Hey NYT Headline writers -- why was the headline changed from "Mueller finds no Trump-Russia Conspiracy" to "Mueller finds no Trump-Russia Conspiracy, Barr says"? Qualifying statements like that, which while true are deceptive, only further divide. Further as a 1L law student, I'd hope that most of Congress could understand that if Mueller couldn't decide one way or the other on the obstruction charge, it means there is no chance that, as is required by law, one could find beyond a reasonable doubt obstruction. That, in my opinion, was essentially a softball to Barr to try and keep the Democrats happy. All the top dogs on this report know what they are doing when it comes to the legal issues, and I would hope most of Congress does too. It is time to just accept that, whether you like it or not, Trump won the election and, yes, he is your president. Democrats tried to call his bluff, he wasn't bluffing, and it is time to move on.
5
I’m disappointed that you bought into the Attorney Generals propaganda. You used Barr’s “did not find” in your headline, not Muller’s “did not establish”. There is a major difference between the two words. Barr’s “find” implies that nothing happened. Muller’s “establish” suggests that there was evidence but not enough to prove collusion. Barr and Muller are both too bright to have used the words by accident. You are helping Barr’s whitewash.
14
This is a bad headline. The NY Times doesn't know what's in that report and neither do we. Putting trust in any member of Trump's cabinet is a huge mistake.
Essentially, the members of the cabinet were chosen because they cannot be trusted.
10
The Democrats and the media have laid a big egg. No indictments involving any U.S. citizen colluding with the Russians. Only indictments are for unrelated crimes or lying to the FBI. A total farce because the Democrats lost and wanted to come up with why they lost. The reason is simple--the voters decided the Democrats were a fraud. And please do not give me the nonsense about the popular vote--remove CA and that is not true. The Electoral College will never be changed for the same reasons that the smaller states do not want to give up their two U.S. Senator—so CA it is your lot in life to not matter. Keep America Great—Vote Republican. Trump-Pence 2020!
7
Oh, the cognative dissonance abounding among the DemocratsAfter two years it's very rewarding.
6
Why would you have photos of people attending church services (Mr. and Mrs. Mueller) our outside of their house (Mr. Barr)? These photos add nothing to to story.
Harassing people in their private spaces is not good journalism. It's tabloid filler.
2
To my surprise and dismay, in the printed version I received this am, the New York Time set out to muddle the outcome of the Mueller Report in ways that are truly disappointing.
Here is the NYT headline: "Mueller Finds No Trump-Russia Conspiracy, but Stops Short of Exonerating President on Obstruction" Alongside the article are several excerpts from the Barr letter but not the paragraph in which Barr and Rosenstein "exonerate" the President on the obstruction of justice charge. Moreover, the full letter is not published in the printed version of the NYT. If you read the full letter, you will see that Mueller decided not to make a prosecutorial judgment on the obstruction question. That paragraph concluded with a quote from the Special Counsel's report "while the report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him."
The next paragraph of Barr's letter does go on to exonerate the President by stating that Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Barr have concluded that there is insufficient evidence to establish that the President committed obstruction of justice. without regard to the Justice Department policy that the President cannot indict a sitting President. The quote above from the Mueller report did not qualify the Barr/Rosenstein exoneration.
I cannot understand why the NYT would fail to publish the full letter and write an accompanying story that is intentionally misleading with regard to what the letter says.
5
And "we" want to invade Venezuela because it's a dictatorship!
1
November 2016, the liberals and DNC brought it on. The liberal media perpetuated the false narrative. Now liberals day of reckoning is all over again. Groundhog day of November. First and foremost to are Schiff and his ilk.
4
Mueller gone. Now Avenati. Soon a lot of Dems doing a perp walk. Good times for the Donald.
5
Even after all this many people who jumped up and down screaming "collusion" will still not give up that position. On NYT comment boards and elsewhere. All the people calling Trump every name in the book, all the people saying he was going to jail, all the people who made outrageous accusations without any facts to back them up. Not only stubborn, but really partisan to the point of being stupid. Kudos to those who really didn't like Trump but waited for the conclusion of the investigation before shooting their partisan mouths off. Some liberals/Democrats are not idiots like the rest. We had to tolerate these false accusations for over two years of the Trump Administration. And the entire thing stemmed from a phony report paid for by the Hillary Clinton campaign. Those people now should be prosecuted for conspiracy and for producing that dossier that contained a string of lies.
3
How can you write that headline in good faith? You know nothing about Mueller's report! Nothing!
3
In Beto’s expert “opinion,” Trump is still a Russian agent. Beto quite reasonably thinks that’s the way to win the Democratic nomination. If you’re a fool, you rely on bigger fools to believe you.
2
Mueller also did not exonerate Hillary Clinton and Barrack Hussein Obama of orchestrating this attempted unlawful coup against President Trump, with the aid of their foreign political operatives, corrupt federal FBI and DOJ appointees, and their unanimous, parroting, left-wing media allies.
Stand by over the next eighteen months while all the pressing questions surrounding that conspiracy, the uranium treason, The Clinton Foundation, etc., get thoroughly and publicly investigated. Because what goes around comes around.
6
This travesty only reenforces the fact that our Congress and other political appointees are little more than a den of hungry snakes. Their capacity for greed is totally out of control. Their duplicity is abhorrent, and their lack of interest in serving the needs of hoi poloi blatantly evident. One needs only to look at trump and those he surrounds himself with to nderstand that this person is corrupt, along with his family. The two representatives of the Republican Party, Denis Nunes and Jim Jordan who suck up to trump what ever the cost only reinforce their corruption.
I find it both unusual and odd that Barr felt compelled to issue a summary at all.
No doubt Mueller's report follows the standard format of providing a summary (Executive Summary) in addition to providing supporting evidence (report body) and conclusion.
Why wouldn't Barr simply submit Mueller's summary?
In other words - why would Barr feel compelled to issue a "summary of a summary" unless there were parts of Mueller's summary he didn't like and therefore felt compelled to issue his own?
8
Perhaps it’s from watching too much NCIS but it always seemed to me the autopsy was always more gruesome to watch than the supposed crime. I have no doubt this will be the same.
1
". . . the release of the findings was a significant political victory for Mr. Trump and lifted a cloud that has hung over his presidency since before he took the oath of office."
After reading these various reports, my heart sunk faster than Trump's cloud lifted. I guarantee it.
1
Trump loves money and power. He used 62 million voters and a broken electoral-college system to gain more of both.
Even after he's long gone, 62 million of his believers will still be among us...shopping at Walmart, watching Fox, avoiding libraries, and waiting for the coal industry to save them.
All that money and power and he still behaves like a child when he could be building a legacy of kindness and generosity based on sound economic principles and universal moral values.
America is not just a land mass to be platted and developed, it is an opportunity to be worthy of what we have.
Using money and power for good is the ultimate crown and blessing.
Why doesn't he know this?
3
I've been among those who didn't expect Mueller's report to end in indictments or impeachment of Trump and family. I'm glad it's over. At the same time, there's NO doubt that Trump has, in various petty and Machiavellian ways has, since the beginning of his campaign, and continuing to this day, been serving his own interests and those of very far right extremists.
Democrats would be insane to continue hammering at the collusion issue. As so many other posts point out, Trump is a symptom, not a cause. He is doing damage to every rational government approach to solving problems and serving the American people. He is doing worldwide damage. But all of this can be traced directly to the far right movement in this country.
As a university science professor, my overall perspective is this...there are things happening in the world that are way bigger than Trump and his supporters...way bigger than any of us. While it's true that Trump is probably the worst President to have at such a time, even the best President would be barely capable of dealing with what is coming, and what has already begun, in terms of climate change, mass extinction, and ecological collapse. Most scientists are exhausted at trying to give warnings on all this. Without an urgent and rapid change of collective will, we will be in a constant state of reaction and bandaging-over of one type of collapse/disaster/disease outbreak/emergency/war over resources for the next 50 years or more.
6
I don't understand why we needed cooperation from Flynn, Manafort, Cohen and others who made deals with Mueller. If they had nothing that condemned Trump, why did they need a deal? This is all very confusing.
4
Politics aside. It is not the function of the Justice Department to exonerate anyone. In the USA you are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If there are no charges there is nothing to answer for. To keep this farce going isn't just childish, it is constitutionally dangerous. Move on.
1
"Coordination" covers action by two or more parties of equal rank/input/control as well as any harmonized action. Denying that just means they were not equal players on the same team, organization or orchestra.
"Collusion" is broader--a secret agreement to cooperate--whether coordinated or not. It could be just playing along--letting events unfold--by omission as well as commission.
"Conspiracy" is even more general--meaning---like minded. Did Trump ask the Russians for help or not? Usually it's is a secret. But Trump asked Russians for help on TV!
1
Mueller has that comment quite prevalent among politicians: No Comment. It leaves the comment in the hands of the voters.
I have to disagree with AG Barr's decision to clear the POTUS of the obstruction of justice charge, of which Mr. Mueller didn't exonerate him, especially without consulting or showing his letter to Mr. Mueller first. Although hard evidence doesn't apparently exist, we see a pattern of POTUS's unruly, mafia-like, and even dangerous attacks on legal institutions and experts and preponderance of evidence. If AG Barr indeed cared about "public interest," he should have declared further inquiry, although his hands might be tied when it comes to indictment, as he claimed. POTUS will use his decision to lie more, attack the FBI and CIA, divide the country further, and deepen the chasm and faultiness that he had already made worse. In this country, nobody is supposed to be above the law. Yet, DOJ policy (or some precedent) contradicts it. More noise and madness ahead!
My question is then why did all of the Trump associates lie about contacts with the Russians if they did not do anything wrong?
I still believe there is something deeper here. This does not pass the smell test.
6
The message here is that it is OK to invite a foreign adversary to interfere in our election process -- just do it in plain sight so it's not a conspiracy or collusion.
2
I’m not sure I see what’s all that tricky about Barr’s clearly having said the Report “does not exonerate,” the President. Is there something about the word “not,” that anybody’s having major trouble with?
Similarly, is it REALLY all that difficult to understand that if Bob Barr writes a memo saying he doesn’t believe a President can get indicted for obstruction of justice under ANY circumstances, some of us have a bit of a problem with him deciding not to indict Trump for obstruction of justice? That maybe he’s right about the decision in this particular case, but Congress needs to know exactly what this particular case is?
By the way, we do all understand that Trump’s (and Republican’s) demanding that the Report gets released will last until about one o’clock this afternoon?
Mr Trump tried to persuade the Russians to unearth thousands of deleted e mails from Mrs .Clinton private server...according to the New York Times article this morning, so I wonder why is the Muller report concluding that there was not “collusion” with the Russians to interfere in our electoral process. I guess that conclusion is based on a TECHNICALITY, which is described by the justice department as the lack of evidence that Trump personally actually asked the Kremlin to do it! I say FIDDLESTICKS! Obviously the governing heads of these two different countries would never put themselves in such direct jeopardy, they would unleash their lap dogs to do their dirty work. And DIRTY WORK it is, make no mistake, as the intent is clearly to stain a candidate reputation to the point of changing the minds of the electorate. If that is not collusion, interference, whatever you want to call it, I don’t know what is!
It is too bad that Mueller left such ambiguity in his report as to in effect insure that there will be months if not years of debate about the meaning of the report among our law makers to the detriment of governing the country and passing meaningful legislation. This of course will further polarize the country into two camps in addition to the polarization already happening as the elections campaigns get under way. Too bad....What it is clear though is that we have a president who lies, cheats, and surrounds himself with criminals to help him do his job.
Justice Dept.’s conclusions on Trump’s obstruction:
“While this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.” “The evidence developed during the Special Counsel’s investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense.”
Justice Dept.’s conclusion on Hillary’s emails:
"Although there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case."
Basically the same conclusions. Any Republicans who are claiming that Trump is totally exonerated must also claim that Hillary is totally exonerated. Any Democrats who are claiming that the obstruction investigation must continue must also claim that the Hillary email investigation must continue. Neither side can have it both ways.
Rational, intellectually honest people from both sides know that it is time to put all of this behind us and move on to solving the country’s real problems.
2
The persistence of the ‘Resistance’ will undoubtedly lead the Democratic Party to yet another loss in 2020.
2
Rod Rosenstein was right. James Comey should have recorded the conversation. More Madness seems ahead. Not looking forward to it.
Barr's letter to Congress contains the following passage:
"the report identifies no actions that, in our judgment, constitute obstructive conduct, had a nexus to a pending or contemplated proceeding, and were done with corrupt intent, each of which, under the Department's principles of federal prosecution guiding charging decisions, would need to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to establish an obstruction-of-justice offense."
That is a very high bar as it should be in deciding whether the Department of Justice should charge the sitting president with committing a crime that would amount to treason.
Those who feel, as I do, that Donald Trump is unfit for the office of President and debases it and our country daily by his conduct and tweets should concentrate on removing him from office by defeating him in the 2020 election, not by trying to impeach him. Over-reaching on investigations is ill advised.
3
in contrast to what The Daily pundits say the probe was not a distraction. The Daily also says the Mueller report says trumps intent to damage Clinton was done in public therefore no conspiracy. its as if trump just walked down 5th ave and shot someone.
I doubt anyone here needs to be told, but when we say we cannot exonerate someone, that is awfully close to trying to prove a negative. For instance, while I feel confident that most of my liberal brothers and sisters that read the NYTimes (this conservative likes to read it too!), would get up in arms if someone accused you of murdering cats with an axe, then a thorough investigation was made, but then the report came back that said, "We can find no evidence that Mr. Wilson killed cats with an axe. However, we cannot rule it out either."
That's enough to make you switch from stalking cats to stalking people who put out such reports!
Liberal friends, with respect, your representatives, etc. have taken a hard and FAIR shot at nailing President Trump. He survived. If he is guilty, they still could not pin him with it. While many of you not only detest Trump's policies AND personality, many of us Evangelical conservatives LIKE his policies...but are with you when it comes to his personality.
Yes, I appreciate Trump's conservative take on matter, but he is FAR TOO IMPORTANT to use his time in mocking, slamming, and trashing others. It brings him low--and these things will be remembered instead of some of his legitimate accomplishments.
I hope Trump will use this moment to turn the corner and get busy delivering. I expect this of all presidents, Democrat or Republican.
1
While the reporting over the past 2 years about the Muller investigation have been convoluted and confusing, here’s what we know: Multiple people close to trump have been indicted and found guilty of lying to Congress and FBI about contacts with Russia and Wikileaks. The Russian govt tried to help Trump win through manipulating social media. Trump denied a business relationship with Russia during the campaign but later admitted that negotiations for a Trump Tower were ongoing. The Trump team said that a meeting involving Jared and Trumps son and Russians close to Putin was about adoptions, it was later found that it had to do with getting dirt on Hillary.
Muller may not have been able to prove thatTrump colluded with the Russians ( and it’s odd that he punted on obstruction of justice) but clearly there is something very rotten about the people surrounding Trump - both past and present. Trump May have been only focused on chasing what he knows (building a Trump Tower in and shady business deals with Russia) but that was enough to create a perfect storm for those advisers and campaign players who had other agendas.
Trump is a liar and his business and personal dealings are rotten. The cast of characters who have been with Trump ( Steve Brannon, Steve Miller and all those indicted by Muller) and those currently with Trump have an agenda to weaken our country, make money on our country, and/or prove our government is dysfunction therefore needs to be reduce.
The headline
Mueller Finds No Trump-Russia Conspiracy, but Stops Short of Exonerating President on Obstruction
is misleading.
1) Mueller has not spoken about what is in the report;
2) no one has seen what is in the report other than Attorney General Barr;
3) But Barr is as unreliable as any in Trump's den of liars.
SO in all honesty we DO NOT KNOW what Mueller found.
3
The perfect crime.
Everyone knows you did it, yet no one can prove it.
I am not talking about Trump but the puppet master Putin whose most ambitious intelligence operation in world history still continues to be a success right this very second.
I'm more than disappointed in the response to Mueller's report. Dems have for MONTHS been supporting Mueller and his investigation, applauding all his efforts. He selected lawyers that were democrats and spent $25 million or more turning over every rock. He went well outside collusion, he looked at everyone Trump knew. And now that he has confirmed that the investigation didn't confirm collusion, everyone's mind is exploding? 'Journalists' at CNN and MSNBC are claiming conspiracy?!!
If the Dems decide that rule of law isn't good enough, if an investigation as thorough as this one was, isn't good enough, then I'm done trusting that they are interested in justice at all. Mass murderers get more protection than Trump. Just because you don't like Trump, doesn't mean he colluded with Russia, or should be impeached. Frankly, I'm disgusted.
The Dems need to move on, stop wasting hours and millions in their next attack to find something on Trump. How about doing the job we the people hired you to do? How about stopping efforts to abdicate the constitution and creating ridiculous amendments that are designed to stack the deck in the current Dem direction - leave identity politics in the garbage where it belongs, reach out to all Americans with solutions for all Americans and PLEASE stop creating new 'commissions' or congressional hearings that are not legitimate. Hate is not a reason to break our laws and change our system of governance.
1
Thank you Brexiters for making us look better by comparison. Keep up the muck-up. Thanks again.
OK. So release the full report instead of a summary.
There are bunch of retorts from people like "you only listen to the liberal media"or "NYT or MSNBC is your only source for news" that not only overlooks that much of what Donald Trump has said and done has been in plain sight for all to see - where as Trump as said - don't believe what I say or do but believe what I tell you I said and did. We don't need the interpretation of NYTimes, or FOX, we can see for ourselves and draw our own conclusions.
Two crimes that Trump has been charged with are obstruction of justice and his presidential campaign's collusion with Russia in its efforts to influence the country's election in his favor. Aren't both crimes equally serious? If so, how can the special counsel offer his conclusion only on one and leave the other unresolved? After all, the mandate given to him was to investigate not only Russia's election interference but also “any matters that may arise directly from that investigation.”
In this case, we are not talking about just any matter but one that is inextricably linked to the investigation. We all know that it began even before a special counsel was appointed for that purpose. The FBI, under Director James Comey, was conducting a thorough investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election when President Trump brought it to an abrupt end by firing Comey. On the president's own admission, he did it because of "the Russia thing."
Until the full report is released, we wouldn't know how to what extent the Mueller team dealt with this episode and how it came to the conclusion it did. To the minds of most legal experts, Trump's dismissal of Comey and ending the investigation abruptly was a clear case of obstruction of justice.
The move on the part of Democrats to bring Mueller before the judiciary committee to find out why he left the obstruction of justice issue unresolved is very in order. The whole country is eager to hear about it from the horse's mouth.
12
Did Mueller refuse to be pressured to rule out obstruction and include the reference so that Barr would have to do the dirty work himself?
I heard very clearly the directive from congress to the administration to preserve documents related to theses matters.
If there is a possibility of obstruction through destruction of documentation that should be addressed through subpoena now.
If there are any citizens out there who were involved in the investigation and fear that their testimony was not properly represented in the final report they should contact their Democratic representative as soon as possible.
Extraordinary times require vigilance and a healthy amount of skepticism.
4
Now the Democrats want an investigation of the investigation. Looks like this will go on ad infinitum to serve the Democratic goal of obstruction of Trump.
7
It’s pretty rich to see Trumpists kvetching about investigating investigations, especially given their boy’s screaming yesterday about how he’s gonna investigate investigations.
2
@Rich The Gas-lighting has to stop!
Trump laughed in the face of America along with Russian adversaries after secretly feting these Russian adversaries in Our White House; asked our Russian adversary to hack an American opponent's email; agreed with Putin/adversary, the malignant thug, after meeting with him secretly in Helsinki that our intel agencies were wrong and Putin was right; threatened the scribe with God knows what if notes are released; changes the GOP platform to comply with Russia's wishes; does NOTHING to ensure our next elections will not be hacked by Russia (or any adversary)....I could go on and on.
Get off your high horse and defend America not the squalid Trump/Russia love affair.
1
@Rich: And, what proof do you have that this is pure politics? If you must insist on playing that card, tell ya what I'm gonna do; I'll suggest you make believe this is payback by the Democrats for HRC, and that issue over BenghaziBenghaziBenghazi. Maybe that will make you and your like-minded ilk something else to rant about.
As for the rest of us, all we want is to find the truth. And, it doesn't stop here; like it or not, with the SDNY on the case, this far from over for Trump. How far?
...Have you got a car?
Trump claimed that there was no collusion by Russia during his campaign for President, but I am curious: what was Trump's son doing meeting with the Russian President during the election?
9
FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, a Trump appointee served under George W. Bush and as Christ Christie’s personal attorney during the Bridgegate Scandal, oversaw a truncated investigation of the sexual assault charges of Brett Kavanaugh, who had written about broad views on the limitations of Presidential powers. Kavanaugh now sits on the Supreme Court. Now William Barr, was appointed by Trump as Attorney General after writing of a 19-page memo on the limitations of Presidential obstruction of justice. Then, within 48 hours of receiving Robert Mueller’s report, Barr asserts that Trump was not chargeable for obstruction of justice following Mueller’s inability to interview Trump to ascertain “corrupt intent” and was left with the assertion that Trump was not exonerated. This reflects the other side of Trump’s projection that the system is rigged. I have never felt more uncertain about the future of this country given how Trump’s unrelenting attack on civil discourse and the rule of law in this country.
8
For his own reasons Mueller has suspended his judgment on the obstruction of justice charge .He has neither exonerated nor indicted Trump on the charge,leaving it to the discretion of the Attorney General.Therefore,partisans claiming Trump has been exonerated or left doubtfully unjudged by Mueller are wrong.
Re.: “This was an illegal take-down that failed.” If this was an illegal take down, then you were illegally exonerated. Moreover you were not exonerated by Mr. Mueller from the Obstruction of Justice issue. Rather after making a "thorough factual investigation" in these matters," the issue of Obstruction of Justice was left undecided by Mr. Mueller because of "difficult issues" of law and fact, thereby leaving the decision to the political appointee AG Mr. Barr: "The Special Counsel therefore did not draw a conclusion -- one way or the other -- as to whether the examined conduct constituted obstruction. Instead, for each of the relevant actions investigated, the report sets out evidence on both sides of the question and leaves unresolved what the Special Counsel views as 'difficult issues' of law and fact concerning whether the President's actions and intent could be viewed as obstruction. The Special Counsel states that 'while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.'"
4
This letter is not the report, but Barr's interpretation of the report. Given his clear and definitive opinion that a sitting president cannot be indicted, it's no wonder this is what is in the letter.
This is but one step towards many. Remember the Clinton mess? Once Kenneth Starr's report was released there was a tidal wave of activity. I for one believe in the rule of law and that the law will prevail. I just hope enough light is shed to inform voters before 2020.
2
Is it possible that a middle of the road conclusion, not leaning one way or the other on criminal wrongdoing by the president, was simply to protect our country from moving closer to a civil war? The U.S. seems pretty darn fragile these days.
5
@I Have Major Concerns, And Questions
You might be right. I hear you.
Let's just not forget that Russia very much wanted Trump in the White House. The troll farms, the misinformation campaigns, the hacking, all of it was designed for that goal. I fear this finding of "no collusion" is going to mask the fact that a hostile foreign power with their own agenda interfered in our elections.
4
Of course it stopped short of "exonerating" him. It is a play on words. He would have had to done something wrong to be exonerated.
2
It should come as no surprise that Barr, handpicked for his fringe views on presidential obstruction of justice, has decided to clear Trump of those charges.
The whole episode stinks, and will continue to do so until the entire Mueller Report is released. The public will never have any confidence in solely the Barr Report. Right now, 100% of the country is angry. 30% believe the DOJ went rogue in an illegal attempt to remove Trump from office, and the other 70% feel there was either a cover-up or in some other way justice wasn't served. This stark divide will remain until there is complete transparency.
6
The notion that: the report can't prove conspiracy so the AG assumes that all the President's plain-sight obstruction failed the corrupt intent standard is so insane I want to toss my laptop out the window.
4
Mueller’s report concluded that the President committed no crime. By that criteria alone, he is exonerated.
1
Actually, it concluded that a) however bad Trump’s footsie with Putin looks, it doesn’t rise to the level of criminal conspiracy, and b) Mueller couldn’t say anything one way or another about obstruction of justice.
Barr seems to have added two things: a) they’re not gonna prosecute, and b) the Report, “does not exonerate,” Trump.
Does...not...exonerate.
Not really that tricky, you know. Seems you kids could at least get that straight.
Well, Barr came through and did exactly what he was appointed to do...he protected Trump. Such a carefully worded letter that spins and spins and spins. The People, who supposedly are the government, have both the right and the duty to see the complete report without the spin and to decide for ourselves the truth. The concept that it can't be obstruction because he did it publicly is sadly laughable. We have an insane man acting as the president and seem unable to do anything about it because the Republicans won't allow actual truth to prevail. Our nation is a shambles.
2
Trump's top campaign officials meet - in Trump Tower! - with Russians close to Putin offering to directly help the campaign by offering dirt on Putin. Soon after that meeting, Trump campaign officials order a change in the RNC platform that gives Putin something he wants.
When news of the meeting comes out, Trump writes a completely false statement that the Trump Tower meeting was about Russian adoptions.
Mueller says meeting with Russians close to Putin who offer to help you with your campaign is ALWAYS legal, especially if you do them a favor right after the meeting and then when word gets out, lie about whether it was an offer to help you win the campaign or not.
And Mueller says he has to accept whatever Trump and others say because putting them under oath or forcing them to take the fifth because they don't want to implicate themselves in a crime would be wrong and Mueller would rather tell Americans that campaigns meeting with foreign agents offering to help with their campaign is now perfectly fine.
Scratching my head about how blinded with pro-Republican love Robert Mueller must be to say what is in front of him is perfectly legal and make it clear that Republicans like Robert Mueller now approve of Presidential candidates or their top campaign officials meeting with any foreign agents who want to help them with their campaign by releasing dirt on their opponents. Or maybe the Republican Mueller would not approve if a Democrat committed such treason.
1
There is a broad range of things reported as fact, which are hard to reconcile with the conclusions of the report as framed by Barr.
Until a detailed explanation of how the facts fit the conclusions or why the supposed facts are not facts at all, the meaning of the report is unclear.
Let's accept, for argument's sake, that there was no conspiracy between Trump and the Russian government. Where does that leave the Trump's criminality in being the Individual 1 who directed the felony admitted by Cohen? Was it a non-crime? Was it not charged because Individual 1 is president? Was Cohen's plea a lie? In the words of Nixon, people have got to know whether or not their President is a crook.
2
As others have no doubt noted, until we see the entire report, we really don't know what it says. Given that Barr is Trump's man, handpicked for his loyalty, we have no reason to trust his summary.
3
For someone who feels vindicated, Trump sure has spent a lot of time over the last two years lying, obfuscating and urging his nefarious cohort to do the same. He's not innocent; he's just lucky. He probably paid Barr a ton of money to interpret the Mueller Report the way he did. How Trump can get back to doing what he does best: ruining the country and causing pain.
1
@H. Clark
Lying is second nature to him even the mundane. The man is a textbook sociopath.
@H. Clark Mueller is the guilty party. Not Barr.
Mr. Barr could have further condensed his letter to just two words: Plausible deniability.
Whitewash. How can Mueller make a finding on no conspiracy when he didn’t even interview the two main conspirators, let alone under oath. Seems as if Barr quietly shut this down as per speculation by prominent republican, Schlapp, right after the appointment of Barr. Time to summon Mueller to testify.
4
While I appreciate the Attorney General summarizing Mueller's report, a.k.a., Cliff Notes' version, I feel betrayed that the American public was not able to read and ascertain their own interpretation of this report. I'm not stupid. I'm fairly confident that I and millions of others could muddle through the jargon. I don't need to be spoon fed but rather need to know what the entire report says.
