Kevin McCarthy is right on this. The country should move on. Donald Trump's reign of terror on America and the rule of law needs to end now. Donald Trump needs to be impeached and removed from office. Only then can America start to clean up from the devastation of the last two years.
3
There's an awful lot of things that Republicans have said in the past about the principals that their party stands for. But in the final analysis, actions speak oh-so-much louder than words.
Their party lives by two simple rules:
1. Shamelessly win at any cost, no matter the damage to our government, our checks and balances, our free and fair elections, our alliances, our treaties, and our international relations, AND
2. Accept money and assistance from anybody at any time, whether it's the NRA, the Russians, or simply super-wealthy Americans who don't want to pay their share.
Oh wait, I think I missed one:
3. Stoop to any depth required to sow anger amongst their constituents, by peddling alarming falsehoods and smearing opponents endlessly.
Yeah, I think that about covers it. Why would any citizen who wants good Government ever vote for this party?
5
IMHO, the only way to bi-partisan impeachment, given the present status of the system (sadly), is for the moneyed sources of the Republican party (big money donors) to do what they threatened to do with the tax cuts - refuse to donate unless there is full accountability (Tweet: Cristina Marcos @cimarcos: .@RepChrisCollins (R-NY) on tax reform: "My donors are basically saying, 'Get it done or don’t ever call me again.'" 7:16 AM - 7 Nov 2017; 10 Nov 2017 Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told reporters on Thursday that the party would fracture and primary challenges would mount in the wake of a tax cut failure. He added, “The financial contributions will stop.”)
@ obamanable
When in doubt, blame Obama!
I for one miss his brilliance to speak. This president, (I went to the best schools) can’t even form a coherent sentence without a prompter. He butchers the English language constantly. It’s beyond pathetic.
Nice try and thank you for mentioning President Obama.
4
@Woosa09 Angry, delusional, and liberal is no way to go through life son. You can only escape the truth so long.
1
@ Obamanable
Sir, my response is: I witnessed Watergate, its hearings, and the resignation of a American President, Richard Milhouse Nixon. I detected similarities in the Trump administration early on that have been validated by the Mueller Report concerning a White House out of control with a dysfunctional leader whose just can’t seem to tell the truth. He was fortunate he had a White House Counsel in Don McGahn, who didn’t want to participate in a modern day “Saturday Night Massacre” and refused President Trump’s order to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller in 2017. This action would have resulted in Obstruction of Justice charges. Sort of like President Nixon’s White House Counsel John Dean, who had advised Mr. Nixon that there was a cancer in his presidency and had to get rid of it. Both President’s believe they were above the law. See the similarities? We know how Nixon’s chapter turned out. The book is still out on Trump. Stay tuned.
We are all Americans and can agree to disagree. I’ve gone thru life just fine and am proud to be a hard working Democrat who has paid his taxes and participated in State and Federal elections. We love our country too.
Regards
3
Trump and his campaign would have conspired with Russia if they had been more competent.
Trump would have fired Mueller if he knew how to.
Trump thought he had stopped the investigation when he fired Comey. He even bragged to the Russians in the Oval Office about it.
His thoughts and intents would have been impeachable if he was a more competent person.
7
"We recognized that a federal criminal accusation against a sitting President would ... potentially preempt constitutional processes for addressing presidential misconduct." -RMIII
Mueller was never going to make an accusation, no matter what the evidence. That's the job of congress. Now he's just getting out of their way.
4
It is quite sad that almost half of the country (the Trump base) blindly follow what he and his minions say. The country that was once the envy of the world is badly smeared. For as long as this attitude of accepting what is presented by administration continues, we will never be able to rise up from the dumps and hold our heads up high again. This country was established under the values of justice, liberty, truth, and democracy. What we see on the Hill is a daily circus of lies and distractions so that "the base" will not see what the truth is. We need to pursue the report as Mueller cannot by law do anything with it. And this is what our "elected and paid for by the people" legislators need to do. Forget the divide between the aisle. This is about our country and the future of our kids and grand kids. Not doing anything about this obvious debacle makes the legislators and the whole country complicit to the demise of our values and ultimately our "United" States of America. The moment to correct the many wrongs by this administration is NOW. I take pride in being an American. I do not want to lose that, or the status that we stand for in the entire world. What happened to our values if all we think about is ourselves? Worse, what are those who couldn't care less about what is happening to our country doing? We need to pursue the road map that Mueller provided in his report.
5
Every time a Republican, like the House Republican leader, opens his/her mouth to defend Trump, he/she is deliberately insulting our intelligence. This is the new McCarthyism.
7
It's over, they're beating a dead horse.....
2
The incredible corruption by the Obama Administration, the Democrats, and the complicit Mainstream Media (especially the New York Times) will soon be revealed. I for one hope it results in innumerable indictments. Your attempts to thwart democracy and foist your despotic Socialism on America have failed. Your last gasp to prevent the destruction of the Democrat Party will too. Get ready.
1
The Republicans would support a Nazi if he was on their team--oh wait, they do. Steve King, et al. Who ARE these people?
7
Kevin McCarthy said, " Case closed ". Really? Now that we know the can of worms, sorry snakes is opened and they are slithering out without end? The Democrats should not apologize or let Trump and the so-called uber-patriots get away with such executive criminality. Even Nixon might be turning in his grave.
3
Just Vote those corrupt, nonsense, liars out - dont forget some of smiling criminal frauds there too. There will not be any chance for them. We are in bad time. Even democrats can't do anything.. More corrupt politicians then good politicians.
1
Republicans support a president who purposely hires criminals to work for him, has horrible conflicts of interests, and is a compulsive liar--- so it's only a matter of time before they have another disaster on their hands (and this one isn't over).
3
The Mueller Report documents for history and the world that Trump is a corrupt, incompetent, incessantly lying, mentally unstable president with no clue or concern about what his job entails. William Barr's sham performance at misrepresenting and spinning the findings of the report only reinforced the desperation and dishonesty of the entire Trump administration.
More than 80% of Democrats are against Trump--so he has united us in one sense. And admittedly few Trump Republicans are likely to change their "minds" about their amoral, anarchist hero Trump, no matter what horrible thing or lie Trump does or broadcasts next.
Obviously, Trump's welcoming of white supremacists into the GOP and his misguided policy of yanking small children from their parents at the border and putting them in cages didn't move his faithful supporters emotionally or ethically. So truth and human decency mean nothing to them, and they will stick with and cheer Trump's cruelty, which they seem to enjoy.
But what is now comical to witness is those well-educated GOP Senate and House members--some with law degrees from great universities hanging on their walls--scurry to defend the indefensible Trump.
They are on the wrong side of American history, for sure. How do they defend that choice in their lives? Let them know at the ballot box.
8
Hello all Republicans. It's only just begun. Stick your collective heads in the sand at our own peril. This president and his family are in for some serious trouble after he is out of office. Nixon was given a pass after his impeachment. Those were different times and the tenor and tone of the two parties were also different. If I thought for a second that Trump and his sycophants were semi-decent folks who sometimes stretched the truth but were trying to act like ethical, civil, well meaning individuals I would be willing to give them the benefit of the doubt when it came to possible prosecution. Having said that Trump, his family, not including his wife, and most of his supporters and whats left of his cabinet are nasty, lying, unethical, con artists who are in it for themselves at the expense of anyone who gets in their way. Because Trump loves to stick it in everyone's face every day and lie as often as he breathes I hope Trump, his family, and cohorts will one day be brought up on charges and be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. After that I hope they serve a long time in jail. Hillary was right....Trump, his family, and cabinet are simply deplorable human beings.
5
The height of Democrats’ righteous indignation is breathtaking. Just when we were lead to believe on Sunday that nothing was irredeemable, along comes them. Sad. Monday will be interesting.
2
Another column about the political fight and drama.
What about the facts.
Without even needing the report we know:
Russia interfered in our election to help elect Trump.
Trump welcomed Russian interference in our election.
Trump believed Putin in Helsinki instead of US Intelligence.
Trump is terrified of releasing his tax returns and business financials.
Trump lies.
People who work for Trump lie.
Trump hires others who are helping the rich and themselves at the expense of us.
Ivanka and Jared are using personal e-mail accounts in the White House.
The list goes on.
4
Mr. McCarthy, we are all soldiers now in an army that does not tire. You republicans have made it so. Welcome to the world you've created. We don't quit until he's gone, and the rest of you with him.
6
@DMS, wow, I wonder what ISIS is to make of our very own jihad. Ever since 9/11 we seem to have become nothing but at war with ourselves. Acting like we could defeat evil we instead became it.
@John Doe
Speak for yourself. I can make my point without dragging ISIS into it.
2
The president's guilt is all too clear, as well as the complicity of many of his Republican colleagues. Thirsting for justice and feeling far from wishing to "just move on", I believe it would be in the best interests of the country and the Democratic party to show some Grace. Rubbing the noses of of the Republicans in the mess they have helped to sustain will only further the division between the parties. The alternative is to continue living with division and waiting to one-up the other party when the chance presents itself. How sustainable is that?
3
Barr claims he’s right: Trump didn’t commit obstruction. Mueller claims he’s right: Only Congress can decide if Trump committed obstruction.
BARR: “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.”
March 24, 2019: Barr’s letter.
MUELLER REPORT: “With respect to whether the President can be found to have obstructed justice by exercising his powers under Article II of the Constitution,
we concluded that Congress has authority to prohibit a President’s corrupt use of his authority in order to protect the integrity of the administration of justice.
The conclusion that Congress may apply the obstruction laws to the President’s corrupt exercise of the powers of office accords with our constitutional system of checks and balances and the principle that no person is above the law.”
Apr 18, 2019: Mueller’s Report.
4
Time to evaluate options for removal and prosecution. If there are none, then yes, it's time to move on. Even with redactions, we see the complete depravity of the Trump organization. Not just lying, but lying about lying.
But unless impeachment will lead to removal, it won't make the country any safer or better off.
1
It is rich for Republicans to claim the high ground on so called politically motivated investigations and conspiracy theories after six years of malicious, mean spirited, empty of result investigations based on their own conspiracy theories into every aspect of the Obama administration and especially of Hillary Clinton's time as Secretary of State. Congressional oversight is always political in nature, especially as it pertains to maintaining Congress as a co-equal branch of the government, something Republicans have ceded entirely to Trump.
2
Put down your arms, America, it is not about the two Parties, the lost Presidency and his men, the Press and its outlook, it is about Us, and in the end is our beginning where our Nation stumbled and shuddered.
We are beyond Politics now in the US of A. and while some of us feel duped, foolish, defiant or angry, let us see if we have a strong Congress who cares about our Country and the People it represents.
The report by Mueller has enabled us to see clearer, but whether we have the spirit and strength to climb the next mountain, a lot will depend on the choices we make to restore and mend our Democracy.
1
Republicans only care about power.
They do not care that Trump cooperated, conspired, and colluded with the Russians to win the election.
They want him to DO IT AGAIN so that they can stay in power.
Thank God for Bill Kristol speaking sanity to that corrupt party. It won't matter though.
1
Where was the desire "to move on" when Hillary Clinton was under the microscope? When seven congressional committees could find nothing, John Boehner and his crew went for an eighth and still no evidence of crimes was unearthed.
Naturally, I can understand why the GOP leadership might be exhausted from doing so much investigating earlier in the past ten years, but as one of their leaders (Lindsey Graham) said last year, "elections have consequences and if you don't like what we're doing, then start winning some."
2
Best move by Nadler is getting Don McGahn to testify in public about Trump's effort to get him to fire Mueller and to tell the media that he didn't tell him to fire Mueller. We have a president who lies to protect himself at all costs and we need to wonder if he gets us into a war are the reasons real or are they lies to distract from his blunders in govt. Would Trump send American forces into harms way to protect himself ,sadly we all know the answer to that.
1
" ... the president’s corrupt exercise of the powers of office ... " That is the gist of the Mueller report, in spite of all the GOP spin going on.
4
What really has alarmed our democrats is that their Trump/Russia narrative has collapsed. I would say they are not just alarmed, they are panicked. In their panic I predict overreach that will turn off the American public.
1
I was terribly afraid Pelosi's public slapdown of AOC and her cadre was going to silence them. Thankfully, that is not the case. Silencing AOC and her cadre would have put Trump's re-election campaign in great jeopardy.
1
We all know where this is going. Continue the hearings, censure him if we must, but we all know Trump is a bad guy so let's focus on getting a Democrat elected president and take the Senate too. If Trump wins again we can still impeach him.
4
for two years the NYT spewed about how Russian collusion will be the end of Trump, now we seem to think something else (obstruction) will lead down that path, when will you realize and focus on the people's business verses pursuing a path that most likely will not lead to impeachment. With 18months to the next election the people will decide if Trump stays or goes. Focus on policy issues as that's what the people want!!!
3
A couple of observations:
1. The Mueller Report in no way clears Trump of obstruction of justice. It dodges the thorny Constitutional issues surrounding the indictment of a sitting president, but it did do the work to preserve evidence for a later date. That's damning in its own right.
2. Trump is revealed to be a lot of things, not least of which is WEAK. If, as the Mueller report reveals in stark terms, his subordinates feel free to ignore his orders, then he's not in charge. This strikes me as a serious Constitutional matter worthy of significant and continued attention.
3. The GOP's claim that Democrats just want to obstruct is laughable, although that word seems wholly inadequate. Under Speaker Pelosi, the House has passed many pieces of legislation that McConnell refuses to bring up for a vote. Additionally, and lest we forget, the GOP (a) controlled both chambers of Congress during the 1st 2 years of the Trump presidency; and (b) did NOTHING during the Obama years except vote over and over and over again to repeal the ACA with no viable alternative.
4
The Report stands there like a sphinx but with some smoke pouring from its nostrils....
The content of it will come out, week after week, and the captions if not headlines, will speak to us all. Someday, if not very soon, the nation will have to face the beast within us that has allowed this presidency to happen. Will it all just go away, as Kevin McCarthy would have it.
May bet is that its specter will hover over us throughout the 2020 election and will require some if not all candidates to declare themselves concerned or not.
