didn’t even realize that bc I haven’t read it yet!! That’s wrong.. they are misleading so many gullible people - Again
3
"The report released on Thursday revealed that his team of prosecutors had found enough evidence of potential crimes to make 14 different criminal referrals to other federal prosecutors.
So far, only two of those have officially been made public."
I'm sure I'm not the only one who is quite curious about the nature of those crimes and the potential perpetrators, as described in those referrals.
8
A tale of three presidents:
FDR: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
JFK: " Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."
DJT: "I'm f***ed."
21
Why are you failing to include the sentence that followed Trump's remark that gives it full context?
2
Mueller did not think he could prove trump "conspired" with Russia beyond a reasonable doubt, but that does not mean trump did not break the law.
It sure seems as if Mueller thinks there is enough evidence for obstruction of justice.
It is really, really disturbing what has been revealed in the report so far. We deserve better from our elected officials.
8
Why did the Russians want the trump campaign polling data?
Easy answer-- because this was how the Russians could determine which pieces of misinformation were working.
This is what England did in WWiI when they wanted to see how their internal propaganda and morale support efforts were working on their own people. They had their own internal methods of assessing effects of their public information campaigns that extended to movies, radio and magazines. They collected information from community leaders, citizen diaries and polling and then adapted their public messages
The mass Observation Project
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass-Observation
The Ministry of Information
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Information_(United_Kingdom)
With the publication of the Mueller report the Russians now know how much we know, what we do not know, and they are studying how Americans react. How trump and the republicans react.
And then the Russians will adapt and more finely tune their political misinformation attack .
Their biggest happiness is that they know the President believes that everything now is just fine.
10
OK. Now there is overwhelming evidence that Russia staged a massive attack on our democracy and continues to do so unabated. What will members of Congress and the President do to rebuke Russia and combat this ongoing assault? Their actions, or lack thereof, will illuminate their patriotism and their fidelity to the Constitution, or lack thereof.
3
The Democrats now surely must pursue impeachment proceedings against possibly the most corrupt and corrosive person to ever occupy the presidency. Unlike 2016, the acronym MAGA will actually mean something if Trump can be evicted from office, either through impeachment and conviction, or by the ballot box in 2020.
9
@alank Not going to happen and if the Dems try they will 100% lose in 2020. The Dems need to focus on putting the best candidate forward otherwise it's not happening.
1
Mr. President
Ask not what you can do for your country,
Ask what your country can do for you and only you.
GOP Senators and Representatives
Ask not what you can do for your constituents
Ask what you can do for your lying, cheating, wink wink I never said that, walk it back, surrounded-by-mobsters and indictments, ignorant, ignores advisers, living in white men only '50s president.
Time to stand up boys or your legacy and integrity go further down the tubes
8
There wasn’t really much new here...what we were going to be allowed to know already trickled out, a drop at a time. That said, at nearly trump’s age, have lived through a lot of political upheaval, and nothing compares to this man’s level of garbage. He’s a malevolent, manipulative, sleaze that works the system. Found his AG for the presentation of the report, twice, and is now doing the same with his tax returns. He’s definitely a criminal, surrounded by saviors and cult worshippers. Can think of equivalent setups from 1930s & 40s Europe. Will pray he and his people are never duplicated once he’s gone, but people assumed that couldn’t happen back then, either.
9
The Stink won’t wash off until he’s gone. He’s committed so many Impeachable offenses, but his biggest offense is that he never was good enough to begin with. People settle for so little.
11
How is this man still president
11
The worst news is that the 2016 Election is "invalid" due to interference of "others" that
unfairly tipped the election to Trump.
I demand that the trump presidency is "invalid" and a new election should be called immediately!
9
@Redliner
You mean that people who were not entitled to vote voted? I did not expect to see that admitted here.
So where is Rod Rosenstein in all this? He looked like he was part of a hostage video standing there behind Barr. Does he fully agree with what Barr is doing? And if not, why is he not speaking up given that he is leaving DOJ anyway? Congress should bring him in to testify as well.
13
Todd Heisler, the silhouettes redacting key parts of the images in the background - fantastic composition for the photo illustrating this article!
1
Trump's bizarre behavior with Putin, not having a translator present when meeting him, his fawning statements and weird appeasements, demonstrates that he feels beholden to the Russian president. It's obvious that Putin told the president he was helping him win the election, and that Trump did nothing about it. And Trump obviously had a developing quid pro quo relationship - which included Trump getting a tower in Moscow in return for relaxing sanctions, and giving up part of Ukraine. These things are obvious. The fact that Mueller couldn't prove them changes nothing.
8
for starters-
a Press Secretary that admits to lying to the press?
Time to go, Sarah...
15
Is this similar to the erasures in Nixon's Watergate tapes?
1
@Clint: yes it is and am assuming that was sarcasm.
INNOCENT!
That's really what screams out from this information.
Then again, I've never been a good judge of character.
So maybe, the solution is get the judges involved? Or at least Congress.
2
@AJ
Please read the report...
It does not scream innocent
1
Donald Trump's bizarre response to the Mueller report has compromised what little remained of his moral authority to lead America.
12
If Trump had nothing to hide why did he want to thwart the Mueller investigation? if he had nothing to hide should he not have beee more than forthcoming to get the investigation completed quickly. Isn't that basic. The facade of American democracy has been exposed.
6
So the stable genius created a bigger mess for himself with obstructing justice than in welcoming Russia's help with the election?
What an imbecile.
10
Now we know that Trump tries to discredit the news media and yells "fake news" not because the news is fake, but because it's true--and it exposes his wrongdoing.
13
I'm afraid that the big story here is that this entire investigation and the past two years of virtual civil war in this country is due to Russian interference and dirty tricks.
Aside from any direct election interference, my theory is that everybody, including the FBI, DOJ and media, were played by Russian intelligence and fell for it hook, line and sinker. The Mueller investigation itself is a result of Russian manipulation.
For example the Dossier, much of it provided to Steele by his Kremlin sources, was designed to trigger the exact sort of political civil war of hatred that we have just endured for the past 2 years. The smoking gun in the Dossier was the "pee story," something so ridiculously outrageous and bloody divisive that only a Russian operative could have come up with it. The Russians know that the only way to really hurt America is to have America destroy itself...and they have been incredibly successful at making that happen.
This was a huge win for the Russians in their efforts to sow discord and division in the USA. Hopefully soon we will all recognize that we were being played by an enemy country and that we need to pull together before they manipulate us into national suicide.
11
Thank you Robert Mueller and team. Your behavior over the past 22 months has been exemplary. Your report is detailed, factual, and uncompromising. It also makes very clear all the possible options going forward.
And thank you to the NYT. This story obviously took some preparation, and your timing impeccable. After the inconclusive Barr report Trump and his 'people' were ready to celebrate.
Sorry.
17
Am I the only one who finds it strange that you can be cleared of committing a crime, but, possibly face the criminal justice system for obstruction, even though you didn’t commit the crime. I cannot stand Trump, but, this bothers me.
3
@Robert it’s because hindering an investigation is a big problem. Forget the politics. Imagine a person has a brother or sister that committed tax fraud. This person had nothing to do with the fraud themselves. But then they see the FBI investigating their sibling and they do things to hinder the investigation to help their family. That in and of itself is a separate crime.
11
@Robert
"The evidence we obtained about the President's actions and intent presents difficult issues that would need to be resolved if we were making a traditional prosecutorial judgment. At the same time, if we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment. Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him."
Translation: Congress, this is now in your jurisdiction.
4
@Anna
In your example there was a crime.
1
Just to review. Repeat after me: the hacked emails proved Hillary took over the Democratic National Committee and rigged her own nomination.
That is the truth, just as Daniel Ellsberg told the truth by releasing the Pentagon papers.
This entire "collusion" exercise is all about whitewashing that takeover and rigging. It's really about Hillary, not about Trump at all. If Hillary had not cheated to win the nomination, there would have been nothing worth hacking.
Telling the truth cannot possibly be a crime. Just because the Russians found it, that's like arresting that Frenchman for finding the Rosetta Stone. Absurd on the face of it.
No American who had done that hacking could possibly have been convicted by a jury of her or his peers. .Pursuing the truth is what some news organizations still do for a living today.
Consequently, trying to parse the entangled vines of duplicity and false witness in this subject is simply to miss the point in the first place. Someone told the truth. Let's focus on that truth. See where it leads us.
I'm no fan of Trump, but this entire exercise ignores the primary event. No cheating would have equaled nothing worth hacking.
6
It has been obvious since the beginning that "crooked Donald" wanted to do what he could to quash the investigation.
Also, he was more than happy to accept what the Russians wanted to do to defeat Hillary.
May not be criminally indictable but he is by no means exonerated of obstruction no matter how loudly he will crow in the coming months leading, hopefully , to his defeat at the polls!!!!!
7
It is not clear that there was no conspiracy with the Russian Government. The word Ukraine appears 94 times in the report and some considerable verbiage around that word is redacted. The report often says that the team could not find sufficient evidence. That does not mean there was no evidence. Some of the evidence that the team failed to find were in memory lapses of the President, who said he did not remember about 30 times. The decision to not follow-up his memory lapses was one the Mueller team made consciously. This is not a thorough investigation. Mueller did not, indeed, do a thorough job in exploring the Russian connections. Perhaps he couldn't. Espionage is difficult to untangle. Especially if/when a President of the US is engaged in it.
4
@Bert Gold
Just you know.
Ukraine ad Russia are on the outs.
If Ukraine was mentioned 94 times, that was not good news for the Russians.
1
We all know guys like this. Fancy cars and houses, young wives and when it looks like they're caught, we're shocked to find that, believe it or not, everything they've done is perfectly legal...although just barely. Neither ethical nor moral but surprisingly, legal.
Not being charged leads to phony claims of persecution. You can bet Trump has asked Rudy if he can sue Mueller for defamation.
5
The most revealing statement in this article is:
Mr. Barr defended his decision in a news conference on Thursday and said that some of the president’s actions were understandable given the “context” of his situation.
In other words - we don't have a principled leader. What we have is an emotional, untrained, and inexperienced leader who is not able to provide the principled leadership our country needs and deserves.
As someone who has led large departments and hundreds of people - I quickly learned that a leader can't indulge in "understandable actions". A leader is held to a higher standard. A leader quickly learns the horrible quagmire that results from indulging in actions that, while they might be understandable, fall below the level of principled leadership.
9
So looking at the front page of the NYT right now--I guess NYT disagrees with the outcome and desires to sway public opinion. Meanwhile another two middle east countries have failed -- but never mind.
2
Saudi Arabia failed a long time ago.
Oh, wait. You don't care about democracies, just monarchies.
In that case, they are a success.
Heck, brand em an oligarchy and they are still a success.
How is Trump trying to help those two countries? Did he send Lil Kushner? Or is he too busy with the fantasy MidEast Peace Plan?
Pfft.
5
@Beezelbulby The witchhunt was a waste of time. The democratic platform and real needs in our country need to be supported and stand on their own right now. Waking up angry every morning and trying to figure out how to complain about Trump is causing permanent ruts in people's brains and getting us nowhere.
Stability in the middle east is important. The continuation of the Arab Spring has caused Algeria and Sudan to fail while Turkey and Qatar face off against Egypt, UAE, and Saudi Arabia in Libya. Except for Israel, only monarchies and dictatorships can keep middle eastern countries together. Democracy is a hard form of government to make work and trying to force-see the rest of the world through western style standards that have no bearing on reality or understanding is a fools errand. Let us understand, and not judge through our own filters. Our country has real needs. Address them and note them and report on them. The EU is burning and the middle east is at risk of complete chaos. Let us focus on solution support that makes sense. Time to wake up. Pfft?
1
"The investigation ultimately found no evidence that anyone from Mr. Trump’s campaign participated in that effort, but the report reveals in stark detail the many suspicious interactions that had the F.B.I. so worried..."
"...the report goes much further, revealing that Mr. Papadopoulos suggested an explicit offer by the Russian government to work with the Trump campaign to sabotage Mrs. Clinton."
How is that NOT a crime? How is it that a Trump campaign operative actively encouraged the hacking and interference not constitute a conspiracy to commit a crime? Even if Papadopulos, Trump, or others associated with Trump's campaign, didn't actually do the hacking or other acts, they encouraged them to be done, clearly on their behalf.
It seems as if the only thing stopping Mueller from declaring these crimes is that he felt that Trump would not be able to have a "speedy trial", and therefore that would interfere with Trump's Constitutional rights. However, what about the rights of Americans citizens to have a President who isn't a criminal, and perhaps even a traitor?
It not falls to Congress to act to protect these rights. Sadly, tragically, we can't count on Republicans to do their sworn duty.
5
So, a lot of negative stuff comes out that reflects poorly on Trump. I thought Barr was Trump's lackey, determined to cover up anything unfavorable about his putative master.
Time to move the tinfoil stuff to a new arena, I guess. (But wait! The redactions contain incontrovertible proof of the commission of actual crimes and Barr's trying to cover it up!)
3
Clearly AG Bill Barr planned to release a highly redacted Mueller report... one that supported his absurd claims about Trump's innocence. But apparently outside council intervened and warned Barr that, should he release such a intentionally obtuse version of the report, he, too, would be vulnerable to charges of obstruction; hence the release of a "lightly redacted" report and then the panic stricken, hastily called press conference. Mueller couldn't prove the Russian conspiracy angle because so many witnesses continued to lie but he very obviously expected Congress to act on obstruction. That AG Barr intervened on the president's behalf is criminal.
8
Before 2019: "if a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, did it really fall?"
2019: "If the President gives an illegal directive to obstruct justice, and the aids refuse to comply, is he guilty of giving an illegal directive to obstruct justice?"
18
Inasmuch as McConnell was the obstructionist in-chief in the Senate (during Obama's), so is corrupt and incompetent Trump the obstructionist in-chief in the presidency, thwarting justice, and the rule of law, at every opportunity to his avail. Having such an unhinged bully in the Oval Office, ought we be surprised at the current chaos in government, two years and counting, after the FBI 'certified' Putin's Russia interference as the reason of his assault of the White House?
2
To date, zero people have been found guilty in a trial or before a jury of their peers...zero. These are two bedrocks of justice.
A handful have been coerced into pleading guilty, which can be done easily, and done to anyone...happens every day.
2
Your first statement, about those who have been found guilty, is a fact.
Your second, in which you characterize guilty pleas as having been “coerced,” is an unfounded and speculative assertion.
Please stick to facts.
7
Paul Manafort stood trial and was found guilty on numerous, but not all counts brought.
5
Actually no he is correct.
1
Before this report came out I did not think Trump should be impeached, but now I do. While he cannot be criminally prosecuted while President, he certainly can be impeached for traitorously encouraging Russian hacking and for many attempts to obstruct justice recounted in Mueller's report. Trump took an oath to uphold the laws of this country when he was elected and he has failed miserably. We are a country of laws not thugs and gangsters. Let's act like one. Impeach Trump.
14
Barr showed his disgraceful hand today by demonstrating that his loyalties as AG are for the President. As long as 40 plus percent of the American people believe and listen to only the words that come out of Trump’s mouth and his propaganda media outlet continues to provide cover for his lies and actions, in his eyes he will believe he is above the law. What has happened in the United States of America that the majority of the people can no longer rule? With voter suppression and the electoral collage it is not a given that a majority of people can defeat Trump in 2020.
7
As a do-gooder bleeding heart liberal who would like to see the release of kids from cages and returned to their parents. I am very concerned about Donald who despises liberals. He is alone at Mar a Largo right now. Given the suicide of the ex president of Peru the other day, I seriously propose that DJT- who is after all a fellow human being- be put on suicide watch. I am 100% serious about this.
2
What a great day for America!
Thanks for spending it with me The New York Times.
Don't worry. I know you all probably went to college. I won't be too smug about being right.
1
What were you right about, exactly?
Oh, yeah. The sun came up today.