Thanks for thinking so little of me and other tax payers.
4
So who's to blame for this two-year conspiracy nightmare? First, the Russians who attempted to sabotage our election with intent of defeating Hillary Clinton. Then, Donald Trump as candidate whose campaign staff welcomed the Russian offers of "dirt" on Clinton and exploited for political gain their hacking and publication of embarrassing Democratic Party email files. Finally, Donald Trump as president who continuously attacked the Mueller investigation and defamed our Justice Department, FBI and intelligence community leadership and even some lower-ranking employees and threatened their careers and their work on the behalf of the American people. It was Donald Trump's reactions, in word and deed, that fueled public and congressional concern and aggressive media coverage (thank you American free press!) The common man knows that the "the hit dog hollers" and when that "dog" is Donald Trump, he will also attack. What we now know beyond reasonable doubt is that Donald Trump and his associates did not intentionally conspire with a powerful foreign adversary to throw the election to him. But what remains is a president who has some still unknown reason to overreact, attack and undermine the pursuit of truth. It is for Congress to determine if justice has been obstructed and why.
1
So he can do what ever he wants? No testifying nothing even what we saw and heard ... 1984 day is night... he would cover up because he didn’t know what would happen. He knew some things but not everything... There is nothing real or honest about this man who has cynically used his office everyday.
1
On obstruction, Barr’s & Rosenstein’s determined that there was insufficient evidence to pursue a criminal charge while Mueller cautioned that despite the lack of such evidence, there’s a stinking dead rat somewhere in the walls, we just haven’t found it yet.
2
There is something deeply wrong with our government when the President of the United States admits on national television that he fired the Director of FBI, James Comey, to stop the Russian investigation, which was investigating the president - to have an
Attorney General, appointed by this corrupt president, holding the Mueller report in hands, following the intention of the president to keep the report from the American people.
What has happened to our democracy?
5
OK, so he didn't collude (which isn't a crime anyway) and there's not information to say he obstructed justice, therefore he still has to prove the negative? At some point (and that point is now), this is going to become counter-productive toward a DEM victory in 2020.
The fact is, if the DEMS stopped now, they would probably win in 2020. They'll get a strong turnout among all DEMS and there's enough centrists who are fed up with what Trump has done to defile the office that they'll vote DEM. They keep pushing this, some percentage of the centrists will see this for the witch hunt it is and vote for Trump out of sympathy. I won't vote for Trump, but I'll understand how he got re-elected. It's enough. He's a terrible president. We don't need to collusion and obstruction issues to get people to vote against him.
2
No doubt to date we have only heard the Trump ally A.G.side of this report .let the American people read the entire report not redacted and washed in bleach.
1
In today’s NYT, it states ‘Campaign officials at times were eager to accept benefits from Russia’s covert operation’, and the Trump Jr. meeting was used as proof. What evidence does the NYT have that Mueller doesn’t that proves that meeting was part of ‘Russia’s covert operation’?
The legal community has reviewed William Barr's letter and their conclusion is that it stinks to high heaven.
2
The hypocrisy, disingenuousness, and willful ignorance on the part of so many trump supporters commenting here is sickening.
Saying this investigation was unwarranted from the beginning when there was so much smoke, so many connections between trump associates and Russians during the campaign on top of confirmed interference by the Russians? We all know that if it was a Democratic president, and there had been just a whiff of these kinds of things, you would have all been screaming for blood, and refusing to accept the same outcome.
Repeating the lie that this was a Democratic witch hunt, when the investigation was initiated by trump's own Justice Dept., and carried out by a card-carrying Republican?
Claiming total victory for trump, when the report explicitly failed to exonerate him on obstruction of justice, and cited evidence (much of which we're already well aware of) that might amount to criminality?
Given the obvious fact that trump is a shady, sleazy operator, a shameless, habitual liar, a bigot, a bully, an embarrassingly immature narcissist, and an all around despicable human being, I have to surmise that the reason most of you so faithfully support him, is that you personally identify with some or all of these qualities. That, or your hatred of all things Democratic is all-consuming.
The trump presidency is a stain on the history of America, and we've yet to see the full extent of the damage that will result. You are the people who have made it possible.
2
That is a silly statement. Trump did not call for the Russians to hack Hillary's email. He jokingly called on the Russians to release her emails, since they had quite probably hacked them from her servers, and hadn't deleted them as Hillary's employees had done.
1
Trump owes Mueller and his team an honest apology.
That will happen when pigs fly.
Barr’s letter doesn’t clear Trump. It defines crimes to exclude what Trump did. That’s why he was appointed to the AG position and he’s doing his job. We’re being manipulated by a narcissistic psychopath, and the MSM media and pundits are doing the manipulative psychopath’s work for him. This is their subversive power. We’re all getting played like a violin and he was elected the same way. The New York Times must begin to explain this to its readers. The nation must wake up before it’s too late.
5
If really Trump and company is right in bragging that the President is fully exonerated on all charges by the special Investigator, he should do two things; first allow the entire report is published to public at once; and second open his tax returns of the last decade to prove that he is legally and morally a billionaire without using any short cuts.
6
@rosy dahodi
But he isn't fully exonerated and this is from Mueller directly.
2
It is hard to understand how there can be the conclusion that there was no conspiracy between the Trump Campaign and the Russians to affect the outcome of the election.
1. On the day that Trump publicly asked the Russians to look for Hillary Clinton's "missing emails", the Russians did then begin the hacking of the DNC server. (Mueller concludes that the Russians DID do the hacking, and he indicted a bunch of those people for breaking US law.)
2. We have reports that Roger Stone was in contact with Assange/WikiLeaks about the hacked material from the DNC server and John Podesta's email account, and knew about the prospective "dumps" of the hacked material to harm the Democratic campaign.
3. We know that Donnie, Jr. was pleased to get Russian "dirt" on HRC. (“If it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summer.”) We know he attended the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting purported to be specifically on that subject, along with Jared Kushner and the convicted felon Paul Manafort.
4. Members of the Trump Campaign lied repeatedly about contacts with Russian during the campaign and immediately after the election.
It is well understood that a pattern of conduct can be sufficient to find a person guilty of a crime that is charged, even when a "smoking gun" is not found.
How many publicly known facts (and there are many more than the 4 I have identified) are needed to show the "pattern of conduct" constituting conspiracy with the indicted Russians?
7
The thing is, you could create oretty much the same pattern by having Putin coming after our elections, and having Trump being terminally stupid, lazy and vicious, with enough supporters who cheer him on for it.
@Joe From Boston
Fear not, this is not the end....the NYC office of the FBI, has been very much involved and will carry Mr. Mueller's plan to the Supreme Court. Trump has time to continue his reality show for now. I hope he's removed from office before 2020. He's used the Presidency to do not much more than campaign for himself and his like. He has disgraced the country and its democracy.
1
@Robert As one Russia expert put it: Putin (or any looming miscreant) could have 'dirt' on someone and suggest that they "play ball" or the dirt goes public. That would not be "collusion". That would be blackmail, by Putin. Is it wrong and is it selling out the country for one's own gain? It would seem so to me. Perhaps that's why there was no "exoneration" for Trump (the chump) in the Mueller report.
Release the full report.
9
We did not need to be spoon fed an opinion piece by AG William Barr. That was not his job. He should deliver the Mueller report to Congress so that Congress can perform its vital legislative and oversight functions.
Let’s hope that Barr will not now seek to shield the report from Congress under an extreme application of federal rule of criminal procedure 6(e) regarding the secrecy of grand jury proceedings. First, Ruke 6(e)(3)(A)(i) permits disclosure to “an attorney for the government for use in performing that attorney’s duty.” That would seem on its face to include attorneys working for the Judiciary and oversight committees of Congress.
Second, Rule 6(e)(3)(D) states that “an attorney for the government may disclose any grand jury matter involving foreign intelligence, counterintelligence ..., or foreign intelligence information ... to any federal law enforcement, intelligence, protective, immigration, national defense or national security official to assist ... in the performance of that official’s duties. A similar exception applies to the disclosure of “a threat of attack or other grave hostile acts of a foreign power or its agents, ... to any appropriate federal ... official for the purpose of preventing or responding to such threat or activities.” Here, Mueller clearly found Russian interference in the 2016 election - a finding that Barr himself acknowledged in his “summary” to Congress - and Congress surely needs the full report to do its job.
7
I won't be able to take Kellyanne Conway's spin on this that will haunt tv for weeks. Not to be flippant but thank god baseball season is starting. Need something to sooth the nerves and get by till 2020. I will be camping out at my polling place before dawn to vote out this sleazy excuse for a president.
9
Still waiting for "I'm sorry" by the New York Times.
The fact they won a Pulitzer for their Russian Collusion is akin to the Nobel Peace prize going to Barack Obama 10 days after taking office after having never done anything in his life that was meaningful or substantial (other than writing his own auto-biography at age 32).
When is the Left going to learn?
The apologies should commence now if you have any desire to keep a 2nd Special Counsel from being appointed that will end very very badly for Democrats from the Obama Administration.
If you look at this objectively, this was a coup attempt and people need to go to prison for it.
The media and their minders need to be held to account.
The nation needs to be made whole.
Like Trump or Hate Trump...this was a crime against the nation. This was a coup attempt plain and simple and until the media, the Intelligence Community, and those 55% of Democrats who believe in their heart of hearts that Russia got Trump elected in 2016 (think about how you've been brainwashed the last 30 months to believe this) have a reckoning with their behavior...there can be no national reconciliation.
You might think about calling Nadler and Waters and having them call of the dogs. This doesn't end well for Democrats in 2020 otherwise.
5
@Erica Smythe Apologize for all of the indictments?
No, that isn't how it works.
1
@Erica Smythe
Don't hold your breath, and btw he wasn't fully exonerated contrary to spokesperson Barr.
Release the full report.
Who knew Mueller was a Republican? Ridiculous. Mueller has the unmistakable look of a Republican. No wonder the media rarely showed Mueller's face these last two years. Honest Democrats would have called him out right from the start.
The foxes in charge of the hen house have concluded the foxes did not eat the hen's eggs. Ludicrous. Where have we heard this egregious story before?
1
@Lawrence Chanin
I guess it shows that there were no honest democrats around, much like now.
2
“Remarkable in the seismic upheavals of 1933-4 was not how much, but how little, the new Chancellor needed to do to bring about the extension and consolidation of his power. Hitler’s dictatorship was made as much by others as by himself. As the “representative figure” of the “national renewal” Hitler could for the most part function as activator and enabler of the forces he had unleashed, authorizing and legitimating actions taken by others now rushing to implement what they took to be his wishes. Scarcely any of the transformations of Germany during the spring and summer of 1933 had followed direct orders from the Reich Chancellery. Hitler had rarely been personally involved. But he was the main beneficiary.”
--- Ian Kershaw, the noted biographer of Adolf Hitler who was instrumental in introducing the concept of “Working Toward the Fuhrer.”
Trump’s genius, like Hitler’s, lies in always avoiding direct involvement in his dirty work and always recruiting others to perform it.
This is what ended up preventing Mueller from even securing enough evidence to convict him of jaywalking.
3
@A. Stanton
Another parallel is that the German businessmen who advocated to President Hindenburg to appoint Hitler Chancellor on January 30, 1933 were convinced that being in office would "normalize" Hitler, and that he would be more responsible once he had the office.
See also William L. Shirer, "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" at page 181 which describes a private meeting between Hitler and Hindenburg's son Oskar (the content of which is not know because there were no others present), at which Hitler got the backing of Oskar. Oskar is described as one "who was not noted for a brilliant mind or a strong character". After Hitler became Chancellor, the Hindenburg family was given 5000 tax free acres and in August 1934 Oskar was "jumped from Colonel to Major General in the Army."
Mock the Russiagaters. Mock them ruthlessly, and never, ever let them forget the horrible thing that they did. Never stop making fun of them and reminding them how stupid and crazy they acted during this humiliating period of American history. And never stop using it as a weapon against them. They were wrong, so they should not be leading the way on what passes for America’s political left today. Skepticism was the only appropriate response to Russiagate in a post-Iraq invasion world, and those on the left who made that appropriate response should be treated with infinitely more respect and deference than those who parroted CIA/FBI/MSM narratives.
3
@Michael Sorensen
When did the fat lady sing?
The Southern District of NY is still investigating.
The State of NY is still investigating.
In 2018 AG Barr wrote a 19 page "memo" that took the position that POTUS could not commit obstruction of justice just because the office gives immunity to him. That position is NONSENSE. My proof is that the first Article of Impeachment for Richard Nixon in 1974 was based on "obstruction of justice" and he would have been convicted had he not resigned. According to Barr, that outcome should be impossible. Barr is flat wrong.
So gloat some more, but the story is not over. Not by a long shot.
Excuse me but it was the Republicans who appointed the Special Council. Don’t shift the blame, the Democrats has nothing to do with it.
It’s an awfully strange position to be in, having feelings of disappointment that the president hasn’t been found to be a law breaker. That aside, I think the Dems better spin this the right way. Once again, it’s the simple truth… This is a president who did everything within his power to hide, obscure, deflect, prolong the process and mislead the public. He further signaled his intent to bury the investigation by slandering those conducting it and with poor “optics,” (see: 1-1 meeting with Putin). If he was clean all along, why did he not simply cooperate and sit with Mueller to put it to bed?
He’s worried about the investigations into his private business affairs, that’s why. Bigly! And for bigly reasons. NY Southern is going cream this animal soon enough.
But, to my original point: Dems should be rejoicing. The President of the United States of America was found not to have been acting in concert with hostile foreign powers who wish to harm our democracy. Hallelujah! Gee, we thought that was just a job requirement. And isn’t it time for a President that can just govern?
I’ll answer that. Yes.
4
Great! Now he doesn’t have to be distracted anymore. He can just focus on being the worst president* in American history, pandering to his demented mob, militias, white supremacists, etc and no one else. He’s already back on it today.
9
Uh, you may not have noticed, but ISIS fell yesterday. You see, the President has been doing his job while the Dems were whipped into a frenzy over Russian collusion.
Reading the comments, all the people who were shocked when HRC lost, are shocked again. FBI agent Peter Strozk, who hated Trump, told Lisa Page it was no there there, to beging with. But the Democrats concocted this Rusia hoax with Comey who wanted revenge for being fired, while the MSM made big money from the ratings for two years. As someone who saw Trump being elected from 2015, though not a Trump fan, I could see this one coming too.
2
"Special counsel finds no conspiracy, but punts on obstruction"
On NPR radio news at 9:00 AM, they reported that Trump is claiming "complete exoneration." But, of course, that is what Trump does, puff up every claim and every condemnation. We need to remember that Trump has a record of over 8,000 confirmed lies to his shame. A liar, Trump, can never be believed without a complete investigation.
I want to read all of the Mueller report that can be made public and a 4 page report by the Attorney General does not cut it:
** How close of a call was it that there was "no conspiracy"?
** How are the Trump Tower meeting with the Russian attorney and Trump Jr. and Son-in-law?
** How are the numerous contacts for the Trump Moscow Tower by numerous Trump people answered or explained?
** How is the Roger Stone & Wikileaks contacts explained?
** Did the Russians provide any money to the Trump campaign in any manner and how much?
** Did Mueller investigate the Trump & Putin meetings where the interpreter notes were not revealed?
** What is the full Mueller explanation for the "punt" on the obstruction of justice issue?
Trump's claim of "complete exoneration"? Not so fast Mr. Trump. This is not over by a long shot.
4
Irresponsible headline for the NYT. Barr is a political appointee, so his summary is not impartial. We won’t know what’s in the report until it is made public.
And wow, what a country we’ve become. An assertion of “we can’t prove obstruction of justice around our election subverted by an enemy” is somehow interpreted as an endorsement of the guy who benefitted from the conspiracy.
7
Coming up. A perp walk for all those involved in the plot to overthrow the President of the United States.
2
Really? Trump’s AG and the republicans appointed the special council. Why would you think Democrats wouldn’t be concerned if the Presidents own party was investigating him?
BTW Do you now accept that Hillary is fully exonerated? Or do you believe the republican lead FBI is bias?
Trump is dirty. Putin wanted him in office to polarize America, distance our allies and make America a global laughing stock. Check, check and check. Putin didn't want Trump directly involved because he isn't smart enough to contribute to anything so deviously and brilliantly orchestrated.
5
Instead of running into this silly Russian investigation like their pants were in fire, had they just waited and investigated Trumps long history of financial crimes we would be better off. Now the bigots and racists are emboldened.
3
Even trump supports releasing the report to the public. https://www.npr.org/2019/03/20/705162788/trump-backs-public-release-of-mueller-report
If this report totally vindicates trump (so he says), then what could possibly go wrong for him if it's released to the public?
6
It's not super surprising that Trump (likely) wasn't "officially" part of the Russian efforts. I never believed he was smart enough for Russia to enlist him as an operative in any sort of strategic plan. The worrisome piece is that he and his family are dumb enough that Russia can manipulate them unwittingly, and will continue to do so, yet not produce any legal collusion evidence. The other more worrisome effect is that Trump brought his drama into the White House which played into Russia plans to destabilize the US. We all got sucked into it and Trump's opposition now seems unhinged, just as did Hillary's during the email debacle.
2
This has always been an investigation on two tracts, one counter-intelligence, the other criminal, was there an obstruction of justice?
Did the Trump campaign conspire with Russians to affect the election? Mueller has established that members of the Russian military and government acted on behalf of Trump; he indicted them. What he could not prove was that there was any active involvement on Trump's side. He can not interview the Russian actors. Trump refused to be interviewed, after months of saying he had every intention of sitting down with the Special Prosecutor. Moreover none of the principles at the June Trump Tower meeting were interviewed. Yes Manafort was, but he has lied and reneged on a co-operation agreement. It has been suggested that if Jr. and Kushner were to make it clear that they would have taken the 5th, Mueller would not have bothered to speak with them. So that entire avenue of inquiry may have been closed off.
As to the criminal, Mr. Barr has made clear his feelings as to Presidential prerogative when it comes to obstruction. The SC did not come to a conclusion, because he can not. It is the House's responsibility to make that determination, not the AG. Barr has illegally stepped on the House's constitutional authority.
The only remedy is for the entire report to be made public.
3
If you try to view the situation as PRECEDENT, then you will agree that if we do not stop Trump’s actions, in the future, the US President will have the opportunity to openly call on foreign states to publish compromising data against US citizens, as Trump did by calling on Russians to publish e-mails to Hillary Clinton ..
So, even I'm from side, I think that foreign intervention in the internal life of the United States is the most dangerous for our Democracy
3
Wouldn't it be neat since we now know Trump's been exonerated, perhaps our government can now do something for the American people: I dunno. rebuild the nation's infrastructure, address the high cost of pharma, seriously consider campaign finance reform, address student debt and economic inequality... You know, things that really matter.
4
What I find so strange, is that top class lawyers who stake their whole careers on finding evidence and basing prosecutions solely on its presence or absence, go happily and faithfully to church.
2
TrumPutin wins and walks away scot free. There is no way their wasn't collusion; the Soviet/KGB is excellent at what it does.
1
I would like Mueller to explain how he came to the conclusion that the Trump Tower meeting, where emails explicitly stated that the meeting was about the Russian government's support for Trump's presidency, was NOT conspiring with a foreign government.
2
To those of you who hope to see the end of the current administration (as I do), hit Mr. Trump hard where it really hurts -- his wallet and especially his policies. To the media, I beg you to stop paying so much attention to every petty thing he says or does. Concentrate on the big picture and vote him out of office.
3
Liberals’ mistake was putting in their trust in a Republican like Mueller. We should know by now that Republicans will also put party above country every time. Turns out Mueller was no exception to that.
Liberals have to get over the notion that there are any decent, ethical or moral people in the Republican Party.
First off . . . I'm not so sure everyone would come to the same conclusions that Barr did. I think we've all learned by now that words, like statistics, don’t always mean to the reader or the listener what the writer or the speaker meant for them to say. Trump managed to change an entire statement by adding -n't to it, and we all remember that a statement can depend on what your meaning of “is" is.
Let's let the dust settle a while. I would hope that after all our besieged president has had to put up with, he will now be able to get some work done that will help our nation, like updating the infrastructure and building a sense of unity, rather than decisiveness and hatred of "the other." I’m not holding my breath because when this president speaks the dust just gets stirred up again.
I hope he has a different moniker for the New York investigations. I’m so tired of "witch hunt".
I'm so tired of him.
1
It's another "perfect" outcome for Trump: he doesn't fire people, other people do it for him. He doesn't meet with the Russians, other people do it for him. He doesn't scroll through the Wikileaks emails, other people do it for him. He doesn't pay his bills, he declares bankruptcy. He's never to blame, it's always someone else's fault. But he surely will slip and fall in the pool of greasy oil he leaves in his trail of indicted associates who inexplicably do his bidding and then take the fall.
4
Now that this investigation is over, a few thoughts:
1) Most of the "cloud" that has hung over this Presidency was self-inflicted. All created by people whose first instinct is to lie. No matter too inconsequential, just lie, deny, lie some more. Small wonder then why an investigation was needed to get to the bottom of the matter.
2) There is sufficient information in the public square that would indicate that Mr. Trump's legal issues are far from over. As a commercial real estate developer, used to dealing on the gray fringe of legality, here again, Mr. Trump has succeeded in self-wounding himself. It would have been far better for him to have remained a private citizen acting as a kingmaker. His private business dealings would have remained just that, private. But his out sized ego got in the way, thus bringing all of this down upon his head.
3) Mr. Trump failed to grasp during his time at private military school, that true leadership requires that one does not immediately react to every comment, every perceived slight. He may believe that his core of supporters what a leader that "speaks his mind", and perhaps that is true. The vast majority of us though, want a leader that reacts in a calm, measured, manner. The fraudulent "Man of the People" act from a overaged millionaire playboy, gets tedious rather fast. He may find that the tweetstorm approach to governance has lost it's bloom.
2020 is rapidly approaching. Shame on us if we do not correct this error.
1
Like some unsolved mysteries the real truth is as murky as a swamp...'tell tale signs' are there but still hard fact can't be unveiled. Maybe in time we'll know...there is always someone or group who has the facts...especially with today's technology.
Does the 'powers that be' really want to impeach the president? The consequences can be dire & America needs to project that 'squeaky clean image' to the world.
With less than 2 years left of Trump's administration perhaps they decided to let him complete while keeping a 'Close Eye with fingers X!
TrumPutin wins; THERE is no way there was no collusion; the Soviet/KGB is excellent at what it does.
1
Let’s see - Jared and Don Jr meet with a Russian agent to get dirt on Hillary and Trump writes a letter saying it was a meeting on Russian adoptions yet none of these individuals were interviewed or subpoenaed. Manafort provides secret Republican polling data to the Russians. Sadly I have to conclude that Mueller, at the end of the day, is just another good Republican.
5
I don't buy any of this until I have read the complete final report for myself.
2
This reveals that what we see is what we get—all of Trump’s fecklessness has played out publicly during the first half of his presidency, and just because there seems to be no “legal” determination of wrong-doing any fifth-grader reading the news knows Trump and his cronies have done a lot wrong. Even Barr admits the report does “not exonerate” Trump of obstruction charges. The GOP continue to be enablers, and the Dems continue to play in to tweet-storm politics.
The latter would better serve the country if they roll up their sleeves and do Congressional work that actually makes a difference like get a bipartisan infrastructure bill together (and call Trump out on one of his other signature campaign proposals) and narrow their presidential field to someone who can actually negotiate, govern and beat Trump. From where I stand, Biden, Bernie, Booker and Beto ain’t that someone....
Meanwhile, we can look forward to the FOIA getting the report to us in due course—
https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/2019/03/22/new-foia-lawsuit-demands-release-of-mueller-report/?slreturn=20190225092259
2
Despite all the hope that the party placed on the Mueller report it was only part of the story.
Drumpf's business dealings, his family and his financial machinations will continue to be the real story.
His malfeasance and flouting to the rules will follow him through his Presidency and thereafter.
There are still double digit investgations going on not to mention the number of indictments and convictions that have occurred.
Teapot Dome and Warren Harding will look like a speck compared to what Drumpf & Co. will eventually be responsible for.
Well, he skates, again, narrowly missing the bullet. I understand that Mueller could not find sufficient evidence to directly associate Trump or his sons with colluding with the Russians. However, Trump and his boys did act very guilty for these past 2 years by trying to shut Mueller down. If Mueller could neither convict nor exonerate Trump on obstruction, then what was Trump obstructing? The worst outcome here, I fear, is this virtually guarantees Trump's re-election as a wave of misplaced sympathy will sweep the voters and the Republicans will push it, hard. Wow, has history taken a dark turn.
1
The real question is whether having elected Donald J. Trump to be POTUS in 2016 is America closer to, or much further away from, being "Great Again"? All those MAGA hat wearers who attend Trump rallies must someday wake up and realize how much America has been diminished in the eyes of the world by having such a flawed individual as the leader of our country. There may be "No Collusion" but there certainly has been an unprecedented amount of sleaze and corruption already demonstrated by the person selected by the Electoral College to be POTUS.
3
Mr. Trump is still Mr. Putin's choice for President. Is it worse that he might of colluded or was duped? It still remains that a significant percentage of our voters were duped.
1
The mess trump and Co. have made out of American Politics as we now know it is only going to get worst now that we have stopped short of being able to prove obstruction when there has been plenty of it.
1
Mueller missed the forest for the trees. Collusion need not be covert. It can be blatantly overt, such as when you ask Russia to hack Clinton's emails during your campaign. "Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.”
3
@Blankfiend
As I recall, Trump never asked Russia to hack into her email account. He invited them, publicly and mostly in jest (either way it's legal), to find the 33,000 emails she had already destroyed and that the DOJ and FBI would (or should) have liked to have found. If anyone did find them it would have come from an open-source, internet record or from material previously hacked by someone else. So no, he did not tell the Russians to go hack her emails.
1
Frankly I never thought the would be any proof of collusion with the Trump campaign and Russia, the Russians aren’t that dumb.
The saddest result of all of this is the hate and distrust that has been sown into our political system. Perhaps Russia has actually achieved its objective.
In the meantime democrats need to focus on actual issues which effect us if the think they want to beat this poor example of a president and a man.
10
@Matt Parker; it deeply concerns me that the Democrats are relying so much on the findings of this report, rather than focusing on selecting a winning candidate, as they utterly failed in the last election
3
@Jim
I'm afraid that race is a loser - they can't get their act together - there's just too many at the starting gate - either too young or too old. He must be removed by the Supreme Court.
"Stops short of exonerating him on obstruction..." OF WHAT CRIME?!?! Do you think anyone is going to press charges for obstructing justice when no crime took place. The democrats disgust me that they pursued this even after it became clear that the DNC funded the salacious Steele Dossier that was used to get a FISA warrant to spy, and ultimately was the only thing used to start this idiotic which hunt in the first place. The only respectable democrat would be one who apologizes for wasting 2 years of our time as a nation. Unfortunately there is not one.
4
@PJ ABC
I recall candidate Trump on TV asking Russia to find Hillary Clinton's emails. That in intself was sufficient evidence to prompt an investigation.
1
DT the Prez committted his 9342 lie by commenting the Mueller report falsle: No, he isn't exonerated as is clearly stated in the summary... sigh...
6
Well, which is it? Did Trump commit obstruction or not? Mueller et. al. had plenty of time and resources to discover the truth. If there is evidence that Trump did obstruct justice then charge him. If not, exonerate him. But don't try to have it both ways to keep the Democrats happy. Now we will continue with this insane witch hunt and Congress will not get anything done for the American people. How disgraceful.