In the meantime, my advice to Democrats would be to seize the moment, no, not to Impeach, but to address the Russian undermining of our institutions and formulate policies for countering the next attack. It would be the height of dereliction of duty to 'protect and defend' our Constitution to do less. Even some Republicans would have to agree to that.
2
I thought I couldn't get more disgusted with the Republican party when GW Bush entered us into a war in Iraq on false pretenses.
I thought I couldn't get more disgusted with Republicans when Mitch McConnell and Tea Party Republicans stonewalled president Obama for 6 years, largely on the pretext that he wasn't a 'real' president because he was actually secretly a Muslim, Kenyan, black, or some combination of the three.
And then Donald Trump was 'elected' and the Republican party went from moral-less political party to criminal enterprise.
This party, which countenances crimes against humanity perpetrated against children, calls itself 'pro-life'.
This party, which accepts the aid of hostile foreign powers, and seeks them out for personal gain, says it is 'making America great again'.
This party, whose leader is known for offering to pardon people if they will commit crimes for him, calls itself 'the party of law and order'.
And finally, this party, whose leader thinks of more than half the people in the country as enemies, calls itself a party 'of the people.'
I weep for the days of my youth, when Republicans had different ideological views than Democrats, but both agreed that their various views were parts that made up the whole.
I expect Russian interference in 2020. I fear Trump, if re-elected, will seek to undo the term limit on presidency, and, with the help of outside forces, cause himself to be declared president for life.
Sound crazy?
Remember 2015.
4
This morning I sent emails to my congresswoman and to Nancy Pelosi urging them to begin impeachment proceedings regardless of whether they think there will be enough support in the Senate to convict. As much as I agree that Democrats need to push their agenda on issues like health care, the environment, infrastructure and other key issues that the majority of the country wants addressed, I believe we first have to ensure that we will have a strong democratic government going forward. A government where the Congress is an equal partner, upholding its constitutional duty.
Please listen to us and take bold action. Stand up for your constitutional duty!
5
My sense is that the Democratic Party should shut down those crying for impeachment right now and use the investigative powers of the House and the full, unredacted text of the Mueller Report to relentlessly and mercilessly beat up Trump between now and the 2020 elections. Remember that Nixon wasn’t impeached until a year into his second term.
There are three overwhelming goals that supersede impeachment:
- maintaining a majority in the House;
- winning a Senate majority;
- winning the Presidency.
Even if Trump were to be re-elected, Democratic control of both Houses of Congress would facilitate impeachment after the election and render Trump’s replacement a lame duck for the rest of his term.
To do so, the Democrats should focus on running and supporting the best candidates in every State and every congressional district. They also have to resolve the potential fracturing of support for the best possible Presidential candidate they can agree on.
The key here is having the patience and discipline to run the best possible local and State campaigns and not to waste time bickering amongst themselves.
Patience, patience, patience - stay calm amidst the raging storm.
3
Where is Mitch in all of this?
Mitch, Mitch, where are you?
3
@AM Murphy - Call and ask him:
Mitch McConnell
(202)224-2541
Congressional switchboard
(202) 224 3121
1
I look at the photo of the very smug and vile Kevin McCarthy and am reminded of what occurred when he sought to become Speaker instead of Ryan. Remember, ladies and gentlemen, why he dropped out at that time? "We're investigating Clinton's emails and are driving her numbers down through the floor!" That's a close paraphrase of the strategy they employed, using totally baseless accusations, to hurt Clinton and help Trump during the summer of 2016. These foul men hope that we'll forget but I, for one, never forget the facts. NOW, in the midst of hard proof of misconduct, they want to "move on". For the mindless minions that support him and Trump and the rest of the Republican hoard, it doesn't matter what the "facts" are. Hopefully, those Americans of good mind and judgment will think otherwise and give them ALL their walking papers come the next election. One can only hope.
6
This is not a tug of war between Democrats and Republicans,. This country is in a full fledged fight for its very existence as a democratic nation and as a country of caring, decent people.
What does his GOP party do about Trump's incompetence and reprehensible behavior? They hand him the keys to the Corvette; he removes the brakes and the steering wheel; piles all of us in HIS car; and takes off at 90 mph hurdling down hills and around treacherous curves.
Then, like irresponsible parents who really do know better, the Republicans either tut-tut about Trump's terrible judgment and damage, or they brag about him to appease and pander to his raging base.
But, after the Mueller Report, Barr's dopey misrepresentation of the findings, and Trump's insane gloating that he is exonerated, I think it won't be the Mueller report per se that does Trump in, but the slow realization among decent Republicans and Independents that Trump is dishonest and corrupt to his core, and he will finally flame out in a slow fire of disgrace and disgust.
Listen to a debate on NPR's "Intelligence Squared" between Republicans about whether Trump should run in 2020. The NYT Bret Stephens says "no" and does a great job, but he plays a horrifying clip near the end where he was threatened as a journalist by one of Trump's jack-boot fans. again.https://www.intelligencesquaredus.org/debates/republican-party-should-not-re-nominate-trump
This country can't take 4 more years of Trump or the GOP Senate
3
Unless you are going to impeach Donald Trump tomorrow, you are not helping America. You are further dividing America and further wasting time. He has already served as president for 2 years, and based on this report, it's unlikely he will be impeached in the near future. So again, I ask, what is the point of all this? We don't have time for symbolic gestures, we need action items.
BTW Russian trolls are shaping American politics as we speak. Be the bigger man and accept the challenge to win with ideas instead of cowering and crying for help.
"Opening an official impeachment inquiry could incite a significant political backlash before the 2020 elections."
We keep hearing this, but is it true? On what basis are you claiming "significant?" Is the single example of the aftermath of the Clinton impeachment now the conventional wisdom? Does the fact that Clinton's impeachment was the result of embarrassing but otherwise immaterial personal conduct mean nothing? Trump apparently obstructed justice with the corrupt goal of covering up his campaign's embarrassing dalliances with spies. Why doesn't the conventional wisdom see the difference?
Also: Less than 40% of the public (or at least the slice of the public that participates in surveys) thinks Trump has been exonerated. Opposition to Trump has been comfortably above 50% since the beginning.
Would the backlash come from the 5% or so of people who seem uncertain about where they stand?
I personally think it would be cowardly to let Trump's actions pass without a response. Congress' job is to pass laws and uphold the Constitution. It isn't to swallow misconduct because it thinks a few voters in the Midwest might be up for grabs.
1
McCarthy is one of those hard right Republicans--like King and Grassley of Iowa and Devin Nunes--who want America to go back to the 1950s, when they didn't have to deal with anyone who wasn't rich and white. Minorities knew their places.
And to best have that, you need an authoritarian Republican president with as much unlimited power as possible.
That's why they want to move on.
4
When you are on the gravy train it's very difficult to want to jump off, even if it's being driven by someone who adopts every ethical and moral position you've opposed in the past.
Plain and simple - all these guys are benefiting from Trump, if only because he's not a Democrat who will scrutinize their actions and find fault with every motive.
2
From Lawfare:
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.
I don’t understand why any of this spin from the Republicans is being tolerated. And while Mueller found that Trump was not successful in obstructing justice, it is clear from excerpts from the report that Trump attempted to obstruct justice which is in and of it’s self a crime.
3
The Democrats need to keep their eyes on the prize and unite behind a strong effort to get out the vote and defeat Trump and the GOP in 2020. The war by the GOP on the Right to Vote continues and must be vigorously defeated.
4
There is nothing, repeat nothing, in the report that materially affects the viewpoint of a single person on either side of the Trump divide. Simply read the dueling editorials in the NY Times and Wall Street Journal, each written from the vantage points of separate solar systems. Mr. Hulse may not move on, but a poll this week shows that 57% of independent voters are doing just that. Careful what you wish for, Carl.
1
There should be no fear of political backlash from pursuing impeachment. Most Americans already think and feel this President is corrupt and unethical based on the constant drip of reporting that occurred over the last two years, which the Mueller report now mostly confirms. Impeachment hearings, with the shock value of actual live testimony would only crystallize those thoughts and feeling in most Americans minds and make case for obstruction a no-brainier for most of the public. This would actually put Republicans in peril as the would look incredibly partisan in supporting a President against such overwhelming evidence.
1
What I find most shocking about all of this is that the report outlined a literal Act of War against us -- a cyber 9/11 attack -- and it's barely getting mentioned! And not only is it getting swept under the rug, Trump was still going on Hannity, the #1 rated cable "news" show, to lie about the Russian's motives in front of millions -- just last month! If undermining our own Intelligence and Law Enforcement agencies and working to aid an attack by our enemies is not treason and conspiracy, then I don't know what is. And we shouldn't need any more evidence than that to Impeach this traitor of a President.
2
I’m laughing, well at least smirking. Huckabee’s “slip of the tongue.” Anyone else who had a “slip of the tongue” under oath, might receive jail time.
4
Let us not forget that it was the *Obama* administration that failed to file charges against Hilary Clinton for using an email server in her home for Top Secret emails when she was Secretary of State instead of using the government provided emails intended for that purpose. Obama's AG Lynch also failed to file any charges when Clinton, 3 weeks after over 30,000 emails on that server were subpoenaed by Congress, hired a firm to destroy those emails with special software.
Clinton should have had charges filed for these crimes, yet the Obama administration looked the other way because they didn't want to indite the Democratic candidate for President.
Clinton lost the election both through her personality and her policies. She didn't visit Wisconsin even once after the primary.
Her message was too focused on coastal elites and as a result, she lost key states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
It is time for the Democrats to acknowledge their mistakes and one on with legislation for infrastructure, affordable housing, and mental health.
In order to win, the Democrats *must change the policy* to appeal to the Midwest and not only the coastal elites.
Attacking Trump does nothing constructive to help the Democrats to win in 2020. In order to have a victory in 2020, they must *focus* on fixing their policy to have broader appeal.
1
@David MD - Colin Powell did the exact same thing but Republicans don't seem to care.
Trump and company's lax (to put it mildly) communication standards have been far more egregious and dangerous but none of you seem to care about that either.
1
@DR
Colin Powell *did not* do the same thing.
He did not put an email server in his home where it could be hacked by Russia and China. He did not hire a firm to destroy emails subpoenaed by Congress.
Clinton wanted to be Secretary of State but hide her emails from Freedom of Information Act Requests.
Trump for all of his faults never did anything as illegal as Clinton who as a Yale lawyer knew better than to put an email server in her home and to destroy over 30,000 emails subpoenaed by Congress.
1
There is much commotion now that the redacted Mueller report has been made public. Finger pointing and accusations. While the president is a bully and a liar and the object of much criticism, the Dems and their candidate Hillary Clinton were filled with hubris. Our system of government and presidential elections has relied since its founding on the electoral college rather than the popular vote. Thus, the outcome of the 2016 election did not depend upon hanging chads; it was not “stolen”. We have to ask who was it that came up with the “deplorables” statement? Why did Clinton characterize millions of American voters this way and probably lost their votes?
The “deplorables” statement is reflective of a coastal reliance upon politically correct speech that, frankly, favors victims and denigrates all those that don’t accept definitions that limit what we can say.
Victimhood is the foundation of political correctness and to a large extent identity politics; the politics of alienation. Both Reps and Dems played this card in 2016. It is meant to exclude all those that don’t accept the orthodoxy.
Hillary’s “deplorables” don’t consider themselves victims. Many liberals practice a double-morality of identity politics: externally, they seek to appear diverse; internally, they defend their privileges against anyone seeking to counter their orthodoxy and status. Now, many see in the publication of the redacted Mueller report evidence of presidential perfidy. Others see vindication.
1
It's not just Democrats who are alarmed. Setting up this artificial binary analysis plays into the Trump game plan. George Conway, husband of Kellyanne, for instance, has a column in the WaPost today sounding even more alarmed that many Democrats. Op-Ed columnist, M Gerson, speech writer for Reagan, also has a 5 alarm piece in the paper.
2
The 2020 Presidential election will not be won or lost based on this report. The Dems only chance of success in 2020 will be either a complete economic meltdown (unlikely) or a focus on those issues closer to swing voters: immigration reform, health care cost and access, income inequality, a tax system rigged for the wealthy and corporate interests, clean water and air, public schools, and infrastructure.
The report (while valuable and a worthwhile), provides no legal smoking gun or personal impact on voters. Let's not lose focus on the bigger picture or perspective here. Bernie's approach of taking his message directly to Fox News viewers will provide far more impact than a 400 page redacted report that someone has to actually read.
6
@JeffB
"The report (while valuable and a worthwhile) (sic), provides no legal smoking gun or personal impact on voters."
But it does document a consistent pattern of deceit, corruption and greed within the campaign that continues into this administration. Even after the report was released Barr and Huckabee-Sanders couldn't give a truthful assessment of the findings.
Trump started his term with a lie about the inaugural audience size, he'll end it with lies about his attempts at obstruction...
2
Yes time to move on.
Move on to determining what was in the encrypted comms between the Trumpians and the Russians.
Move on to recognizing what a crook and bunch of liars infest the Executive Branch of the government, even before treason is considered.
Move on to understanding that the GOP is korrupt to its Fox News rotted core.
19
The time has come to rid our government of alchemists, who try to make political gold from lead.
4
“It is time to move on,” said Representative Kevin McCarthy, quoting the dreams of every criminal who ever stood before the bar.
16
Both parties ought to be alarmed about how weak and dysfunctional our POTUS and WH are. Don McGahn is getting praised today for saving 45 from himself. That should never happen! Flagrantly disobeying Presidential orders does not bode well for the country. This is chaos defined, POTUS issues orders that are fundamentally illegal and the staff refuses to carry them out and continues to work there! And tomorrow brings vacation and golf.
6
I am consistently stupefied by how accepting some people are of Russian corruption of our elections and absolute installation of a puppet president. Just stunned by it.
Apparently no one has seen "The Manchurian Candidate". Or maybe they have? As a result they feel all the proven activities by Trump and his people are too outrageous not to be fiction?.
Is it that I am from a different generation? Do people not remember the Cold War and why it was fought?
I can't help but feel if this happened in the 80s or 90s there would be an easy and unanimous impeachment AND removal of this president.
How soon we forget.