Even a broken clock appears to be right twice a day.
If you know when to look...
2
"The report laid bare that Mr. Trump was elected with the help of a foreign power, and cataloged numerous meetings between Mr. Trump’s advisers and Russians seeking to influence the campaign and the presidential transition team..."
Yeah but no collusion!!!
3
To think we wanted to investigate if a candidate was under control of a foreign government and we caught the president and others spying on a candidate. Wow seems crazy?
2
Attorney General William Barr's press conference just before the release of the Mueller report was nauseating but confirmation that Barr's allegiance is to the president, not the nation. Barr's spin does nothing to mute the troubling details in the report. Much of what we're reading about in the report would have been deemed criminal had it not been the president of the United States under investigation. Although Mr Trump will probably not see any legal consequences—at least while he's in office—it's as clear as the sky is blue that Mr. Trump and his administration are morally and ethically compromised. The dozens of Russian interests that targeted Donald Trump and his cronies during the 2016 election knew he was nothing more than a self-serving shady New York City landlord with an ego that could get bought. A professional liar. None of it was fake news. And in classic mob-boss-like fashion, the president tried to cover it all up. In the end, the somewhat ambiguous "official" conclusions by Mr Mueller, will inflict the most damage on democracy itself, as a vast swath of an exhausted nation mulls over the findings, all the while growing more divided than it was even just a few weeks ago. Democrats have a big job on their hands.
8
I have no hope for the US. We're being taken over by Fox News and some of the most harmful business icons to ever exist; they are even in the Cabinet and hold other high-end posts.
Regardless of their ill-intent, most are entirely incompetent. Two strikes against our future.
8
I'm sitting here trying to break this down for my 9 year old. Her response:
"So what you're telling me is that he is lying to all fifty states? What is that, like 100 cities? Oh, and by the way, there's more people listening to this than our country, so its basically the entire world! How is he not fired?"
Out of the mouth of babes...
7
Having downloaded the Mueller Report from the Lawfare Blog at midday – and having taken the afternoon and evening off to get my read on – I find one detail especially haunting.
To wit: Mueller reports *not* that his team satisfied themselves that the Trump campaign definitely didn’t conspire with the Russians, but instead that the *available* evidence didn’t prove a conspiracy – in no small part since large amounts of evidence from key date ranges (e-mail messages in particular) was found to be *missing* and was *presumed destroyed.*
Given both Pres. Trump’s propensity for trolling and the Trump campaign’s obsession with Secretary Clinton’s alleged “missing e-mails” (e.g. “Lock! Her! Up!” etc.), I find it at once horrifying (I’m a patriot), infuriating (I’m a liberal Democrat), and mordantly funny (gallows humor is getting me through this presidency) that wanton e-mail destruction has likely saved Pres. Trump, his children, and other campaign officials from conspiracy charges.
Surely, we as citizens and voters should give the missing and presumably destroyed evidence that Mueller references just as much attention as the press and the GOP gave Sec’y Clinton’s “missing e-mails” back in 2016. …
15
The people have got to know if their presidents a crook. Thank you Mr. Mueller, we’re now sure of it.
14
I'm still baffled as to how Trump could've openly encouraged Russian hacking, and had numerous people in his campaign meeting and communicating with Russians, even if they didn't actually engage directly in the actual hacking and other interference, and this not constitute a conspiracy. If I were to encourage someone to rob a bank, and then benefited from that in some way, I would be guilty of participating in the conspiracy to commit the act. How is this any different? It seems to me that Mr. Mueller was delinquent in his duty to the law by not following through with clearly indicting Trump and the rest of this gang of traitors.
Nonetheless, it's clear that what Trump HAS done is commit "high crimes and misdemeanors", and as such should be impeached. Of course, his supporters will keep their blinders tightly secured to their heads, and will put up an outcry if impeachment is pursued, but we cannot let the protests of a minority keep us from pursuing what is right and just.
Impeach Trump 2019!
6
How about tar and feathers? For all of them!
2
Who ever heard of a prosecutor exonerating anyone before this report? A prosecutor prosecutes if the evidence warrants, or doesn’t if there’s no or not enough evidence to win a conviction.
3
Mueller wrote a playbook in the report for Congress to impeach Trump for Obstruction of Justice.
It reads not so much as a suggestion, more like instructions.
4
The legal bar for you and everybody else in this country during a legal investigation is not exoneration. Suggestions to the contrary are hypocritical. Exoneration is an impossible bar to meet for any allegation of any person by definition, short a conviction of someone else. Would you hold yourself or any other president to this standard?
Things are turning now.
A dozen investigations are being started into the origins of the Mueller investigation. They were not started before so as not to look like obstructing Mueller, but now it's open season. The targets started ratting on each other...
They may well end up with evidence that devious, crooked President Obama and his minions have spied on righteous, truthful President Trump.
3
I don’t know if Obama spied on Trump. But I do know Trump is neither truthful or righteous.
7
@Gerithegreek518
Trump is prone to exaggerating and boasting. But he turned out to be the first president in modern history who, when being investigated, turned up ALL the evidence, with no claim whatsoever of executive privilege.
For me, while not cuddly, he is a businessman who made the country run well, and wants to keep its people safe.
1
What do you mean "turned up all the evidence"? The report states that evidence was missing and presumed destroyed and also that Trump said he "couldn't remember" what happened about 30 different times. That's not exactly being transparent.
4
Muller Report: “On the question of treason: It looks like a duck. It quacks like a duck. It has feathers and webbed feet. A Justice Department Regulation prevents us from saying if it is a duck or not.”
Trump and the Republicans: “The Muller report proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is not now, has never been, and never will be a duck.”
The American People: “If any investigation is handcuffed from the start, then what was the investigation for? The President is above the law. Not because of the constitution, but because the Republican Party will not enforce the law when the President is a Republican.”
9
This American citizen says: many of the Republicans in Congress are as slimy and crooked as Trump.
4
Now what?
Your move Congress. Accept the corruption or hold them accountable. That requires more than "thoughts and prayers."
7
I am particularly curious about the 12 criminal referrals that have not yet been made public...
11
Watergate primed my generation to think there’s always a smoking gun. There’s not always a smoking gun.
6
I notice the proportion of comments for or against Trump in these blogs is changing with more for him than before. The Democrats are still trying to fan the flames, but it’s already reached its half-life, and America is growing weary. Time to move on. It’s so sad.
1
@Edward
Not what I’m seeing.
11
@Edward
What you’re seeing is,at least partially, an influx of trolls.
Despite the paywall, there’s been an unusual increase of pro Trump posts, most very brief and with no identifiable location, since maybe early this year?
Not saying they’re *all* Russians.
1
"A man is known by the company he keeps." Aesop
9
The Russian government wanted Trump elected. Trump sought their help. The intent was there on both sides. They met multiple times and Trump was scared stiff of being caught. Even if its not a crime it is sleazy and crooked. Thankfully, out of a sense of patriotism or just self-preservation, Trump's aides repeatedly refused his unethical orders. How any Trump voter is proud today is beyond understanding. Trump is mentally and morally unfit to lead this great nation. No small wonder that his administration was also full of crooks like him....Pruitt, Zinke, Price and so on.
4
The long standing assumption in the Justice Department is that a sitting President cannot be indicted. It appears that this, and this alone, is the reason Mueller did not seek to indict. Instead, he gathered the evidence for Congress as per protocol, it is now up to them to impeach if appropriate.
There appears to be more than enough here to support impeachment.
8
The report is a jarring reminder that voters must consider a candidate's integrity no less than his or her experience, education and positions on important issues.
3
Within the thick wave of nausea that enveloped our nation after the 2016 election. "We The People" knew something sickening, terrible and frightening had happened.
The smell that wafted about then, as well as now, is the sickening stench of Treason.
8
I can sum up the report for those who don't have time to read it:
A most notable coward, an infinite and endless liar, an hourly promise breaker, the owner of no one good quality.
12
"Fevered speculation, now put to rest."
Done. Finished.
Keep America Great.
5
Well folks....
you better turn out in 2020 to turn out Trump or this crass, undemocratic, corrupt individual will continue to hold power.
I note from reading the right wing media and associated comments, NO references to the seriousness of the report.
It is all a collection of one-liners and insults directed at liberals and the 'lying mainstream media'.
That is what we are up against. Willful ignorance and an inability to understand culpability. If we don't vote him out of office, the damage will continue. There is so much already.
Show up.
15
I see that the Russian Trump trolls are out in this section. No colluding no obstruction. I am a criminal lawyer. Trump if not president would already be convicted. First Russia massively invaded our election. Does Trump recognize this No. Trump met with many Russians, he lied about this. The Russians wanted Trump to win and he took their help, gladly. Does he admit it, No. He hide the contact and lied about it and did everything he could to derail it. Enough said. Please read just read the report.
16
Extra! Extra!... surprise!! What we already suspected is not only true, but worse than expected. Congress has to proceed quickly with follow-up investigations and pass legislation to prevent future abuse of Presidential power. The GOP has been effectively destroyed and those Congressional accomplices should be removed from Congress through elections and recalls; that means McConnell, Graham, Reps Jordan, Nunes et al. In addition, members of his corrupt cabinet should be punished as well, beginning with Barr, Pompeo and all the other corrupt people who have been forced out of office. Let’s not neglect the satanista Stephen Miller.
7
It is well understood that Russia wanted Trump to win, but it is also understood that China (a much more powerful country) desperately wanted Clinton to win. Would it be suspicious if Clinton had contacts with Chinese nationals over the years? Apparently not, but I would be interested to know why not. Her husband Bill was the key figure behind China's accession to the WTO. She was committed to partnership with the Chinese dictators, who are our worst strategic threat and opponent. Russia is an afterthought compared to China.
5
Whitewater investigation: 6 years, 0 convictions, 0 indictments.
Seven Benghazi investigations: 4 years, 0 convictions, 0 indictments.
Hillary “email” investigation: 2 years, 0 convictions, 0 indictments.
Trump – Russia investigation: 2 years, 7 convictions; 33 indictments; 8 guilty pleas.
This is not an administration. It’s a crime syndicate.
54
Why has no one mentioned the elephant in the room?: Are the redactions innocent?!
When will Congress get to see the entire report?!
6
I'll make it simple for you. In 2020 the choice is between the socialists, identity politics grifters, and sexual oddities on the Dem side, and Trump on the other side. For many of us normal people, Trump is the easy choice in spite of all his drama and character flaws.
7
@JackC5, very concise. I can see that. However when choosing a leader I would pick one who had a conscience over one without one even if their politics were not mine. I would pick one who was mentally stable over and unbalanced one regardless of party.
8
@JackC5
Normal people don’t put kids in cages, or protect those who do.
Trump supporters are unAmerican. Like Trump the Russian Doll himself.
7
@JackC5
Depends if it’s normal to accept a chronic liar, a person who refuses to recognise the limits of the law, undermines the Justice system, repudiates the entire US Intelligence system on a single sentence from murderous dictators, wants to severely damage and jail a free press, does not uphold Oath of Officeand acts against the Constitution.
In addition, this extreme Malignant Narcissist is damaging and dividing your society, perhaps irreparably, when you consider the impact of his behavioural impact as a role model on children, teens, the mentally unstable, the easily influenced.
That doesn’t include the damage he is doing politically and economically at an international level.
All this at a time when we as a global collective are all challenged to look at man’s effect physically on the heslth of the planet, it’s water, and atmosphere.
What someone thinks their gender is; whether something is socialist (like Sweden); whether there are sexual oddities, all this fades into insignificance compared to the negative effect Trump has on the institution of the Presidency, the USA’s democracy and the integrity of it’s electoral processes, and the stability of the world itself.
Let’s also not forget Trump inherited a country in good condition economically and on it’s way to further recovery, after being pulled out of a hole by the previous administration.
There are current examples of good countries destroyed by power hungry, money hungry people who act like Trump.
10
Mueller’s two-year investigation couldn’t locate ‘Russian collusion’, so now ‘the resistance’ will switch the narrative to ‘obstruction of justice’....which Mueller also couldn’t definitively verify. They’ll run with that bone for the next year and a half, to no avail..which will likely result in Trump’s 2020 re-election.
Good job, Dems!
13
Conspiracy, impeachment and all the other issues surrounding the 2016 election and the effect on Trump Presidency, are a side-show to avoid facing the most serious issue – foreign interference in our election is an act of war. Imagine if the Mueller Report proved Trump was guilty on all counts, would Congress declare war on Russia? What is really frightening about this possible scenario, is that, in order to prove his innocence to the American people, Donald Trump might assume the persona of a general at a time when America was great, George Patton.
Now let's make Russia pay tenfold.
2
Trump is demonstrably unfit for office. When will our government by and for the people act to protect us? Congress can impeach. The Cabinet can invoke the 25th. When will these people do their jobs, for once!
Just because a minority of Americans continue to support this malignant presidency doesn’t mean the majority of us need to put up with it.
Chuck this chump out of office. Prosecute these criminals and send them to jail. Dump the electoral college and elect an actual democratic leader - whoever wins the most actual votes from actual Americans.
7
After seeing how much influenced was exerted on the 2016 election by the Russians, every GOP representative, who has received a call from the WH to downvote a bill meant to make the next election more secure, should look in a mirror at that American flag pin on his/her lapel. Why would having paper ballots as a backup be a bad thing? Guess you'd have to ask Trump.
5
The President and his subordinates were aware that concealed illegal activity intended to benefit Trump was taking place. This is called cheating in everyday language, and the President was tolerant of it.
President Trump likes to talk about his “military experience” as a cadet at a military high school. Presumably, this school had some kind of Honor Code based upon that of the United States Military Academy:
“A Cadet will not Lie, Cheat, or Steal; nor Tolerate those who do.”
By this standard, President Trump is not fit to be a Cadet; he is even less fit to be a cadet’s Commander-In-Chief.
9
It is over - and it it time to move on. A two-thirds majority needed in the Senate for the president to be found guilty and the current obstruction case is not going to convince any Republican Senators switch sides. Any impeachment trial would just be a time consuming circus.
The nation has many important topics that our elected officials should rather focus their energy on. Just some:
- keeping US competitiveness:
- College costs: How about paying after you finish over the tax bill with gov conduit to universities
- Global warming:
- Inequality and poverty:
- Immigration:
- Health Care coverage:
- Expiring Trump Tax barks
There are many items of great importance to our nation that our politicians can spend their energy solving. Spending time on a show impeachment is not one of them.
8
Guaranteeing and securing our elections is very important as is not allowing corruption in govt. trump needs to be held accountable of his actions.
3
William Barr is an American turncoat, the Robert Bork of the 21st Century.
5
For Trump to say “This is the end of my presidency. I’m f***ed.” and for Trump to make the attempts he did to impede the investigation, well, this makes the whole thing all the more suspicious. Congress needs to keep probing. Mueller needs to testify. I, for one, am simply not satisfied that the investigation is complete. The Trump organization behavior prior to 2015 IS relevant.
8
Try reading that quote in context. Hint: he didn't say what you think he said.
1
@Eric, Bull. Starr was appointed in 1994 and the investigation had little effect on the WH until Clinton lied to a grand jury some 3 years later. Reagan was investigated for Iran/Contra.
Trump was obfuscating and he knew exactly what it meant because he knows what he did.
I am just starting to read the report but I am very curious, did Muller's team have access to Trump's tax returns? Personal and business banking records? Business loans? One would hope that they did in order to follow the money trail.
5
Laws can be changed and it's time to rid ourselves of that "sitting president". He has created more chaos and unnecessary distractions; racked up more than 10,000 fact checked lies than any other president in this history of our country. His language is despicable. He can't seem to grow up.
Then he hand picks barr to pick apart Mr. Mueller's Report to try to make trump look innocent. Like that could ever happen. The word of the year, "redacted".
trump has made our country look ridiculous. He's a huge embarrassment. He even makes Nixon look like a choir boy.
