Democrats are asking Mueller an impossible task: to prove that there was a collusion between Trump campaign and Russian government to interfere in the 2016 US elections. This is impossible because a crucial element of it can only be established if the Special Counsel could subpoena the Russian intelligence officers. Russians interfered with the 2016 election by among others a campaign through Facebook to sow seeds of chaos in US. This campaign curiously targeted swing states, where Trump defeated Clinton with thin margins (Wis/Penn). On the other hand, Manafort was feeding polling data to his Russian connections. In order to establish collusion, Mueller had to show that Russians used the polling data Manafort provided to fine-tune their Facebook campaign. That needs power over intelligence officers of a foreign hostile superpower; a moot issue.
Once a guy ran into a friend who told him he had seen the guy’s wife with a stranger on the street. The guy asked what happened? The friend replied they entered an apartment.
Guy: “Then what?”
Friend: “The window was open and I could see them enter the bedroom.”
Guy: “Then what?”
Friend: “They got in the bed under the sheets.”
Guy: “Then what?”
Friend: “I couldn’t see them anymore!”
At this moment, the guy responds, IF YOU DIDN’T SEE IT WITH YOUR OWN EYES, DON’T INVENT IT!
Maybe the guy’s wife and the stranger were just pretending! Maybe it was just a coincidence that Russians were targeting those swing states so aggressively!
2
Yesterday, I heard from a few Trumpists I know. They were surprised by what the President had done - Obstruction - and not yet done - protected us from Russian interference.
Some eyes were opened. But my friends who are Trumpists do the see no evil, hear no evil, Trump can do no evil song.
They don't follow the news or facts. They follow Trump tweets (lies). No wonder the Country is politically in the dumper. So be it.
Time for the revolution - dump the Trump.
3
We learned that the so-called Mueller Report is really the Weissmann Report. In fact, listening to Mueller one would have to doubt he even read the Report or if he did read it whether he understood any of it. While is it is never the job of a prosecutor to exonerate, Weissmann made it an issue with the gratuitous Vol 2, designed to prime the Schiff/Nadler pumps.
2
Robert Mueller, bless him, finished the job he was hired to do months ago, and his team did a thorough job within the limitations placed on them. These hearings were nothing more than political theater, the Dems hoping Mueller would somehow do their job for them.
They're so afraid that starting impeachment proceedings (which would get them the added info they want) would somehow hurt their chances next year that they dither instead. They abandoned their base sometime around the time Bill Clinton was elected, and I haven't seen anything yet that shows they've changed. They just. don't. get. it.
That alone could likely cause Trump to win re-election, so why don't they at least do the right thing? We need more investigation than what Mueller was limited to, and that's the only way to get it. I'm just so fed up with both parties.
3
Reading the comments, I observe that Age Discrimination is the last of the unenforced civil rights laws in the books. Mueller exposed all of them for what they really are, a bunch of fast talkers and weaklings who above all love to hear themselves bark at the moon. Nothing changed. Nothing was resolved. And the Imperial presidency is stronger than ever. Some are framing Nadler’s first question and Mueller’s answer as an enlightened win for Democrats. It’s nothing of the sort. Taken together both the question and the answer point to infinite possible worlds that would satisfy the question what did the report really say? Very disappointed the outcome was a huge waste of time, just as Mueller said it would be.
2
I learned a couple of things yesterday. I learned that Mueller is a precise manager who knows it is always a mistake to do someone else's job for them. He has refused to let the media and Congress off the hook. The commercial news media has failed to report sufficiently on the contents of the Mueller investigation. They report on what people say about it, but very little about what it says. House Democrats felt it was necessary to fill this media void with Mueller. Telling the American people what is in his report is not his job. It's your job journalists. I also learned that Mueller refuses to do Congress's job for them. It is their role to provide oversight of the Executive Office. It is their job to read the report and open impeachment hearings. Not Mueller's. Come on journalists, why is the contents of this report such a mystery that Mueller has to explain it? Come on Congress. Mueller gave you all the information there is. Act on it. This is maddening and it is frightening.
8
My takeaways (as an independent with everything from far left to far right friends):
First, everyone was unhappy.
The Democrats wanted theater (NPR called the hearings the "movie version" of the Mueller report), complete with dramatic moments that would seize the attention of the broader public (i.e., not just the political fanatics) and lead to a groundswell of calls for impeachment. Instead, the hearings were, if possible, even more boring than the report. And the chances for impeachment hearings are even less than they were. General pulic: "Yawn".
The Republicans wanted to push the "bogus investigation" narrative to center stage - i.e., the Steele Dossier, improper FISA warrants, Mueller staff stacked with Hillary supporters and etc. General public: "Yawn".
So ... Trump supporters are still Trump supporters, but were not happy about how the hearing went. Impeach Trumpers are still impeach Trumpers, but were also not happy about how the hearing went.
So, in other words, The Mueller report hearing produced pretty much the same result as the Mueller report itself: No minds were changed, and everyone on both sides are just angry.
And both sides think the much broader general public is lazy for not paying attention, too stupid to understand what sort of crisis they are in, and morally bankrupt for not vehemently agreeing with their particular perspectives and calling for immediate action.
Turns out the movie version was no more interesting than the book version.
1
Impeachment no, to fallowing the Russian circus during 3 years. Trump wants that he like that. Pelosi is 100 % correct.
The proceedings turned out exactly as I stated before the charade began yesterday.
So–What did we really learn yesterday? NOTHING!
What did it do for Trump’s team of Sycophants? NOTHING!
What did it do for those Democrats who what to impeach Trump?
Hopefully NOTHING!
We are living in a new norm in this country, if not our planet!
Want to get away with Murder? All you have to do is Tell everyone in advance, especially to the press!
Who do I blame for most of this? Robert Mueller.
He tried so hard NOT to appear biased that he in fact became BIASED about having the guts to stand up to TRUTH!
Donald Trump is GUILTY of more than enough charges to put him away for a very long time if he were WHITE and or a DEMOCRAT
1
Robert Mueller was charged with finding Russian influence in the 2016 election. The Obama administration DOJ/FBI got multiple FISA warrants to wiretap Carter Page, in them unequivocally stating Page ‘is an agent of Russia’. Apparently, the Steele ‘dossier’ was used to obtain an me or more of the warrants. Page’s name was illegally unmasked as a result. Yet, Carter Page has never been arrested, charged or convicted of espionage, conspiring with Russia or being an ‘agent of Russia’. Why can’t Mueller explain this?
3
We learned that Mueller did not read or write the report. He was not active in the investigation. He is a figurehead to cover for the twelve very partisan Democrats who were out to destroy our President.
26
@Hank Mr. Mueller was indeed a bit shaky, pretty obviously age-related. But I watched every minute and didn’t hear anything said by Mueller that would justify your conclusion. Pretty obviously you had reached your conclusion the same way Mr. Nunes had, based on an imaginatively alternative reading of events. It’s interesting to see where some outliers have taken this, and reassuring I think, to know that your conclusion will appeal to so very few objective observers.
33
@Hank We also learned that most Republicans didn't read the report or pay any attention to anything other than the geyser of lies being vomited on them by the Trump campaign and his sycophant enablers, otherwise they'd know that hard proof of your President being a lying criminal would be an issue worthy of impeachment -- no matter who wrote it.
24
yes, a republican hired a republican to investigate a republican so the Democrats could destroy them. And then those Democrats do not say he should be charged, and leak nothing.
So subtle.
Almost as effective as the real plot by the FBI and Comey to get Hillary elected.
9
"Key Takeaway" #1:
Trump is going to get away from it all, scot-free!
Does anything else really matter?
If Congressional Democrats are waiting for hearings like this to open the eyes of Trump supporters, they're on a fools' mission.
The crossover voters -- not the fascists and racists, or even the supposed conservatives, but the honest simpletons and rubes -- get their news from Fox, not from CNN or MSNBC. It's hopeless.
2
Correction: Only one of the several reports in the dossier was salacious. The one dealing with Trump in a hotel room with some paid 'escorts'.
2
Mueller's testimony Wednesday confirmed much of the findings from the special counsel's Trump campaign/Russia investigation, despite efforts by Republicans to change the subject talking about side-issues such as Steele, impeachment, bias, etc. For a quick summary of the links between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign, scroll down the Trump Campaign Promises Monitor blog to Promise #50/Topic #6 at http://trumpcampaignpromises.blogspot.com
1
I can write this article more accurately with one word. “Nothing.” Class dismissed.
3
I believe you mischaracterize those favoring impeachment when you call them "liberals". I would call them patriots.
9
The bombshell that the Mueller testimony delivered to the people of the USA was the absolute disrespect that the Republicans showed in their lack of manners and in their haranguing mode of questioning. These are our lawmakers?! Oh, Lord! Deliver us! What a mockery of statesmanship the Republicans are!
5
Some comments on this article make me wonder if I watched the same thing the commenters watched.
Reporting on the "shakiness" on a 75 year old man answering questions all day long says more about the frivolous concerns of people than it does the person they are critiquing.
He should have worn a different tie too.
4
No one should rely on Muller to deliver the magic message. Instead he delivered messages of the complicated tentacles into vulnerabilities of our democracy and weakening democracy from abuse of power. Congress can’t continue to put their heads in the sand. The news needs to correctly inform us and it should illegal to publish fake news. As a lone person, our options are local changes.
5
If Mueller's lackluster TV performance is enough to shut down the wasteful Dem energy on impeachment, I'm fine with that. Much rather that the House just vote to Censure him, which is a no-brainer, and move on. The real fight is 2020 elections, and the longer that the House fiddle-faddles on this, the less prepared the party will be to take him down electorally.
“What I care about is the capability of the individual to do the job and do the job quickly and seriously and with integrity.”
That rules out most members of the Republican Party.
5
A glimpse into the mind of Robert Mueller: "I have given these guys so much evidence, and spelt it out as far as the law will allow me even serving it up myself today on a silver platter, and these fellows cannot figure out what to do with it??""
4
Here is what was brought out yesterday:
1. The Russians organized a massive attack on our election system, they're still doing it and intend to do it again in 2020.
It can be inferred that Trump and his Republican appointments are illegitimate.
Unsaid was the executive branch and Republican-dominated senate are doing nothing to stop it.
2. The lies told by Trump and Trump's associates were known by the Russians, which gave them leverage over all of them and still does. This is kompromat.
Unsaid but inferred is that Trump, his associates and by extension his family are in effect Russian agents. Didn't Hiliary Clinton say, "No, you're the puppet." Now we know he is.
3. Trump, his family and campaign knew the Russians were helping them, appeared to coordinate with them through the media coverage of the campaign (out in the open) and failed to tell the FBI as they were instructed to do. In fact, they welcomed the help. This is more leverage the Russians have over them.
4. Inferred by unsaid is there is likely more than disclosed in the report because of lies, encrypted messages and destroyed documents.
5. Mueller did say Trump is subject to indictment if not re-elected. That is big news.
6
Part of me is glad that Mueller defied "Democrats looking for a flashy new moment." They were looking for Mueller to do the hard work of making a determination on whether or not to impeach. Apparently it wasn't enough for Mueller to bring the necessary evidence to their doorstep, being browbeaten by members of his own party along their way.
Meanwhile, I found Democrats' "no one is above the law" refrain to be disgusting. Repeating the line is no substitute for actually doing the work of ensuring it is actually the case.
And they are the only ones who can.
While I understand the trepidation beginning proceedings, I wonder if the long-term consequences of not impeaching could be worse than those of having a trial in the Senate, where Mitch would find the President not guilty in the face of overwhelming, incriminating evidence.
3
"Seven Takeaways from the Mueller Hearing"
1. Bob Mueller does a very good Mr. Magoo impression.
2. Although a central figure in the Trump Russia collusion hoax, Bob Mueller doesn't know who Fusion GPS is.
3. Mr. Mueller does not know what is in his own report.
4. Bob has gone back and forth on whether he could have legally brought charges against a sitting president. He has flip flopped about seven times on this. twice in the same day including the day of the hearing.
5. Bob says "can you repeat the question?" alot
6. Bob doesn't know which president appointed him.
7. Now we know why Bill Barr said that "this isgoing to be a spectacle"and he is friends with Bob.
4
The face of the Republican Party as shown at yesterday's Mueller appearance before the House was the face of oldish, white men snarling and speech making, rather than questioning the witness.
The Face of the Democratic Party ,on the other hand, looked more like the nation as a whole, both racially and sexually diverse. The Democrats ask questions of the witness and appeared very well prepared to do so.
For those who prefer civility and wide representation , it was clear which party fits the bill.
3
One important thing to take away from Mueller's testimony was that when asked if his investigation was ever hindered or blocked he replied "no". It would be hard to prove a case of obstruction of justice if never occurred. The fact there was no underlying crime would make a conviction even more difficult.
4
@It isn't working
Isn't it the case that one need not be successful in obstructing justice in order to be convicted of it?
Trump certainly tried to thwart the investigation.
4
If we're relying on the Democrats to right the ship, we are as good as sunk.
1
The most important thing Mueller didn't say but suggested, is a vote for Trump is a vote for Russia.
9
The facts did not change/improve/diminish/dilute from the testimony. The situation is the same after report publishing and testimony - what to do with the Prez who defies constitution with the help of Republicans. The obvious answer is the ballot box with belated indictments.
9
"Representative Devin Nunes of California, the ranking Republican on the Intelligence Committee, opened with, 'Welcome everyone to the last gasp of the Russia collusion conspiracy.' ” I recall one solution to the endless Vietnam War was to declare victory and leave. This seems to be the strategy of the Republicans on today's Mueller hearings. No matter that his team's report has long showed the connivances and criminality of Mr. Trump and his minions, they are trying to gloat over the lack of any new accusations. All that stuff in the report is "old news", nothing to see here, move along. And forget about the attempts by Mr. Barr et al to mischaracterize the report as absolving Mr. Trump & Co. (which Mr. Mueller flatly denied).
As an aside, today "Trump declared himself a 'very innocent President' ... " (USA today,24July2019) OK, I can understand stealing MAGA from President Reagan, but stealing "I am not a crook" from Nixon seems like a bad strategy. Maybe he sees that Nixon got to 66% approval rating at one point, while Mr. Trump has not gotten past 46%. Still, Nixon ended up at 24% ... and resigned in the face of almost certain impeachment and removal from office—the only time a U.S. president has done so. So far.
8
What we learned:
- Mueller was not in charge of the report.
- Mueller did not write the report.
- Mueller should not have testified.
4
"What we learned from Mueller's 7 hours on Capitol Hill"
Imagine my disappointment when I read an entire article that basically said "we learned nothing new: Reds are crazy about Trump, Blues are crazy about beating trump, Muller just wants to go home and watch Matlock instead of dealing with dumb political ploys, and maybe 2 people in Congress actually read the Muller Report"
That is not news. That is an update.
5
I came away from watching the hearings with an overall sadness, for myself and the country. The next election will be fraught and under siege from forces both domestic and foreign. I Republicans only care about hanging onto power by any means necessary. They have become totally corrupted by power and this is new in my 60 plus years. What is old is that the Democrats are often their own worst enemies. In Mueller, I see my own disdain for the current president and politicians, for the alternative realities and facts that many hold dear and my bone deep weariness with it all. I hold renewed conviction that we should not elect someone in their seventies, perhaps not even some like me, in their 60s to the highest office in the land. It is well past time for a new generation to take over. My generation will be derided by future generations for all of the damage we have done to our planet, our country and their future. It will be well deserved.
9
Without even reading the comments, it is possible to say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that at least one - most likely, more than one - commenter is parroting false talking points from the Trump cult.
So, for the sake of anyone who
(a) has not read the report;
and/or
(b) has a reading comprehension level below that of a 5th grader -
here's the (simplified) Cliff Notes version:
I: PURPOSE OF THE INVESTIGATION
1a. The investigation was NOT launched because of definitive information regarding a crime that had been committed.
1b. It was initiated because of credible evidence that Russia was attempting to influence the election results.
1c. The special counsel was given the legal right to follow up on evidence related to this.
2. TRUMP'S PROVEN CRIMES
2a. There is indisputable evidence that Trump made multiple attempts to persuade witnesses to lie and in other ways abstract justice. Over 1000 prosecutors - Republican and Democrat, conservative and liberal - agree with this interpretation.
2b. In case it's not yet clear, you do not have to commit a crime in order to commit the crime of obstruction of justice. If your friend is accused of robbing a bank, and you had nothing to do with the robbery, yet you make an attempt to impede the police investigation on behalf of your friend (ie, you lie about your friend's whereabouts, saying he was with you in your home at the time of the robbery) you have committed the crime of obstruction of justice.
13
@don salmon: Just wanted to thank you for taking the time to provide a cogent and satisfying explanation of the Mueller Report.
1
Maybe because I am older than Mueller , I empathize with his seeming frailty and forgetfulness. What I took away from these two hearings (which I found absorbing in spite of Mueller's quiet, unexciting presentation and minor lapses) was how crude, boorish, and impolite the Republicans who will do anything to protect the crooked, unpatriotic buffoon in the Oval Office, can be. The Republicans have become the party of abuse. On one hand we have Mr. Mueller , a loyal patriot who has devoted his life to serving his country, having bravely risked his life in military service, received medals, and served in top responsible positions admirably; when first appointed special counsel, even the Republicans admitted he had a sterling reputation. And on the other hand we have a loud buffoon who ran away from ever serving the country ( heel spurs, yeh), and went into politics to milk emoluments and get his Trump Moscow built, a man
whose main concern has always been himself and immediate family, whose incompetence and self-serving chaos have been noted by reputable foreign observers and some former Cabinet officials. To protect Trump the party of abuse turned against the patriot--to demean, diminish, and destroy his reputation. The Republicans have become the party of abuse. Not only the children of migrants do they abuse but all who distrust Trump.
who is disliked if not hated by a majority of Americans.
9
What did we learn? That most Americans are fed up with this dog and pony show. Sick of it. Trump is going nowhere but back to the White House for a second term unless democrats stop this insanity.
People already have their minds made up about Trump. Lots of us are far more concerned about what democrats plan to do to improve our lives and restore America's status in the world than we are about Trump.
Move on. If you want him out---vote him out.
3
All this time spent on Trump's misdeeds. And very little time spent on healthcare, climate change, immigration, tax and fiscal policy and so many other important topics. It is not clear what we should do on these major issues. They desperately need to be discussed, and next to nothing is happening. Wouldn't it be great to have a few days of publicized hearings on the major issues, with a variety of solutions discussed? All the charges and countercharges turn the public off and encourage disrespect of politicians and our political process. We need well-publicized hearings and discussions that the public can understand on the big issues and alternatives for addressing them.
Trump is very good at demagoguing and race baiting. Don't play his game. Talk about the issues that matter to the middle and lower classes.
7
@john640 - Neither the NYT or any of the other media outlets have done a good job covering the legislation passed in the House but they have tried to do something about the topics you mentioned.
Blame Mitch for making sure that legislation goes nowhere.
3
The divided, dithery Democrats were waiting yesterday for Mueller to provide the spark that would motivate them to impeach Trump.
The Mueller Report itself, which details numerous instances of Trump's obstruction of justice, should be sufficient cause for them to commence such proceedings, which would systematically and over time show the American people, far more than Mueller could in seven hours, the damage Trump has done to the country.
It's sad, it's painful, it's infuriating to see the Democrats weak and indecisive to the point of abdicating their responsibilities.
205
@samludu
As anyone who has actually read it knows, the Mueller report presents culpable as well as culpable evidenced for every incident it listed as possible obstruction. This is why the Justice Department concluded the evidence does not support prosecution for obstruction.
8
@samludu The Democrats have not abdicated responsibility. The people who support Trump have. There are very few if any western countries where the far right has 40% approval. For example, most European countries are capped around 25%. As long as Trump's support among the general public and near 100% support among GOP remains in place, impeachment is a pipe dream.
55
@samludu Andvyet, 'heart in the right place' admirably, just to get the Frankenstein like monster out, too many voters are going to waste their votes on a spineless party that COMPLETELY ignores single white men, like we don't have problems? LOL! There is not one candidate in either party worth MY vote! ,
4
at some point even the dinged up paper airplane that only flies in half circles before downing needs to be forgotten and let go
The sad fact is that Mueller was charged to determine if there was election interference. Two candidates were running. Trump and Hillary. Question? Why did Mueller only fix his sights on Trump? But as both Jim Jordan and John Ratcliffe pointed out, Mueller's band of 18 angry Democratic lawyers thought otherwise. This isn't over by a long shot for the Dem's, but you just might want to hold onto your outrage, until AG Horowitz and Barr along with John Durham finally answers the question that any reasonable individual would ask. How did this all get started? From the birth of the Steele dossier to the mysterious Mr. Mifsud, to Fusion GPS and where all the money came from to pay off those that never wanted to see Trump in the White House. The truth may surprise you.
8
Mueller learned more about the Mueller Report than any of the people watching the hearing.
7
@Hank I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess, based on your postings, you haven't read a single word of the report.
3
@Tam
I read some of it..Prosecutors are not judges or juries. The Republican members of Congress are the defense attorneys and their rebuttals were awesome.
1
Mr. Mueller did America a great service yesterday by letting the American people see for themselves that he was not in charge of the investigation nor aware of what is written in the 400+ pages of a report that is one sided and does not cover the full scope of what caused this investigation.
We all need to know how this whole Mueller investigation was started and the players involved.
7
Really? You try to dismiss the facts established by casting doubt upon the investigators with totally unconfirmed assertions. It’s called dragging a red herring across a track to throw off the scent trail for the pursuing tracking dogs.
3
@Brasto: if you had written a 400 page report a few months back (with a number of contributors), I think you would also have trouble remembering everything when questioned in detail, questions which he did not know in advance... And he is over 70...
Trump didn’t manage to answer half as much of Mueller’s questions to him, and he had them written down for him! What are your conclusions on that?
7
Robert Mueller played by all the rules yesterday. Some were self-imposed and others imposed by the Justice Department intended to severely limit what he would say. Unfortunately, we are dealing with a President and a Republican Party who maintain power by dispensing with any rules. Why the timidity about saying what is obvious? Trump would be indicted if he wasn't occupying the White House. Despite all of Mueller's years of service and well-deserved reputation, the country needs more than a legalistic disposition of his report. He did no one any favors yesterday, and I'm afraid he diminished his legacy as a result. Our democracy is in serious jeopardy, and no one -- not even Robert Mueller -- is courageous enough to defend it.
1
Even though it was very important to the democratic process and informative for the American people to see and/or hear Mr. Mueller's testimony during the two House hearings held yesterday, I have the impression that millions of Americans would rather watch the proceedings of hearings rather than take time to read the Mueller findings--that's too easy, in my opinion.
We can't vote for candidates without knowing more than we see or hear in "sound-bites"; we can't make informed decisions about what Congress votes on or appropriates funding for until we've made the effort to be informed.
The democracy we are now living with seems to reflect a glaring lack of much critical thought having taken place by millions of Americans, ironically in an age when we have more ways of delivery of information.
I've read most of the Mueller Report and found it well worth the effort, coming away feeling an understanding about the whole mess of this episode of our U.S. history.
In reading the Mueller Report I was astonished at the low behaviors of most of the Trump campaign figures--including the president himself, along with some of his family members. There also was an absolute unmistakable effort on the part of Mr. Trump to block revelation of the role played by the Russians in the illegal activities they performed to sway the 2016 campaign.
I believe this is why Mr. Mueller insisted on sticking with referencing the Report yesterday--he was essentially saying:
"It's there--read it!"
1
Here are my 7 key takeaways:
1) There was no collusion
2) There was no obstruction
3) This was a witch hunt
4) It is critical that we get to the bottom as to how this witch hunt started
5) The American press is complicit in this witch hunt
6) Start with the top and interview Obama
7) Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler have no alternative but to resign immediately
27
@Dan. I get more and more disgusted with The NY Times every day and spend less and less reading them. So now we understand where The Times stands on Mueller and people in Congress who did their job, which is in part to reign in the other branches of government.
3
@Dan 1) Read the report.
45
@Dan Yeah Dan you need to read the report. It will answer several of your takeaways pretty quickly. As for #4, the Nunes Memo mentions "the Papadopoulos information triggered the opening of an FBI counterintelligence investigation in late July 2016 by FBI agent Pete Strzok." Not the Steele Dossier. And it's an investigation, not a Witch Hunt.
33
Mr. Mueller said the Russians interfered in the 2016 elections, and, other countries have now swung into the act,; he feared that this would be the "new normal'. He did not clear Mr. Trump of the allegation of being an active participant in the interference. So together, it makes sense to me that the Trump organization was with the Russians. If the Trump organization was not but just happened to have benefited, why did the Russians do this?
2
If the House fails to impeach and convict future Presidents will not be held accountable for bribery and other high crimes and misdemeanors including working to throw the election. Historians will mark these events as the end of American Democracy
4
Mueller sets an example for anyone in our government. He does his job and is not political.
6
On a side note, beyond Trump and his personal issues we have some actual smart proactive political people that are working for the American people, rather than just themselves.
I was impressed with this non-Trump story today:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/25/opinion/elizabeth-warren-conservative-nationalists-global-finance.html
Many Law scholars signed a paper condemning Trump's "crime" of obstructing justice. The only reason he hasn't been charged is, he is still president.
Knowing he is a "criminal" and can be indicted after he is no longer the president, should sound the alarms to impeach this criminal NOW. He can do much more harm while occupying the oval office.
The impeachment inquiry will bring to light much that has been left unanswered and hidden by this criminal.
4
Please America, do what ever it takes to make sure foreign actors like Russia and China don't put their fingerprints all over your next election, lest you create a groundhog day scenario re-examining facts in two years that you already know to be true. Trump has already said he's OK with getting help and info from Russia again. The Mueller report is screaming at your law makers to do something so it doesn't happen again. What good is debating policy when Russians weaponize your social media platforms to spread disinformation about these exact policies. The rest of the world is hoping you can bring yourself back from the brink.
5
@Tyler If "help and info" consists of bringing to public attention true facts about candidates background or actions, I have no problem with the Russians "helping" in our elections. When America "helps" in other people's elections, there's usually an assassination involved.
If McConnell refuses to secure our election from foreign enemy hackers, what does that tell you about McConnell? Why has he not put any of the legislation to protect our elections up for a vote? We are dealing with criminals at the highest levels of our gov't. This calls for much more aggressive investigations and indictments nationwide. All hands on deck! We have traitors within.
5
No. 8 thing we learned: Mueller is spineless
No. 9 thing we learned: Democrats are enabling a felon
No. 10 thing we learned: U.S. gets more decrepit every day
2
What I learned from the "Mueller probe"...from his testimony and from the media coverage after it yesterday is that Mueller likely never knew what his 14 Democrat attorneys dug up and did. He was the puppet used by Democrats to be the face of the "investigation", but he knew very little of the Steele Dossier, the FISA Warrants obtained using the Dossier. Tjhis is why, during the first minute of testimony, he declared that he would answer NO questions about the Dossier or the origin of the investigation. The media (CNN, MSNBC, NBC, etc. panels assembled all seemed to agree that Mueller was - to put it mild - incoherent....stumbling, forgetful and mentally diminished. So the end result, to me, is that the testimony was a wash...nothing changed.
2
Mueller report j'accuse!
1. Trump supported and benefited from Russia's election interference.
2. Trump lied about this involvement and attempted to obfuscate, distract, occlude, and falsify efforts to bring such facts forward.
3. Trump broke campaign finance laws through his sexual payoffs.
4. Mueller outlined three ingredients necessary for obstruction. The report presents multiple examples of all three.
5. The financial dealings with regard to The Trump Tower constitutes an ethical failing and possible a crime.
6. Trump lied under oath (written statements to Mueller). Perjury.
7. Trump encouraged Russia to engage in illegal spying and hacking of American resources and individuals.
8, 9, 10. Ethical issues in three areas have created public discord, endangerment, and international chaos, A. his repeated abusive behavior against women, B. his overt racist attitudes (condemned by Congress), C. Trump's incarcerations at the border, his separation of infants and children from their parents, his serious neglect of proper record keeping with regards to reunification constitutes a crime against humanity and touches upon elements of ethic cleansing as such policies affect the Republic.
GOP behavior constitutes a lack of moral compass and perhaps treason. None criticized Trump's behavior, not one confirmed the need to make sure no future candidate "colludes" with adversaries to subvert our elections. Mitch et. al. just blocked two bills that try to address foreign meddling.
7
What we learned is the Democrats' hope for divine intervention by the Mueller god is dead.
8
Here's some headlines that show what I heard yesterday: "President and Top Aides Lied to Special Counsel about Corrupt Dealings with Hostile Foreign Powers Meddling in US Elections," "Russia and other Hostile Powers Continue to Meddle in US Elections says Special Counsel on Russian Investigation," and "Republicans Continue to Defend Trump Despite Significant Evidence in Mueller Report But Offer No Defense of US Against Foreign Meddling In Elections." Instead we get the media trope: "partisan war" "democrats disappointed" lack of electricity".... Mueller has served his country well, while the Republican Party and our media continue to do us all a disservice. This is not a "partisan war" as a lead in the Times said yesterday - this is an existential drama for the survival of our democracy. Mueller made that clear. The Times did not. The Republicans are doing their best to mute and obfuscate that. For shame.
11
You could see why President Donald J. Trump, erroneously believed, he had won the Mueller Report debate before Congress on Wednesday. He and his enablers, including his brainwash red state base, and most of the American people for that matter, have the attention span of an ant. It’s all about optics to them, instead of the over-all substance of evidence, with apologies to the little critters.
The President will now be forced to openly lie and distract even more, in order to keep his reality world narrative in tact. He brazenly lied that the Russia and Mueller investigations were a hoax, and a witch-hunt. The evidence also indicates that it didn’t exonerate him one bit. How pathetic is that for a current POTUS? He continues to bring shame and disgrace to the office of the presidency of these United States of America. Get a grip Mr. President. You’re looking extremely ridiculous!
7
Two options: Impeach and DJT is tried by a jury of 100 Senators (and found innocent for sure, and thus cannot be tried again for the same crimes once he leaves office), or have him tried by 100,000,000 voters come election day. Out he goes! And then he is tried in court for several hundred crimes. I am ready to be one of those millions of voters waiting for the defenestration.
1
@Joseph Schall - Of course Trump can and will be charged with and stand trial on all the various counts of obstruction which were delineated in the Mueller Report. Whether he is impeached by the House and not convicted by the Senate has no effect at all on subsequent civil prosecution. The one does not impede the other. Trump merely temporarily occupies a political office - that occupation shields him from prosecution only so long as it exists.