16
@bartNJ, I’m no longer surprised. The American character has been diluted. The culture has become a culture of falsehoods.. (I.e.) college admissions, is just a fragment of the whole. Oligarchy is the new norm. And politics which has always had its segment of corruption is now so out of hand, it has snaked its way into the White House.
1
Such hypocrisy from the Republicans, but that is the norm with this group.
“It is time to move on,” Mr. McCarthy said.
What about the year-long Hillary/Benghazi/Trey Gowdy show trial, just as one example?
8
Charlie Baker is the only Republican I can think of who isn’t sociopathic.
1
This is both a legal and a political matter. The legal issues haven't been decided because of what Mr. Mueller identified as a justice department policy on not indicting or accusing a sitting president.
Considering how he reported that several administration/campaign officials had lied and that neither President Trump nor any member of his family were interviewed innocence might well be proven with congressional investigation and hearings.
However, this is not simply a legal matter; it's a political one as well. The president is supposed to enforce the laws not just barely escape criminal indictment.
As Mueller pointed out, conspiracy actions conducted in public and are still conspiracy actions.
He also weighed in on unsuccessful obstruction. I don't believe that incompetence in completing an act of obstruction is innocence or not grounds for prosecution.
I also reel when I read about the excuse that Donald Jr. could be excused because the was ignorant of the legal ramifications of his actions. I was brought up with the adage "Ignorance of the law is no excuse."
The Nixon impeachment took a long time. Mueller mentioned time as a factor in his report. Maybe it's time Congress take all the time to perform due diligence and get to the bottom of this matter wherever it leads.
3
I can't help but think back to the FBI's investigation related to Hillary Clinton's private server, and the tremendous outrage of the Republicans with Comey's decision that there was not enough evidence to prosecute her! And, let's not forget Bengahzi. Oh, that's right, the Republicans don't understand the concept of "hypocrisy."
9
Congress CAN impeach character and conduct. They CAN send a message to the President that his character and conduct are unbecoming of the Presidency. Congress CAN and should.
4
Democrats are between a rock and hard place, no doubt. But so are Republicans. Republicans have to decide whether to ignore all the evidence of unethical conduct and abuse of power in the report in order to protect their president, or to stand for something bigger: their country. The lights of our "shining city on a hill" grow dimmer when the American people see our leaders excuse corruption at the highest levels. When cynicism grows, the fabric of our society falls apart. Are there no Republicans who will say, "It may not be criminal but it is still wrong"? We are waiting.
6
They do it all because they believe everyone else is even more corrupt.
From what I understand, the Democrats have very shaky legal standing when it comes to demanding much of what has been redacted in the report. The claims by some that the Clinton and Nixon congressional investigations are a model for what the house can be privy to, that they have a right to grand jury information, as well as information related to other possible ongoing investigations, are not accurate. The claim that all that has to happen is for the judge to be asked to allow it is only true, as it was in the other two cases, when there is a claim by another "judicial proceeding". As official congressional inquiries into whether to impeach the president (which is what both earlier investigations were) are considered to be "judicial proceedings", they would be allowed to be given pretty much all of the Mueller report. They wold also be privy to any other information developed in other judicial proceedings, which would give even more weight to their claims on things like Trump's tax returns.
However, this will take a change in the political strategy by Pelosi, et al who have decided to try to claim an extended scope of oversight so as to use the information for simple political purposes in 2020. The courts likely won't allow this and, if they do, our country will pay for it in the future.
1
@Bob
And why wouldn't the courts allow this. I am having trouble following your logic. If you are a judge, then provide some cites to legitimize your claim.
1
@Jbugko
I am not a judge and it is a bit silly to insist that my argument rests on being one. And, while it is true that the law is whatever a presiding judge happens to say it is at any time, the most relevant legal passage, and the one which lays out the prohibition of revealing grand jury information, Rule 6(e), Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, states; "[persons may disclose matters occurring before the grand jury] only when so directed by the court preliminarily to or in connection with a judicial proceeding . . .". In the case of the Nixon investigation, Judge Sarica decided that the congressional impeachment investigation was, essentially, a "judicial proceeding", thus allowing them access.
Of course, there are decisions that have been made that run counter to this, but the repeated arguments that bring up Nixon and Clinton's investigations' access to grand jury information rarely mention that the current congress refuses to officially impose itself as one to decide whether or not to bring impeachment charges.
Another argument is that, if the reason for revealing grand jury information is so important as it allows disregarding Rule 6(e), normal oversight powers may be insufficient. And I think the Dems will live to regret it should a court find for this argument.
@Jbugko
But don't take my word on it. Check out this page:https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/05/politics/grand-jury-secrecy/index.html
Despite all the "revelations" in the Mueller Report, it's about the economy, not the House Democrats or our Sovietized mass-media, e.g., this writer, as it will be in 2020.
2
First, the Soviet Union is long gone, so hard to understand why you would call the media “Sovietized”. Also, your comment is absurdly humorous considering that, crime or no crime, it was the Trump campaign and is the Trump administration that is cozying up to the Russians.
1
@Andrew Wohl
Nothing in Mueller's Report about "cozying", but a lot about idle conversations that went nowhere, at least Mueller's findings.
That's the point--Stalinization of US mass-media--one narrative, Cultural Marxism ad nauseam, i.e., Sovietized. Perhaps rather than "absurdly humorous"--you meant to write, humorously absurd, your real point?
MUELLER REPORT: "On July 27, 2016, candidate Trump made public statements that included the following:
‘Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.’
Within approximately five hours of Trump’s statement, GRU [Russian] officers targeted for the first time Clinton’s personal office.
After candidate Trump’s remarks, [Russian] Unit 26165 created and sent malicious links targeting 15 email accounts including an email account belonging to Clinton aide.”
Apr 18, 2017: Mueller’s Report. Here’s proof of Trump’s collusion with Russian hackers.
12
In the obstruction portion of the report, conspiracy was defined as “more than two people”.
There were no surprises in the Mueller report. And, there are no surprises in the republican response. There lies the real problem. To those of us who still adhere to the childish rules we learned in kindergarten, about not lying, cheating, stealing, bearing false witness, the conduct of trump's supporters is more appalling than that of the so-called president.
Some 30 to 40 percent of American citizens still support trump, in spite of the overwhelming evidence of his evil character. That is something truly frightening.
23
Here's the conundrum: The Constitution states that no man is above the law. Now our so-called authority is the DOJ memorandum, which allows the president to get by with criminal acts while in office without being held responsible until he leaves office. Thus, he cannot be indicted for a crime while in office.
Should we follow the Constitution, or should we follow the DOJ memorandum? They appear to be at cross purposes. AG Barr says he didn't follow the memorandum, but he made the decision to exonerate Trump on the facts in the Mueller report.
Trump has used this memorandum to escape the law. By what authority does the DOJ memorandum become the law of the land? No court has ruled on whether it is even a law.
Before we can move on, we have to decide if the DOJ's memorandum has the effect of a law, or if we should have the courts decide if it is a law according to the tenets of the Constitution.
We can't let this ever happen again.
7
Not sure that "Democrats...appear more alarmed" is the leading thread here. Maybe "even more appalled," "even more disgusted," and also "closer to the day of making hard political choices."
2
“It is time to move on,” Mr. McCarthy said in a rapid-fire response. Um, no! You don’t get a pass Mr. McCarthy, your obnoxious, dishonest and corrupt president isn’t getting a pass, this ain’t over by a long shot. Hang on for the trump train wreck is barreling along to its inevitable conclusion. It ain’t going to be pretty or pleasant but it is going to happen. The Russians wanted Trump for this very reason and men like you are complicit in this chaos and its consequences. Trump won’t win, you won’t win, none of us will win. Only Putin’s gonna win, now ain’t that sad.
14
The party of the "Obama Tan Suit Scandal" wants to move on.
That would be funny if the good of the United States was not at stake.
5
The Benghazi Bunch want to move on to opening an investigation to Hillary's emails, I guess.
5
Trump is immature, petty, vindictive, uninformed, stupid, lazy, a paper tiger, a malignant narcissist, unfit to be....anything, especially President. Non of these things rise to the level of an impeachable offense.
Obstruction of justice is an impeachable offense. I say go for it!
This moron must be removed from office ASAP.
11
The report is pretty damning of trump and his administration If congress does not pursue the facts and follow the trail left by Mr Mueller, history will eventually see them as having dropped the ball.
7
How the Republican legislators became a confederation of cowards is beyond me. McCain is turning over in his grave. And where are those honest Republicans who exemplified the two party system, which was the standard of the world for a democratic form of government. Where are the Bushes? Where are those who fled Washington, seeing the oncoming political storm. You still have a voice. Don't you. President George H.W. Bush is also spinning in his grave.
where's Kalich, Rubio, and the rest chastised in their presidential primary. Glad none of you are now president. Cowards all.
8
The thing is, on the scale of impeachable offenses, you have the GOP-led Clinton impeachment effort, which can only be seen as living at the frivolous end of the scale.
And you have the Nixon impeachment effort, which was at the far more serious end of the scale.
The question is, where do Trump's offenses reside? Only a diehard GOP hack and apparatchik would consider them Clinton-level frivolous. They're far more at the serious end of the scale, in the Nixon neighborhood -- so, are they somewhat less serious than what Nixon did, or far worse?
While the Democrats might be afraid to pursue impeachment of Trump, the GOP had no such qualms with ramming their frivolous Clinton impeachment through back in the day. So many of those Republicans are still in power today.
Ergo, they are marinating in their own hypocrisy, these Republicans, who thundered righteously at Bill Clinton, while meekly tuck tail with Trump, who has done far, far worse.
Bill Kristol is right in viewing the noxiousness of Trump as a real campaign issue for the GOP in 2020. If the GOP is so corrupt and craven (and, hmm, treasonous?) to give Trump a free pass, they deserve to fall in droves in 2020. The Democrats, however, need to avoid fretting about appearing too partisan--that's something the GOP has never, ever sweated.
10
Dems and Pubs are clearly on a collusion course!
Substitute the name "Trump" with "Obama" in the report and then see how willing the Republicans would be to "let it go."
12
Most Republican supporters will not question their leaders, and will not read the report or coverage of it by the NYTimes, WAPO, etc. Only some like George Conway will thoughtfully consider that our democracy is in trouble.
On the other hand, I venture into hostile territory like Fox News, because I want to understand these people. I read the comments from their followers.
There are themes like, "Democrats are bad for America. They are going to start a civil war." There are no ideas, and since they cannot state positively what things they desire, I assume there are alternative motives. I back this assumption up with the conservatives I know, and all I can come up with is that they hate people who are not like them. When Democrats offer things to help all Americans, they are deathly afraid that "those people" that they despise will share in some of the benefits.
Therefore, they will continue to support Trump. It does not matter if he is a traitor, a murderer, a rapist, a Nazi, or any type of criminal. They write everything off as a conspiracy. They just hate liberals or progressive ideas.
We cannot apologize for expecting our leaders to hold up our highest ideals. We cannot apologize for speaking up when we watch them operate above the law, and weaken the Constitution. If Congress is hobbled by the conservative side, then every one of us who does care about our country as a whole will need to vote this evil out of office.
5
when mueller testifies, he will also demonstrate that the democrats leading those committees are liars and have performed an extreme disservice to the country by promoting the false collusion narrative. the democrats are the last group that can continue to posture on this with any credibility. they should stop. If they continue, it should diminish their chances in 2020. The Mueller report also did not directly state it is up to congress to decide about obstruction. - it is being taken out of context by democrats
1
@sh
Fake news much? Some of us do read past the headline, you know. How much more context does an honest reader need than this:
"The conclusion that Congress may apply the obstruction laws to the president’s corrupt exercise of the powers of office accords with our constitutional system of checks and balances and the principle that no person is above the law."
2
@sh
I suspect that during the hearing, Mueller will be asked again whether he didn't bring obstruction charges because he didn't believe a sitting president could/should be indicted.
He will answer just as he did when Barr asked him the same question 3 times: No, that wasn't the reason he failed to bring obstruction charges.
His critics will continue to create both charges and indictments that don't exist in the Mueller report.
@Davide
that phrase was in response to trump's personal lawyer who claimed the president can not obstruct justice due to his position. It was not in direct response to what trump did. see vol 2 page 159 in the report. the news media reporting on this phrase has been shabby, and of course, the democratic, who have also demonstrated they are unfit to govern by promoting the false collusion narrative, are spinning the phrase and are continuing to re-enforce that they are also unfit to govern
More of this will not help the Democrats, politically, given the report's findings and the robust economy. Investigation fatigue has set in throughout most parts of the country.
3
Those of us who believe that where there is a crime there ought to be a proportionate punishment see Mueller's report not so much as closing out the issue of Trump's wrong-doing but rather the opposite. The report is a clear rendering of a litany of intentional misdeeds by Trump which was mostly thwarted by his associates not so much because of any moral or ethical considerations (otherwise they would not have associated themselves with Trump in the first place) but by a fear of being on the wrong side of the law. Would that Trump have felt likewise! Sadly, I have to acknowledge that to those with a realpolitik mindset, the hope that this is the end of the beginning for Trump would be considered wishful thinking. It seems that Trump's base and Republicans, by and large, see Mueller's report as failing to prove Trump's culpability which is unsurprising given that they have set the bar of misbehavior so very low that Trump would have to practically shoot someone on 5th Avenue, just as he bragged about once, before being brought to justice.
GOP is trying now to wash off the stinking mud they've been wallowing in for the past 20+ years so they can look clean for the 2020 elections. What they don't understand is that the stink will never go away.
9
The Democrats having nothing--which is why they will lose in 2020. Millions of dollars for two years of nonsense. Keep America Great--Trump 2020.
2
I don’t understand. Why isn’t the lack of Republicans to properly investigate not a scandal or a “political problem” for them? When the NYT opines that congresspersons, who are overwhelmingly Democrats, have the audacity of actually doing their job as congresspersons has a political cost rather than defend our democracy, then IT, The New York Times, is the actual source of that “political problem” - which makes it a problem for us all.
2
Republicans simply don't care that Russia's government hacked our Presidential Election. I thought they were the party interested in National Security. They also don't seem to care that we have a mob boss running the country.