1
@Jon Galt One obstruct justice to cover up a crime but in the absence of a crime, there is no real obstruction, just self-defense in the face of false accusations.
I've been completely crushed and demoralized by the latest ploy in the ongoing tragedy and shame perpetrated by this country's so-called leadership. They are bringing us down harder, and with much graver consequences, than if we had engaged in an actual war with the enemy. I am particularly ashamed of the reprehensible behavior of the Republican party I registered for, 55 years ago. This is not democracy by and for the people. It is an ugly and naked attempt at establishing a dictatorship, and it is working!
7
@Renee I was very pleased this morning to watch MSNBC and CNN, where it is now clear to me that the Democrats will double down with more investigations and more accusations. I hope they keep digging and digging and digging. Maybe they can find a questionable tax return from 1989. The Democrats will make trump the same type of sympathetic victim, that the GOP did to Bill Clinton.
1
The Mueller report does not really exonerate Trump, but that does not matter to republicans. We have become so eerily fascist. I do not trust anything that happened after Barr was sworn in, but I am willing to move on to improving health coverage, funding education and repairing our infrastructure. This helps ALL Americans.
I just do not think republicans want to do this. It is also time to heal, but Trump won’t let us.
4
@Dr. Girl Republicans do not care for the long term. They just want to have the present victories for their own interests. trump will soon bankrupt America just like he bankrupted his own business if he remains in power. The budget deficit has swelled up and the Treasury Department just posted the biggest monthly budget deficit In American history last Friday. The total debt surpassed $22 trillion for the first time ever in February — $2 trillion higher than when Trump took office. Healthcare and education will be the first to be cut for the growing deficit by the tax cut benefiting only the rich, nevertheless infrastructure.
1
No conspiracy, but certainly enabling, which doesn't rise to the level of criminality (unfortunately). It still begs the question, if so innocent, why all the obstruction and attacks on the special counsel, FBI, etc. This is not over. Are we expected to trust Barr when he was put there for the explicit purpose of protecting the president? It all smacks of corruption and cronyism. We need to see the entire report. Our national nightmare continues.
8
Your headline is misleading. Barr is giving his conclusions of Mueller's report. He says that Mueller didn't find collusion and Barr and Rosenstein concluded there was no obstruction of justice even though Mueller left this open presumably to be determined by Congress. Barr, a hired gun for Trump, is poisoning the well of public opinion by not issuing the details of Mueller's report. Until then, collusion and obstruction are still open questions.
6
Given the favorable interpretation by Barr of the Mueller report, is there any legitimate reason why the full report shouldn't be quickly released to the American people? In the absence of a full, transparent release of the report, how is it that the press has so quickly forgotten Barr's clear bias and verbal gymnastics at his confirmation hearing coupled with the solid history of Trump appointees lying? If Trump was truly exonerated by the report, shouldn't it be released now? If not, why not?
4
This reminds me of the OJ verdict
7
Actually, Barr's report does nothing to change the perception of Trump. Trumpers still love him; antiTrumpers still don't. The country is still divided, partisanship reigns and the 2020 election hovers just out of the frame and promises to be the muddiest we've ever seen. We are just where we were yesterday, or last week, or last year. The report makes no difference at all.
7
@Ms. Pea
The report makes a big difference. trump, as if he weren't already brazen enough, will be even more emboldened. His base is freshly energized, and people who might have been on the fence about him could be less so. Given how close the race could be next year, the shift in momentum that this gives to trump cannot be discounted.
Ultimately what happens to Trump doesn't matter, I am going to work to elect a Bernie Sanders and a lasting social democratic American government, that will regulate free market capitalism and the likes of oligarchs like Donald J. Trump. An end to the incumbent duopoly political parties hold on the election of government officials will be a big step in that direction. Register "independent" and vote for candidates who will advance social democratic government on all levels in the USA.
3
@Richard From Massachusetts, may I ask, how does Bernie's policies differ from those of Hugo Chavez ?
not much
1
besides outting on their pants one leg at a time, there is very little similarity between Sanders annd Chavez. this is a trope popularized by certain media outlets, much like the warning the US economy would follow Greece down the tubes if this or that policy were followed. it is often repeated by still just hooey.
1
@Richard From Massachusetts I understand your thoughts and ideals for the democracy, but I took a different route. Look at the landscape of the current status realistically, Bernie won't be able to beat trump because he's too far left for many independent voters and moderate democrats, nevertheless Republicans. Only a Democratic candidate who can bring in the independent voters and republicans can beat trump. To preserve democracy, trump must not be re-elected and we must work together. I did the exactly opposite approach from yours with the same purpose. I'm a life-time independent, but at this urgent moment in history, I registered as a democrat so that I can vote for a candidate that is able to beat trump. Let's work together in 2020 election to beat trump so that we have a chance in future elections to make greater progress.
I trust the Mueller report and am glad to see no conspiracy between Republicans and the Russians to undermine the democratic process. However, the list of criminal indictments generated by this investigation is staggering, and no cause for celebration. We still have a very dangerous person serving as president.
6
I suspect that there was trouble within the SC team charging Trump with the crime of Obstruction of Justice (OOJ), regardless of Presidential privilege of a sitting President, because Mueller’s entire team of lawyers were known Democrat operatives who hate Trump and had there been absolute evidence that Trump was guilty of the offense of OOJ they would have recommended charging him. Read what is necessary to convict someone of OOJ. I also suspect that because there was no proof of intent and no way to get that proof because it did not exist and that is why no charge.
Elements of an Obstruction of Justice Charge
The elements required for a conviction on an obstruction of justice charge differ slightly by code section. For instance, prosecutors must prove the following elements for a conviction under section 1503 of the federal statute (influencing or injuring an officer or juror):
1. There was a pending federal judicial proceeding;
2. The defendant knew of the proceeding; and
3. The defendant had corrupt intent to interfere with or attempted to interfere with the proceeding.
But regardless of the specific section of federal law (1501 through 1521) cited in a particular case, the prosecution need not prove any actual obstruction -- the defendant's attempt to obstruct is enough. The element of intent, which is central to such cases, is also usually the most difficult to prove; although memos, phone calls, and recorded conversations may be used as evidence to establish this.
2
What strikes me about this whole disturbing story is how few people are adopting the long view. Joe Scarborough said yesterday that this was good news for the American people. Is it? In the short term, yes, but looking forward even six months or a year, this will dangerously embolden a corrupt president. In announcing exoneration where Mueller did not, Barr also helped elevate Trump in his aspirations toward authoritarianism by minimizing the role of Congress, the supposed co-equal branch of government. Wake up everybody.
5
Not intrviewing Trump under oath was an unfortunate omission. Afterall, it was simply lying to congress about an unrelated extramarital sex incident that got Bill Clinton impeached.
13
@Felix Baccardi, unrelated but an abuse of power by a man with great power toward a very young woman. it was not ok. and Bil's lying about it made us wonder ever more about his character.
3
The quicker we can move on from this the better, and then concentrate on defeating him in 2020. Beating this dead horse is exactly what Trump wants.
8
trump fired sessions for recusing himself, then picked Barr, because he knew he wouldn't, plus he would be a good trump soldier. sorry Barr doesn't get to decided for all Americans what Mueller's report concluded, it two years, and millions of tax payers money. Congress needs the full report, so they can do there job, other wise the question will be, what are you trying to hide. I have read many books in my life and my findings don't always match another person's findings who has read the same the book. Transparency!!
11
No collusion and obstruction out the window.
Two and a half years of extraordinary effort that essentially gave cover to all of the other Trump affronts to the integrity of the highest political office in the land and to any semblance of credible governance by the Executive.
On to the next existential test, the 2020 election.
Four more years of this president is an unmitigated abomination that America simply can not expect to weather without dire consequences for our ever more fragile democracy and American credibility across the globe.
14
This result is interesting. To me, its more nerve wracking that Russia successfully meddled in our election without colluding with Trump.
Either way, I have a feeling Trump will use this as the impetus for a political crackdown on dissidents (I mean Democrats) and further the transformation of America into less of a democracy and more of a totalitarian regime.
9
@Michael, how exactly have your rights been impinged on? totalitarian regime?
there is zero evidence of such.
please elaborate on ways democracy has been lessened.
Rule of law works
balance of power works
due process works
human rights remain in place, Michael.
4
Trump is innocent until proven guilty and he is now stronger than ever.
2
the rub: according to Justice, Trump cannot be indicted, tried, or found innocent or guilty while in office because it would be too distracting from his TV watching and golf playing. so while you're right, it's not any kind of answer. it is even possible Trump or his top aids engaged in obstruction of justice, a la Nixon who was a lawyer and knew what he was doing, whether or not there was a crime they were trying to cover up. for example, if Trump fired Comey and Sessions to prevent continued investigation, told lies, and had his minions tell lies, that itself is a crime.
The Democratic candidate who calls out his or her rivals and declares that they should drop their baseless accusations of Russian collusion and concentrate on the issues that really matters to America wins the prize. Tulsi Gabbard anyone?
3
There is no exoneration. No exoneration. Keep that in mind.
11
Well, he wasn't charged with anything. So what would he need to be exonerated of?
Trump is still no statesman, no scholar, no soldier, no friend of the poor, no friend of the planet.
13
Here comes the pardons...
2
Barr (Trump) doesn’t want to release the details, because the more the Democrats whine and speculate about them, the crazier they look. Keeping the focus on the report is great for Trump. Releasing it in full wouldn’t hurt him, but withholding it causes the Democrats to make themselves look deranged. It’s a little like the Republican plan for immigration, where actually solving the problem is less useful to them than the ongoing controversy. There is nothing in the report that is going to make Trump go away. If we accept that and move on, he will have a more difficult time using that fact to beat us up.
4
The democrats would be wise to move on by creating an agenda to defeat Trump. In my humble opinion they are not wise enough to move in that direction. They will continue to hold useless hearings that will not make any political hay. Their intent will be to get face time in the social media for reelection purposes.
4
Many of you have gloated for the last two years over a possible collusion with Russia and obviously you are disappointed. Now you begin another doomed round of gloating over obstruction. Read the letter carefully for what it is, not what you want to find there. The latter is just wishful thinking.
"Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and I have concluded that the evidence developed during the Special Counsel's investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense."
"Generally speaking, to obtain and sustain an obstruction conviction, the government would need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a person, acting with corrupt intent, engaged in obstructive conduct with a sufficient nexus to a pending or contemplated proceeding. In cataloguing the President's actions, many of which took place in public view, the report identifies no actions that, in our judgment, constitute obstructive conduct, had a nexus to a pending or contemplated proceeding, and were done with corrupt intent, each of which, under the Department's principles of federal prosecution guiding charging decisions, would need to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to establish an obstruction-of-justice offense."
Stop gloating and save yourself the trouble of another disappointment.))
3
I'm really enjoying this morning's meltdown on CNN. This is almost as good as election night 2016. No one is crying yet, but I'm hopeful. If my TV could do picture-in-picture, I'd watch MSNBC simultaneously.
I'm waiting for them to say, "We apologize to President Trump and the American people for two years of attempting to undermine our duly-elected President by incessantly and knowingly repeating the false narrative that President Trump had colluded with the Russians to steal our presidential election and was, in fact, an agent of a hostile foreign power. Now that he has been completely exonerated, we wish President Trump every success as the duly-elected leader of the free world. We have fired the leadership of our news organization for their egregious violations of journalistic ethics and we promise that our future coverage of the president will be truthful, objective, and unbiased." Of course, that'll never happen.
9
@Peter Murphy
Lol...not so fast with an apology. There are 'sinister forces' at work b'cause what may appear to be the truth could be 'smoke & mirrors'! We have seen this in the past...lessons learned & now we move forward with great caution.
1
@Peter Murphy
I wouldn't be quite as smug about it, it does reflect well.
All the report says is that Trump's almost daily ethical, moral and, yes, legal transgressions were fully in public view and not much new was discovered. In light of the fact that Trump publishes his behavior in real time on Twitter, everyone knew about it. So, Congress could have already chose to prosecute him on that basis alone, but since it chose not to act that closes the case.
Ultimately, the Mueller report is more damning to Congress and to the American people who support Trump than to Trump himself.
And he knows that and uses it now to further weaken our democracy.
While Congress and the American People continue to do nothing.
Maybe we are not worth the Constitution the Founders gave us.
4
I'm sorry, but there's no reason to be sure we haven't gotten from Barr something similar to what we got from Comey about Hillary Clinton's emails. Barr's summary is his interpretation of Mueller's findings, and Rosenstein's agreement could be on the substance and merely a desire not to fight Barr on the wording.
There is plenty of evidence that Trump, his family, and some associates at least attempted to collude with Russians or were willing to explore attempts by Russians to so collude. It seems splitting hairs very minutely to say the Trump Tower meeting in 2016 was not evidence of collusion since it was based on Russians explicitly stating not only that they had dirt on Clinton, but that Russia was actively working towards Trump's victory in the election.
Sounds like Barr and Rosenstein are saying implicitly what Comey said in the Clinton investigation: they won't prosecute because it would be difficult if not impossible to get a conviction. They just didn't go on, in the summary at least, to do like Comey did and run down Trump anyway. Mueller seems to have left the decision to Barr.
Stopping short of indictment or exoneration on obstruction is even more telling. And that story is, Congress has to get busy updating the laws limiting Presidential power, and what exactly constitutes obstruction when it's coming from the Chief Executive of the USA.
We also need more clarity about emoluments and pay-for-play with a POTUS, but that wasn't in Mueller's purview.
8
There is a difference between 'there is no crime' and 'there is not enough evidence to get conviction for the crime'. In my view, mutual willing collaboration between Trump and Russia is on display publicly; we still do not know whether the agenda was agreed upon or pursued on the basis of signals that are hard to establish as collusion. History will tell, if not other investigations such as money laundering.
4
Ask any lawyer and he’ll tell you, to obstruct justice there must be an underlying crime that the obstruction is trying to hide. As Mueller made clear, Trump absolutely did not conspire with Russia, which would have been the “crime” Trump was trying to obstruct. No crime, no obstruction. Law school 101.
8
And that’s why you went to medical school.
1
@DanielMarcMD Don't know what law school 101 you are referring to, but you are mistaken. It is entirely possible to be charged with obstruction of justice without there being an underlying crime. Read 18 US Code Chapter 73. Three elements are required: there was a proceeding that could be obstructed, there is a clear link between the defendant's attempts to obstruct and the proceedings, and the defendant must have been aware of this link. Whether or not an actual crime was committed is a separate matter. It is obstruction of the process of investigating a possible crime that is the issue.
2
As an outside observer, it baffles me how the Democrats can't see the forest for the trees here.
It seems to me that with the current hyper-technological leak culture, if there had ever been a killer "there" there, it would have come out long ago. By continuing to push this losing narrative, the Democrats just keep digging a deeper hole.
Irony is, Trump is a divisive, dishonest, and narcissistic individual. But captured by its groupthink, the Democrats seem completely incapable of getting the public on their side.
1
Oh you mean Barr regurgitated the same "no collusion" memo he wrote before he took the job? Yes exactly. Barr is such a egomaniac, he rendered his decision at the speed of light because he wants all Americans to know he didn't care about Mueller's obstruction evidence. He is blatantly arguing a president is above obstruction. Barr deeply regrets Nixon's resignation and he's getting even with the world.
Trump loved the Barr interview because Barr told Trump exactly how he feels and what he would do. He just did it.
6
Despite Trump's claims he has not been exonerated of all potential crimes. State level investigations are still under way and will remain so until complete. The facts, if we are ever allowed to see them will tell the full story. If not allowed that to will serve to confirm that our understanding of what we see and hear in person validates what we believe it means. In the end Trump is a confirmed serial liar and simply untrustworthy as a result. Be it criminally or ethically he simply is unfit to fill the position.
4
Did not exonerate?? Don't you know you can not prove a negative? Of course Mueller could not prove Trump didn't do some thing. That would be impossible even if Mueller was a defense attorney rather than a prosecutor.
How Trump gets to "total exoneration" when the question of obstruction of justice is still open is a classic Trumpism. Look now for Trump to refuse to cooperate in any other investigations, including ignoring subpoenas. Then it's going to be up to the lawmen to decide whether to hold him to the same standard all the rest of us would be held to, and his stupid base will be rooting for him all the way to get away with as much crime as he can.
7
No mob boss ever says rub this guy out.
Michael Cohen has said as much. But you got the idea of what was to be done. .
If you swim in a sewer all your life without drowning and going to jail it's because you are good at it. Good at it.
Good at avoiding "perjury traps". That was brilliant.
His co-conspirators are not so good at it, and it will be the petty theft that drags them all down.
4
Does this mean that the only collusion was between the Democrats and the media?
4
On the bright side, if "there is no evidence of corrupt intent", the next democratic candidate running against this abberation to humanity, can now freely call upon all foreign States to hack Trump's emails: " World, if you listening, hack all of Trumps emails... America will be grateful!"
Now there is precedence, it does not constitute "corrupt intent," neither any attempt to cover it up!
2
I would like to know how many pages there are to the Mueller Report and how much time it took for Barr to read and evaluate it.
6
I felt like the night of November 16 all over again!! sick
5
In their zeal to claim vindication Donald Trump and his supporters, sycophants, flunkies and questionable associates want you to miss the following.
An absence of criminal charges does not mean an absence of criminal behavior. It means the preponderance of evidence isn’t sufficient to support prosecution. Will Trump be charged with a crime for his campaigns interactions with Russians acting to undermine the 2016 elections, no he will not. Why, because they didn’t rise to the level of criminality. That doesn’t change what happened, Donald Trump and his campaign colluded with or attempted to collude with foreign powers to influence the election.
They did so in the classic sense of the word whose definition is:
“Collusion is an agreement between two or more parties, sometimes illegal–but always secretive–to limit open competition by deceiving, misleading, or defrauding others of their legal rights, or to obtain an objective forbidden by law typically by defrauding or gaining an unfair market advantage. It is an agreement among firms or individuals to divide a market, set prices, limit production or limit opportunities.”
Like everything else that involves Trumps life the campaign and his presidency is secretive, deceptive, misleading, fraudulent, and designed to limit opportunities through deception. This report doesn’t change that basic fact.
What so many got wrong is collusion doesn’t have to be illegal to be morally dishonest and corrupt, just like Trumps life.
7
America the Beautiful; EH?! Could this whole sordid affair get much uglier?!
2
Only if Canada, our former friends, got involved.....
We can't let Barr speak for Mueller, we need the entire report. But, no matter what the report says, Trump's base will never desert him and the rest of us will continue to see him as immoral and corrupt, so nothing has changed, yet. What could change things is the outcomes of the SDNY investigations into Trump, his finances, foundation, family and organization.
But, in the end, what matters most is that everyone who wants Trump gone makes it their business to vote Democratic in 2020.
11
Well, say goodbye to that conspiracy theory.
5
@DeKay
People still believe there's more in the report, that secret charges exist.
1
Trump tried to shut down the phony investigation into collusion. Well, he knew it to be false, as proven by Mueller. So why wouldn't he shut it down knowing it was all politically motivated? And prevented him from dealing with international affairs, especially with Russia, in a way that would help America?
So his effort will now be construed as obstruction by the same liberal press and politicians who used the false collusion narrative to attempt to destroy him in the first place. Having failed at that, they'll now accuse him of obstruction of a crime that never happened.
3
POTUS is correct that it is a shame we had to go through this. If he weren’t such an easy mark and juvenile fool, Russia would have never been tempted to try and influence the election’s outcome.
That they specialize in this is not debatable, it’s happening all over the planet.
Trump’s going to be insufferable, that much you can count on.
Until the next disaster, of course.
3
So we should believe the summary made by a man that was hand picked by Trump and under his direction?
RELEASE THE ENTIRE REPORT!!
12
As reported in the NY Times on January 8, 2019, " As a top official in President Trump’s campaign, Paul Manafort shared political polling data with a business associate tied to Russian intelligence, according to a court filing unsealed on Tuesday. "
I'm confused. Wasn't Paul Manafort campaign chief, and isn't that by definition "collusion"?
14
@DLNYC
The devil is (or is not) in the details. How significant was this "polling data", how significantly was his associate tied to Russian intelligence, how common are such exchanges surrounding presidential campaigns, in general. Sharing data does not equal "collusion". It could easily be a mole hill - or a mountain. If you distrust Mueller then I guess you'll need to see the details.
OK. How about this for a deal: the DOJ releases details of both Trump AND Clinton investigations?
5
6 pages does not justify 675 days of getting to the real truth, Nothing but a uncensored report is acceptable.
9
If he's not guilty of conspiring with Russians, why were all his staff talking to them, why did he hire staff with a history of working with Russians, why does he act to weird around Putin, why does he cave to Putin's demands all the time?
8
And why so many lies by so many high-level officials?
2
Who was the leaker on Mueller’s team who tipped off Comey about the report before it was released? Or was it just coincidence that a few days ago he was acting like the cat that swallowed the canary and saying he didn’t care whether Trump was indicted or not?? He would care if Trump was not totally cleared of the charge of obstruction because that way he could still be the little boy scout who was fired only for doing his job and not for trying to bring down the President with his constant leaking and lying. Other questions. What information do Schiff, Swalwell, Brennan and others supposedly have which entitles them to still maintain they have evidence of Russian collusion even after Mueller totally cleared Trump on that count? Who or what is their source? The entire Democratic field of candidates is still as vested as ever in the notion that the President is a Russian asset. What do they supposedly know that nobody else knows? They should finally be called to account for their reckless and baseless charges. I would say they all should be subpoenaed. America wants to know what they know. Or is it in the words of Beto just his worthless “opinion?”
4
Feels like November 9th, 2016 all over again...doesn't it?
it shouldn't, if you spent 5 minutes in self-reflection asking how someone with so little character could defeat the Establishment of both the Republican and Democrat Parties...and been under siege the past 3 years by the Administrative State and Establishment media.
Perhaps this isn't about Mr. Trump at all?
Perhaps this is about us...and the fact both parties and the global elitists have largely abandoned the 100,000,000 working men and women in America who believe marriage is between a man and a woman; there are just 2 genders; the world is not ending in 12 years; the power belongs to the people, not the donor class; wars are meant to defend America's interests; Israel is not our enemy; government doesn't fund anything...taxpayers do; and loyalty, sanctity, tradition, and institutional authority still mean something; and bakers who make wedding cakes with strong religious convictions shouldn't be forced to participate in SJW projects.
Republicans seem to have learned from the 2008 election when the nation wanted massive change by presenting a candidate in 2016 who brought massive change. Democrats wanted Hlilary (Establishment ) in 2008 and again in 2016...and you still think this is about Trump.
4
Even though Mr. Trump was not exonerated he will declare victory and use the report to attack his enemies and anyone who opposes him.
What is deeply troubling is that Attorney General William Barr is an appointee of Mr. Trump as is Mr. Rosenstein, Deputy Attorney General. For that reason their conclusions are deeply suspect. It is also deeply troubling that Mr. Mueller passed the buck and "drew no conclusions about whether Mr. Trump illegally obstructed justice." Surely they are capable of decision making but they failed to make any conclusions. Mr. Mueller states “while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him” on the obstruction of justice issue." In other words obstruction of justice by the President remains an open matter and it appears that Mueller is strongly calling for further investigation. In other words there is something "there" and Mueller passed it on to others to determine.
Finally, Mr. Trump was never interviewed by Mueller. Because of that this report is greatly incomplete. The special counsel's work is flawed and imperfect. For that reason alone the congressional judiciary committees must vigorously pursue the"very concerning discrepancies and final decision making at the Justice Department.”
Mr. Trump will use the findings of this report to claim complete vindication. He is not vindicated. There has been no exoneration. Obstruction of justice by Mr. Trump is still an open matter.
7
Title says Mueller stopped short of exonerating Trump. Why does this sound so much like a participation trophy the media must award itself? This report stopped a heck of a lot shorter of indicting Trump and that’s the actionable fact to be reported and taken from this story. No, is the final answer. Period. Where in the Special Counsel job description is the duty to exonerate?
3
"stops short"?
Do prosecutors issue exonerations? I've never heard of such a thing.
5
Barr’s summary is an example of “confirmation basis” that was clear when he spoke to the Senate. My hope is that “no further” indictments doesn’t rule out the possibility of current indictments that are under seal.
6
The U.S. tax payers wasted $25 million on this so called investigation. When special counsel Robert Mueller found that there is no any enough spices in this cauldron of pork chop, he was supposed to shut down the investigation. Since a lot of money has been spent, so it seem appropriate that some sort of impeachment be initiated against the President Donald Trump.
5
After all is said and done, Democrats should move on. This has been like a bad divorce and it is now time to raise the children (look after the country) rather than stew.
7
But we don’t let the child abusing spouse in the “bad” divorce continue to parent.
6
https://oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/Trump Saudi Nuclear Report - 2-19-2019.pdf
The painful lesson of the Mueller investigation is that it is possible for a president to abuse his constiutional authority to do great harm to our people and our democracy without breaking the law. It is what our founding fathers feared the most in the presidency and relied upon the slow moving balance of powers as a remedy. There are several examples in present day headline's of ineffective and harmful executives in government and the private sector (think the US, Brexit, and Boeing). Society has struggled for millenia with the executive function. Until we "get it right" people will suffer at the hands of executives who abuse or missuse their powers.
10
Trumps sounds triumphalist because the conclusion of not exonerating him from obstruction of justice is in the second line, and the poor fellow can't read two lines in a row.
7
Trump " Let's get back to the business of tackling the concerns of and supporting bi-partisan legislation for the benefit of the American people." Hmmm, oh wait he didn't say that.
7
So far, it appears that only Barr and the people who work for him have seen the report. Except for the Mueller Team, no one else. A seasoned lawyer can sculpt any document to look like the Venus de Milo. This particular seasoned lawyer seemed to insinuate himself into the job as well by writing a diatribe against the use of Special Counsels to investigate a (the) President. The President then chose him as the arbiter of the report.
As a seasoned scientist, I know a feedback loop when I see one.
This is one.
Let the House Judicial Committee see the full report, no redactions, as well as the entire Nation.
We need full disclosure. The integrity of our political system depends upon it. Otherwise, we have become a second rate Nation.
11
In January, it was widely reported that Manafort shared polling data with a Russian with ties to Putin. The only logical reason for sharing such data would be to help the Russians to focus their efforts to interfere in our election. How is this not collusion?
11
I would like to see skilled journalists have every piece of evidence uncovered by Mueller evaluated by the most distinguished legal experts in the country for evidence of criminality. The conclusions of the Mueller report released to date are so different from everything we know publicly about the actions of Trump and his cronies that something here is not right.
Maybe there are logical explanations down the road, but at this stage it looks like a whitewash. Perhaps Mueller, a Republican, isn’t the white knight everyone’s made him out to be.
5
@LIChef
I agree, we need to see the full report. The pudding is in the details.
However, the main conclusion seems to be that there was not much new discovered, because, as you write, all of Trump's transgressions were done in full public view, Congress and prosecutors could have prosecuted them on the merit of that alone, but the fact that he has retained substantial political support has stopped them from doing so.
Which also means that Trump will become ever more brazen now.
Our democracy has never been in greater danger.
5
No evidence of conspiracy/collusion.
Evidence of no conspiracy/collusion.
I’m hearing/seeing it both ways. But these are not the same (though functionally I guess they get us to the same place). The former is what Attorney General Barr’s summary is saying from how I read it.
2
At the risk of Graham, Nunes et al sending out the jack-booted thugs to my house - this is only the beginning of the end for Chump.
The House, NY AG & SDNY have multiple investigations - all totally justified based on the venal Chump administration - and will ferret out more indictments/convictions.
The Nazis in the GOP's reaction to the report? Let's open an investigation into Hillary.