6
@Sari Go ahead and start a revolutionary war against the United States, then. Interesting, if dishonorable, way to go out.
So Mueller was never following Trumps money.
Does this compute as prudent?
3
It means that Mueller respected trump's "red line" and didn't do his job. Someone else will have to. Several someones, actually, all of them in the House of Representatives.
Mueller must be made to answer for this when he appears before Congress.
2
IMHO, the most important outcome of the information in the Mueller report is:
*Russia interfered in the Presidential election to elect Trump
* and succeeded.
Trump has consistently insisted he was elected only through USA processes so has not instigated the needed focus on keeping elections free from interference.
7
There will not be an impeachment removing Donald Trump from office now. Nor will there be an indictment against him after his term of office is completed. The collusion and obstruction train has left the station. The Democrats need to put on their big boy pants and get to work on the 2020 election. If they continue to obsess about Russian conspiracies, Barack Obama’s circular firing squad analogy will be fulfilled.
8
@Jake: Are you not bothered by the Russian interference in your presidential election? And the willingness of the Trump campaign to accept that help rather than report it to the authorities as required by law? If not, you should be.
3
The New York Times has edited out the final sentence of the Muller report's conclusion on obstruction of justice. It reads: "Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”
Considering that the Muller report did not conclude the president committed a crime, it is no wonder Attorney General Barr decided not to prosecute. What jury would vote guilty if informed the investigation does not conclude the defendant committed a crime?
7
From the article: "They ultimately decided not to charge Mr. Trump, citing numerous legal and factual constraints, but pointedly declined to exonerate him."
I'm no expert, but my understanding of U.S. law is that one is innocent until proven guilty. If that's true, why would someone who hasn't been convicted of a crime need to be exonerated? Isn't that what the presumption of innocence is all about?
8
@Dan
He was not exonerated of obstruction. A person could be charged or convicted of obstruction whether there was an underlying crime or not. In other words, a person could still be guilty of obstruction even if no underlying crime existed. I don't know if that answers your question or not. I'm not a lawyer either.
2
Politics running things in the West or the East has psychopathology at the center in modern times from the Napoleonic Wars through World War I and World War II and since. The Trump presidency is more theater so far than anything substantial unless you give him credit for the strong economy. I explain America's post-WWII psychopathology in detail in my eBook Revolution or Extinction in a free download at The Nook if anyone is interested.
The House can, in fact, demand the unredacted mueller report if it only had a spine.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/04/16/if-congress-wants-unredacted-mueller-report-heres-how-get-it/
1
Democrats always lose because they don’t fight back. You won the House by a huge margin. For crying out loud make the subpoenas rain on this criminal! Impeach him ASAP.
3
If Trump had done what he was accused of and indicted in volume 1 of the report, then obstruction makes sense. But volume 2 reads much differently, since volume 1 says that Trump was correct in saying there was no collusion.
I hope anyone who is innocent and under investigation by motivated partisans would be able to fight back without being charged with obstruction. It is not right that prosecutions get to have it their way, no matter their findings. When most of the press and committee chairs in Congress insist without evidence that you are guilty, why is it obstruction to want that to stop? Isn't it a greater offense to our system of justice to pursue anyone publicly without anything but the hopes for a political change?
Trump is not a likable and unpresidential. But what are opposing partisans willing to destroy in order to destroy him?
Those who politicized the FBI and DOJ to undermine Trump are the problem here. They undermined the credibility of the majority of their colleagues, and, most critically, the trust we all put in FBI/DOJ.
In order to carry on the narrative, many who were just plain wrong about collusion and/or wrong in their methods now are tearing down what is left at DOJ. Why?
5
I wonder if the fact that they cannot get over Hillary losing to be the problem. As a history and civics teacher I always find the comments section here fascinating. Abolish the Electoral College (sure, the rest of the country is going to acquiesce to the three or four of our largest States picking our President,) pack the Supreme Court ( worked out well for FDR,) and the constant moving of the ball of this whole Russian Collusion nonsense. President Obama forcefully said before the 2016 election that it was not possible for our Presidential election to be stolen and he was in charge when all of this was supposedly taking place. Democrats are on a road to ruin if they don’t stop beating this dead horse but somehow I don’t think they will stop. I suspect 2020 will be the most interesting of my life (2016 wasn’t as anyone who looked deeper into the actual polling samples and could see how most always gave a 8-10 for Democrats could. )
2
Americans are such hypocrites. “Regime change” anyone? It’s revolting, to be perfectly honest.
1
Luckily (or unluckily) there was no obstruction of justice, not for lack of trying on the part of the America’s president, but because his loyal foot soldiers did not carry out or follow through on his orders. The report lays bare this president’s weaknesses for all to see for those willing or interested in looking. That is key, the mantra of many, ‘hear to evil, see no evil, speak no evil’.
1
You have to hand it to the Russians. They’ve won the Cold War without firing a single shot, and without suffering any human, economic, and political costs themselves, while their old adversary is ensnared in a tangle of immense national and international collateral damage that only seems to multiply with each passing day.
The USA is left with an increasingly unstable and chaotic internal political system, and a consigned leader who has 1) threatened to pull out of the WTO, 2) demanded that Russia be returned to the G7, 3) embraced repressive leaders around the world, 4) discarded basic human rights, 5) disavowed American intelligence and judicial systems, 6) continually attacked the free press, 7) created a rift with Europe over the Iran nuclear agreement, 8) launched a global trade war, and 9) intends to increase military power while forging military, political, or economic partnerships with countries such as Korea, Iran, Turkey, Syria, and Saudi Arabia.
Stand by for their next American project, after the Mueller report blows over and campaigning for the next election begins in earnest. And if you believe Republican party leaders will take action to prevent or lessen the intensity of Russia’s control over Trump, then you aren’t paying attention: the Republicans have enabled Trump – and Moscow – at every step.
It’s not war that Americans should fear, but what the Russians and Republicans do in peace.
14
@Udo
Well said and spot on!
Thank you for articulating this so well.
3
@Udo I'm afraid that over the next 18 months, we are actually going to see that the real corruption lies in the origins of the whole Russian hoax. I do hope that when this happens we will make reforms quickly so that, as the President says, no other President of any Party will be put through something like this. It weaken our government as a whole.
1
It is clear that Mueller was no Ken Starr. He didn't have the independence that Starr had. His brief was UNDER the Department of Justice. I think that is why he left an apparently confusing report. I also believe that within the report are several IEDs that may be exploded later. Time will tell.
4
Mueller’s report makes it clear that the Trump Campaign knew illegal Russian interference in the 2016 presidential was ongoing, that it likely targeted Hillary Clinton, and the Trump Campaign expected to benefit from this foreign interference. Presumably, they understood this interference included illegal acts like hacking.
Even if no one working for the Trump Campaign actually participated in these acts, it seems logical that you would make the FBI aware of these suspicions—if only to protect yourself later on, rather than some quaint belief that American elections should be influenced and decided only by Americans, not foreigners.
So while there may have been no criminal activity by the Trump Campaign, the toleration of that activity speaks volumes about the campaign’s ethics—or lack thereof.
A person (Mr. Trump), who would tolerate such unethical activity is not fit to serve as President.
9
@AussieAmerican Trump is known world around to not follow conventional ethics b set of flexible rules which he changes all the time. You shouldn't be surprised he was not ethical because one of the reasons for the protest when he got elected was that.
I don't know if you can consider this a consolation but at least you don't have to live with the fact that your president openly conspired with an adversary even though he didn't do anything to stop the nation's adversary.
There are a handful of instances where the executive branch is in all out war with the judiciary, legislative, and all.
But is this a war? And if it is, did it start with firing James Comey?
Barr is a man that Trump picked to handle the politics at the Justice Department. He is doing well. Barr is also the knight that will bring peace and ease of digestion to Trump's stomach.
Barr can throw a ball on Mueller. Mueller can testify before Congress. And both can be true to themselves. But not to the American people.
The one place successful criminals are the most vulnerable is their money. Their love of the good life always outstrips their verifiable income.
It can withstand cursory scrutiny. But if authorities dig deep, the house of cards comes crashing down.
That's why Trump is trying so hard to block investigators from seeing the details of his finances.
But in the end, Trump's financial indiscretions will be his undoing.
4
I doubt if Donald has any capacity to feel gratitude, but he should be eternally grateful to every one of his underlings who either slow-walked him or flatly refused to carry out his unlawful requests. I doubt that he will ever read enough of this to learn just how often that happened.
There is nothing much in this report that could legally or constitutionally be used to oust this President. Any attempt of doing so will be undemocratic and would not hold before law.The Democrats and their supporters couldn't defeat President Trump in 2016 and know, will not do so in 2020. So, they will instead try to sabotage his presidency by cooking up conspiracies.
4
What's to cook? This just needs to be popped in the microwave. The conspiracy is clear, whether it meets a legal definition or not, to anyone with what my father always called a lick of sense. The fact that so many Americans are willing to overlook the obvious makes me more than nostalgic for the country I was brought up to believe in. Maybe I was just naive all along, and this is the way it's always been, but something's definitely rotten in Denmark from what my nose tells me is on the stove.
4
@Resident
It is clear, from the investigation and report, that Trump was foiled in his attempts to take unlawful actions, by those he instructed to take them. He instructed them personally and individually.
He continues to attempt to take unlawful actions in other matters.
This is a continuing pattern that has not changed.
Is this acceptable?
1
@Resident, I suggest that you do the following:
1. Turn off Fox News.
2. Hide any of Barr’s written documents.
3. Read a copy of the Constitution.
4. Reread Mueller’s Report.
I think if you have an open mind you will see that there are several places contained in the Constitution that show that the founders were very concerned regarding any influence from a foreign government. Mueller’s document clearly spells out the concerns regarding this administration and the disregard to the items spelled out in the Constitution.
3
"Look to the lies," the detective said to his assistant. "What the lies point to can tell you as much as the truth." From a mystery novel I read last weekend. This weekend I read the Mueller report.
2
“The special counsel concluded there was “insufficient evidence” to determine that the president or his aides had engaged in a criminal conspiracy with the Russians, even though the Trump campaign welcomed the Kremlin sabotage effort and “expected it would benefit electorally” from the hacks and leaks of Democratic emails.”
I find this hard to believe that Mueller doesn’t find evidence of crime on Trump’s part for publicly on world TV asking a dangerous nuclear powered adversary, Russia, to commit a crime and hack into the former Secretary of State’s email account, in order to sway the election toward Trump, who the Russians obviously have compromised. The survival of millions in the world is at state, and Mueller serves the effete nothing-burger to the American people. Mueller is a Republican and therefore I predicted the arrival of this big jellyfish several times before here in the NYT. While we’re at it, there is James Comey, Another Republican, the night before election Paul Revere night-rider warning that the emails are coming! We need a new democracy and government.
4
So now Democrats you have a lot of ammunition to campaign against this paranoid, psychopath president and if he is not the candidate against any Republican that might run. The Republicans stood by while this president bullied, lied and tried to obstruct justice therefore they are as guilty as trump.
1
When all the house investigations are over and they have additional information regarding Trump, Perhaps 20 Republican Senators will join the Democrats and remove this obviously severely flawed man from the Oval Office!
4
Thank you, NY Times, for not going along with Barr's attempts to whitewash Mueller's report!
5
The GOP apologists keep repeating the line that the whole investigation into Trump's doings is sour grapes that Hillary lost the election. Nothing can convince them otherwise.
Rather it is poison grapes that trump and Russian hackers have fed them. The symptoms include a deadening of the mind to the history and actions of their hero and total blindness to his behavior and lack of integrity or perhaps a tick shared by Trump that blames others and takes no responsibility.
Bush 2 in a spirit of reconciliation accepted the verdict of the Supreme Court that Bush 2 would be president despite everything in order to maintain domestic tranquility. Silly us. But Trump is beyond the pale in his corruption and we can never really accept his legitimacy as president. To all you Trump apologists i say Das Vidanya.
4
Dear Reader, consider that the police launch an investigation into you based on a false set of facts stated by another person that clearly hates you. You fight back aggressively with all your resources but break no laws doing so. The investigation concludes that you were innocent all along but now people say your defended yourself so you obstructed justice and you should be jailed for that. Come on Dear Reader when will you yield? Please Dear Reader, don’t look like a sore loser again. It’s unseemly.
4
@Paul
Not quite so simple or quite so clean.
2
Dear Paul, an innocent person doesn’t deny and mock people investigating them multiple times a day. Clearly only someone with something to hide behaves this way.
2
Democrats, do your jobs. Start Impeachment Proceedings Now.
3
Attorney General Barr must resign immediately.
He has zero credibility. None. He is as guilty as the President he is working for.
He lied to the Congress and he lied to the American people and he is not fit for office.
5
So what I am getting from Mr Mueller and Mr Barr is that there is a separate application of justice for republicans. Where you and I get arrested and charged for committing a crime regardless of whether or not we knew what we had done was a crime republicans can conspire, collude, lie, obstruct, cheat, steal and do pretty much anything they like to commit and get away with criminal activity and then just say "I never meant to break the law" and will be let off the hook. Good to know.
4
Putting aside collusion or conspiracy and considering the rather heavy and repeated influence of a foreign power in the election, what on earth is anyone doing now to stop a repeat in 2020.
When reviewing the document it might be interesting to put in another's name every time Trump's appears. Then perhaps this country would recognize what existing precedents need reinforcement and what laws might require review.
6
This whole saga sets myriad awful precedents going forward. Now any future presidential candidate who has the zeal and mobster-like hubris to want to steal an election can openly engage with a foreign adversary, invite them to interfere with the election in that candidate’s favor, and completely get away with it and subsequently claim, “No collusion, no corruption, folks.” The whole affair is beyond depressing. If Congress doesn’t act to punish Trump and his evil cohort for their overt actions in 2016 and beyond, then all is lost; America has surely relinquished its role as the world’s leading democracy. And what a tragedy that would be.
13
Except the report clears him of collusion, which I'm inferring is what you mean by stealing the election.
1
Why don't we talk about the elephant in the middle of the room? Donald Trump was elected with help from a foreign, enemy power that hacked emails, manipulated the public and impersonated Americans online, going out of its way to turn them against each other. Why did this power want so desperately to help him get elected? And why does he never criticize this power for interfering in our elections and trying to divide us? As our president he should be furious on our behalf. Instead And why won't he let his conversations with the tyrannical dictator of this power be recorded?
17
@Mary Newton
Yes. This.
1
Earth to Democrats. Move on. If you want to stand a chance of being elected in 2020 Mo e on and have something credible to stand by. I would rather have 4 more years of trump than the witch finders general running the show. Who wants that?
4
Earth to Republicans, you elected a conman who will go down as the absolute worst President and grossest individual to ever hold office. Thanks a lot!
4
I so much do not care about this. Leave the guy alone. Let us move on to something else. He's president. Get over it. Next thing?
5
Nobody asks a prosecutor whether the prosecutor can prove that a person did not commit s crime.
The only thing a prosecutor has an obligation to say is whether the prosecutor can prove that a person committed a crime.
2
There used to be a thing where if a person living in a neighbourhood flouted all the conventions -
they kept a vicious dog unleashed who attacked people,
they threw their garbage all over the yard and left trash everywhere,
they knocked down their neighbour's fence and left tire tracks on their lawn,
they made all kinds of noise that frightened and kept the neighbours awake,
they let their kids run wild to steal and do damage
they beat their wives
they picked frights with everyone and were really aggressive
Somehow we all used to be able to figure out that that person needed dealing with.
What has changed?
6
@Jean Upon reflection, I am afraid that I didn't make myself clear about social sanctions, the written and unwritten code that regulates a functioning society.
The written code are the laws. I don't know where DoJ 'directives' come into the picture.
Either everyone has equal standing and protection under the law, or..... they don't.
Maybe, an examination of those who are shot in the streets, as compared to what appears to be crowned the new King Apparent who is above all laws...
This is all so tiring.
Best wishes, I used to think that there was some hope for you, but not now.