6
Just seems the Republicans will try using this as fuel in their 2020 run. Poor Trump, all these Democrats, & the liberal media-“fake news” -are out to get him. Sad. The best thing Democrats can do is just stop. In time the truth will come out, for now, don’t stoke the fire. Trump has used this all along to rally up his base. They need something/someone to blame for all the problems in this country-the Mexicans, the Muslims , Mueller , the fake-media, liberals, Democrats . What’s trump’s 2020 message? “The wall”? “ “lock her up”? They need a message to get their base fired up. 2018 “the caravan is coming with drugs, rapists, & killers “.. Democrats just need to stay on issues that matter - Healthcare, education, the environment. This tactic of blame is all republicans got right now, If you want trump out, Lead the narrative.
1
The BEST that can be said for Mr. Trump is that he and his campaign knew that the Russians were trying to affect the outcome of our election, but they never notified law enforcement or national security officials that a hostile power was attempting to interfere. Whether or not that was criminal, it was loathsome, dishonest and unpatriotic.
Moreover, Mr. Mueller's report reveals that Mr. Trump is so ineffectual--in the most powerful job in the world--that he could not get his staff or his appointees to go along with his attempts to stifle the investigation. Thus, Mr. Trump is revealed to be both weak and lacking in character and honesty (which surprises no one at this point).
In all, a damning indictment.
5
unbelievable that the gop leadership and campaign manager can read the report (assuming they did before speaking) and not see that there was no obstruction intended by trump only to be thwarted by his staff. that those dissuading him kept him from carrying out his plans he is still guilty of the attempt. saved by the ridiculous idea that sitting president can't be indicted - apparently it is better for the nation to be led by a dishonest offensively-defensive (he knew he was wrong by his 'end of my presidency comment) criminally intended person...
a person who can take solace in the finding that he and his cronies were too stupid to fully conspire with the Russians in spite of the Kremlin's attempts to lead them.
1
I guess the Republicans are counting on rich donors who expect to ever have their taxes paid by the poorer classes and white supremacists to keep them in power come 2020. Jest watching the dandelions grow until then. Republicans appear to believe in nothing and not care about what this president does. It's all "political"", buddy-buddy with Putin and dictators the world over, drought, fire, and flood, oh well, our total backside of hypocrisy exposed while the poor moulder in jail cells, the country rots, our souls decay. Any Democrat in 2020 has to be better. Guess we have to waste our time on impeachment too. That's what the cowardice of the Republicans and inability to check this president has led too.
5
Before the White House and Barr give a green light on releasing the Report, they both need approval from the Kremlin. Vlad is still at it. Trump is still at it.
2
And this additional Republican link to Russia: McConnell's state IS promised a boatload of Russian money: https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/15/business/rusal-russia-kentucky-aluminum-mill/index.html
So, Republicans lower taxes on the wealthy here and compromise our democracy by taking money from oligarchs in foreign countries. This corruption runs much deeper than trump and his "very best people".
5
“It is time to move on” to impeachment.
4
Trump represents the Republican party. Why would they want a dishonest man who asks his "people" to commit illegal acts that are against the Constitution? Why would they want a man who barely skirts collusion with the Russians? Why would they want a man who speaks such vile that parents have to turn off the television so their children don't hear? Why would the Republicans want a man as President who sings the praises of our enemies and dismisses our allies? I don't know. Do you? VOTE 2020
2
"Opening an official impeachment inquiry could incite a significant political backlash before the 2020 elections."
Backlash for who? Was there a 2000 election backlash a year and half after the Clinton's Senate trial, which began on January 7, 1999?
Election 2000 - Al Gore wins the popular vote by a thin margin, but the Supreme Court hands the election to W. Bush. Wait. That makes it look like impeaching the President, even for something as stupid as a sex scandal, was good for the GOP. Where's the backlash?
2
Republicans should be as alarmed as anyone that their dear leader was appointed by hostile despots who hijacked democracy in America. McCarthy and the rest of his lot are morally and ethically bankrupt traitors who know very well how grave the trump administration's corruption is-- as evidenced in Mueller's report to congress, and how it continues to tear the country to shreds. In any other democracy, there would be an armed uprising to take back the government from this despicable crime family.
3
Time for a full on ethics investigation of the Republican Party and the Justice Department . Barr lied to Congress and deceived the American people. Mueller report says the President is corrupt and tried to obstruct justice. Impeachment should begin, even if the Corrupt Senate doesn’t follow through. Can’t let criminals blatantly run the country!
3
I have always thought Hillary had a lawsuit in this mess, but she stood back to let history judge.
It was a stolen election, and ended in leadership by a thief, a liar, and a band of cooperatives.
Where is the Constitution’s part in this drama? Not mentioned enough, and still offstage.
Come on Congress, do your job!
112
@Pat Gentry
Truth is the first and last requirement of any successful endeavor.
If you do not care about the truth, which Trump Republicans seem intent on demonstrating, by all means, move on. Fortunately, at least most Democrats and many if not most independents do care and recognize that to forego the truth will lead to the death of not only our way of life, but the lives of many more billions beyond us.
Unlike some, it is not democracy that I think is most important, though leaders like Trump show the dangers of not ruling for, by, and of the People. What I think is most important is the truth, and that it guide every decision that we make.
Trump Republicans want everyone to believe that the truth is anything Trump thinks it is. Since Trump truly cares nothing for anyone but himself, they have given all their power to his version of reality.
Since no man or woman, much less a narcissist like Trump, has a clue what is true and what is not, his vision is necessarily doomed to failure along with that of whoever follows him.
We cannot afford to ignore such flagrant disregard of what is real. The interests of truth demand that Trump's rampant corruption be fully exposed so no one will have an excuse if he somehow succeeds in gaining a second term. Whether or not he is impeached (which is doubtful), at the very least Democratic candidates will benefit from a thorough investigation and expose of Trump by Congress. Only then can they focus on the issues that energize voters.
4
@Jose Pieste-----------------------Sorry, Jose. Hillary
Clinton earned 3,000,000 votes by the citizens above Trump's stash. No way around it. Our country chose Hillary and our country lost.
It's ridiculous to say Hillary even lost the popular vote if you consider the third party candidate totals in addition to Trump's. Maybe, but the third party's votes total did NOT vote for Trump. Not one. No way around it. That didn't happen.
4
@Daniel Rose----------------------"We cannot afford to ignore such flagrant disregard of what is real. The interests of truth demand that Trump's rampant corruption be fully exposed so no one will have an excuse if he somehow succeeds in gaining a second term."
That is well said, Mr. Rose, but, sorrowfully, Germany, despite it's rich past of philosophy, music, science, literature, art and more, fell into the clutches of Hitler.
The clouds have darkened. We are in great danger.
2
We're tired of endless investigations with political motivations. Let's get back to the job at hand. Unless gridlock is your desire.
26
@Robert Miller . I'm not tired. The "job at hand" is to protect our country, to love our country, to provide the freedoms and honesty that all of the citizenry deserve. This is not happening with Trump. He cages, he gropes, he lies, he cheats, he asks people to cheat and lie for him. How is this something to leave alone and move on from?
What you call "gridlock", I call pursuing what is best to protect our country. Hard to move on when a white supremacist lives in our White House. I'm sure you'll agree.
74
@Robert Miller There is a glaring deficiency of respect for justice by people who want to prey on the frustration of the majority of law-abiding citizens who have patiently endured the two plus years of coverage about the Mueller investigation.
Having endured such a lengthy process , during which the president of the United States was covering up and lying about his and his campaign's absolute acceptance and encouragement of Russian interference and corruption of our most important election, most citizens, I dare say, want to know how half of the Congress and Trump's supporters accept the extraordinary attempts to attack and destroy American democracy.
How many times do you need to learn about contacts with Russians ( of all people ) on the behalf of Trump do you need to have proven to you before you feel there is a cancer in the White House?
Saying people are "tired" of investigations is a childish attempt distract and deny the criminal behavior and, most importantly, the consequences of Donald Trump and his campaign in their complete and obvious stealing of the American presidency.
51
@Robert Miller, the job at hand is eliminating the 140 contacts with the Russians traitor from office, and his confederation of political cowards.
24
Republicans have revealed themselves to be hypocritical cowards who are concerned about retaining power above all else to reshape our country under their unyielding "conservative" worldview. If any one of them truly cared about democracy, fairness, or justice we'd have heard concerns about this report from the right. Instead it's silence on all fronts. They have abdicated their duties to the extent that any criticism of Trump is heresy and perceived as an attack on the country itself.
The saddest part of all of this is that GOP and Trump supporters have also turned a blind eye to their obvious corruption and Trump's demonstrable inability to be a fair leader who actively listens to every voter despite their political leaning. It's about winning, telling the other side to just be quiet and deal with it, while eschewing what's right in front of their face simply because he appeals to their emotions.
11
The report clearly shows that the President obstructed Justice. Just because his staff didn’t carry out his wishes shouldn’t mean he gets a free pass, because of his ineptitude. What do we say to the world, let alone all Americans, if we stand by and do nothing. That criminality is fine?
3
Really? " Case closed." No, Kevin McCarthy, this is just the beginning of the end. Mr. Mueller has provided a roadmap on exactly how to prosecute this president with much of the relevant evidence to back up his claim of " not being able to exonerate."
Funny, that this was missing last night on Fox News along with the fact that the Russians had definitely swayed our 2016 election by multiple means.
The conspiracy theories and finger pointing have begun. It's all Obama's fault, Mueller and his band of Democrat's, the Steele dossier, the FISA warrants, the...Blah,Blah,Blah.
As usual, the president is not at fault. And one-third of the American Public, too lazy or uninterested to read a reliable news source or the Mueller Report itself, is lapping up this drivel like the unpatriotic rubes they are as our democracy daily slowly erodes before our eyes.
8
The Mueller report leads us to two irrefutable conclusions.
First, Trump is unfit for office; his lawless behavior, mercurial personality, and lying represent a current danger to the country. Trump must either be removed from office or must be constrained in such a way that his damage the to the country is limited.
Second, our laws need to be strengthened by ensuring that certain kinds of indictments can be brought against a sitting president. Addition, a president must be constrained in his ability to meddle in the Justice Department and the Intelligence community. Finally, we must require that failure to report foreign meddling in our election be reported, with a failure to do so punishable by prison, and serious sanctions placed on the candidate/nominee/president who knowingly violates this law.
I think the contents of the Mueller report are so damning that a failure to initiate impeachment hearings would be an abrogation of Congress' duty.
9
What is alarming is that Republicans are citing a report full of well documented examples of monumental indiscretions, lies and highly questionable behavior and then blandly like a child with his hands in the cookie jar say "Who, me?".
5
There is absolute certainty that the Russians attacked our country and our entire form of government, and that their cyberwar continues. Yet, we have a "president" who, rather than taking strong action in defense of our country; refuses to accept this fact, denies that it has and is happening, meets secretly with the Russian president and publicly accepts the Russian lies and denials. Why isn't this being considered as "adhering to [and] giving aid and comfort" to our enemies? Also known as Treason against the United States.
2
Theyre suddenly worried about 'conduct' since the Mueller report has been the biggest hyped dud in the past two years by places like the NYT. We were confident Trump would be in jail now but here we are, finding a few lines in the report and blowing them up.
Yawn.
1
@Scott
Yeah, no problem with being told the Russians were meddling in our elections and then to actually deal with them and 'love' the thought of getting their dirt on Hilary.
And then, lie after lie to claim no dealings with the Russians (i.e., colluding) until they had to admit it.
Pretty low standards of conduct, Scott.
2
The Republicans - McCarthy, Scalise, and the Trump stooges - appear not to know much. But they know one big thing. For any Republican failure to act responsibly and expeditiously (Russian interference in the 2016 and now the 2020 election) before or after the event, there is fix-all solution. Barack Obama' name.
Obama, Obama, Obama. Keep saying it over and over again. Don't say Trump. (Now, who is he?) Barack Obama took the most decisive action to date - that he thought prudent under the circumstances - when he expelled Russian spies posing as diplomats, and closed down their residences that were full of eavesdropping and signal analysis equipment.
And what did Trump do. Deny that the Russians did anything (Helsinki), dismiss our intelligence community's findings of Russian interference, and gut the division of homeland security that's supposed to be preventing more inference in 2020. And why would he do that?
Because the Russians want Trump to win! That's the surest way to undermine our democracy. And Trump understands that. Russian interference works to his - and all Republicans - advantage. And, that's the only way Trump can win now - after Mueller.
And what are the Democrats doing? Making speeches about checks and balances , working across the aisle, investigating in their committees, and asserting that "no one is above the law." Since when? Don't they read the paper?
1
Meanwhile Republicans impeached Clinton for bobbing and weaving about what the definition of sexual relations is, concerning a consensual affair. One of our Supreme Court justices earned his political chops and his seat on the bench by dragging the Clintons through the mud of the Starr inquisition. Will Democrats rise to the occasion of law breaking that is a million times worse? Or will they be intimidated by Republicans? Most Americans are sickened by Trump sitting in the highest seat in the land. It's dangerous! Republicans would not hesitate to impeach a Democrat who did what Trump has done. They would throw in his sexual exploits a la Kavanaugh for good measure. Why don't Democrats?
4
"(Republicans) blaming President Barack Obama for failing to halt the Russian interference during his tenure."
So I guess elephants DON'T have exceptional memories, because it's pretty well known that it was the chelonian senate majority leader who killed a pre-election bipartisan statement about Russian interference in the election.
Move along, nothing to see here. Just another day at the office of the corrupt, lying hypocritical Republican office.
3
Bring the facts to the people in laymen terms. Democrats should enlist action committees and let the facts speak for themselves on the Russia meetings. It wasn’t legally collusion but what was it???? There is some pretty deviant behavior in this report and one has to pose the question of whether some average Joe could get away with this. Could I accept hacked materials and use them for personal benefit?
Democratic Candidates should speak to bigger issues like health coverage and the environment. Stay focused.
At moments like this, we might well ask ourselves what the Republicans would be doing now if this were a Democratic President (WWRD).
3
Maybe it is time to follow the money with the Republicans.
How about the Russian laundered NRA money?