If there was any question how soulless the right of this country is - please cite the above two episodes.
6
So the Russians kept him out of the loop. Makes sense when you think of it. Why let him in on the secret? Everyone knows that he can't keep his mouth shut!
9
I doubt this will change anyone's opinion. Neither the Mueller report or Barr's letter summarizing it will make any difference to the Trump base. As long as he has Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, et al, backing him, his supporters need not be bothered by reading anything.
4
Nominating Barr was part of the obstruction!
5
There will be a reckoning.
3
One thing is for sure. This sets up a precedent: at some point in the future, the republicans will go after a democratic president, and guess what, the same protectionism that Trump is receiving will become the norm and the republicans won't be able to "get" to a democratic president. The republicans will forever get a taste of their own venom.
Trump is poisonous, he is a crook and vile human being. We see proof of that practically on a daily basis. And yet no one is stopping the actions of this disgusting president. Definitely a precedent. Watch out republicans.
4
Mueller concerned with rioting if he put any points on the board punted from the 20-yard line.
1
So why did Manafort give the Russians polling data? Sounds like coordination to me. I think that any reasonable person should find it hard to believe that all these people connected to Trump all lied for nothing. And now many have convictions. Even Roger Stone was just indicted and is facing a trial. He allegedly coordinated with WikiLeaks to release hacked Hillary Clinton and DNC emails. This is about as similar as saying that because a jury found O.J. Simpson not guilty in the criminal trial that he never murdered his wife and her friend. Too many guilty pleas to believe the Russians were doing this all on their own without help from Americans.
3
So that's that. Twenty-two months of hoping the SS Robert Mueller would be able to sink the SS Donald Trump with the torpedo of truth.
Nuts. As a Democrat who had hoped for clarity and direction, all I got was more obfuscation. Donald Trump didn't collude, didn't obstruct, but he cannot be fully absolved. What does that even mean?
I am a patriot who loves his country, went to a war on its behalf, has voted in every election since 1970, and has been appalled at the man sitting in the Oval Office.
We will have Donald Trump as president for another two years, and hopefully not for four more after that. My fingers are crossed that the further damage he will do to my country will be able to be undone once he is out of office.
12
@Len
More "obfuscation"? There's nothing unclear about the absence of criminal charges. As someone who has fought for this great country, surely you can discern between fact and political posturing.
Democrats have a vested interest in making you believe there's something in that report. The truth is that there are no criminal charges in that report. If the evidence were there, Mueller would have prosecuted.
Their behavior is equally destabilizing to the country.
3
@AACNY, um, there are "no criminal charges"?
Don't you mean there are no charges that the Special Counsel thought he could make stick beyond the indictments already handed down?
2
@AACNY
Mueller doesn’t prosecute. That’s why he’s a special counsel, not a special prosecutor.
The AG decides to prosecute. Barr got this job by writing, as a private citizen, a memo to the DOJ about how Trump should be untouchable. That’s an odd flex for a private citizen, but a very effective audition.
We do not know what is in that report. Trump’s personal appointees have let us see about one full page of actual information. The report, by definition, is infinitely more nuanced than the crumbs we got yesterday, and Trump is already misquoting that tiny sliver.
4
Now can we get back to governing please? If Democrats had any brains for strategic thinking to set them up for 2020, they would push four bills:
- Infrastructure Bill
- Prescription Drug Bill
- Re-Instatement of Obamacare
- Middle Class Tax Cuts
11
@Joe Arena
we can only hope that their strategy is to find a candidate who can do better than HRC's whopping 3% over Trump.
Next time, listen to the voters, not just the party elite and you'll win elections again
2
It's time for the Dems to get on with attending to the business of government. If they keep sparring with trump, what will they have to bring to the people come 2020? They have let themselves be drawn by Trump into a war of name-calling. Trump reflects our American system: rotten things that just aren't illegal. We have much more to clean up and if all we worry about is trump, we'll accomplish nothing.
9
@farhorizons that was the most intelligent comment yet!
1
@LC, the purpose of the investigation was to determine if the Trump Campaign conspired with Russia to influence the election. Once you’re answered that question the issue of obstruction becomes a mute point.
8
For me is always the same, the power of money!! When you have money nothing will happen to you. Our legal system is in favor of those people. Forget about it. I am just waking up realizing welcome to banana republic!!
Feels like Florida again.
2
I never realized that so many Republicans read the NYT.
8
We do....
3
@Sharon Renzulli they got 'lectricty, too! who woulda thunk?
2
@Sharon Renzulli Sure we do. And we collect stones.
1
We know that Trump and his cronies were keen to wind this up. Soon after the Trump appointee is made AG. lo and behold it is quickly wound up. We were expecting indictments of FAMILY members at the last minute so that Don sr would not sack Mueller. Looks like Barr got in at the right time to protect the upright Mr Trump. 22 months of investigations and Barr sums it up in 2 days and 4 pages. Nothing to see here... move on... yeah right.
6
What disgusts me the most is that probably 95% of Republicans think that it is just fine for Trump to grab women by their genitalia; to outright lie; to fabricate scenarios to suit his needs; to bully anyone he disagrees with, including calling his opponents or perceived opponents names; and to be the most ignorant, incompetent, unprofessional, and amoral person to ever have so much power in the United States of America.
I want Trump’s face and stunted vocabulary to disappear from TV and all media. Information needs to come from respectable and informed sources which Trump is not.
13
@Joan
No, you have it wrong. Most republicans know this behavior is terribly wrong. Just like Bill Clinton's supporters knew his sexual assaults were wrong. Just like Hillary's supporters knew her targeting his sexual assault victims was wrong.
And, yet, democrats voted for both. Most Americans want politicians to deliver results. If you want to truly understand Trump voters, ask Clinton voters why they voted for the Clintons despite their records.
3
@Joan this is about Trump, not Bill Clinton
1
@AACNY
Great advice.
I hate to admit this but Trump is playing chess with the media. The media was in a seizure that Trump was going to fire Mueller that there was a constitutional crises...on and on for hours everyday for 2 years. And we are wondering why he kept Rod Rosenstein around....well so Rod has to come out himself and admit there was nothing there...the guy who started it. I ask my fellow democrats (Bernie supporter here) to start dealing with citizens lives not this craziness anymore...I'm scared that some of us are grabbing onto the obstruction issue. Come on, the public is not going to be mad at Trump for trying his best to defend himself against something that he was accused of but did not happen. No matter if he did not defend himself properly, we were trying to throw him out of office. Leave all this alone for our own good. Look, these were very serious charges and the FBI investigating an elected president (though not my choice) and it turns out there was not enough there! Scary times for our country's future.
3
I trust Muellers findings but they do not change my attitude towards Trump at all. I am disgusted by his policies and his conduct. He is a menace to the US and the world and I hope he will be voted out of office. When it comes to collusion I find it convincing that the “smoking gun“ is missing. Hard to prove collusion when no one of the participants flips and given the lack of hard evidence. As Cohen testified convincingly the Trump campaign/infomercial was run by amateurs and grandstanders. They were grateful for Russian “compromat“ but definitely to stupid for a grand conspiracy. Obstruction by Trump in classic mobster fashion is another thing. Great, how Mueller paved the way for that case and for Congress to demand a full release of his report. Since obstruction is an impeachable offense I don’t see how Barr can refuse the release of the report.
7
Yes, it's painful when delusions must come to an end. I.e., the Russian Collusion Hoax. Let's hold accountable those who organized this hoax and disseminated it, with prejudice, to the public.
6
Give Trump his due. He is brilliant at spin and PR.
Trump knew he never conspired, or coordinated with Russia (defined by Mueller as a tacit or explicit agreement between his campaign and the Russian government) - because of the narrow legal definition of "coordination". So for two years, Trump kept repeating "no collusion, no collusion". He wanted to direct our attention to that one narrow legal charge and away from everything else. There is ample evidence Trump acted unethically, if not illegally, in the 2016 campaign. It is likely that Trump has violated the law in other areas. The SDNY referred to Trump as "Individual 1" in payments to a porn star, and virtually every organization with the name "Trump" is under investigation. But no, we focused on the narrow term "collusion" with the Russian government in 2016.
And so, when Mueller did not establish that the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated, Trump spins it as evidence that he is innocent of all the myriad charges against him, and that, indeed, all the other federal and state investigations are a "witch hunt". And that seems to be the narrative this morning.
Brilliant PR indeed.
5
@DBman Thank HRC. They initiated this mess.
So, here's where we stand in my territory. The local newspaper reported the no obstruction-no full exoneration story and as of yesterday there were over 70 comments online. Every one castigated the paper as a 'liberal rag' for including no exoneration in the headline, proclaimed their undying support for a great president, and castigated the Democrats for wanting to continue the 'witchhunt'. From my watchpost, sanity and the future of this country is still in dangerous waters.
5
@DJ
Time to acknowledge that the behavior of Trump's critics is far more damaging to this country than anything the Russians could do.
Lefttwing democrats are ready to scrap the electoral system, essentially taking a club to anything that stands in their way.
Trump is the least of our worries.
I am disappointed by the findings of the Mueller report, as known so far. Even a scoundrel like Trump, who believes he is ABOVE the law, can benefit from the rule of law. Mueller didn't think he had sufficient evidence to prove collusion, so he didn't charge it. But that does not mean there was no collusion.
It was NOT a witch hunt. Rather, it was a careful, "by the book" investigation that did not overreach.
So Trump benefits from the American judicial system. Too bad so many "small fry" don't.
6
Your disappointed our president didn't collude with Russia?
Well, I would ask you to stay on your side of the world then, you have bigger problems than ours...
Will Trump now praise the '13 angry Democrats' on the Mueller team?
3
Ummmm.........To Our President - how about we make a deal?
No more private meetings with Vladimir?
5
My wordsmithing is of the High-School General Equivalency Diploma class! Still, after one perusal of Barr’s 4 pages of rhetorical sophistry my advice to friends and family would be, under no circumstances, buy a used car from this man!
If in a 4-page summary of a “comprehensive” report detailing a 2-year investigation of monumental import only 2 brief—elliptical—quotations can be lifted from said report to support one’s assessment something ain’t right in Mudville!
Even if Barr’s are the whitest shoes of Washington’s white-shoe crowd he ain’t Rabbi Hillel!
1
The coup is on our democracy!!
1
SPIN. SPIN. SPIN.
William Barr spent a career covering up other people's crimes: in Iran-Contra, BCCI, and CIA-Drugs.
Barr may be just "preparing the battlefield."
Until the Mueller Report is public nobody knows nothin.'
7
So Barr, in less than 48 hours, could synthesize 22 months of work and conclude the president did not obstruct justice
Wow, that’s impressive.
Next up - fixing Brexit by Wednesday morning
3
@Chicago Paul Britain should walk. EU doesn't know what it wants to be.
The report didn't stop short. The report was part of a system and the AG and Rosenstein completely cleared the President. More sour grapes from the left that we had a free election. They didn't like the results so they faked a dossier and lied to FISA judges and ginned up a special counsel investigation. Now the rest of Inspector General Horowitz's report will be released and it will name names. Oh my. Those names will implicitly prove a criminal conspiracy by FBI agents and DOJ personnel. In the meantime look at some of these comments. The left can't give it up. It's over. Trump won the election and now he has won big again. He's s winner. Waugh. Waugh.
4
@Bob Ideally, the final words of a patriotic writing America’s page in the history book of great nations would read ‘her hegemony never ended!’
Winning is a chimera in a game that never ends! As such, winning is not the object of a Statesman working to make his or her great nation the greatest ever! The object is playing the game THE RIGHT WAY!
I guess I should find something else to stress me out now.
2
What a letdown and disappointment, with all due respect to Mr. Mueller, he should have made it clear, one way or the other. After all this time, we deserve to know whether Trump is guilty or not. You can’t be just a little bit pregnant, you either are or not.
3
The bottom line is that although Donald Trump is a bully and a serial liar who surrounds himself with men of very low character, he cannot be indicted for collusion. Therefore, the next task is to plan for his removal by defeat in the 2020 presidential election.
6
For the sake of the republic and her institutions it's better to conclude that while Trump is an idiot he is not a traitor. That is actually a good thing for the republic.
What this report also concludes is that Russia is far better at exploiting and weaponizing information than we are at defending our cyber domain and exercising deliberate sobriety and critical thinking with information in media.
5
Barr: "Dear White House, presidents cannot obstruct justice".
Barr yesterday: "I have decided that the President did not obstruct justice."
Faith in our institutions restored?
Hardly.
3
why is the report on released on twitter , the president can talk to the people direct , but Mueller has to go via Barr...!! ridiculous.
Now Rachel Maddow will have to actually earn her 30k a day. Trumps business is where the criminality is.
It’s time to move on .
4
"...no actions.... were done with corrupt intent.." You are kidding, right?
So now the Democrats and liberal press will try to convince the public that Trump obstructed justice regarding a crime that never occurred.
4
Obstruction refers to actions against an investigation. Whether there was an underlying crime is not the issue in an obstruction case.
1
"according to a summary of the special counsel’s key findings made public on Sunday by Attorney General William P. Barr."
Yeah, let's take this guy's word for it because he's probably not beholden to Trump and utterly angelic, like all Trump's other appointments. Mmm-hm.
1
"There must be full transparency in what Special Counsel Mueller uncovered to not exonerate the President from wrongdoing. DOJ owes the public more than just a brief synopsis and decision not to go any further in their work." - Rep. Jerry Nadler, Chair of @HouseJudiciary.
"In light of the very concerning discrepancies and final decision making at the Justice Department following the Special Counsel report, where Mueller did not exonerate the President, we will be calling Attorney General Barr in to testify before @HouseJudiciary in the near future." - Rep. Jerry Nadler, Chair of @HouseJudiciary.
2
"The Justice Department’s general practice is not to identify the targets of its investigations if prosecutors decide not to bring charges..."
Unless, that is, the investige's name is Hillary Clinton and the alleged crime is a legal technicality apparently breached by both her predecessor and successor. Then they hold a finger-wagging news conference declaring that, while the investigation target may not prosecutable, she is still a very bad person.
1
Three things are looming—
Obstruction of justice, whether Trump obtained his high office illicitly, and whether Trump is compromised by a foreign power.
1
In my 57 years on this planet I have learned there is no truth from government, ever, just war and the lies necessary for war.
1
Mr. Mueller can now appear on this week's late night talk shows to promote his new book. Highly unlikely.
1
But the most important question remains unaddressed: is Trump beholdened Russia?
1
The USA, where the bus fell off the wheels.
1
All the collusion the Russians have ever needed from Trump is for Trump to simply be himself.
You are asking us to trust a political appointee's summary of a report that could be damaging to the person who hired him?
Such appointee should recuse him or herself from the process immediately.
Let the public see thereport now or things will only get far worse.
1
I hate that my predictions are coming true! I knew Trump would win the presidency and that he'd be cleared by Mueller. Part two is that while SDNY goes after him Trump gets re-elected. Trump is found to be guilty of many things, but a sitting prez won
Report stops short of charging President. Leaves that to others. No exoneration.
1
Might as well be though.
This is finished.
If either of the Watergate prosecuters had submitted their findings to the Nixon White House and then Attorney General John Mitchell in two days released a summary of findings would anyone have believed it? It is very likely that Mr. Barr's very consderable thumb is on the scale.
2
Here is language from Barr’s letter of Sunday, March 22, 2019. “...the Special Counsel did not find that any U.S. person or Trump campaign official or associate conspired or knowingly coordinated with the IRA in its effort...”
I am equally concerned whether a person, campaign officials or associates UNKNOWINGLY coordinated with the Russian IRA. Indeed, the sheer ineptitude of this Administration makes the UN very likely the case.
“While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”
Special Council Robert Mueller
Do you think Trump's endless banks of attorneys tried to explain this to him before he began shooting off his mouth about being totally exonerated? I think there is a big surprise waiting for him down the road (I think he also knows this, he just can't shut up...)
2
I don't think it's too much to ask...how many pages was Mueller's report??Answer, Barr, ASAP.You have a lot of explaining to do.
2
Come on, it’s kinda funny, isn’t it, a little bit?
“At this point, what difference does it make?”
1
“the Special Counsel did not find that the Trump campaign, or anyone associated with it, conspirated or coordinated with the Russian government in these efforts, despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign.”
Conspirated is not a word but sounds like something that .a lawyer trying to impress would write. Barr obviously opent too many years in big law firms.
Seth H. Langson, Child Ad
Barr simply...Simply... stopped the clock until he could justify not releasing the report.
Vladimir Putin launched the most ambitious intelligence operation in history during the US Presidential Elections and when he succeeded, Vodka flowed in the Kremlin according the Craig Unger’s book, House of Trump House of Putin.
I wonder whether another celebration ensued over the weekend to mark the continuing uninterrupted intelligence operation for at least the duration of Trump’s tenure.
With the cloud of Russia no longer hanging on Trump’s head, I expect nothing less from ex-KGB spymaster Putin to continue:
• Summoning Trump with just a glance as what happened in Helsinki and Buenos Aires
• Confiscating American translators’ notes and recordings after official meetings
• Coordinating visits from active FSB agents to the Oval Office without American media coverage and CIA oversight
• Receiving communications from Trump via Tweeter and official White House press briefings
• Having the 100% support from Republicans via McConnell’s silent subservience and Fox News’ free propaganda
No collusion.
Indeed. A slave cannot collude with his master. He can only take orders.
2
This investigation was not about Russian interference - as the article claims - but only about a possible link between Russian interference and Trump. The investigation takes Russian interference as a given.
The report divides Russian interference in American politics in two issues. One is creating division. But this is a dubious claim at best. Sure, Russia is highlighting problematic sides of the US that America's mainstream media prefer to ignore, like rising inequality, racial discrimination and police killings. But doing so it is doing something very similar to what the US is doing in Russia - claiming to promote democracy.
The other issue is the leak of mails that mails that proved damaging for the Clinton campaign. But here the evidence is very thin. And red flags that suggest that the Democratic Party isn't exactly honest here - such as the refusal to give the FBI access to the server - abound.
Did Mr. Trump try to obstruct justice? In my eyes the more important question is whether the Democratic Party wanted to obstruct democracy with this investigation.
2
@Wim Roffel
It is time we held the responsible parties accountable for Russian interference. Blaming Trump was a clever political maneuver, but it wasn't he who was responsible for overseeing and protecting our election process.
1
@AACNY Bingo. Trump was a private citizen when this started. How did the people who had all the power in 2016 get it so wrong ? Laughable.
We didn't wait all this time for Barr to take one weekend to "summarize" a 20 month investigation in 4 little pages, containing few direct quotes from Mueller himself. Barr began campaigning for this bootlicking job in 2017, when he sent an unsolicited 15 page memo to Rosenstein and Sessions complaining about Mueller and defending the right of the President to practically shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue...Why would we believe Barr's irresponsible, slipshod, amazingly abridged version of Mueller's work, when we know that he was chosen specifically for this purpose by the fool on the hill?? I want to see Mueller's words, not some illegitimate iteration contrived in speed-dating fashion by another trump lackey who'll do anything for a shout-out at a rally somewhere in trumpland.
2
Dear Mr. Mueller: I want my money back. Thanks tho for trying.
Remember "Who's going to pay for the wall?"? Ans: "Mexico!"
Let Trump pay for it and be reimbursed by Mexico.
sooo many pieces to consider, here...
Keystone cops come to mind-
I think the Trump campaign so off the cuff, in the 1st place,
too incompetent to collude in an official sense.
Guilty pieces abound-
evidenced in the indictments and convictions.
So much damage already done,
in so many respects.
Let's all try to be best(er).
It's better than I expected," said Giuliani...
Rather remarkable comment.
What does he know we don't know?
3
This is a misleading headline. We still don’t know what Muller found — all we know is Barr’s summary.
A sad day for America.
Turns out, the FIX was in... What a surprise! Or, should we say, JOKE?
So many questions, so few answers....
What did Michael Flynn share that got him such a great deal?
What did Rick Gates have to say?
Wasn't Julian Assange supposed to be indicted?
Didn't Cambridge Analytics help Russian target voters on Facebook?
Why did Paul Manafort give polling data from the Trump campaign to a Russian spy?
Why was Papadapolas running his mouth to his Russian spy professor?
Why did Erik Prince have his secret meeting in the Seychelles?
What's up with that secret foreign company that was arguing against the Special Counsel to the extent that the Supreme Court had to get involved?
What about Trump writing a letter on Air Force One to cover for his son?
What about the demand for loyalty from Comey, which was obviously a condition of continued employment?
What about the firing of Comey and the subsequent comments to Lester Holt AND the Russian Ambassador?
What about Trump meeting with Putin, and destroying his notes?
What about Jared Kushner attempts to set up a back channel between Trump and Russia?
What about the continued almost daily attacks on the investigation and the FBI?
What about Trump threatening to fire Sessions?
What about Helsinki?
2 years, endless intrigue, and just....nothing? I find it very hard to stomach, and at the very least the country needs some answers. Sorry Mr. Barr, you cannot take 2 years of an alleged thorough investigation and sideline it so easily.
3
"...it also does not exonerate him”
The part over which; the Republicans will go completely, totally, obtusely deaf, dumb and blind; the Democrats will go with constantly, continuously and vociferously emphasizing, publicizing and advertising.
Oh joy, oh joy, battling hyperbole fighting for the hearts and minds of the people...or a salve for the supporting masses.
"Mr. Mueller’s team drew no conclusions about whether Mr. Trump illegally obstructed justice, Mr. Barr said, so he made his own decision."
Uh-huh. "made his own decision," did he? How nice. My own feeling is that the report in its entirety should be released so that all of us may read it. Then, and only then, will we have the evidence we need either to concur or to dissent with Mr. Barr's decision. We may well decide differently. We already have ample evidence that Mr. Trump is a liar, a cheat, a philanderer, a groper, a sexist, a racist, a divisive and mean-spirited and ignorant individual who has repeatedly proved how unfit he is to be President, and one, morever, who is probably making money illegally during his term of office. That's hardly a rosy picture of 'complete exoneration.' We may have to wait for the Attorney General of New York State to put an end to all this, but the truth will out. Understand that, Mr. Trump. We will find out and you will be brought to account for it all.
2
We knows it all along!
Two years and millions of taxpayer dollars for a witch-hunt that ended with NO indictments.
Mueller should be tried for wasting tax payer funds.
Now the left really needs to stop with this nonsense. Enough is enough
3
I'm going to quote the famous Gary Trudeau Doonesbury cartoon about Nixon that got the cartoon moved to the editorial section:
"That's guilty! Guilty Guilty Guilty!"
1
Humility in victory....let’s see.
Based on the actual words in the letter, The Times headline writer got it wrong. It did not say that Mueller found No Conspiracy. It said that he was unable to “establish “ one. An interesting and careful word. In Scottish law, there are 3 verdicts: Guilty, Not Guilty, and Not Proven. The verdict on Trump seems to have been Not Proven. In other words, not enough evidence to bring to trial, but certainly more than enough not to declare innocence. We await the full report.
2
@David Feingold, Ph.D.
The phrase "innocent until *proven* guilty" comes to mind. This is the second time democrats are making a mockery of it. The first was during the Kavanaugh hearings.
3
Since when was it Barr's call to declare guilt or innocence??Isn't that congress' responsibility??Barr's "white paper"is probably the most ridiculous piece of literature I've read in a long time.
I would in particular be curious what the report says on Cambridge Analytica. To me that link is sufficiently strong, though he may have not been informed.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/17/us/politics/cambridge-analytica-russia.html
1
Isn't it true that, almost by definition, a "witch hunt" always finds a witch?
If, as the liar-in-chief claims, the Mueller investigation "completely exonerates" him, why has he been acting in such a way as if he was very afraid? Besides what we know now is not the report of the investigation but one man's view of the investigation report. Let's see the entire report before any one makes any claims!
Two years of investigating boils down to only 4 pages?
Sad!
What was required after two years of investigation into collusion and obstruction, and its accompanying soundtrack, was a definitive yes or no.
Mueller's conclusions appear to be neither, at least that's what both AG and deputy AG would have us believe, and that's the worst of all outcomes.
Those on the right are unsurprisingly justified to feel vindicated, those on the left, confused, frustrated at how such obvious misdeeds can once again go unpunished.
There can be no surprise that this will now become the focus of the next two years of partisan war on both sides of the House and the nation itself.
Whatever ones view, there's no doubting Trump will make this stick, and his path to a second term at the WH is far clearer today than at any other point in his presidency.
Unpalatable as it is, Trump has scored his biggest victory ever - all that keeps him back is his ability to bring pain upon himself. Cold comfort to those who want him gone.
Mr. Trump, if the investigation was an illegal takedown attempt, Mr. Barr's letter would have said so.
But then again, you lied (again) that you were totally exonerated. You specifically were not exonerated of possible obstruction of justice.
Russia, if you're listening, I hope you start preparing citizenship papers for Trump for 2020. He's still going to want his trump tower in Moscow, and he'd be a great right-hand man for Vladimir Putin.)
1
Seventeen Sealed Indictments.
Unseal them.
2
So no one is surprised? This is exactly what everyone thought? No one has to eat crow? Lets be honest, you all thought that Trump was going to prison with his whole family from the findings of this investigation. Seems like many people here are changing their tune.
2
It is a small step for Trump, but a giant leap for Russia.
Now Trump can pursue -unfettered of collusion- and invite his buddy Putin to the rose garden, discuss without anybody, except Putin's translator, how to proceed with his hotels in exchange for dropping all imposed sanctions because of the invasion of Crimea and Ukraine.
"Russia, if you're listening: celebrate as if you were backstage at the Miss world contest, at Mar-a-lago!"
"We did it Vlad!"
1
Mueller did his job. It’s the Democrats who unfortunately just handed Trump another term.
2
If attempted robbery is a crime, and attempted murder is a crime, why isn't attempted collusion or attempted obstruction of justice?
2
The door has just slammed shut on any hopes for saving our democracy. Trump just got away with the biggest lie of his sorry life. The retribution will begin within days in the form of counter investigations introduced in the Senate (and new investigations of Hillary will also begin) and at the behest of Trump, William Barr will immediately begin shutting down the SDNY investigations. We all know there was evidence of both collusion and obstruction of justice in plain sight. We have seen lying witnesses jailed, who covered it up, and have heard Trump admit that he fired Comey to save himself. The public needs to read the complete report and if Barr (read: Trump), refuses, it’s because what is in it is so damning. Trump has spouted lies something like 8,000 times in two years, and there is no reason for anyone to believe he didn’t just get away with a whopper that will have tragic consequences for our country and the world. I fervently hope there is someone who will leak the report and save us, before Trump is re-elected.
2
Lots of stuff about Trump and his cronies. I hope there are also insights from Mueller's work that will help us keep the Russians and others from interfering in future elections.
You need a smoking gun or unimpeachable documentation to prove conspiracy ("collaboration") so this shouldn't come as a surprise. Given Mueller's probity he would not charge anyone without such evidence -- Justice Department policy of not indicting a sitting president notwithstanding.
And of course, like the head of any crime family, the Don(ald) would never tell a subordinate directly to commit a crime. "It sure would be nice if this happened" is quite enough.
4
As a true independent who has voted for Presidential candidates from both parties in the past (how many of you can say that?), I would caution Democrats to let this go now. To continue on after Mueller’s investigation found no collusion would be to risk creating sympathy for Teump and drive independents back into Trump’s corner. Focus on the 2020 elections. Continuing after the ref has decided isn’t a good look.
2
There was never any collusion. Nor was there any conspiracy with Russia. Liberals need to apologize profusely and move on, otherwise they are toast.