3
This is what I learned from Mueller's testimony -- nay, this is what was REINFORCED in me by Mueller's testimony:
1. Trump is a wrecking ball: a scorched-earth phenomenon
2. Trump has divided the U.S. into 2 enemy camps
3. Trump scrutiny has grossly usurped socioeconomic progress
4. Trump is one of today's greatest causes of stress
5. Trump has robbed our lives of nearly 3 years
In sum, Trump is a parasite feeding voraciously on ours and the nation's soul.
14
If Russia is interfering “even as we speak”. How do Democrats defeat trump in 2020?
3
Wish you’d do an article on if and how Mr Mueller answered YOUR “19 Questions.
1
The fact that Republican Senators belittle and condescend to the distinguished erudite Mr. Mueller speaks more about them than it does about him.
We don’t need a weatherman to tell us which way the fascist wind is blowing.
11
As even pro dem anti Trump media spokesman Chuck Todd said "This was a disaster for the dems." It is fascinating to wonder what hearing the NY Times watched yesterday. In stating that Mueller was halting and slow and gingerly admitting Mueller did not know the contents of his own report, the NY Times comically attempts to minimize the train wreck that the hearing was. In being (I imagine) one of the few that has watched the last two years as an umpire calling balls and strikes and not as one who needs to grasp every straw of partisanship to justify my existence on planet USA, I am continually amazed by the rationalizations and crazy logic displayed by both sides. It is quite enjoyable from a point of view that studies these issues as if the country were a kind of petri dish. I am expecting more of the same. The secret to seeing this stuff as objectively and truthfully as you can is to strip away your belief systems in all areas of your life (not easy, I admit) and watch every day of news as non judgmentally as you can. That means watching CNN, MSNBC, BBC, and FOX. You will learn a lot. Observe it all, w/o judgment.
2
Pelosi has put Jerry Nadler on a suicide watch.
4
With this now showing Trump was not exonerated congress must act the churches who supported Trump need to come out of the closet and distance themselves from him and the whole GOP corrupt establishment. By continuing to side with these bad immoral politicians and party says a whole lot about your fake religions. Very sad if you still support such corruption on Election Day. Shame on you.
1
I believe Mr Mueller failed the country when he refrained from saying what his report clearly demonstrated. Were it not for the State Department policy of not indicting a sitting president, the evidence was such that Trump committed obstruction of justice acts that warranted his indictment. This was the conclusion of over 1,000 former US prosecutors. By relying on the policy, Mueller has given Trump the green light to do virtually anything without recourse.
5
the saddest comment on our current democracy is the constitutional abandonment of the absolute necessity and obligation of the house to begin impeachment hearings. these will go nowhere because of a political gop senate that will, with eyes wide open, entirely ignore the crimes of the president in exchange for maintaining their political power. this is no longer a democracy of laws, but the rule of individual and collective 'elected men. it is an insult to the cornerstone of our values derived through the respect of law. as meuller opined he feels that unfortunately this will be the new norm. his unique career in public service makes his warning resonate like the sound of an unquestioned event: an avalanche from above or a broken rift from below. this is what it will look like, sound like, engineered by men greater than our laws.
1
Mueller's report and the obvious fact that he had nothing to do with it demonstrates that this is one time he should have asked about his staff's political affiliation.
2
Bottom line (that we all knew before yesterday) is that Trump committed several acts to obstruct justice and his campaign was certainly willing to entertain the idea of accepting Russian help to win the election. We also know that nothing will come of this in the next year and a half as Republicans in Congress are willing to die on the hill to defend him and divert attention.
The only thing left is to vote in 2020, hope that there is high turnout, and pray that the Democrats nominate a candidate who can appeal to middle working-class white Americans.
5
The 2-ton red elephant in the room was largely ignored. Russia is going to interfere in our 2020 election and we have a President who won't lift a finger to do anything about it. He views it as diminishing the glory of his election, and believes Vladimir Putin over his own Intel agencies.
5
@Mark McInty True. But let's not forget that 1) the US is and has been doing the same in the Russian elections 2) there is ZERO evidence that the Russians sent the info to Wikileaks and Assange denied it 3) Obama himself said that the degree and influence of the Russian intereference in the 2016 elections was a joke, neglijable.
2
When will a March on Washington be organized?
The British have done more marching and protesting against Donald Trump then we have.
The longer we take this Republican destruction of this country lying down, the more enabled and emboldened they will feel moving forward.
For decades now the GOP has been chipping away at our rights, our freedoms, and our system of checks and balances. And, so far, they have gotten away with almost all of it. They even stole a Supreme Court seat for crying out loud. And the response from us has been to put our collective hands in the air and sigh, "Oh, well!".
And as corrupt as they are, they couldn't imagine that the American people could swallow a guy like Trump whole-cloth. Even they must be saying, "Wow! These people will take, and submit, to ANYTHING! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!".
What this really country needs now is a leader. Or, to be more precise, a savior. Someone to make a stand for truth, justice, and the American way. Someone to organize us.
And, more importantly, someone to remind us of who and what we, and this country, can be if we all stick together and fight for it.
2
Ok, not enough electricity. Not enough drama. Impeachment won’t work. Blah blah blahdy blah blah. The Democrats need to continue to hold hearings and keep this before the public until the election. The Republicans did it with Benghazi- and email server-gates and it worked. There’s a lot mire to Trump’s perfidy. I have no problem with Mueller but the Democrats need to start playing hardball.
4
He was obviously uncomfortable being there and on top of that the President had sent a firestorm of nasty insecure tweets before the hearing condemning the guy who was simply doing his job. What we do know is Trump obstructed justice and if he were a private citizen he'd be jailed right now. The Russians most certainly interfered in the election which is the digital equivalent of Russian troops massing on our borders yet Trump makes fun of it and still refuses to do anything while covering up.
8
Since you can never win an impeachment charge in the senate, all that is happening here is that the congress is wasting time and money. What you have in congress now is a bunch of people who have no idea of how to address the challenges that the USA faces today. It's the same in the WH, no ideas. Neither Trump or congress has passed meaningful health care reform attended to out failing infrastructure or done anything to create a rational immigration policy. Nothing, nada. Yet the Times and Fox news just keep making the same useless noises about impeach or not impeach. When Trump wins again Times readers can wring their hands and congress can "investigate" again and again.
1
The Russians have been trying to influence the outcome of our Presidential elections since 1917. Why are we acting so surprised by all of this? Most Americans, and the political commentary crowd, mocked Mitt Romney when he identified Russia as the biggest geopolitical threat we faced during his race against Obama.
6
The bottom line is, for me, I believe every single word of the report. Mr. Mueller’s testimony confirmed we have a criminal in the White House.
6
Nothing will change the fact that Donald Trump is a lying, smarmy, sleazy, two-bit, country club boor.
This country survived Richard Nixon, even though he had the full and vocal support of the entire GOP until the very end - just as Trump does with the current GOP. But time has not been kind to Nixon, nor to those professional, and often criminal, sycophants who stood by him no matter how much damage he was doing to the country at the time.
I have faith that, absent a full descent into a Fascist dictatorship, Trump's fate, and those of his abettors, will be exactly the same as Nixon's.
Life is short. And to know, deep down, that you squandering the entirety of it wallowing in the gutter... well, let's just say that, in the end, there is no escaping your reckoning. The ledger will be read, and the measure of your conduct, will be the measure of how well you lived your life.
I wonder if Trump has ever read The Death of Ivan Ilyich? No. I don't suppose he has.
5
We have gone full circle. Not that many years ago Conservative Republicans were obsessed with Russia as a threat to our democracy while liberal Democrats were concerned about CIA and FBI surveillance of individuals.
2
What we learned is that Nancy Pelosi and several other Democrats are living in another era; otherwise, they would not be sitting on their hands at this juncture. It really does insult my intelligence that they are assuming that we are all just too clueless to understand what transpired yesterday.
At this point, Trump and his toadies are laughing at our representatives because this is not the era of Nixon. Nancy Pelosi should not be sitting on her hands and waiting for people to get enlightened by Walter Cronkite. Start the impeachment process, the rest will follow. It's no longer the other way around.
I used to defend her against naysayers. Operative words: used to. Up until yesterday.
She's waiting for the financial statements on the litigation process that was appealed after a judge decided we could obtain them. Get a clue, Ms. Pelosi.
Some of us viewed the evidence files that Trump "University" victims filed. We saw what happened to Heather Hayer in West Virginia and know why that happened. We see how vile and corrupt Trump and his appointees are. We see immigrants being treated worse than we treat animals in a zoo. Some of us know what that slogan "America First!" meant when it was shouted at rallies by between 1933-1941, when isolationist bigots like Trump's father were shouting it and why they were shouting it.
We saw Helsinki.
And we read the Mueller Report. We heard him.
Enough, Ms. Pelosi. IMPEACH.
1
Seven Key Takeaways:
1) The New York Times loses.
2) The Washington Post loses.
3) Hollywood loses.
4) The late night talk shows, The View, Ellen, etc. lose
5) Academia loses.
6) CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC and NPR lose.
7) The Democratic Party loses.
9
My most recent boss looked at me and lied to my face, over an issue, and that was a defining moment for me..The GOP at this hearing, with their stellar reps Gohmert, Collins, and Nunez, looked at the camera and lied. Colllins attempt to get Mueller to say collusion was the same as conspiracy was a lie that can easily be looked up in the Mueller report -Collins was relying on the vast verbiage of legalese, to make his point, and that does not make it any more true. Gohmert, wi th his ridiculous self- published 'Mueller unmasked" - complete garbage....They looked at the camera and lied, the GOP. They are not protecting our elections from interference, and I am just about to call Pelosi as someone who is on their side, a hostile witness. That is my takeaway from yesterday.
1
Trump is a toxic disaster, everybody recognizes it, he has no chance in the next election. He has no chance, that is, unless the Democrats can't rise above Trump's toxic cesspool and start addressing issues important to America. In other words, develop an election platform.
My whole summation of the Mueller testimony is Democrat after Democrat trying to get Mueller to say out loud "please impeach President Trump", and to be the one to show leadership, but Mueller would never do that, and none of the Democrats are willing to make a case for impeachment on their own. Where is the Democrat leadership? They're reacting, not leading.
My advice to Democrats would be to develop an election platform and start campaigning for 2020. If your platform is nothing but "have you seen the other guys?" then I'm afraid that probably won't instill confidence in the electorate that you have anything worthwhile to offer. America needs a new leader who is prepared to lead.
1
I, as a Democrat, watched and listened to Robert Mueller carefully and constantly and felt that he was interpreting and telling the truth at every minute of the Intelligence Committee's hearing on July 24. Being the quality of man he is, I never thought he needed the constraints placed on him by the DOJ because I never doubted his determination to adhere to what he considered the complete and honest report of an honorable lawman. I never felt that he was ever evasive or hesitant. When he asked for detailed questions, he was only being absolutely sure so that he could answer accurately within parameters that his own character set for himself.
In the closing minutes of the hearing, in particular, I felt that he warned America of the danger it is in and he agreed with Rep. Adam Schiff that accepting foreign intelligence during a presidential campaign is unethical, unpatriotic and, to me his strongest moment, when he added ”It’s a crime."
It's up to us, the people of America, to listen to Robert Mueller's testimony carefully and use what he teaches us to set the nation on a better path. Our only hope to gain it, lies in showing up in strength at the polls and to vote. Nothing else is going to do it.
6
What I saw yesterday was an shocking level of meanness and lack of respect for an American hero and patriot directed at Mr. Mueller from Republican members of the House. This behavior is damaging our country's governance and even our social fabric. Further, the Republican refusal (with the exception of Representative Hurd) to focus on the fact that the Russian government conducted an attack on our 2016 election that worked to divide Americans, and to spread lies about the presidential candidates, puts future elections at risk, and just last night, Mitch McConnell refused to allow a vote on election security. Given these circumstances, I have no faith in the ability of the American democracy to survive.
6
For those of you calling for impeachment, the Republicans just delivered a preview of what it will look like: a concerted and sustained attack on our legal, justice, and national security institutions.
No wonder Trump was so pleased.
3
"Lack of Electricity in Mueller Testimony Short-Circuits Impeachment" is a succinct summary of everything wrong in US politics.
Everyone knew that Mueller was not going to give 'electric juice'. everyone knew he would defer to his complex report.
What he did give was that he was handcuffed by Justice Department policy about indicting a sitting president. But he also stated that the president could be charged once he left office.
That should not sit well with anyone: a president strongly suspected of obstruction should be charged and let the cards fall where they may. Policy is not law.
Challenge the policy and indict now. The evidence is contained within the Mueller report and Congress has the ability to find more.The ability also extends to other legal jurisdictions.
Impeachment splits the electorate. Criminal charges are a completely different story.
Unfortunately, there are plenty of lazybones in politics who self-deluded by hanging there hat on the findings of the Special Counsel.
I read the entire report and I learned a lot about constitutional law in reading it. I think it's every citizens' responsibility to at lest read the summaries which aren't that long and are beautifully written. That being said there is clear and unquestionable evidence that Trump is unfit, broke the law, and is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors. Congress has a legal, constitutional duty to hold a lawless president accountable. Not to do so will set a terrible lasting precedent for future presidents prone to abuse to use as a potential defense. Trump has shattered all ethical norms and has broken the law. As Elizabeth Warren said,"This is not a time for political expediency, this is a time for ethics and real patriotism." Yesterday's hearings presented plenty of evidence to demand an impeachment inquiry despite Mueller's halting testimony. I wrote all of my reps yesterday to demand that they act to support an impeachment inquiry, including my Republican reps. To my surprise my Republican rep in Congress wrote immediately back acknowledging the troubling state of our union and the evidence presented.
4
I think we learned that Mueller didn’t lead the investigation - one of his gang of partisan attorneys did. We also learned that he never heard of Fusion GPS - the basis of the investigation.
6
Mueller did his job: his work lead to the conviction of numerous members of the campaign and administration. Is the House of Representatives doing its job? Clearly the Report details an obstruction of justice by the President of the United States. An obstruction of justice in and of itself is not impeachable, because it could be motivated by political rather than justice evading calculations. However, the obstruction could be motivated by a corrupt motive and the attempt to avoid criminal liability. In other words the trier of fact needs to know why the President obstructed justice. Whether there is a there there (a criminal evasion motivation behind the obstruction) is a question that has not been addressed and answered. The only way to answer that question in the case of sitting President would be for the Congress to initiate an impeachment investigation of its own. That is what should now happen. Unfortunately, the House seems to want someone else to make this call, either Mueller (who by law cannot), or the voters in 2020 (who do not have subpoena power and have how practical way of addressing the key question). Well, House of Representatives: are you seeking justice or just another cog in the obstructive wheel?
1
We learned that he was used=he clearly was not happy. My opinion is that he soured on this entire investigation when he realized it might have been a coup-and he wanted no part of it. He did not have a case against Trump.
In any case, although empathetic, he refused to cross the line between Justice and manipulation of Justice. That, aside from, physical illness, is consistent with his life. He was not part of the insurance policy.
1
Notice how Progressives and Trumpians both believe that Mueller testimony diminished Mueller; here is the coming together of Progressives and the base working together to get Trump re-elected. Notice how both these groups think Silicon Valley needs to be reigned in. The different reasons for doing so do not make Progressives and the Trumpians different. This is why we need moderates again to bring us back to center so we can once again make progress as a country that shares certain core beliefs, and work together from that standpoint. Trump wants you to impeach him. That way we can focus on him, and not his policies that are not helping his base, or any one really. Progressives have rejected this commonality because it 'marginalized them by their otherness.' The base and Trump reject this commonality because they have no problem denying some ones rights, if it advances their positions. What a mess! We see what is not different as the same and what is the same we see as different. This is the reason nothing is changing, and why we are stuck in an infinite loop of regression and self reference. Elect a moderate whether they are conservative or liberal.
Impeachment inquiries will uncover a great deal of information and testimony heretofore kept from the public that are relevant to the many policy and extralegal business decisions made so far by the president.
Beyond that, actual impeachment proceedings would add a permanent asterisk to the historical record of anyone so charged, regardless of the outcome. Trump might claim he was innocent after the fact, but he would do that, anyway.
It is unclear why America should let an obvious criminal like Trump control investigations into illegal conduct by and around him.
Whether Trump corrupts the process directly, through his staff, or through lackeys in the Senate, the responsibility of House Representatives is to defend the republic and the Constitution. They took an oath to do so.
What Mueller does or does not say is immaterial to those responsibilities.
4
1) I watched several hours of the two committee hearings. One very brief Q/A exchange occurred at about 1:52 PM when Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R Ohio) asked Mueller to confirm that Trump was "enrolled" in the Russian Kompromat program. (I am not sure if one "enrolls" in that??) Mueller confirmed that he was, according to evidence they obtained. I have Googled current info on Trump/Kompromat, and the most relevant is from December 2018. Is there anything newer? 2) I agree with others that, though Trump deserves to be kicked out of office, the most effective way to do that is to work against his re-election. I was a footsoldier in efforts that successfully flipped GA district 6 to Democrat Lucy McBath. It wasn't easy, and I hope that the understandable enthusiasm for rapid change doesn't sabotage the momentum toward a Democratic win aided by moderates from both parties. Many people here and throughout the country are afraid of what they view as extremism. Many of them view Trump as extreme. His extremism can be a weapon against him and a reason for his defeat.
1
The most important thing I learned is that: Our country now stands defenseless against Russian interference in the 2020 election. And, Donald Trump has already made it quite clear that he once again welcomes their help. He has not allowed his intelligence agencies to do anything to defend against cyber-attacks, or to protect the vote. There seems to be no doubt that Russia will actually attempt to hack into the very vulnerable voting system and change the votes. When you add this to Republican gerrymandering, Voter ID laws, and "ethnic cleansing" of the voter rolls as we just saw in the Georgia governor's election, the election will definitely be rigged. And it will be rigged in favor of Donald Trump and his Republican Congress. The only viable defense is for states to move toward paper ballots and mail-in voting. But, Trump states that gave him victory in the Electoral College will not do this and their voters may want to exercise their right, if they have one, to an absentee ballot. This is a major reason for Democrats to move quickly to start an impeachment inquiry. Nancy Pelosi's long game of protecting her majority in Republican-leaning districts while not protecting the Constitution through the impeachment process in hopes of another blue tsunami in 2020 is a very risky bet that puts the very survival of our Constitutional democracy in unnecessary jeopardy.
3
"What we learned" - nothing, most definitely nothing new, a reasonable person would say, leaving aside the sorry appearance of that guy.
As far as Dems and their supporters, this story will never end, not even in 2024 when some one else replaces DT.
We learned absolutely nothing at the two Mueller hearings that we did not already know. The hearings did underscore several truths about our times, however:
1. Trump gets away with everything.
2. Republicans are doing nothing to stop him.
3. Democrats are powerless to stop him.
4. The President has unchecked power under our constitution.
5. A lot of damage can be done by the President between elections.
6. Our political class is unable to address the nation’s problems effectively.
7. The notion that this is a government of, by, and for the People is a joke.
4
To me the most important exchange between Mueller and Congress ( Representative Dan Buck R-CO) was this:
Mueller: "I would not agree to that characterization at all. What we did is provide to the attorney general in the form of a confidential memorandum our understanding of the case. Those cases that were brought, those cases that were declined. And the -- that one case where the president cannot be charged with a crime."
Buck: "Okay. But could you charge the president with a crime after he left office?"
Mueller: "YES”
Buck: "You believe you could charge the president with obstruction of justice after he left office?"
Mueller: "YES”!!!
Wow. It will be interesting to see what will happen when Trump is out of office.
3
For several years, Mr. Mueller and his team had the vast resources of the US government at their disposal including subpoena power and access to the most sensitive human and signals intelligence America has. Yet, he was unable to clearly articulate that he conclusively found or did not find collusion between The Trump campaign and Russia...yesterday was the time to put up or shut up, and Mr. Mueller chose the latter, doing a disservice to our country.
The country needed to understand, in no uncertain terms, that the President acted criminally and how and why the President acted criminally as they did once during Watergate. Mueller, however, was weak enough in his testimony to leave those influenced by Fox News that the investigation was nothing more than some “deep state” conspiracy perpetuated by a cabal of Democrats, Antifa, and George Soros. The country needed testimony to pierce through the armor of incredulity that has been constructed by and for Trump’s enablers. As long as there are any supporters of the President that can ask, “impeach him for what?”, Mueller failed terribly yesterday. Rather, if anything, Mueller helped in obfuscating the reality of Trump’s guilt even more.
1
I watched some of yesterday's hearing and just want to thank Robert Mueller for the privilege of seeing him present the important points in his report. It reminded me that there are still some good people with sound ethics working to preserve our democracy. I feel deep regret that he had to be subjected to the pathetic political circus, especially after he repeatedly reminded everyone that what we need to know is (anyone, anyone?) IN THE REPORT. The big message is this country has bigger problems than Trump's impeachability-we need to focus on keeping foreign influence out of our elections!
1
exactly where does it say that a sitting president cannot be indicted for criminal offenses? this was an AG Barr proclamation, as head of the DOJ, late in the game, because mueller had proof of obstruction of justice. mueller really dropped the ball on this one. sadly, there was no justice in this entire mess.
This was a huge mistake for the Democrats. Mueller stumbled using his words and couldnt even remember what was in "his" report. You know what they say, never meet your heroes unless you're ready to be disappointed. I remember he answered "no" to whether collusion and conspiracy are the same thing colloquially, yet he says it is explicitly in his report. He then says "I stand by what's in the report." I feel bad for him to be honest.
2
We should be grateful that Mr. Mueller agreed to testify before the Committees. He has endured over 2 years of relentless political and personal attacks for his role as Special Counsel. Also, he has had considerable constraints on his work from the Justice Department, including what to avoid talking about in the Hearings. Given this context I think he did quite well in responding to the many questions and assertions tossed at him. Although expectations were exceedingly high, he kept the focus on the report, and it is up to the Congress to act on it. Thank you Mr. Mueller and your staff for a job well done!
12
I listened to the Judiciary Committee Hearing and recall Mueller’s answer to Mr Lieu’s question was more than mere ‘...because the DOJ policy says I can’t.’ He stated, and I paraphrase, ‘...because Trump would challenge it in Court, and an extended court challenge would affect the integrity of the investigation with the public.’ His answer as I have recounted, and as he may believe, implicates Trump in another count of obstruction. Obstruction does not have to be carried out but can be attempted, to constitute illegality.
10
Of course Mr. Mueller couldn't answer the question, "Why did the president want you fired?" Only the president can answer that question. Anything anyone else says, even the admirable Mr. Mueller, is pure speculation, and speculation is exactly what this country does not need at this point in our history.
I admire Mr. Mueller for his calm, temperate, careful responses, his refusal (unlike many others who have testified to Congress on related matters) to make himself and his character the center of attention . I despise the president. I would like to see him impeached and convicted for violation of the US Constitution and his lack of respect for his office, as opposed to his ego. Even more, I would like to see him defeated resoundingly in the next election -- but the Democrats in Congress are dashing my hopes. Get to work, Dems; do your job serving the American people, and stop grandstanding.
14
@VGraz Sorry, but since the JD won’t or can’t do it, the Democrats are the only ones who can prosecute a case against Trump. It should be a big campaign issue.
The election of a democrat in 2020 is clearly in jeopardy. That is the headline and that is the obvious conclusion of Mr. Mueller's testimony. The plan and the subtrifuge is in place. Nothing has changed.
8
@Naomi Marcus Trump is not going to get any sympathy votes over this that he doesn’t already have. For Democrats and Independents, Trump’s criminality should be a factor in the election.
1
I found the entire event most enlightening. The quoted passages from the report (mainly by democrats) were as if one read the report and marked those "gotchas"with a yellow magic marker. And the "gotchas" all put together seemed to clearly make the case of collusion and obstruction.
8
We know, unquestionably, one of the foreigners that interfered in the 2016 election was a British national, hired by the Clinton campaign to find ‘dirt’ on then candidate Trump. That foreigner’s findings were used by the FBI/DOJ to get FISA warrants and wiretap an American citizen. Yet, Robert Mueller wouldn’t even admit Christopher Steele was interviewed by his office...why?
5
@J House- Wrong. The dossier was commissioned by the Washington Free Beacon, which is a conservative publication headed by a Rubio supporter. The Free Beacon even stated that they commissioned dossiers on several candidates but didn't need them after Rubio dropped out of the race. Then, Fusion GPS, which is a *registered* agency to gather opposition research, took over the dossier. The Clinton campaign 1) never paid Steele, it simply and legally hired GPS and 2) never used it during the campaign [it wasn't even made public until after the election]. So, the dossier NEVER interfered in the election like trump encouraged Russia to do. As far as getting the FISA- the dossier was not the critical factor in obtaining the warrant as even the GOP-lead intel committee found.
15
@Leigh
What you state regarding the dossier is accurate to anyone who has been carefully following the news. Perhaps the most important point is that the court that issued the FISA decisions, specifically stated that the dossier was NOT the main reason for the FISA warrants. Finally, I think people should recall the Christopher Steele was a well-respected former intelligence official from our ally, Great Britain. Trump and his campaign officials were willingly accepting information from Russian a foreign adversary of the United States.
5
One other point. Simpson claims most of the ‘dossier’ was completed by April 2016, and was in several journalist’s hands (and articles) by the summer. The State Department (Victoria Nuland) had seen it then as well. Not only was the Steele information being used by the FBI, but by the US media to humiliate and delegitimize Trump as a candidate, linking him to Putin.
That is interference, plain and simple.
1
Here's another thing we learned from Mueller's 7 hours on Capitol Hill; that is, SHOULD have learned:
The Constitution must be amended -- soon -- to allow sitting presidents to be indicted for crimes committed in office.
For 2+ years now, a major theme of our national discourse has been a justified concern that Trump and his me-first thugs are jackhammering our democratic foundation. Much also has been said, and written, about the "potential years and years it may take" to fix what Trump has broken.
Unless an alleged felon like Trump can be indicted during his presidency, that foundation will continue to crumble.
15
@Ken OLC policy is just that, departmental policy not actual law. It is there to try to prevent political bias in the DOJ and to preserve a strong separation of powers. Congress could easily pass a law stating that a president could be indicted while in office if evidence warranted such action. It's up to the People to let Congress know what they want, including an impeachment inquiry.
2
We learned that half the American people want a President who's a very questionable human being . Trump is a textbook example of how to avoid paying taxes and uses morally unacceptable ways of doing just about everything . I can point to him and say to my children with 100% confidence "Just act exactly the opposite as this man and you'll be fine." I also am confident that Robert Mueller feels the same way but can't say so and he didn't. Too bad for him, he'd feel better.
10
My takeaway from yesterday was the spectacle of watching
the neo fascist, far right, know nothing party attack the motives of an individual who in the past would have been the poster boy of Republican values. Vote blue in 2020, our democracy is at risk.
16
Mr. Mueller did exactly what he said he was going to do. Even if he were to stand on his head, he would have been preaching to the choir at best.
I believe even if you weren't an ardent supporter you had to learn something from the hearings, at the very least, that there still is is a very serious threat to our elections if not a greater one going on right now. Anyone who isn't brainwashed on some level could have benefitted somehow from the hearing and we did indeed learn somethings as outlined in this artcle. Yet, there are those who refused to learn anything at all.
I received messages refuting the idea that there was Russian inference in our elections at all, that Mueller's team was comprised of all Democrats who hate Trump and were working diligently against him along with Mueller who is also a Democrat. When I objected to say he was a Republican, the objections flew. I Googled it.
I was told that Google is a leftist site and leans towards liberals and will say that Mueller is a Republican to placate liberals? Bottom line, however, Mueller is not a legitimate witness. There is no winning over people who think this way!
3
The Dems, and the media, need to move on. The headline today should be about Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi blocking the advancement of a trio of bills aimed at strengthening election security. We're so intent on this Trump battle that we're losing the war.
9
One thing I'm certain of is that if Mueller decided to re-open the investigation citing new evidence 11 days before the 2020 election, the incumbent wouldn't win
5
You are right. President Obama’s FBI Director had more sway over the 2016 election than the Russians or Chinese could ever dream of...
1
@Marion Grace Merriweather
you are so wrong. If that happened, it would energize his base and improve his margin of victory
If we decide to impeach the president knowing that the Senate will not convict then we are handing the 2020 election to the party of financial greed. The only plank in the Republican platform is the tired and false claim of social justice through trickle down economics. To win in the next election we must stop running against Trump and running on the progressive history of the Democratic Party. The legacy is there in the middle class explosion in the late 40s and 50s that was the result of managed capitalism. The moneyed class accelerated the destruction of the New Deal in the 1980s and are currently putting the final nails in the coffin with the current administration. The election is ours to win if we present a coherent and strong case for resuscitating the middle class.
Doss Welsh
106
@Doss Welsh It is our duty I impeach. The president is not above the law. He lied to the independent council, tampered with witnesses, and encouraged and accepted Russia's help. Protect our democracy and our legacy- impeach the president.
7
@Doss Welsh, I disagree. I think an impeachment inquiry through the elections would put Trump's crimes on national tv daily and put Trump on the defense. Why hide his crimes and pretend nothing happened? That would be pure cowardice. Keep reminding the people what happened and how Mitch will not put forth any legislation for a vote that would protect our elections from Russian intereference.
9
@Doss Welsh
Bill Clinton lied about an affair.
Republicans impeached him.
Republicans won the Legislature. Then they won the presidency.
The idea that impeaching the President would be bad for Democrats is pure fantasy. It has NO basis in reality. And, it’s a Fox News talking point. Donald Trump does not want to be impeached. The Republicans do not want Trump impeached. Why? Because every time in modern history impeachment of the executive is on the table, Nixon and Clinton, it was DISASTROUS for their party.
Impeaching Trump is not a bad idea for Democrats. In fact, impeaching Donald Trump is the only way they CAN win in 2020.
If they don’t grow a collective spine and DEFEND themselves, then the US will slide further and further into an authoritarian nightmare. Until we wind up with a Russian style mafia state running everything.
It’s literally insane that people look at what Trump’s done, and think “I’m okay with him in charge of the country for the rest of his life.”
You think he will leave willingly? If you believe Trump will ever leave office willingly, I have some beach front real estate on the moon to sell you. Real cheap. Only $10,000 per acre. You can make the check out to Prince Gullible , of Nigeria.