10
Nancy Pelosi is the shrewdest politician in DC
There's a reason she has said impeachment isn't not the table.
1. No votes in the senate to convict
2. It moves the Russia investigation from the Mueller/impartial category firmly into the Democrats/partisan category -- and that ain't good for the Democrats.
The smartest thing Democrats can do is to put this thing behind them straight away, focus on meaningful legislation and winning in 2020
1
I think the calculus has changed. Mueller practically invited Congress to impeach Trump. If Democrats don't, they look weak.
1
I remember the GOP taking away the presidency from VP Gore by saying the same stuff..."case closed", "it's time to move on", "don't ruin the country by pursuing this further", "Democrats will lose if they continue pushing this".
Thing is, the case isn't closed and Mueller did not intend it to be because here's what he found and decided Congress would take care of the rest. Trump has done what no other president has done - he welcomed and asked for Russian influence so that Clinton would lose the election.
"Our investigation found multiple acts by the President that were capable of exerting undue influence over law enforcement investigations, including the Russian-interference and obstruction investigations. . . . These actions ranged from efforts to remove the Special Counsel and to reverse the effect of the Attorney General's recusal; to the attempted use of official power to limit the scope of the investigation; to direct and indirect contacts with witnesses with the potential to influence their testimony. Viewing the acts collectively can help to illuminate their significance . . . . The President's efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surrounded the President declined to carry out orders or accede to his requests."
16
Most mistakenly believe that Mueller didn't recommend charges of obstruction because he believed he couldn't indict a sitting president. Barr asked Mueller 3 times whether this was the case. Mueller responded each time that this was not the reason for failing to bring charges.
@AACNY
'Barr asked Mueller 3 times whether this was the case.'
Unfortunately, we'll have to wait for Mueller's testimony before accepting Barr's statements. Barr has already proven himself an unreliable conveyor of the truth on multiple occasions. At best he heavily shades the facts towards his preferred narrative.
2
Barr claimed that. But the report clearly states that he was lying, as Mueller definitely wrote that he recognized the right of a sitting president not to be indicted. Read the real report!
3
@AACNY, it’s pointless. At least with solitaire there’s a chance of winning now and then.
1
As a private citizen, I don't need to see more than the redacted report. But members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, who have security clearances, should see the full, unredacted report. They are our representatives; we, the taxpayers, paid for the report.
If such a report were issued about President Hillary Clinton under similar circumstances, Representative McCarthy and every Republican politician in the nation would be howling to see the unredacted report. Yet in this instance, "it is time to move on"? No, Mr. McCarthy, I don't think so.
21
@jrinsc
No, it is NOT time to move on.
Now is the time to write and call your elected Congress members and tell them that you do NOT want them to drop this matter.
Obstruction of justice was the intention and it was carried out by anyone who was afraid to disobey Trump.
We are all aware by now that Trump's method is not to give direct orders to do something illegal or immoral. No, he makes his desires known and then everyone knows who is to do the deeds.
That's colossally wrong. It's sneaky and tricky but it's still ultimately Trump's responsibility.
The buck stops there.
2
How Kevin McCarthy sees this as a time to move on, only shows just how out of touch he is, and just how intense is his level of denial.
We had a foreign power corrupt our last Presidential election, and a political party, the Republicans, who welcomed it. Well, if I was Mr. McCarthy I would like to move on to, but that is not the appropriate thing to do. Trump's election is not legitimate.
The Mueller Report makes it painfully clear that Trump is unfit for office and that his Party is out of step with reality in supporting him the way they do. What is so obvious is that there is really no reason to believe that the Republicans will do the right thing on any issue. It is impossible to believe that Republicans have not known the full picture of Trump's behavior, for a very long time, so, in effect, they have tacitly approved of it, which makes them as culpable as Trump for the frauding of America.
Something needs to be done to address the election interference and the President's corrupt behavior. The Republicans did everything they could to advance the President's narrative, and Barr did everything he could to dilute the substance of the report, but now that the report is out, anyone can see that things are far worse than anyone would have thought.
9
The Democrats "seized upon a line buried in the more than 400-page report that they viewed as a direction from Mr. Mueller to pursue the obstruction case against Mr. Trump that the special counsel decided he could not bring — though he couldn’t clear the president, either."
However, on the same page, the Mueller Report states on Vol 2, Page 2, that “if we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, however, we are unable to reach that judgment. The evidence we obtained about the President’s actions and intent presents difficult issues that prevent us from conclusively determining that no criminal conduct occurred. Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”
The attorney general decided not to pursue obstruction of justice charges because the investigation did "not conclude that the President committed a crime." What jury would vote to convict on evidence that admittedly does not show the defendant committed a crime.
@William Case A couple key points you're missing or misrepresenting:
1) Trump hand-picked Barr for the attorney general after Barr wrote a 19 page memo that essentially said it's impossible for a president to commit a crime. Barr was a private citizen at the time and the memo was completely unsolicited. So, the idea that Barr could possibly have been persuaded to pursue obstruction of justice charges is simply laughable. The content of the Mueller's report is irrelevant in this regard.
2) The entire 2nd paragraph you quoted is not saying "we don't have solid evidence Trump did what we think he did." Rather, it is saying that they have evidence of activities that would normally constitute obstruction of justice, but the protections and immunities provided to the President make that a decision for a Congress, rather than a prosecutor.
3) The line democrats seized upon - "The conclusion that Congress may apply the obstruction laws to the president’s corrupt exercise of the powers of office accords with our constitutional system of checks and balances and the principle that no person is above the law" - includes Mueller explicitly accusing Trump of "corrupt exercise of the powers of office."
1
@Phil
Your are mischaracterizing what the Muller report says. It acknowledges that the issue over wether the president can be indicted, but states:"The evidence we obtained about the President’s actions and intent presents difficult issues that prevent us from conclusively determining that no criminal conduct occurred. Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.” The real problem was "corrupt intent."
The Mueller investigators did not conclude the president committed a crime.
The paragraph from the report that you distort comes for a discussion about separation of power. It concludes "Congress may apply obstruction laws to the president’s corrupt exercise of the powers of office," but this applies to any president, not Trump specifically.
Your assertion that Mueller is "explicitly accusing Trump of 'corrupt exercise of the powers of office'" is false.
@Phil
Your are mischaracterizing what the Muller report says. It acknowledges that it opted not to pursue criminal charges because of the issue over wether the president can be indicted, but then stares:"The evidence we obtained about the President’s actions and intent presents difficult issues that prevent us from conclusively determining that no criminal conduct occurred. Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”
The Mueller investigators did not conclude the president committed a crime.
The Democrats can't hide behind Mueller any longer, even as they try to stall a few more weeks waiting for his appearance before congressional committees. They know essentially what he will say and they know mostly what's in the report -- even if not the location of every comma and quote mark. Rep. Hoyer is reported to have said they would not go forward with impeachment because the election is in 18 months. And what if
Trump wins that election? Rep. Castro says he wants to hear if Mueller thinks there are grounds for impeachment. But that's not Mueller's call. Speaker Pelosi said earlier Trump is not worth the effort to impeach him. True, he's not, but democratic government under the law still is. Better to try and save those values and even fail - or lose an election -- than to live with the immediate shame and longtime consequences. of not doing their duty.
1
If trump's actions don't reach the bar for impeachment, but still remain questionable, don't we have the right to know what they are?
The electoral college president should not be given a pass even if he only committed misdemeanors. Unfortunately, he still represents our country and he need to held accountable.
5
I don't know, nor am I going to attempt to analyze the legal definition of "obstruction of justice"; nevertheless, in a colloquial sense, Trump obviously did attempt to obstruct justice (after all why did he fire Comey? etc.) Mueller knows that Trump obstructed justice, but declined to say so, because he realized that it would set off a "firestorm" in the country - so he attempted to foist the responsibility of getting rid of Trump on Congress. Democrats should not take the bait and should not impeach him, something they could easily do. Moreover,
Trump's oft-quoted statement, "if I shot someone I'd not lose voters" is true - regardless of what Trump does his voters will still support him, and so the Democrats are making a big mistake in attempting to use the Mueller report to disparage and harass him. Instead, they should come up with a positive message that advocates "incremental"change in areas that are pertinent to most voters, including a significant percentage of Trump supporters - e.g., the issue of affordable health care and drug prices, and continuing increase in income disparity.
The GOP is between a rock and a hard place. They can continue to stand by their unstable and erratic President, not knowing what other bombshells may come to light before the election. Or they can walk away from Trump, and declare the need for finding a new nominee who will be unburdened with the ongoing legal issues facing Trump. Unlike Nixon who had a way out of office without facing prison time, Mueller has made it clear that once Trump is out of office, he can be indicted. Clearly Trump recognizes that to save his skin he will need to be reelected at all costs. Consequently Trump will tenaciously fight any efforts by the GOP to have him replaced as the 2020 nominee. Hence, the GOP goes either into the 2020 election with severely damaged goods, or they risk picking a GOP candidate who will have lost the support of the Trump base, and will thus have a very difficult time in beating the Democratic nominee. Likewise control of the Senate is at risk for the GOP in 2020. Can Corey Gardner and other GOP Senators up for election in 2020 continue to stand by Trump despite his baggage, or do they risk opposing Trump's nomination and having Trump endorse another candidate who his base will defeat the incumbent in a primary? Trump may not be the only person in Washington DC who is having trouble sleeping at night. It couldn't happen to a nicer Party.
It's all about "the president’s corrupt exercise of the powers of office." Any attempt to clear Trump of wrongdoing based on Mueller’s report is at odds with that phrase -- a key phrase that Mueller directly connected to congressional oversight and a constitutional responsibility to hold the Executive Branch accountable to the rule of law. This is a presidency built on flagrant disrespect for democracy and the Constitution. This is a president who lies on a daily basis, and insists that those within his administration do the same as a means of escaping and obstructing justice. To the extent that Republicans in Congress are trying to twist the facts presented in the Mueller report into a statement of exoneration of a malignant presidency, they too are corrupt and participating in obstruction of justice, as well as abdication of sworn oaths to protect and defend the Constitution. Democrats should be laser focused on that pattern of "corrupt exercise of powers of office," and repeat that very phrase everytime they confront the opposing party over its illegal and undemocratic practices that now define the essence of the GOP.
3
The report is unequivocal in finding that a hostile foreign power unlawfully interfered in our elections in 2016. Both parties would be wise to focus on this threat to our democracy and determine what measures can be taken to prevent the same criminal behavior in 2020.
As for Trump, he will face the voters soon enough and this report is a warning to the electorate to choose carefully and prudently. Any literate person can figure out from the report that, criminality aside, we have a big problem in the White House. We ignore the warning at our peril.
1
The 2018 election gave the House to the Democrats and with it the power to investigate Trump's wrong doing. The public needs to see and understand all that went on. Despite Republicans wanting to sweep this all under the rug, there is too much here that needs to be investigated. Especially concerning is the Russians surreptitiously becoming members of the Trump election campaign and planting Paul Manafort as their agent and campaign head. At every turn Trump has been compromised by the Russians and our election system has come under siege by the Putin and his intelligence services. Congress cannot ignore these events. It is their duty to get to the bottom of this and make sure it never happens again.
2
Democrats need to fight a two-front war. Yes, they definitely need to use their control of the relevant House committees to keep the spotlight on the sleaziness and mendacity of Trump and his ring through hearings. Simultaneously they need to exhibit that their party has much better ideas, policies, and values--that they offer voters a chance to vote FOR something and not just AGAINST Trump. The closer we get to November 2020 the more the second front should command the party's energies.
1
After two years of calling the Republicans spineless for not standing up to the wrongdoings of Trump, the Democrats have no choice but to move forward with all the ammunition they have.
To do otherwise would prove they are no different than McConnell et al.
This may be the time for all good people to come to the aid of the Party.
3
Since trumps first day in office I have held the belief that even if his approval rating was 10% no republican would speak out against him as long as that 10% was comprised 100% of republicans. The reason they can't (and won't) is because they've gerrymandered themselves into a corner:
The republican base loves trump. The republican districts are built of only republicans. No one but republicans will vote for a republican.
To sum up: Even if they wanted to, (and many don't) going against trump means you don't get re-elected. Being patriotic and courageous enough to go against your district and voters, even for the good of the country isn't in their DNA.
Democrats then need to proceed alone. Impeachment hearings need to start.
Now.
3
@KEM
The Dems should do many things but listening to your advice to start impeachment now is not one of them.
The Senate will not impeach. You are essentially advising them to run into a brick wall. How does this resolve anything.
Better the unhinged left puts down their pitchfork and torches and try and win an election.
2
“Move on”? Mr. McCarthy apparently doesn’t have a clue as to the gravity of this situation. He had best sit back and watch the whole thing unravel. After all, his party, in their collective indifference, allowed this mess to fester and grow in the first place.
2
For all their supposed patriotism, flag waving and love of country, doesn't it bother a single Republican that the report found that the Russians and their military were hijacking our national elections, attempting to sway voter opinions via social media and hacking into the election system of what several Florida counties? Where's the outrage by Republican senators and representatives and, of course, Trump? Answer: there is nothing but silence.
1
@Michael
Where is the outrage that the Obama administration knew about this and did nothing?
1
To all of the dyed-in-the-wool, drink-the-kool-aid Republicans out there now attacking the Democrats and media for the "hoax" Russia story, let me ask you: So you have no issue with a presidential candidate and his campaign knowing that the Russian government has hacked his political opponent's private emails; being thrilled when finding out that the Russians will no offer that "dirt" to you and actively soliciting those emails through a meeting in New York City; being disappointed when it could not get the Russian-hacked emails; inquiring about and soliciting from a foreign entity (Wikileaks) the weaponization of those private emails; encouraging the Russian government to hack additional private emails; and never informing federal authorities about any of this? In other words, you are okay with a presidential candidate, and the current president, encouraging and effectively abetting a foreign adversary's criminal interference in our election? The standard is just "well, he didn't get indicted"? That is a very low bar.
And this says nothing about the president's rampant attempts to obstruct the investigation. Whether or not a person feels he is wrongly being targeted, the law prohibits (for good reason) attempts to kill or otherwise obstruct an investigation before it concludes. And that is precisely what led to Clinton's and Nixon's respective impeachments. Why should that not happen now? Double standard, anyone?