The trouble is that you will make a lot more trouble for the rest of us, and we didn't vote for it.
You did/didn't prevent it. Your bad.
In my opinion, the Mueller Report is incomplete. I say this because, it took more than two years for the investigation. Yet, it has ended in a vague manner, and looks inconclusive.
As analyzed in this Opinion, there are many areas of evidence of Russian interference and their involvement in the election campaign. That did influence the outcome of the elections. If the Report does not point it out, was the election still valid?
Mr. Barr, during his press conference, says the Mueller Report does not mention if the Report should be first referred to Congress. Since Mueller made no decision or judgment, or a recommendation, in regards to whether there was a collusion or obstruction of justice, does this allow Mr. Barr to make the final determination?
4
My take away from Barr's collusions--Trump tried to obstruct justice, but no one would do what he told them to do so no crime. So if I tried to hire someone to kill my boss and no one will do it then I haven't commited a crime, right? Wasn't Barr supposed to have integrity? What a joke.
6
To the Southern District of New York: Bring it on!
3
The Mueller report as released today puts a label of “waste of time and money” on it.
All the shenanigans of this administration from its beginning have left such a fog of confusion and deceit as to egregiously obfuscate them.
The ridiculous behavior and continuous babble of you know who has amounted to nothing but distraction to enable a program of destruction against democratic principles.
Does impeachment actually require violation of the law? Simple stupidity and immaturity are not desirable or acceptable attributes for the president of an entire nation.
Where are the wisdom and courage we need to end the rule of insanity?
2
So this is yet another reminder: there is a threshold (not the same for everybody) in the low and it's ok if he/she does not go beyond it.
Trump’s campaign didn’t have to ask the Russians for help, because the Russians had made it clear that they were actively helping. No wonder Trump is always sucking up to Putin. He knows he needs them next time. A real American President would be focusing on stopping the Russians from interfering in our elections. The Mueller report shows that Trump is far more worried about their being stopped.
5
Just take the L, Dems
Mueller lets him walk on the conspiracy with Russia charge, Barr won't indict on obstruction. Net result of all this sound and fury? Zilch.
Mueller was right about conspiracy; just wanting the same result, i.e., derailing Hillary, isn't conspiracy. But Trump is guilty as hell of obstruction. Why else would he fire Comey?
2
Yup! We know he’s a crooked president. Now what we gonna do?
3
Trump did some shady things without rising to the level of crimes. Trump knew what he was doing and had help from Republicans. This was not a Democrat inspired "witch hunt." Trump is dirty and Kelly Anne can have my apology, "Go stuff yourself with trump lying whatever."
2
"Immediately after learning that a special counsel had been appointed to lead the Russia investigation, the report said, Mr. Trump became distraught and slumped in his chair.
“Oh, my God. This is terrible,” he said. “This is the end of my presidency. I’m fucked.”
This not the behavior one would expect from an innocent president, Mr. Barr's shameful performance in front of the media notwithstanding.
3
Times promoted a conspiracy theory and blamed Trump for the ONE crime he did not commit as Allan Nairn said last year. Serious dereliction of duty on the Iraq WMD scale which now reinforces the ugly racist clown. A mea culpa would be in order.
The report shows Trump as a man of terrible character (much less a man worthy of the Oval Office). He is assisted at best by useful idiots and at worst by corrupt liers like himself. Furthermore, Trump made every effort to obstruct justice , however unsuccessfully, and yet one reads some of the comments posted here and it gives you pause. How come his supporters are willing to give him yet another pass ? It is beyond me. God help us!
#ImpeachTheCheat
2
There never was going to be a reckoning for Trump.
It was a Republican investigation of a Republican administration controlled by a Republican Justice department that cleansed it and timed the release absent vital information that the Congress of the People should have.
More than Trump is aligned with Russia in the New World Order first espoused by Herbert Bush and cultivated by Republicans since.
The long duration of the investigation had the effect of tiring the public outrage and led to the very effective social conscious view. You were all duped by the best.
2
There is much more here than in Watergate. There is no excuse for the Republicans not to support impeachment. Coverups never work in the end. They will do better in 2020 to support impeachment. They will lose 2020 but principled action now gives them a chance in 2024 America is in grave danger now if Donald is allowed to stay. America in danger includes western democracy being in danger. Trump puts ALL Americans in danger. C'mon GOP put America first not this grotesque villainous clown. It was obvious at the Republican primaries that this would end badly. Time to move it GOP. America is in peril.
3
So, a foreign country influences our election, and Trump and his campaign didn’t see any problem with that (as the report clearly shows). Trump begged Russia, on national TV, to hack Clinton’s emails. I have a problem with that. Any patriotic American should have a problem with that.
8
According to the report,
"The investigation did not identify evidence that any U.S. persons conspired or coordinated with the [Russian disinformation campaign]."
It does not say that it did not find any proof beyond reasonable doubt. It says that they found no evidence of such conspiracy or coordination.
Could somebody explain to me why that isn't as close to exoneration as one could ever get in such an investigation? How could it even possibly find conclusive positive evidence that there was no such conspiracy or coordination by any US person with the Russians?
No evidence of collusion. None. For a rational person, that's as definitive as it could ever get.
Exoneration.
3
Here we are at the the greatest turning point for the US justice system. What we need is a strong legal response to a corrupt, rogue president. And what we got is a corrupt AG and a wishy-washy special counsel report that allows the corrupt president and AG to use the report’s ambiguity to allow the corruption to run free. For example, the office of legal counsel’s contention that a sitting president cannot be indicted was drafted in a different time and place when a problematic but otherwise competent president was believed to need protection from pesky law suits. The country’s governance, after all, took precedence over any accountability for minor skirmishes with the law. But now, that policy provides protection for an incompetent and grossly dangerous president who threatens this country’s governance by staying in office. And a corrupt AG functions as the dangerous president’s handmaiden, not as a bulwark against lawlessness. Mueller should have eschewed this antiquated policy and called for an indictment. Instead, it’s harder to make that case without the report’s having taken a strong stand.
3
One word: Shameful.
Conduct unBecoming the highest officer of the DOJ and the de facto leader of the free world.
Someone should phone Venezuela and give Maduro the good news:
He no longer holds the distinction for being the worst leader of the Western Hemisphere. The 45th now does, thanks to the dedicated cronyism and exceptional display of sycophancy in the line of (media) fire by none other than AG Barr.
Bravo, indeed.
4
Mueller is a very smart man it seems rather than make any claims to a crime he opened a can of worms and will leave it up to the elected representatives to deal with it and what happens next. This is not the end only the beginning.
2
Please impeach. Democrats have the votes in the House.
Impeachment and trial, is the ONLY way all the facts will be brought out to the public, the American Voter. Each side present their evidence, no more redactions. Please IMPEACH NOW.
3
You do realize that, barring some damning evidence we don’t know about, the Senate will not convict the President? Continue the investigations, but don’t impeach until the Republican Senate has no choice but to convict.
1
Did not do anything criminal? Americans expect nothing more from their president than “he did not commit a criminal act”? It doesn’t matter that it is suspicious, unreliable, unethical, ambiguous, equivocal, strange, compromising, disturbing, mischievous, problematic, dirty? Could the bar be set any lower ? That is on top of lying, accusing, insulting, firing, threathening, garbling in almost incomprehensible sentences about nothings. I’m so happy not to be USAnian.
1
So now the evidence is collected, and worth the money. I'll read it slowly and carefully like history. There was a bit of fantasy in the project from the beginning. Did we think that Mueller was going to take the heat for a decision that is basically ours to make? Father figures are fathers only in our minds. He did his job. The desire to remove this incompetent and disruptive president is now our own uncomfortable responsibility, in 2020.
2
I would like all the readers to know that the report is long(400 pages) and goes into details and the opinions mentioned in the article are the opinions of the author and not Mueller. Having said that, I like a majority of the readers am not a fan of Trump. He is an elitist, did not participate in the draft, doesn't pay enough taxes like any other billionaire or 100millionares in this country. He has always found ways to bend and twist the law to his advantage and got away with it even before he contested to become the Republican nominee using his influence both financial and political on both sides of the aisle, which a normal American Joe can't do even in a100 lifetimes. Having read the report to the best of my abilities, I can say that Trump bent a lot of rules but didn't break the law as it exists today but came really close to breaking it. It is clear that his campaign was so dumb that they didn't collaborate with the Russians even though there is evidence that they seemed to want to and Russians were willing to but the campaign didn't know how. He did whatever possible under the grey areas of current law to thwart the investigation but again it's a very dark shade of grey and cannot be proven that he broke any law. It's just sad that there is no clear evidence of guilt or innocence and this will reduce the focus on important issues like climate change and refugees not having basic needs fulfilled at the border because we hate Trump more than we care about humanity.
2
The dogs will keep nipping at Trump’s heels, but he will prevail. Not only the people but history will vindicate him. He is a towering figure of our time. His petty enemies aren’t fit to lick his boots.
2
The majority of the people do not support Mr. Trump. And he will go down in history as one of the most corrupt and incompetent people to ever hold the office. He is a disgrace to the office and the country.
2
I hope you like the taste of shoe leather.
"If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck - it's a duck."
The Mueller Report (well, the parts we've been allowed to see today) simply verifies and amplifies what we've long known about the horrifying levels of venality, mendacity and corruption of both the Trump campaign and Trump's subsequent administration.
It appears that Mueller and his team felt great political pressure to stop short of calling "a duck a duck".
But Congress should feel no such pressure. They, along with We the People, have seen the duck in action, day in and day out for the last three years.
And America is now ready for our long-deserved bowls of duck soup.
3
Aside from whether Trump and his campaign colluded/coordinated with the Russians, the Mueller report shows that Trump knew that the Russians had interfered on his behalf in the election and that WikiLeaks was the Russian conduit for this interference. Yet he and his campaign not only failed to report this to the FBI, they used this information in campaign strategy and tried to disavow this when the investigation closed in. Perhaps this does not meet the legal definition of treason, but from a moral/ethical point of view, treason is the best description of Trump's behavior.
13
@Lowrider
It DOES meet the legal threshold for treason because Russia started a cyber war against the United States!
2
For two years or so, Trump methodically and daily portrayed himself as innocent and refused to aid the independent council. In essence, he acted not just like a guilty person, but with remarkable techniques to brainwash the public and taint any future legal actions. He's the type who demands loyalty and delegates the dirty work to those in his group. His leadership appears like any other mobster and I sincerely hope he is an adversary of organized crime and not a student. His years long actions could be explained as true guilt, or intense concerns over being falsely accused. But the question still remains in my mind, not one of reasonable doubt, but of reasonable suspicion. This investigation is not complete.
7
Impeach? Not yet.
Put the effort between now and the election into investigating, while informing the American public every step of the way.....
......and guarantee the American public that after the election is over, impeachment proceedings or indictments will immediately follow.
4
The release of the Mueller report has justifiably aroused searing outrage. However, I predict, sadly, that this too shall pass.
This chaos president has succeeded in fulfilling his most insidious ambition -- to anesthetize the American populace from heeding appallingly delinquent conduct by creating a ceaseless state of delinquency. Through unabated lawlessness, boorishness and disorder, he has debased the Office of the Presidency and, with it, America and her venerated principles of morality and order.
In 1935, Sinclair Lewis ominously portended something similar in "It Can't Happen Here." Sadly, I've now come to understand that it can.
What saddens me as deeply is the shocking complacency and complicity of so many members of the Grand Old Party, which, throughout most of my life, stood for morality, decency and abiding family values. That mask is off, possibly forever.
Indeed, it can happen here.
15
To what lengths will this Fake President go to ensure his re-election in 2020, and the avoidance of possible indictment once he leaves office? This totally amoral narcissist would, I fear, create an international incident to help him remain in office. He has been exposed as someone who is capable of doing anything to advance his personal interests. All of us should be fearful with Trump in office.
4
What MORE will it take for people to believe that Donald Trump is bought and paid for by the Russian Government and/or its cronies?
What MORE will it take for people to believe that he tried to obstruct justice at least 10 TIMES?
What MORE will it take for people to finally believe that this man is so beneath the Office of the Presidency?
5
Maybe, technically, no obstruction of justice. But you sure gotta give the guy credit for trying!
3
Hard to believe this is really happening in our country. God save US
3
After this report, how can people allow Trump to remain in office?
5
President Obama was fully aware of this effort and did nothing to stop it or warn the public. So why is Pres Obama giving no criticism over his failure to perform his duties while Pres Trump is possible facing impeachment?. James Clapper Obama's CIA chief stated early on there was no collusion between Russia and Trump or his team. Donald Trump did not conspire or collude and had a absolute right to fight this witch hunt. Mueller knew that and that's why he didn't dare indict him.
1
@Larry
Firstly, It would have been ‘pre-mature’ and ‘unprofessional’ of Mr. Obama to warn the public prior to the conclusion of said inquiry.
On the contrary, I realize, these words form the crux of the current Republican strategy to ‘hoodwink’ the masses one tweet at a time.
Secondly, there’s no way the Republican propaganda machine wouldn’t have seized on Mr. Obama for ‘unfairly’ attacking the Republican candidate, thereby undermining a fellow Democrat’s candidacy in the process,!even more than the Russians and the FBI/Republican stooge, Comey originally intended to do so.
3
After reading reports about the report, I have a couple things. Trump is corrupt. Many in his admin are corrupt. There are (were) a few decent people there. Barr is a toady.
6
The so-called "president" is completely and totally illegitimate.
Of course he's illegitimate -- he's intellectually unqualified and temperamentally unfit. He's also guilty of obstruction and this is documented by Mueller 10 times! (We all saw it in plain sight anyway -- on national TV when he admitted to firing Comey to stop the Russian investigation!) This unqualified buffoon could NEVER have won a legitimate election. Not even as dog catcher!
The Illegitimate One should be found GUILTY of treason for blocking the US government from protecting itself from continuing cyber attacks by the Russians. The Helsinki debacle in which he knelt before his master, Vladimir, for all the world to see, was a total disgrace and revealed to all that he's not only shameless but treasonous! He put his own personal interests ahead of the American democratic system and conspired with a hostile, foreign dictator (his puppet master Putin) to cover up the election interference and to allow that interference to continue unabated.
Yes, treason applies becase the Russians started a war -- a cyber war -- against the US, and the Illegitimate One provided Putin and the Russians with total cover!
Somebody MUST be able to get him out of office for his crimes against the American people or the US is a total sham!
He belongs behind bars! And he should receive the maximum penalty for treason: the death penalty!
5
I think this whole matter of "can't indict a sitting president" is phony-baloney.
Is this government actually telling me that if I walk into the Oval Office and the President has just shot someone, the body is on the floor and the smoking gun is in his hand, that absolutely no government official will have the president of the United States arrested?
If that is true, then the United States is done for.
There is no point.
I demand that there be an open discussion on this.
I have never heard anything so insane.
5
To me the most important sentence in the Report is this: "Mueller writes that 'the conclusion that Congress may apply the obstruction laws to the President’s corrupt exercise of the powers of office accords with our constitutional system of checks and balances and the principle that no person is above the law.'"”
Whatever else might be said, Special Counsel Mueller concluded that Drumpf's efforts to impair the investigation were "corrupt." Isn't that an essential element of the offense of obstruction of justice and virtually conclusive?
I'm not suggesting impeachment, which truly believe will energize Drumpf's base. I'm looking (and so very hopeful) of the moment in time when he's no longer in office and so can be prosecuted under the DOJ guideline (or that that guideline is changed)
4
@Sarita
Actually Mueller said the case for Trump's innocence was inconclusive. You cannot have it both ways. Certainly about his guilt but uncertainty about his innocence.
It's a crime to have spent millions of dollars on an investigation and punt the ball at the end with nothing accomplished.
Now we have elected officials willing to spend millions more and waste time hunting tax returns and trying to bring Trump down after the Mueller team decided they could not.