9
I'd like us Americans to think more deeply and consequently. Impeaching Trump may ( I repeat "may") be right thing to do, but it would not resolve the fundamental moral corruption of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats.
I am a registered Republican but have voted for several Democrats in Presidential elections, and consider myself right in the middle of the political spectrum.
Unfortunately many ( if not most) of our elected officials do not consider what is important to our country as their prime objective. They are mostly focused on their own political survival and of their special interests sponsors.
Republicans' refusal to work with Obama and seek compromise was wrong and now Democrats do the same with Trump. True, it may be more difficult to work with an insecure President, but nevertheless Democrats have copied the Republican playbook under Obama.
Another reason why removing Trump may not lead to a Democrat victory, is their Party's radical left wing which has become the public voice of the Party. Ilhan Omar and AOC will ensure that next President will be again a Republican.
3
Why are Republicans blocking election security bills? Something to hide? Vote Blue 2020 and take our country back!
15
You mean like stronger Voter ID laws???? The Democrats own the results of the 2016 election.
5
@Matt Carey No, I mean common sense laws to prevent foreign interference in our elections. Not laws that encourage voter suppression.
Why does the NYTimes handle Republicans with kid gloves? Just replace the name Trump in the Mueller hearing with Obama and imagine how the Republicans would be up in arms and what the NYTimes would write.
Why don't you tell it how it is: you have a criminal sitting in the White House and the report and the hearing prove it.
16
What I learned from listening to three of the morning hours was that Republicans seem to believe that your political party matters more than anything else.
"You donated to Hillary Clinton, therefore FOREVER you cannot ever be expected to be fair to ANY Republican ever."
That line of thinking is more dangerous than a solid 80% of things this administration has normalized.
9
I have learned that:
1- GOP lawmakers do not care about Russia meddling in your election process as long it does not affects them
2- greed is the reason for their behavior
3- careless about democratic institutions- their God is Trump
4- you have a racist president who is surrounded by many of them -he is not alone
5- the so called “base” will vote for a racist president no matter if “he kills someone in the 5th Ave.”
6- your only pathway know is the impeachment inquiry- egos within the Democratic Party must be kept to a minimum
6- here in Puerto Rico we threw out a governor in less than a month - give us a call
12
I fear that this hearing and its spoon feeding the public will still not sway the ignorant masses and the corrupt Republican Congress who easily manipulates them.
6
I would like to hear more analysis of the exchange between Mr. Mueller and Rep. Lieu. At first, I thought that Rep. Lieu got Robert Mueller to say that the Special Counsel's report did not charge Pres. Trump with obstruction because of Department of Justice guidance that says a sitting president cannot be indicted.
But then, in his opening statement after the break, Mr. Mueller said he and his team did not reach a conclusion, one way or the other, on whether Trump committed obstruction.
Personally, I am now quite confused. I wish someone had followed up to ask him *why* they did not reach a conclusion about obstruction. Was it because of the DOJ guidance or not? Or some other reason?
And the report concluded that they could not exonerate Trump of obstruction charges. Doesn't that mean they reached some kind of conclusion about the merit of the charge that Trump obstructed the investigation?
4
@Lady Detective
The DOJ guidelines say you cannot indict a sitting President, so Mueller was careful not to make a decision one way or the other about obstruction. In the report he says it would not be fair to conclude that there was sufficient evidence to indict when the President could not defend himself. But Mueller investigated the claims and preserved the evidence "while memories were fresh and documentary evidence was still available" so that Trump might be prosecuted in an appropriate venue, hinting at an impeachment proceeding, or, as he said expressly during the hearing, after his Presidency is over.
5
I am not happy with most of this coverage, which seems to be more about who looked good and who didn't, who is winning which partisan battles, and who isn't, who landed gotchas and who didn't, whether Mueller "stumbled," came across as a powerful senior prosecutor, or was otherwise sufficiently media-genic, and so on.
What we really need is a cogent discussion of two legal questions, not questions of politics. The primary question is: Did the president commit a high crime or misdemeanor. Its operative question for this hearing should have been: Do we have sufficient evidence to proceed with the the relevant analogue of an indictment, namely by proceeding with impeachment hearings.
Unfortunately, those all important questions seem to have been crowded out by the media's ever-present need to portray the hearings as if we were watching a soap opera, or in today's terms, a "reality" show, where our focus is on which of the different characters we most sympathize, not on the facts most relevant to whether to proceed with criminal charges.
8
I believe that we as a people have become too accustomed to hyperbole or dramatic sweeping statements that will immediately change our opinions. This did not happen yesterday. Mr. Mueller gave carefully thought out and measured responses to both Democrats and Republicans following a script laid out for him by AG Barr. There were certain issues he could not discuss or go beyond what was contained in the Mueller Report.
I doubt much will have an impact on the public. You are either for or against Mr. Trump. As he once claimed if he shot someone on Park Avenue, no one would care.
Believe me, I do care. The most important thing that came across to me was the Russian intervention in the 2016 elections. As Mr. Mueller pointed out there is evidence of such activity and it is ongoing -"they're doing it as we sit here." Also, he warned that the acceptance of Russian help in campaigns would be "a new normal."
Nixon's fall was due to a burglary at the Democratic headquarters and a coverup. Clinton's impeachment was due to moral issues. These were domestic issues. We are now in a new universe that seems to be controlled by international forces - at the moment Russia. But other countries might be encouraged to follow suit. It is up to the Democrats to protect our Democracy.
3
@Gladys-
Please ask Mitch McConnell why he refuses to bring ANY election security bills to the floor of the asenate for a vote.
Just yesterday, McConnell refused two bills.
While your at it, please ask Mitch McConnell why he has refused to vote or work on the 49 Bills the House has passed...
Yes, he finally took up the 911 Responders, but everything else? He has failed us.
@DM
Yes, you are quite right. I know that McConnell has formidable power to scrap a lot of bills. He also had the power to stop a Democratic Supreme Court nominee during Obama's last year in office. However, I doubt that he would listen to me. He would probably have me removed by his security detail.
I heard a man of integrity painstakingly address often deliberately complex questions, too frequently asked disrespectfully. His extraordinary (substantive) points -- that the bedrock of democracy, i.e., our voting and criminal justice systems, were subject to attack by Russians enabled by the Trump campaign, the investigation of which was repeatedly obstructed by President Trump -- need no megaphone or spin. He underscored that, beyond being crimes, this unethical and unpatriotic behavior puts our nation at risk. So, now, the House either must initiate impeachment or explain why illegality that threatens fundamental democratic institutions is not enough. And, while House action should not depend on each of us, in case it does, we can mirror Director Mueller's integrity by asking for appropriate and swift House action.
7
The difference between the Left and Right is the assumption that people are smart enough and interested enough to find the facts and the truth. The Dems consistently over estimate the intelligence and the willingness of the American public to wade into policy, facts and details while the Republicans play to the constant fact that most Americans are neither capable or interested in the whole truth. They play to their base's emotions while the Dems play to the hearts and minds. Guess which one wins?
6
As a Dem, it's just like the Dems to mess this up. Mueller told them that he didn't want to testify. Did congressional staff meet with him to ascertain his mental state? If a devoted, intelligent, longterm public servant doesn't want to testify, why not trust his acumen? Why force someone with excellent judgement to testify just to score political points? After this spectacle that suggests to many that an unwell man led the investigation, I am opposed to impeachment proceedings because it would be mis-managed by the Dems the way only they can mis-manage a process, just like the Kavanaugh confirmation process and hearings, just like the Mueller testimony, just like the 2016 election was mis-managed by the Dems. The public is decidedly not well served by an opposing party, many of whose leaders in Congress appear to lack the energy, commitment, and passion it takes to hold the Trump administration accountable.
2
I learned that the rule of law in America is dead. I learned that if you are rich and powerful enough, you can profit from illegal actions and not face any retribution. I learned you can steal an election, steal a swing Supreme Court seat and steal the truth from the people. I learned that Pelosi, Schumer and the rest of the moderates did nothing to protect us from this debacle. I learned that it's only going to get worse for everyone, left, center or right in this country. The "great experiment" is over.
9
Rather than looking for substance and being perceptive about the manner of Robert Mueller, many folks, including many of the press, were dedicated to raising their personal profiles but in doing so revealed their ignorance. It is alarming how unprepared and uneducated some of the house members appeared to be. Fortunately, there were some positive standouts, Rep. Val Demings of Florida, previously unknown to me.
3
The coverage and comments on these hearings are outrageous. Mueller's job was to determine whether there was Russian interference, whether there were improper contacts between the Trump administration, and whether there was obstruction of justice. His report and his statements are consistent on all three points. Instead, the media is focused on how Mueller came across, why there was no smoking gun (there definitely was, if you read the report, which is why so many prosecutors have signed a letter in support of prosecuting Trump), and why both Democrats and Republicans are disappointed. As a nation we should be shocked that our elections are tainted, that our executive branch is working with Russia and trying to block inquiries, and that government officials in all three branches of government are blocking attempts to set things right (gerrymandering on the Supreme Court). People should be shouting for justice on every street corner in America. We are under attack, both from the outside and from the inside, and regardless of political party, we as Americans need to stand up for our own future, the future of our children, and the future of the free world. And the press needs to stop balancing Republican and Democratic viewpoints and begin defending the U.S. Constitution. That's their job.
6
Our legal system will do to Trump after he leaves office much more than our current Senate will do under McConnell and his Russian loving Senate henchmen so impeachment isn't necessary. Trumps base would see the lack of Senate action as a victory for Trump and an exoneration of his acts.
2
There are plenty of people out here who are even more energized against Trump going into the election, not discouraged, following the Mueller presentation for the following reasons:
* In his good moments, Mueller said emphatically that the current occupant of the WH is a liar and collaborator with a foreign adversary.
* The capable albeit corrupt Republican cross-examiners provided a terrifying roadmap of what will happen to this country if Trump is not checked, however possible—a country without laws or democratic principles.
* Trump’s bullying Tweets following Mueller’s morning session—without addressing his own traitorous and illegal behaviors—remind us
again just what is at stake should he not be vacated from the presidency.
* The likelihood that this great experiment in representative government will end once our voting system becomes corrupted by foreign money and manipulation—even more so than in 2016.
There are too many reasons to keep the faith and do the work to get Trump out.
4
Groundhog Day yet again for Democrats...the 'NOT-- NOT Guilty' verdict delivered yet again won't change anything with the public who are now entrenched into their partisan positions. When it backfires next year, Dems will have no one to blame but themselves.
5
There are millions of reasons not to have elected Trump or to make sure he isn’t re-elected but the whole Russian collusion/conspiracy is not one of them. The Democratic Party and the majority of the media have been exposed. Better get your house in order pronto or you will have another 4 years in the wilderness.
3
It would have been interesting to learn why the Obama administration did nothing to stop the Russian meddling, which occurred from 2014 to 2016. This was under their watch, and they were aware of it.
6
@Judith Kenninger
It would have been interesting to learn why the Republican Congress did nothing to stop the Russian meddling, which occurred from 2014 to 2016. This was under their watch, and they were aware of it.
2
This paper in an editorial indicated Mifsud was a spy. The contact between him and Papadopoulos was the genesis of crossfire hurricane, again my source is the New York Times. Does he work with western intelligence? No matter how much you hate Trump you aught to be curious about this. It seems like the CIA/FBI may have interfered with the Presidential election.
4
Democrats have bought into the lame duck madness promoted by, doctor death, Mitch McConnell. He has promoted the idea if an election is coming within two years, you can't take any actions- if you are a Democratic House. Impeach Trump and schedule the inquiry to end in January 2020. That is your power. Have a inquiry on all of his crimes. The topic of the week is economic treason, selling out the Country for future profits. Trump didn't just pick Manafort and start talking about dismantling NATO. It was part of the deal.And btw., the statute of limitations is extended for the Citizen President. The clock starts when the office is handed over.
4
“Why did the president of the United States want you fired?” asked Representative Ted Deutch, Democrat of Florida.
A perfect example of a brainless question, asking Mueller for clairvoyance. Who needs Republicans to make the Dems look witless??
4
Re impeachment: the message Democrats are sending is “we won’t do it because we’ll lose”.
Now that’s a message to broadcast to millions of young citizens and children - only do the right thing when you know you’ll win.
6
I have seen a lot of criticism of Mr. Mueller for halting speech and verbal stumbling, even going so far as to speculate he is suffering from some age related cognitive impairment. Given that he had more trouble formulating answers when questioner spoke rapidly and interrupted him, my guess is that he has some age related hearing loss (presbyacusis) that hasn't been addressed. 40% of 55-74 year olds have hearing loss and half of people over age 80 suffer from it. His age and exposure to loud noises during Vietnam war combat I bet resulted in hearing loss which caused difficulty during the rapid fire questioning from certain committee members. He probably needs a hearing aid and like most people with hearing loss has resisted getting one. 80% of people who would benefit from a hearing aid don't use one, mostly because they don't want to admit a decline in functionality. What they don't realize is that often people around them misinterpret their lack of hearing (which manifests as a slow or confused response because they miss words and can't "catch up" to the conversation) as a more ominous decline in mental function. Mr. Mueller could very well be in that category and the fact that he can articulate important points just fine in one to one interviews or smaller groups is more hearing loss than cognitive impairment. Everyone over 50 should get their hearing checked and use a hearing aid if needed, better a little blow to vanity than being perceived as "losing it."
4
This talk of mueller’s frailty is ridiculous in my opinion. The man is 74 , went through hours of testimony, every person in the place is focused on him , everyone asking him questions, just him...plus, he had to make sure what he stated was accurate, not an easy task for anyone.
11
accurate... and, of course, non-committal and evasive.
1
My takeaways:
*Trump is a liar. (shocker!) He claimed Mr. Mueller “begged” him for the FBI Director job when he never even applied.l he was there to give input on the role he previously held for over 10 years.
*Trump welcomed help from Russia and promoted the Wikileaks brand. Not a crime without proof of conspiracy but not a quality we want or expect from an American President.
* Trump obstructed justice and if he was not POTUS, would likely be indicted for his behavior.
*Paul Manafort shared 2016 polling data on battleground states with Russians.
*Many associates of Trump including his fixer and former campaign manager just name a few, have been charged with crimes or are in jail. What does that say about the company he keeps? Not good no matter how you spin it.
I feel sad that we are stuck with him for now. I feel terrified that because there is no accountability, Russia will do worse next time. Time to file impeachment to get courts to hand over info.
11
What we learned...? We learned how the news media is once again going to be manipulated to help Trump win the election. We learned that the normally objective faction of the news media is incredibly open to suggestion from the insular right wing media and therefore willing to be lead by the nose.
I did not see a single Democrat interview or quote prior to the hearings predicting a "bombshell". In fact, the talking heads I saw on CNN predicted that Mueller would do exactly what he did. None-the-less, immediately as the first 5 minute break offered Fox News their first opportunity, it was proclaimed in headlines everywhere that "Democrats are severely disappointed". Fox News, et al. proclaimed Trump won again, and the rest proclaimed that the Democrats lost. One law professor claiming to be in favor of impeachment had tweeted his displeasure, and the rest was universally attributed to "some Democrats". What Democrats? Congressmen? Guys at the bar?
In fact, for anyone bothering to watch, one could clearly see the Republicans acting incredulous and harumphing as Mueller sat stone faced and said "That question is best directed elsewhere." The Democrats seemed to be getting what they expected, airing the findings of the report on TV. The Republicans and state TV could be seen trying to gain validity for conspiracy theories, focusing on the conclusion of volume 1, and justifying obstruction of justice.
4
Anytime trump repeats things over and over and over you realize the truth is the opposite of what he says. This old tired brainwashing technique, like fox noise entertainment, helps reinforce what they are suppose to believe....trump thinks if he says it enough times it becomes real. Sorry, Don the Con, some of US have brains of our own and can see right through you. Too bad others cannot.
5
What did we learn?
We know that Jerry Nadler is sitting somewhere at a desk today, sobbing uncontrollably and pounding that desk with his fists. Adam Schiff is there too, trying to unlock the door and console him.
5
Why does the Republican Party condone
Russian espionage?
The Russians don’t need help .
10
I didn't learn much. Muellar's halting, and at times tortured, testimony was a surprise but he staunchly vouched for his report. What I did learn was that Pelosi was more spineless than I thought. What's she waiting for. Court decisions? Public support? A lightning bolt from God? The evidence for impeachment is all in the report and while she dithers we will be subject to endless blatherings from the president. So either bow out gracefully Nancy or do your job.
2
Pelosi is waiting for Mitch McConnell to drop dead. there is less than no point for the House to go through the agonies of impeachmemt, even if it hadmore popular backing, if McConnell would pull out every stop to block conviction in the Senate. he might not be able to absolutely prevent a Senate vote, should the House send up a bill, but he could delay bringing it to the floor by one tactic after another until the election is upon us, thereby giving the President a strong campaign strategy bound to go over like gangbusters with his constituency.
1
@RNS Both of you guys are short changing Pelosi's political skill and knowledge. She is playing a longer game and is absolutely dedicated to upholding the constitution. She will get out of the way and back impeachment when her caucus demands it. Support is indeed growing and Pelosi is smart enough to know any Senate resistance to holding Trump accountable can be used as a weapon against Republicans in 2020. I'll give you that Pelosi is walking a tightrope, but she isn't stupid. Pelosi is setting herself up to take the heat on purpose while the Democrats gather the evidence and support they need from their constituents to make a solid case against Trump.
@Twg I hope you're right on Pelosi. While Pelosi fiddles the orange one keeps marching on trampling all over the constitution, the justice department, free press, political opponents, norms, congress etc. The game may be over long before Nancy's longer game comes about.
I learned two things.
1.Donald Trump and his circle engaged in activities that were, and or, should be defined as criminal.
2. Rod Rosenstein is a protector of Donald Trump who appointed a special prosecutor who is far enough past his prime to be malleable; to take orders and to forget that he was once a hero because he would not stand for anyone calling him a traitorous leader of a cabal seeking to over throw the duly elected government of the United States.
2
Yesterday, we closed the book on Mueller. What the NYT should do now is ask when the Democrats are going to create a policy platform for 2020. The NYT is the paper "of record" and we depend on you to keep a check on BOTH parties. You need to demand a platform...and you need to demand immigration reform now. Use your power for good. The Mueller report and impeachment are history.
3
@J. G. Smith
... history? So, apparently, are Democrats like you.
I wonder how many of the Democrat Committee(s) Members read the report completely? They should have been asked that, each one, by Mueller. It is doubtful if the total pages read by all Democrat members added up to the total number of pages in the report.
A waste of precious American resources.
@Jabin
You're right! They should have been asked. That might have been the most embarrassing moment in TV history! I did read the report. I'm over it. But I do 100% support the investigation to learn how this mess started. And we clearly need to put requirements in place to ensure the person who is app't to lead an inquiry really is doing his/her job and not delegating it to others, which is what Mueller seems to have done.
Most Americans consider WikiLeaks’ dump of allegedly hacked Democratic National Committee email and its subsequent publication by WikiLeaks the major incident of Russia interference in the 2016 presidential election. The allegation is that Russian intelligence “weaponized” the purloined email by delivering it to WikiLeaks. The WikiLeaks exposé revealed the the DNC was sabotaging the Bernie Sanders’ campaign to ensure Hillary Clinton won the Democratic Party nomination.
But most Americans are unaware that the Mueller report establishes that the purpose of the exposé was to help Sanders, not Trump.
The Mueller report notes that Julian Assange despised Hillary, who he described as “sadistic sociopath. It reveals that Wikileaks contacted Guccifer 2.0—presumedly the persona of a Russian intelligence operative—and asked for “anything Hillary related” because the Democratic National Convention was approaching. WikiLeaks told Guccifer 2.0 that “we think trump has only a 25% chance of winning against Hillary so conflict between Bernie and Hillary is interesting.”
The exposé anger and energized Sanders supporters. If Trump is unpatriotic for receiving Russian help, so is Sanders
5
@William CaseVol.
I forgot to add the citation; it's Vol 1, Page 45 of the Muller report.
1
Impeachment now.
4
Wow, now the whole world can see just how dysfunctional the USA is.
A weak, lying, coward of a president against a legal system that confirms that he is way above US law and the rest of the US citizens. Anyone else would be in prison.
The constant cry you hear from Americans that no one is above the law is another obvious lie. Your president has the powers of a dictator or king. You cannot touch him and he can do whatever he wants and without reason.
Under Trump it is clear as day to the entire world that the USA is NO democracy.
6
Once again the democrats lose. While focusing on the fact that Mr. Mueller did not exonerate Trump democrats allowed republicans to (truthfully) elicit from Mr. Mueller the fact that that was not something Mr. Mueller could do.
Democrats forgot to hammer the fact that Trump reveled in his claim that the Mueller report "completely exonerated" him. No one asked: "So when Mr. Trump made the claim the report completely exonerated him - was that true?"
3
@Jonathan M
Chairman Nadler asked that question in the first 5 minutes and Mueller confirmed it was NOT true-that the Report did NOT exonerate Trump.
3
@DM
A double double negative (burger).
But they did not ask: When Trump reveled and exclaimed the report exonerated me, was Trump telling the truth. It is about Trump's claims of exoneration.
I think this reads like "A Tale of Two (starkly different) Men"
- One who follows every rule in the book; to a point of fault.
and
- Another (& his party) who believe the only rule is to win at all costs; no matter what other rules are broken.
It is for us (American people) to decide, if we will let flashy style and "alternative facts" to prevail over truth and substance.
15
It is clear by his manner and answers Mueller is unwilling to become a figure in any political fracas. However his disclosures were perfectly clear that the Russians were a big part of our last election and were cheered on by Trump. Without adding embellishment he also confirmed at least in four instances that Trump obstructed justice, any one being enough to get him impeached. The ammunition is there if the democrats choose to use it.
10
I agree that for Mr. Mueller, “It is not a witch hunt,” but it’s unfortunate for Democrats that it was they who turned it into one; for if they hadn’t today they could have been celebrating and proudly boasting that it was they who had single handedly and undeniably uncovered Russia’s diabolically elaborate plan to undermine democracy, rather than now having to timidly slink away into the corner instead for the shame of having had annoyed a literate American public for so long with their petty partisan politics.
2
Mueller confirmed everything that was in the report that most Americans have not read. That was the reason for the hearing. Anyone who watched it will now know that
1. Trump and his team colluded with Russia to win the election but Mueller could not find the written and/or tapes of that agreement to prove "conspiracy against the US." So, insufficient evidence to charge.
2. Trump obstructed justice many times and if he were not president, he'd be on trial for all those felonies, along with witness tampering and perjury.
3. Trump refused to be interviewed by Mueller, did not fill out all the answers to his written questions, wrote "cannot recall" on most of the questions about obstruction and even lied on some.
4. Russia attacked our country to pick the president, is still attacking our country and will in the next election, and the republican senate refuses to do anything about it.
5. Other enemy countries have the same capabilities now as Russia to attack our elections and will probably be doing so in 2020.
6. The FBI still has ongoing investigations into the Americans who are helping our enemies attack us.
7. The only body who can address Trump's lawlessness and treasonous behavior is Congress. The republicans refuse to do their jobs as they welcome these enemy attacks thinking it will help them win elections.
8. Mueller told the truth and has the evidence to back it all up in his report. Those calling it a hoax are lying to the public and themselves.
6
personally, I'm waiting for the Comics Illustrated edition of the redacted sections, the ones with all the jucy facts and confirming evidence AG Barr personally decided I am not allow to see, despite my small contribution to paying for Mueller's report.
1
7 Hours of Wasted Time/ 2 years of a Empty investigation/ Millions of Tax Dollars wasted...and its not just the price of the investigation....its a sum that is beyond knowing for the real waste was a Congress Not doing its Job as it has been Obsessed with taking Down the President and its Own Relection from Day One that Trump Won the Election.
9
Senate blocks all bills. McConnell public enemy#1
1
What I learned is that despite the White House hand picking Mueller to protect them, the evidence was too strong for him to cover up without it looking bad
Even conservatives now question Mueller's credibility and believe that it's time for this President to go
As a soon to be former Republican, I agree with them
3
So, basically circus. Photo-op and grandstanding.
I saw bits of this throughout the day and was not impressed.
It might have been more fruitful to have given Mueller a list of questions in advance and had the responses presented with some time for follow up, but that would have left the majority of the speakers in the background.
1
I am quite moderate by temperament, by remain shocked by the Republicans’ reactions to Russia’s ongoing attacks on our democracy. Rather than defending our country, they are far more interested in attacking and undermining those who call out Russia’s actions.
We saw it again yesterday, as one Republican after another attacked Robert Mueller yesterday. And we see it in the Senate, which fails to act on legislation passed in the House to protect elections.
I gather this isn’t treasonous, but I’m not clear why not.
247
@Tom The DNC made it very easy for the Russians to attack our democracy, like "password" kind of easy.
@Sean Johnson Perhaps. Is the proper response to undermine all efforts to prevent it from happening again?
12
@Tom Hillary spent $1.4 billion on her campaign. Trump spent $700 million on his. Best estimates are that Russian meddling was an equivalent marketing spend of about $300,000 and was a mix of social media posts and that only some of them were pro-Trump. Nobody wants foreign governments meddling in their elections, but it happens all the time. I'd wager that the Chinese spent far more on our election than the Russians. The US has a prolific history of meddling in other countries' elections. Is a $300,000 spend in a $2.1 billion total spend election in any way material?
2
Mr. Mueller's testimony underscored a premise that seems to have eluded many Americans, which is that the investigation Special Counsel Mueller conducted is finished.
He has done his job with efficiency and honor and under the parameters and limits imposed upon him.
The people, as well as the legislators, now have their own "jobs" to do; read the full report, do not cherry-pick, use their critical thinking skills, stop posturing and harassing Mr. Mueller.
Is Mr. Mueller obliged or obligated to explain his work in simplistic, elemental terms? or will Congress figure it out and take appropriate action(s)?
1
I see similarities between Pelosi's reluctance to pursue justice with regard to Trump's many crimes and misdemeanors and Acosta's reluctance to pursue justice for Jeffrey Epstein's victims a decade ago. Both Trump and Epstein have powerful friends, lots of money and influence and the outcome of prosecution was and is not assured, even though the evidence against them was and is overwhelming. Don't make the mistake of allowing Trump to escape justice the way Epstein did. Anyone who takes solace that Trump could still be prosecuted after he leaves office should think again. Failing to initiate impeachment proceedings at this point is a tacit agreement with Trump's contention that he's done nothing wrong. He could well win re-election and don't think for a minute that any Republican successor to the presidency would ever hold him accountable. This is the moment for anyone in Congress who still respects their oath of office to act, be they Democrat or Republican.
2
Ok
Things I learned:
1-GOP members of Congress don’t care about Russian meddling in your elections as long as they are the beneficiaries
2- GOP’s so called base will vote for Trump no matter what
3- Democrats should set aside egos -
4- Impeachment inquiry is a must
5- 2020 elections are crucial for the Democrats and USA - world
4
It only took a few minutes to see where this appearance was going. Nowhere. One thing did become clear. Robert Mueller did not have much to do with the "report". In fact, it is apparent from yesterday, he did not even read it. I wish for his and his family's sake, he would have declined the job as Special Counsel. This cannot be the way you want to go out when you retire.
Secondly, can't Congress question their witnesses with decent diplomacy, as opposed to treating the individual as if they were "America's Most Wanted".
1
Re those who comment on Mueller's style versus his substance. We have all become, to varying degrees, victims of the PT Barnum Syndrome. When we hear a public figure speak, we are paying less attention to WHAT they say and the ramifications of their statements, and more to the staging, the sound effects, the drama. Most of what politicians now say is a short one liner with no explanation and support, but since we are busy looking at the sideshow we don't notice the lack of accuracy, clarity and detail. A politician who was as deadpan as Robert Mueller would not have a good rating on their "performance" in a debate, no matter how accurate, honest and well thought out their comments were. As they say, send in the clowns
4
the tepid mueller hearing was a foregone conclusion. he had repeatedly stressed his desire to remain silent and to allow the report he and his team had drafted to speak for itself. people who wanted him to elaborate were stymied; people who wanted him to back up trump's and barr's spin were stiff-armed; and his testimony did not less a struggle not to say too much, but an attempt to appear less beaten down.
i would still like to know why avoiding the likely delays subpoenaing trump would have prompted was a sound prosecutorial decision not to subpoena him.
1
Holy cow! A report on the CONTENT of the testimony!
Finally, a story of the NYT that isn't about how things were said, but what was actually said.
Of course, since the Times reporting for weeks has been dominated by tweets and reactions and "how this plays out" coverage, to actually cover the content now is an admission of how cosmetic and superficial their coverage has been before.
About time. The Post is far ahead of you.
1
I keep hoping America will wake up and realize Trump was a bad dream. A mistake to be corrected.
But the Russians determined the best way to disrupt America, was to hand the government over to the Republicans.
We got played. Twice.
2
Seems Trumpers and the rest of world watched different hearings. Poor fellows.
3
The main takeaway is that people need to be taught reading and comprehension, how to research, how to listen and how to think critically. This hearing stems entirely from Barr's disingenuous and egregious summary of a report he didn't even bother to read, followed by a deluge of lying tweets believed by the gullible and applauded by the self-serving.
5
I was unable to sit through most of the hearing(s) yesterday.
The sight of Gym Jordan and Louie Gohmert railing - Inquisition style - at Robert Mueller literally turned my stomach.
Lest we forget: Robert Mueller was - initially - rejected for service in Vietnam due to problems with his knees. He took a year, built up his muscles, re-applied and entered the military. While abroad, he earned numerous awards for bravery. He served his country with honor and valor.
Contrast this to (y)our President who spent the war years (by his own admission) fighting sexually transmitted diseases in Manhattan nightclubs, after getting a phony deferral because of bone spurs (diagnosed by one of his father's tenants).
NOT my president
9
Not enough, I fear. It's going to be a very long 15 months. Meanwhile, his AG has renewed executions after a two decade suspension, global warming has broken all records, socioeconomic and racial divisions are now as wide as the Grand Canyon, and the economy remains barely afloat on the back of record debt.
The other Anglo-Saxon once 'great' nation now has a Mini-Me in charge, and Europe teeters under the weight of populist challenges that are not wholly undeserved.
The future looks bleak indeed.
3
It would be interesting to know how the testimony would have unfolded had Mueller been required to actually answer every question. As things were, the hearings could be reasonably described as “fifty ways to say no comment” (borrowing from Paul Simon).