2
Bill Kristol, a prominent conservative critic of the president, said on Twitter. “But, having read the report, do you have no qualms about deciding this man deserves our party’s renomination as president?”
That is the question Republicans need to answer if they truly want to regain any remaining vestiges of decency and respect for professed conservative values. The GOP ( I say as a former but reformed Republican) can continue on its path to power for power's sake or return to some semblance of being the party of Lincoln and decent men and women who served their nation admirably at all levels of government.
Tilting at the windmill of impeachment serves no useful purpose when an obvious denouement grows closer. Bill Weld has stepped up, others may follow. It is past time for the decent members of the GOP to begin a process leading toward the party's vomiting out the vile rubbish it has been swallowing for the past three years.
1
It is time to move on. The learned special counsel investigated the subject to a fine line and what could the Dems hope to find in addition? It seems to me they are more interested in obstructing progress than finding evidence of obstructing justice.
2
The sad thing is Barr's "summary" and press conference was the only thing many Americans will hear about the report if they don't read it themselves. I was just watching the news and folks interviewed believe what Barr was saying and think there was no wrong doing. The actual report shows evidence of collusion and criminal conduct related to obstruction of justice. At the very least, Congress must hold public hearings so the truth is told to the American people after this cover up. Whether Trump is impeached or censured, something has to be done to indicate this behavior is not acceptable and the President is not above the law. Our Democracy depends on it.
2
I remember James Comey giving a press conference in 2016 when he announced no criminal charges for Hillary Clinton, but here all the things she did wrong. Two years later republicans are shouting lock her up at Trump's never ending campaign rallies. Now after the Mueller report announced no criminal charges for Trump, but here are all the ways he attempted to obstruct justice, those same folks who were shouting lock her up in the case of Hillary are now saying in regards to Trump that it's time to move on. I believe this represents the very definition of hypocrisy.
3
Congress has an obligation to impeach the president as its their oath to defend the Constitution and Republic. Not opening an impeachment inquiry likely has greater potential for backlash among Democratic voters. Nancy does not require bipartisan support as she has a majority in the House. Let Republicans go on record keeping a law breaker in office. Just this week we had Trump giving illegal orders to the head of CBP. Democrats are urging action to save our Nation.
2
Democrats have no choice but to follow this investigation to its logical, moral and legal conclusion. Backing off now, in the face of overwhelming evidence of wrong doing, would make Democrats coconspirators. And for what? Republican rage?
It remains to be seen whether Trump’s actions warrant legal or congressional penalty, but clearly there’s a there there. And clearly, walking away would be a violation of the trust voters put in their representatives to follow the law and do what’s right. Walking away now would mean that Democrats agree with Trump supporters that the laws don’t apply to Trump. In what world would that make sense?
3
This column headline is a microcosm of the way the media is culpable for state of our politics. This is not a game. It is not a sporting event. There are not two sides vying for the trophy. This has real consequences for real people. The president and his party worked with a hostile foreign power that would rather have had Trump and the republicans in charge. This is not complicated.
It’s worth noting McConnell’s desire to approve right wing federal judges as quickly as possible. He recently moved to limit nominee debate to 2 hours from the usual 20, this for lifetime appointments who’ll rule robotically for generations. That’s the quid pro quo for conspiring to keep Trump in office despite manifest illegality, corruption and incompetence.
Congressional Democrats could easily impeach Trump. On obstruction it’s a slam dunk case clearly laid out in the Mueller report. But Republicans prefer power over the rule of law and a functioning democracy. That leaves essentially a PR campaign to amplify Trump’s unfitness and expose additional misbehavior by him and his administration. It should resemble shooting fish in a barrel. We’ve never had a president this incompetent, this prone to corruption and criminality, and one who can only surround himself with 4th rate talent.
At least there will be full employment for national newspapers and the political shows on cable as they fulfill their obligations under our constitution. An informed republic is Republicans greatest fear going into 2020.
1
Any fair minded person, Republicans or Democrats in the Congress, should be diving deeper into the report. Mueller left it up to Congress to do their job.
I do not believe that starting Impeachment proceedings would be the way to go.
Both Parties should want to clean up any questions regarding Obstruction of Justice or any criminality committed by the Sitting President or any of his Administration.
If proof is on Trump's side so be it. But if that is not the case then he has served this country poorly and that should be known by the Citizens before they vote in 2020.
The Republicans push to ignore what is needed makes them look complicit in Trump's actions. I would think the need to clear the GOP's reputation should be uppermost in their mind, not to mention the fear that some Americans still have about our election process.
Impeachment is not the answer. Transparency is.
2
As far as Republicans feeling victimized by democrats who are accusing them of protecting and enabling Trump, it reminds me of the aphorism "thieves believe everybody steals"
3
@tjsiii You nailed it.
1
"It's time to move on"?
So , Rep McCarthy, how many times over the years did you vote to or try to dismantle and end the ACA, that was passed with due process and that the Republicans lost fair and square and that benefits millions of Americans?
3
The GOP want this historic scandal to evaporate ASAP. They don't care what happens to Trump, it's their own careers they are protecting. These are the enablers of the global attacks on our democracy, privacy, identity and survival. They will build a meaningless wall, but do nothing to protect the rights of citizens and voters or the legitimacy of our elections.
2
Best thing Dems can do now is legislate!
Use this report as the starting point to ensure that there is no foreign interference in future elections. Form a House committee to propose legislation to thwart foreign interference in our elections.
New Zealand pass nation gun control legislation in a week! I think we can do this!
And dare- absolutely dare- mitch to come along. The russian interference in 2016 is fact. Use it!
Use it to secure our voting process and imply the weakness of the current WH.
Next, build messages for 2020. Infrastructure, criminal justice reform, immigration, climate change, healthcare, jobs ( remember these ideas!?).
Last, when the next president is elected he or she should make it the first priority to visit all of the states that they LOST. And promise to work for every citizen.
DJT is a criminal and at the very least immoral.
We the people should focus on our country and less on the puppet that putin installed in our government.
We just have to ensure that DJT is in his last term in office and that this mistake never happens again!
2
William Barr is aiding and abetting a traitor in the White House, the GOP is insisting that it’s time to move on, and the Dems are afraid to rock the boat. In the meantime, roughly half of the Mueller Report confirms what we’ve known for a year a half: that Russian interference influenced the 2016 election. HELLO? The 2020 election is already underway. There’s absolutely no reason to feel confident that my vote, or yours, will count.
2
The familiar refrain from Republicans and some Democrats is that impeachment proceedings will prove too divisive for the country. Too divisive? Can we be any more divided than we are now?
There is more than enough in the report to impeach this pretend-president. Congress is obligated to protect this country from this menace. The rule of law should take its course, not some flimsy argument about divisiveness.
1
Our very democracy is at stake and the Republican Party does not care. That is now abundantly clear.
1
Congress’ responsibility to act in the behalf of the American people to defend our democracy and the rule of law isn’t lessened by perceived political expediency.
It’s time for Congress to lead, not wait for a self serving Senate to come to some belated moral crisis.
Impeach now. Anything less is rolling over to the criminal enterprise in the White House.
Waiting for an election in 2020 is foolish. Read some history. A tyrant, once in power, does not let go.
"“It is time to move on,” Mr. McCarthy said..."
Indeed is time to move on, but there is no moving on until there is an acknowledgement by a wrongdoer that he/she has done wrong. And that's not ever going to happen with Trump and his GOP, whose principal tenet is never to admit you ever did anything wrong, no matter what. It's as if they fear becoming like the Wicked Witch of the West, melting when doused with water.
I agree with the Republican legislators who say its time to move on and deal with unaddressed and pressing legislative concerns but let me qualify. Move on but look in the mirror and say to yourselves - from McConnell on down you have been feckless, complicit and corrupt in sweeping under the rug what was obvious to most when Trump first stepped into the Oval Office. His history - a consistently devious, grandiose, conniving , lying amoral individual who has never departed or changed, ever. For sure he will rant, blame, distort and call up all the usual villains who he, in his deranged and desperate state, will cite as responsible in attempting to destroy his presidency. Perhaps his love fests, and circus shows will provide support in the court of public opinion but not in Mueller's court - fact after damming fact attesting to his malfeasance and skullduggery. Facts not fiction. And this should be enough for Republicans and Democrats alike - Trump wears a scarlet letter (i.e., lying loser) emblazoned on his chest thanks to Special Counsel Mueller. So let's move on and deal with the business of improving life for all Americans.
Hilarious! McCarthy - “time to move on!”
It’s time to move on all right - time to move on to find out just how much more corruption this administration has dealt the American people.
Democrats will do just that - judiciously and with representation of the American people - all of them. Let us not be manipulated by the likes of McCarthy et al.
No wonder Paul Ryan skedaddled!
1
I'd love to see the Corrupt Trump/Pence/Putin Administration to be impeached and convicted and removed from office.
Then Pelosi would become President. Out of the long line of successors for position of President, she is the only adult in the room. Intelligent, Moderate, a Unifier of All Americans.
Pelosi could help restoring the process of restoring public confidence that has been shattered by the Corruption of Trump/Pence/Russia/Republicans
1
Everything trump touches dies. The latest victim, William Barr’s reputation and credibility.
1
William Barr is aiding and abetting a traitor in the White House, the GOP is insisting that it’s time to move on, and the Dems are afraid to rock the boat. In the meantime, roughly half of the Mueller Report confirms what we’ve know for a year a half: that Russian interference influenced the 2016 election. HELLO? The 2020 election is already underway. There’s absolutely no reason to feel confident that my vote, or yours, will count.
2
Democrats need to stop worrying about the upcoming elections and worry about our democracy. It is hanging on by a thread and if they don't act for the best interests of our country instead of their polls, our country will finish dying. Trump and the corrupt Republicans have done more damage in the last few years than any other in history. Impeach-Impeach-Impeach already!
No collusion/conspiracy
Obstruction is murky and lacks any eye popping Nixonesque "I know where we can get a million dollars" that everyone would agree is a crime
Republican Senate
No impeachment
Move on to 2020
Kevin McCarthy's "let's get back to policy" line isn't going to stick. Steve Scalise's "blame the Democrats" line isn't going to stick. Bill Kristol is the only conservative talking any sense. The only exit ramp for Republicans is to deny Trump the nomination. Otherwise you might as well rename the GOP the Hindenburg. Thirty-five percent and a scandal is not enough to carry three branches of government. The entire Party is going to crash and burn on Trump's coattails.
The hitched their wagon to a star. Turns out Trump is a meteor headed straight for the bottom of the ocean.
I want Congress, even if it only means the Democrats, to pursue and investigate every last issue raised by the Mueller Report to the bitter end. Nothing else will do.
1
Republicans never let facts get in the way of a good argument, so of course they don't need to read the report to know that it completely exonerates him. It's not really lying if you make sure you don't know anything about what you're claiming.
One of the key tenets of Republican politics, laid bare in the Trump era, is that anything they are capable of doing is fair game — if nothing physically stops them, then their actions are just and justified. Lying, ethics, morality, these are just words you occasionally throw around to gain political advantage. So if Trump got away with it — and he did, since Mueller didn't push for charging him with anything — then by definition anything he did was good and right. So of course Republicans want to now investigate the investigators — because they think they can get away with it. When you're incapable of shame, just about anything is possible.
1
The report is a gift to those of us who want Trump out, and I’m terrified we’re going to squander it. I’m as scared by liberals who are screaming that Mueller didn’t go far enough as I am by Trump supporters who think the report exonerates him. Forget the black rectangles. The report as redacted is devastating to Trump. You can open it to just about any page and be horrified about what the Russians did and how the Trump campaign enabled and benefited from it. Or try reading just the footnotes. 2016 showed the bad guys are very good at distracting us with shiny objects. Stay focused. The report is too big to be old news next week.
108
@Katie Sadly the majority of the American people are easily distracted, duped, conned, whatever verb you chose. Critical thinking in America is a thing of the past. Democrats and Republicans are the western hemisphere's version of Sunnis and Shiites. It's all tribal and nothing will be accomplished. This is the end.
7
@Andrew - Sad as it is, I agree with you that almost half of the country (the Trump base) blindly follow what he and his minions say. The country that was once the envy of the world is badly smeared. For as long as this attitude of accepting what is presented by administration continues, we will never be able to rise up from the dumps and hold our heads up high again. This country was established under the values of justice, liberty, truth, and democracy. What we see on the Hill is a daily circus of lies and distractions so that "the base" will not see what the truth is. We need to pursue the report as Muller cannot by law do anything with it. And this is what our "elected and paid for by the people" legislators need to do. Forget the divide between the aisle. This is about our country and the future of our kids and grand kids. Not doing anything about this obvious debacle makes the legislators and the whole country complicit to the demise of our values and ultimately our "United" States of America. The moment to correct the many wrongs by this administration is NOW. I take pride in being an American. I do not want to lose that, or the status that we stand for in the entire world. What happened to our values if all we think about is ourselves? Worse, what are those who couldn't care less about what is happening to our country doing?
3
I don’t get it. As I’ve gone through the report the Russians were working in parallel literally as a second arm of the Trump election campaign and overlapping at times with contact or indirect contact as of aware of each other constantly.
Did we need to have a note signed in blood?
Republicans are traitors!
329
@Mathias
Yes, the definition was a formal "agreement" to conspire with the Russian government itself. So all the conspiring with non-goverment front persons and firms did not count. Also, colluding with the government without an agreement to do so did not count. It is all about definitions and how actions are categorized. But if these standards applied in all criminal investigations, the prisons would be emptied.
24
All rogue leaders surround themselves with lick' spits', Trump has the whole GOP. Lap dogs all.
60
The longer this drags on, the more “witch hunt” rings true and the better for Trump.
After all, no charges were brought by the apolitical Mueller.
I hope the Dems keep digging their hole and the litmus test for the Dem primary becomes support for impeachment. That would be great.
5
@Jay Lincoln
Mueller was never going to bring charges against the president, though he did charge plenty of others. Please read the report. He states it is CONGRESS's job to evaluate the record and make the determination about the president's wrong doing. But Barr is playing hide-the-evidence, a game he will ultimately lose.