It would be amazing if we could have taken all that energy and money and put it where it really counted.......Truly helping those who really need help at home just to make ends meet.
7
@Jim The Mueller investigation turned a profit by seizing the assets of criminals like Manafort, so no.
Trump said he'd show us his tax returns. Presidental candidates normally do this voluntarily so voters know they don't have any conflicts. Now Trump's fighting to keep his returns secret. Why? What is he hiding? He could save time, effort and money by just releasing them.
Nothing's stopping Trump from helping people. Where's my cheaper, better healthcare? Why am I being asked to pay for a wall? Why is the budget deficit growing?
1
Sadly, there is no amount of science, facts or reality that will return the Democrats to sanity and rational thought
10
Science, facts, and reality don’t have anything to do with supporting Trump. They are his weakest suit. You have to engage in a lot of obfuscation and conspiracy theory just to firm up the shifting sands underneath you (for now).
1
My gosh, cannot stop parties from reaching out to you, in contrast to reaching out and hiring a firm linked to the Russian attorney who visited Trump Tower - and then peddling the besmirch sheet as truth with the kindly patronage of corrupt senior FBI agents assigned to both the Hillary email investigation and the Trump investigation- who vowed in texts (imagine what was said face-to-face) to sabotage and stop Trump from becoming President.
Trump made a costly mistake by letting Hillary and co. off the hook initially after winning the election, and they exploited the generosity.
4
The Mueller investigation into Russia has always been an intentional distraction, and it worked. It worked because Hillary supporters were desperate to cling to any excuse they could find to explain their loss to a man like Trump. Trump knew about this fixation, and its psychological roots, he even stated so publicly on numerous occasions. It is even more damaging because many Democrats haven't spent the last 2 years trying to better understand why they lost, losing precious time to mount a more effective challenge in 2020. It has been both fascinating and frustrating to watch this all play out, and right into Trump's hands.
11
@John
John it looks like you who cannot let the Hillary defeat go.. oh and Kavanaugh who pumped out the same theory.
I dislike Bill and also Hillary's vote for the Iraq War, but she did get 3 million more votes. Don the don won with the help of Russia... this has been established.
You say "many Democrats haven't spent the last 2 years trying to better understand why they lost,"
They know why they lost... Russia.
8
The liberal Democratic base is pushing us to a civil war. Hillary lost, fair and square. The attempted coup against a legally elected President is something one would expect in a 3rd world country, not the United States.
But keep up the craziness and get nothing done for 2 years. You are guaranteeing another 4 years of Trump and the Republicans taking back control of the House. Then wait for the liberal base to explode.
12
@Jon Galt You are talking "coup"? Wait, Bill Clinton lied about an affair. Hmm. Trump has lied about 2 and has a roomful of people who have lied for him. The craziness is in the situation.
Remember, the Democratic congress cannot accomplish much with a Republican senate and a Chief in Bluster, who will veto anything that makes too much sense and helps people. Plus, the whole senate is
under Trump's thumb. This situation is a national emergency. What if we had found out that Obama, let's say, had been elected through shady dealings with Africa? He would have been impeached so quickly that heads would fly.
6
@Jon Galt Exactly what part of "it lays bare how Mr. Trump was elected with the help of a foreign power" (5th paragraph of this article) do you not get? Was this "legal?" Yes. You and I are the victims of this coup.
6
@Jon Galt
This vendetta against Trump is very damaging to our country. It's hardly the moral high road exercise that people engaging in it like to believe it is.
2
Oh give it up. You lost. An “inquiry” into anything is going to result in evidence to both sides and infinite rabbit holes. This inquiry is going to produce more conspiracy theories than the JFK assasination.
This has been over since the March announcement. All that’s left is political haymaking, which the Democrats and news media are apparently positioned to put on an infinite loop.
We have a process. The process was completed.
Unending analysis, inquiries, investigations and testimony are not going to change a single 2020 vote at this point.
For the sake of all of our sanity, can we just move on...another scandal...heaven forbid, something that actually matters, like policy debate. Anything...
10
“You lost?” Not hardly.
Justice, the world, and the US lost.
23
@John The "process" you are referring to is for congress to complete its fact finding, which would be getting Mueller on oath, testifying to Congress.
5
@John
Process?
Are you referring to the process of Trump's obstruction justice?
That's an ongoing process. And there is no one - not even Barr - claiming that Trump won't be indicted once he's no longer president.
Or are you referring to the process he uses to make fun of his fans - ie, walking into his rallies wearing a sit he had manufactured in his overseas sweatshops and threatening to impose tariffs on United States business while even literally looking down at his cheering fans.
5
The report and Mr. Barr's actions make it abundantly clear who of the three principals - Mueller, Trump, Barr - will be remembered favourably five or ten years from now.
4
Clinton was impeached for much less. It's truly baffling that this has been going on this long, and gotten the country absolutely nowhere. Much ado about nothing. Democrats need to make moves or voters will look upon this very unfavorably in 2020.
5
After reading the excerpts n the NY times I do not think the report will have any effect n the 2020 election It is good "Lawyers Speak." Unless more is revealed in the whole report, much of what we read we already knew. The real republicans will never vote for a democrat and the democrats will vote for a democrat.
The question is what will the young educated do;who in the last election voted for neither republican nor democrat and thus in reality elected Trump.
1
Seeing the Democrats/media come hysterically unglued at the complete exoneration of President Honest Donald Trump is almost worth the witch hunt
10
Larry - I think they will have a version for the truth impaired.
4
@Larry Was the report prepared by "Robert Mueller and his gang of (13, 17, 18) Democrats?
3
Where in the report did you see 'complete exoneration?' Please share with the rest of us.
9
The end of the Democrats began with the illegal surveillance of the Trump campaign ordered by the Obama justice dept.Which led directly to the illegal FISA warrant which led to the Mueller investigaton.the Democrats have accomplished nothing during the last 2 years . This is how elections are lost .
9
Three dozen indictments, several convictions, and a detailed investigative report laying out Trump's willing acceptance of electoral aid from a hostile foreign power and his repeated attempts to obstruct justice all say you're wrong
15
The report shows this entire matter was a hoax. It is time to hold individuals involved and the entire Democratic Party accountable for their actions. The President should immediately appoint a Special Council to investigate the Obama Administration, CIA, National Security Administration and the FBI. Serious consideration needs to be given to holding news organizations (like CNN and MSNBC) accountable for knowingly peddling false information for the purpose of inciting civil unrest. A case could be made for postponing the 2020 election and extending Trump’s term so that the American People can have assurance that the process will be fair and untainted by Democratic shenanigans.
7
I'm not really sure how you get from express findings that Trump attempted to obstruct the investigation and willingly accepted electoral assistance from a hostile foreign power to "it was a hoax."
12
The Russia collusion hoax continues! This has been a scam from the beginning. Trump and his campaign were set up because the swamp feared him and they still do. Trump won the election fair and square. Hillary lost. The messages from the two campaigns were clear, and the people were listening to the words of the candidates. The direction of the country was at stake, and the people wanted to go in the direction Trump proposed. For the media and the Dems to play this narrative only shows how shallow they really are. They divide the country even further, just as the Russians intended. And that is all the Russians want, for us to be divided. The problem for the Dems is that Republicans and Trump will win in a divided nation. Dems are the minority party. They need a large part of the majority come over to their side to win, and usually they get that. Not with a divided country. Trump will win again in 2020.
8
Your characterization of the election seems predicated on the misapprehension of the final vote tally. While it’s true Trump won the electoral college votes — by a very small margin of total votes across 5 key states — it is inaccurate to imply the majority of Americans wanted to go in Trump’s direction. The other candidate clearly enjoyed the support of the majority of voters. In any event, that has nothing to do with the investigation you call a hoax. Unless you are prepared to demonstrate that Mueller made up everything in the report, it seems abundantly clear the Russians successfully interfered in our election and the Trump campaign enjoyed the results of those efforts. The better question in all of this is whether the outcome would have been different if the voters had known about all that the Mueller report revealed about the campaigns contacts with Russians before Election Day. It is certainly your right to say it would not have mattered to you — although you don’t assert that in your comment — but, you have no way to justify your implication that it would not have mattered to others who did vote, or that others who did not vote wouldn’t have decided to vote for Clinton to block Trump. We all have a right to know what is going on and to then vote as we see fit. I would not deny you that right. Don’t deny it to me.
1
Those who believe that Trump and Russia have conspired with You will believe that Mueller has spoken out no matter what he says.
Their minds did not move at all.
They allways beleive that collusion with Russia.
They believe that everything was done by Russia.
They believe McCarthyism.
Trump's aides lie about their crime to Congress or federal investigators.
It is not collusion with Russia.
2
Mueller is a special prosecutor. A prosecutor’s job is to prosecute, not exonerate.
So of course he didn’t exonerate. Duh.
Trump wins again.
6
Now it’s All about Messaging....
Team Trump:
No collusion.
No obstruction.
Can the Dems be as pithy (4 words or less), direct and on message?
Perhaps:
No vindication.
Read the report.
OR
Absolute Obstruction.
Read the report.
OR
Morally bankrupt.
Read the report.
Something tells me the Dems will fail this test.
8
@Athinking50 Simple: "Barr lied."
4
The Democrats will cite Mueller’s complete exoneration of Honest Don as proof that he too is under Russian control!
6
Somehow I missed the"complete exoneration" part of the report. What page was that on?
10
Complete exoneration? What report are you reading?
6
Clearly he stuck to the simple 4 page Barr report.
2
The coup failed, Mr. President. You had to beat 17 opponents in order to battle Hillary for your job.
Since you were elected, you've had to battle the entire Democratic Party, the news media, and many in your own party.
But you, and America, won again. Thank God.
8
@Edward: Trump and Russia won, America lost!
15
How did “America” win? Trump the criminal is dismantling every element that makes this country America. The RULE OF LAW is central to America. This sleazebag has distorted what that means.
14
Here to attack democrats who care about their country against a hateful soul who constant bullies and attacks. Obviously the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
9
Here we go...two more years of screaming and hollering and Congress does nothing. Dems should understand that the only way this mess is going to end...is to fire up enough voters to make it end...
356
Absolutely....in 2020.
4
@A Aycock I'm sorry, this just isn't a solution anymore. Where are the Democrats that have already been elected? Why aren't impeachment proceedings beginning today? They would be if the President was a Democrat. Even if Republicans were in complete minority we would hear Mitch McConnell talking about impeachment TODAY.
I am sick of this "Oh we need to win more elections and we can finally do something" attitude. Do the job now, there is no reason for me to go to the polls and vote for a Democrat if this is the best they can do.
13
@A Aycock...and then make sure Trump is indicted as a private citizen...and pass some laws to prevent this insanity from happening again.
I’ve tried not to let my deep, deep disdain for Trump shade this report. I just can’t see from an objective point of view how any of this is positive for him or the GOP. The spin from Republicans that he is “exonerated” is one of the creepiest of creepy moves that I’ve seen in a long time.
17
I hope that we can get past this moment. I hope no American ever has their rights compromised by a prosecutor who can't find a way to indict and allow a full public defense, but allows the public to question everything.
It is one thing that the Russians had an operation, it is another to say it mattered.
2
It did matter.
2
@Mary A
No not at all. Trying is not the same thing as succeeding. Obama himself said they couldn't succeed.
2
@Mary A
Obama assured us that the Russians could not have an effect, and so did nothing to warn, advise or call out the Russian hackers.
1
Trump was elected with the help of a foreign government? Please.
Trump was elected because his opponent was Hillary Lightning Rod Clinton. Period. This obsession with the Russians is bizarrely misdirected. She lost 30 states!
3
...and she won more votes by millions.
4
@Alex
Only from CA and NY. And since we’re a federation of states, it’s the number of states that counts. Hence, the person who is President.
Seems to me republicans keep looking for a political reason to claim either complete exoneration or political assassination. Make up your mind. I am imagining 5-7 years from now when the Trump name becomes synonymous with traitor and enemy conspirator. Most of us will move on to bigger and better things. This report will still be around as alternative reading when conservatives are ready to face the facts. Until then happy head-in-the-sand...
5
I love how republicans and democrats are howling at the moon about the trump or Clinton breaking the law. Libs don’t mind Clinton breaking the law, and think it shouldn’t have prevented her from being president. Cons aren’t fazed by all the things Russians did to get trump elected. It’s amazinf...Orwellian, in fact.
2
Russia and Yeltsin.
Don't forget, the US meddled in the election of Boris Yeltsin.
And in many other countries as well, but the interference in the Russian election makes me think that what goes around, comes around.
2
So, not even a single person is going to jail for collusion?
Sad!
1
If there was no conspiracy, why did Trump say, "Oh my god. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I'm fucked," when the Special Counsel was appointed?
The Trump Tower meeting wasn't conspiracy?
This is a staggering abdication of responsibility by Saint Mueller.
9
@R "If there was no conspiracy, why did Trump say, "Oh my god. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I'm fucked," when the Special Counsel was appointed?"
Probably because he had reason to believe the Dem-Media machine would use the ongoing investigation to undermine his Presidency for two years, which it did.
And the abdication of traditional journalistic standards by the NYT and others for the sake of the Resistance is not going to end just because Mueller established that the essence of the two-year attack on the President--that he coordinated or cooperated with Russia against US interests--has been laid to rest.
The delusion has been laid to deep. Too much cognitive dissonance would ensue.
The much anticipated report is here.
Donald Trump is still in office.
Mueller played games. He's a Republican.
Comey played games. He's a Republican.
Barr played games. He's a Republican.
The Constitution has been ignored and trashed.
The Congress is useless.
Corruption and dishonesty now rule.
The United States is dying.
It was nice while it lasted.
Ignorance rules with Donald Trump.
6
Mr. Bob Mueller should conduct his own press conference and tell the American public if he and his team agree with AG Barr' s conclusion of the investigation. Given how the AG and his deputy have politicized the Justice Department, History will not be very kind to them.
5
"...Democratic lawmakers seized on the report’s findings and suggested that the issue of impeachment was not settled."
Just because Trump deserves to be impeached doesn't mean he can be. At this point it would pass the House but get derailed in the Senate. Then you've blown the 1 chance you'll get before the election. And don't doubt that will have consequences for the election.
The House committees have to continue their investigations and put together irrefutable evidence of Trump's financial transgressions. To the point where the public outcry is so severe, Senate Republicans will realize not turning on Trump will cost them the election.
Impeachment has to work when it's done. If Democrats try and fail, they'd be better off defeating Trump in the election.
3
It’s like “Hire me a killer, but I don’t want to know who it is”
That’s a conspiracy. Just like Trump hired the Russians”
4
Since the obstruction evidence is clearly overwhelming - and was seen in plain sight on TV- it begs the logical inquiry. WHAT were they obstructing justice ABOUT? It couldn't be anything to do with Russia or money laundering could it? Of course not... um his base.. er um... 36%... staying with him... Mexico... wall...investigate the investigators... locker room talk... nothing to see here folks... his base... Jim Jordan...
2
In listening to Barr's speech I did not think he was the Attorney General of the United States of America - he sounded more like a slick attorney for a mob boss reviewing the prosecution's evidence and then trying to say - even though it's damming my client didn't break the law as I interpret the law!
2
Odd when Barr made his media presentation today, Mr Rosenstein looks forward without blinking. His eyes telling of his knowledge. Regardless of Trump’s position either way, why do we feel embedded in a Games of Thrones episode. Then our President tweets using the GOT logo. Hopefully, the show’s producers will object to this idiotic tweet using their logo.
2
@Steven Rosenstein's body language was creepy. It almost as if a corpse was standing there.
The fact remains that Trump acted guilty in so many ways, so what are we to think about his proclaimed innocence? I think he is molding public opinion, thereby tainting all future proceedings of law. He is creating a sense of reasonable doubt where we have none.
1
Mueller's report is asking a clear question of the democracy regarding Trump: thumbs up or thumbs down?