This whole thing has been a terrible stain on America. How could so many people have believed this obvious fantasy for so long and with such zeal?
Donald Trump has been the strongest President on Russia since the end of the Cold War. This fact alone makes Mueller’s investigation into “collusion” redundant. Trump is not a Russian stooge in the slightest. Too bad the “smart people” out there couldn’t see this very basic fact.
4
Are we really that surprised that the FBI comes out and does this? Even after Comey and his outing Hillary but not trump?
Not surprised, just bitterly disappointed.
4
Yes, all this was thanks Comey. Because of him we are here today in all this banana republican spectacle.
3
@Colorado This is not an FBI report
If OJ can get away with it, why not Donny? While I truly believe the facts - and the arrests - contradict the verdict, I am really not surprised that he got away with it. I just hope that he can take this win as a reprieve and not as a triumph. He won't... & a new Special Counsel will be appointed...
2
If this is so, what do you call it then when Trump's surrogates were meeting with Russians at a high level about lifting sanctions once Trump got elected while at the same time the Russians are interfering on Trumps behalf in our election? What do you call it then when Trump loudly asks the Russians to get dirt/emails on Hillary Clinton?
2
@Potter
Quid pro quo
Not exonerated. What does that mean? It means guilty until found innocent. Is that the new legal standard?
5
"Mr. Trump told reporters in Florida before boarding Air Force One. “It’s a shame that our country had to go through this. To be honest, it’s a shame that your president has had to go through this.”"
the report doesnt exonerate him from being considered a malignant narcissist by many. reasonably so.
3
@Ashley not a fan of Trump, but please enlighten us as to where it is a crime to be a "malignant narcissist."
1
"Russia's determined efforts to subvert the 2016 election?" Paranoia and mendacity rolled into one. There has yet been shown any evidence the Russians turned a single voter. Mueller continues to stoke the Russian interference meme but had to admit no collusion. Rachel Maddow captures the anti Russia hysteria nicely with her claim that Russian could have shut off the heat in the mid west when temps were -50 degrees. All this has produced massive skepticism about the motives of the corporate news media. This saga produced avid watchers and readers who detest Trump being president. In other words profits for the corporate news media's bottom line. Trump is a bigoted liar and a scoundrel. There are political avenues to defeat Trump legitimately.
1
Nothing will ever stick to teflon Don. We, as a country, are doomed.
5
No collusion.
No obstruction.
No votes affected by Russian propaganda.
Trump simply won fair and square.
Because voters realized he loves America.
6
Mueller did a very thorough and professional investigation and found NO COLLUSION. And made no criminal charges in connection with the Trump presidential campaign. It's time to move on.
For those unable to accept this reality, I must say, having a full-blown case of Trump Derangement Syndrome must be a miserable existence. You all are in my thoughts and prayers.
When you're ready for some treatment, I'm pretty sure TDS is covered under Obamacare. But you might want to hurry...before President Obama's last remaining "accomplishment" collapses under its own weight.
6
Of course the outrage most Times' readers have right now is warranted; we've watched the US disgraced by the election and machinations of a cheesy con man, with obvious foreign assistance -- Russia no less.
But in the end, let us not blame Trump so much as the people in voting booths and in Congress who have made Trump possible. Our nation has fallen victim to a lightweight, semi-fast talking mid-to-low level celebrity -- but we have to keep in mind that it was the voting population that is 100% responsible for Trump.
Yes, it's been ugly beyond belief, but it is real, and it was America that did it. Ironically, how can there be any doubt that America is not particularly great? It is unlikely, with the voting mentality of this nation, any rebound will be anything but temporary. And I am not a cynical person -- just calling it as it appears.
Trump's chumps.
8
The underlying crime, if I am right, is that the Russian government organized people to go on Facebook and pretend to be something they weren't to express opinions to sway people. (There might be a lot more to it; I wait for the complete report.)
As much as this could be legal, I wonder why Democrats don't do the same thing? A big problem is that internet sites are echo chambers and people read biased things that outrage them. They don't hear 'reasonable' opposing views. (There _are_ angry trolls but they just get shouted down.)
So, my idea: Organize talented people to go on right wing sites and try to make friends. Once they are accepted, they make reasonable, _factual_, well argued, statements to try to sway people to a more moderate position--one that the Democrats genuinely and patriotically feel is best for the country.
I have no idea why we leave that to the Russians who will certainly continue to do it (and who because of culture and language, will be inept.) Political parties should be investing heavily in this effort IMO (again, if it is legal, which I think it should be--I would think this is part of free speech and there is no reason to legally protect echo chambers.)
@KTT reasonable well argued factual statements just bounce off of those who have their minds made up. Mueller's report, called a witch hunt all this time, now has credibility for these people. And Trump, as he crows now, has the nerve to say it was illegal. You cannot argue with determined ignorance, eyes and ears closed to words like "no evidence of" and caveats like (Trump appointed) "the Attorney General's summary/(fast)reading"
The people will decide ultimately, not Fox News, not MSNBC. Is this the best our country can do in a leader?
I'm not surprised at all. I never believed in the Russia-gate conspiracy theory, collusion with Putin etc. The only strong foreign influence on Trump is Israeli. That is as clear as water. Moving the embassy to Jerusalem, which created a diplomatic earthquake, announcing that the Golan Heights should be Israeli territory, reversing decades old US policy, and at odds with the UN, reversing the nuclear arms agreement with Iran etc. etc. What is even more dangerous is the return of Bush's neocons, now part of the Trump team, threatening to wage war on half the world. The Russia story was a distraction, something for people to pin their hopes on.
2
Anybody who thinks Trump didn't know this before today I have a bridge I want to sell you. The Dem's put all their eggs in one basket. It was the Dems who elevated Mueller to Saint Staus. The Senate even if it was sent The Articles of Impeachment is not going to hold a trial. We have blown 22 months thinking Republican Mueller was going to be our White knight and that didn't work. Let's come up with a message that will impeach Trump the old fashioned way at the ballot box.
6
There’s something unnerving here and it looks like the system is rigged. Why did Mueller punt on the obstruction of justice issue? Did he get blowback from Barr or Rosenstein? And Barr, who auditioned for the attorney general job by sending a 19-page memo to the White House castigating the obstruction of justice probe, did what he was appointed to do by exonerating Trump when Mueller refused to do so. He also usurped the role of Congress by taking it upon himself to decide the issue. What we’re left with is a president who received help from Russia in 2016, which undermines his legitimacy and a Justice Department we can no longer trust to conduct an honest investigation of the president. What a mess. So sad tonight.
4
“No collusion” in the 2016 presidential campaign? So what? Here’s the facts of the Trump/Republican track record of the past two years:
—Trump is an asset for Vladimir Putin, implementing foreign policies with Putin’s stamp of approval, destroying the post-WWII Western alliance and insulting the leaders of our strongest allies, leaving the United States increasingly isolated internationally—while ignoring the deeds of the murderous thug Putin.
—Trump’s kowtowing to Putin reached its nadir in his obsequiousness at their summit in Helsinki
—Trump accepts Putin’s word over the conclusions of U.S intelligence services about Russian interference in our elections. This threatens U.S.national security far beyond colluding with Russia during the 2016 campaign.
—Trump has done nothing to strengthen our defenses against Russian cyber warfare directed against our elections.
—Trump, Inc.’s dependence on Russian money is staggering in its implications for posing a threat to U.S. national security. Any individual so financially beholden to foreigners would be denied a security clearance, and rule out giving him a job.
The above eplains why our national security agencies deny Jared Kushner a security clearance and shows the frightening implications of Trump’s overriding them. The decision leaves Jared a potential security risk, but also displays the extent to which Trump is a Russian puppet and poses a threat to U.S. national security far surpassing any collusion in the 2016 election.
4
Just to be clear, Mueller's report doesn't exonerate anybody.
4
@Nemesisofhubris
Nor was it ever meant to "exonerate" anybody. The report summarizes the investigation. Mueller had one job, and it was not to "exonerate" anyone.
Arguing over the word is a desperate attempt to ignore the fact that no charges were brought.
3
Trump is NOT exonerated. Consider that the Southern District of New York is still working.
It boggles the intellect that a "general" is clean, while so many of his lieutenants are indicted or convicted.
Trump sullies everything he touches.
6
So, if this is the final verdict, future presidential candidates can and should solicit help from foreign potentates, no matter how anti-American, to help with dirty political tricks? As long as the candidate only covers it up but does not directly help them, it is not collusion or conspiracy? This is the United States of America? It doesn’t matter which side of the political spectrum you are from, think of the precedent this sets.
6
I think Mueller set the bar of conspiracy very high because trump is a sitting president and accusing a president of (basically) treason would rattle the country to its core.
What other possible conclusion can we make of this?
1
What Trump is hailing is the Barr report, not the Mueller report.
And what Barr did is equivalent to the Saturday Night Massacre.
4
While Donald Trump may not lose the presidency, now or in the next election, if justice in SDNY prevails, he will surely lose something that has always been MUCH more important to him: his entire business enterprise.
Surely this "man" must pay some kind of price in his life for his disgusting behaviours, most of which have been all over the news for years and have never needed a Mueller to be properly exposed.
Trump may be a genius but he is literally an EVIL genius and thus a clear and on-going danger to all of us, including those people who perversely continue to support him.
The devil is a master of disguise. But with Trump, you can all but smell the sulphur.
4
They spent hours writing this pained and contorted sentence:
"In cataloguing the President's actions, many of which took
place in public view, the report identifies no actions that, in our judgment, constitute obstructive conduct, had a nexus to a pending or contemplated proceeding, and were done with corrupt intent, each of which, under the Department's principles of federal prosecution guiding charging
decisions, would need to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to establish an obstruction-of-justice offense."
So Rosenstein wanted to wire himself for sound after Trump fired Comey but now signs onto Barr's absurdity that there was no obstructive conduct to even a contemplated proceeding?
You can bet this turns on "contemplated proceeding", because Trump obviously was obstructive. Barr is arguing that so long as Trump wasn't covering up Russian related facts, he's in the clear. Barr is also arguing that Trump can obstruct anything else, like investigations into his finances, tax returns, etc..
The fight will be here.
2
After reading your article, it sounds like a more accurate headline would have been: "According to AG Barr, Mueller Finds No Trump-Russia Conspiracy, but Stops Short of Exonerating President on Obstruction ". It would be nice for the public to see that report so that we could decide for ourselves if there was no conspiracy.
3
I am so sad and sorry for this great country of ours. The forces of evil and disruption have created a new paradigm for how we see the world and what's right from what's wrong.
You would think George Orwell and Christopher Hitchens are turning in their graves right now but they're not - they knew all along this could happen because Americas are low-brow at heart and uninformed to the point of not caring. Its the way they like it.
Its our own fault for allowing civics class to be eliminated from grade school curriculum; and the religious right dictating their crazy version of science; and parents not questioning the authority of the Church. It all rings of a repetition where the state is going to accomplish the very thing small town America said would never happen and that they would fight to the death to prevent - the loss of liberties through our own ignorance.
To paraphrase Nikita Khrushchev: "America will collapse from within." He was right.
10
republicans and democrats have bilaterally called for release of the full report and the congressional committees have called for all the evidence generated by the special counsel.
so everybody take a deep breath until then.
contemplate instead that we are trusting our elected officials to do their job, understanding that the DOJ is an administrative arm of the executive branch, and not a fourth power of government.
consider how far this entire spectacle has distracted the electorate from the real problems pressing this country, which remain unresolved.
consider how far this nonsense has fed off your desire for gossip and twittering about moral character, and acted as a convenient excuse for you to put off taking the real problems seriously.
What is crazy is how many 'hot takes' journalists were proffering as to what this means within, like, thirty minutes of Barr's letter being made public. 90 percent of them now amend their earlier hot takes , and then make equally bold interpretations, which will then be amended , ad nauseum. I would really rather not have the thought process of trial and error on display, with the attendant roller coaster. Journalists, please take a bit of time before looking for 'likes'.
The welter of anxiety, frustration, expectation for a big payoff on the left, conspiracies about the deep state on the right, IN THE MEDIA, is close to pathological.
Listening to otherwise smart people sitting around hypothesizing about possible scenarios that may or may not be the case because 'we don't really know at this point' is not only a colossal waste of time, it isn't really the duty of press to do this, as I see it. Or, let's reverse the 80/20 editorializing/reporting split on all the major news shows. Rachel Maddow is great, and smart, but a reporter/journalist she ain't.
During the next scandal , we track every statement, develop betting lines and treat pundits like prognosticators. Sort of a mix between Nostradamus and Vegas. This way we a) become aware of how little anyone knows day by day and b) reveal pundits for the blowhards they are, *especially* those who we sympathize with politically.
1
Why didn't Mueller ever subpoena Trump to testify under oath? How was it possible to ever evaluate his intent regarding obstruction of justice? Why did he punt the issue to Barr who had no involvement in the 2 year investigation and who decided the issue in record time? Why have so many around Trump lied and lied and lied repeatedly about their contacts with Russian operatives, some of whom are now going to jail because of it? These are only a few of the myriad questions that prevent anyone of sound mind to believe that justice has been served and the rule of law upheld.
Mueller and now Barr have handed the country a bigger mess than we already had. The House investigations are only getting started, but now they will be even further excoriated by Republicans, as if that were possible, for being a political hit job against Trump. I don't see any way out unless the country can overcome voter suppression, extreme gerrymandering, and totally disproportionate representation in the Senate to get Trump and the minority GOP out of office. We have a chronic liar in the oval office who is aided and abetted by an entire political party. I fear for the future of justice and fairness and the rule of law.
4
Democrats need to be the first to remind the public that the special council was appointed by the republicans. Trump is trashing his own former AG and the justice department, calling them all but criminals.
Dems needs to loudly praise the system that exonerated both Trump and Clinton, and draw a parallel, reminding everyone that the special council and Comey are both republicans. Justice was served. We need to hold our heads high. We should go so far as to make the republicans own the $25 mil. Price tag while reminding the public that $25mil covers about four golf outings for Trump.
The Dems need to praise Muller, the former AG and the justice department for carrying out justice-which truly Makes America Great.
Dems need to point out that they are happy our president isn't an agent if a foreign power, while acknowledging how terrible it was to even consider the idea. The evidence was so compelling that Trumps own party had to convene a special council to investigate their president.
Then jump to the fact that Trump is an un indicted co-conspirator, ran a criminal charity, and lied to the public about his financial ties to Russia during the campaign.
Dems, please DO NOT APOLOGIZE, it was the republicans who started this make them own the whole thing.
2
I’m a rational, educated person... but I’m still not convinced.
5
The Russian connection investigation was always a sideshow, perhaps a necessary one given the many indications of attempted collusion with the Russians but a sideshow nonetheless. It was not the locus of all concerns.
The focus on the investigation, and the media's fascination about what might be revealed, has taken attention away from the main point: Trump is spectacularly unqualified to be president, knows next to nothing (even now) about our Constitution and laws and continually substitutes spilling his guts on Twitter and elsewhere for actually pursuing any path to making his campaign promises real.
The biggest danger of Trump lies in the fact that he doesn't know what he doesn't know, he wallows in ignorance and declares himself "a very stable genius". (Anyone who is actually a genius doesn't need to proclaim it himself.)
This is a time of celebrating for Trumpsters. They should, instead, be silent and ask themselves what happened to the patriotism that was once the signal claim of right wing Republicanism, patriotism that included the capacity to put the nation ahead of low partisan, tribal motives.
8
I do not no the length of the Mueller report but given that it took nearly two years to compile and likely thousands of pages of documents were amassed, two hundred witnesses questioned, how is it that attorney general Barr was able to read and write his memo about the report's conclusions in less than 48 hours? It is virtually impossible for Barr to have read and digested that amount of material in such a short period of time. Something's wrong.
8
In the 1600’s they called it a witch hunt. This whole situation was a shame and an embarrassment, and an example of the danger to anyone who is accused of going afoul of the legal system in his own defense even if he/she was initially innocent. A prosecutor out of control, a crazed policeman with a gun, can kill you. All of them protected with legal immunity as you stand trial based on accusations that prove to be false. But legally there is a legal concept every first year law student learns. It’s called ESTOPPEL, in this case it means that the idea that someone who is not guilty of anything in the first place can be held committing a crime afoul of the accusation he's being investigated for, cannot stand in a society whose laws are based on equity. One should not be charged with obstructing an investigation that had an invalid premise to begin with, built entirely on the straw man, in this case the Red Menace. The prosecutor should be ESTOPPED from trying you twice when you were found not guilty of the original indictment. Mueller's arrogance leaves it to say that the President may not be fully relieved on obstruction of justice. Mueller had to tell the truth because lying would indict the legal system, even if he is now acting like a peacock dangling out the notion that there is something more. From this fight Trump is the last Peacock standing. We can all move on from the entertainment to how to fix our delinquent legal system and re-engage with Russia.
5
“while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him” on the obstruction of justice issue."
This report reeks of being concluded prematurely. Rachel Maddow has it correct: Jeff Sessions was fired, because he recused himself from the Russia investigation. Wm Barr, who published comments that the Mueller investigation was overly extensive, was nominated by trump to replace Sessions. A month after taking office, Barr announces that the Mueller investigation is over.
If Mueller couldn't conclude that the president committed a crime or exonerate him, it tells me that his investigation was abruptly ended before he could acquire enough evidence. To me, that reeks of prosecutorial (i.e. AG Barr) misconduct. Barr did the job that trump hired him to do. Simple as that.
7
The real news is Trump still can't govern. He can caw and crow about not being organized enough to collude with Putin but he still invited Putin's interference in our general election with his "Russia are you listening...". And they were, and they dumped hacked emails about his opponent. But re governing, he only thing passed so far is a tax cut for the rich and that was Ryan's doing - Trump only signed it. Let's remember too, to thank Trump for his most significant non-legislative achievement to date; returning Speaker Pelosi to her job with a 40 seat majority.
Pay attention to what he does, which because of his ineptitude, is, thankfully, nothing much. Ignore the inflammatory nonsense and provocations he squawks - this is to distract from his incompetence.
In 2020 we defeat him where he's weak, on policy on issues voters really care about - health care access and costs, education, jobs, climate change.
6
No collusion.
In other words: Trump is anti-American all on his own.
What a relief.
7
It's "Barr Time," not "Mueller Time."
We've just been given the "Readers Digest Condensed" version of the real Mueller Report. Barr's carefully timed 4-pager seems designed to produce rosy headlines for Trump & his cohort, and sets the stage for the next rounds of Republican p.r. to condemn all questions raised about this truncated version of reality.
Truly, it's cotton candy spun for Trump's reelection. It will be up to the House of Representatives and other prosecutors to unearth the rest of this complex, multi-layered national story.
8
It is over. Let it go and get on with the country's business and participate in trying to make America Great Again instead of trying to overturn a legitimate election and obstructing everything the President is trying to do to make things better for America and Americans.
6
@NYChap
Sorry, Charlie, but, no, he is not really a president, he is a corrupt reality show host flailing around and dividing the country. That is all he is, or ever will be. He is not only not morally fit for the office he holds, he is not equipped from the point of view of experience. He isn't emotionally fit, or psychologically fit, or even physically fit. All we can do is hope that he will be voted out, assuming that's possible given Russian meddling and the loss of the Voting Rights Act.
4
Just because Barr says it, doesn't make it so. The American people need to see the full report.
7
It is over. Let it go and get on with the country's business and participate in trying to make America Great Again instead of trying to overturn a legitimate election and obstructing everything the President is trying to do to make things better for America and Americans.
1
As to the obstruction charge, it may be that AG Barr and Deputy AG Rosenstein are applying the same standards with respect to "intent" to President Trump as Mr. Comey did with Mrs. Clinton.
Mr. Comey stated back in July 2016 that he would not pursue criminal charges against Mrs. Clinton because he could not establish "she acted with the necessary criminal intent." As Mrs. Clinton got a pass back then, President Trump got one now.
@Chat Cannelle
That was my first thought. At least Comey tried to explain his reasoning. We deserve to see the report and hear the rationale behind the decision-making process.
According to whom? When someone I trust reads the report then I'll accept a conclusion like this.
1
Barr’s logic for exonerating president on obsruction charges includes convoluted argument that takes into account that president wasn’t found guilty, so the argument goes he, couldn’t have obstructed. This logic can easily be challenged as there is a definite link between obstruction and the result of an investigation. If one perfectly obstructs an investigation, by Barr’s logic, they would be exonerated of both the underlying crime, due to their success at obstruction and also exonerated of obstruction since, as Barr’s deeply flawed argument goes, they weren’t guilty of the crime, so how could they obstruct it?
2
Everybody knows trump is guilty. Chairman Schiff and Chairman Nadler need to use inherent powers to overthrow trump and install a caretaker government until Bernie Sanders takes power.
3
Trump will build the wall and he will be re-elected. His base will do it.
3
The result forces that the Russians interacted with the Trump campaign in order to get compromising dirt on them. It worked. The irony is that the Russians knew or probably figured out Trump, his son, others of his retinue lacked the ability to help them.
The one thread that seems to be missing in this is Jared directing Michigan social media created in Russia via statistical analysis. This seems to be really helping the Russians, but which law is violated and maybe this is kompromat again against Jared. They didn't really need his help.
The question then resolves to, in lieu of illegality, is it politically unacceptable for a candidate to attempt to help and accept, however feeble and inanely, state sponsored meddling. Russia if you are listening... doesn't count. It was a joke.
Was it a Russian written idea passed to Trump? The note could have continued: America, FBI, CIA see such criminality on the TV all day in the form of betrayals of trust of young people targeted with harmful products. What's the diff? Social media designed to trick them into voting for Trump or eat junk? How can one be wrong -- both are standard evil.
So many have concluded that Mueller's investigation was futile, a "nothing burger." I disagree. Trump may not have been found to have colluded, but the investigation uncovered evidence that will be used by SDNY to prosecute him. It also put several people behind bars for lying to foolishly protect Trump or themselves. The unanswered question is why?
1
There is no crime of collusion in the Federal code. The crime in question is conspiracy. Is Trump doing the bidding of foreign powers like Russia and Saudi in exchange for money? Trump's tax returns and the testimony of Mr. Weisselberg will reveal a great deal. Show us your tax returns Donald!
3
Barr did exactly what Trump appointed him to do. I don’t believe him for a second.
The corruption of this administration continues, unabated.
5
Just as F.B.I. Director Comey used a national Television audience on the Friday just before election day, 2016, to disparage and sabotage the Clinton campaign by reminding viewers of the email investigation, F.B.I. Director Mueller presented his report to the Justice Department this past Friday possibly to mold public opinion on a weekend when everyone is home watching Television. Attorney General Barr was sure to release his summary on the following Sunday when there are the most viewers. These are not the only two circumstances in which the Federal Government has leveraged the press and Television industries. It's a regular practice.
I'm so confused by Mr. Barr's statement. If there's no underlying crime, why is anyone going to jail because of this investigation? Will everyone who was ensnared by Mueller's investigation be pardoned? If Trump's not guilty of anything, why are they on the hook?
1
Finding no evidence of collusion doesn't mean that Russians didn't mess with the 2016 election. Nothing happens in Russia that Putin doesn't know about, sanction, or control. And there are electronic footprints indicating that bots launched from Russia were manipulating social media against democrats, in the primaries, as well as the general election.
So... wink, wink, nod, nod. Collusion? Nope, none of that.
@jljarvis
Perhaps it's time to direct inquiries to the Obama Administration. It was, after all, Obama's job to protect our system, not Trump's.
Going after Trump was always a good deflection, but it has failed, and now those actually responsible should be held accountable.
2
@AACNY
True enough. Although there was evidence of cyber-spying back in 2000, just not attempts to influence elections.
On the other hand, Obama wasn't in thrall of Putin, or attempting to get permission for a luxury hotel with his name on it, in Moscow.
It was neither Mueller's nor Barr's job to "exonerate" anyone. Mueller's job was to investigate and prosecute, which he did. No collusion or obstruction was found.
4
Democrats, time to tell America something that will convince people to vote for a Democratic nominee in 2020. The Mueller report, (which I have to say “I told you so,”) is a gift to Trump, something you can be sure he knows how to exploit.
Universal health care is a winner, if you have the courage to back such an idea. Same with gun control. It took New Zealand six days to do something we haven’t been able to accomplish in a decade, and there are twenty countries with better health care than ours. Nevertheless, Trump is sure to be re-elected if you don’t step up, and appeasing centrist Democrats, like you did in 2016, will yield the same results. Simplify the message, have the courage to stand behind it, and stop squabbling over the details. Fighting with Trump is not a winning strategy.
3
I genuinely give up. I feel it’s like George Orwell’s 1984 and we have to just accept and love big brother, love Trump.
6
@Peter H No, you can select a decent opponent in the next election, one who can do better than 3%
Did you really think that this report would make a difference?
1
@Peter H No, you can select a decent opponent in the next election, one who can do better than 3%
@Peter H
Nope.
Instead of finally closing the door on this scandalous, useless waste of time, Special Counsel left it ajar for the Democrats to continue pursuing their mission to obstruct, divide and conquer. The global soap opera drama continues as the actors on the other side of the fence focus on mockery, suspicion and distrust, with more intense investigations on the horizon. It's clear the two parties are in a tug of war, and the battle scars they inflict upon one another will never heal.
6
Do you think 8 years of brutal obstruction of Obama by McConnell and the Republicans has anything to do with it? Republicans set the agenda and precedent; Democrats are simply responding in kind. Don't play disingenuous with us. We see through it.
3
In all of the focus on Trump and collusion there seems to be little emphasis on the fact that Mueller's conclusions and indictments also underscore US intelligence's concerns about Russian meddling in the election. If Trump is now so happy to believe Mueller's findings, he will have to accept as well what he so often denied. Hard to believe both Putin and Mueller
at the same time.
4
If Trump is really innocent, as claims the AG, William Barr, and neither did he collude with Russia, nor did obstruct justice, why then resort to selective leaks, instead of making full public release of the Mueller report, which could have allowed the public to reach its own judgement? Not doing so smacks of the official conspiracy and sounds mischievous.
14
The whole world knows what this is. It's an AG playing politics rather than doing his job; that is, the whole world knows this except blind Trump supporters.
2
@Prof. Jai Prakash Sharma
So now the release of the report is evidence of...something? Creating crimes where none exist.
One wonders whether people understand there are no hidden criminal charges in that report.
1
It is so interesting that Robert Mueller is now saying it is perfectly legal for the campaigns of every candidate running for President to meet with represents of a foreign government offering to help their campaign by giving them dirt on their opponent. Mueller apparently heartily approves of the Trump campaign's meeting with representatives of Russia who wanted to help with his campaign and since Mueller and Barr have announced their approve of such meetings as being perfectly legal, no doubt other Republicans will be setting up meeting with representatives of foreign governments who can help their campaigns, too.
A sad day for America but a happy one for traitors.
16
I don't think Mueller is saying that it's, "perfectly legal." He simply understands what kind of spin Barr would put on it and is loath to make a stink over it. He's caving in to the prevailing Republican politics.
A pundit on tv commented that Barr’s summary was more like a press statement. I agree, with two bylines, no indictments on collusion and no obstruction, (Mueller did not indict nor exonerate Trump on this, as Barr mentions, but Barr gives himself the authority to make the decision himself, when traditionally congress would make that decision).
There is so much evidence already public that it seems impossible that nothing Trump or his associates did during the campaign and his presidency were all perfectly legal.
What I’ve come to learn is actions taken by the President, his family, associates etc., such as meeting with advisory government leaders, alone, with no other witnesses or official record are going against normal practices, that everyone followed, until Trump. Those “norms” should be put into law.