I started to watch Mr. Mueller's testimony before Congress yesterday, with great anticipation. I hoped that finally seeing and hearing the "real person" behind the mysterious external persona of nice gray hair and distinguished reputation, would finally put the lid on OUR (i.e. we, the general public) conflicting understandings and interpretations of his 448 page Report. Unfortunately, for me at least, it did not. His integrity seems impeccable. However, his ability to provide a brief summary of the most important findings of his investigation, in simple, clear English, leaves much to be desired. I doubt that anybody who watched him speak yesterday, changed their minds one way or the other .
2
Impeachment is the right thing to do. In spite of how it turns out, and in spite of the outcome of the next elections. It needs to be done to send precedent that the American people and the American democracy will not tolerate this kind of behavior in a president. Otherwise, we'll become numb to corruption, like it happened in Latin American countries. We are already numb to many things, mass shootings to name one. If we don't impeach Trump, we'll have future presidents (on both sides of the isle) doing the same things he is doing.
109
@anonymous23 The Senate is numb to corruption. The house pursuing impeachment is tantamount to becoming Don Quixote. Why?
5
@anonymous23
Mueller was able to deliver the facts that Trump colluded with the Russian government, engaged in a cover-up, and obstructed justice.
Yet, Trump appeared very pleased by what transpired in that testimony.
That's because the Republicans delivered a preview of what impeachment will look like: a concerted and sustained attack on our legal, justice, and national security institutions.
5
@anonymous23 No, no, no. For so many reasons (e.g., the climate, growing inequality, the spreading of racial hatred and intolerance, etc.) neither our country nor the world can risk the "outcome of the next elections." Since there is absolutely no chance that the craven, party-above-all-else Republican Senate would vote to impeach, impeachment by the House would essentially be an empty gesture - but one that could very well both rile up Trump's base and divert attention from the issues that favor Democrats. For those who point to how Republicans were eventually moved to force Nixon to resign rather than face an impeachment verdict, let me just say that we have a different sort of Republican party now, as clearly evidenced by their performance yesterday.
6
One thing made clear was the narrowness of Mueller's scope. It is essential that the committees doggedly pursue the unfinished business before beginning impeachment proceedings. Foremost in my mind are the financials.
I am hard-pressed to imagine what evidence the Senate would need to convict, but what is currently there is not it. To have the case go to the Senate and then not get conviction is the surest way to close this chapter in the public's mind, leaving impressions of exoneration and witch hunt to many.
We can't let this happen.
4
@Ray Barrett
On the contrary, impeachment itself would bring into glaring public light all of Trump's transgressions.
Trump would have no valid defense, and a GOP vote to clear him would be obvious hypocrisy.
It would strengthen the Democrats' position.
2
To me, the inescapable conclusion to be reached from yesterday's hearings is simple. It is time for all the fringe Democratic candidates (Castro, Gillibrand, deBlasio, Booker Klobuchar, O'Rourke, others) to follow Eric Swallwell's lead and withdraw from the campaign. We have reached the point where it is time for them to use their megaphones for a united, coordinated, and refined campaign against Trump, as there is no savior coming to deliver Trump from the Presidency. . We must be ridded of him.
16
Slam-bang news whether from F&F, NYT, or WAPO has become tedious. Still, it is probably best to let Trump marinate in the collusion, obstruction, criminal and treasonous juices that squirt from him when he is squeezed a bit, from time to time.
Many of the questions put to Mr. Mueller yesterday were so poorly constructed as to be incomprehensible without a second run through. That is the fault of the questioning politicians, not the witness Mueller.
18
@Nancy And what you wrote is a sad indictment of the quality of candidates for elected government positions. I saw my congressman speak basically for the sake of speaking. I suppose the optics were considered important, but for myself I would rather have substance or keep quiet.
2
Mueller presented plenty of evidence implicating Trump in crimes. He confirmed it yesterday. As he could not prosecute Trump, he always made it clear that the Congress would have to do so. That story has yet to play out. The Republican reaction to this was exemplified by Louis Gohmert: mindless yelling, spitting, denial and feigned indignation.
15
We learned that Robert Mueller hadn't read the Mueller report.
#MAGA
6
@Conroy Sounds like you are one of those who don't care about the Mueller investigation and the democracy.
2
What I learned ? Is that the Republicans have zero interest in whether or not the Russians interfered in our election process in '16. Is that they have zero interest in any of Trump's wrongdoing. I learned that these people, who like to loosely toss around the word 'patriot', are anything but. A truly shameful day for this country.
18
@sheikyerbouti we also learned that these lessons were taught during the OBAMA administration and nothing was done then either.
1
@RS
Really ? Obama ? Show me.
The real issue is how this investigation was framed all along as pushed by Democrats for political reasons, and was about Trump's collusion with Russia. So it was a lost cause before it even began. And the rest of it was nothing more than reality tv, while so many people pinned their misguided hopes on this made up savior. The subsequent Barr and redacted report on display added more insult to injury. And the American people still refuse to wake up. They watched the highly promoted new show called the Muller Testimony with renewed anticipation.
One can dissect the report with a scalpel and keep the circus going 'till eternity and nothing will happen, except maybe Trump abolishing term limit. So much time, resources wasted, sadly sponsored by the everyday hard working American's tax money. ( remember people like Trump don't pay taxes) Sad.
1
The Democrats should pack their bags and go home.
4
And, you should just leave the country altogether and move to Russia, that’s where trump will go once he’s out of office in order to avoid jail time!!
1
Another thing I learned is that Democrats were conflating obstruction and collusion much the same way they conflate "Illegal alien and legal alien" After enough talking heads repeat wrong information long enough it doesn't matter anymore.
FACTS:
1) No collusion with Russia
2) The only obstruction was political obstruction for a false claim against him, which is totally excusable but not criminal obstruction. This is why Mueller corrected himself later that day stating he could not find enough to press charges (Yes, this is after he fumbled and said it was because of an OLC opinion, not before)
SUMMATION:
1) No collusion
2) No legal obstruction
3) No legal way to exonerate on not exonerate because no crimes were committed.
4) No matter how much you hate the President these are the facts
5) Try impeachment now and guarantee a loss of the presidency and the house in 2020
6) Time to move on. Prove to the American people that liberal policies are better than conservative policies and try to win an election the LEGITIMATE way unlike Hillary.
12
It turns out that jumping up and down and shouting NO over and over isn’t terribly impressive except as a sort of bizarre spectacle.
4
Just because you wrote all that out making your claims of FACT, doesn’t make it true...just as Trump repeatedly claims the same, it’s simply wrong, the report and mueller ‘s testimony clearly stated there was collusion and there was obstruction....if trump wasn’t the sitting president he would have charged trump with a crime.
1
@RS Apparently you did not read Mueller's report or hear his testimony. A brain washed by Fox Fake News.
3
Mr. Mueller should as a private citizen, without the restraints of public servant, tell the people of this country what he what he took away from his investigation of this troubled Administration. He is a citizen of this country and is now in a unique position to assist us in understanding what he learnt from his investigation and what “influence” the Attorney General and the Trump Administration had on the investigation.His opinion of what is needed to rescue this country from the obvious corrupt Trump Administration is paramount.If Mueller does not stand up and voice his respected opinion we may find that this country will deteriorate even further under a second term of Trump and his cohorts.
6
An excellent example of how journalism has gone wrong. It is so clear the writer of this article made no attempt to approach what he saw with journalistic integrity or balance. It doesn't just sound like it was written by a spokesperson for the Democratic party. It is unashamedly only seeing an important political event from one devoted advocate's perspective. I'm no fan of Trump; but please don't insult readers with this embarrassing approach to journalism
5
If only they all had the integrity and loyalty to this country that Mueller does.
7
"What We Learned" - it took all those paragraphs to say "nothing"?
4
But the FOX crowd is cheering for Barabbas instead.
5
Clearly Mueller did not want to be there giving his testimony: he appeared tired and worn down. In a way, I am not surprised. Mueller is a man of the utmost character: a wounded veteran, decorated war hero, lifelong law enforcement officer -- a man who gave his life to the service of his country. And what does he get for this in his aging years? His character is publically shredded by a man who is bereft of any character whatsoever, by a man whose life has been spent in service only to himself and his greed, and by that man's feckless, cult followers who have blinded themselves to truth and justice.
10
Mr Mueller was exemplary, I am proud of him. He stuck to his guns, properly answered frequently that his answers are already in the text. That he faltered under hammering repeated questions does not concern me. The interrogators had their questions rehearsed, ready and printed, hopping around the report, while Mr Mueller had only seconds to collect his thoughts and try to look up the specific text. That is very difficult.
He would have provided more clear answers if he had been allowed to prepare and write his responses--just like Mr Trump was allowed to do.
18
Mr Mueller yesterday continued his exemplary dedication to America. His life-long service was enhanced during his testimony yesterday. He emphasized what we know; that is, the president could be charged with crimes and election interference is a decided threat. Remember, what he had to deal with during his investigation: a United States president who spoke with Putin ten times but who never spoke with Mr Mueller. Americans should ask why.
14
What I learned from this 7 hours of testimony is that there are an awful lot of Democrats that need and hopefully will go to prison after the IG report is completed. I also learned that political hit jobs like this and the Kavanaugh hearings are more transparent to moderate and conservative thinkers.
6
So...the Trump Tower meeting was about adoption, after all?
4
@Brielle I don't think anyone really cares! Do you think DJT is the only politician to act this way. There is rock solid proof that Hillary did far worse.
1
@RS
You miss the point, of course, especially since you'd be howling if the tables were turned and Clinton et al. met with Russian operatives at Clinton Tower. Why bother to pretend otherwise?
Meanwhile, if such "worse" proof about Clinton exists, why not provide a credible, verifiable sampling of it? When you make a claim, back it up.
Adulthood 101.
Nice deflection, though; par for the course.
I continue to be stunned at how low Republicans go to excuse their own - and only their own.
I think it is hard to appreciate, in DC and at the NYT, how little the nation was watching this event.
4
Trumps worshippers would like you to believe that Mueller's disposition and not his findings are what matters.
What matters is that Mueller confirmed that Trump is a criminal who can be prosecuted once he leaves office.
Let's make sure he's gone in 2020!
11
@Mark Again, another example of a Dem shooting themselves in the foot with words. Keep talking like this and you give DJT a reason to never leave the office. How about those apples!
1
I watched the whole thing. Both sessions. Here's my takeaway: THE PRESIDENT IS A CRIMINAL.
23
@Lissa I think if you are really honest with yourself you know that regardless of what happened or didn't happen yesterday your takeaway would have been the same.
I watched Mueller and thought that this duty he has had for the last 2 years is killing him. He knows full well the criminality of this administration and the weight of it is killing him. He lacked vigor and seemed rattled by simple questions, like an old man who has not slept in months. He has aged as a president does with the enormity of the job, that is a president with a moral compass.
Now let history record Mitch McConnell's treasonous lack of action to stop further interference. Because that is what he is doing, treason.
11
@georgiadem Agreed. Mitch McConnell is the main culprit why our country has fallen so low. Without Mitch McConnell, there would be no trump today.
2
I agree that this nation is in deep peril....and I believe there is so much more going on of a far more sinister nature than we know at this point.
The other perilous problem, is the American people themselves. If the majority of us become stupid or lazy and do not pay attention to the illegal actions and the rants of this would be dictator, what happens to this nation is on us.
Vote him out and vote McConnell out or suffer the consequences!
8
What we learned is the Congressional Democrats are inept at their jobs, I doubt they could run a popcorn stand.
For 3 times now they have been burned by Mueller.
- He didn't produce a "50 Shades of Grey" report
- His public reply to Barr's statement fell flat
- His testimony was an unmitigated disaster
Barr said he was not going to testify .. and for good measure. The man is 75 YO and slipping. The forced hearings made him look slow and forgetful.
Shame on the Congressional Democrats who peppered that man with rapid fire questions as he struggled to flip through his report.
If they were playing touch football with a 75 YO- how many times would they ask him to "Go Deep" before realizing [perhaps] that's not a good idea..
I am embarrassed and ashamed of the way the Congressional Democrats used that brilliant man for their own political vanities: "I'm the one who got Mueller to read his report aloud for me!"
Well he didn't read anything aloud. He wasn't the Democrats ventriloquist dummy- Mueller is a lifelong public servant and should have been treated with respect and dignity.
Shame on all of them!
4
@Aaron Apparently you watched Mueller's testimony in an alternate universe. It was Republicans that attacked Mueller's character in yesterday's testimony. Every democrat treated Mueller respectful. This was my objective observation. I do affiliate to any political party.
2
@Aaron
He's a public servant and well paid for it.
The public has a right to know the results of his work.
1
What I learned is that neither side got what they wanted, and Mr. Mueller just wants to be left the heck alone now that he has finished his job.
1
We're not saying that Trump's campaign director Manafort isn't a crook who gave polling data to the Russians. We're not saying Jared and Don Jr didn't meet with the Russians who offered help. We're not saying Flynn, Gates and Papadopoulos are not liars. We're not saying Trumps personal attorney didn't pay off a porn star. We're not saying Trump didn't try several times to fire the special prosecutor.
What we are saying is that a lifelong Republican prosecuted didn't like Trump.
The hero of yesterday is Adam Schiff (D-CA) in his opening question of Mr. Mueller. He created a 5 minute summary of all the offenses Trump & Co. committed in the 2016 election. Absolutely perfect proprietorial strategy by this Congressman.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWiFpxxWFlQ
It's the essence of what should be remembered about this president.
7
@Just Old Bob
I meant "prosecutorial" strategy!
1
“The Russians Are Coming?” No, that was just a subterfuge crudely employed by the Social Democrats in order to smear the The President in their endless “GOTCHA” games with our tax money. Money that could have gone to help feed and cloth the huge numbers of undocumented trespassers flooding our country today thru our broken border with Latin/South America....Sad.
1
@Moe
There is no broken border.
The net immigration of undocumented aliens is at zero. As many leave as come in.
Asylum seekers are processed according to the law.
More money is indeed needed for humanitarian aid to those awaiting processing in Trump'as concentration camps.
What frustrates me about this whole process is the focus on the 2nd half of the report to the exclusion of the 1st. Yes, it is a very serious matter that our president obstructed this investigation, and if he broke the law in so doing, he should face the punishment.
But the serious part is what he sought to obstruct. A foreign adversary interfered in our elections in "sweeping and systematic" ways and intend to do so again. We need to be working furiously to protect our elections. And we need to hold accountable a president and a party who want to delay every effort to protect our elections.
The reason is seems like Democrats are trying to get Trump on a technicality or a gotcha is that we are so focused on whether we have enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law that he committed a particular crime, while overlooking the fact that he welcomed and encouraged this illegal assistance and has no intention of preventing it from happening in the future.
1
There was an opportunity for Robert Mueller to hit a home run, and Democrats in the hearings hoped that he would.
It apparently never occurred to them that if Mr. Mueller were still capable of that feat, he would have written a different report and would not have allowed himself to be retired so early and so easily.
In the end, the former heavy hitter hit a single, and with the help of some sloppy defense by the showboating Republican outfielders and the frantic cheering of the Democrats on the sidelines, he stretched it into a double.
There Robert Mueller remains, deferring to the Democratic Congress to win the game with the testimony of other reluctant witnesses, with names like Hicks and McGahn.
1
Mueller should have been like Starr, spending years investigating every lead to find something with which could be used to get Trump. Was that actually going to happen? Would Trump’s A.G. stop a prosecution without fear of Congress impeaching him?
The Democrats won the majority of seats in the House but with many districts with too many Republicans to make their seats secure. McConnell still controls the Senate.
1
John Ratcliffe, (R, Texas) asserted that Mueller had “‘inverted burden of proof’ by detailing the president’s conduct without charging him with a crime.” Oh, my word what a specious claim!
Of course Trump wasn’t charged. The policy of the Justice Department specifically prevents charging a sitting President with any crime. Ratcliff’s failed attempt at logic perversely makes Trump’s famous claim that he could murder someone in Times Square and get away with it come true.
The policy amounts to an administrative fiat, and it leaves impeachment as the only remedy for any crimes that a President might commit. While impeachment has the benefit of being the Constitutional solution, it does impose a formidable political barrier on the process because of the two-thirds requirement to convict in the Senate. Assuming Trump’s guilt, a pretty fair assumption at this point, this leaves a fairly steep political, not legal, impediment in place to prevent any sort of redemptive punishment.
Of course that is the price we must pay to live in a country that believes, more or less, in the rule of law. What is particularly galling, however, is that the R’s continue to aid and abet Trump’s clearly illegal intent. Ironic, isn’t it, coming from the traditionally “law and order” party?
3
It is time for impeachment hearings to begin. To prioritize political hesitations and pragmatic concerns over what is right and just only confirms how far away this country is from justice and morality (such boring words, right?). By not commencing impeachment, the Democrats are saying that what the president did was not so bad, and more along those lines can be done in the future, by both parties. As Yogi Berra once said, when you come to a fork in the road, take it!
We are at that fork in the road—we should recognize it and take it.
2
The testimony was compelling. But I was left with utter dismay at the extent to which Republicans have become the party of Trump. Our president is a known liar and delighted in the potential harm he could wreak on the Clinton campaign through illegally-gained information. Yet during the hearings, Republican committee members continued aggressive attacks on Mueller's integrity and voiced continued support for Trump.
Republicans are choosing party over country. The destructive influences on our democracy are clear. Yet it appears that foreign meddling in our elections has become the new normal, endorsed by such party stalwarts as Nunes and Gowdy. Republicans have adopted the McConnell approach to governance that he voiced under Obama when he said he would not pass one piece of Obama legislation and blocked Garland from the Supreme Court.
Russians incorporated themselves into our political campaigns in the 2016 elections. In Washington, Republicans seem to have neither the interest nor the will to protect our democracy from this. Dr. Mueller made it clear that this is the peril he sees and that he also sees it as the new normal because, from the top down, Republicans are unwilling to protect the American electorate from foreign interference because of the potential benefits to their candidates.
4
Moscow’s support for Trump was like an albatross hung around his neck. Far from helping Trump, it cost him millions of votes.
In its report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, the U.S. Intelligence Community noted that “Beginning in June, Putin’s public comments about the US presidential race avoided directly praising President-elect Trump, probably because Kremlin officials thought that any praise from Putin personally would backfire in the United States.” And backfire it did.
Hillary Clinton made Putin’s preference for Trump and the Trump Tower Moscow project her major talking points. On the campaign trail, she labeled Trump as “Putin’s Puppet.” At the presidential debates, she scored points by asking Americans is it were smart to vote for a candidate who Putin endorsers. Her charge that a vote for Trump was a vote for Putin saturated news media reports and talk show conversations.
Allegations that a paltry social media campaign orchestrated by a Russian oligarch upset by sanctions represented an assault on American democracy is a joke. Its only impact was to fuel a phony conspiracy investigation that damaged the Trump administration efforts to put its policies into effect.
3
The Russian government conducted multiple operations from disinformation to actually accessing voter rolls. This was not some angry oligarch telling Trump voters how bad a person was Hillary.
2
@Casual Observer
What Russian-generated ad, facebook post or tweet do you think swung the election? I didn't noticed any of them. People I talk to say they didn't notices any wither. They only saw those reproduced on the new media after the election as examples.
Everyone I talk to remember Hillary branding Trump as Putin's plaything.
Hard to prove who was and was not affected without a thorough investigation. However, the Russians have a century of data from disinformation efforts. They know what issues set people off and against each other. The evidence shows that they played on the presumptions of people on all sides to create conflicts.
Clinton was seen by people as a bad human being with no real factual evidence of any wrong doing. But if people mistrusted business interests or feared creeping socialism, she was a symbol of what they disliked. Spread a story that she ran a child molestation ring, and a lot of people just thought it fit.
The Russian played with Americans to create so much ill feeling that people did not vote. That has historically given an edge to Republican candidates, because Republicans vote.
Mr. Mueller’s conduct throughout this entire process has been above board, transparent and in every way highly professional and in my mind a model of perfection. His previous personal and professional conduct have been above reproach. These are all characteristics Americans should strive for. A pity that a man of his integrity must subject himself to such abuse by opportunists with a political agenda.
4
Mr Mueller's most urgent message was that Russia, and others, are interfering in our electoral processes. They did in 2016, and they are now. He hopes this is not a 'new normal'. We all should.
The media is doing a disservice by not putting this front and center.
There is so much to do. Some states still have voting machines that can't be audited, some have antiquated machines. Little has been done to protect us from internet mischief. Bright sunlight needs to shine on inaction.
4
If one would like to answer the implied question in the headline "What NEW We Learned From Mueller's 7 Hours on Capital Hill"; the truest answer is NOTHING.
For those who think Trump is thief, conman (well just add the rest of the standards here) - he still is.
For those who think he is honest and good for the country; suffering the attacks of a fake media, blah, blah, blah - he remains so.
Sadly, Trump will win in 2020 because Democrats are incompetent vis-a-vis a presidential election battle plan. Then 4 more years will pass and Trump will have avoided obstruction charges because the statute of limitations will pass.
He will declare victory at every turn and then he will eventually pass from the earth - we will we all.
Mueller refused to join the circus. Bravo!
He was a consummate professional with integrity and respect for the law in a world where click-bait, memes, one-trick ponies and complete disrespect for facts, ethics, the law and democratic institutions have become a driving force, led by this admin and its carnival barker. I'm not surprised Mueller was deliberate, asked for questions to be repeated and refused to read from the report. He is a prosecutor, not a circus act, nor a comic book hero, nor an emperor with no clothes. Agreement to a quote or wording of a question without looking to see that the former was exact or re-examining the latter would have had him crucified—result, more propaganda memes would take precedence over factual reports. Republicans, Trump and those with trumpitis painted a target on his back instead of seeking the truth. I'm sure he knows after 2 years of trudging through the garbage, slime, stink of this administration and interference by foreign agents that anything he said would be weaponized.
What is both hilarious and pathetic is that a majority of citizens didn’t even care to read the report, not even the head of DOJ. Instead, they weaponize their ignorance, inflate their self-serving bubbles for personal attacks against Mueller and his team. Interference helped them win the last election, obstruction, corruption, lack of integrity and ethics help them now. Why bother with facts when instant-gratification, I serve only myself, is the trend.
2
A lying corrupt man protected by his wealth, surrounded by lying corrupt people, none of whom have any integrity and would sell out their mother (and country) if the price was high enough - that is the picture painted of Trump and his closest associates yesterday and in the Mueller Report. And yesterday we were given the final proof if any was needed that with all the evidence before them, the most powerful political party on earth will continue to protect Trump, rather than country, rather than us, rather than the USA. Our democracy is imperiled and the Republicans will defend Trump and attack an honest patriot who has spent his whole life serving his country rather than hold Trump accountable - or even pass the Safe Elections Law. And the media - including the New York Times - will continue to muddy the clear picture Mueller painted by characterizing this battle for the survival of our democracy as a “partisan war” reducing this existential drama to a political spat, as the lead of one of your articles did yesterday.
1
"Time and again, Mr. Mueller defied Democrats looking for a flashy new moment." Mueller didn't defy the Dems. There are no moments because there's no there there
3
How people regard Mueller's testimony will largely depend on how each side reacts. President Trump called it a great day for the Republicans, the country, and himself. None of that is true, but it will be repeated, ad infinitum, by the right-wing media noise machine, and barring any strong repudiation by the Democrats will shortly become reality to tens of millions of voters.
The Democrats, meanwhile, continue to dither, under their Ditherer-in-Chief, Nancy Pelosi.
Mind you, to any American who bothered to read even the two Executive Summaries of the Mueller Report, the need for at least an impeachment inquiry is crystal clear, as is the need for a formal impeachment of William Barr.
I also learned that somehow, the "Lock her up! (without due process)" and "Benghazi investigations forever!" crowd suddenly has found its voice on innocent until proven guilty and wasting taxpayer dollars.
And where - WHERE - is the Republican outcry against Russia interfering in our elections?
?
8
Apparently, Mueller's testimony wasn't a raging success.
Is it any wonder why?
(Apart from the fact that Mueller is over 70 yo and he was subjected to rapid fire questioning, alternating between hostile and friendly?)
How can one expect any other result?
It surprises me that the Congress can't come up with a better format for testimonies. The current format is obviously designed to allow every eligible member to have his 5 minutes of TV glory, rather than elicit a coherent narrative.
22 members were allowed to ask questions in every session, alternating between dems and repubs. This is a forum designed for a circus.
What sort of organization is this, that they can't get organized to run a testimony? No wonder they can't ever get anything done.
The sessions should have been broken into 1/2 hour sections, with no more than three people from a "team" asking the questions, and no interruptions from the opposite team allowed.
The people asking the questions should have spent a considerable amount of time preparing for the event.
For now, a single conclusion can be drawn: a good opportunity to inform the American public has been wasted.
3
@El Lucho
70 or not, Mueller is a seasoned prosecutor, and rapid fire questions are his stock in trade.
This thing fell apart because politicians who get on TV become guttersnipes. It fell apart because it never should have gone this far. Because we’re living in an age that Miller and Durrenmatt used to have nightmares about.
Did Putin interfere in our election? Probably. Did he expect the Democrats and American media to do so much of his heavy lifting? No. He’s a pig in slop at how wannabe heroes have debased themselves and their country.
Unfortunately, this country doesn't read, and that includes many of our representatives. It prefers movies to books. Thus, it was important that Mueller deliver his testimony in a dramatic and clear fashion. Unfortunately, he did the opposite. Not only was it not compelling. It was downright boring. We needed a lion and we got a lamb - perhaps not even that, but simply a lamb chop.
what we learned is there is no honor in America anymore
I hate how the US media collective is covering this. They’ve learned NOTHING over the past 4 years. NOTHING! And it’s infuriating!
Instead of covering it this way:
“Here are the facts we know because of the report, and here is what Mueller said...”
US media is covering it like this:
“Optics optics, how does this play in rural Ohio, more optics, body language body language, optics optics optics, pundit jargon...”
How? HOW did we go from serious journalists who sincerely cared about facts and a shared objective reality, to thousands of journalists who only care about horse race politics and seeing which side can win?
The fact is, the president obstructed justice in the most monumental election interference investigation in US history, but that’s not the story... how voters and Trump supporters FEEL about the investigation is the story.
Why? What is WRONG with journalists?
GET. IT. TOGETHER, US MEDIA!!!!!!
1
This article could be written as a review of a beauty contest or reality show! How about telling us what was learned about substance as it relates to the investigation? How about the exchange regarding Trump's goons lying about their contacts with the Russians - criminal acts. How about the facts regarding Trump being compromised by the Russians? How about raising the alerts to on-going threats to our democracy? For heaven's sake NYT, I count on you to not stoop to the reality show expectations set out by Trump.
2
I think the house republicans exposed themselves yesterday to be unconcerned about the Russian invasion into our democracy. More inspired to score political hits than understand the ramifications of what Mueller revealed.
Some call them Russian republicans. I call them treasonous.
Throw the bums out.
4
The GOP had its talking points scripted long before the hearing even happened. It is their way. They have become a party intent on gaining and holding power "at any cost" and that entails paying no heed to evidence or facts. All that is important is giving their base and donors fodder to justify the willful ignorance that keeps them in line.
consider a party that welcomes interference from a hostile foreign power as long as they reap the benefit; that is the modern GOP.
the hypocrisy is staggering.
the only hope for this country is that the Democrats abandon their addiction to 'political calculations' and start to do the right thing because it is the right thing, and let the chips fall.
5
If politicians seem smug and childish it’s because they are. It speaks volumes about those that elect them. By the, Robert Mueller III is no hero. He wrote a report, he didn’t save or even protect democracy. He simply told us that was not his job. The default of ever person that, through omission, is complicit in the embarrassing state of American politics.
2
I think alot of the coverage focused on his "halting" speech and seemingly befuddled answers. He was getting rapid fire questions or just grandstanding opinions. He is a man who wanted to get the report right and his testimony right. He was overly constrained by the Justice Department - but even with that, he was never going to go outside the "4 corners" of the report. He said so when he spoke months ago. The breathless anticipation of a "bombshell" was the media, not those watching or even the congressional participants.
The reporting I've seen is aegist (he looks tired) he (mumbled and stumbled). I would like to see one reporter (The youngest you got) and see if they could do any better! The media should be ashamed...
12
I do believe that the evidence we have been given (I can’t imagine what is still hiding between those lines, but we will not know till Trump is gone) is enough for any critically thinking person to conclude, that Trump and his cronies were engaged in acts to undermine our democracy. How can you not? His behavior, and those around him have proven that over the past two plus years.
Vote as if the life of our country and it’s institutions depend on it.
5
It's evident that Mueller was the author of the report by name only! The 14 individuals on his staff who were all either Clinton supporters or Democratic donors who despised Trump couldn't find concrete evidence of wrongdoing speaks volumes! This was a complete embarrassment to the Democratic Party and now the investigators are being investigated!
8
Sounds like you are implying these people don’t have integrity because they’re Democrats.
Because of their oath, they are held to a higher standard in executing their responsibilities. Just because many trump supporters lack integrity doesn’t mean the rest of the world does.
3
@Max: that’s not the way it seemed to anyone else. He clearly was the editor and knew the content, even if he did not have some of the details to hand. Remember, he is over 70 and did not have the questions in advance. Trump had all his questions from Mueller in advance and yet claimed not to remember most of the answers!! Based on your reasoning, Trump is not actually in charge and should be removed.
4
Nowhere in the constitution do I find language that says the Office Of Legal Counsel can create law or decide which laws cannot be enforced. In fact, the claim that a sitting president cannot be indicted is referred to as an "opinion".
By virtue of the OLC opinion, Trump has been given a license to steal & do whatever damn thing comes into his mind.
Surely this was not the goal of the founding fathers.
4
@Historian
Nowhere in the Constitution will you find language that says abortion is legal, or that a person accused of a crime has the right to counsel. So what exactly is your point?
Robert Mueller was not a white knight or even a whistle blower. As many former colleagues predicted, he pretty much stuck to the four corners of his redacted report. But he did defend the facts about the Trump campaign’s damning behavior during the election and Trump’s misdeeds while in office.
In fact, Mueller’s testimony was mostly a corrective to AG Barr’s misinformation campaign and Trump’s completely unsubstantiated claims of exoneration. There were lesser, but still important moments explaining some limitations due to lack of cooperation or honest testimony by key figures such as Donald Jr, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, George Papadopoulos, and Roger Stone. Others such as Steve Bannon and Eric Prince used encrypted communications or deleted emails and texts. Konstantin Kilimnik, a likely Russian intelligence asset and key aide to Manafort, is unreachable overseas.