That is, are his obstructions of justice something we expect, but may not desire, of a president, or are they tragic flaws that will impact his presidency. Stay tuned to the "2020 edition of "This is Your Live".
1
The only thing that will stop this madness is a Republican sweep in 2020. The people will be the judge.
1
Corroborates what I have repeatedly posted. Trump is invulnerable.
Concentrate on health care, income distribution, as well as immigration and education and climate change.
Ignore Trump. He is immune. He truly IS above the law.
2
Too funny!
In keeping with NYT anti Trump bias the graphic of blacked out redacted passages in the mueller report greatly exaggerates how much was redacted.
For a spot on actual graphic see the graphic in the Wall Street journal. It photos all the pages with redactions. Clearly shows the true amount redacted
3
The most successful intelligence operation in world history continues its success.
It begs the question whether vodka is once again flowing in the Kremlin much like during the election night when Putin celebrated the win of what he calls as “my useful idiot.”
1
Trump's clear and ongoing effort to obstruct the inquiry has been largely overt, visible. This appears to confuse some people. But open obstruction is still obstruction--bizarre and stupid though it seems. Also, remember that there was never a need for Trump to "conspire" (in the usual sense of the word)with the Russian effort. There was an implicit quid pro quo--Russian help would be rewarded with a loosening of sanctions. It was a tacit exchange of favors.
1
Ballot my this and ballot my that... The US is no longer run by the people, for the people. I doubt you will get your country back.
1
Despite everything that transpired today "Planet Fox" state propaganda TV continues unabashed spewing their accusation against FBI, CIA and the rest of the brilliant counter intelligence personnel that trying to keep us all safe from corrupt, sold out WH.
Simply SHAMELESS!
Get these traitors of our airways!
They belong to Russia.
2
Trump will continue to get away with it all. Why?
The wealthy got their tax cuts.
The traditional GOP is getting hundreds of conservative judges appointed.
The religious Trump supporters are satisfied enough by Trump's attacks on gays, women, and "others"
The dumb Trump supporters are just happy to believe Trump is simply kicking the butts of "liberals"
And even some moderates are just happy Hillary wasn't elected.
Will this change? I think so - just watch when the economy takes a nose dive. Trump will be taken by the wealthy in no time.
1
Yawn. Can we just vote now?
1
When the Special Prosecutor was appointed, Donald said he was fuc-ed and it was the end of his presidency. Donald fought tooth and nail against the Mueller investigation, calling it a witch hunt. Only after his lackey, Barr, said in his summary of the Mueller report that trump was guilt free, did trump, for a day, commend Mueller. As soon as it became apparent that the full, albeit redacted, report was not as friendly, trump went on the attack again. An innocent person doesn't fight so hard against an investigation. An innocent person doesn't state he was fu--ed when a special counsel is appointed and see that as the end of his presidency. An innocent person doesn't refuse to release his tax returns.
2
If the Russians are holding evidence that could damn Trump, and Trump himself knows they have it, that is the very definition of Treason.
Congress, do your duty. Impeach this so-called POTUS!
Mueller chickened out. He punted. He shirked his duty. Pelosi has indicated that she will do the same. What are these people afraid of?!?! They are pathetic. They disgust me.
1
It’s interesting to compare and contrast. This is what Trump said according to the redacted Mueller report: “Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I’m F*****.” And this is what Trump said on C-Span today: “No collusion. No obstruction.” There is absolutely no way that the same person could be saying these two utterly irreconcilable statements - unless of course that person happens to be Trump who is a pathological liar. But, of course, that doesn’t bother the religious right. Nor, of course, the Republicans. They simply don’t care.
“This is the end of my presidency. I’m fucked.”
This grotesque administration will not end gracefully or, in likelihood, in concert with the law.
Trump aside, the gleeful meanness we call Trumpism and the nods and frightened grins of his congressional and judicial myrmidons are symptoms of an underlying social dysfunction.
Trump may be a harbinger.
We are not governing ourselves well.
2
It’s a great line and so Trumpian.
1
There is MORE than enough to impeach! Get this lying degenerate traitor OUT OF OUR White House!
2
In spite of the banner headlines, here and elsewhere, there is little new in these stories. What we learned three weeks ago is reiterated by today's release. The main points follow.
1. There is no evidence of collusion between Trump and Putin's state.
2. "Innocent unless proven guilty" means that in the opinion of the law, Trump is innocent of collusion with Russia.
3. A fortiori, Trump is innocent of treason.
Congress might attempt to overthrow Trump via Impeachment for Obstruction of justice. It so, the event will be an anticlimax, since liberals looked forward to a treason trial.
3
Unbelievable what people will turn a blind eye to as long as their agenda is carried out. The Trump campaign (at a minimum) looked the other way while capitalizing on a foreign power's interfere with our election. The Republicans in Congress have stuck their head in the sand as Trump destroys any semblance of integrity associated with the federal government. And so many American people have been ignoring all the warning signs along the way. Will we do the same in 2020?
Shameful stuff.
6
I read through quite a bit of it...
One moment made me really step back and say: Nah, you’re kidding me! (It doesn’t matter there are constraints, or they couldn’t find a source, can’t indict a President, etc).
That moment was a dead-giveaway.
=> When Jeff Sessions told him about the special counsel, and he was angry and cursed, “my presidency is over!”...
I don’t need any more evidence.
Hoisted by his own petard. He like most criminals get caught when they get careless... one of these days, Mr Trump, watch one of these days!
4
Obstruction
Mueller says no one is above the law and that a president can be guilty of obstruction.
But then he sets the bar so high that no amount of evidence is enough for him to say a crime was committed by Trump.
We are left with everything we’ve seen, the constant refrain from Trump undermining and debasing FBI. Trump fired/humiliated/forced out not only Comey, but everyone we know who was initially involved in the investigation. And Mueller verifies Trump tried to fire him.
Intent? What possible motivation could Trump have except obstruction?
Either Mueller intended to punt this to Congress, or, in fact, Trump is above the law and we are not a democratic republic after all, but a dictatorship in the making.
4
Definitely does not exonerate. The intent, seemingly at every turn, every opportunity, is deeply troubling. C’mon Americans. We can do better than the guy currently in the White House. We deserve better. The president...all presidents.... by virtue of the office and all that it means and represents, must be held to a higher standard.
3
New York TImes
Please start printing daily
1) How much money Trump himself, the Trump children and Jared Kushner have made from deals being done by their companies, since taking office.
2) How much the average American family has been impacted by this President financially.
4
"At the very least, in the face of repeated Russian efforts to make contact with Mr. Trump’s advisers, none of them thought to contact the F.B.I." So writes the New York Times. However, a more penetrating question (and one that will be answered in the months to come) is this: How come the FBI, which knew of the Russian efferts to interfere with our election, didn't contact the Trump campaign? They warned the democrats.
4
@Len
Are you serious????
The real question is “Why didn’t the Trump campaign contact the FBI when the Russians reached out?”
1
That’s the question the NYT should have been asking, but only Republicans will be pushing for the answers. One must puzzle why there has been so little true investigative journalism on this side of the issue. Journalism is dead.
1
A better question is why Russia, which wants to destabilize the West, wanted Donald Trump to be president so badly. What a mystery.
I think Dems need to go ahead with impeachment.
It’ll be cathartic and will guarantee DJT’s re-election.
2
This entire administration needs to be tried for treason, starting with Trump, Pence, Miller and Sanders Huckabee. Huckabee I find especially repugnant.
2
Your always liberal, anti-Trump headline does NOT capture the ESSENCE of the lengthy article.
Thus, scan-and-read readers will perceive the OPPOSITE of what the Mueller report actually said.
The Times is, indeed, fake news.
2
@SmileyBurnette
Sour grapes!
Then read the whole report yourself but first stop taking Trump’s side before you even begin.
A biased jury is legally useless.
1
I love all this "let it go." So much understanding from right-wingers! So much concern! Nope. It's not going away, nor are we. Investigate, investigate, investigate. Since there's so much there, I needed to say it 3 times. And we haven't even seen the tax returns yet! Investigate!
2
Who else expects Democratic leaders to roll over and do nothing? Pelosi's absence today gives bad optics. I see a split between the party and business as unusual for Trump and his crew. Waiting for the election as Pelosi proposed insures reelection for the crimes and misdemeanors President. Six more years, imagine the damage....
There was certainly substantial evidence to investigate Russian influence on the 2016 election and the extent to which the Trump campaign coordinated with the Russian effort. Now we know that there was no significant coordination between the two entities, but that Trump personally took many actions to derail that investigation. Exactly why he did so will be the grist for the commentary mill for the next year and a half. Whatever the reason, his obstructing actions reflect poorly on his patriotism and concern for the nation.
2
SO HERE'S WHAT I'M GETTING: Out of 11 areas of presidential conduct the Mueller Report investigated for Obstruction of Justice, seven meet all three elements of obstruction of justice (obstructive act, intent, nexus to a proceeding). Those are:
B. The President's Conduct Concerning the Investigation of Michael Flynn, E. The President's Efforts to Remove Special Counsel, F. The President's Efforts to Curtail the Special Counsel's Investigation, H. The President's Further Efforts to Have the Attorney General Take Over the Investigation, I. The President Orders McGahn to Deny the President Tried to Fire the Special Counsel, J. The President's Conduct Toward Flynn, Manafort, REDACTED, and K. The President's Conduct Involving Michael Cohen.
5
My question is how can he run again? Not only did he and his campaign members seek help from Russia, Russia fixed things to help him win. He didn't get in honestly and the report clearly lays out all the ways they got sought help from them. How then can he honestly campaign? It's not like he's the kind of person who does what he is told or learns from 'mistakes?'
7
The spineless William Barr is Trump’s veritable lapdog, leaping to his master’s defence, snubbing the American public.
His letter to Congress last month seemed to dampen hope of an impeachment against Trump.
Today, some Congressional Democrats believe the Mueller report – albeit redacted – has put some flesh on the bones, giving them “ample political fodder” for attacking Trump into his re-election in November 2020.
Indeed, the best strategy must be to focus on winning big next year. Even if Trump gets re-elected, to command a majority in Senate is extremely helpful, without which, any impeachment would be fruitless.
The special counsel categorically rejected arguments advanced by Trump’s lawyers that a president is shielded from obstruction-of-justice laws due to his unique constitutional role and powers. It's obvious that Mueller wanted to leave it to Congress to decide, and not Barr.
4
I'm not sure how I can reconcile "complete exoneration" with the fact that the only reason Trump is not guilty of Obstruction of Justice is that his White House staff ignored his requests for them to commit crimes to end Mr. Mueller's investigation.
If the best we can say about our president is "He's not a criminal because nobody did what he asked them to." that's not making me feel any better about his presidency. Couple that with the exceptional inability he has shown since taking office for actually -doing- the job, and Trump is a failed person, and a failed president. When "they can't convict me, so they didn't indict me" is your defense, you are -not- "completely exonerated".
11
This report was necessary.
It came about because of Trump's own opaqueness and unwillingness to take the reins as a President ought.
1) Trump showed no interest in investigating the election interference. Someone had to in order to protect against it in the future. Loads of Russians were indicted and US intelligence now knows better how to protect national security.
2) Remember, we were new to Trump's ways - and he was demonstrating himself to be a blatant liar. eg even down to crowd sizes.
3) He had not, and still has not released his taxes. Too much opaqueness given his office.
For all these reasons, this report was absolutely necessary.
1
I think there is a case to be made for limiting the age of Presidents to say about 68, it seems the older ones just may be a bit senile and sometimes as we see here don’t fully comprehend what they are doing and the laws they are supposed to operate with.
2
Trump was off kilter at 40, this has nothing to do with age.
A small point amid this torrent of lies and obfuscations, obscene in themselves, but Trump's potty mouth is on full display here. Wonderful role model.
Five hours after Trump called on Russia to find dirt on Hillary Clinton Wikileaks responded with a huge information dump. It seems rather a strange 'coincidence'. I there a crime? Well it can't be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump was involved in the actual hacking, so no crime according to the report. But what would the GOP apologists say if a democrat had done anything similar. There ought to be a law against this despicable behavior, but of course the law only applies to Democrats.
Does a sitting president automatically get a get out of jail free card when they are elected? Are all people created equal? Not according to Trump.
2
We let Reagan off the hook for colluding with the Ayatollah over the hostages and for Iran-Contra. We let Dubya off the hook for stealing an election and for waging war based on a pack of lies and torturing. We let McConnell steal a SCOTUS seat.
If no one is held accountable, it just gets worse and worse. Impeach Trump now and lock him up!!
7
"Robert S. Mueller III revealed a frantic, monthslong effort by President Trump to thwart the investigation into Russia’s 2016 election interference."
OK that's obstruction of justice BY DEFINITION.
Why isn't this dangerous psychopath in a prison cell?
Our justice system is a huge international joke. One standard for ordinary people. Another for the untouchable leaders.
4
I'm curious how this news will play with the electorate that will decide the next Presidential election. We know those who voted against Trump in 2016 are likely to do so again and that Trump's base of support was going to vote for him regardless of what the Mueller report concluded. How will those who reluctantly voted for Trump last time be impacted by the report? Will they see it as a waste of time and swing further toward Trump or will they agree with Trump critics and turn on him. Either way, their reaction will decide the next election.
1
I think a lot of them aren't and/or don't want to pay attention.
1
@Bob
My guess is that most Americans know Trump is certainly no choirboy but are happy with the economy and will look upon the lack of charges as exoneration. In other words, rationally with an emphasis on the bottom line.
1
Just to be clear-is there now someone in the Department of Homeland Security who oversees the security of our elections?Is there even anyone in charge of Homeland Security?We have a crucial election coming up in 2020-Americans want to know that no foreign power is sabotaging the election.There is much to do in a very short time.Our Democracy depends on fair elections.
1
I commend the New York Times for its diligence in reporting everything related to the Mueller report. Unfortunately it is ineffective, because Trump is still president and he seems exempt from the laws regarding obstruction of justice, emoluments and asylum-seekers. He bypassed Congress by declaring a national emergency to build his wall, vetoed two bills from Congress, and steadfastly refuses to reveal his income tax returns. Republicans continue to support him, as does his base. He may even win the 2020 election. I have lost all hope.
1
Even with no evidence of collusion and close-but-no-cigar on obstruction, there's plenty of cud in the Mueller report for Democrats to chew on for the next year and a half. But how will new Mueller-related hearings and partisan squabbles play with the public's patience? The new Democrats in the House have done little aside from pass resolutions, posture and accuse others of things like racism. Why can't they propose -- and pass -- legislation that would benefit all Americans, such as finally putting up the billions needed to repair our old, ragged infrastructure? So far, it's a "do nothing" Congress.
1
Whatever they would propose still has to clear the senate and the president. As long as those impediments remain, you should mostly expect the house to highlight the fact that more changes are needed for anything of substance to happen.
1
Because they only control the House, and passing laws requires the Senate and the President to agree.
There doesn't need to be a crime here for Americans to collectively rebuke Russia for meddling with our election affairs. It's not acceptable for any American to request a national adversary to aid them in defeating a fellow American opponent in an election. Period. This is totally unacceptable. Or at least it used to be.
2
I'm glad the Mueller report is finished and it is as exhaustive as it is. But there is yet something somehow unsatisfying about it. There is no direct link with President Trump and the Russians, yet he benefited from their extreme efforts to get him elected. No matter what party you are with, that should leave a sick feeling in the stomach of everyone. Our elections should be just that -- ours. I hope something more than just a few weeks of news coverage comes of this. While it would not do a thing to impeach Trump because he'll never be convicted, I do hope the House committees pursue every appropriate avenue especially the ones that Mueller pointed out as worthy criminal probes but beyond his scope. In the end, we all should learn something from this and cut Trump loose in 2020.
1
Yes, all of that is true. That’s what gets glossed over when we’re looking at whether Trump did it didn’t collude with them. At a certain point, who cares. If he didn’t, maybe it’s an even bigger problem.