Also, there are a lot of legal technicalities that can stop an indictment, other than lack of evidence. There is a higher standard, to prove beyond reasonable doubt when it’s the US government that’s the prosecution and Mueller has a reputation of high standards, when it comes to the law and his work product.
When and if we get to see the Mueller report, then we can begin towards an informed understanding, that will become more informed, as the state indictments play out and open congressional hearings start happening and so on.
6
There has been a huge amount of wishful thinking regarding the Mueller report. Many people and media outlets thought the report could contain explosive, impeachable conclusions that would oust Trump right away. Clearly this has not been the case. Sometimes reality simply does not bend to our wishes, no matter how ardent they might be. Unfortunately the media cried wolf on this one, and people are going to trust it less after this episode.
14
Read the article again. Mueller's findings do not exonerate Trump and his family; he simply stated that there was not enough evidence to prove their doings. Barr is the one who added the, "exoneration" spin. Also, claims of "obstruction of justice" remain.
2
@Glenn Thomas They do exonerate Trump and his family, as long we still live in a country where one is presumed innocent until proven guilty and not the other way around.
3
How, exactly, do you know what is in the report? We only have Barr’s word for it right now, and we know Trump brought him in for one reason only. Mueller’s report could have something entirely different in it and Barr and Trump know that Mueller can’t say anything to defend it. It appears we’ll have to wait for either leaks or for Congress to get full access to it.
Having read the report, it isn't as positive as the GOP or the nation should want. Trump WAS NOT exonerated on obstruction. I would love to see Mueller's analysis regarding the statements Trump made to the Russian Ambassador and to Lester Holt after he fired Comey.
BUT FAR IMPORTANT for the country is not that Mueller found no collusion or conspiratorial conduct. Rather, there was not enough to bring a criminal charge. Barr's summary leaves out the word knowingly regarding coordination efforts with Russia, but it appears later in the text of the letter. In other words, there was coordination, but Russian operatives used Trump's campaign members as their personal knuckleheads and pawns. So, for the nation, the take away is this: Trump and his campaign, unwittingly, was helped by Russia and unwittingly cooperated with Russia to get elected. He is, then, by any measure, Russia's man.
That should put a chill in anyone's spine who is a true patriot and believe in liberty - DEM or GOP. Russia is a foe of liberty in a most fundamental form. And Trump, the President of the United States, is their guy. If Trump were not beholden to Russia, he would have punished them for their meddling, with sanctions far more sever than ever before in our history, making clear to Russia (and China and North Korea) that meddling in our election was tantamount to war. His failure to act, now with the report in hand, is an impeachable offence.
10
Go back and read the "Aftermath" chapter of the book "Shattered" The collusion nonsense was hatched in the rage fueled deflection after the glass ceiling was smashed all over the failed HRC campaign.
DJT's original sin was slamming the RINOS and the Dem elite, happily jamming a finger in every opponent's eye. Then -- God Forbid -- Winning the election. Save the argument about popular vote. Drop the People's Republic of California, and HRC loses the popular vote too. Not pretty, but the message the Left and the never Trumpers still fail to get is that DJT was the metaphorical hand grenade rolled into the middle of the room because the career political class quit listening to the people they serve.
Risky, given that the US is the world's largest economy and has half the world's nuclear weapons, but that is exactly what should tell observers how much a sizable chunk of the electorate despises career politicians.
DJT was not sent to Washington to destroy our democratic institutions, but he was unapologetically sent to take a baseball bat to the clubby atmosphere in DC. Pols fail to learn the lesson at their peril.
Those lamenting the result of this process should be careful what they wish for. Going way back to when Trump complained about "Wiretapping" the elite walked right into the trap of thinking literally - there wasn't a van with sweaty guys wearing headphones, but the security apparatus of the country was misused. Watching that mess unravel will be fun.
7
@Todd Stultz
Trump didn't take a baseball bat to the clubby atmosphere in DC--he merely courted, wooed and blackmailed them into following him on what he HAS taken a baseball-bat to:
The rule of Law
The Separation of Powers
The First Amendment
The Emoluments Clause
And the idea that the President's first duty is to protect the Constitution and the nation against its enemies, not give aid and comfort to them while attacking our friends.
We don't know what Mueller's report says, or what he passed off to the SNDY, or EDVA. All we know is what Barr, Trump's selection who attacked the investigation before he was even nominated, says it was, after spending less than 48 hours studying it.
Barr's letter has more holes than a tennis racket and more contradictions than a week of White House tweets and statements. So be careful that you're not celebrating the grand slam that may well be a foul ball. In football parlance, don't spike the football on the 10 yard line.
1
@Dadof2 Trump is just the result of feckless pols. Walking in to vote in 2016 I was asked - who are you voting for ? Response - I'm on the firewall plan - Firewall the life I choose to live against the stupid decisions made by people on either side of the aisle over whom I have no control. Full stop.
This is the great American justice system. OJ Simpson goes free, Paul Manafort gets a lenient sentence for defrauding the country of millions of dollars, a poor black kid gets life for stealing a hamburger because he was hungry, immigrants can be held in prison indefinitely and this guy who is corrupt to the core, tax dodger, bigot, racist who is committing crimes in plain sight gets a free pass from these corrupt DOJ officials. God save us and please, please, please don’t lecture the rest of the world on these things. There has to be a limit to the hypocrisy. We are no better than any other corrupt banana republic.
26
@Subhash Chandra Read "The Aftermath" chapter in the book "Shattered" The collusion narrative got wings in a NYC conference room in the rage fueled aftermath of the glass ceiling shattering all over the HRC campaign.
DJT is a swaggering amoral Alpha male, but he was the metaphorical hand grenade rolled into the room to punish the career political class and unapologetically take a baseball bat to the clubby atmosphere in DC. Not pretty, but effective.
1
@Subhash ChandraA fine comment. Americans are so busy hyping themselves and their 'exceptionalism' that they have little time or inclination to examine the (sad) facts.
This is either the biggest Nothingburger in history or the biggest cover-up scandal ever.
Either way it look like we have to endure another 22 months of this horror.
14
OJ Simpson was "exonerated" too. 20 plus years later, does anyone really think he was innocent? Furthermore, given time, OJ committed more crimes. The indictments will come in their own time, because a tiger cannot change its prison stripes.
12
There was so much hype around the Mueller report. We were hijacked into exaggerating the significance of its outcome.
The sum of is it that Mr. Mueller did his job. Mission accomplished. His task was not to become politically enmeshed or cater to either side of the aisle. Am I any fan of Trump? By no means. Will we have to listen to a boisterous and belligerent Trump in the days ahead, yes. And the more we can tune out the bellicose boasts the better. Sometimes it's just common sense to ignore the bully on the playground.
8
The selective leaks of the Mueller report instead of full public disclosure by Attorney General William Barr only confound the mystery surrounding the entire saga of the Trump-Russia collusion, and its systematic denial and cover up by the officials, specially the Trump loyalist Justice department officials. The no collusion, no exoneration explanation by the AG simply points to an attempt to obfuscate the whole issue by a systematic campaign of disinformation and lies.
4
@Prof. Jai Prakash Sharma If you read the Barr letter, the full report will be published once Mueller redacts the matters pertaining to the other ongoing investigations by NY State. Sounds reasonable.
Barr was appointed by trump for the purpose of spinning the Mueller report. What Barr writes is all but meaningless,
The report MUST be released in full. If the report does indeed contain the information Barr has reported, there should be no reason to not release the report in full.
8
The fact that Barr is allowing his political loyalties to interfere with his charging decision warrants an immediate, expedited, investigation by Congress and I hope one is undertaken ASAP.
I believe that Mueller gathered a substantial amount of evidence against Trump that warrants placing it before a grand jury.
We must not allow Barr, or any other Republican appointee, to obstruct Trump's prosecution. Congress must take aggressive action to prevent that from happening.
7
Since Trump's various and blatant instances of obstruction of justice are a matter of public record, how could Mueller demur?
10
@Alex Cody Defending oneself vigorously in face of virulent partisan and untrue charges does not amount to obstruction of justice in a free country. In Saudi Arabia, it does.
Apparently the idea that Trump’s collusion is obvious, but the Mueller report’s assertion that there’s no clear criminal conspiracy is tricky, is a bit tough for some. Even harder, there’s that pesky bit about doesn’t exonerate Hizzoner of obstruction of justice is a bit tough too.
Must be the ol’ TDS acting up again, I expect.
8
Jeff Sessions recused himself from deciding whether Trump was guilty or not, and would not write a memo proclaiming Trump not guilty, because doing so would constitute corruption. So Trump replaced Jeff Sessions with Barr who would made it clear that he would rule "not guilty" and would write the memo which is now being widely misreported as the Mueller Report itself. I believe the Mueller Report will be released when Trump's taxes are released - which is never. Congress can call for hearings, but Congress has been useless in this regard, since those who are called to testify avoid questions and do not self incriminate.
6
Are we viewing our once open and free American democracy strictly in the rearview mirror?
With this Mueller finding--if its actual true essence can be faithfully understood from a summary issued forth by Barr--it feels quite plain to me, albeit from my limited civilian vantage point that Trump and some of his brethren are guilty, at the very least, of obstruction. That Mueller's report is inconclusive on the obstruction count is, to me, evidence that a right wing autocratic dictatorship has been widely agreed to, by GOP stalwarts, and implemented, by Trump and rightwing cronies both domestic and abroad, including Putin, Duterte, Netanyahu and the Saudi Prince. American democracy, for the time being, is in the rearview mirror. In 2020, Trump will either win the popular vote or will nullify a valid result. Michael Moore's film on Trump included a statistic: a little more than half of Republicans would be alright with invalidating the 2020 election--or else cancelling it outright.
Folks, we have a dictatorship. And it was just further validated/enabled by Barr...and perhaps--let's pray to god it's not true--Mueller.
6
A 2 year report is summarized in a few days by a Trump appointee? Fishy.
But the fact that Trump has persisted as your president for this long, in spite of countless criminal indiscretions, weekly, all while Americans have sat waiting out this report - now that is the real tragedy. He should have been gone by now.
10
What people don’t understand is that Russia has won, and it has nothing to do with Trump.
We know Russia wanted to sow discord in our government and our institutions.
What better way to have this transpire than to luckily have a Democratic Party that launches a phony investigation that questions the legitimacy of an elected President and divides the country in half to an extent that has never been seen since the Civil War?
The Democrats are purely to blame for this. They have done Putin’s work for him and he is laughing in glee. The Democrats (and their propaganda arm- the mainstream media) have allowed Russia to win.
10
So, it wasn't a witch hunt after all?
Tweets to follow, I'm sure.
2
Trump is the "Russia-endorsed President." I feel much better now, hearing that an incredibly exhaustive investigation over 2 years could not exonerate him, yet the AG could do so in 48 hours.
5
588 days 20 hours and 7 minutes. If Mueller found nothing regarding collusion, that is a good thing. We don't want our presidential candidates colluding with foreign governments. That doesn't make the man more presidential, however.
4
There was no evidence Nixon ordered the Watergate break-in, either. He was impeached for trying to cover it up, i.e., obstruction of justice. Back then, Republicans thought that made someone unfit to be President. Back then, there was civility and civil courage in Congress, too.
11
So let's see, the AG who was recently appointed by the President (and barely confirmed) decides not to pursue any further action. The Mueller team, after being attacked and threatened, decides after indicting so many on the Trump campaign for lying about their Russian contacts that they don't have enough evidence to prove conspiracy. They are less sure about obstruction, but oh, Barr the "unbiased" AG decides it's not worth pursuing.
How far have we fallen?
7
I’m dusting off my sixties protest songs— there is a lot to learn in those lyrics.
8
DURING Mueller's investigation into obstruction, Barr, auditioning for AG, sends Trump his written opinion that the Trump didn't obstruct. Trump interviews Barr and hires him. How is this transaction not obstruction? Then Barr, hours after receiving the Mueller report, finds "no obstruction".
Mueller should have included the Barr-Trump transactions in his obstruction investigation. Being a buttoned-down, inside-the-beltway conservative prosecutor, he didn't turn his guns on another inside-the-beltway conservative AG.
Leaving out the Barr-Trump transactions is a tragic mistake. Makes Mueller look like a boy scout who got outplayed.
2
It is not for the Special Counsel to pass judgment, nor is it for Mr Barr.
It wil be for Congress and the American people to do so after the full report is made public.
4
@Max Lewy
Most Americans realize that people are innocent until proven guilty. Trump was not found guilty. That ends it for most rational Americans.
Did democrats learn nothing from their Kavanaugh debacle? This is like a reprisal but on steroids.
3
I believe many of us has already expected that this would happen, that the Mueller report will practically end up with a "no collusion" verdict. While I believe AG Barr & the Justice dept. has done their best in summarizing the report for the judiciary committees and the public itself, let's not forget that it is still a summary, and those things tends to leave out plenty of important details that they might not see as relevant to the case.
Barr and the justice dept needs to work fast, but carefully in omitting the report before the it could be released to the public. But once it releases, it's pretty clear what's going to happen: those small yet important details that aren't mentioned inside the summary will eventually came up, and members of congress are going to pursue it to the fullest extent.
Also, some of that part might become viral, you know, like the editor's notes from Milo Milo Yiannopoulos's book.
I would like to believe every word of this summary, but I would like to see the full report if I truly want those four pages to actually make sense. Context is always needed, and until that time, the word "Mueller finds no collusion/conspiracy" will remain vague to many people, I believe.
Mr. Trump said in a very early, rambling press conference that he did not collide with the Russians; that he didn’t know whether or not anyone in his campaign colluded, but that he did not. I recall thinking at the time that he was signaling what he expected to happen and that he expected others to take the fall for him if needed. He has proven to be quite prescient about the investigation outcome. I also recall thinking that, if I were on his campaign, I’d rush out immediately, resign from any further work in the Trump world, and get an attorney. I still think that is a prudent course of action, especially as Mr. Trump is expected to go on the rampage and take down those deemed “disloyal” to him - loyalty is a one way street for Mr. Trump.
1
Ok, we've heard the opinion given by the employee of the investigation's suspect.
Now, release the actual report. Any parts unlawful or illegal to release should be blacked-out inline.
1
How can this be an exoneration? So many from his campaign DID work with Russia and against our system. And some of them are going to jail for it. This is a confusing report.
4
If this is the final analysis from the Department of Justice, given all the evidence in plain sight, and with several of trump's associates trading in their tailored suits for jailhouse jumpsuits, and the vile trump yet goes free, then the US is doomed.
The fact that he has a very good chance of being re-elected speaks volumes about the American mindset.
The American experiment touting itself as the best example of a true democracy is now a proven failure.
So sorry to have to say so.
2
New York City has a lot to answer for. The culture thrives on allowing criminal enterprises to flourish as they wield an unnerving amount of power to determine the success or failure of the next hot artist, flashy pop star, comic and reality star.
Mr. Barnett and the New York Ad Machine created Trump, with help from Wall Street. Maybe they can all collude and undo the damage they have done.
1
Mueller not exonerating Trump of obstructing is like an unhappy prosecutor coming to the microphones after a sensational trial and saying "The jury found him not guilty but that doesn't mean he's innocent."
7
If this is a victory for Mr. Trump how low the qualification for president become!
In any case since there is no definite winning strategy for election proving any conspiracy would be difficult if no money transfer is involved (which CIA did to help the conservatives here in Japan).
The conclusion that Muller can't say he and and can't say he didn't conspire with Russia is a rather an interesting one akin to the verdict Scottish courts can issue of "not proven". This is used where insufficient evidence is present to find the accused guilty but they still think they did it. All in all I think the Muller verdict is pretty fair and consistent with what we know of Trump's conduct.
2
Of Course Russia would have done some stuff and it is possible that Trump might have known about it. Similarly wouldn't UK or China have done their stuff and possibly both Trump and Hillary would have heard grapevine or even from reliable source to alter there campaign and/or message . The main danger is not Russia, UK or China but deep state in US which have hob nobbled Presidents since Clinton (via coercion or infiltration) and liberals who think that morals empower them to be better and greater than democracy (post democracy). All the while lapping up monies from Russia , China, Middle east or wherever it comes from.
1
Could it be that there is no evidence of collusion because of Trump's (so far) successful obstruction?
2
Time to move on. If Democrats want to beat Trump, simply offer a vision of the future that resonates with middle America and the working class.
6
@Daskracken -- The Dem establishment did this so they did not have to offer such a vision. They didn't in the last election, and they still oppose the new people now who would offer that.
5
A.G. Barr may feel the evidence for obstruction does not pass muster, but that is ultimately not his determination to make. The House of Congress decides if and when to impeach a president. Congress will need the full text of the Mueller report, and the detailed evidence behind that report, before they can decide if action is warranted. A 4-page summary is insufficient.
1
My goodness, most media reports seem to support the Trumpian spin, conflating a broad term, "collusion" with the specific charge of conspiracy, and treating a narrow finding of no conspiracy with the Russians to interfere in our election as if it was a finding of no cooperation of any kind with Putin or other wealthy Russians on anything at all. What was Manafort doing on Trump's behalf? Who changed the Republican platform to align with Russia's interests in Ukraine? Why did Trump lie about his business interests in Russia throughout his campaign and into his term in office? What were all those indicted and convicted folks lying about? Apparently, it wasn't about interference in our election, but it was not about nothing. A brief and tendentious summary from Barr of an extensive investigation and Barr's personal exoneration of the president on obstruction of justice are beside the point. Evidence of Trump's obstruction of justice appeared on national television in addition to any private settings where it likely occurred, and even Barr's summary acknowledges that Mueller's report does not exonerate the president on obstruction of justice. Thank goodness Mueller's investigation did not prove the president and his team actively subverted an American election in cooperation with a foreign power, but that is only a small portion of what is at stake here. Surely there is much more in Mueller's report, and Americans deserve to know what Mueller found.
2
The conclusion that Muller can't say he did and can't say he didn't conspire with Russia is a rather an interesting one akin to the verdict Scottish courts can issue of "not proven". This is used where insufficient evidence is present to find the accused guilty but they still think they did it. All in all I think the Muller verdict is pretty fair and consistent with what we know of Trump's conduct.
@Adrentlieutenant -- "The conclusion that Muller can't say he did and can't say he didn't conspire with Russia"
Wrong.
He said that there is no evidence that Trump conspired with Russia.
He said "can't say" on obstruction, not on collusion, the original point of it all.
2
Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Mueller's investigation was extremely limited compared to the activities of the SDNY. But even if they cannot make a case against Trump, the people know that this is a man so unfit to be president, he won't be able to expand his base sufficiently to win reelection. Then, once he returns to private life, let's see if he can fend off criminal charges. The biggest winner is Pelosi who had the smarts to say the Democrats had to wait for the Mueller report before even entertaining the idea of impeachment. Trump could only wish he had a fraction of Pelosi's intelligence and savvy.
2
I have a question. Does the Special Counsel Law that everyone has been following so closely give the AG the power to make such a ruling on obstruction? Is he just acting on his own assuming no one will contradict him? I'm not saying I know, maybe someone does?
1
@Falcon64 -- "give the AG the power to make such a ruling"
Yes, as to further action by the DoJ on investigation or prosecution.
No, as to further action by Congress.
BBC report calls the findings as a good day for Trump. This is significant as unlike some of our media, BBC doesn’t endorse candidates or has no visible bias. Unlike our media, they don’t have a direct stake in our politics. It is considered as liberal and was criticized you Trump on occasions. But in spite of this, unlike our media they haven’s put their own spins on the story. They are reporting the News as it actually is by quoting Mr. Mueller’s own words - “ There were "multiple offers" of help from "Russian-affiliated individuals" to the Trump campaign, but they never took the bait.”
4
@Resident -- "quoting Mr. Mueller’s own words - “ There were "multiple offers" of help from "Russian-affiliated individuals" to the Trump campaign, but they never took the bait.”
Don't confuse them with facts. This day is about emotions. They are full of frustration.
3
One thing we know for sure: in presenting his summary, Barr, while perhaps literally correct, for sure gave the most favorable rendering of the material with regards to Trump. For example, while Mueller decided not to charge Trump for obstruction, we cannot tell from the summary how close he came to do so. It is for this reason that it is necessary to have the entire report made public. For a criminal, concrete evidence is necessary, for someone in public life, the bar is much lower because intent reveals his character and credibility.
1
It's interesting that it took Robert Mueller and his team 22 months of investigation to come to the conclusion that Trump should not be exonerated for obstruction of justice; but it took Trump's hand-picked attorney general less than 48 hours to come to the opposite conclusion.
4
I see several leading democrats demanding release of the entire Mueller report and I'd like to hear the response of some qualified attorneys.
Mybpersonal take is that, if we set precedent by releasing details of Trump's acts and omissions during the campaign, while he was still a private citizen, then police departments, prosecutors and other government actors will then be free to release information regarding non-charitable offenses for ANY American citizen.
Is the danger I see real?
Current policy doesn't allow the release of any of those details, is that policy, or actual law?
I certainly understand and agree there is an obligation of transparency for elected public servants, but not for private citizens. I look forward to hearing some feedback.
@Dave C -- There are many issues here.
Some materials are secret, in every case. Grand Jury transcripts are secret. The contents of NSA wiretaps are secret. Most other wiretaps are secret. Some informants are confidential. I'm sure there is more in a two-year undertaking involving 15 or more prosecutors full time.
In every case, there is a principle that uncharged derogatory information is not released by any prosecutor. Otherwise, it becomes a license to use public money to dig and defame, without proving anything in court and without any testing of truth or balance.
On the other side, the whole point of a special prosecutor is to get to the bottom of key political events, and REPORT on it. To then disappear the report would defeat the whole point.
It seems obvious then that someone more can see it all, and review it, but confidentially.
Can anyone trust Congressmen to do anything confidentially? This?
I'd suggest a select committee to review it, agreed on as trustworthy on a bipartisan basis. There must be among the 538 of them at least a handful who are trusted to have good judgment and to keep their mouths shut. Right? Well, maybe.
2
Am I missing something here?
This article, today's Barr letter, and many commenters, state that Mueller reached different conclusions on the collusion claim and the obstruction-of-justice claim. It appears to me that he reached the same conclusion on both.
Mueller didn't declare that Trump was innocent of collusion. He just reported that he (Mueller) hadn't found evidence of collusion. He said exactly the same thing about the obstruction claim.
To suggest Mueller reached different conclusions on the two claims implies that Mueller found some evidence that Trump obstructed justice, just not enough to prosecute Trump or anyone else. (That distinction indeed can be found in Barr's letter.) But if that distinction is valid, what, exactly is the some-but-insufficient evidence of obstruction that Mueller found? This article doesn't mention any. Nor does Barr's letter. Nor does any comment that I've read.
There are only 2 possibilities: (1) Mueller found some evidence of obstruction -- just not enough, and he (or Barr) chose not to say what he'd found; or (2) Mueller found no evidence of obstruction but Barr concluded that Mueller had reached different conclusions on the two claims based on the argument, with which Mueller may agree, that Trump's firing of Comey was itself "obstruction." That argument may or may not be a winner but, either way, Mueller was hired to look for evidence, not to make legal arguments.If Mueller found evidence of obstruction, what was it?
@MyThreeCents -- No, he reached different conclusions.
There was no conspiracy with the Russians.
It is too close to call, to narrow on the facts to prosecute, on obstruction.
2
Me thinks thou doth protest too much.
Trump is a traitor. He (or his campaign) definitely conspired with and enabled Russia and he will go to jail. There’s far too much circumstantial evidence and many smoking guns to see this as yet another illegal intervention by the Human Stain into our democracy and constitution to view this in any other way.
The only political leaders you can find as co parisons are murderers, dictators and oligarchs of repressive regimes.
The praise “the stain” heaps on these despots in Russia, China, North Korea is publc record. His lingua franca is”plausible deniability”.
It was clear well before Mueller concluded his investigation that Trump was a criminal.
Lock him up
The key takeaways of Barr's letter, to me:
(1) Mueller's report has a very narrow focus, and everything peripheral to that was referred out; therefore, investigations into the categories of conduct that have always posed the greatest danger to Trump and his associates continue apace;
(2) Mueller's decision to merely present the facts on obstruction and avoid drawing a legal conclusion may have been a dereliction of duty, but it also provides powerful leverage to Congress in its effort to see at least that part of the full report;
(3) Barr pulled a Comey, devoting perhaps the lengthiest section of his letter to a description of just how hard it is to nail a perp on obstruction of justice as background rationale for his decision, which was, essentially, "Yes, Trump was extremely obstructionist, but no prosecutor would indict him for obstruction of justice."
Of course there is no smoking gun. Why would the Russians leave any direct evidence if they wanted DT to become president and remain one instead of being impeached. If there was any direct communication it would have happened in the form of secret signals and notes like in the spy movies.
I think Mueller made the right decision not to pursue charges of collusion based only on circumstantial and indirect evidence. DT's actions after taking office, however quirky and lamentable some have been, have not amounted to so grave a degree as to subvert the core foundations of the nation, namely, free speech and liberal democracy. If people are upset at their having been swayed by Russian interference, they can vote him out at the next election.
1
Mr Müller delivered a good show. Some heads rolled for our satisfaction. But the main culprit was declared innocent. We know this pattern from many autocratic regimes. If all of Trumps collaborators are crooks, then how come that Trump is declared innocent ? Probability, psychology and plain good sense point to the opposite conclusion. This Müller report must be biased by political or other considerations. Yes, I considered Mr Müller morally upright, but since today he is just one more republican without principles. Why such a leniency for this crooked president ? The public knows better than the Müller report. There are deeper reasons for this decay of morality inside US justice, and it will emerge one day.
2
I guess this means that Americans elected Trump on their own.
Ouch.
3
@Liberty Apples -- Or they refused to elect the other one. Also ouch, and more to the point.
Don't do it again.
4
Barr was chosen for a reason. Now we know the reason. He is part of the Trump plan to ruin our country. We need toSee the Mueller report and every piece of evidence that was collected. Why did trump act the way he did in Helsinki. Why has trump met repeatedly with Putin without witnesses.
2
The Democrats best play here might be to investigate Trump in the House, but refuse to acknowledge him (to the point of not even saying his name) while at the same time uniting around an electable center-left platform and find an authentic, experienced, and professional politician to promote it. Enough already with Medicare for all, reparations, the green new deal, abolishing the Electoral College and Ice. How are they going to convince people that all of Trump’s job growth and wage gains, the booming economy, etc is the direct result of the trillion dollar tax break, 80% of which went to the top 1% of the wealthy, which our grandchildren will now be responsible for? Are they going to cater to their various bases. Or can they get together on some better policy proposals? What could a United Democratic Party offer that’s better than Trump, beyond the cultural issues. But Trump himself, isn’t worth mentioning.
10
@Cold Eye And yet you can't stop speculating about him but can't even offer one specific Democratic candidate by name. They all look the same and sound the same. The highest rated candidate is in his 70's. All the female candidates have a tendency to sound like they are nagging. The rest of the males have the same plan as the females. It's a massive giveaway scheme which would cost trillions. And those open border policies? The majority of Americans are solidly against them. Where the winning theme? The Democratic party claims this country stinks. How's that a winner?
2
@Cold Eye -- Further childish refusal to acknowledge the election result is a poor way to approach the next election.
2
So if there was nothing to hide why were so many Trump people lying and why was the president always threatening the Mueller investigation? Maybe it didn't have anything to do with the Russian election sabotage but something else. Or was it all just an elaborate made-for-television hoax, scripted and produced by the great reality showman and political master of distraction, Donald Trump? Now I am afraid that Trump is the new "Teflon President" that nobody will dare hold accountable for anything he does in the next two years. Maybe now he really can shoot somebody dead in the middle of Fifth Avenue and never even be questioned about it.