House Republicans, facing a mountain of pesky facts, had a very weak hand to play. But they still brought up every whacky conspiracy theory and showed their fake indignation that anyone would question the orange one. They’ll remain unconcerned about our security and the rule of law.
Speaking of law enforcement, our phony AG will draw out his investigation of the investigators at least through the next election. His main job is to protect Trump, not the nation.
The Mueller report is the floor, not the ceiling. Now the Dems have to publicly flesh out Trump’s misconduct.
9
All Americans should be disappointed and alarmed that our elected politicians seem not to know that a tenet of our judicial system is the accused are innocent until proven guilty.
We hoped for a more knowledgeable and prepared Robert Mueller but were generally disappointed. What role did he really play in writing his report? Seemingly much less than previously thought.
3
Trump did not break the conspiracy laws with the facts known but the man and his campaign were without any integrity in their pursuit of power by any means necessary. They knew from the perpetrators of the Russian efforts to interfere with our democratic institutions and said nothing about it to the rest of us. He was not indictable but he was not innocent, either. He’s got no respect for this country, either.
1
The investigation revealed that Trump and his team were not revealing that the Russians were discussing interfering with the election for Trump and approved of it but just short of committing an indictable offense, behavior which did lead to 26 Russians being indicted. That’s not innocence, that’s just not caught.
1
@clarity007: you may have missed the fact that Mueller did not declare Trump guilty. He simply led us to the clear and factual conclusion that if Trump has not been president he would be indicted for obstruction of justice, for getting in the way of an investigation that would like have demonstrated more coordination with Russia than we already saw (Russia are you out there?... Da!).
1
The Mueller Report is what it is: fact.
There is no easy way out of this. Republicans can't truthfully deny its veracity and Democrats can't avoid the hard work of proving to a majority of Senators that the President's conduct is worthy of Impeachment.
In the coming months America must demonstrate that it deserves to remain a democracy.
10
What became painful clear to me was the impertinent and rude demeanor of so many Republicans towards Robert Mueller. They were practically dismissive in their reactions to Mr. Mueller's request for them to repeat a question and beyond disrespectful when they read so fast, even a roadrunner would have stopped and asked to have the question repeated.
The degree of class, style, elegance, and professionalism Mr. Mueller exhibited is in stark contrast to what his fellow Republicans displayed. They were not only an embarrassment to this country, but their behavior demonstrated on national television must how mean, cruel, and rude they are and how their party operates. They continue to live up to the mentality and mindset of their leader - denigrate and destroy anyone and everyone who does not support and back their leader - regardless.
This is a treacherous and terrifying group. I honestly don't know if the country could survive 4 more years with their leader at the helm. I was never more convinced of that notion than after watching yesterday's 7 hours of testimony. I learned more about how the Republicans operate and think than I really wanted to but needed to.
17
“FOR-LORN YEARS, FOR-LORN YEARS”
It’s too bad the non-Fox reporters hadn’t refrained from calling the Mueller performance a failure so soon yesterday, providing the Trump Troops with ammo. Its a long game and surrendering in the early innings is not wise. It’s not hard to believe though.
Some of the prominent ones were spokespersons for Bush II with his failed military pursuits and economic meltdown. Another was involved with selecting McCain’s cartoon running mate. Most of them stumbled over each other to cover Trump’s babbling for years, providing maximum free exposure to his false unachievable promises.
Many of his most ardent critics had been flattering him for years on their television shows and letting him cast stones at our institutions. Their collective pursuit of TV ratings fanned his unwarranted confidence in pursuing national office.
The face off yesterday, Mueller vs Trump, was Mime vs Clown, and The Clown is far more entertaining. David Copperfield and Art Metrano are far more entertaining, but do you want them doing your dental work? When your personal computer gets hung up, you grab the owner’s manual not some best selling novel.
The Trump Troops, who have no problem with providing a large mansion and private jet to their TV evangelist, have had their political choice verified - by the opposition. It’s no surprise they believe in their shallow unchristian hero.
Orwell warned us about “Complete Intellectual Surrender” in his book 1984. We have arrived.
3
I don't think this moved the needle on impeachment. It's pretty clear the President colluded and obstructed justice.
What I was confused about is during my lifetime Republicans have tried to reduce the power of "probable cause" in keeping evidence illegally obtained out of criminal trials.
In this case the investigation by the special prosecutor pre-determined that the President couldn't be indicted for obstruction no matter what evidence was provided.
The Republicans seem to be focused on the initial evidence along with the political beliefs of the investigators in a none indictable offense to discredit the actual findings.
These same Republicans would be all for putting a drug dealer in jail if an illegal search and seizure came up with evidence. Their fake outrage over the "dossier" and the FISA warrant as a reason to not investigate a foreign attack on our Democracy and possible collusion and obstruction by the President seems almost surreal in context of Republican support for law enforcement and order over due process and human rights.
2
"When Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York, walked through an analysis...that several episodes documented by Mr. Mueller met the criteria for obstruction...the former special counsel tossed cold water his way. 'I don’t subscribe necessarily to the way you analyzed that,' Mr. Mueller said."
That was Jeffries' opportunity to ask Mueller to explain where he differed. He could have turned a net negative query-response into a net positive.
I think the Democrats, in general, may have over-prepped; they seemed so locked into questions and follow ups that many didn't adjust to responses that may have been unanticipated.
The big problem is, this wasn't Howard Dean or The Nixon Tapes from Watergate, and there was no way it could have been. Any possibility of those kinds of moments are stymied while Trump and co. drag subpoenas through courts and they attempt to claim some kind of unlimited executive immunity. (I think that last one may have come from Barr.)
And, Pelosi is okay with it. It's getting too close to the 2020 election now, given the administration's stalling tactics; might as well forget impeachment.
Dems should keep up the committee investigations but focus on taking back the whole government. Then push all the bills benefiting the little guy that McConnell's got in his 'graveyard"; at least debate them. Pass laws to close all the holes Trump revealed in our government's checks and balances. Take back our democracy.
Mueller delivered no clarity for the American people. He remained stuck in his perceived notions of what is fair, which allows a law-breaking Trump to stomp all over the Mueller Report. If nothing else, he reminded us that men in their 70s do not function at the same level as younger men or women. We are looking at candidates in their 70s for the 2020 election (Trump, Sanders, Biden). No one who was born before 1950 should be a candidate for the highest office of our nation. Give us clear-thinking candidates who know what it means to respect the Constitution.
After reading Mueller's report and hearing his testimony on the extent of the Russians' ongoing interference in our elections, it is stunning to consider that Mitch McConnell continues to sit on legislation that would do something about it.
Regardless whether there was substantial evidence of the crime of conspiracy, there was overwhelming evidence that the Trump campaign welcomed foreign manipulation of this most basic facet of our democracy with open arms. And just like Trump's recent media messages to Putin (much on the order of his earlier "Russia, if you are listening . . ."), the GOP in its inaction is shouting out, "Do it again! Do it again! Do it again!"
How on earth can any American believe that the 2020 election will be anything but rigged?
4
It was a waste of taxpayer money and Mueller avoided asking critical questions about his text messages and etc.
This information has not persuaded my opinion since I still think that this Capitol Hill meeting was a waste of time.
Eventually when Trump’s done with his presidency the council and Democrats are going eventually forget about him, but in my opinion he’s going to be re elected again since he’s got more loyal supporters. This as well makes the Democrats look bad since they didn’t get any new information or result.
1
Mueller said very clear when asked; "if trump were not president would he be charged with a crime?" The answer - yes!
Case closed! When he loses in 2020; he will be charged and hopefully spend many years in prison.
Media please wake up. Clinton's main article of impeachment was perjury.
Former U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller said on Wednesday he “generally” agreed with a characterization that Trump’s written answers to investigators probing Russian interference in the U.S. election were not always truthful. “Isn’t it fair to say that the president’s written answers were not only inadequate and incomplete because he didn’t answer many of your questions, but where he did, his answers showed that he wasn’t always being truthful?” Democratic lawmaker Val Demings asked as Mueller testified before the House intelligence panel. “Generally,” Mueller said.
4
Yesterday exposed for all to see that Mueller was either a willing or unwilling participant in a coup attempt against President Trump. That coup attempt has now failed and I hope that the investigation into those involved will be at least as vigorous as the investigation into Trump's purported collusion with Russia and obstruction of justice.
It will be poetic justice seeing those who have tried to criminalize political differences hauled off to jail.
I look forward to your trying to protect Comey, McCabe, Strzok, Ohr, and maybe Brennan, Clapper, and Lynch, Hillary, Bill and Obama, when the indictments begin to flow.
4
@Stanz
You’ve been listening to and watching too many conspiracy websites.
2
@Stanz: evidence of coup please? This has already been searched for and not found. Read the documents instead of listening to Fox and Friends. Actually, you could listen to Judge Napolitano, Shep Smith and Chris Wallace and learn quite a lot. You are going to be very disappointed.
1
Prosecutors like Mueller do not have the power to exonerate anyone plus Mueller would not have charged Trump even if the DOJ rules allowed it
1
Nom nom nom .... more nothing burgers. Move on Democrats and give the citizens something to grow toward in the future and quit focusing on this past tense non issue.
3
How refreshing to find there is someone in Washington who eschews the limelight and photo op, and is there to serve the people. He told us that his testimony wouldn't stray from the report and it didn't. Only a willful ignorance would prevent you from understanding the takeaway message that Trump obstructed justice. I hope once he is out of office he is prosecuted. Trump is a man who needs to face a few consequences.
6
Trump loyalists, indulge me.
You have to pick a role model for your kid. The choices are Mueller or Trump.
Pick one.
2
May I ask a simple question: Why all this reverence for Bob Mueller? He spent two years on a report that clearly established Trump obstructed justice on multiple occasions; he claims to be concerned that the Russians are currently hacking our elections. Donald Trump is in office as a result of that hacking. If there is one person who could do something about that it's Robert Mueller. But the brave soldier sits there and does what the FBI always does—coyly defend the rights of the ruling class.
A country of laws and not men? Yeah, right.
With all the deference you'd think he was a Founding Father for God's sake!
When are the children in this young country going to wake up and realize they have a mean daddy?
The republican party is slowly dying. You can see it by their behavior. They will do anything and sacrifice everything in order to keep it alive.
1
If the Democrats vote to impeach Trump they will be committing political suicide. To his rabid followers this will reinforce their belief tat he is being persecuted. It will help him win reelection if not ensure it outright. The Senate will never convict. It will be an exercise in futility. I would like nothing better than to see him impeached, but it is not going to happen. Mike Pence as President is will not necessarily be for the better. It will be Trump without the bombast. Pence has sold his soul to the devil. As has been pointed out in these pages Pence's boot licking is obscene.
Mueller agreed that receiving campaign assistance from a foreign power was “unpatriotic” and “wrong,” but the Trump campaign received no assistance from a foreign power. The only impact Russian had on the 2016 election was to cost Trump millions of vote. Hillary make Russia a major talking point on the campaign trail and in presidential debates, where she describe Trump as “Putin’s Puppet,”
Republicans pointed out yesterday that information Natalia Veselnitskaya offered at the Trump Tower meeting came from Fusion GPS, the firm Hillary Clinton employed to produce the Steele dossier, not from Moscow. The Trump campaign found Veselnitskaya’s document unconvincing and made no use of it. Veselnitskaya is a lawyer, not a foreign power, and Fusion GPS is a U.S. company.
The Mueller report reveals that WikiLeaks published stolen email that revealed dirty dealign within the Democratic National committee to help Bernie Sanders, not Trump. The only email that mattered on the presidential election was the classified email found on Hillary's home server.
Like other Americans, the Trump campaign learned about a Russian oligarch's social media campaign after the election. Most American were unaware of it because it had no impact. Facebook says the Internet Research Agency posted about 180,000 comments. Facebook users post five billion comments every month, or about 60 billion a year. The only impact the IRA made came after the election.
11
Nice spin. Don’t worry, it’s worked wonderfully. FYI, the Steele dossier was produced before the Clinton campaign took over , they did not produce it. But no worries, we have the ignorant buffoon as president, and the republicans deserve every bit of responsibility for that.
5
Russian-Republican oligarchs are completely aligned with Kremlin oligarchs. Sham elections, suppressed votes, rigged, gerrymandered results, Grand Old Propaganda and gaslighting filling the airwaves 24 hours a day on state radio and TV has been the Republican modus operandi for about two decades in America. The GOP rejected democracy and representative government a long time ago. Decent Americans don't vote Republican for that very good reason.
4
@William Case - Go read the report again and watch all of the testimony. You’re making the statement that Trump received no assistance from a foreign power and that is patently false.
9
What I learned yesterday is that Donald Trump is, absolutely, above the law. He is, and always has been, a criminal. He has been, and always will be, richly rewarded for his criminal behavior.
He will die a rich and supremely powerful man even though he has spent his entire life doing things that would land me in prison. This is what Above The Law looks like.
355
@stumpnugget
This is what extreme white male privilege looks like if you are also wealthy.
13
@stumpnugget
<>
I wouldn't be so sure about that. It might not be the US Constitution or our Congress that gets him in the end, but Karma exacts its revenge sooner or later. No one escapes their deeds in this life. No one.
For example, I would be very surprised if anyone ever did business with the Trump family again after what the entire world now knows about them. The name is toxic. Putin won't have any use for him after this. Trump will want to hold onto the presidency because his business is shot.
I hope that the Law gets him -- but I'll be content to see him destroyed in his own juices.
9
@dcbcn, "Karma, if you're listening . . . ."
17
Maybe now the Democrats can focus on their vision for the US instead of trying to impeach this incompetent, lying, and seedy President. We deserve better than him and the mean members of the Party of Hate. It will take an overwhelming number of votes due to the Electoral College, the gerrymandering, and Citizens United. But it must be done. Vote them out.
62
What I learned from watching these proceedings is that Trump is above the law and that any president that has his party's control of the Senate can do whatever he or she wishes to do.
Our democracy took a serious, possibly unrecoverable blow, as a results of yesterday's testimony. The seeds of fascism were planted in American yesterday.
61
@VMG. Nothing prevents the House from voting for impeachment, so I guess I miss your point. No the Senate would, most likely, not vote to remove him from office, but the Democrats unwillingness to pursue impeachment is their fault not that of Mr. Trump, fascism, or any other bogie man you might name.
1
It is a human tendency to gravitate explanation in such events toward either 'winners' and 'losers'.
Frankly, Americans lost yesterday, big time.
Winners, were any foreign government who wishes America to be destroyed. They sit back and smile. America, on a fools errand obsessed with hatred manifest in a virtual game it could lose if continued..
174
@PD Curasi
America lost in 2016, big time.
14
@PD Curasi
100% correct. The USA has lost its way and is now fine having a king or dictator.
Democracy is dead in the USA.
7
@PD Curasi Good comment. "America is on a fools errand obsessed with hatred"...and it already has lost respect around the world. America is a outlier under trump and the fanaticism of trump and his mis-guided supporters. They do not seem to care if Putin runs our country...
7
I believe that Mueller is a true American hero. He stuttered because he was telling the truth to congress, the government and the American people about our President. Who wouldn't be nervous? It is nice to finally have someone step up and do the right thing.
453
@Sally L.
Mueller was FBi director for over 10 years and testified many before Congress. Nervous?...please. Step up to the plate? He flatly stated he had no desire to testify and had to be subpoenaed to do so. Mueller is either ill or hasn't himself actually read his report..let alone write it. My guess is both are true.
8
@Sally L. Agree!! I'm surprised no one pointed out that Mueller respects a subpoena; unlike people in trumpworld who wipe the bottom of their shoes with subpoenas.
48
@Sally L. I totally agree. May I also add that I would also speak hesitantly, faltering at times and slowly choose my words knowing how they could be cut and pasted by everyone involved bent upon their own agenda--Repubs, Democrats, DJT, and every political pundit in the world. Further, he was "warned" by the DOJ to muzzle it. Yes, I would definitely choose my words carefully. A fine man and a true patriot. Thank you, Mr. Mueller.
32
I am 75. Having been physically strong and mentally sharp most of my life, the past 2 years my abilities have been in decline. It appeared to me that Mr Mueller has been affected by aging. But this should not reflect on the quality of his report, since he had a team of dozens of competent people.
471
@Andrew Peck
Mr. Kavanaugh was affected by his rage.
Mr Meuller stayed within the confines of his professional responsibility, effectively and disappointingly.
21
Mueller is sharp as a tack. I suspect much of what you saw was an act to deprive the politicians the talking points you crave. One word answers. Slow, clumsy binder page turning seems deliberate in retrospect. He made himself as unappealing a witness as possible. No one would bring him back. In fairness, he warned them not to bring him the first time.
The Ned Stark of US politics.
43
@Andrew Peck
Yes, and Mueller's age does not affect what he said yesterday. Mueller said Trump committed crimes that he could be indicted for after leaving office.
Mueller said that he could not clear Trump of Obstruction of Justice, but instead laid out a roadmap for prosecution, with all three necessary elements of prosecuting obstruction laid out for numerous acts of obstruction by the president.
Saying that someone should be "locked up," without due process is wrong. Saying that someone should be investigated for crimes. is not. That is the process. An Impeachment Inquiry must be held so that evidence and witnesses can be compelled that back (or refute) Mueller's accusations of criminal behavior against the president.
If Trump was a Democratic President doing everything he has done for the last three years, Republicans would have started the impeachment inquiry before Trump's inauguration.
The Republican Investigator has given ample evidence that Trump committed crimes in office.
We need an impeachment Inquiry that can expand on Mueller's evidence, plus the evidence of Trump's High Crimes that were outside of the limited scope of the Mueller investigation, like regularly calling for violence against American Citizens without due process.
(Contrary to "common wisdom," the impeachment of Bill Clinton did not hurt Republicans. In the 20 years after Clinton was impeached Republicans controlled the House for 14 of those years, the Senate for 16 of those years.)
19
Why does this news report leave out Mr. Mueller's testimony that Trump could be charged with obstruction of justice once he leaves office? The testimony was elicited by a Republican and I thought it was one of the highlights of the hearing.
689
@Mary
Probably because Mueller recanted that statement in the afternoon session.
2
Mary, this was also a highlight for me. Mueller stated that the "family members" were not found to have
committed conspiracy with a foreign government. This may simply be because they didn't have intent to commit that crime as knowing nothing of government they had no idea it was a crime. I am normally not one to hang on to old issues, but the republicans and their ilk still can't let go of HRC. I look forward to the day when family members and the main actor in this tragic play are held accountable.
26
@Viv
No he didn't. He simply clarified that he had made no declaration about whether or not tRump had committed obstruction of justice.
41
I am glad that Mueller resisted partisan wrangling. However, I wish that while they had the attention of Americans that both democrats and republicans had focused on the types of Russian interference tactics that occurred in 2016, and then what to expect going forward.
This was far more important than worrying about the DOJ policy of not indicting a sitting President.
3
How striking is the contrast between duty, truth, and discipline in a human being; and selfishness and prevarication in another.
What does one wish for their children to emulate? What does this country value?
7
Mueller did exactly as he said. No spinning, no games. He stood by the report.
Compare that with his friend Barr who spins like a top for Trump, but never comes close to perjury, but comes close enough to mislead.
Two accomplished attorneys, one who is honorable and one who is slick.
16
The US press , who I thought when I grew up in Europe was a press of investigation, has not only lost its power of inquiry and searching analysis, but is unable here to cut through sense of what happened in that hearing.
Mr Mueller looked scared and unable to express himself.
He was cut by Ratcliffe when he tried to utter " but this is a unique situation " . About the longest genuine sentence he ever was able to pronounce at this hearing.
Nobody picked it up. Not even in this article.
And politicians used to find help in the investigative press to present arguments . It is no longer the case . The press presents just a surface of the laconic expression of politicians.
Facebook was fined 5 billion dollars to have abused US citizens over their private data. I read it in the French press . Nothing here in the NYT . The analysis about the hearing of Mueller is more detailed and conceptually organized in the French press than here in the NYT .
3
I dunno what NYT you read, but I read the stories on Facebook and the EU (not France, the EU) right here. Then there were the various stories this week on much the same topic...
@JPH The Facebook line was just an exemple to which you reply but not on the main argument about the hearing .
Typical American way of thinking ?
@Robert I read a general article about the investigation but not about the final decision of the 5 billion $ fine.
Where did you read it ?
I read the NYT everyday several times a day .
It didn't matter at all what Mueller said in his testimony yesterday. Trump would have spun it to his favor - that's what he does and that's the playbook for the Republicans.
If we thought for a moment that Trump would have said, "Ok, you got me...I'm the most incredible liar and I perpetrated the most beautiful crimes...." Come on folks!
3
I read Mueller’s report and watched the his testimony. Mueller is a seasoned and reticent law enforcement agent who does not speak to the frenzied media culture but to integrity and facts. The Republicans behaviors and questions (often nebulous and rushed) only solidified my assessment that not only have the Republicans lost their political soul but have no idea what it takes to be a patriot. Their questions had no origins in finding the truth but ways to entrap a man who has served his country in ways they have not through military conflicts and services to our country. Our democracy is threatened by Russian influence and Republicans are only treating this symptom like the common cold and not like the cancer that it is. Democrats need to unify in every way possible to help vote this obstructionist of justice, Donald Trump, out of office and apply chemotherapy to an ailing democracy.
9
My biggest takeaway is that yesterday was the tale of two Muellers. In the first hearing [Judiciary], he simply neglected to answer questions, which made him look a bit incompetent. However, in the second hearing [Intelligence], he was forthright and directly answered most questions, which brought his report to life in his no-drama way. The most effective exchanges came from Schiff, both in his opening questioning and his final, wrap-up questioning at the end. And, what we learned [and already knew] was that trump and his campaign were not only unethical, unAmerican, motivated by money and a bunch of liars who welcomed and encouraged Russian interference in the election, but that the GOP is more than happy to welcome and encourage that interference in the future. Sad.
9
Mueller pointedly refused to exonerate Trump. He left the decision about whether Trump committed crimes up to Congress. He confirmed ample activities by Trump and his surrogates which corrupted the integrity of the 2016 election and interfered with his own investigation. This is a more than basis for the House to start an impeachment investigation. Enough vacillating- Let the hearings begin, already!
8
"Whither impeachment? Mueller did not help advocates much." Come on NYT, you should know better. If you focused on the evidence you would not say this. The first 5 minutes of the hearing proved Trump obstructed justice. This is the kind of inaccurate reporting that is going to get Trump re-elected. It's the kind of reporting that will allow criminals to get away with it. Call this what it is, the president obstructed justice and needs to be impeached.
7
Honorary Republican multimillionaire Nancy Pelosi is blocking impeachment of fellow elite Trump, just as she blocked impeachment of fellow elite George W. Bush for his war crimes. Deplorable.
1
Two things make impeachment futile. The public does not yet agree and the Senate will not convict.
Clinton was impeached but not convicted. It did not affect his job approval although it did arouse disapproval of his conduct. But it did convince that the Republicans were looking for the least excuse to rid themselves of a Democratic President. It did not help that sone Republicans were seen as hypocritical. Gingrich was having an affair at the time which later became public.
Impeachment would tie up the government with that for many months and in the end would not effect Trump’s Presidency.
Trump is the worst President we have had or could have. He has no conscience and the responsibilities bore him to distraction. Uncovering his behavior through Congressional investigations may be the only way to make removing him a realistic proposition.
What we learned is that Barr took advantage of his friendship with Mueller and lied about the report’s findings. Nevertheless, Mueller indicated that the President will likely land in prison some day, no matter what happens in Washington this year.
4
The fact that both sides showed their biases so clearly during the hearing supports the view that Mueller’s report was thorough, neutral and rational in its conclusions. The obvious dissatisfaction with Mueller and his report, and his testimony about that report, by both parties and the media, supports the view that it was an honest and complete analysis of the president’s actions. Maybe now the electorate can move on and use the conclusions in that report to determine the president’s entitlement to another term in office.
4
Mueller,and Comey before him , both ex FBI directors who held the highest position in an institution created to defend the country against its enemies,have failed to realize the subsequence of electing , and possibly re electing Donald Trump to the highest office in the land.
They should have recognized the danger in him becoming, and remaining , president and to do everything within their power to prevent it.
Instead, they hung on to the strictest interpretation of the law and then explained themselves to the public in a clumsy, imprecise way that left them confused and divided.
As a result, Comey helped Trump get elected and Mueller made it possible for him to stay president, potentially through a second terms.
2
@Ran
That is how dictatorial regimes start. You argue you can bend the law because it is Trump in the office, they'll bend the law when it is someone you voted for and one day, there is a dictator. No, Ran, thankfully they remain within the law.
1
So many people and news organizations have misinterpreted what Mr. Mueller was appointed to do.
He was appointed to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election and what role Mr. Trump and his people had in that interference.
It was not his job to indict anybody but to report what he found.
He did and it is now the job of Congress to determine what this president and his people did and charge them with it. accordingly.
9
This was a complete waste of taxpayer money. Money that could been used for cancer research. Mueller and his attorneys milked the country out of 40 million dollars for essentially nothing. These attorneys are pretty much set for life due to this case. Mueller did nothing to restrain the flunkee attorneys who worked on this case. What did they actually accomplish after two years. Nothing.
1
@NV Hustler
The Mueller investigation cost something like $25 million. The taxpayers have received more than that from fines and forfeitures by Paul Manafort. Going after rich tax cheats almost always pays for itself.
As for Mueller’s team, they represent some of the best people currently within, or formerly with, the Justice Department. These top lawyers and investigations would all make more money in private practice. And the ones who returned from the private sector took major pay cuts to serve the country.
None of these patriots were hustlers.
3
@NVHustler
It resulted in more than a dozen indictments and several convictions. It also confirmed that Russia was, and is, actively trying to influence our democracy. Something Trump seemingly has no qualms about (he still says it's a hoax). If Trump was not the president (and when he is not the president), he would have/ can be indicted for a felony, confirmed by Mueller yesterday. Furthermore, Trump has spent close to $100M on golfing, why doesn't he donate that to cancer research instead? The hypocrisy of Trump cultists knows no bounds.
3
@NVHustler: firstly Mueller and his team made money - Manafort paid for the whole report. As a taxpayer you should be happy!
Secondly he fully identified the Russian involvement in messing with the 2016 election. Thirdly he followed up on important leads - so many people in Trump’s organization had suspicious connections with Russians. This investigation is probably why Trump has not done more to please Putin. Fourthly he identifies criminals - so many. If you don’t know this, you never read the report or listened to this hearing. Fifthly they identified criminally indictable behavior in the President. Did you know that.
If you know all this and think it was a waste of time then you are clearly not a Christian, whatever else you are. Christians believe in truth and truthfulness and obeying the law. This investigation revealed so much that goes against that and therefore against the Bible.
2
This article, and its accompanying public comments, prove two important things to me:1) the “truth” is whatever it is spun to be by a) human variability in perception, b) the poverty of language, & c) the will or whim of, in this case in point, the President of the United States, and 2) the tremendous danger in a) & b), as we see now, is that Doublethink, used by an aristocratic dictator and his enablers, controls everyone’s thoughts. Two contradictory truths presented, where we all must believe both simultaneously, leads to the aristocratic dictator and his enablers being able to control exactly what the truth is.
Ultimately, you will come to love Donald Trump.
Assigning a special committee to investigate whether there is evidence of impeachable offenses is the approach they used in Watergate. They chose a select committee to investigate on Feb 6 1974. It might provide a boost to their court cases of they can demonstrate that the request is related to a criminal investigation. An impeachment inquiry doesn't have to start with articles of impeachment.
2
What democrats refuse to acknowledge is that Americans are not interested in their bait-and-switch to 'collusion." For two years they accused the president of colluding with the Russians. They claimed they had evidence. They claimed he was guilty. They claimed he would lose the presidency as a result.
Turns out they were wrong about collusion. Now they're yelling about "collusion" a questionable charge, a defense against which has been argued quite publicly by legal experts.
Americans are not interested in obstruction. They were, however, quite interested in collusion. They are satisfied that claim has been put to rest.
3
In the first place, one would love to know how you know what all Americans think. Say...that wasn’t you on my phone yesterday, was it?
In the second, and as you probably know perfectly well, collusion is not a crime. And Mueller’s report, and Mueller, said again, again, and, well again that the fact that collusion is not a crime is the reason he did not investigate Trump&Co’s collusion with Russia. It’s hard to know how that could be clearer, but of course your point is the opposite of clarity.
But in the course of his investigation into the LEGAL matter of conspiracy, Mueller did turn up a ton of clear, simple evidence that Trump et al colluded. They met over and over with Russian agents and businessmen controlled by Putin. Trump’s campaign manager was on bank boards with Putin’s chief money-launderer. A Trump whelp bragged about business dealings, and cheered for getting inro from Russian....and on and on.
You know this perfectly well. It’s why you’re working to confuse and to cloud.
It’s simple. Trump got off the collusion hook for the same reason Hillary got off on that dimwit server: a prosecutor decided that he couldn’t go to court and win with what he had. But Trump was...not...exonerated.
Obstruction? Try as you like, equally simple: prosecution essentially deferred till Laughing Boy leaves office.
So who’re you working for?
And if that upsets you and you need a safe room? Well, you’ve accused everybody of everything.
1
What we learned is Mueller was not only familiar with his own report but also - and obvious - his anti-Trump underlings composed it. Mueller refused to answer all questions about Fusion-GPS and the Clinton campaign's involvement in providing the false information (the dossier) about Trump that led to the FISA warrants that started this whole witch-hunt.
4
No, what he did was see that meadow muffin and not to step on it.
Republicans cannot deny the facts established so they want to cast doubt on who established them. Without trying to disprove what has been soundly proven they still try to introduce a specter of manipulating political powers at work. The only dreadful political powers at work are elected officials protecting Trump from accountability.
The Democrats would do well to forget about impeaching Donald Trump and instead concentrate on fielding a candidate with a real possibility of beating him in 2020.
4
What we learned? We learned that no one, no one, democrat or republican, wants to address the real, and most corruptive, election-meddling in the United States: the so-called 'corporate personhood' of the "Citizens United" decision that both makes money the decisive factor in U.S. elections and therefore eliminates equal and fair representation of the people. Sure: cloak the investigations with meddling from abroad (the U.S. is hardly absent from those rolls), go after the president, and create a media-circus to distract the citizenry from the internal heresies of a country that cannot even hold elections on a weekend or holiday, but do not touch the 'corporate personhood' that would have the entire Beltway do their bidding. What a farce.