The job of a prosecutor is to bring charges or not to bring charges. They seldom, if ever, declare anyone to be innocent. There is either enough evidence or there is not. Prosecutors simply are not concerned with innocence. When they determine that charges are unfounded, they stop there. Defense attorneys, family, priests and the Innocence Project are the ones who try to exonerate. To report that Mueller did not exonerate Trump is essentially a tautology. And it reflects ignorance about what prosecutors do.
2
To declare that the report completely exonerated Trump is simply a false conclusion, though. Lots of gray areas to confuse those that need things to be binary.
Burden of proof is a fairly common legal constraint in criminal convictions.
I would imagine that this is one of the reasons that there is no such thing as a verdict of “innocent.”
It won't be the Mueller that will take down trump, but as with Al Capone, the TAX issue will do it.
2
So, when Julian Assange said in interviews years ago that, although he does not comment on sources, he would say that the DNC emails did not come from the Russian government.....was that:
1 - Technically true - ie he may never of known who the hackers were working for
2 - On its face false - ie he plainly knew the Russian government was involved
In other words, if the hackers worked for the Russian government, is it reasonable to say that Wikileaks could have been unaware fo that?
1
Fact: Trump abuses presidential powers.
Fact: Trump purposely hires criminals to work for him.
Fact: Trump is a compulsive liar.
Fact: Trump asked for and received Russian assistance to get elected.
Trump is jubilant because he believes he has dodged the real bullet that will take him down---investigation into his finances.
But, it ain't over yet.
26
@SLBvt
Fact: No collusion found.
3
@AACNY
Fact: In Helsinki, Putin summoned Trump to a room with a mere glance and addressed Trump as “Donald” after he called Putin “Mr. President.”
Fact: The day after Comey was fired, Putin deployed 2 active FSB agents into the Oval Office to verify. Trump was not able to secure CIA oversight nor American press presence in this meeting.
You got it right. Trump did not collude. A whipping boy does not collude with its master. He follows him without a word.
4
William Barr could have had a legacy as a dedicated public servant but instead, like John Kelly, Ronny Jackson, like so many others, they tied their reputations to Trump and now they'll goes down in history as lackeys to the most corrupt president of our time. Good luck.
11
How satisfy pent-up public appetite for actual 'scalp on the wall' if Trump less likely than Clinton for two-thirds majority impeachment conviction in scant 18 months remaining? Barr -- that's the ticket! Hard to impeach Trump, but Barr may be easy pickings: (1) clearly misled public and congress about what Mueller report actually says, (2) stuck his Trump hack snout into immigration mess, (3) stuck his Trump hack snout into repealing Obamacare without replacement, (4) best of all, who really cares (Democrat or Republican) what happens to lil 'Billy' Barr anyway?
Bloodthirsty public and Democrats get an actual Barr 'scalp on the wall', and the Republicans get to divert attention away from Trump while everyone "gets rid of that Barr skunk who has so divided our happy nation'". Afterward Barr feels good about himself for heroically 'throwing himself on the blade' to shield Trump. Barr impeachment is win-win-win all the way round -- while making terrific cable news drama and ratings.
5
Reagan couldn’t remember anything during the Iran-Contra hearings....because it turned out he had Alzheimers.
5
The question needs to be asked, now that the report is in, so what? As Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome, observed somewhere around two thousand years ago, "Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth." Dems will see the report as a collection of facts constituting a damning indictment of Trump. Trump's base will see the report as collection of facts constituting a total vindication of Trump. Net effect = zero. Who will win the presidency in 2020? Who know? As usual, most voters will choose whomever they think is the lesser of the two evils. Old age has made me quite cynical.
6
Let it go, New York Times. This story is exhausting your readers, and those who are not exhausted by it are not reading carefully. There’s plenty of actual news out there than to be blowing up documents that say and prove nothing and injecting them with personal opinion. Use your big typeface for actual news! I love the big typeface.
6
Mueller concluded that the Trump campaign “expected to benefit electorally” from the illegal Russian activities. Accepting that kind of aid, however indirectly, always comes at a high price exacted by the benefactor.
It seems we might have a new term for “being a Quisling.” It’s called “being a Trump.”
9
The Report may be "highly anticipated" but it is only a report. Excitable readers and partisan politicians are misinterpreting its nature in law. It is not a summary of an adversarial trial with cross-examination (and appeals). It is not a judgement, a warrant or an order. It is an unverified, unchallenged, single-source opinion. Moreover, the opinion, asserts that it cannot provide evidence for a cause of action. All else is mere hyperbole and opportunism: Trump is not going to be impeached because he cannot be in law. He may indeed face a Congressional act of various designs but they will not be able to meet threshold criteria, theatrical though it will all be.
1
Theatrical? It is called a Democracy. Apparently you are comfortable with a leader of the free world going into meetings without anyone present to document the moment if for no other reason than history.
1
I just checked Thursday's stock market and it has risen today. This suggests that the trouble Trump is in did not deleteriously affect the markets. Seems to indicate what I thought all along that the overall strength of the economy has nothing to do with Trump... I mean can anyone imagine him going to the office one day, switching off Fox Propaganda Channel and actually doing some work for the common good?
5
Obviously, Mueller's report, now that it's been released (in part) has a decidedly different flavor than that characterized by Mr. Barr previously, and today. This should hardly come as a surprise to anyone.
One thing that struck me as I listened to Barr's press conference earlier today was his continued reference to the Russian efforts to interfere with the 2016 election, but his studious avoidance of any reference to the fact that those efforts were directed purely to favor Trump and disfavor Clinton. Anyone having any doubt about whose side Barr is on should listen carefully to his phraseology in that press conference. Trump has always maintained that he was elected fair and square, without any help from anybody. Barr was clearly hired to, among other things, provide subtle (or not so subtle) confirmation of Trump's false narrative.
3
It's clearly mentioned several times in the report that there was no collusion. So it's understandable why critics have conveniently pivoted to obstruction. The problem is there are only the equivalent of musings from Mueller on obstruction.
The investigation is officially over. The democrats lost this round. Their challenge becomes how to get their leftwing to show up on Election Day without actually impeaching because we all know that's not going to happen.
2
Why on Earth would the president engage in a "frantic", nonstop effort to thwart the investigation if he truly had nothing to hide on the collusion front?
Why risk impeachment on obstruction if there weren't some bigger wrong?
Whatever is in this report, it cannot still be the whole picture. Too much is left unexplained at the end of the day.
7
It does not matter what’s in the report. The GOP will protect the President, even though Mueller had the evidence, but not authority to conclude the President criminally obstructed justice.
2
The russian social media manipulation was at least as effective as a mid-tier Super PAC.
Previous reports have put their budget at $10 million. USD.
This is $10 million spent *in russia* by people who *don't follow the US law*.
even if you just 1:1'd the money, that is the equivalent of about a $30-$40 million budget.
In essence, campaign finance regulations were broken by a rogue actor playing in our elections.
absolutely 100% anyone who engages with foreigners in our election process should be prosecuted and go to jail, not receive fines.
I don't care if its Russia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, or even Israel or the UK.
Go.
To.
Jail.
4
Trump repeatedly directed his subordinates to obstruct the Mueller probe. Why isn't that a crime?
10
@Bruce
Because it never happened. There was no actual crime committed.
1
Somehow I feel angry at Mueller who did not finish his job to reach conclusion, including not even try to subarea president to get his testimony, and left the door open for Trump and his AG to interpreter the report as they feel fit.
Mueller just went after collateral figures and left the main characters without facing justice,
I guess you are above the law if you are the President or his family.
5
Sarah Sanders should resign as well. She has no credibility.
6
@KBishop. Sorry, but women are allowed to work outside the home. Women aren’t limited to being teachers, nurses or secretaries
1
Sander’s gender has nothing to do her dishonesty.
One of the developmental aspects of morality in early child development is when children gain a sense of reciprocity, which is typically during the preschool years. This is the idea don't do to others what you don't want done to you, or its reverse to do unto others as you would want them to treat you. Don't pinch your little brother; how would you feel if he pinched you? Obviously, some kids never get it, but most do.
Republicans don't appear to have this sense of reciprocity. So imagine how the Republicans would be reacting if the Mueller report were about Bill Clinton, instead of Donald Trump, and that everything said about what Trump did, had been done by Bill Clinton and his campaign.
Keep in mind all those histrionic kangaroo court GOP Benghazi trials and email trials about Hillary Clinton.
And suppose the Democrats in the Bill Clinton administration had handled such accusations publicly as the Trump team is doing. Clinton's attorney general seriously framed, misrepresented, and distorted what the special counsel's report actually said. Clinton went around gloating that the report said he was exonerated by the findings, when, in fact, the report actually stated that the investigation does not exonerate the president.
Please explain how the Republican Party can claim to be moral, fair-minded, value truth and evidence, and be patriotic and love this country.
What the Mueller Report discloses is how much work we need to do to restore this country's integrity
4
Interesting. The Mueller report found no evidence of a conspiracy or coordination between Trump or his associates and Russia. Indeed, it found no effort of any kind that Trump, his associates, or any other Americans coordinated with Russia, whether such efforts rose to the level of criminal conduct or otherwise. Yet this article tries to convince its readers that Trump was elected through the support of a foreign power, whether or not he conspired with it, and thus the media was right all along. What self-serving, disingenuous, revisionism.
2
@Tom Williamson
The Times is making connections as if they have some bearing on the findings. If all those things being reported by The Times had significance, they would have resulted in a recommendation to bring charges. They did not.
For The Times to imply collusion where none exists borders on malfeasance.
1
Actually, what Mueller showed the administration doing borders on malfeasance; the key word is borders. Some people are so blindly partisan that they won’t acknowledge that, though.
It seems obvious that crimes were committed. Why did so many of Trumps associates lie and go to jail? Our system of justice seems seriously compromised. Foreign adversaries now see how easy it is to infiltrate and damage our government. While we vacillate over making judgments against Trump, we are losing sight of the damage Trump has inflicted. He has effectively sabotaged the executive branch. Nothing is getting done or worse. Treason seems clearly to apply. America appears vulnerable to so many scams from con men and crooks.
2
So what ? All these comments are like birds chirping on the White House lawn. Both the Democrats and Republicans are owned by corporations. When the one per centers want something done, like a tax cut or a war, their puppets move with laser like precision. The healthcare system, education system, fossil fuels, racial division is what they want and their lobbyists pay these politicians to make sure that it stays that way. Special counsels, fighting, headlines are all just distractions, and sideshows to keep folks from examining how bad that they they are actually exploited on a daily basis. Few people vote anymore in the rigged system and even fewer even care. U.S. Democracy is just a term in a history book taught to kids in schools.
1
It’s become very difficult tolerate your country now. All the best!
5
@AL
Try living in it.
1
The Mueller report is a roadmap for Congress to follow up on in the obstruction of justice. Barr was put there to slow the process down because he had done it once before in the Bush years and should be impeached as to not being impartial and uphold the oath he took to the Constitution.
3
While the media is correct in suggesting that Mueller would have charged Trump with obstruction, but for the DOJ policy against indicting a sitting President; the more critical takeaway is that even if there was not enough evidence to charge him with criminal conspiracy with the Russians to interfere with the election, he at least knew of and welcomed their assistance. What does that fact say about his fitness to be our President whose primary responsibility is to protect our security.
6
It says he's the President until January 2021, assuming the voters take the next election seriously. There's no "fitness" about it.
As in any prosecution the finding of not guilty or grand jury decision not to indict does not exonerate. As in the OJ trail.
6
Richard Nixon's second term was crippled from the minute he won the election due to his actions and his great need to be the "president", and he would stop at nothing to insure his continued time in office.
Nixon's short tenure in his second term was met with disdain, laughter and little to no respect from the people he was to serve.
Fast forward to today, April 18 and we now have another president bent on continuing his time on a perceived throne of gold. And he will find himself as Nixon did, disrespected, disdained and laughed at regardless of his belief he and his courtiers committed no wrong doing (Nixon wanted us to believe that also).
Hopefully this report will be a warning to those who aspire to be elected to our highest office-you serve us first and foremost, not your ego or your wallet.
However, with Trump that warning was met with his usual insults and belittlements.
5
tl;dr of the Mueller Report:
● Ample evidence that Trump had corrupt intent to obstruct justice (but unable to charge him due to DOJ policy of not indicting a sitting President, therefor a guilty charge without ability to indict would only serve to hinder his governance)
● No one is above the law, separation of powers allows congress oversight to make a determination on a president acting corruptly.
● Evidence that the Trump campaign benefited from Russian interference in the 2016 election.
● Evidence of numerous contacts between Trump campaign officials and Russians with ties to the Kremlin but insufficient evidence of coordination to conspire.
Barr's tl;dr of the Mueller Report:
● No COLLUSION, No Obstruction, Complete and Total Exoneration.
2
What we saw today from Barr was a travesty. Clearly the Mueller report is just a beginning. Trump, and many in the GOP, will require more investigation with regards to their actions.
7
Okay. So, Mueller concluded that Trump should not be indicted for criminal conspiracy with the Russians to hack the 2016 election to his benefit. Trump did not “conspire” but only encouraged and invited and welcomed and exhorted them to do so. Who can forget all those disgraceful public occasions when Trump trashed his own intelligence agencies and accepted Putin’s word over their massive evidence? Against overwhelming proof, why did Trump believe Putin’s denials that Russian was trying to subvert our democracy and get him elected? And why hasn’t Trump corrected or apologized for that traitorous behavior to this day? Apparently, it’s because he would like to benefit again from Russian subversion in the 2020 election. You don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
8
@Elliott
Yes Ellott, to stay in power and out of jail he NEEDS Russia's help again. He will do it. He is loyal to the UST not the USA. And he doesn't need to provably collude. A wink will do the trick. It reminds me of some guy taking out a life insurance policy on his wife and the wife disappears. There might not initially be proof but guess where the cops look first.
1
This is a portrait of our President. Imagine if his staff didn’t stop him from firing Mueller. Now imagine Trump considering use of his war-making powers. I shudder.
3
A hostile foreign country worked to get Trump elected. There is no explanation that would be satisfactory. NONE !
8
Let's see what SDNY comes up with.
Meanwhile, contrary to his initial chest-pounding before his flock, Trump has not been exonerated.
I don't see a fat lady, anywhere...yet.
Because the Mueller report contains nothing that would force the Senate to oppose Trump, it saves him from any possibility of impeachment. He is going to try to spin this in a way that gets him re-elected, and the Democrats are nowhere near cynical enough, and won't stop competing against each other, so Trump probably gets away with it.
Sounds like consciousness of guilt.
Trump could eat a baby on TV and his base would cheer. The Republic is lost.
13
Ok, Mr. Barr, your job is done. You can retire now.
1
The House has no choice now but to move forward with impeachment hearings. It is quite obvious Trump committed numerous acts of obstruction and was motivated to commit many more but was only stymied by his staff who refused to implement many of his felonious instructions including firing Bob Mueller in the middle of his investigative efforts. You would have to be a fool not to believe that Trump's intent was not criminal. It was.
8
He didn't collude, evidently. And we can understand if he was less than helpful in the investigation. So move on. We have a boatload of issues that need tackling, and now, and they are all intertwined:
the climate, mass migrations, non-stop assaults on our democracy, the rise of an oligarchy in America, guns, drugs.
2
yeah right. move on. i think mr Trump has done enough damage and should move on. fireworks celebration will be planned on the day he dies.
1
This is highly relevant and directly related to “rise of oligarchy in America.”
To say there is no evidence of collusion is ridiculous. Why did they interact with Russians? Why did they repeatedly lie about contacts with Russians? Just felt like lying that day? There is not even a hint of exoneration. There is just not "sufficient" evidence to prove conspiracy. Thats the thing about conspiracy- it is done by conspirators. The thing about conspirators is that they are conspiratorial... kind of secretive and cagey. Do we need to see a written agreement in Russian and English, duly signed and witnessed by a Justice of the Peace?