127
@Jay Lincoln
According to the Mueller report, the "witch hunt" was quite successful. And Mueller along with Barr can't indict or determine innocence of guilt of a sitting president because they are members of the DOJ and that is the purview of Congress.
That said, I support investigations and more testimony and giving light to truth. Nancy Pelosi is right though. Unless there is bipartisan support for impeachment, no proceedings should start. Just continue to investigate obstruction and other criminal behavior, keep Trump's corruption and actions in front of the public, the majority of which do not support Trump and are unlikely to change minds in his favor. and make Trump twist in the fetid wind of his own corruption. Then, after he is removed from office, indict.
You hope that the litmus test for Democrats becomes support for impeachment? I hope that Republicans stop with the vilification of Dems, the aggression, the stupidity and the hypocrisy, but that ain't going to happen.
6
@Jay Lincoln
Looks more like the opposite, doesn’t it? Those Americans who are literate read and analyzed the details of the report. In the end, it was Mueller time after all. Sorry, pal.
4
It is time to move on - to the next investigations - reap what you have sown.
15
Ken Starr was appointed to investigate a land deal, ends up publishing an unedited indictment of Clinton for lying about a sexual affair and congress (lead by philanderer Gingrich) impeaches although does not convict him.
Starr smiles smugly today justifying his witch hunt.
The American people demand and deserve the full report and underlying evidence.
The President is amoral and a fraud.
146
How could we fail to be impressed, confronting the moral obtuseness of the republican party, in defending such a corrupt and incompetent bully in the White House? Someone so empty of reason, so full of intrigue and lies? Kevin McCarthy's dereliction of duty is monumental...in his complicity of this fraudster in-chief, faithfully intent in destroying this democracy? I understand we all are susceptible to corruption when the price is right; but this low?
75
Give those Republicans the best sunglasses. They're acting like vampires who don't care for any sunlight to shine on them.
22
Trump’s Benghazi...a continuing loop of discussion, parsing and attack... until he is, mercifully, GONE! This country needs to have a serious discussion about just how much personal corruption it’s willing to tolerate from the person it elected to lead. There is corrosion on this democracy... that needs cleansing!
38
@Steve Snow The first step should be to ensure fair and free elections by getting rid of the outdated electoral college system of electing our president.
2
For once a Republican, Kevin McCarthy, has said something that is true: "It's time to move on." That would be to move on from the bottomless corruption that is the Republican Party by un-electing (or impeaching) the Republican figures who have brought us all this corruption. When they are not selling out to the highest bidder, as of late they have also been kidnapping children, and have been complicit in the murder/suicides of 33,000 Americans every year, many of them children, Veterans, and victims of mass shootings. They are also climate change deniers, here complicit, accomplices, aiding and abetting in what is believably predicted to be a coming holocaust that will inundate poor people around the globe, not to mention ordinary Americans, causing them to lose their homes, their livelihoods, and in many places their lives. Lest than worst case scenarios--droughts, floods, and fires are no less scary for humanity on earth when coupled with the mass extinctions, also caused by climate change, which we are already seeing. The rapid nature of this, all from putting carbon into the atmosphere, is unprecedented in geologic time. And since we know the cause of this, burning fossil fuels while destroying carbon sinks, it is easily reversible with concerted effort, but first their must be the ability to face the truth. All of them must go.
There is also blatant racism, which is their hallmark.
57
@loveman
For someone who posts as loveman you sure see a lot of hate in the world or probably just the GOP.
1
Where are the Republicans? This has become the party of "the ends justify the means". Conservatism is at least a moral argument as well as an economic one. Trump Republicans are exploiting popular fear to the advantage of a narrow elite. Maybe that's all of it. But what is the thing "greater than ourselves" that Republicans stand for? There is no honor in loyalty to a #fake leader.
46
McCarthy: "its time to move on." in your dreams dude, in your dreams. this is war for our democracy and we the people are going anywhere.
97
"It's time to move on." Are you kidding? You guys are still talking about Benghazi and Hillary's emails. So what, ONE DAY after the redacted report was released, we should consider this to be settled? Get real.
352
@Dash
How can you ignore Hillary’s emails? They are a key element in this endless saga.
How did they get on that convicted sex offender’s (Weiner) laptop ?
Why didn’t the Obama administration audit her use of IT and flag the use of a private non sanctioned server ? These lie outside of the Freedom of Information Act availability.
Why did Comey change the description of what she did to be just below a chargeable offense ?
Why no ramifications for destroying subpoenaed evidence ? The destruction of that data clearly shows internet.
Isn’t getting answers here key to protecting Democracy?
1
@Norville T. Johnson Hillary's emails? Are you serious? You mean the one's your president publicly asked our most dreaded enemy to steal and provide to his campaign.
You people are in such denial. Hillary didn't conspire with Russians. Period.
Donald Trump is a traitor and should be blindfolded and ... given whatever the punishment is for treason these days.
32
@bartNJ
The irony for me is how focused Republicans are on Clinton's emails because, as they claim, she was putting our national security at risk.
And yet, to date not one email of hers has been hacked.
12
Please do it Jerrold! Please, please, please. Impeach President Trump. Nothing will send a signal to the heartland that the elite liberal coasts are ‘in charge’ then overturning the election based on pure petty politics. You can be the face of an overreaching Democratic Party come 2020! Imagine your beefy mug on every Republican funded advertisement. The Senate will never go along and so it will be a wasted effort but just imagine the boost in enthusiasm you will create among us deplorables and smelly Walmart shoppers! Please!
5
@William Allowing democratic elections to be controlled by a mob of Russian oligarchs does not fall in the category of "petty politics," It is rather a traitorous. If ever there was a time to impeach a president and his enablers, that time is now. The majority of Americans care much more deeply for the country than the racist Trump supporters who can't see the difference between a fascist dictatorship and a democracy, and who are constantly duped into voting against their own interests.
2
@William Did you read the report? Are you okay with a President obstructing justice and his associates accepting assistance from a foreign adversary to benefit their campaign? The rule of law and our democracy is worth fighting for even if some folks would prefer to believe the lies Trump and now his AG are spewing. I believe congressional hearings are needed so the American public actually hears the truth from Mueller and other witnesses. Then, a decision can be made about what to do next.
2
@William
Prices in Walmart are dependent on Chinese goods. Or did you fail to put two and two together to make five.
1
"Time to move on?" You mean, like the Republicans did re: Benghazi? McCarthy was even quoted that he hoped the ongoing Benghazi hearing would hurt Clinton. Republicans are shameless hypocrites!
119
Donald Trump remains a narcissistic sociopath who has debased the office of Presidency to the point of embarrassment. What is more frightening are the statements by his Republican Congressional enablers who willfully ignore his amoral degradation of our government. These are painfully sad times to be living through.
138
TL;DR: Republicans are traitors and don't care that the president is a deranged lunatic who was elected with Russia's help. They won't be happy until the country is a full-fledged dictatorship.
49
Mr. McCarthy may I remind you;
Benghazi! Benghazi! Benghazi! (Emails!)
Repeat.
(Huge laugh emoji here!)
69
Move on? With a lying thieving crook in the White House? NO!
79
Hillary isn’t in the Whitehouse...
Just sayin’!
1
@Norville T. Johnson. we all know that Trump is a lying, scheming cheat. We're looking forward to see what the SDNY and NYS AG have to say about it.
2
Republicans, even if they were of the mind to declare the Mueller report damning, can't do it. To do so is would be to commit career suicide. Fox News will excoriate them; Trump will call them traitors on Twitter. Primary challengers will appear on their right flank; K Street will close its doors.
They'd have to drive for Uber or Lyft.
7
“It is time to move on,” Mr. McCarthy said in a rapid-fire response.
Hopefully the democrats will stick to their guns and follow-up with Muller and the other actors in this tragedy. The fact that the GOP remain solidly behind Trump is astonishing, and hopefully will not go unnoticed when it comes time for the 2020 election.
This reminds me of the damning tape of Trump's vulgar comments about women; a gift for the democrats prior to the election. If they had handled Comey's declaration of Clinton's mishandeling of her emails differently, we could have had a different outcome in 2016; and a better...yes better, person sitting in the Oval Office today. But they blew it. Instead of hammering how unfit Trump was to be the next president, with so many examples and references of his luid behavior readily available, they decided to cower.
Democrats, take a lesson from Mr. Scalise and demand that Trump apologize to the American public for putting us through two year of never ending lies, secret talks with our enemies behind closed doors, and who knows what else he has done without our knowledge?
22
@bea durand
Love your comment on the Mueller Report! But I must write to correct your typo in 'references of his [trump's] luid behavior'... The correct word spells 'trump' in 4 letters: lewd.
1
Congress must review the full report with its underlying evidence, and make a determination as to the suitability of this president (as if his utter failure in this regard was not well known). If they choose not to do so, the collapse of our system of government under Trumps’ weight would be complete and final. Congress cannot and should not shirk this duty for the sake of political expediency.
18
I do not expect Republicans to change course. In for a penny, in for a pound. The best chance at a correction will as usual come at the ballot box, but even then Republicans seemingly have no interest in addressing either the foreign influences on our elections or the domestic ones (gerrymandering, voter suppression, election fraud, etc.).
The wrong thing for the voters to do is to simply "move on" from this, to drop the issue and admit defeat. I have not yet heard a compelling reason for doing any of these things especially considering that if any one of us mere mortals had committed a fraction of the misdeeds enumerated in the Special Counsel's report, we would most certainly not be so easily forgiven.
36
It's only a tug of war because democrats cannot accept the results in the report. The media is desperately combing through the report as if it's the Steele dossier, cherrypicking the parts that substantiate its viewpoints.
Most rational Americans realize democrats and media are in the death throes of the collusion narrative. It's over. Really.
4
@AACNY
Maintenance of your level of denial and logistical gymnastics must be utterly exhausting.
4
@AACNY
Most rational Americans , in this instance, AACNY, are Democrats. We're the ones who see Trump for what he is
and ourselves for what we are not.
4
@AACNY Most rational Americans are Democrats. If you don't have at least a few doubts about the electoral college president's actions, you should at least reflect on how he disrespected the memory of former president George Bush.
4
Yes Mr. McCarthy, the country must move forward. But as the country moves forward with President Trump and his administration everything they do will be viewed through the lens of Thursday's news. Perhaps you and other members of the Republican Party leadership can explain to all of the American people how you are all comfortable moving on with business as usual in the White House when I see our presidency grievously wounded and headed down a path into even greater danger.
15
Republicans are disingenuous in their calls to "move on" as they continue to demand investigations of John Brennan, James Comey, Andrew McCabe and other federal officers who were alarmed by the actions of the Trump campaign and started the ball rolling.
19
@Don Stubs
As they should be. Seems like some real dirty dealing going on here.
What exactly was Peter Strzok’ insurance plan? Does the FISA court have proper oversight? Why wasn’t the Trump campaign given a heads up that the Russians were trying to infiltrate their operation? How did Hillary’s emails get on Anthony Weiner’s laptop? Why was looking into Hillary’s emails described as a “matter” and not an investigation ? Why didn’t the Obama administration know Hillary was using a private server and do anything about it ?
Many unanswered questions here that should concern everyone worries about our Democracy?
1
@Don Stubbs They are still calling for investigations into Hillary Clinton's emails and uranium one deal.
3
If the Mueller Report actually exonerated Trump, then Republicans would want to talk about it all day long. They would demand hearings to rub it in Democrats' faces. Their desperation to move on as quickly as possible shows how terrified they are of what the report actually says to those who actually read it.
136
One thing is clear. The battle over Mueller's report is over, and Trump won. That said, the nerve of House Republicans like McCarthy who presided over one investigation after another of Hillary Clinton, telling us to move on is jaw dropping. Heck, if Clinton had won, the Republicans would still be chanting Benghazi and investigating her handling of email.
8
How can case be closed when Mr. Mueller pointedly recommended that Congress should take the facts he collected and perform its Constitutional duty of providing oversight of the Executive Branch since Trump could not be formally charged with crimes while President? Maybe the Republicans received a version with more redactions than the Democrats did.
42
Republicans:
Trump made this about collusion.
Democrats didn't.
Remember?
8
@Chrystie
Nice try but no cigar!
For two years it was nothing but Russian collusion 24 hours a day by the unhinged left, Rachel Maddow, NBC, CNN and The NY Times.
When the lauded Mueller (he was certainly thorough) concluded there was no collusion Rachel Maddow looked as sad as she did when Hillary lost.
The Dems can push for impeachment but Pelosi is the adult in the room who will avoid further embarrassment as she knows the Senate will not impeach.
There is a small chance the Dems can win in 2020 but these endless attempts to get Trump will backfire.
It’s like endlessly watching Charlie Brown trying to kick the football that Lucy is holding.
2
@Norville T. Johnson
My reply to your whole reply is my original comment.
2
I am saddened by President Trump, but he seems to be only one of the many similar wanna-be despots who have shambled across the world stage. However, I am frankly alarmed to see how practically all Republican politicians and about 80% of self-described Republican voters are just fine with all this.
I am almost equally alarmed by the large number of Republican-leaning independents and "just ordinary folks" who seem to think that authoritarian rule is just fine as long as the bad stuff happens to other people. Is China's form of government the desired future?
I realize that today's Republican Party is much different from the party of the 1950's or 60's. Still, it's clear that a long-term authoritarian streak runs through Republican thought.
73
@Grindelwald
A republican from the 50's or 60's (or 40's) wouldn't recognize this party.
However, a fascist or a Nazi from the 30's would have no such problem.
11
It’s certainly time to move on to a thorough investigation by Congress that follows the map drawn by Mr. Mueller.
31
“The conclusion that Congress may apply the obstruction laws to the president’s corrupt exercise of the powers of office accords with our constitutional system of checks and balances and the principle that no person is above the law,”
Certainly sounds like PT did nothing wrong and if I were a Republican Congressman like Kevin McCarthy I would want to put this behind me and move forward.
There are people to deny healthcare to, corporations that need more welfare and those illegals that work for the Trump organization that need to be dealt with, and swiftly, before someone notices that we're being run by a poor example of a mob family.