2
Just impeach him already. I know the problem is that the Senate with Mitch McConnell in charge, will try to stop it because they care more about their own seats than they do about the country they've promised to serve. That promise doesn't matter to them, they just want to retain power. It's disgusting. Mike Pence isn't much better, but if the Congress doesn't act, they are doing exactly what Mueller is afraid of. They're establishing a new norm, and that cannot be allowed. If you are a Senator or Representative from Texas, and you cannot find the guts to stand up to this administration, you have lost my vote, and the votes of thousands of people who agree that this kind of behavior and manipulation cannot stand. So get up and do something about it. Mitch McConnell needs to go too. Enough is enough.
1
I was devastated by Mueller's testimony.
I learned why, as a full time private industry worker who is way, way past retirement age, nobody takes you seriously when you ask for a raise, or try to get a new job.
From my viewpoint, while Mueller failed knock out Trump, he unwittingly stabbed me, and others like me, in the back.
It's hard to believe that with the massive efforts the Democratic Party makes to support Black people, Brown people, Gay people, Trans people, Illegal people, and so on, they dropped the Mueller Bomb on workers like me.
Super senior workers certainly did not need the additional prejudice against older workers that this hearing spawned.
Note: The Democratic Party is my party. I have, literally, been a registered Democratic for a lifetime. I certainly did not vote for Trump. Let's stop all this impeachment nonsense, and quickly get behind a candidate who can knock out Trump the normal way - at the polls.
1
@Peter Zenger
hey Peter, maybe it's time for you to change parties.
@Louis Samuels
Maybe it is time for the Democratic to get back to being the useful, constructive party it used to be.
I think that will happen.
As for the Republican party, they do not represent working class people like myself. If was a Big Bank, a big Real Estate Developer, or I was in the Petroleum Products Drilling or Mineral Extraction business, I would join right up.
And, of course, if a was a lawyer, I would fit right in at either party. But I'm not. You can't get that job unless sharks swim away from you.
What I got out of it was that Trump et al colluded with the Russians to steal the election and also tried to capitalize on his position to get funds from Russia. There are grounds to remove his entire administration from office, Pence and all.
That would make Pelosi President. Wouldn't that frost a few? ) ) )
8
IMO this is another Rorschach. People will see in it what they want to see. Those of us who hate Trump and everything he stands for will take Mueller's words and terse comments as evidence that he is a lawbreaker; those in Trump's corner will contend that since Mueller did not recommend indictment, this makes the president innocent. It is frustrating that Mueller could not manage to set the record straight one way or the other.
70
He set the record straight. The questions asked could not be fully conclusively answered by his team. The facts do not provide certainty.
3
@Casual Observer - People seem to forget that Mr. Mueller is a Republican.
1
@Casual Observer they dont want to hear that.
We have to understand their desperation is an understanding they knownthey are going to losenin 2020. This is the only way they believe they can defeat Trump.
Its a very destructive strategy and one they dont even realize they have failed at.
Its better that all these folks expose themselves and continue to they are out of the closet fascists.
I do truly feel for how nyt reads will be when Barr comes with his indictment, they have no clue what has happened because their sources have not told them.
1
There is no rule or law that a sitting president cannot be indicted. It’s a guideline.
Occasionally a guideline has to be put aside in the face of exceptional circumstances.
Guideline, not rule, not law. What’s not to understand?
9
Emphasizing Mueller’s concerns about foreign/Russian interference was the missed opportunity of the hearing. Mueller could and should have used this hearing to more forcefully educate and warn both Congressfolk and the public about the insidious hostile influences that are present in our political system.
Why is there no legislative attempt/outcry to criminalize the solicitation and/or acceptance of foreign assistance from hostile enemies in our elections? (Yes it’s complicated, but that’s what congressional policy staff and lawyers are for.) Mueller characterized both as unpatriotic. They ought to be crimes!
If only they had been....
2
Mr. Mueller wasn't talking to 2019, he was talking with 2039 and maybe further on. With President Trumps endless media appearances Mr. Mueller wanted to offer a rational and dignified response. The key moment was Mueller's "Yes" to the question about Mr. Trump's Moscow hotel. The truth of Russian meddling, corruption and outright fraud is not lost somewhere, it is right before us. what matters is when will we end this wretched spectacle in the White House.
Putin, like Trump, must also be declaring victory today, thanks to his American front line, the Republican Party and the Trump base.
4
It is worthwhile to note that President Trump submitted to Robert Muellers investigation via written sworn testimony. Mueller characterized Trumps responses as "generally untruthful" and at variance with facts established via his investigation. Is that another way of phrasing perjury?
7
What is the difference between Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Party refusing to launch a full-scale Impeachment investigation of the President because doing so might hurt the party's electoral chances and Mitch McConnell and the Republican Party refusing to stand-up to the President because doing so might hurt their party's electoral chances?
1
What is hopefully learned? That three,unnecessary, years of witch hunt seemed to have been based purely on personal and political reasons.
3
@Dirk Merely because you say "witch hunt" means nothing, less than nothing; you only parrot the lying Trump's despotic denials.
1
@Lewis Ford
I am so sorry, forgot that even neutral and relevant comments can not be accepted when it concerns the T-word.
1
What is hopefully learned? That three,unnecessary, years of witch hunt seemed to have been based purely on personal and political reasons.
4
It was never going to be a blockbuster; Barr ensured that wouldn’t happen a few months ago by “getting out in front of it”. A slam-dunk slow-walk for a crooked GOP. Really this is proof positive that the Senate is broken and Democratic Senators should have used every parliamentary tactic to keep the A.G. spot open for as long as possible. They keep playing by Emily Post rules; “yes, yes our democracy is at stake but for gosh sakes they used the salad fork at dessert, Richard!”
I don’t understand the choice to forego a Presidential subpoena fight in the interest of wrapping up the investigation. It’s like wrapping up the Madoff investigation without interviewing Bernie Madoff. Totally inexplicable.
3
International Politics 101: Above all else "The national security of
The United States comes first." Mueller abides by this, and this is what we witnessed. He could only say what he said.
1
Trump won Russiagate yesterday. The Republicans were better prepared than their counterparts and it was clear Mueller didn't write his own report - he may not have even read it. Going full Impeachment would be a bad mistake
4
Alternate reality - testimony showed what a waste of time and money this entire phony process has been - and a dangerous precedent of creating a new standard of needing to prove innocence
4
Professor Mifsud became the subject of a lengthy speech by Jim Jordan of Ohio about why the professor was not charged with lying by the special prosecutor's office. On and on Jordan banged home his point. Mueller said he could not answer. Jordan said he himself had all the answers. Mueller might have asked the sarcastic Jordan why the president did not order AG Barr to continue that investigation of Professor Mifsud along with the many others that have been dropped by the Justice Dept. The playing field is now completely in the hands of Trump's appointed AG. Why indeed.
@WJF
Barr isn't investigating Mifsud's lack of charges because IG Horowitz is doing that very thing. And yes, Barr ordered him to.
1
We learned nothing from these hearing that we didn't already knew, trump the worst president in my lifetime walked away without a scratch if anything it solidified his supporters. The Democrats on whole did a poor job in their questioning of Mr Mueller knowing full well that Mr Mueller was going to be a reluctant witness. After these hearing it should reinforce Ms Pelosi reluctances to impeach trump, if the Democrats run the impeachment hearing like then ran the Mueller hearing trump will win another term[God Help Us]. Better the Democrats get back to try running the country, stick to issues people want to talk about, health care, higher education the environment and maybe Trump will self-destruct before the elections.
From what I gathered while watching this 7 hour marathon was many Republicans tried to trip up and trick Robert Mueller. Most of the panel were more interested in quoting and referencing various sections of Mr. Mueller's behemoth report rather than asking simple, direct, to the heart questions.
Yesterday's "inquisition" reminded me of the my PhD oral exam. You were expected to know by heart every last word, sentence and phrase in one's dissertation of 600 pages or more.
So much time was wasted in trying to find the exact passage and page, little time was left to actually hear any kind of answer or explanation. I was flustered and confused by the panel's questions. And I TOO had a copy of the report on my desk for reference.
After hearing Mr. Mueller hammer the fact that "Russia attacked our elections in 2016 and is intensifying its efforts today. “It wasn’t a single attempt. They’re doing it as we sit here.” that direct bombshell seemed to fall on deaf ears.
Where was the outage on either side of the aisle? Robert Mueller did not disappoint me yesterday, however, our lawmakers did a bang up job of doing just that.
2
Robert Mueller was the commander of a company of Marines in Vietnam. He was awarded the Purple Heart for having been shot in action and the Bronze Star for valor. Compare that to the evasive actions of Cadet Bone Spurs.
2
The fact that these are the people who are supposed to be defending and protecting the American people is a very frightening reality. Mueller came off as dazed and confused and even forgot which president appointed him as US Attorney for Massachusetts. The combative republicans came off as being at war with any logic or concern about our country's security. They have all become Trump’s band of merry men. Louie Gohmert was unhinged, and I was fully expecting him to be carried out of the room kicking and screaming. How people in his district, or anyone for that matter, could ever vote for this crazy man is beyond my comprehension.
I’m afraid Mueller came off as the guy exposed behind the Curtin and lost most of his credibility when he refused to answer question after question, either because the DOJ commanded him not to do so or because he couldn’t understand the questions or he was trying to stick to his own personal restriction of not going anywhere outside of his report. Mueller would have been better off not testifying and hiding safely behind his legend. My mother would have made a better witness.
2
can you confuse the issue so thoroughly that people forget the truth, the facts.. the essence? Lamentable, yesterday appeared a high-tech lynching of the truth teller in support of a person who never tells the truth. the republican storm troopers, citing arcane script and passage intended to confuse, in full-out attack against a man of integrity, character, substance. all in support of a man fully unfamiliar with any of those traits. The American electorate needs to have the last, definitive word on this sorry administration and return this country to wholeness. For the sake of my grandchildrens' futures.. I sincerely hope that they will.
A dirty and difficult job, being shot at, and in a no win situation.
Perhaps this is a second but very similar service to his country, as he was a Marine in Vietnam, I wondered while watching.
How well could any of us stand up to testify about events such as, the most powerful world leader's attempts to have you fired?
Thank you, Robert Mueller for your work and clarity. And 'sharp blows' of truth, indeed, when actually asked real questions by congress.
Mostly, thank you !! for your passionate patriotism.
I, for one, will continue reading your report until finished.
1
I think the notion that his report is in question because of yesterday's faultering moments is a mischaracterization.
I saw a man of integrity being verbally corraled. It's my true belief that he wanted to choose his replies very carefully so as to support the fact that he oversaw a careful examination, not a witch hunt. This was not going to be easily accomplished with the money that's at stake.
Some of those rapid fire, sometimes accusational questions were not designed to look for the truth.
What is clear to me is that we ought to lessen the influence of these two teams. They're just to powerful for the people to have a real say.
Resurect Ross Perot.
Democrats need to let this go and concentrate on 2020 with sensible policies.
They did themselves in by promising bombshells and an Oscar winning performance by Mueller. Now they try to explain away the disappointment with comments about Mueller's age and health. Not only is that insulting but it begs the question of why was he hired for the job.
On the plus side I rarely watch the talking heads but seeing their downer expressions was priceless.
2
It's a joy today to watch the talking heads on MSNBC & CNN. They all look like people adrift in a life raft watching the rescue ship pass by without noticing them.
3
7 hours of testimony could have been reduced to 2 sentences, one regarding the Russia Collusion Conspiracy and one regarding Obstruction.
Collusion Conspiracy
“We focused on whether the evidence was sufficient to charge any member of the campaign with taking part in a criminal conspiracy. It was not.”
- Robert Mueller, opening remarks, morning session
Obstruction
“As we say in the report and as I said at the opening, we did not reach a determination as to whether the President committed a crime.”
- Robert Mueller, opening remarks, afternoon session
This is coming from a staff of entirely hard-line democrat supporters, with unlimited budget and unlimited access, and no opportunity for rebuttal or defense - after 2-1/2 years.
Democrats and mainstream media have been clamoring that Trump, Barr, Fox and all the Deplorables have been lying about the report.
Let's reduce Mueller's statements to 4 words that should make it crystal clear enough for even Schiff & Nadler, Rachel & Ari, Andy and Chris, Morning Joe and what's her name, to understand:
1) NO Collusion.
2) NO Obstruction.
3
Why is there no attempt to make seeking or acceptance of foreign interference in our elections a crime?
Mueller said it should be a crime.
If it had been a crime.....
2
Dems: knock off the sanctimony. Win elections. Keep the House, Win the WH, the Senate and lots of state elections. Watch how GOP pols turn on Trump when he loses the race and has to face the truth in the Southern District of NY.
Can the impeach now faction get back to legislating and have a positive record of accomplishment to run on?
This was a favor to the Democrats who were too blind to see they did not have a chance with this crusade.
They can withdraw from the field and get on with defunding any weapons transfers to the Saudi's.
GOP votes down election security. GOP won't fix this until after 2020 election. Then they will be alarmed. Same reaction they give to social injustice, climate change, income inequality, infrastructure and racism.
1
Biden-Booker 2020
OR
Biden-Klobuchar 2020
OR
Biden-Buttegeig 2020
OR
Bullock
OR
Bennet
OR
a centrist white ticket.
The election will be won or lost in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan with independent and moderate voters. If four years of Donald Trump doesn't motivate the so-called "democratic progressive base", (which I don't think exists in the numbers the media claims) as well as African-Americans to come out to vote, than they will deserve another Trump term.
1
Seems we have become so inured to bombast and fireworks--thanks in part to Trump- that reasoned discussion gets lost in the chaos.
5
Mr.Mueller went through great effort to give us a warning. He is a true patriot. His report must be heeded by all Americans. Stop playing politics and get to work on safeguards to our election processes.
8
What we learned from Mr. Mueller's testimony and the concomitant partisan grandstanding is that America is in the throes of an enveloping albeit inexorable coup d'etat orchestrated by the Trump crime family and his cohort of felons and miscreants. Despite incontrovertible evidence to the contrary, Trump insists there was "no collusion" when in fact just the opposite is true. Facts speak for themselves. America is in deep peril today, and unless critical steps are taken to undo the damage — namely commencing impeachment proceedings — we are headed to disastrous times, indeed.
3
The only thing that Mueller had to do yesterday was to confirm that President Trump broke the law numerous times to obstruct an investigation into attacks on our elections (by a country that he asked to attack our elections on TV.)
Mueller confirmed that Trump Obstructed Justice numerous times.
If corporate mass media normalizes Trump's crimes by refusing to treat Mueller's Impeachment Referral and Testimony as a dire warning, than they will have helped the Party of Trump gut the Constitution
By refusing to use the phrase High Crimes corporate news is derelict in their Constitutional responsibility to hold the President accountable to the Constitution.
POTUS keeps calling for violence against American Citizens. Those are High Crimes. The whole point of a constitution, is to replace violence with debate and voting, so Trump attacks the whole point of having a Constitution. Every time he does this, it is a High Crime.
It is not enough to report Trump's behavior, then ask Democrats about impeachment.
The responsibility of the Press is to compare the president's words and behavior to the Constitution. If the president is committing crimes, then they are High Crimes and Misdemeanors, and the Press has to say that.
Talking about impeachment without using the words High Crime and Misdemeanors is like talking eating a banana split without eating bananas or ices cream.
The Democrats are not in the Constitution. The Press is in the Constitution. Protect the Constitution!
1
With Trump's open defiance of the law and ethics, and the Republicans going any limits to support Trump the whole exercise of Robert Mueller has been rendered irrelevant and ineffectual. Thus except for its symbolic value the Mueller testimony before the Congress amounts to nothing.
1
Well a lot more people learned how useless Mueller has always been and that democrats have wasted a lot of time.
No one in Washington, including Mueller, wanted a true investigation into outside influence in Washington. We have more members in Congress who are multi millionaires with multi national holdings than ever before. This was the true goal of globalism, the elite and powerful being able to manipulate governments worldwide.
3
At one point in his testimony before the Intelligence Committee, Robert Mueller expressed concern that, due to the encouraging, welcoming and gleeful acceptance of Russian election help by Trump and his campaign, such illegal and unethical election assistance and interference by foreign powers might already be the “new normal”. At the same time, Mueller’s overall “performance” before both House committees has been criticized as dry, halting, hesitant and unsure. I fear that something else may have become the “new normal,” namely, Trump’s over-the-top carnival-barker bombast, vitriol and spewing-and-spouting “reality”-tv delivery. Under truly normal circumstances, Mueller’s appearance yesterday would be regarded as considered, thoughtful and civilized. After three years of Trump’s clown show, I’m afraid that it, too, may have been normalized, making Mueller’s civility and studied approach, by contrast with Trump’s P.T. Barnum silliness, seem suddenly and perversely “not ready for prime time”.
5
Is it fair to say Mueller may be guilty of mini-obstruction of Justice? But that's not my purview...
5
By the way, while Trump was attacking Mueller as having "no material" (whatever that means), his "lover" Kim was firing missiles from North Korea. He's also continuing to develop his nuclear weapons.
Just another example of Donnie's tremendous deal-making skills at work.
4
What I learned is that we are all in Trump’s reality TV world. A serious accomplished man is ‘judged’ on his TV performance.
Trump deems the performance ‘horrible’, never mind that Mueller
- warned that the Russians interfered in our election in 2016 and are planning to do so again
- said Russians helped elect Donald Trump
- found that high-level people in the Trump campaign worked with foreign entities (including Russia) during the campaign for money. This includes Trump himself who continued to work on a Russian deal
- found Trump people, including Trump himself, lied about these involvements
MORE.
I understand why the Trump People are focusing on the ‘performance’ because the substance was/is devastating to Trump. And the media, all the media, colluded with them.
9
What I learned is that the report speaks for itself and Mueller has integrity despite and stuck to his report, that he was obstructed from interviewing Trump, obstructed from the truth by Trump and associates and it was not a hoax nor a witch hunt. I also learned that Mueller is one tough honorable Marine even at 75. Semper Fi.
4
What I learned was how offensive and antithetical to our justice system Mueller's "exoneration" comments really are. After listening to TX Rep. Ratcliffe's explanation that there is no such thing as "exoneration" because our system starts with a presumption of innocence. Our system doesn't bestow it. Mueller's position was antithetical to our justice system.
3
I’ve only scrolled down a bit and saw at least six comments stating Mueller didn’t write the report.
Congressmen repeatedly cited and asked him to agree with or read from a 400 page report. He was searching for the quote so he would not be tripped up as Ted Lieu was (thanks Mr Lieu, btw)
Let’s assume he had help, but he did the work and was trying not to implicate anyone inadvertently. There was never going to be a “Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men” moment in this hearing.
1
His answers were thoughtful and correct. He had been bullied by the the DOJ before he arrived to limit his answers, he knew he would be manipulated by everyone asking questions once he was there. He was trapped. So what if he wanted to make sure he heard everything correctly, and hesitated before answering? He had already finished the job he was tasked to do, preparing the report, and then was told most people couldn’t be bothered to read it. Could he please come and read it out loud for the public, all the while saying nothing political, nothing damaging, nothing incriminating, nothing to overstep other investigations. I think we witnessed an honest man who is still trying to follow the rules in the crazy circus of Washington! Perhaps we need to listen.
2
I have to say that I was not impressed with Mueller's testimony. He appeared dazed, unorganized, unfocused and often provided halting and disjointed answers. He often fell back on his constant refrain that the report speaks for itself rather than provide a cogent answer. He looked particularly weak when many republican congressmen attacked him, his staff and his report and he mostly just sat there and provided no retort. The best example of this is the episode cited in the article when Representative John Ratcliffe, Republican of Texas, told Mr. Mueller that he had “inverted burden of proof” by detailing the president’s conduct without charging him with a crime. Mueller should have responded that Trump as president is not like any citizen since he can not be prosecuted for crimes while in office and so that's why his conduct regarding obstruction was provided in the report for the Congress to consider in applying the only remedy available for improper conduct; impeachment. Instead he just sat there and, respectively sir, allowed Ratcliffe's accusation to go unanswered.
3
Tired of hearing people say the report found no evidence of collusion. If they actually read report or listen to testimony there is plenty of evidence of collusion, just apparently not enough to definitively prove a conspiracy (and this is because Manafort and others are still lying and hoping for a pardon). All Americans should be alarmed by this behavior and should fight hard so that this does not become the new norm. We are losing control of our government to foreign influence.
5
As an American, I cannot help feel that many viewed yesterday’s congressional hearings as nothing more than being a “winner or loser.” If that is the public’s sentiment resulting from the two hearings, then our democracy is truly in trouble. In a democracy it’s not about one, it’s about all. So stop sobbing or glowering my fellow Americans and pay attention to the great danger of losing our precious national right of the vote being violated by a foreign government - Russia. Yesterday it was reported that the Senate once again blocked discussion of an election security bill. If nothing else can be accomplished by this “do-nothing” congress, this issue of security protection of our national vote should be demanded of by the public. Can’t we come together on at least this one thing of securing our rights not to be interfered with by another nation?
3
What we knew is that there is ample evidence in the Mueller report for Congress to investigate the president on obstruction of justice. What we learned is that Robert Mueller believes Congress should investigate the president on obstruction of justice.
1
What keeps me up at night is Mitch McConnell's refusal to pass election law protections. After all the Mueller warnings, the Republicans still resist. What is going on behind the Grand Wizard's curtain? Who has he made a deal with?
4
"What We Learned From Mueller’s 7 Hours on Capitol Hill"
After all of my reading of the Report and news articles and opinions, I listened to Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and in those first five minutes, he and Mr. Mueller summed up the entire case against Trump.
Mr. Nadler asked simple, straight forward, Yes or No questions and Mr. Mueller replied with one word answers. It was if we were in a courtroom, not a political camp meeting.
The republicans, as well as Trump in his remarks yesterday, had no evidence to refute the testimony of Mr. Mueller and the Report. One republican even sunk to asking how many times Mr. Mueller, in the second volume of the report quoted the various news organizations versus Fox News. She was so incensed that Fox was quoted so little versus the NY Times and Washington Post.
4
What the testimony showed is how profoundly unprofessional Mueller is. Lacking facts he engaged in speculation. It may have satisfied his soul but corrupted it as well.
2
The result of this hearing made me just as angry at the Democrats as the Republicans who have pretended like Trump has done nothing wrong and only was "defending himself". History will remember that this Congress has allowed this President to be above the law. Every member of congress that has failed to speak up against these acts of obstruction, have remained complacent and think that is is OK to receive aid from an foreign government clearly have a different agenda than upholding the law and Constitution.
1
What I learned after watching the 7 hour testimony before Congress was that every politician on that panel had other agendas on their minds other than protecting the integrity of American democracy.
Robert Mueller was pretty adamant about the threat of foreign interference in American elections. Even his bombshell of “Russia attacked our elections in 2016 and is intensifying its efforts today. “It wasn’t a single attempt. They’re doing it as we sit here.” did not cause the kind of reaction it should have. Where was the outage on either side of the aisle?
Robert Mueller did not disappoint me yesterday, however, our lawmakers did a bang up job of doing just that. Their implied indifference and constant battling frightens me more than the Russians at this point.
3
Patriot Muller's responses to the literally hundreds of questions and political statements (sometimes cloaked as questions) were first governed by the DOJ letter issued the day before sanctioning him to limit his ability to respond freely. Mueller had to take the question, process it, filter it, find the exact wording in the 448 pages in the report and then try not to exhibit any personal opinions with his answers. All in real time on global TV for seven hours.
Ask yourself if you might stumble,stammer,and pause while thinking, to ensure you found the appropriate factual response.
It's easy to watch the game and not so easy to play.
8
On the same day Muller testified about Russia’s attack on US elections, the Republicans blocked two election-security bills and a measure regarding cybersecurity for Senate staff. Republican’s Democratic derangement syndrome blinds them from facing reality.
Many comments here and a couple NYT’s articles are indicative of the reality tv soap opera mentality that Trump popularized. When in fact, election security and foreign influences undermine our national security. It isn’t a game.
4
We learned that he was the dad who don't have favorite child. He gave exactly one candy to Dems and one to Republicans. Both kids wanted more, but he refused. Now both kids are trying to use that one candy to their advantage.
4
I learned that the vicious assaults on Robert Mueller by the Republicans, who have been saying for six months that Mueller's report "fully exonerated" Trump, indicate that Republicans have known all along that Mueller did not exonerate Trump, that they have known all along that the United States Attorney General lied via his "summary" in order to deliberately mislead the American people, and that Republicans have subverted the US Constitution, broken their oaths, and have made America a dictatorship under Trump, knowingly lying about a president committing crimes and impeachable offenses in order to protect that president, NOT the country and Constitution. I also learned that these same Republicans are so blinded by power that they are not only protecting Trump but also Putin and Putin's attacks on us, just as the US President has protected him and them as well. And sadly, I had confirmed that the American electorate has become dangerously apathetic about such matters, which helps Republicans, and dangerously ignorant of American civics and the foundations of democracy and how easily it can be lost. I also had confirmed that Democrats just cannot rise to this occasion and instead continue playing right into the hands of Trump. We are in big trouble.
7
Robert Mueller's Deus ex machina moment has come and gone and there's nothing new to report.
Anyone who was expecting anything else, is bond to be disappointed.
But the fact lies that in the end it all boils down to Congress -- and as long as Mitch McConnell is part of the picture, so is Donald Trump.
1
I watched the Mueller proceedings yesterday with great interest and admiration for Robert Mueller. He was measured, intelligent and did exactly what he said he was going to do. He answered all the questions posed to him with answers that reflected accurately what the Mueller Report contained. I am almost finished reading it and it’s a head shaking gut wrenching potpourri of information that should make every caring citizen of this democracy shake in their boots having nothing to do with politics but everything to do with our sovereignty and love for our democracy. We have been invaded, attacked and continue to be attacked by foreign powers whose only goal is to destroy its foundation from within. They seem to be doing a very thorough job of it. What’s particularly sad to me is the apparent lack of understanding by the populace of what this could really mean to our country. Social media is more important as an entity to people than for the incidious fake messenging that was going on and is still going on and being amplified. Our children and grandchildren for generations to come will suffer because of our seeming need for anything and everything to come up to the production standards of pure entertainment. To label Mr. Mueller “boring”, or “dry” or not riveting enough is pathetic in my mind. Whatever your political persuasion, please take the time to read the report, digest the facts and then you can speak out. The report is not boring or dry at all. It’s jaw dropping!
3
I am appalled that commentators say that Mueller was halting and hesitant ...and that it was because he will be 75 next month. How ridiculous. He made it clear that he did not want to appear, that he only did so because he was subpoenaed, that he wouldn’t say more than was in the report. Actually, for those who didn’t read the report, he asserted some striking statements again yesterday, the most important of which was that not only did the Russians interfere, but they are probably doing it now. He also said again, the President was not exonerated of obstruction. Instead of focusing on Mueller and his age shouldn’t we be listening? Mueller oversaw an amazing process that produced stinging conclusions that indeed threaten our democracy. Let any of us ( 75 or not) try to remember every single fact or finding in a report of over 400 pages while being grilled for seven hours without being at times hesitant. We owe gratitude and thanks to Mueller.
9
Remember who Trump really is... not the person(?) he's selling.
John Gartner, Ph.D. is the founder of Duty to Warn, an organization intent on warning our country that we are in dire trouble due to our president’s mental instability. More than 60,000 mental health professionals have signed John’s petition, which states:
“We, the undersigned mental health professionals, believe in our professional judgment that Donald Trump manifests a serious mental illness that renders him psychologically incapable of competently discharging the duties of President of the United States. And we respectfully request he be removed from office, according to article 4 of the 25th amendment to the Constitution, which states that the president will be replaced if he is ‘unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”
President Trump argues he is above the law. A thousand prosecutors say he’s wrong [LaTimes]
As of Wednesday, more than 1,000 former federal prosecutors had signed a statement explaining that, in their professional judgment and based on the facts described in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s report, President Trump would have been criminally charged with obstruction of justice if he were not the president. This public outcry from such a large group of prosecutors — who have served under Republican and Democratic presidents — is unprecedented and indicative of overwhelming expert agreement on the evidence and law supporting charges against Trump.
7
Bob Mueller assembled a team of legal and forensic experts.
Their task was exponentially more complex than the Starr or Watergate investigations. International money laundering, criminal syndicates, tax evasion, treason, campaign finance, influence peddling, the selling of the Presidency, and more. Dozens of indictments, pleas, convictions, finished and pending. A 400 page summary, and one man alone allowed to represent the entire body of work per demand of the President's goon squad.
Lying, evasion, encryption, missing data hampered the case for conspiracy, to no one's surprise. But testimony, evidence, and in plain sight obstruction of justice, witness tampering, were too well supported to dismiss.
Bravo to Mr. Mueller for defending his extraordinary work, the integrity and ability of his entire team, while remaining within the four corners restriction set by presidential attorney Bill Barr. Hats off to Adam Schiff for bringing perspective to the depressing new norm of GOP moral and ethical failure.
Read the report. Twice.
4
Congress and the American people cannot expect Mueller to do Congress's job for them. Charging Trump with crimes while in office, serious, impeachable crimes at that, was not Mueller's job. It is Congress's job. We learned that Trump can be charged with these crimes when he has ended his term, but that is not good enough. Donald Trump must answer for these crimes now. No one is above the law. Congress must act to impeach Trump immediately.
Wednesday’s Congressional hearings examining Robert Mueller’s findings revealed that: 1) Donald Trump engaged obstruction of justice many times, lying about it and coercing others to also lie about it; 2) Trump engaged in witness tampering many times, lying about that too; 3) Trump lied to the FBI in his written answers to their questions.
In the news reports after the hearings, it seems many people expected Mueller to do Congress’s job in judging the President regarding his crimes. They demanded he charge the President with these crimes, even though he was prevented from doing so, and had made this clear from the start. They expected him to take a partisan position against the President, even though Mueller is a Republican along with Trump, and his role was to investigate, not judge.
Congress and the American people cannot expect Mueller have done Congress's job for them, to charge Trump with crimes, serious, impeachable crimes at that. Congress must act to impeach Trump immediately.
2
It's time to remove the stranglehold we're under from our two party system.
4
"It is not a witch hunt", so says Robert Mueller. But even if it was a witch hunt, it sure was a fruitful one because it bagged an awful lot of witches, several of whom are sitting in jail cells today.