The thing about conspiracies is their secretiveness. "Nice money borrowing thing you got here Don and Don? You wouldn't want anything to happen to it would you?"
10
William Barr’s reputation as honest broker is forever ruined.
8
It could be worse.
It could be better.
If you look in to the wheeling and dealing
the lies
the obfuscations
the obstructions of Justice
by Bill and Hillary
and the pardons of those who
paid for their campaigns
it is just as bad and worse
can we just impeach
Bill, Hillary and Trump ?
1
@John Brown
The GOP playbook. Trouble is that it is an admission of defeat. A defeat lap if you will. When in trouble- in this case in a calamity - deflect straight to Hillary and then throw the dice again. Whoops! The square Don has landed says "Go straight to Jail". But I don't hate anybody with mental difficulties. Don't lock him up! Don't lock him up! Don't lock him up! He would benefit from professional help rather than jail. Just wondering if the Central Park Five ever got over the trauma of unjust imprisonment.
It is Easter, a Christian celebration where Jesus (who did not say punch him in the face but rather turn the other cheek) was crucified. So in the spirit of Easter I say "Don't lock him up!" There seems to be a few Pontias Pilates scrubbing their hands right now.
1
@Bob Guthrie
Bob,
You are right.
But the pundits want their blood -
columns and editorials to follow.
1
If they are allowed to get away with this our Democracy is over. To say nothing of good behavior generally. Why would anybody feel constrained from corrupt behavior? Especially rich white men. From now on it'll be a free for all. The Justice Department just a tool of the presidency and the 1%.
If the president is above the law we are no longer a nation of laws. End of story.
15
“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,” Mr. Mueller’s investigators wrote. “Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, however, we are unable to reach that judgment.”
Claiming exoneration after this no matter what your hand selected lackey BWilliam Barr pontificates on is akin to claiming the Boston Red Sox have won more world championships that any other team in baseball history.
He's guilty of SOMETHING just there's not eough legal evidence to charge him. So, he skates.- for nowDoesn't mean he's clean. He's as dirty as the mafiosos whose behavior he emulates on a daily basis.
4
“Oh, my God. This is terrible,” he said. “This is the end of my presidency.”
And who wouldn't think so in his place when they let him be attacked by a prosecutor with unlimited powers who can find a crime of any shown to him person?
1
If there’s nothing to find there’s nothing to worry about.
Question: Did the Mueller report find that Trump exercised his powers corruptly?
Answer: Yes it did.
Why is THAT not the headline here? Whether or not Mueller can "indict" a sitting President was never the issue. The issue is whether Trump exercised his powers corruptly and the Mueller report answered that.
The answer was: Yes. So why is the NY Times hiding what should be something that should be blaring headlines?
The President exercised his powers corruptly. That's what the Mueller report found.
10
Just be honest, Trump supporters, if a thousandths of this would have been attributed to Obama we would be already in civil war. Double standards plain and simple.
24
Lets just hope that Trump is indicted, prosecuted and jailed after this presidency ends, hopefully in two years, this should be about the same time that Julian Assange is extradited from the UK or Sweden. When Assange gets to the US he could also be jailed. I'm hoping they may get to share a cell, where they both be able to tell each other how wonderful, intelligent and beautiful they are, yet share the same unfair and unjust circumstances they now find themselves in, this would set off a huge, gargantuan, narcissistic negative reality implosion of such magnitude that both inmates are instantly vaporized leaving only a temporary vacuum and a nasty orange, cat smelling stain on the carpet.
4
Well, people, you've got the report! Everybody's been banging on about it for 2 years! What do you have in hand? A 400 page interpretation of Robert's Rules of Order! Trump needs nothing more than our debate. And just listen to the talking heads! Oh, that Trump is in trouble with them!
What happened to all the stuff people said was happening, "In plain sight"? Trump wins, again. There exists no legal means to deal with Trump because he stands beyond the law's contemplation and because we are truly a nation of men, not of laws. We've been lying to ourselves so long about that we've come to think of ourselves as being exactly what we are not. Trump is grabbing what he wants; you might say, he's "Putin" his hands on what he can grab.
And all this suggestive talk about what's implied in the report, what's between the lines, underneath the redactions, and all the rest of it, is not going to topple Trump. That is the only reason I was at all interested in Mueller's work. I don't need proof Trump's a crook! I though Mueller might provide it. He hasn't. He's given US a roadmap to Obfuscation, the planet where Trump is King, Emperor, and Pharaoh. The time for the report to remove Trump from office has already expired. It's over. Better come up with a new plan.
2
Rod Rosenstein is a fraud. He should have resigned while he had some dignity. Instead he "turned," choosing to become a Trump enabler, a prop to be used in the latest campaign of obstruction by a partisan "lawyer," Barr.
4
Really, that's all you can muster to say about Rosenstein? Clearly, you don't recognize insidiousness when you see.
1
I wonder if Republicans will be as eager now to heed the words of Donald Rumsfeld as they were in the run-up to GW Bush's ill-fated attack on Iraq.
Referring to the failure to locate any of Saddam Hussein's alleged WMDs, Rumsfeld said, "Absence of proof is not proof of absence." And the rest, as they say, is history.
Here we are again wondering, this time with far more realistic skepticism, how absence of proof could in any way be construed, by even the most generous Trump apologist, as proof of the absence of guilt?
2
@Econ John
um, no, that's not what he said. Guess they don't have google where you live
Trump came into power thinking he would be able to do whatever he wanted and what his base wanted him to do. the GOP went along with it and had no problem with Russian interference if it allowed them to stay in power. The tables have turned and the Democrats have the house. That Mueller report needs to be thoroughly studied and digested by the House. His attempt at a dictatorship has been thwarted for now.
@AV No, not thwarted. It has emboldened him and we will soon see his vengeance and wrath.
AG Barr lied this morning. Mueller DID rely on the Office of Legal Counsel's opinion that sitting Presidents can't be prosecuted during their term in office when he refrained from making a traditional prosecutorial decision on obstruction. In Volume 2 Mueller said the president may be prosecuted afterward, however, and so he investigated Trump's potential crimes "to preserve the evidence when memories were fresh and documentary materials were available."
In other words, the only thing preventing prosecution is that Trump is currently President. After that, gloves are off.
10
I taught ethics and constitutional law at the graduate level for six years including Watergate and Clintongate. I read the redacted report. Let’s break it down. Part 1 of the report asks whether any US citizen helped the Russians interfere with the 2016 election. The clear answer in the report is there is not enough evidence to convict any US citizen of helping the Russians interfere. Ergo, there is no crime. part 2 of the report asks if there was obstruction of justice. The report details 11 instances of possible obstruction. However, the issue with prosecuting obstruction of justice when there is no underlying crime is no grand jury or jury is going to convict a person in these circumstances and Mueller didn’t convene a single grand jury to consider obstruction Charges. And it doesn’t do any good to argue the AG and Deputy AG should have left the decision to Congress to take action for obstruction of justice. Under the current special counsel rules, the AG and Deputy AG were well within their rights to make a determination they couldn’t get a conviction. You may not like my analysis based on the reactions in the comments section and you can argue all you want it didn’t happen this way for Watergate or the clintons but those special counsel statutes were different and so irrelevant. Final point is you can bet the farm that Bob Mueller will confirm the above, eg no crime and an inability to convict for obstruction of justice when he testifies before Congress.
3
Remember that the highly interested Barr in the 4 page summary, initially said that lack of obstruction was not in the report. He exonerated his buddy on collusion but even as a very non impartial friend he did not initially say there was no obstruction. That makes sense today when we see there is copious evidence of Donald telling his underlings to obstruct the investigation. It was not charged due to the DOJ convention of not charging a sitting president. Clearly this is overwhelming evidence that when Trump is out of the WH, he will be in big trouble. I hope that this obvious likelihood does not start a civil war. He will do something to avoid jail.
3
Great comments throughout. The reassurance I get in knowing that people still can tell right from what isn't helps me sleep at night.
4
Trump is above the law. He has been getting away with before his presidency and during his presidency. Now with assistance of the GOP, Russia and from weak republican voters who didn't do their research on this con-artist. Now they not willing to have the Trumpsters show his taxes while most president nominees show theirs. During the Trump presidency he has lined himself, his family and friends with plenty of money at tax payer expense.
1
For those who have not taken the time to read the report and depend on just ad hoc commentary and the usual Trumpisms are doing themselves an enormous injustice.
Mueller and his team has done a magnificent job laying out the findings of their investigation!
He wrote for all of us.
Read it!
The report is riveting, as well as profoundly depressing.
Immediate takeaways:
- Russian interference was far more profound and complicated than previously expressed. The fact that their troll army was organizing rallies and Trump associates were promoting them without even knowing it? Miners For Trump? How in the world can Congress allow these election results to stand?
- AG Barr should be ashamed of himself! Why did he imprint his calculated conclusions, when the report and its conclusions were quite capable of speaking for themselves? Mueller's conclusion of a lack of a Russian conspiracy were also colored by a trail of evidence that was clearly destroyed. Barr has done this country an enormous disservice and history will not judge him kindly. Nor should Congress!
- It is also clear that the Russians did not need Trump in terms of executing their propaganda operation, but this does not mean that Trump was not being opportunistic. Nor did it occur to him or any of his associates to notify the proper authorities.
- As for the case for obstruction; I have just three words for Congress: Impeach Trump Now!
- Will this have any impact on his supporters? One can only hope.
4
This investigation found what was already suspected: that Trump’s election was illegitimate, and that he’d have lost without Russian interference.
Furthermore, while the Trump campaign may not have participated in a conspiracy - although not from lack of trying - they didn’t have to, because they knew the Russian effort would benefit their candidate and harm their opponent.
Throughout the investigation, every action by Trump signaled obstruction - witness tampering, public lying, attempted intimidation of the investigative agencies and behind the scenes interference.
Barr’s attempted partisan spin of the report, in defense of his boss, is laughable.
Our country has been hijacked by the most unethical, power-hungry and corrupt administration in history, with the help of a hostile foreign power. Suggesting this should all be left to the voters in another election, while Trump can tilt the scales with his executive power, is ludicrous. Congress could and should take up the mantle aggressively.
5
@David
OK he got Russian help but that was balanced by the millions of asylum seekers and other undocumented immigrants who somehow enrolled to vote and showed up at the booths risking imprisonment to illegally vote exclusively for Hillary. There should be an investigation into THAT.
1
It’s as though Barr we’re Trump’s PR director. He bent over backwards to sprinkle the report with so much sugar and whipped cream that Trump’s base will erroneously get to gloat and rejoice.
1
We can feel self righteous that he is not “fully exonerated”.
But the reality is there will be no criminal charges.
Let’s move on. Rather than sink our teeth into some new conspiracy theory.
It’s time to move on. Let it go.
2
Perhaps Friedrich Nietzsche said it best in relation to the search for the truth: On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain: either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow. American politics is a complex system of interwoven parts, often at war with each other, where richly varied ideologies and cultural outlooks compete with one another for supremacy. To a non-American like me it is a source of endless fascination to observe your wheels of justice and political discourse ebb and flow with the tides, at times subtly, at others loudly, most often in tandem. Whatever comes of the Mueller report, and your president, it is clear a light still shines at the heart of your democracy. Hope remains.
12
@Sam Clements
Thank you!. Terrific comment.
As the discourse darkens, shining lights also appear. You are right.
1
@Susan Anderson
Thank you. I hesitate to submit comments to the New York Times as a foreigner and non-US resident, but I am fascinated by your country in so many ways. And yes, the murkier, muddier and seemingly nightmarish and complex the discourse and issues, the more flickers of light and hope appear.
1
@Sam Clements
Is Sam your real name or are you really Mark Twain? I too am totally hooked on American politics.. sure is more lively than Antipodean politics.
1
Q. Why did Attorney General Barr's handlers put an abrupt end to his press conference about the Mueller Report?
A. Barr was spinning so fast, they were worried he'd fall off the stage.
14
Isn’t the function of every prosecutor in the US to prove if a person is guilty of a crime and not prove their innocence?
What will be Democrats excuse be in 2020 should President Trump win the election for a second term?
5
1. No.
2. That depends upon whether he is elected or boosted.
@MDCooks8
So what is Barr doing by giving Trump cover? That should tell you enough how corrupt this system is.
Make America Guffaw Again. I’ve read the first 64 pages of the report. Already, it is apparent that Individual 1 sought to obstruct justice, and that he has, through his subordinates and family members, given aid and comfort to our enemies. The polls cannot open soon enough...
32
Well, I am just waking up in Mumbai where it is 4:00 AM.
AG Barr held a press conference some 8 hours ago our time.
I just switched CNN on to see if they still had the same panel. And sure enough, after 8 hours - these same folks are still talking - led by Wolf Blitzer.
Simply hard to believe that folks are grasping for straws in a legal report which our own DOJ has found to be complete and thorough.
And as AG explained, the role of DOJ is to see based on these facts produced here - was there a crime or not? A binary option as he put it.
And DOJ whose authority rests in AG made the call.
I have read portions of the report and will attempt to read most of it. But with footnotes and a lot of repetition, I doubt I will conclude differently than the AG did.
Folks, time to move on.
Watch a baseball game today or take kids out or just say hello to your neighbor.
This fatal attraction to impeach a POTUS must end.
5
“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,”
This is the most damning statement in the entire report. However, it is not damning of Trump; it is damning of Mueller and his team. That statement effectively, but unequivocally, indicates that the Mueller Team could not make a case for obstruction of justice, but they insist on insinuating obstruction, regardless of the law and facts. This statement is Kafkaesque and Orwellian. It implies a burden of proof on the accused and suggests that after an exhaustive investigation that left no stone unturned that any ambiguity left over should be read as an indication of potential guilt.
I did not vote for Trump, and I have wanted to give Robert Mueller every benefit of the doubt. I had hoped that he would give an honest report that showed neither fear nor favoritism for the either political party. And, he almost made it. When it comes to the more cut-and-dry issue of collusion he was thorough and relentless in his investigation, but did not conduct an limitless witch hunt. However, in the matter of obstruction, he has let me and all Americans down. He and his team have succumbed to the Democratic Party narrative. They have lent credence to Trump's accusation that his team is made up of angry Clinton-supporting, Trump-hating Democrats determined to bring down the president, regardless of the facts and the law.
3
It looks like they redacted everything but the "the's" and "a"s". Barr should be disbarred for his disgraceful toadying. He all but wrung his hands, shed tears and bemoaned about how Trump felt persecuted. If this is an impartial Attorney General of the United States, then, folks, we are in a real lot of trouble.
7
Mr. Barr did a fine job of aiding Team Trump by playing a spokesmodel in an informercial that Fox News can dice up into tasty tidbits and feed to their minions.
Honorable mention the Rod Rosenstein for his American Gothic performance. All that was missing was the hay fork.
7
A question for Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Party establishment: Why stake everything on the hope of possibly uncovering evidence of cheating, perhaps something even worse (you never know!) when you already have definitive proof of much greater crimes, on a grand scale, just staring you in the face?
This is good news for Democrats.
Now they know how to legally coordinate with Chinese intelligence agents in 2020.
No collusion.
3
Turns out, Trump is the farthest from a ‘law and order’ president.
6
"a president seized by paranoia about what it might unearth."
So, with this telling and very objective interpretation the NYT suggests that Mueller just wasn't able to unearth the hidden crime?
3
Trump and his crew want to investigate the investigators!
Have they read the same report that everyone else is getting?
Answer: They don't care, they do it for "fake outrage" ... to fire up the ol' base ... to blah, blah, blah.
Here's a reach that's not that far: When local school boards control the curriculum and teach only the "right kind of science" you eliminate the basis for critical thought among the electorate: There's your problem!
3
Not illegal doesn't mean not impeachable.
Smarmy, odious, unpatriotic, unethical SHOULD mean impeachable. What a sad affair.
10