67
@abigail49 Each one had their own motivation, but a common thread was that they knew it was a witch hunt where they will be destroyed for any innocuous contact with Russia? (Sessions recused himself for merely chatting with the Russian ambassador in public, at a social event with tens of ambassadors, wasn't that extreme? We are not at war with Russia.
3
@abigail49
They lied because they were told that communication with Russia was “bad” by Democrats and the media and they didn’t want to get in trouble.
The President hated the Mueller investigation because it was a baseless witch hunt and he was an innocent man.
None of this is particularly complicated.
1
@Alexgri I can see that possibility. But if the contacts were innocuous, just explain what you talked about, i.e., tell the truth, and let the chips fall where they may. What made any one contact suspicious was that there were so MANY contacts and associations with Russians in Trump's personal, business and campaign universe. Only a willing blind man could ignore the pattern. Putin's Russia is not a friend of democracy, war or no war.
It is interesting what the NYT is highlighting in the letter on the front page. Instead of highlighting that there was zero evidence of collusion and that both the Attorney General of the US and the Assistant Attorney General of the US both agree there is insufficient evidence of obstruction, the Times highlights the fact that Muller left it to the DOJ to determine if there was any reasonable grounds to proceed with indictments. Both top officials, and the one who chose Muller, say it's over. Now the Democrats can move on and lead or continue to burry themselves in more time wasting and cost wasting investigations instead of putting forward programs and policies to make this country even better than it is currently. If they want to win in 2020 they had better start talking about something meaningful.
33
@Bob
If the conduct of our President is not “meaningful”, I don’t know what is. Or is that the point?
"Attorney General of the US" is investigating his own boss. Jeff Sessions had a higher standard of integrity and wouldn't allow himself to do what Barr did. Yes, the NYT highlights anti-Trump parts. Trump has picked his own prosecutor, probably wrote the Barr memo himself, stacked the Supreme Court, and now is going around misrepresenting the Barr memo. It's just another Trump scam. He interfered with the investigation by replacing Sessions with Barr. We don't know what Assistant Attorney General recommending. "Consulting with" could mean, "asked, got a NO, and proceeded to rule my YES."
@Bob
Accepting your clear Trump-favoring bias, how do you propose that the Democrats can "lead" against a Mitch McConnell blockade in the Senate and his basically spineless coterie of RINOs?
1
The phrase the NYTimes chose to highlight in yellow on its front page -- "...it [the investigation] also does not exonerate him [Trump]" -- is a deceptive ploy on the part of Mueller; it is NOT the place of a prosecutor to make such a statement. Even Good Liberal Alan Dershowitz, someone who knows a bit about these matters, heartily agrees. Shame on Mueller, and shame on The Times for not recognizing the ploy, or disregarding it.
19
@Paul Klenk
Dersh isn't a good liberal. He's a egomaniac of disrepute
2
Thank God justice is being served. An experienced, extraordinary, aggressive, attorney was provided millions and numerous assistants over two years. His tools were far broader than those available to Congressional committees. Robert Mueller's resources are well delineated in this article. Impeachment at this point? It would compound the venom already wrongly generated against the POTUS to no avail. Most of us have paid a portion of the $20 million plus spent in retrospect on rabbit trails. Would anyone seriously consider prospectively wasting precious Congressional time and money? It would be obvious to a thirteen year old that impeachment was a partisan, heavily biased gesture, let alone, those who will vote for a President in 2020.
21
A.G. Barr has pulled an Alexander Haig..
12
Democrats won the midterms in large part due to the investigation and insinuations about the legitimacy of the election of 2016. This result of the investigation restores the trust we can have in our election process. The Democrats, if they won because of the investigation, won because of a lie. The fact that they won now gives them the ability to harass the president until after the 2020 elections and again win on deception. They are already trying and they won't stop. Fix the tax laws, fix health care and immigration. Fix the environment. The Democrats are the party of Ahab and will lose in 2020 if the run on hate and deception. Beat Trump because he is a bad president not because you hate him.
20
@Robert M
The legitimacy of the election? There was nothing legitimate in what the Russians, Roger Stone and Julian Assange did to sabotage Clinton.
@Susan
Clinton sabotaged herself with the email servers and "deplorable" statement.
1
@Susan And what about the sabotaging that Obama did with the email investigation with Comey and the probable charges of espionage against Clinton that Comey ignored because it was too close to the election? You think Trump would have gotten that "look the other way" treatment. These politicians are all crooks. Don't be fooled by the party you may or may not like.
What a total waste of time. A nothingburger. Useless, idiotic. I feel our country is circling the drain. I'm sad this is our state now. Sad and disgusted.
35
@ronnyc
No thanks to Trump's slimy ways. And I suppose you think he's a noble man!
You do realise that nothing in the Mueller report exonerates Donald Trump in any way, right?
Ron - have you read the entire Mueller report? I didn’t think so.
In 1974, Leon Jaworski did not say that Nixon obstructed justice. Instead, he sent to congress a report laying out the evidence of obstruction. Barr's circumlocution notwithstanding, the odds are what Mueller really did was follow a version of the Jaworski precedent.
40
I always believed that the conspiracy hypothesis would fail, for one reason: the Russians are too smart to have plotted with Trump or his kids, who are hopelessly stupid and therefore certain to get caught. If anyone talked to the Russians about the latter’s efforts to elect Trump, that person was Manafort; and he will never talk.
What did happen was that the Russians interfered with the 2016 election, and Trump knew they were pulling for him but didn’t ask questions. He’s a terrible person, and a disaster as president, but not asking questions isn’t conspiracy.
The obstruction charge is weak, again because Trump is too stupid and unstable to have had criminal intent - he was acting out, often in public, and lacked the understanding to have formed a plan to obstruct.
In other words, the only sure way to get rid of this monster is to vote him out. And BTW, I think Pelosi knew this was coming. She took impeachment off the table two weeks ago, I thought no, so as to appear to be taking a high road, not acknowledging that no grounds for impeachment were provided in Mueller’s report.
46
Yes, there was obstruction, but it had nothing to do with collusion -- I'd bet my bottom dollar Putin has incriminating tapes of Trump, and that's why our president is his patsy in chief, doing the Russian president's bidding. There was obstruction because Trump didn't want Comey and now Mueller to find out what Flynn knew about Trump's peccadillos filmed by Putin's agents in Russia -- because if Trump has in any way made any decisions since becoming President that are at the dictate of Putin, that would make him guilty of treason. And that, I would wager, is what this is all about and what Trump feared would be discovered.
18
@Christopher P.
"-- I'd bet my bottom dollar Putin has incriminating tapes of Trump"
thx, but I don't want your $1.25 savings account (AKA Rainbow Bright ceramic piggy bank)
@Christopher P. -- If Putin has something on Trump, it would more likely be financial.
Trump cares about money.
He is beyond embarrassment about salacious behavior. Proof? His many times on the Howard Stern show.
Tapes would not move him. Financial records might.
So Putin wants to see the US build the wall on our southern border? I'm not seeing how that helps Russia.
1
It might be time for some members of the media to reflect on their actions over the last couple of years. Due to a deep dislike of Trump, many seem to buy into every piece of negative information and innuendo about the President that comes their way as being the gospel truth.
It isn’t healthy for our democracy when reporters and commentators no longer attempt to seek the truth, wherever that may lead, but instead simply follow their preconceived biases. People in the media need to retain that sceptical and questioning eye, perhaps most importantly when their emotions are telling them not to.
32
Sure. Blame the media because our current Prez is a buffoon and a cheater. Yep, gotta be the media.
Have you “blame the media” conspiracy theorists ever read and understand the First Amendment while you continuously argue the Second Amendment allows you to carry semi automatic and automatic weapons of obvious mass destruction?
52
@David katz
freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences. can't publish anything you want about anyone you want that is false and then claim 1st amendment. just like i can't procure a RPG and claim 2nd amendment. ALL rights are regulated to one degree or another. So yes, blame the media. they hype it.
1
Automatic weaponry is in the hands of the military, and has been unavailable to civilians since 1986.
I did not vote for Trump and I do not support him. Despite that, I think that Hillary Clinton lost because not only because she took the swing states like Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Florida for granted, but also she was a very poor campaigner.
Regarding interference in our elections, I think that there is a double standard here, because while we accused Russia of alleged interference in our 2016 elections, we turn a blind eye to Israel and the arrogant Netanyahu's direct interference in our elections and foreign affairs. In this context, in 2016, Netanyahu came to the US without the approval of the White House to speak to our Congress and derail the Iran nuclear deal. Shamelessly, an overwhelming majority of the lawmakers cheered him and obeyed his orders even though they were insulting and undermining President Obama, their own leader, in front of the whole world.
Now, Netanyahu is back to address AIPAC, support Trump, and insult the Democrats. Isn't this a clear and blatant interference in our elections and foreign policies? How come Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Eliot Engel, Nadler, Brad Sherman, et al. are not protesting about Israel and its prime minister's blatant interference in our election and foreign affairs?
26
@azarn
maybe because they remember Obama's blatant interference in Israel's elections? :O
Words matter. Barr did not say that there was no evidence of conspiracy. He said that the investigation did find a conspiracy with the Russian government. This could mean that little or no such evidence was discovered, or that a lot was found but not enough to indict, or something in between. Barr is a careful writer, and reportors should be also.
8
as an outsider, I should note the joy of Barr's conclusions not only in the Republican camp, but also in all State media of Russia ! ..... Isn’t it funny?
19
I don’t see anyone laughing, no. What matters most here is basically, as Speaker Pelosi put it, impeachment is off the table.
@Levon S I don't think so... impeachment is still needed!
Barr's "conclusions" is not Mueller conclusion....,
so, If you try to view the situation as PRECEDENT, then you will agree that if you do not stop Trump’s idiocy, in the future, the US President will have the opportunity to openly call on foreign states to publish compromising data against US citizens, as Trump did by calling on Russians to publish e-mails to Hillary Clinton
Nearly 20 US Government intelligence and law enforcement agencies determined that the Russian government and its collaborators attempted to and apparently succeeded in unduly, secretively and unlawfully swaying our country's most recent Presidential election.
Why on earth are Russian "diplomats" still allowed in the US? Why have tens (hundreds?) of thousands of Russian nationals been granted visas to our country?
Instead, our President, the beneficiary of Russian espionage and propaganda and race baiting, etc. has seen fit to court Russia, to hold multiple conversations with Putin (and we don't know who else) during which the only other American privy to the content of the conversation was an interpreter whose notes were taken from her by Trump, and to attack our intelligence and law enforcement agencies and personnel.
Hello?
24
@Patriot
"Nearly 20 US Government intelligence and law enforcement agencies determined that the Russian government and its collaborators attempted to and apparently succeeded in unduly, secretively and unlawfully swaying our country's most recent Presidential election."
a 100% complete and absolute fabrication. not 1 person, organization or entity found that Russia swayed anything. They have all come out and unequivocally stated that Russian interference had zero influence on the election results. Russian interference in the 2016 election = yes. successful swaying of 2016 election results = nope. not even a little.
3
@Patriot
You are wrong. No intelligence agency said the Russians swayed the election. All they said was that they interfered with it. Big difference.
2
I’m not prepared to take Barr at face value. The last AG lost his jon for failing to give Trump the exoneration he wanted, and Barr auditioned for his current by publically expounding on how Trump cannot be prosecuted. Barr has a credibility problem.
35
I don’t like the President. I think he’s a moron, a puerile and narcissistic man, and a dangerous leader. I voted for his opponent.
But I’m dismayed by the Democratic response here. We should be pleased about this. An impartial public servant found that the President isn’t a traitor. That, whatever else is going on, our worst nightmares didn’t come to pass.
Instead, the House is immediately shifting to the battles to come. In the Southern District, in Hearings, in...
25
Where’s the inconsistency? As you recognize, Trump is unfit for office for numerous reasons, including corruption. Mueller only weighed in on two very narrow questions. Are you suggesting Trump now gets a pass on his myriad corruptions?!?
@Publica
People despise Trump and are willing to go through his stool to prove that he didn't eat his Wheaties. I dislike Trump, and am ashamed to to have him as our president, but this always seemed like useless mudslinging. Collusion is bad, but it's not the Bay of Pigs or the Gulf of Tonkin (mis)resolution. people are acting like Trump secretly tested biological weapons on reservation children. Trump is bad, but he's not Assad.
1
Mueller did a tremendous service to the country by forcing Trump, for two years, to pay attention to the reality that there are actually laws in place that can be broken, and that you can actually get in big trouble for breaking them. This was especially necessary when the GOP had control over the Congress; because there was no proper oversight over Trump for so long, the specter of the Mueller report was important. Now that Congress will provide a real check, Mueller is no longer needed. As for his report, its mandate was too narrow to properly prosecute this obviously severely compromised criminal sitting in the oval office. Barr was tarnished even before he was confirmed, so it's hardly surprising that his outrageously flippant letter is unconvincing, to say the least, and Congress will now be even more motivated to fulfill its rightful role. Trump is surely compromised by the Russians, whether or not he conspired in a literal sense to win the election. The entire world can see for itself that he obstructs justice on a daily basis. The Trumps and their staff think they got away with it, and so far they have. And in fact they seem to get off on getting away with it. Let's hope they finally get caught before the planet is totally devoured by them.
19
The GOP and their leader can crow all they want about exoneration, unfortunately that will be just one more in the vast collection of republican lies. The SDNY, and other Federal prosecutors are looking at all facets of trump's life and it's criminality and, using what we have seen and heard in the past 3 plus years, there will be no shortage of charges once her leaves office in 2020. The House investigations and oversight will also bring forth trump's excesses and wrong doing and we'll see what happens there. This is only the end of the beginning so, stay tuned.
12
So, the Muller investigation did not yield the desired political result you wanted. And now the Democrats will pursue things in a different venue to get at the ‘correct’ political result, one that they could not achieve at the ballot box. Sour grapes. Forum shopping at its worst.
1
I’m appalled at your headline!
Should it not read « According to the Attorney General’s report....: ?
14
So, here's the bad news..the President is too incompetent to carry out any purposeful strategy to collude with the Russians...so here's the bad news..the President is too incompetent to carry out any purposeful strategy to collude with the Russians---picture Trump in charge of the Normandy invasion.
4
Well I've learned one thing.
The Republican Party will support, enable, defend and protect a deadly serpent, a person who is this/close to treason, a person who has committed crimes of all kinds for decades, if it helps them and their industrial/religious cohort stay in power.
SHAME.
34
@Sophia
Meanwhile, look at your own State. A fiscal mess created by decades of Democrat control. Yet you keep voting them in.
By the way, just how many Illinois politicians have been imprisoned?
The barr has been set so low you can't even call it justice anymore.
18
If all that lying and scheming and close cooperation by Trump and his inner circle with Russians was not collusion then all of them must be total blithering idiots. It's not a crime but good to know who is running the country.
11
we all know saying and I think its root is from Jesus? " Show me who you choose to surround yourself with and I will show you who you are" and there is Trump surrounded with convicted felons &go way back to idolizing Ray Cohn- closeted gay man that did every legal action to obliterate gay rights! And Cohn died of AIDS. Karma will find justice but perhaps not on our timeline?
6
@music tutor
Amen to that! It never ceases to amaze me that Trump is so popular. He is a major crook who got away with so many things because money buys power. He's over-the-top callous and crass to boot.
All those millions for a big nothingburger.
8
The investigation actually turned a profit, because of all the millions seized from the likes of Manafort.
14
The “nothingburger” might end up being a big double double meat burger! Let’s read the full report!!
1
@Publica
me thinks you know zero about seizure laws
The Mueller investigation was extremely narrow in scope and the report provides no answers to the critical questions Americans - and the world - have been asking since Trump was installed as president.
One can only hope that ongoing and additional corruption investigations by congress and other government agencies will be broad and deep and result in multiple convictions.
Th only thing that's certain at this point is that Republicans and the Trump base will entrench even further. As Peter Beinart wrote for The Atlantic last year, "For many Republicans, Trump remains uncorrupt—indeed, anticorrupt—because what they fear most isn’t the corruption of American law; it’s the corruption of America’s traditional identity. And in the struggle against that form of corruption... Trump isn’t the problem. He’s the solution."
11
A CNN poll 3 weeks ago showed that 42% of the country believed that Trump colluded with the Russians and 38% felt that there was enough evidence to criminally prosecute. What a disservice to the american people. The media at large has handled this in such a way that Trump was guilty till proven innocent. The largest proprietorial force in history spent 2 years investigating and could not charge Trump with collusion or conspiracy. A am a life long Democrat (go Bernie) but I don't want to be part of a mob.
18
@DJ
There might not have been enough evidence to charge Trump with Russian collusion in winning the election, however, the Russians did help Trump win the election by for instance releasing Hillary's hacked emails. Trump did not voice any objection to foreign interference (Russian) in the US election. This is almost as bad as collusion with the Russians.
Trump's son tried to create a private connection with Russia, Trump had a secret meeting with Putin where the only translator was Russian, he praises Putin and criticizes our allies in NATO. These facts are troubling just as much as collusion, although they may not be criminal.
2
@DJ
Let's not get too worried about this when we know that Trump milked the Russian interference for all it was worth. The guy consorts with Russians and acts suspiciously. He doesn't act like a man who is above reproach.
1
I guess the jury still out for me.
When the federal government couldn’t come up with the evidence needed to convict Al Capone of murder and other crimes of racketeering, they convicted him on charges of tax evasion for which he served eight years in Alcatraz and other federal penitentiaries -- for tax avoidance likely to have been on accomplished on a much smaller scale than has been achieved by President Trump.
Let us hope that it is still not too late for Congress to go after Individual-1 on charges of tax evasion.
7
... likely to have been accomplished ....
1
@A. Stanton
i agree. let'a also let the police go after anyone they don't like. while we are at it, the ACLU has been running their mouth too much. let's weaponize some regulatory agency and get those guys too. you and me buddy. we got this. that is you kim jung un, right?
Looks like Bob Barr is now obstructing justice from the Office of Attorney General. Barr has zero authority to make an obstruction determination that Mueller purposefully left to the U.S. Congress. Separation of powers, Bob. Bob's aggression and overreaching will cost him in the coming weeks.
5
Marco: you are wrong. That was the old law. The Democratic congress changed it after Ken Starr. Now the special council (also a new term since Starr) reports to the AG. Congress has no role.
6
Watch and learn, William.
This whole charade is about discovering just how much outrageous material you can safely unload onto the American people. 9/11 was one step and it was successful, Trump's election was a second step. The use of flawed computers in voting machines was an important step. Now this.
My prediction is a second Trump victory in 2020. I have seen too many predictions that Trump will get what he deserves in the next... Primary, Investigation, next court case etc. He wins at any cost. Get used to it.
Our country is being slowly being taken over by the forces of evil as we all watch.
9
Trump and Kushner "colluded" with Israel from the start. The two would deliver everything desired while Israel had the plan to manipulate social media and experience to use undercover media pushing. We have read about it, though, reporting seems suppressed. Oh yes, they showed Russia the way, too.
1
So shouldn't we all be happy - on the left and right - that there was no evidence that the President or members of his campaign colluded with the Russians? That's a good thing , isn't it? Is someone really wishing they colluded with Russia?
So now the left will spend the next couple of years "investigating " Trumps personal and business finances and taxes. You know , those phone books sized returns that an army of lawyers and accountants prepared, and the IRS,NY City and State auditors have already reviewed , audited and accepted.
Keep it up instead of focusing on real issues and you'll have Trump until 2024.
9
Not exonerating Trump was a joke.
It was the same as James Comey saying that Hillary Clinton should spend the next 5 years in a federal prison, but since no DC jury would convict her..no DC prosecutor would take her to trial..thus she's exonerated even though the evidence was clear and convincing enough to 99% of the nation.
2
I liked it better when frustrated Democrats resorted to primal screams. All the nastiness emanating from their mouths today is very distressing. Threats to ‘lock up’ Republicans, ‘get rid of’ white men, ‘outlaw’ Republicans. Assertions that Mueller and Barr should be ‘tried for treason’, Trump and his family ‘should be jailed’. It’s all very unseemly. I’d suggest you all go back to the screams. They are much more entertaining and a lot less scary.
10
There's something fishy about this report--and the big fish that is rotting from the head.
9
Now I know why DT does not use e-mail.
3
Just one more reminder that the law and justice most of the time are two different worlds that have very little to do with each other. When Mueller punted on obstruction of justice and left it to the DOJ he of course knew that Barr would drop it which means thats what Mueller wanted. And we? We've been played and now stand like fools contemplating our naive selfs and are left with more cynicism and disgust. The system stinks.
2
Whooo. Whooo. Pack it up and go home. Bleeding hearts lost the election fair and square. Keep up the whining and crying and they will lose again in 2020.
14
I loathe DJT and all he stands for. I'm just a casual observer of the Mueller investigation, yet from the outset, it seemed pretty clear that 45's main guilt was mistaking a sleazy approach to buck making as business acumen, then deploying said acumen in a higher profile gig. (Of course, hindsight is always 20/20...)
5
The House, Senate, and AG's office have the information. Now it is up to them to put it to the best use. It was not Mueller's job to prosecute, it was to investigate.
9
Let us for a moment take Mr Barr's summary statement for what it is. That means Trump's actions to date is entirely his and the Republican Party which even more disturbing.
There are so many inexplicable actions done by Trump and the entire GOP that DOES NOT make any sense. What about the Russian monies funneled through the RNC? What about the monies funneled through the NRA. What is this administration handing over Europe to Russia?
This country needs answers. Sadly the Republican base is just so obsessed with "owning the libs" that they've stopped any critical thinking.
26
I feel a great sense of relief in reading this headline. If it were true that the President conspired with Russia to win the election, the country would be in chaos. Millions of people, including most of the commenters here, so wanted the president to be indicted that they view the non-indictment as bad news. I think they should be ashamed of themselves for not treating it as good news. Obviously they wanted the indictment to come in order to bring down the President. Now they are beside themselves. Many want more investigations in the hope that the crime (with the evidence, please) will finally be found that will "get him."
So many here are criticizing and mistrusting the summary by AG Barr. I think that is silly because if it were false, I doubt Mr. Mueller would remain silent and to mis-characterize such an important document would be career-ending for Mr. Barr. Besides, I think it sounds like much more of the report will be released anyway.
19
Mueller needs to write a book...I'll buy the first copy.
1
Publish Mueller's report.
Publish individual-1's taxes.
Barr's 4 page summary does not cut it.
25
There is a difference between collusion and conspiracy. Mueller found no evidence of the latter. We have all see evidence of the former.
6
If Democrats think that justice won't be served until Trump is in jail, then you might as well hand Trump his second term right now. Most of the country has had enough. If Mueller's two year investigation doesn't satisfy because the conclusion was not the outcome they wanted, and Congress continues to pursue him, then this will be a witch hunt. It's time to MoveOn, to use a liberal organization name, even if it means MSNBC and CNN will have to come up with alternative programming.
18
Don’t forget that Muller never interviewed Trump. Or that Muller is a Republican. When Trump invites the Russians, on live TV, to interfere and hack into Hillary - and when half a dozen of his close associates are guilt - and he lobbies for them - there should be no doubt of collusion or obstruction. And of campaign finance violations.
12
Frankly, I am not disappointed in this "verdict". Ever since Mr. Trump came down that escalator, announcing his candidacy, I have seen and heard so much from and about him that, much as it pains me to say this, I have grown virtually immune to anything involving the man. As the philosopher Joseph de Maistre is claimed to have said, "Every nation gets the government it deserves." Maybe the people of the United States needed this man and this administration to realize that this nation is, in essence, not that much different from any other on the planet, that it is not as "exceptional" as many among us claim it is. It is just that those who came before us showed more responsibility and restraint. It might be that that era is over; lets for the sake of this nation hope it is not.
13
So I suppose people who wanted to inculcate the president have one logical conclusion: he beat Hillary Clinton without any Russian help. And Hillary tripped over her own feet. And Trump was really lucky.... lucky to run against the one candidate who he could beat.
But left wing conspiracy theorists will not take the results at face value; anything short of wrongdoing or conspiracy will not do. I hope the majority do people, particularly Democrats will not follow down the conspiracy rabbit hole and accept the results and focus on what’s ahead: putting forth a candidate who can actually defeat a largely exonerated president.
7
Giant waste of taxpayers dollars and national attention time! Can economists calculate the cumulative hit on the GDP from probes such as Mueller’s?
The Russian victory may not have come from collusion but from US launching a probe and wasting precious resources if there was one.
Who from media will now shave their head?
10
@Vsh Saxena
Hindsight is always 20/20, isn't it, Vsh? As I've said before, this was an investigation brought about because of Russia's meddling in the election and Trump's firing of Comey in part because he wanted to get rid of the "Russia thing." Trump's evasive ways and his chumminess with Purin and other Russians was and is still a red flag. It would have been negligent for the U.S. not to investigate.
For those Trump followers, mark your Trump calendars. It is almost the 2 year anniversary of the president betraying our govt.'s confidences. On May 10, 2017, DJT blurted out sensitive classified info about ISIS movements that he'd just received. And all on camera for the world to see. Diplomats Sergei Kislyak and Sergei Lavrov were giggling delightedly as Trump blurted out the news ("Guess what, guys? I got a secret!")
This act of utter incompetence not only compromised those whose job it is to monitor the enemies of the US, it also endangered lives. This is your man. What an idiot!
5
@vsh saxena. when you look at unnecessary wars and the billions of dollars spent killing people, you ought to be more careful chastising the pot for calling the kettle black.
Go Ahead, scream out your lungs on the "obstruction" charge, it will do you no good. It will legally fail, as Mueller well knows.
This fact comes to us from Pres. Trump, himself. Remember what he said was the reason why he fired Comey?
Listen to Pres. Trump at minute 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCoX2dMROzc "...because of the Russian thing...it was a made up story."
And just like the time candidate, Trump said his phone was wired, which later turned out to be true; he was right this time too!
In other words, Pres. Trump established the predicate for Comey's firing on the fact that he or his campaign conspired with the Russians to influence the 2016 elections was "made up," untrue, which, in fact, turned out to be true.
13
It’s fun watching Trumpists try to be analytic, don’t you think?
24
@Robert please continue with the ‘they’re to stupid’, basket of deplorables, ‘you can smell them’ talk. The electoral majority love when you make fun of us and our President.
8
@batazoid
That fact that Mueller couldn't find enough prosecutable evidence of collusion does not mean that Trump didn't actively seek assistance from a foreign govt to further his personal agendas. Do you honestly think Trump cares about Russian adoptions? Really? REALLY? Be honest with yourself, if not with anyone else. What do you imagine Trump was talking about ALONE with Putin? Serious international goals? Our differences in policy and how to bridge them? WMDs and Iran? More about adoptions? Maybe, but it is more likely he was kissing up to Vlad about the Moscow Tower project. Let's take what we know and have seen about Trump's shifty, lying behavior and not give him so much benefit of the doubt.
6
Absent is the point that Trump delegated the responsibility of the meetings to subordinates who have been convicted or indicted and even worse, to his own children and that insulates Trump from criminal liability. His Children may be under investigation in New York for some matters that were known publicly in the press such as the meeting with the Russian adoption attorney, but the full report disclosure will outline that so it is in Trump's best interest to push for full disclosure of the report as he is already fully confident of his innocence.
Sad day for the country, giving a free pass to mendacity writ large for the next two years and beyond.
13
After the attacks on our country of September 11, 2001, the 9/11 Commission Report was handed in. We weren't free of a president who'd spent the whole month prior on vacation ignoring warnings, or the Iraq war he'd begun on the lie of its involvement.