7
I watched this live, I am a Canadian, and I cannot believe how disrespectful Republicans are to Mr. Robert Mueller. Republicans do not ask their questions like adults but they ask questions like spoiled rotten kids that didn't get their way. Robert Mueller held himself well.
He's a decent man. No drama and showmanship.
My best wishes in November 2020 presidential election that the US gets a new and decent 46th American president.
543
@Lisa Perhaps you can persuade your fellow Canadians to vote in the 2020 US elections, helping to balance out all the minority and Democratic votes the GOP fully intends to suppress.
12
@Lisa You cannot seriously tell us that Mueller held himself well. He looked dazed, confused, he stuttered and stammered, and he could not even seem to hear questions being asked to him or remember anything that was written in his own report.
He gave Trump a major win and guaranteed Trump the 2020 win.
2
@Michael
Really, all we needed to know anyway was (anyone, anyone?) IN THE REPORT. That is all Mueller has been saying all along.
16
Let’s face the fact that there is no way that Trump will be impeached. Even if items of impeachment move out of the house the Senate will NEVER have a trial. Only a really good democratic candidate in 2020 will insure one term for Trump.
As to the comments of dementia I defy another of Muller’s age to have a better presentation under such scrutiny.
The most important thing lost in all this political nonsense is that the Russians did and continue to attempt to interfere in our elections. It would benefit our country much more if these partisan politicians would put as much energy behind solving that problem as they do this impeachment foolishness.
3
When Devin Nunez started his remarks with the phrase, "Welcome to the last gasp of the Russian collusion conspiracy," it was obvious that if he had read any part of Mr. Mueller's report -- a doubtful assumption -- he preferred to ignore what it said. He also used the term "hoax" to describe the allegations of Russian interference.
Mike Johnson of Louisiana mentions "the infamous Christopher Steele dossier, now proven to be totally bogus," as the major starting point for the investigation. A simple web search shows that many of the allegations in the Steele dossier -- which, BTW was initiated by Republicans -- have since been corroborated by other sources.
Several of the Republican members of both committees emphasized the Democratic political affiliations of a number of Mueller's team members. None of them mentioned that Mueller himself is a Republican, who was appointed by a Republican, and was confirmed 98-0 by a Republican-majority Senate.
My first two paragraphs show Republican ignorance -- or willful disregard -- of facts in the case. The third shows a classic ad hominem attack with no evidence to back it up.
Limited space prevents me from detailing other attempts by the Republicans to derail Mueller's testimony.
The full transcript is available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/transcript-of-robert-s-mueller-iiis-testimony-before-the-house-judiciary-committee/2019/07/24/7164abfe-ad96-11e9-a0c9-6d2d7818f3da_story.html?utm_term=.ea7cff474a3d
4
I believe that both Democrats and Republicans asked excellent questions. The Democrats wanted to catch Trump in a process crime and get good soundbites from Mueller, the Republicans argued that Misfud had been an Obama CIA asset who planted the info about the alleged Russian Wikileaks downloads to frame and discredit Trump and his campaign. I believe the key here is this Misfud and I am surprised by the lack of curiosity of the media and the NYT regarding this character. One cannot take neither the Democrats nor the Republicans at face value whatever they claim.
1
@European in NY
"Republicans argued that Misfud had been an Obama CIA asset".
No proof though. All hot air, a diversion, considering Joseph Mifsud has been reported as "missing and may be deceased" since 2017. How do you question a person who has disappeared or been 'disappeared'.
There is a bottom line. A final conclusive summary. This President got help from Russians to get elected. That is "illegal." A crime. This President did try as hard as he could to snuff the Mueller investigation. All the while he disparaged Mr. Mueller and his team with insults. And William Barr lied to the American people about what the report said.
9
The take away is that Mueller was not even involved in "investigation" or writing the report.
2
The key piece of evidence used to start the Mueller investigation was the fake Russian dossier created by Fusion GPS. For Mr. Mueller to say I am not familiar with who Fusion GPS was mind blowing. Mueller looked so much like Mr. Magoo yesterday. Fusion, Glenn Simpson and Nellie Orr were a big part of this hoax.
1
@P McGrath
No, the investigation was NOT started by the Dossier. The investigation was started before the Dossier was ever compiled. It was started because George Papadopolous, who worked for Trump, got drunk one night in London and blabbed to an Australian diplomat that the Russians had dirt on Hillary. The diplomat then alerted the FBI, who started the investigation. Alerting the FBI is what Junior and Kushner should have done. I really wish that the media and democrats would set this record straight loudly and explicitly.
3
@P McGrath You are either not telling the truth or unaware of the facts. The investigation was NOT started because of the dossier. Turn off Fox News and pay attention.
1
Elsewhere nearby it has been said "...the movie Americans tuned into on Wednesday was not the blockbuster Democrats had sought nor was Mr. Mueller the action star they had cast."
That result is good, and if calculated (we may suspect it was) then brilliant. Trump is still President. He is vengeful and cruel. While in office, he is capable of doing terrible damage. Bear in mind 'Tariff Man' has caused much economic loss because tariffs garnered attention for him and made him feel better about himself. It would be foolish to inflict a flesh wound on a hulking American ursus.
1
Mueller told the truth, which is that Trump obstructed and frankly is dishonest and used "executive privilege" to evade any responsibility. And it is also I am sure true that Russia will continue their meddling in the coming national election. Yes, Mueller was quiet...dignified in fact, and that is natural, not abnormal as Trump's supporters and the Republicans portray him. I would vote for impeachment for all that Trump has done, most of all for destroying our government and normal diplomatic norms -- he has ruined our reputation and he has done nothing for America diplomatically, to protect America from Global Warming. He purely fans the flames of discord, lies repeatedly and has no moral compass. How will we recover from this affront?
2
Robert Mueller is not a reality show host. Once you accept that fact, we can move to more substantive issues. No exoneration for Trump. Not a “witch hunt”. Trump can be charged when he leaves office. In the Trump campaign, crimes were committed. Our elections are under attack by foreign actors, namely Russians. And finally, there is an ongoing investigation by the FBI into the Russian/Trump relationship. The new normal is not normal at all.
We have a felon in the White House. Mitch McConnell will not amp up election security, because these foreign incursions work for them. Now that the report has been reduced to sound bites, what will you, the voter, do.
4
I like Hakeem Jeffries but I just heard him describe his support for the not impeaching Trump position which is becoming a sick joke. It’s not pretty to see a true American hero like Robert Mueller assaulted by Trump and Barr with no consequences.
If the House Democrats refuse to impeach I think they’re giving Trump an undeserved free pass and a major talking point for the 2020 election.
1
I learned:
1. Mueller is brilliant. His responses to the ranting GOP had me in awe. See his exchange with McClntock.
2. The GOP did not read the report. Still.
3. The Russians interfered with the election and are still doing it.
2
What we learned is what we've known all along: that if this were Obama, either Clinton, or any other Democratic president, Mueller would not have testified, because such testimony would have been unnecessary, since Republicans would have impeached long ago.
We also have learned that the Republican shrieking about "illegals" swarming the voting booths is a complete and utter lie, given Republicans' willingness to let Russia compromise our voting systems.
It's like Republicans are one big Snidely Whiplash, endlessly cackling as they tightly bound the US to the twin railroad tracks that are Trump and Putin.
5
Lets face it the whole Republican establishment is corrupt and vile. They believe Trump is innocent and we know with facts he isn’t. How did they get this mixed up?
2
@D.j.j.k. They got mixed up because their boss is making them dance like monkeys at his music tunes like a snake charmer does in front of viewers enjoying the fun poked show.
I hope Americans can listen without tribalism at their hearts.
2
Trey Gowdy got it right...the person who learned the most about the Mueller Report in these hearings was Robert Mueller.
2
Impossible as it may sound, this pony show has actually succeeded in making Donald Trump out as the victim of bias haters run rampant. No doubt will play a big part of his reelection.
1
'Mr. Mueller agreed that receiving campaign assistance from a foreign power was “unpatriotic” and “wrong.”' -- it is not Ilhan Omar or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that hates America; it's Trump and anyone who condones such actions.
2
In Muellers testimony, there did not need to be any big moments to be successful. You in the media needlessly set expectations wrongly . . . many times.
5
Time to free ourselves from this corrupt two party system.
3
All politics, no substance. While our elected officials wasted everyone's time with this dog and pony show, what did they do about the crisis at the border? The environment? The homeless? Nothing.
it would only take 5 or 10 million of us marching on DC to get our government back.
4
I hope our political elites--of both parties--are proud of themselves. Robert Mueller was humiliated in front of the entire nation for political gain. He was a decorated veteran and a valued prosecutor and law enforcement person who faithfully served his nation. The Democrats had to know Mueller is failing due to age. Anyone that talked with him for 5 minutes would have picked up on it...and, obviously Democrat representatives--or, their staff--would have had discussions about the report in the follow-up to this travesty. They knew he wanted to remain silent on the report. He said so in advance. But, instead of allowing him to remain quiet and have his well deserved honor they HAD...HAD to trot him out for this event and take what little he has left of his life. This should reveal to us the depths of depravity to which the Democrat party has sunk.
Shouldn't we be looking at the bright side of all this, i.e., this country and the world have survived two and a half years with a lying, corrupt, delusional lunatic at the helm of the most powerful nation in history?
5
What we learned is that the Democratic Party along with its media enablers including the NY Times sadly, who don't waste a nanosecond denouncing Trump as a fraud and con artist for anything and everything, have perpetrated one of the greatest -- if not the greatest -- fraud in American history -- one that's seriously damaged this country for years to come. That's what we learned.
And now the real investigation into how this fraud has just started. If you thought the Mueller hearings yesterday were a disaster for the Dems, it's only the beginning. Very sad for the Democratic Party and those who believe in a vibrant, healthy multi-party system.
3
@JW And what fraud are you referring to? Mueller was charged with investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, which he did and showed very clearly occurred. He was NOT charged with getting Trump impeached or providing ANY political party with what it wanted to win the next election. So to say it was a fraud is not understanding what Mueller's primary job was.
@Steve
How did he do that when he examined only one campaign? Was Trump the only campaign who participated in the election?
Why is Devin Nunes still a member of Congress??? He should be recalled by the state of California so he can be Trump’s lapdog full time.
5
Here we go again. Seeing irrefutable, and clear evidence that our President is a criminal, and denying it, seems to be the order of the day for Trumpsters.
Here's their playbook, written for deflective sycophants.
1. Deny, deny, deny. Deny that you see what you see.
2. Facts aren't really facts.
3. It's all partisan.
4. What about Hillary?
and lastly,
5. What? You don't like our 'booming' economy?
5
Reality Check we all live in one world ussr an usa always been allies since world war two. This great disception where no one even allies trust each other. Time to form better world Federation of Earth emagin what we could acheive together. Futile to spend trillions on weapons could destroy earth hundred times ten times faster then yesterdays weapons.
We always launch Maverick on Alert 5, even if he’s gone random on religion.
But does Vlad hang after this?
Or do we grant him modern conventions?
I missed the "opinion" tag on this piece, as it's loaded with commentary that takes away from the actual news of what was said during the hearing. What's your agenda NYT? Because it sure isn't informing the public.
2
Dear Congress,
When Mueller balked at his presence, at your request, maybe now, you understand why.
He's exhausted.
You rushed to have a hero on hand to prove, "the emporer has no clothes".
He answered the questions and evidently, you wanted words from Mueller stating, "impeach the president, Now".
Stop the in fighting, get together and find out HOW, WHEN and WHY you'll get this job done.
There's more information about "the squad", than there is about governing.
Grow up!!
3
We learned that if ya have the money, FOX news, & Rush radio you can essentially trade with the enemy and be rewarded. At least he didn't shoot someone.
30 years of FOX and Rush limbo has it's price....
GOP has a statue of Rush so why not Rupert Murdoch???
1
What did we learn? Nothing. Foreign governments have been interfering in each others elections for eons. No one cares NYT. And who cares if they did. Did the little russian spie hold the hand of the Wisconsin man or woman in the voting booth and make him or her vote for Trump. Sounds like what Joseph McCarthy use to say about the communists. "Look out there is a commie under every bed." The NYT is helping hand the election to Trump. And with how the democrats are acting they deserve to lose.
2
In seven hours of questioning, Mr. Mueller managed to sit on a fence with all the skill of an alley cat while at the same time demonstrating all the courage of a boiled chicken. He refused to even utter the dreaded "impeachment" word as if it would summon up the devil--or Trump--himself. Thanks for nothing, Mr. Mueller. You saved yourself from a fate worse than death in Trump's Orwellian America--speaking the truth that our president is not just a crook, but a traitor, liar, and thug.
Some may have an overflow on orders paratrooping into HermitLin.
It’s not what we(most of US)learned,it’s all about what rotten partisan idiots want to/should learn in the end. As said by Mr.Muller while answering a member that Russians involvements is happening as we speak now and will be heavily involved in 2020 elections too. For GOPers it’s nothing,but for US it’s a question of looming oligarchy over our heads under KGB webs under second DJT’s term,because he don’t trust CIA/FBI guys. When lies from WikiLeaks becomes acceptable compared to truths of US media,it’s wake up call for the very existence of our democracy so far have enjoyed & enriched ourselves. Wake up guys and think about it twice before you cast vote for your future.
1
Remember who Trump really is... not the person(?) he's selling.
Sold like so much old fashioned snake oil.
Michael Cohen admits he paid tech firm to rig online polls for Donald Trump in 2014 and 2015 [SCMP] https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2182614/michael-cohen-admits-he-paid-tech-firm-rig-online
US President Donald Trump’s estranged former lawyer said on Thursday he paid a technology company to rig Trump’s standing in two online polls before the presidential campaign.
The Real Americans In Trump’s New Ads Are Foreign Stock Models [HuffPost]
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-facebook-ad-stock-models_n_5d1d7f12e4b0f312567eb8ae
“Tracey from Florida,” shown strolling along what appears to be a Florida beach, said in a voiceover that Trump was doing “a great job” and “I could not ask for a better president of the United States of America.”
But she isn’t Tracey, she’s not from Florida and the voice is unlikely to be hers. The footage is of a stock model who according to the description is “walking during sunset at the beach along the Mediterranean.”
Another featured American ― “Thomas from Washington” ― is this guy, whose image is sold via stock footage in video and stills, in this case as “bearded and tattooed hipster coffee shop owner posing.”
MAGA has spent 2.7 million dollars on 27.735 these ads.
3
@Pray for Help
He wasn't running for president in 2014. And the polls you refer to had nothing to do with the election, and were never advertised as scientific polls. No online polls are scientific. They're always paid for, and always a marketing gimmick.
You might as well expect people to be outraged that Amazon reviews are lies.
And yes, people in commercials are paid actors not real voters who necessarily support the candidate. People in Hillary's commercials were also paid actors.
Maybe connect to the fact-based community instead of the light.
Nobody was tricked into voting Trump because of $ 35,000 of FB Russian bot adds. The Russians also posted pro Clinton messages as well. Hillary Clinton was a horrible candidate, corrupt, and extremely lazy campaigning. She thought Social Media would get her elected, and she never campaigned in the Rust Belt. 2016 is over & in the books. No do overs. Stop reliving your grief and move on.
4
@JOSEPH
The Russians also posted pro Clinton messages as well ! seriously where did you that?
Why Republicans dutifully defend Trump's most ridiculous lies ?
This is a big nothingburger and anyone who says otherwise is kidding themselves. The democrats need to put some clothes on as everyone but themselves can see they are naked as jaybirds.
3
What?
Robert Mueller produced and emphatically clear report?
He testified succinctly before Congress, confirming the contents of that report.
But the clarity of his findings are handled like an entertainment review because his "dry" and "sometimes halting" testimony wasn't accompanied by a rock band and a song and dance number, maybe with an opening comedic act (although under different circumstances, Nunes's comments might qualify)?
Mueller has given Congress and the United States all it needs to take a definitive, clear stand against internal corruption and international security breaches.
And yet, nothing happens. Pundits keep punditing, Anti-Trumpers keep up the rhetoric. Trumpers keep up the lies. And the republic totters.
12
What we learned from Mueller’s testimony that Russia meddled in 2016 to elect Trump and they plan to do so again. Senate Majority Leader McConnell refuses to even allow a vote on a crucial bill to protect the 2020 election. Why does McConnell want Russia to invade again?
It’s not just Trump who is in cahoots with Russia.
14
Mueller’s testimony was never going to deliver any new bombshells. The Mueller Report delivered the bombshells.
But his testimony was absolutely essential to impeaching Trump for his actions to impede the investigation into the Russian attacks. Without it, opponents of impeachment would point to the proverbial empty chair and speculate about the absence of the author of the Mueller Report.
The real revelation in the Congressional hearings was the shameful lack of concern by the Republicans for Trump’s impeding the Russian investigation and for preventing further Russian attacks. But this was their opportunity to defend Trump’s actions. By mimicking Trump’s twitter tirades and by embracing kooky conspiracy theories, they failed Trump and embarrassed themselves and the country.
202
@Rita Agree that testimony was not going to deliver any new bombshells - for those of us that have read the report. But I hope that those watching that have not read the report are stunned, shocked or outraged.
I started reading the report after Barr's initial press conference, thinking that there wouldn't be any big bombshells. Volume 1, pretty much as I anticipated BUT volume 2 on obstruction? My mouth dropped.
What I fear most (in addition to the hype that the Mueller hearing would be high drama) are the headlined and talk heads the day after saying "no drama" "nothing new" "no bombshells - because then those that couldn't watch, won't read. And won't learn what really happened. They'll just see the talking heads, reds versus blues, politics as usual, and tune it off.
In the President's outdoor gloating session, you couldn't even hear the questions that were being thrown at him - just his take of "fake news" "weak Mueller" "total vindication"... I guess that's another reason why there are no formal press briefings anymore.
Now I'll wait for the next polls to come out and see what really got through all the noise.
3
To paraphrase the president, Robert Mueller was an incredible warrior who defended something very powerful and very important because he was defending our country and democracy.
While he appeared a bit wobbly in the AM against the ranting ramblings by some of the Republicans, he found his footing in the PM and stood his ground. In his quiet yet direct responses, he hammered home key points - foreign interference in American elections and stating "praise of WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign “problematic” and giving "a boost to what is and should be illegal activity.” I do not regret listening and watching this 7 hour hearing.
While yesterday's testimony did not have riveting and "OMG" moments like John Dean's testimony against Richard Nixon back in 1973, deeper and more sinister issues were addressed by Mr. Mueller. A threatening dichotomy between both parties is at play regarding foreign interference in American elections and Mr. Mueller tried his best to highlight that threat numerous times.
I felt privileged to be living in a country in which I was able to witness history in the making.
I have a new profound sense of respect and admiration for Robert Mueller. He was and continues to be a class act. Hopefully his spoken words nor his written words will not have been made in vane.
25
@Marge Keller Thank you, especially for putting Director Mueller's performance into the Watergate context. Today's Washington Post contain's an unfortunate piece implying that Mueller is beyond his use-by date. I recommend your piece over that of the Washington Post author. As you say, Mueller continues to be a class act.
2
@Donald Champagne
Aww - thanks Mr. Champagne for your kind and thoughtful post. I'm disappointed that the Washington Post could be so short-sighted. In many ways, it helps being old enough to have witnessed the Watergate Hearings. I fear I have shoes older than many reporters on staff at the Post.
Take care and thanks again for your heartwarming comment.
1
One one hand I don’t understand why anyone, but most importantly Congress, needs more than what is in the report to conclude that Trump obstructed justice, willingly sought and accepted Russian help, and then repeatedly lied about it. And I don’t understand how that alone is an insufficient reason to begin impeachment hearings. It needs to happen and it needs to happen now.
On the other hand I share the frustration that Mueller and/or his team won’t say more. Because it feels like there is a lot more going on that is still hidden. Maybe for national security or intelligence reasons? But in any event it still seems like we don’t know the full story. It’s hard to believe the OLC memo is the only reason Mueller and his team haven’t and won’t say more about Trump’s conduct. And I wonder whether the fact Trump could be indicted when he leaves office is playing into the calculation of what they say now.
But - we and Congress have to deal what we do know. And that is set forth in a 400 plus page report that makes it extremely evident that it is time for impeachment proceedings to begin. If the Democrats don’t follow through on this it will be a complete and unforgivable abdication of their responsibilities.
5
The Trump obstruction related acts are a pretty unique set of circumstances. I personally don’t see public statements as necessarily chargeable but there were other acts. I didn’t hear anyone ask about examples of similar acts that were charged by the Department of Justice. Can anyone give a similar example of someone convicted of a similar fact pattern?
“Mr. Jordan’s voice rose.”
How could you tell? The Republicans seemed to think that shouting made their mostly-unfounded accusations carry more gravitas.
It didn’t.
I’ve been wondering why no one points out that the tribalism of Republicans make it impossible for them to believe that anyone ever operates in a non-partisan, country-over-party fashion. To me, a key takeaway was when Mueller said he’d been in the business 25 years and had never needed to ask if someone were a Democrat or Republican. Patriots and civil servants with integrity don’t behave like today’s GOP.
17
Excellent comment. Thank you. As for Jim Jordan, his voice is always rising.
2
I remember years ago explaining that one of the reasons I left the democratic party was because they had supported unfair trade agreements, outsourcing , visa abuse and illegal immigration which all undermined working class Americans. Now the truth is out and that includes their pushing for open borders.
I also stated when this investigation first started that it was a farce and the democratic base would be disappointed. Foreign influence has permeated both parties but democrats just wanted a light shining on Trump. The problem was Mueller couldn't go too deep because it would expose both parties so he went light. It is why Mueller will never be a hero because he is just as corruptible. If you have to try and convince people that Mueller is some great guy and hero then that is already a sign that he was compromised.
2
@Hellen
You live in a parallel universe of your own imagination. It's astounding how far Republicans will go to rationalize bizarre and totally unsupported theories.
No, both parties are NOT permeated by foreign influence. Mueller is a Republican and has no motivation to protect Democrats. If you care at all about this country, you should be appalled that our adversary, Russia, successfully elected the US president it wanted. Whatever your choice of candidate, Americans MUST safeguard our elections and choose our own president.
1
@Norburt except Mueller did not actually participate in the investigation (clearly). His bipartisan staff did the interviews with their minds already made up to take down Trump. This is the antithesis of how the process is supposed to work.
@Clridenhour
And you know this how exactly?
The country needs citizens working for the welfare of the country, not conspiracy theorists.
2 more things we learned from yesterday’s hearings that were surprises:
- Mr. Mueller did not himself participate in interviews.
- He made no effort to hire balanced, bipartisan staff.
Those are key points. Given his lack of familiarity with the details of the report, and the fact that his staff were apparently all Democrats (the chief even attended Hillary Clinton’s “victory” party for heavens sake), the inescapable conclusion is that the report was done almost entirely by Democrats. Yet it still found no offenses to charge against the President.
That is a very important takeaway.
4
The most important information tocomeout of the hearing is (according to Mueller's testimony) that if Trump fails to win a 2nd term, he will be indicted. So, we should all be prepared for the fact that those who support his candidacy, both foreign and domestic, will do all in their power to win the election in 2020.
2
Though this is a society that focuses totally on optics, please forget that for a moment and focus on what was said yesterday.
Though he repeats it over and over like a mantra, Trump was not exonerated. Media, will you push back against that in the future? There may not have been enough to charge conspiracy, but the Trump campaign WELCOMED help from the Russians. No one seemed to feel it was necessary to report this to the FBI. In fact, a few weeks ago, Trump said he would happily accept information again. His campaign manager shared polling data with a Russian regarding the states that put Trump over the top. That this interference is continuing to this day and no one in this administration is sounding the alarm. The list goes on and on.
So, please, let’s not concentrate on if Mueller is past his prime and focus on the key findings that were illuminated yesterday.
Our very democracy depends on it.
8
I'm confused. We seem to be arguing about whether the Republicans "won" or the Democrats "won". Regardless of whether or not you support the President, is not the real problem here the fact that Russia is interfering with our elections? Is that not the one thing that is absolutely clear? How can we say we are a democracy when we know that another nation is tampering with our elections, and all we care about is how bad we can make the other side look?
Do we value which party ends up looking "right" over the sovereignty of our nation?
10
@TM this "investigation" was not about the Russians. It was about having a reason to impeach Trump. Mueller himself said that investigating all sides of the Russia interference was "not in his purview". His only scope of concern was to show that Trump was involved.
Is anyone other than a Democrat in Congress surprised that Mr. Mueller reiterated the findings he previously reported? The only need for these hearings apparently comes from the inability of congress to read and understand what was written after months of questioning hundreds of witnesses while we the taxpayers paid the bill.
2
Adam Schiff said it best after the hearing when it was over. When asked about going forward with impeachment, Mr. Schiff (who was a former prosecutor) said that the Democrats need to build a case for impeachment in that they get as much information as possible first by continuing with the investigations on Trump. He compared it to when he was a prosecutor by essentially saying that a good prosecutor wants to get as much information or evidence as he/she can before indicting a person for a crime (or in this case impeaching Trump).
4
Mr. Mueller was also clear about striking a balance of collecting everything versus having enough. Clearly, Mueller thought they had enough, which is why they stopped pursuing an interview with Trump.
There is plenty enough there to indict and convict. Just not a will.
It was a good day for the Dems who established a baseline by showing Mueller is fair and incorruptible and that he has the goods in the report. They’ll need that in the next phase when they have to do the heavy lifting of an impeachment inquiry. There is too little time left to try and convict Trump and thus remove him from office. But the Dem’s tactic seems to be putting Trump on trial during the primaries to at least wound him. At the same time, there are 22 GOP senators running for re-election who will have to vote on removal from office and it’s likely that at least some of their constituents won’t like what they see. Trump and the GOP are in real danger right now and they’re just whistling past the graveyard. This is going to get interesting after Labor Day.
1
Having watched a few clips in the Times of a younger Robert Mueller testifying, it seemed clear that the Special Counsel may very well have a health problem that compromised his ability to both testify to Congress and conduct the hands on investigation that was Mr. Mueller's signature. Therefore, it seems to me appropriate for the Congress to call and question Aaron Zebley, Mr. Mueller's longtime top assistant. I believe this will best serve the national interest despite the political environment in which such hearings would be held.
3
Let's stop lionizing Special Counsel Mueller. He had an opportunity to clarify his report and explain his findings to millions of Americans who have not read it. He had an opportunity to verbalize the actions of the criminal in the White House. He had a chance to answer the most fundamental question: "If Trump was a private citizen, would he have been indicted for obstruction of justice?" Instead, he chose to hide behind the shield of the Mueller report. Mueller seems more interested in protecting his reputation and his agency than protecting our country. He had the rare opportunity to change the course of history. History will not be kind to Robert Mueller.
1
Mueller's testimony proves that Congress needs to start
impeachment proceedings.
The hearing yesterday shows that Trump obstructed justice.
Even if impeachment hearings are blocked by the GOP ;
at least there will be a record of those who voted against
impeachment will be known and the names of those who
do not believe that Trump obstructed justice will be on
record.
Mueller was impaired during his seven hours of testimony. Perhaps it was from a few days' lack of sleep, worrying about the hearings, which may have been among the most widely watched events in world history. Or perhaps he suffers from a more serious condition. Clearly he was not fully up to the challenge.
Nevertheless, the 74 year old man was able to clearly state that democracy in America is under attack and that he fears for our nation. If America wishes to maintain our system of government of, by and for the people, we now must fully take up this challenge and unite to defend our form of government against malefactors, foreign AND domestic who seek to advance totalitarian forms of government.
4
It now appears - appropriately so - Trump's political and possibly personal fate is in the hands of United States voters in November 2020. In that regard the Democratic Party and others who oppose his re-election might consider the following:
1. Get the vote out
2. Address GOP efforts to restrict and reshape voter eligibility
3. Prevent the Russians etc. graduation from influencing
voters to changing votes
2
@Mike Brown don't forget the Democrats need to have a well thought out and coherent policy on the issues that Americans are concerned about i.e. health care, environment, jobs, and immigration, to name a few. This election should be about policy issues that effect us on a daily basis, not on the cult of personality. Otherwise he's in for anther 4!
It's kind of weird as we have known the truth from the beginning. Information is much more available to the public now, than during the Nixon era. From Trump Jr's initial false comments about the purpose of the Tower meeting, it was very obvious what was being done. The question is, will enough people care? Congress needs to do its job and impeach, and let the chips fall where they may. Remember, Nixon was elected by a landslide for his second term before he was impeached.
2
People who were expecting Tom Cruise or Jack Nicholson at the stand, yelling and in a state of high dudgeon, were bound to be disappointed.
He did seem fatigued, but refused to rise to the antagonism from Republicans, and any attempt to move him outside of the areas he had agreed to speak about.
Many Republicans came with prepared, voluminous, presentations, often on matters not directly related to his assignment - and did not present clear questions. When asked to repeat the actual question, most had to look at their crib sheets again. if you have 5 minutes, and cannot even repeat your 'own' question after finihsing a 4.5 minute spiel - - you don't have any- you were giving a speech. One prepared by someone else, to boot.
It would have been better, as I see it, if he had been given time to, and chosen to, explain more about how the group went about their work. And the parameters that were set. If - and only if - restrictions on testimony were lifted ( no conflicts with ongoing investigations or spilling of confidential data), the individuals who were responsible for the different sleeves of the investigation would be answering specifics.
No miracle. Impeachment is sneaking up, and it will be frustrating.
1
What we learned from the hearings is that we no longer have three co-equal branches of government. Congress and the judiciary have effectively made Trump America’s first king. There are no consequences to anything Trump can do. If he decided to start arresting journalists, he could do so with impunity. Ditto for anyone who disagrees with him. Watch for King Donald to cancel the 2020 elections and declare himself president for life. It’s going to happen!
What did we learn?
Absolutely nothing. Mueller’s reticence to testify came across. The movie stuck precisely to the book.
So, the whole thing was a big waste of time, and a diversion from governing.
Now on to election season.
3
Two bad things we learned:
1)Mueller relegated much of the investigation; he was NOT in command of every interview or detail.
2) Mueller was stressed, more befuddled and older than we expected. His TV impact was blurry.
Unfortunately, clarity that emerged in the Intelligence Committee exchanges were missed as most people tuned off after the Judiciary.