13
Who is right in this? Is it The Times, The Post, CNN, The Democrats or is there a vested interest in being right after so many years of heavy involvement like Glenn Greenwald in the
Intercept claims.
I admit to being confused and bewildered. And I feel I need
to have some answers. In this I'm sure I'm not alone.
2
I think, finally, Trump will be undone by his finances. He can't prevent Deutsche Bank from giving information to Congress, and if the New York State legislature passes a bill, allowing it to submit his New York tax returns to Congress (which Governor Cuomo said he'd sign, and which may happen in the next few weeks), Trump will be similarly powerless. Both sources will give a lot more evidence of wrongdoing.
18
Democrats need to be careful.
It's one thing to investigate whether Trump and his campaign colluded with Russia. That was an important and appropriate investigation.
It seems like that's all the media, press, former and current government officials, and the Clintons have talked about for years.
But when Mueller found and reported that there had been no such collusion, it was as if nobody had ever cared about it.
Now it seems like whatever possible means there is of charging Trump with something is the most important thing. And if something doesn't pan out, it's on to something else.
I fear it's going to turn into the boy who cried wolf. And that's not going to help Democrats in 2020.
5
@Talbot
You only want to hear what you only want to hear and that's not going to work anymore.
It's surprising this constant questioning of commentators : What are Democrats going to do and will they overreach"
Two things are clear:
1. Republicans never worry about overreaching. They have spent, at least, the last 10 years doing whatever they want even though it is less than moral or honorable. Democrats should go the legal limit, without looking backward.
2. The road is clear as to how to proceed. The overwhelming majority of people will not read the report nor will they listen to what they consider liberal commentators. They must hear from the very people who are the participants, and the way to do it is to conduct congressional hearings. Every major actor should be called to testify: from Mueller to Barr, from Cohen to Kushner, from McCab to Rosenstein, etc.
Only then will they (maybe) see what they have inflicted upon the country.
36
Ah yes, "time to move on". Move on to reviewing the unreacted Muller report by the House Judiciary and then determining the the if and when of impeachment. I'm sure the Judiciary Committee's review will determine exactly how many more beyond the stated ELEVEN Federal Crimes needs Justice Dept action.
13
The likes of Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell, Barr, et. al. defending simple transparency of, among other actions, the attempts by trump to commandeer the Mueller investigation indicate to me that they are themselves nothing but traitors.
In kinder terms I've thought of Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell, et. al. as "career politicians" as opposed to "career public servants" but watching what's going on "traitor" is the only description that works for me.
trump has never had any intention of releasing his tax returns, couldn't get business loans, etc. and clearly has lots to hide from the voting public, and now, as shown in the Mueller report indicates that trump continually lied and attempted to manipulate the honest effort by the justice dept. to understand what Russia did to influence US 2016 election. That trump went to great lengths to stop that inquiry to me is simply treasonous - if trump thought it was some sham, why didn't he simply agree to an interview with Mueller and act with transparency rather than a seeing it as a "perjury trap"?
Read George Washington's farewell address - we were warned about this sort of stuff.
35
Reagan is finally right — government is the problem; that is a government headed by another politician who has no regard for the law. A President who is supported by an extensive list of faux patriots like Senators McConnell, Burr, and Graham and Congressman McCarthy and Scalise. In addition, it is has become evident that there is an endless supply of lawyers who have worked or are working in government that have no respect for the Constitution and the laws that support our democracy.
At age 70 I have been witness to the corruption and malfeasance of six Presidents and the morphing of the Republican party into a political organization that has no interest in protecting our Nation from threats foreign or domestic.
We the people cannot sit back and hope that Mr. Mueller and other true patriots are successful with protecting our Nation from corrupt politicians and foreign governments. No, we must become politically active and confront the politicians that put self, party and patrons before Country. If we do not our democracy will become just another banana republic or worse.
33
Of course the Republicans want to 'move on' which is to say, 'continue doing nothing'. Much repair needs to be done and its up to the Democrats to do it.
12
Yes, Mr. McCarthy, it is time to move on. Hopefully most Republican members of Congress will be moved along by voters after the 2020 elections.
Why aren’t members of Congress yelling about the fact that Russia was able to interfere in our election process? Only worried about their own hides.
26
Remember all the rabid comments by Kevin McCarthy over Banghazi and the Hillary emails. Remember McCarthy's slip about the Clinton investigation was part of his “strategy to fight and win” the election. What would he be saying now if it were Clinton or Obama and not Donald Trump's name in the pages of the Mueller report?
Well, now he's exercising his good old hyper-partisan strategy to claim Trump's innocence and to end the discussion of the President's moral bankruptcy, malfeasance, corruption, and policies that seem to, if anything, support Russian strategic interests over our own.
McCarthy himself reflects his own president---100% a political animal interested only in maintaining power at any cost. Not a moral bone to his body. That is the face of the Republican party today.
At least Paul Ryan, despite his numerous flaws as a political and a human being, would stand up once and a while and render a critical moral judgement about Trump's conduct.
Don't hold your breath with McCarthy. He'd sell his own mother to the Russians if it meant a few more Republican votes come election time.
It's hard to watch the moral decline of the Grand Old Party of Honest Abe, filled as it is now the Freedom Caucus political extremists whose definition of liberty seems to be--freedom from any hint of moral conscience in themselves when it comes to the most despicable president in American history.
16
@Mark MacWilliams The GOP took a moral dive when they showed their racism and refused to help govern when we twice elected President Obama. Little did they know that old karma was going to bite them.
3
This is predictable. The House will be dominated by this post investigation investigation. The Senate will block whatever the house discovers. The President will go on being himself. All the while our country and its people are stymied. Thank goodness the people continue to move the needle on the economy. Generally a working person can actually afford to put food on the table based on their work ethic. Increasingly it amazes to watch the clowns we've sent to DC do the work of the people. Just when you think it can't get any worse it does. What happens to elected officials when the get inside the beltway? The former NYTS Washington Bureau Chief wrote a book called "This Town" a few years ago. His takeaway was people used to go to serve. Now they go to get rich.
3
Unfortunately, the Dems and their loyal media put all their money on collusion, and now changing their tune to obstruction sounds weak.
2
@Ed Watters trump is colluding with the Russians to obstruct the USG from finding out how much he has given to them in return for their support in getting enough votes to trigger the electoral college decision.
3
Just as the vetting process has been overlooked or skipped by the White House in bringing in Trump's "fantastic" team, the voters failed to vet Trump when they voted for him in 2016. There is nothing in our experience and the Mueller report that surprises anyone who knew Trump over the last 3 decades.
Now his stink is sinking in on the republicans and they will not be able to wash it off.
6
@Mike - Trump wouldn't pass the background check that bank tellers have to pass to get their job. This is ridiculous. A basic background check should be the first test for anyone wanting to run for the Presidency.
So, the Mueller report doesn't really tell us anything that we couldn't already see in plain sight about Trump. But it does reinforce the need to pry the levers of government -- and especially of national defense -- out of this dangerous, corrupt, immoral megalomaniac's fingers.
I've been asking this for two years: Why can't we remove a bad president from office?
Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders are right: They should not use up their political capital by mounting an effort that could backfire on them. The Republicans own Trump. It's their job to act like grownups -- and patriots -- and remove him. Show some spine, Kevin McCarthy. You too, Mitch McConnell.
8
The Dems have a real dilemma. I’m guessing the majority of Dem voters want impeachment. But reading the lead editorial in the Murdoch Wall St Journal and the headline and editorial in the Murdoch NYPost shows that Repubs ignore the facts (I won’t even mention the Fox propaganda channel). The Dems have to at least hold some strong hearings. But it might come down to the SDNY and other jurisdictions doing the dirty work. Especially if Trump, Jared, and Jr are in the crosshairs.
6
The Regime has escaped. The 'awful but lawful' activities documented in the report are way too complicated to turn into campaign slogans. Trump's 40 percent and the Republican Party cannot be moved by these facts. They know all that stuff. In fact, they kind of like the outlaw aspect of the Regime. Likewise, the 40 percent who see this bumbling authoritarian regime for what it is will not change their minds either. The political contest is for that 20 percent in between. A certain amount of political hay can be made here by the Dems if they are artful about it. Overheated public statements about how horrible it all is will not work on these folks. On the contrary, I suspect such people are actually repelled by the kind of quotes in this article. Don't blow this, Dems!
2
Note Kevin McCarthy's expression in the column's accompanying photograph. I believe he got that from Mike Pence.
It's the "Sad Dad" face and it's used when members of the oligarchy condescend to us and remind us that we do not live in a democracy and no matter how we feel, they will decide and they will always win.
13
Everyone should be alarmed by the findings of the Muller Report. This is not a Democrat vs Republican thing. This report is about an assault on American Democracy by the Russians and our President/Associates. Don’t take my word for it read the Report for yourselves - you will be outraged.
25
Impeachment is too risky, and the reality is that there are not enough Senate republicans that place country over party, so there will never be a full impeachment. Even if there were, we'd end up with Pence.
Censure him, and then use the Mueller report to flog him in his reelection campaign.
Defeat him in the election, and then take him into custody 5 minutes after the next president is sworn in for the numerous crimes that everyone knows he committed.
17
@RP Smith
Trump knows what is most likely in store for him as soon as he's out of office. My bet is that he'll be a no-show at the swearing in and on the lam. Release the hounds!
2
The other day a breathtaking picture was shown to us all. It was said it was the first picture of spa black hole in space. This has now been actually confirmed not of a black hole in space but one much closer to us. Actually it was of Washington D. C.
The political apparatus called the Democratic party has taken us for a ride over the last three years steering us ever closer to a black hole. Now we enter it. They claim how bad we Republican are while at the same time doing all they can to keep all of their shenanigans hidden telling us there is nothing behind the curtain. You can't have it both ways. For every instance they call us out for it can be matched with political garbage of their own. We do not have short memories and still wonder about how certain things were hidden under the rug. Maybe now some will be revealed.
1
Maybe it’s time to let go pf the 24/7 Trump news cycle. This will only have him reelected. It is time to move on and let the American people know what Democrats are going to do when they will have their president elected!
24
@Ilonka Van Der Putten I absolutely disagree. These are egregious acts and we can't simply let them ride. We will be sending a message that it is too much trouble to protect our Constitution and the rule of law. We will be making it that much easier for the next despot. We will be setting a precedent of what is acceptable.
5
@Ilonka Van Der Putten If the Democrats let people know their actual agenda - reparations, open borders, open prisons, disarm cops, etc - they won't be elected. That is why they are obsessing with relentlessly demonizing Trump and Pence. They want the election to be about Trump as a person, NOT about their agenda and how much it will cost, and who it will harm.
4
@me
More lies and hyperbole from the Right. Stunning the sheer scale of Republican hypocrisy. Truly stunning.
5
The only meaningful conclusion that can be drawn from the Mueller report is that the American justice system is impotent in its ability to deal with a corrupt, and possibly deranged, president like Donald Trump.
Richard Nixon, with all his faults, still exhibited the capacity for shame and regret. These are qualities that Donald Trump simply does not possess. When Nixon was faced with irrefutable evidence of his criminality, he agreed to step down, rather than subject the country to an impeachment process whose outcome was all but certain. Trump, on the other hand, simply ignores the evidence and unabashedly proclaims his complete exoneration.
But Trump’s lack of character is only half of the problem. When Nixon’s crimes were revealed, the Republican Party still had members like Barry Goldwater and John Rhodes who were willing to put country above party and confront Nixon. Such principled leadership is tragically absent from today’s Republican Party.
There remains, I suppose, some slight chance that somewhere within the Grand Old Party a hero is waiting to emerge and take up the banner of duty, honor, country. If so, now would be a good time to step forward.
329
@David Eike
Not going o happen. It is Trump's party, and Murdoch's.
30
@David Eike I mourn the absence of any "hero" in the GOP - those days are long gone. What we see is the willingness of those members to throw the Constitution and the rule of law under the bus of Trumpism. What a sad commentary on our country's representatives.
54
@David Eike
My suspicion as to why there are so many superhero movies clogging the theaters is that there is a lack of real heroes in the real world. Heroism exists only in fantasy. Maybe that's how it has always been.
3
Post report supporters of Donald Trump who associate themselves with the Republican party are up to their eyeballs in the moral relativism they so often have accused Democrats of practicing. Any objective reading of Mueller's evidence can only lead to deep concern about the moral bankruptcy of Mr. Trump and those in his sway.
157
@Joe My concern is the use of government assets to spy on a candidate using fake evidence in front of a FISA court for political purposes. This is one of the most serious crimes as it is nothing but a coup attempt against an elected president and the American people. NOTHING rises to the level of moral bankruptcy as this abuse of power by members of the government and the DNC.
2
@James
I sincerely hope this is satire, and expert satire at that, because it bears no resemblance to truth or reality.
13
@James
Well said. Also, what was FBI agent Strzok’s insurance policy? Time to look into these dirty dealings as well. Let’s watch the hypocritical unhinged left spin this as vindictive as opposed to the protection of our Democracy.
1
Kevin McCarthy and other Republicans believe they have the credibility or right to issue a call to "move on" that their desire is to focus on legislation , seriously ? The combination of shamelessness and cluelessness boggles the mind, the fact that so many fellow citizens take them at face value is surreal.
209
@Donny Totally agree, especially since they weren't willing to "move on," when we twice elected President Obama. And, their reason was simply the color of his skin.
Now that they have an idiot as their party leader, who is cozy with Russia and has diminished our leadership role in the world, they want the Democrats to move on.
14
Kevin McCarthy hasn't read the report, but announces "Case Closed". The number of times and the number of people within Trump's orbit that met with Russians is stunning. Yet, Republicans, who used to be Russian fear mongers, say "Case Closed". I don't know which is worse: Trump's "high crimes and misdemeanors" or Republicans acceptance of it.
263
@kmgh Let's not forget this is the same Kevin McCarthy who basically admitted the lengthy Benghazi investigations were for the principal purpose of damaging HRC as a candidate. His complaints have little or no credibility and only illustrate is hypocrisy.
19
@kmgh The behavior of the Republicans and their failure to stand up to Trump is by far the worst.
14