But we all acknowledged we actually had been attacked. We all acknowledged who was on the planes and who funded and directed them overseas. We all commemorated heroes living and dead who suspected that might be happening and worked to expose and prevent it and deal with its aftermath. We all conceded where standards and practices failed.
Most importantly, we all agreed much more was needed to prevent its recurrence. The 9/11 Report wasn't just a tick-tock of what happened when, aided and funded by whom. It recommended many preventive measures—even though we took drastic measures instantly—and all agreed to enact them.
My concern as we dither over how fully witting the malice of forethought was in the historically corrupt Trump team's bald complicity (warned beforehand to alert the FBI if Russians tried this, they did not), and if its cover-ups can be chalked up to total guilt, fear we'd uncover other schemes, or paranoid egotism, we're not approaching the attacks on our country of 2016 with an eye to prevent their recurrence as 2020 hurtles on.
It's not just our Constitution but our election system needs shoring up. Trump's exhortations "this Russia thing" is a "myth"—believed by large swaths of America—further endanger us.
10
All we’ve seen so far is a four-page whitewash by the partisan Attorney General, but its prevaricating tone makes it clear that there is a huge pile of dirt swept under the rug.
15
Mueller caved. The silent Republican coup is complete.
10
I don’t agree.
What I see is that YOU want to cave, and I wonder why.
5
“... while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him”
This is a self contradictory statement.
If #45 needs exoneration, then it means he is guilty of something. He is innocent until proven guilty and that applies to #45 as it does to everyone else.
5
ABC news said this was a WIN for the President. They should have said this was a WIN for the United States.
11
@TJ
The Television networks are very friendly with the authorities. It was written that the Television industry dedicated a Billion Dollars worth of free airtime coverage to Trump during his campaign. Trump is a Television actor they likely wanted to win to protect them.
1
Wow. I feel gut punched. If Mueller is correct then there is something very wrong with our system of justice. Bad people can get away with too much bad stuff, and always at the expense of ordinary Americans.
23
On a related matter it has been reported that Ivanka has used private email accounts for government business. Given that Donald felt that this was unacceptable I can only assume that he would say 'LOCK HER UP"
22
@Mark A
I'm thinking that Ivanka was not Secretary of State when she had a private Email server and it was not illegal. No comparison.
2
The conspircy theorsts deserve to be disappointed. Because their idea was dunb in the first place.
First of all, just how did they think Trump could help the Russians? It never occurred to them that, to be creible, their theory had to tell us s how. Moreover, there never was any good reason to suspect a conspiracy; the Russians didn't need any help from Trump; they had their own reasons for trying to sabotage Hillary's campaignn and all the means to do so.
So their dumb theory helped Trump. And that's even dumber than Trump.
9
I always knew there was no collusion. The media including NYT and Fox really did a disservice to the public by constantly spinning this issue for clicks and bending the truth.
Trump and Putin may have given signals and winks but there was never any collusion. It's how they operate, so there's deniability built into the system.
There was no deliberate coordination between the two. Did the Russians try to help Trump? Yes, partly cause Putin hated Hillary (remember Color Revolution, Yanukovich? )as opposed to "liking" Trump. Putin just tried to sow some discord but he didn't really do much. Most voters weren't swayed by Putin's subterfuge. Voters had made up their mind and if Putin hadn't done what he did, Hillary still would've lost.
I'm surprised liberals are so desperate to become a lynching mob. Yes Trump is terrible and I probably won't vote for him, but law is law, you can't just throw someone in jail cause you don't like them. That's authoritarianism and that's what many readers here seemed to be advocating, disregard law.
16
So basically, you’re on the KGB colonel and oligarch’s side.
Nice. I wonder why that is?
4
@df Isn't it president Trump and his voters who want to "lock up" Hillary just because they doesn't like her?
I fear the focus on Trump's guilt or innocence is overshadowing two critical conclusions from the report.
First, a foreign power, the Russians in this case, interfered with our political process, our elections, the heart of our democracy. Short of war, I can't imagine a more aggressive action from an enemy. Lost in noise of collusion is the fact that as a nation we have done very little in response. Will Russia's victory be absolute?
Second, as Barr's letter make clear, Trump's campaign was aware of the Russian interference and did nothing. Barr writes that the Trump campaign did not conspire or coordinate "despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign." Clearly the Trump campaign knew and did nothing to stop it. Worse, many of them went to great lengths to deny it.
Legally there may be no crime, but morally I believe there was an obligation both to make the public aware and to assist the government in taking responsive action. Isn't this failure of action reprehensible in its own right?
I hope these two terrifying truths will get sufficient air time so as to not be forgotten.
12
Wait a minute —election interference was going on during the campaign—not after the election when Trump took office. The previous administration’s intelligence and law enforcement officials were in power, aware of it, and did nothing about it. Why are they not being held to account for this?
1
"Truth (Trump)" alone Triumphs. Desperation to win political powerdom at any cost in a democracy like US is on the rise. This probe proves American voters did select their president in a honest way. Post this report voters deserve a President who is free from all unnecessary political allegations and insinuations. Let President Trump work freely in his office. Compulsory contrarians must stop pursuing unnecessary political bravado from now on.
2
Now time for the REAL investigations: Comey and Hillary and the roles they played in this massive hoax/witch hunt!
9
@Dave
Oh good lord. Comey helped Trump get elected. And how is Hillary involved in the Mueller investigation?
8
@Dave Just how many indictments were issued?
@Marie S
Didn't this all begin with the fake Steele dossier commissioned by Hillary and Comey's meeting with Trump? Actually, Marie, there's plenty there.
Mueller is already pushing back against Barr.
"A source with direct knowledge of the investigation told The Daily Beast that Mueller intended to make a case to Congress, believing that legislators, and not the DOJ, are “empowered to weigh the lawfulness of a president’s conduct.”
15
Source said. The Daily Beast. Stop its over. This was a complete waste of time. Back to governing. Also, the media needs a big dose of self reflection here. They wanted so badly for Trump to be guilty.
8
@Marco Philoso
If this is true he should come out and say so. And we need an explanation of why he didn't at the very least interview Don Jr. and Jared about the Trump Tower meeting. There are too many blanks that must be filled in for him to have any credibility.
4
@Marco Mueller doesn’t report to Congress. The Democrats under Clinton changed the law. He reports to the AG. Mueller knew all along he is employed by the AG and Barr’s letter states that Mueller specifically stated in his report that it is up to the Justice Dept to determine the next step. Congress has no legal role except the one Nadler and Schitt create for themselves.
2
What this investigation and its conclusions demonstrate is that they have to have iron-clad proof to present a legal finding to the world with the grave import that follows had there been collusion, conspiracy even treason against the United States of America. Just because there was not a conscious and provable conspiracy does not mean that one did not exist, just that there was not enough evidence to establish it.
But judging from intent, motives, and advantages gained by actions taken, you would have to conclude that evil objectives were consented to by the Trump team. From what we have seen why would they ever deny foreign powers or corrupt financial sources from following through with transactions favorable to Trump and to the other party?
7
Too much energy has been invested in this report and the issue of possible conspiracy, etc. This has become the all consuming issue of the mainstream Democratic Party. We need to move on and focus on bigger political and social issues citizens are concerned with. Front page after front page every day drumming the investigation becomes a distracting tactic. This report was anticlimactic, without completely setting it aside, turn the limelight on issues such as healthcare, education, concentration of wealth, wages, civil rights. I'm a Democrat and I'm sick of the Mueller investigation. This is not the way to garner votes. Wake up.
9
@tdb I disagree. Many I talk with are concerned with Russian interference now as well as in the past. I have not been able to research the entire report yet. How'd you get your hands on it and read it so fast?
5
@tdb
Let's for a minute posit a national party nominee with close ties to Japan. Or the Vatican.
Who employs his offspring in the White House, insists they have security clearances they don't qualify for, and allows them to dream of starting a political dynasty.
You would not be insisting on a transparent investigation?
@Brian Z.
@tdb is absolutely correct. She has identified the issues that are relevant to most Americans. But if you and others continue to be consumed with Russia, Republicans will once again win the White House in 2020.
1
That Trump is so relieved after going ballistic the last few days tells you his state of mind - he knows there's a lot of dirty dealing but Mueller is a straight shooter and won't bring an obstruction case against a president he can't win in a slam dunk. This is just the end of the beginning...stay tuned for plenty of indictments around all the things that were outside the special counsel's investigation.
12
@Haynannu
That's what you're looking for, right Mr. Haynannu? Is it the fair, impartial and unbiased TRUTH that you're seeking, or is it a specific end result...no matter WHAT the investigative findings say? In other words, we should spend MORE time and taxpayer dollars investigating President Trump until you get the result you're looking for, yes?
Perhaps you need to take a good, hard and HONEST look in the mirror, my friend!
5
Why not. Worked with Benghazi, or should I say BENGHHHHAZIIII!!!!
2
I never thought we would find direct collusion between trump and Russia. Whoever was communicating with Russia directly or indirectly made sure trump would not have his fingerprints anywhere. We know people around trump had relations with Russian operatives to coordinate digital attack on the Democratic Party and social networks, indictments have happened because of that. What trump will regret are the exposure this all thing has done on his businesses and family. What took Al Capone down wasn’t his criminal actions but his taxes. Trump will be hurt by other things than Russian collusion
7
@Gwenael
Your intriguing portrayal of the "collusion" issue warrants consideration by Hollywood...seriously! Very imaginative, indeed! I'm sure that Steven Spielberg would LOVE to get his hands on such an imaginative plot!
2
This is all very unsatisfying because of the statement in Barr’s summary that it “does not exonerate” Trump — it leaves Barr an out, should the facts come out, yet avoids angering his boss, Trump, who handpicked him based on his views on presidential authority. Trump and his associates actions were those of guilty men. Trump has falsely claimed total victory. Yes, the nation is tired of Trump’s wrongdoings, but that doesn’t mean that he should not continue to be investigated. Unfortunately, Trump will use this ambiguous decision to claim that no investigation into him is valid.
7
Collusion was never Trump’s biggest problem. It’s the fact that Trump is an empty suit, a windbag with nothing to offer but character assassinations of his political opponents. The public is tired of this carnival act and wants politicians who can argue the merits of their positions without these distractions. Trump isn’t just vulnerable in the general election, he’s vulnerable in the primary.
2
Enough. A respected prosecutor and his team of pit bulls spent 22 months and left no rock unturned, and they found absolutely nothing to support the idea that Trump or his team conspired with Russia to affect the election, even though there were ample opportunities to do so. Dems would be wise to move on. No House hearings. No legal tangles with DOJ (and another respected figure, as AG) for the report. It's time to win an election, not an argument. Rachel Madow and her ilk should be ashamed of themselves, what they've done to this country and its political discourse, all for ratings and a salary. I'm no Trump fan. But, I believe in the rule of law. And the law has had its say.
15
@LongTimeFirstTime
22 months of evidence and summed up in 4 pages within 48 hours by an AG selected by Trump and you don't sense anything fishy. Wanna buy a used car?
7
@Bob Guthrie
You can read faster if you don't move your lips.
@Bob Guthrie
If you think an AG (no less a second-timer) would so seriously mis-characterize a report for sure others will see (Gang of 8, a court), it sounds like we have much bigger problems on our hands than what the Mueller Reports says (or doesn't say). It's time to confront this reality -- 60m or so people prefer R ideas to the point where they got up and went and voted. D's would be wise to focus on that, not this.
We all know that Donald Trump is a liar and a cancer on our country. The fundamental fact is that the Democratic Party needs to run someone that will unequivocally beat him in 2020.
Current odds based on my several decades as a sentient being in this country;
Biden 53% chance of winning.
Klobuchar 49% chance of winning.
Beto 44% chance of winning.
All other candidates impress me, they seem coherent, but they will never sway the troglodytes of “Trump Country” and as such they have 0% chance of beating King Nihil the Dim.
It’s time we seriously focus on the three top contenders, give them time to refine their platforms and create a winning message. Otherwise if it’s four more years of Donald Trump, I’m probably going to pack up and move elsewhere - get out while the getting is good. Life’s too short to countenance such idiocy. I love this country but I’m adaptable.
9
One thing is for sure - America cannot be great again with all this bickering. Just read the comments in this section!
A house divided against itself cannot stand.
8
President Trump should now fully pardon Flynn, commute Manafort’s sentence to time already served and leave Cohen to rot in jail.
4
@JQGALT
Yes. And then the world can sit back and enjoy a cosy little lawless dictatorship
7
The headline should start with: Barr’s Summary says, etc. Correct your headline.
11
The whole thing began without a crime and ended without a crime. It is the greatest hoax in history concocted from a phony dossier bought by Hillary, fraudulent FISA applications, and illegal spying conducted by a corrupt FBI. The Dems are so deep in the mud that they can’t think of a way out except to keep slinging it. Sooner than they think someone will stand up and say “Enough!” and the protests will rise to a chorus which even the Dems will be unable to ignore, and we will finally awaken from this national nightmare which has gone on for too long, and we will wonder what came over us.
14
@Edward
The national nightmare is Donald Trump.
7
At least I’ll have a fond memory of when I believed there was justice and democracy.
12
Thankfully this joke of an investigation is over. No collusion, no obstruction, no anything. Time to get back to work for the American people.
14
@Mr. Moki
If the investigation is a joke then this supposed exoneration would be a joke too.
5
I have so many questions! If there was no conspiracy with Russians, why all the lies to Congress and the FBI?
What was Flynn up to?
Why did the GOP change their platform to go easy on Russia regarding Crimea?
Why did Trump dictate lies to DJT Jr on Air Force I?
These are just the questions that come to the top of my mind. Something is rotten in the state of *Denmark*
28
Some of the assumptions commenters and Trump, himself, have made, seem to show bias rather than fact ….more than what was delivered in the Report. Trump seems to have a habit of self sabotage and being free of a Report hanging over his head may also free him from constraining his impulses such as rhetoric that damages his image and declaring more of his 'alternate facts'. No one can know how far the Supreme Court will back him. I think time will tell us a lot.
1
The NYT writes: "The investigation led by Robert S. Mueller III found no evidence that President Trump or any of his aides coordinated with the Russian government’s 2016 election interference, according to a summary of the special counsel’s key findings made public on Sunday by Attorney General William P. Barr." This is untrue. Barr says no such thing. Barr quotes Mueller as saying only this: "This investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities." It does NOT say what would be required for exoneration -- that Mueller's investigation "established that members of the Trump Campaign DID NOT conspire or coordinate with the Russian government in its election interference activities." And Barr's summary emphatically does not even say that Mueller's report says that "there is no evidence" that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with Russia. If exoneration or the absence of evidence or anything at all stronger than "did not establish" were possible to assert, Mueller's report would have said so and presumably Barr would have quoted it. What the Mueller people decided was that none of the evidence would have been sufficient to get a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt.
9
@ Jeff A for effort. F for facts.
4
@William Where do I go wrong on the facts? I quoted directly.
4
As Newt Gingrich said, immortally, how dare you lie about me by quoting me accurately.
1
We all need to care less—a lot less—about the law, and more—a lot more—about decency, manners, and morality.
I don’t mean that illegalities should be tolerated; they shouldn’t be.
But, if you’re operating on the level of the law, then you’re operating way below where you should be.
Mueller has exposed much illegality—enough to warrant a lot of concerted effort to improve the quality of this country’s political elite on all our parts.
We won’t get to first base without adherence, on all our parts, to such basic things as objective truth (the whole truth and nothing but the truth), impeccable journalism, moral rectitude, free and fair elections (without Gerrymandering), respect for the law, respect for precedent, and insistence that all elected officials, judges, and military personnel put country over party (and certainly over political ideology).
We’ve got a long way to go. For most of us, the work required will begin and end with how we ourselves hold ourselves, with what we ourselves say to each other—in the comments sections of this publication and elsewhere.
Partisanship is fine. As soon as we let
it trump mutual respect and common decency, it’s no longer fine.
6
I'm so done with this whole Washington charade. I'm more convinced than ever; Blue State Union. Build the wall around the Red States.
13
So here is the proof that clears any American was involved with the Russian involvement. So now the scorned and angry Democrats are still not satisfied. Now the door is wide open to declassify the FISA court Dossier and head down that rabbit hole. Deep State is an open book. The Left started the nastiness of never ending law suits and it will a nasty ending for them in 2020. Last point Barr and Rosenstein stated there is no evidence to obstruction of justice. It's for all this to be laid to rest and think forward about the greater good for this nation.
11
It’s a whitewash by Barr, a Republican stooge. How can be no obstruction - when the President did it on national TV and Twitter?
And if you don’t think Trump didn’t know about that meeting in Trump Tower there’s a bridge I want to sell you.
15
Trump is like Michael Myers.
Now we just need a Jamie Lee Curtis who can stop him before he turns our democracy into an authoritarian wasteland.
5
I do not agree we can trust this result when key players refused to cooperate as well as lied. This circle of liars and obstructers around Trump likely prevented connecting all the dots....needed to unravel collusion.
8
“The Special Counsel's decision to describe the facts of his obstruction investigation without reaching any legal conclusions leaves it to the Attorney General to determine whether the conduct described in the report constitutes a crime” “The Special Counsel states that “while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”
This isn’t over….not by a long shot. There is so much more to this report. Release the report to the fullest extent without compromising the rule of law.
3
For two years, Democrats and their bogus Russia collusion narrative have reminded me of the anticipatory promos for Geraldo Rivera’s opening of Al Capone’s vault. Now we know that much like the vault, the Russia collusion narrative is empty.
Oh, and when’s Schiff going to resign in shame?
10
Republicans are above the law. Big surprise.
5
They have very nearly re-elected our pathetic sovereign with the failed "Putins towel boy charge" - are they seriously going to go on and on?
Perhaps, after Trumps popularity rating soars above 50% they will catch on.
5
Now that this distraction is over can we all get back to dealing with the fact that America put this person in the White House and got the president it deserves. Make of that what you will.
5
This is sham, just like the rest of Trump's presidency and life. The man paid hush money to a porn star for an affair he had while his wife was either pregnant or had just given birth. This is who Donald J. Trump is as a human being. His border policies involve locking up migrants and separating children from their parents, some of which have died. He sides with Putin and criticizes our closest European allies. He fails to denounce white supremacy. He continues to insult John McCain when the man is no longer alive to defend himself. In keeping with the disaster that is Donald J. Trump, on national television Trump said he fired FBI director Jim Comey because of the Trump-Russia matter. Trump fired AG Sessions because he recused himself from the Russia matter. He has called the SC's investigation a witch hunt only to have its conclusion be in favor of himself. The conclusions by Mueller and Barr are as shady as everything else about Trump. No surprise there. If you are rich, white, male and Republican you can literally do whatever you want in the United States of 'Merica where capitalism and corruption win over life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
9
When this distraction is over we should look over the last two years to see what important legislation we've missed while sleeping in the arms of Russia-gate.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that Trump's puppet-master is sending troops to Venezuela to protect Russia's assets. So much for quid pro quo.
4
It is said that Donald Trump is already emboldened by the lack of evidence of Russia’s interference in the election. This is not the only issue that still dogged him but he will likely be unscathed by obstruction of justice, campaign finance violations or any of the other disgraceful things he has done. The political spin by Trump, fox and extremists on the right will propel Trump to higher heights.
A friend of mine told me today that the Democratic process have failed us terribly.
The reason being that Trump remains President of the USA.
2
Well, operation "Stamp and Clamp" is nearing completion. The Chief operative, Barr, only has to dispose of the evidence, and the operation will be complete.
For his part, Mr. Mueller will return home to "spend more time with his family", which Mr. Barr told him him a month ago was "best for you, and best for the country".
We can all rest more soundly tonight, unless of course we took courses in logic...
6
While thee may be no smoking gun that Trump or his organization colluded with Russia Trump clearly requested that the Russians make certain emails public. This and the meeting at the Trump tower make it clear that they were open to getting the assistance of a foreign government.
7
@Mark
When Trump said pertaining to Russia hacking Hillary's campaign was something like "hey, that's great, maybe they can find all of her missing emails from her private server!"
I thought it was pretty funny, but the humorless left took it as an opportunity to pounce. It's pretty sad that that, with the meeting at Trump Tower (dud), is all you've got to go on to convict a sitting president of treason.
It was never likely that actual, hard proof would be found to link the Trump campaign directly to conspiracy with the Russian government. That was probably a Fool's Errand from the start because Trump, Putin and their minions are exceptionally adept at deviousness. They would not have left fingerprints. But, we are where we are. If there is no reckoning - in court or at the ballot box -- for the corrupt Trump presidency then this country is fundamentally changed -- not in a good way. The message to future presidential campaigns will be that you can race-bait, tell demonstrable lies, profit financially off the presidency, demonize the free press, and go right up to the line of criminality and everything will be fine as long as it can't be proven you crossed the line. That may be the America some people are fine with, but hopefully not one with much chance to stand the test of time.
5
Democracy was diagnosed with Cancer on 11/08/2016. Today, we know it will die on 11/10/2020.
The doctor (Mr Robert Muller) has just delivered the final results and nothing short of a miracle can save us.
Disappointed and hopeless...
9
HEADLINE: "Mueller Finds No Trump-Russia Conspiracy, but Stops Short of Exonerating President on Obstruction".
From what I understand, it was not Mueller's responsibility to investigate or make a determination on Trump's alleged "obstruction". And although he found no evidence of any criminal act in that regard, he was leaving any determination on "obstruction" up to the Attorney General, William Barr. That's what Mueller meant by him "not exonerating" President Trump on any alleged "obstruction".
But die-hard the Trump-haters of the world are clinging on to that last bit of hope on the "unresolved" obstruction allegation, since Mueller didn't specifically "exonerate" Trump on that allegation, yes?
In other words, "keep hope alive", right DEMS? This is SAD...very sad, indeed! With that said, there's a
WORLD of a difference between seeking impartial and arm's-length truth & justice, and seeking a certain end result...no matter what the investigative evidence shows. Just keep searching until you get the result you're looking for, yes?
2
trump is now is the same position as Hilary was after the email investigation, with the DOJ saying they weren't going to prosecute her, despite questionable behavior. Since trump continues to call for a renewed investigation into Hilary, he shouldn't object to being re-investigated for obstruction of justice.
7
Release BOTH reports!
"Russia, if you're listeninging, I got you tickets to the Super Bowl.
Pick them up from Don Jr. in Trump Tower, Manhattan, right below my office."
"No collusion," bleated 1,100+ times in two years. Innocence is tireless in its protestations of innocence.
"I'll release my taxes as soon as the audit's finished."
"Grab them by the..."
Karma, what goes around, comes around.
The crimes we've committed abroad are home at last, out in the open, and as invulnerable to the rule of law as they were abroad.
4
My feeling has always been that if there was direct evidence released about trumps collusion with Russia, it would effectively not only spell the end of the Republican Party, (because the base would abandon it if it turned against Trump and his die hard political supporters would be shamed out of office), it would have to lead to Trump’s bipartisan impeachment.
Should that have happened the fear of a civil war would exponential increase as the far right wing of this country is armed to the teeth, and powder keg waiting to explode.
My gut tells me the “deep state” is in fact alive and well and contrary to what Trump claims, they are operating to suppress evidence of his guilt from getting to Mueller’s team so as to avert a genuine potential disaster in our country.
I think they believe they are acting as patriots to protect the country from splitting apart. They figure if we can get through this four years and make sure he doesn’t get another four years, then he is fair game. This is what Comey is constantly alluding to in his opinion pieces in the NYTimes, perhaps he has been giving us clues?
So, my fellow American patriots, the onus is on us to vote him out in 2020. Don’t be discouraged by this and make sure you education each other on the importance of voting Trump and Pence out of office as well as making the senate majority Democratic.
But even as I write this I realize if what I say is true then our republic is effectively dead.
RIP.
4
Barr offered no authority to support his contention that he and Rosenstein can decide (in 48 hours) whether Trump obstructed justice. Mueller presented the evidence and left the ultimate decision to Congress, pursuant to DOJ guidelines, because Trump is a sitting president.
Mueller did not ask Barr to make the decision, but Barr rushed in and said "I'll weigh the facts presented and within 48 hours make that decision for you". Barr already made this decision BEFORE he reviewed the evidence, that's part of the public record. The man appointed by the target of the investigation, Barr, gets to make a decision Mueller deferred to Congress. And Barr uses Rosenstein's name (the wind vane of the Justice Department) to support Barr's power play.
Also, notice the time and effort Barr spent explaining a "contemplated proceeding" in the context of obstruction. Barr is saying that if Trump obstructed the investigation because he was worried Mueller would find serious crimes unrelated to Russia, then that's okay because that wasn't "contemplated" by the original cause of the investigation.Read it, believe it. Mueller's report undoubtedly covers the possibility that Trump may have obstructed for fear of finding serious, Russia-unrelated crimes (remember the "red line" about Trump family finances).
Barr is manipulative, on a monster ego trip, and must be brought to heel by the Congress. We're entitled to know, sans Russia, if our president is a criminal. We need a full investigation.
12
Barr quoted from Mueller’s report.
5
You can never clear anyone of obstruction simply becsude you cannot prove negatives.
Angry Senator Adam Schiff came FAR closer to partnering with Russians than the multiple ''No thanks'' responses to Russian inquiries from the Trump campaign, so Schiff is going to have to answer to his voters why that tape of him on the phone sounds so incriminating.
All in all, it was always the Democrats in and out of Obama's deep state group who have always been in the most likelihood of indictmwnts having to do with the 2016 elections.
When an American president gets political advocates together to take an opponent's campaign down during the year before his party nominates a Hillary Clinton, the Constitutional election system is in peril.
8
Electoral College ...
Several years back Mr. Putin say the Electoral College was as corrupt as their voting in Russia. So did Russia fix the Electoral College ??
1
Just in time. CNN is cranking up the smear machine against Barr and Mueller to undermine the report. Tell me that the goal of the mainstream media isn't to divide the American people (in order to keep the capitalist wheels turning). Whose more divisive, the American media or the Russians?
7
No Russian collusion? Oh no. Are we going to be subjected again to an excuse a day from Hillary as to why she lost?
18
@Reader In Wash, DC Where is Hillary commenting (excuses) every day? I've missed this and cover a lot of media.
13
@Reader In Wash, DC She won the popular by 3 million legitimate votes. Fact. And she had the courage to show us her tax returns. Trump lost the popular and he does not have the courage to show us his tax returns.
21
@Reader In Wash, DC
No Russian collusion does NOT mean that the Russians didn't attempt to influence our election. They did and they succeeded. Read the indictments!!!
There is NO doubt that Trump was assisted by the Russians in winning in 2016. His entire presidency is based on a lie.
11
Ridiculous... Of course, nothing was found because Russians never interfered in the US president elections in such an extent that this supposed "interference" could have even theoretically a tiniest effect on the elections outcome. This mammoth investigation gave birth to a mouse. Just curious, what kind of mouse will be born after investigation why 2 Boeings killed more than 300 absolutely innocent people
6
@Mikhail
Read the indictments!!! The Russians clearly interfered with the election on Trump's behalf.
Anyone who thinks otherwise is lying.
5
After todays diabolical behavior by Trumps private attorney general, it is more than ever clear that the American justice system is fully broken and corrupt. Justice for white male rich men can be bought and has been bought for a very long time in our country.
After todays extremely damaging announcement by a self appointed AG, who in advance declared that a sitting President cannot be indicted, only proves that Trump was indirectly involved in this egomaniacal outcome.
This is nothing more than treason committed by lawyer(s) who are willing to disenfranchise and disconnect most Americans from the formerly trusted “rules of law are the same for all of us” for their own personal ego and benefit.
This President even lied about what Barr’s power grab letter said.
Not even today he cannot stop lying.
9
I will pass on. The Cliff Notes version and wait for the full report.
6