Will there be a way for an explicit, passionate Democrat in 2020- to use a firm common sense tone of outrage about all the contacts with Russia, Putin's apparent hold on Trump. They'd highlight the difference between wheeling&dealing in New York's sleazy real estate world and the discipline of international relations. Trump looks compromised.; by personal political and financial corruptions- to both Russia & Saudi Arabia.
If it quacks....
1
"Mr. Mueller appeared a little shaky at the witness table."
If I remember correctly Mr. Mueller was scheduled to testify 7 hours in front of a whole bunch of people who sought to cajole him (or pressure him) into saying things that he did not think it was appropriate to say.
Mr. Mueller is 74, almost 75, his birthday is August 7.
I challenge anybody, even half his age to do 7 hours of testimony in one day, even if he was allowed short breaks now and then.
The comments on his confusion or shakiness are despicable. And if he forgot who may have appointed him to a position, I do not remember which rector is signed on my first university contract and I am younger than Mr. Mueller.
Cut the man some slack and show a little more respect.
5
Most Democrats should have yielded their time to the actual former prosecutors in their ranks who actually were able to ask effective questions. The five minute format makes no sense unless your only goal is get yourself on TV for your constituents. Pick 3 or 4 members, let them ask questions, follow up, get clarification and not waste everyone's time.
2
"...which president had first appointed him as a United States attorney, Mr. Mueller hesitated, guessing that it may have been President George Bush."
Mr. Mueller was an interim US Attorney in Massachusetts- a temporary post that did not require a presidential appointment. Mueller served there from 1986-87. District courts had appointed interim US Attorneys for over 100 years. In Nov 86 the AG began selecting the interim US Attorneys. George Bush did make Mr. Mueller's first Senate approved US Attorney appointment.
Mr. Mueller's politeness and deference were mistaken for befuddlement.
3
Enough!
The Republicans went on the offensive and generally were. The Democrats tried to get more information but were reminded to read the Mueller Report.
So where are we now? Answer, about in the same place we have been since the release of the report.
As I said before, enough.
Democrats, pull yourselves together and establish some candidates capable of sending Trump and the congressional Republicans packing.
2
"But other moments proved stronger, particularly during the afternoon hearing with the Intelligence Committee. Mr. Mueller appeared more at ease and more willingly strayed from his written report."
There was a vast difference between the morning and afternoon sessions, and as the hearing neared its time for conclusion, I thought Mr. Mueller got downright chatty under Adam Schiff's expert, but gentle, probing.
That said, I couldn't help but see Mr. Mueller as sort of an avatar for the current state of our democracy: under attack, weakened, and never quite sure of its bearings.
Lest anyone forget, this president has thrust us into a new "virtual" civil war, that threatens the very foundations of our society.
Only one thing is clear: those in power are tolerating, even encouraging, behaviors and policies that would not be accepted for a second from their adversaries.
Power corrupts, and absolute power--which the current occupant of the White House is testing every single day--corrupts absolutely.
3
The Mueller appearence, as he himself said beforehand, will not be revelatory beyond what was contained in his report. Despite hope on the part of Democrats and anticipation on the part of most of the press, there were no headline moments in Mueller's appearance.
Maybe now the American people can calm down and get to work on the business of how this democracy is supposed to work. Maybe we can all focus now on getting rid of this president in the next election.
In the end, it turns out Nancy Pelosi is right. We've burned a lot of calories for nothing. We hoped for a Watergate moment, where existence of Nixon's tapes changed everything. It simply didn't happen yesterday. Mueller dutifully kept quiet.
1
The democrats keep playing by the rules---for the Republicans there are no rules--oh, yes, there is one...stay in power..that's it. If we make it into the next decade---which becomes more problematic by the day---history will treat this Presidency or Trump's enablers well.
What everyone should have learned is Mr. Mueller either wasn’t actively involved in the investigation and report writing process. He appeared befuddled at many points in the questioning to the point one wonders if he even fully reviewed the document. Mr. Mueller has a strong record of military and public service. What a shame for him to come to the end of his public life on such a note.
2
Mueller is in many ways the opposite of Trump. He values the truth. He is committed to following the rule of law. He embodies the best of America's values. He chose public service over personal enrichment, and he did not exploit his public office for financial gain. He deeply cares about protecting our democratic elections from Russian interference.
5
Mueller stuck with his Report, and did so with consistency and elegance. By now, we all know the highlights. And, nothing will happen but the slow roll to 2020. People don't really care enough.
Trump feels most comfortable in a crisis of his own creation, and I fear the 2020 elections will be the circus he intends. The process-driven Democrats have nowhere to go.
59
@Baddy Khan Trump is ditching environmental data and entering into agreement(s) with oil producer(s) to suppress IPCC data.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-48964736
That data tells us that this current global warming is unprecedented, as it is warming everywhere, all at once. And we are at the tipping point, and have only months to act - BEFORE the next US election - to change our carbon pollution and avoid that tipping point.
11
@M - honestly, I'm pretty sure we are toast at this point. It's too late, the global right wing - led, as usual, by US Republicans - has defeated environmentalism and we are going to go down in flames. As the biosphere starts to collapse, the public will become desperate and angry, but they will blame immigrants, poor people, whoever. Concentration camps full of refugees will become a regular feature. Global war to come.
Thanks, Republicans. Thanks Fox. Thanks, America. Thanks a lot.
1
Mr. Mueller was clear that he would stick to, and dutifully fulfill, the requirements of his the prescribed role. His role is not to opinionate or decide on impeachment matters. That deliberative leadership role is the responsibility of Congress. He has gone as far as he can within his role as an investigator to make it clear that the Trump is unfit, has violated his oath, and remains an existential threat to our country.
A majority of Congress, most of them Republican but also too many Democrats, have abdicated thier role to take action on the facts Mueller has dutifully provided them. This is just another example of Congress being unwilling to do the hard work of leading. Over the past few decades they have slowly outsourced much of thier electorally risky responsibility to the Executive branch and the result is the mess we find ourselves in with an autocratic President. This is just another example of that tendency, only they are hoping Mueller would provide them the service, which, for the sake of Constitutional process, he rightfully has refused to do.
Congress needs to take back power from the executive branch and start working to uphold the Constitution even if it requires unpopular descionmaking that makes them vulnerable during thier reelection bids. Based on what I see in this case, I'm not holding my breath until this happens.
2
The hearings were a colossal waste of time unless of course, one loves Kabuki theatre. Then it was grand. As the hearings wore on and the more junior congressmen had their time, the inanity and histrionics increase proportionately. Nadler, of course, didn't disappoint. Lots of unspecific charges and no disclosure of the evidence he's been telling us for 18 months that he has on Trumpster. I'm sure the American voters on the extreme ends of the political spectrum lapped it all up, but those of us who base decisions on empirically verifiable evidence (Facts) are not pleased. We need a return to honesty and public service in two of the branches of our federal government. I have no hope that'll happen in my lifetime.
1
@ricocatx
All the instances of witness verified obstruction of the investigation are not sufficient?
You forgot one additional observation: The press' focus on optics and delivery rather than what is actually in the report is harmful to democracy.
9
I have an unbelievable amount of respect for Mr. Mueller to ensure he didn't become a puppet for either side. He provided a consistent and thorough report. It is up to Congress to take action now.
2
@L99
Now all that has to be done is someone remind him where he was at the time.
I learned that Mcconnell wants Putin and Russia to continue their involvement in our election process. Democrats should focus on McConnell instead of Trump. The former is far more toxic to our democracy.
6
What a sad, sad, country we've become that a testimony of this magnitude is reduced to whether it was "energetic" or looked good on tv, instead of actually listening to the answers the man gave. A suitable allegory for our country in 2019, I suppose.
9
I am so disappointed in Mueller. He thinks he is being fair on non-partisan, as he should be, but he should have reached a conclusion, one way or the other, as to whether a crime was committed. It's a cop out to not draw a prosecutorial conclusion just because, in the end, he thought he could not indict a sitting President.
63
@Paul The purpose of the investigation was not to prosecute Trump. The purpose was to investigate Russian interference with the US presidential election. The investigation was very successful and did lead to multiple "prosecutorial conclusions", and, in fact, prosecutions.
24
@MJWacks
Mueller could have shown what a true patriot does in times of duress. Step out of the legal framework and indict.Prosecution is Congresses realm. The OLC is NOT a law based conclusion but an opinion. True democracy started with defiance of the English monarchy. His good work went for naught.
2
@Paul
He didn't think he couldn't indict, but was following the laws of the OLC. Get your emotions out of this and seek factual reasons for your disappointment.
1
What I learned from Mr. Mueller's appearances before the two Committees is how low and how far Republicans are willing to go when they circle their wagons in attempts to defend Trump and themselves from the repercussions of their own words and actions.
Congressman Doug Collins is a caricature of Boomhauer from King of the Hill who is entrenched in distraction and irrelevant discourse (when one is able to understand what he is saying).
We all have seen far to much of David Nunes, Jim Jordan and Louis Gohmert who fall into the same category of ditch.
I can only be thankful that Reps. Nadler and Schiff are now the Committee Chairmen.
21
I think the Democrats totally misread the risks versus the benefits of calling Mueller to testify, as it was clear to me well in advance of his testimony that he was not going to drop any bombs during his testimony. Although I am convinced that the President committed obstruction of justice, I think the Democrats should move on to something else. I also think we desperately need new Democratic leadership.
2
@Aberline Godd point - but the real value of yesterday was having a public forum to highlight important parts of the Report. Let's face it - hardly anyone reads anymore which makes a public airing of a distilled version of the Report more necessary.
I think Joe McCarthy would have been quite happy to find that many dedicated Russian lovers and collaborators on US soil. Within President Trump's campaign and administration many of his men closely worked and were generously paid by Mr. Putin's Russia.
Today, Director Mueller's report shows to the public how Mr. Putin's Russia continues to do what it's been doing for years : trying to get a solid foot-hole in America and influence it's day-to-day behavior, practices, policies and politics. According to Director Mueller's report, they've become amazingly good at it for they've reached higher echelons within the American government. Is President Trump strong and skillful enough to detect and counter this pervasive Russian influence in America? Many of the world leaders are eating in Mr. Putin's hand, however, President Trump and his administration must not.
5
@Joseph Louis
Actually Joe McCarthy would have been quite happy to see so many Democrats -- a party that was once his nemesis -- totally delusional to the point they see Russian spies under the bedsheets. All because they just can't emotionally accept the fact Hillary lost fair and square.
And it seems you missed from the hearings the revelation that Mueller and the DOJ still have no evidence linking the Russian troll farms to the Russian government to the point a federal judge threatened to hold the DOJ in contempt for not being able to produce any during a recent trial in the DC circuit.
We know from congressional testimony these troll farms spent a total of $7500 in YouTube fees, $50000 in Facebook advertising and another $50K in Instagram memes. The Russia obsessed still can't produce even one instance of someone who changed his/her vote from Clinton to Trump due to a silly meme seen online. Nor can anyone including you explain how these paltry sums that financed memes -- so ridiculous even Chris Hayes on MSNBC had to ridicule them once they were finally produced -- were able to nullify the $1.2 billion spent on the Clinton campaign. My suggestion to you is: move on.
Watched the entire two sessions of testimony yesterday and realized - belatedly and like many, I think - that, as usual, this has become all about Trump. -Even though the primary issue here is Russian interference in our political system which we are now very late in doing anything about. Trump has been so fearful of having his Presidency de-legitimized that he has struck out wildly at everything related to this investigation and has done exactly zero in addressing the real threat. Whether implicated or not, a true leader would recognize the danger to the country and allocate resources and attention to this huge issue. But, as always, it's all Trump all the time.
BTW, I started yesterday feeling that impeachment was too unrealistic to pursue - but after listening to Mr. Mueller now feel there is no choice. The long list of Trump's attempts at obstruction is too egregious to ignore and to do so would be a dereliction of duty.
21
I wondered if Mueller, like many of us his age or thereabouts, are borderline candidates for a hearing aid.
Much of the news reporting on the hearings seems to imply that we have ll read the report. Give me a break. These days, most people don't read beyond a headline or a short meme.
8
It seems to me we are burying the lede.
Mueller stated that if the president were a private citizen, he would be charged with obstruction. The Justice Department decided that charges were not available to Director Mueller so they chose not to decide to charge. Why would you?
I thought it was a clear opinion rendered when he said they would charge under any other normal circumstance and exactly what the Dems were looking for imo.
I've never wonder why the Dems aren't more successful.
7
Hopefully what was learned by many is that it is time to move on and try to work towards positive constructive actions in Washington rather than continuing to waste time and resources on simply trying to knock down Trump. It's not impossible. While this was going on, a decent budget deal actually got done!
3
If he "had his moments." why not lead with some of them. This downplaying of what occurred is baffling to me. If he said 10 remarkable things, and Schiff gave two remarkable speeches, why aren't those the story?
For example, the "and illegal" interjection.
4
All of GOP is going the way of"Winning is all that matter, it doesn't matter which path or what the price is.."
This spells for trouble as not just the presidency but many senate seats will be sold to Russians as well. and that's why Mitch May be at peace knowing that he will not loose his power.
7
What was learned was - NOTHING!
Everything said was couched in ambiguous terms with Democrats and Republicans interpreting the words to their perspective.
After three years and untold millions of taxpayer dollars, perhaps Congress can now get down to doing their job - creating and passing legislation to benefit the citizens that elected them.
6
.
There is powerful evidence that Trump has committed impeachable acts. Mueller is essentially saying that yes, the commission determined the facts, and it is up to congress to determine if these facts warrant impeachment. But as long as the Senate is controlled by people who place loyalty to power over democratic principles (traitors?), there is no chance that impeachment will succeed.
For the Democrat's to pour their energy into impeachment would merely focus their energy on anger and an unwinnable battle. Not to move to impeach Trump could be construed as admitting that there is not sufficient evidence, which is certainly not the case.
I suggest that the House vote on a statement of the validity of impeachment, and why they are declining to pursue it. And that the House Democrats use this as a trial run for unifying the party instead of dissolving into squabbles. Although I immensely respect Nancy Pelosi, I agree more with AOC. But just as in time of war, our country and democracy are under threat, transcending differences and working together is vital.
5
One can’t help but wonder whether Mr. Mueller has lost more than a mile on his fastball, and whether his long-time colleague, Mr. Zebley, wasn’t more in charge of and more knowledgeable about the investigation. How else to explain the long refusal to speak publicly, the last minute request to have Zebley not just be at his side, but be sworn in, and the clipped responses to questions?
You have to wonder whether the Dems did or didn’t figure this out, and whether someone made the calculation that it might not look good if the number 2 was called to testify about the report that is associated with someone else’s name. It’s hard to imagine that the overall effect could have been worse.
6
Don't shoot the messenger.
Let's forget who is guilty for now. The most important take-away is that Russia is meddling in our election process even now. Why are some politicians afraid to admit this fact? Can't the two parties come together to protect the integrity of our democratic process? Look to the future, there's work to be done. We can look back and punish whomever later.
10
I don't understand those who are rubbishing the entire report.
The evidence that Russia interfered with the election is, I think, accepted as accurate. Mueller's comments that this is an on-going effort should worry everyone.
On the back of that there is a second thing I don't understand. Why has the Senate not been given the opportunity to consider legislation designed to tackle this? Where/what is the downside of protecting the election process?
I can't think of any, can you?
8
Robert Mueller testified yesterday. John Dean did not testify. The chance for impeachment is over. Any Impeachment hearings and votes will result in Donald Trump as President. The Democrats can either begin to articulate their vision of the future, or they can try to Impeach Trump. If they choose the later, they will be portrayed as conducting an unsuccessful coup d’etat. Leaders of unsuccessful coups are never portrayed well.
The choice is simple—Look to the future, or wallow in the past.
4
Mr. Mueller is probably one of the most important public figures in the world today. What he did with this investigation and now with his testimony was no less than heroic. He knew his testimony was going to be used for partisan purposes, given half a chance, and he steadfastly refused to let that happen. He has delivered as clean and thorough a report as anyone could and now it is for Congress to take action. It would be so refreshing to see Congress take action based on the constitution and the evidence rather than succumbing to the same old strategies that leave us in this stalemate.
18
Russian-Republican oligarchs are completely aligned with Kremlin oligarchs. Sham elections, suppressed votes, rigged, gerrymandered results, Grand Old Propaganda and gaslighting filling the airwaves 24 hours a day on state radio and TV has been the Republican modus operandi for about two decades in America. The GOP rejected democracy and representative government a long time ago. Decent Americans don't vote Republican for that very good reason.
I was moved to tears by the last exchange between Schiff and Mueller. After watching hours of testimony accurately described here, it was a moment of clarity and gravity I will never forget.
42
@Vickie
The clarity being that Schiff is a modern day Captain Ahab. He'll be ranting about Russian spies and treason and Putin taking control of the space aliens at Area 51 all the way to the day he's either kicked out of office or EMS has to take him away to a padded room at Creedmore for his and the public's safety. The one right next to Nadler's.
The gravity is that Russians did sow chaos in American society, by encouraging conspiracy theories Democrats like yourself and especially Schiff swallowed hook line and sinker and helped perpetuate the damage that will last at least a generation.
And while you're at it, Schiff has claimed now for over two years he has personally seen incontrovertible evidence Trump was in cahoots with Russia, which for some reason neither Mueller, the Senate Intelligence Committee, the House Intelligence Committee, nor even America's greatest investigative reporter Bob Woodward could find. Yet Schiff still hasn't put up or shut up. Only more of the same high sounding garbage you find a moment of clarity and gravity. For the sake of the bloggers here, can you reveal for us just one snippet of the evidence this great champion of the nation and treason-hunter has that no one else seems to have? Just one snippet, please.
1
The sociopolitical landscape in the United States has evolved to become purely tribalistic. It is this environment which offers the troll farms and propaganda machines in Russia and elsewhere, such fertile ground in which to sow discord and disinformation. The good American people are being methodically tricked and the history books will one day read that it was this presidential administration and this republican house who enabled the death of our democracy.
36
@biijii OBAMA was the president when the Russia ran roughshod with the US elections, Obama himself stated the Russians could not have any influence because of the decentralize voting system. The illegal coup from a few rotten apples failed miserably, and thanks to the failed attempt Trump wins again in 2020
@Jimd President Obama did not proactively endorse or seek meetings with Russian operatives to assist any campaign. Conversely, he and his justice department provided ample warnings that this interference was occurring, requesting that all approaches to a campaign by an adversarial entity should be reported to authorities. Trump and his campaign sadly ignored those warnings and that guidance. This is why Trump would not testify to special counsel and fabricated so much in his written testimony.
1
If you have not read the entire Mueller report and watched all of his testimony yesterday as I have and did, then your opinion is irrelevant.
What I learned after reading the Mueller Report when it first came out and after watching every minute of his testimony is that uninformed Americans in 2016, elected (with the help of the Russia Intel apparatus) a con artist and congenital liar who has committed multiple counts of obstruction of justice and tampered with witnesses.
Bob Mueller is an American hero. If you can't fathom that, look real hard into a mirror.
For those who claim Mueller was a poor witness, I say nonsense.
If it is drama and showmanship you want keep watching the cable news networks and daily soap operas.
182
@Futbolistaviva
Are you a senator or congressperson??
None of us have read the "full" report. Redactions kill democracy...
3
Mueller did us a disservice by not clearly communicating his findings either in writing or verbally. I see him as a traitor not in intention but in effect. In retrospect he was a very poor choice.
1
Bravo! My sentiments, exactly. Thank you.
5
Over 160 interactions between the Trump team and the Russians, money laundering payoffs involving his one time campaign chairman with dirty Ukrainian politicians, an aborted Trump Tower in Moscow, multiple convictions of his team including his personal lawyer and the National Security advisor and yet yesterday Trump declared victory after watching Mueller.
Common sense tells us what we already know: the man in the Oval Office is unfit for the job. Mueller did a disservice to the country by playing it down the middle.
26
There was nothing new to me, since I had already the read the redacted report. I didn't expect there to be. I did not expect there to be such negativity from the media about his appearance. What were they expecting, a Broadway show? He wrote and told us that Trump is not exonerated and can be indicted after leaving office. His obstructive activities during the investigation, ignoring subpoenas, plus his lying, caging of immigrants and general maladministration should be enough for the Democrats to get off the dime. If Trump were a Democrat, the republicans would have raised holy heck and rightly so.
77
@Mark You read the report. Most of America has not.
Again the Times missed the headline: Rep Buck (GOP): Could the President be indicted once he left office?
Mueller: Yes.
This is all that was ever going to come out of these hearings.
Mueller did his job, filed his report. When Barr distorted that report Mueller kicked until the whole, redacted, report was released. When that wasn't enough, he made a press statement. It's now up to Congress, not to again ask Mueller.
Whether or not it's politically possible or efficacious to impeach Trump, the message is clear: he committed criminal acts; and if he were not currently the president, he would've been indicted. If Mueller has anything to say about it, when Trump leaves office he will be indicted.
69
@Will N But what about statues of time limits for indictments run out in case at the end of his second term in Whitehouse?
Mueller in effect protected Trump and Putin. Much too meek.
1
I had hoped Mr. Mueller would have shouted from the rooftops that trump committed high crimes and misdemeanors galore. That is not how Mr. Mueller viewed his role. I had hoped that republicans on the committees would defend American ideals, but instead they chose to support trump. It is shocking that anyone in our government can support this pathetic, miserable “man”. trump has clearly committed the crime of obstruction and as far as I am concerned, he has clearly colluded with Russia. Mueller could not prove it, but the evidence is hiding in plain sight. “Russia if you’re listening”, “Mr. Putin was very forceful”. “I just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy” ( said to Russian officials).
27
@MLE53 If that is your definition of colluding with Russia, God help us. I get it that you don't like Trump but saying that asking Russia to look at Clinton's emails and saying I just fired the head of the FBI is collusion is awfully weak.
@Joe O'Malley
Disagreeing with me does not make trump less guilty.
1
I love hypocrisy. Both sides. It’s funny we didn’t hear this from the right about the several Bengazi hearings over what was essentially a bungled morning talk show, yet here we have an actual misdeed, Russian interference, Trump encouraging Wikileaks - an organization the right hated because it leaked Military secrets - and family meeting with Russians, and several people PLEADING guilty or convicted, and yet, the comments act like the FBI is an arm of the Democratic Party when the GOP controlled the House, the Senate, the Supreme Court and had the Trump family in the White House. Unbelievable. The winner here is Fox News, Rush and the rest of the very organized propaganda machine that was masterly used to put this guy in power.
27
Yes, true the forces of evil have prevailed because the average American is disinterested and ignorant. They will pay the price.
4
We learned once again that;
1.) Russia and the Trump campaign colluded and coordinated, probably illegally and definately unethically;
2.) Trump and his campaign lied hundreds of times to cover all of this up, misleading even their own supporters;
3.) Trump definitely committed the crime of Obstruction of Justice, which is probably why Mueller wasn't able to establish the Criminal Conspiracy charge
4.) Republicans think that having your President being proven to be an unpatriotic, treasonous, lying criminal -- and no-one disagreed with this -- is a win worthy of celebrating.
5.) Democrats can't even unanimously agree to Impeach a President who has been proven by hard evidence to be a treasonous, lying criminal, over and over again.
6.) Most Americans don't care because Mueller is kind of dry and boring.
I'm disgusted. Our forefathers would be disgusted. Everyone in America should be disgusted.
46
@Brannon Perkison .....we are !!! let's just hope enough of us are to put an end to this despicable disaster next year… and agreed: our Founding Fathers are aghast in their graves !!!
2
@Brannon Perkison In today's polarized political world it does no good to be disgusted at where we are. We all need to work on getting rid of Trump the old fashioned way: by an election.
Work on supporting your candidate. Then vote Trump Out! in November of 2020.
2
The headline to this article, as most of the other headlines in the NY Times, is pretty consistent with the President’s own down-playing of the Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s appearance before Congress as mostly a re-hash of the lengthy, unnecessary investigation, without, of course, the twitter trash-talk from Trump.
Yet, throughout this article and many others in the NYT, there are more substantive, meaningful headlines. Has the Times forgotten that before twitter there were headlines that made history? I admire your efforts to further reasoned discussion and avoid the twitter trap, but what’s wrong with using some of the lines in this article for a headline?
Trump “wasn’t always being truthful”
Receiving campaign assistance from a foreign power was “unpatriotic” and “wrong.”
Republicans agree with Democrats – “Donald Trump is not above the law.”
The real story is how Robert Mueller “fretted that the Trump campaign’s openness to accepting Russian assistance would prove to be “a new normal.” And he warned that not only had the Russians not been deterred from election interference, but “they’re doing it as we sit here.”
This is the story with matching headline that is urgently needed from the NYT.
30
Trump's a crook, liar, sociopath and totally unpatriotic. Trump's chumps are sitting in jail stewing because he's not sitting with them. Russia and the rest of the "axis of Evil" fearless leaders are enjoying every moment and moving in for the kill. What a total embarrassment for this once mighty and proud country. Our democracy is failing people. If you don't believe anything regarding these hearings, then just Google what policies Trump has done away with or added. Sometimes a slap in the face with a reality check is all it takes. Good luck to us all. We need it.
29
There were many important moments as I watched the entirety of yesterday's hearings. Excellent questions and meaningful answers were plentiful. Those looking to be entertained, shocked, or amazed should have tuned in elsewhere. Mr. Mueller made the case. The Democrats on both committees were well prepared and knowledgeable If you didn't see and hear the important truths and facts yesterday, you weren't paying attention. Donald Trump must go--either by impeachment or by defeat in the 2020 elections. Americans who want him gone need to press the the case for either or both solutions.
78
Mr. Mueller’s asking (mostly) Republicans to repeat their questions is understandable given that Mr. Mueller is a seasoned attorney and the questions often included numerous assumptions and predicates that were deliberately designed to elicit answers that Republican spinmeisters could use. Mr. Mueller may have been physically shaky but the conclusions in his report were rock solid.
106
@Jay Orchard, I think you are “spot on.” Mr. Mueller is as sharp as a tack and has a masterful ability to cut through the attempts to derail his testimony.
9
@Jay Orchard thank you. I thought the same. Having been raised by lawyers, this was very familiar to me. Mueller is a lawyer's lawyer, and a gentleman. He answered accurately. He is not a media pundit, raised on MSNBC, etc. He was brilliant, not allowing himself to get in the way if his work.
9
@Jay Orchard So you are saying now that you believe Mueller and the report.
1
After yesterday's hearing, I have only one question that should have been the first question asked of Mueller: "Mr. Mueller, have you ever read your own report in its entirety?"
11
What I learned from the hearing was that an old man couldn't let go of his rigid sense of duty and took up a task that he didn't have the energy for. Mueller came off as incompetent or losing his skills, and cautious to the point of being fearful. I am sorry to think this. The most important task of all is to get rid of DJT who is more incompetent than Mueller by far, and a danger to the planet. Nadler's opening statement was the high point and everything went downhill from there.
4
@Snip- Watch the Intelligence Committee hearing. Mueller actually was much more engaged in that one than the Judiciary Committee hearing. And, Adam Schiff had, in my opinion, the best two exchanges with Mueller- his opening 5 minutes of questioning and his closing minutes of questioning.
3 things stood out :
1. This inquiry took a major toll on Mr. Mueller both physically and mentally
2. The need to protect the homeland during our election is very real and preserving the integrity of our election falls squarely on the senate- specifically mitch! To date he has refused to bring any election security measures up for a vote.
3. It is almost a certainty that DJT will be going to prison in 2021 soon after he leaves office. The special counsel office spun off over a dozen additional investigations that continue to this day and in some way involve DJT. That is not counting the state and federal issues raised regarding insurance fraud, tax fraud, money laundering, etc... DJT will be in legal jeopardy for the rest of his life.
21
Mueller appeared to need hearing aids (vs. simply assuming dementia caused his frequent requests for repetition). Those close to him should ensure an asap eval happens w/ goal of improving his ability to hear/understand.
7
@McG He understood perfectly. He did a great, admirable job. He was too soft, that is all. Too reticent to shout about the obstruction...cowed by the Justice Dept. supporting executive privilege, when crimes are committed.
@McG. No need to be so utterly sarcastic anf disrepectful. He was weighing his answers before he spoke, knowing the weight they would carry. Apparently, this restraint of the mouth is lost on those who blurt out anything that may enter their pea-sized brain.
@McG in court people ask for repeat of questions to slow down the pace.
2
Why is no one focusing on CONSPIRACY!
Collusion, no => conspiracy
And the importancia of removing from office so he can follow paul manafort. The truth is if Donald trump is re-elected he gets off but otherwise he can have his day in court.
4
My takeaway was this: The GOP has no moral compass. The only thing they care about is holding on to power.
Demographics not looking good? No problem, they will gerrymander things so that they can pick their voters.
On May 30th, Trump finally admitted in a tweet that Russia help him win the election. Yesterday Mueller emphatically said that Russians are meddling in the coming elections right now. Yet Mitch McConnell squashed legislation which would have done something to protect our votes?
Why? Because he’s fine with Russia meddling, so long as it benefits the GOP.
Impeachment is probably not going to happen, which means it’s up to us - the voters - to do everything possible to sweep these self-absorbed jerks out of office. All of them need to go.
Let’s put the GOP where they belong: in the history books, next to the Whigs.
73
Sad .... it was sad. It's clear now why he did not want to testify -- he is wiped out. The Dems pushed and they lost again.
Wish people would read the report -- especially the first part. The Russians and others will continue to mess in the future and we need to start doing a better job
17
Sadly it's all about the sideshow -
But the facts remain 1) the Russians made repeated efforts to interfere with & change our elections and Trump & team were not only receptive to those efforts, they embraced them. 2) Trump made repeated efforts to deceive, interfere with, & obstruct justice & any investigations of the truth.
This man, ladies & gentlemen is our president... & sadly many Americans don't seem to recognize he probably belongs in jail and certainly doesn't hold the values we once expected of our leaders & that made this country great.
23
Why can't the Dems just let it go? Mueller finished and delivered his report, which confirmed, that whatever foreign intervention has taken place in the 2016 election, it did not affect the eventual outcome and furthermore, no indictable offense was committed; ergo Trump was duly and legally elected.
2020 is just around the corner, why not focus on winning instead of crying over losing?
Yes, they lost. Learn from it and work harder to do better next time. Isn't that what you teach your kids?
6
@waldo I teach my kid this : Russian-Republican oligarchs are completely aligned with Kremlin oligarchs. Sham elections, suppressed votes, rigged, gerrymandered results, Grand Old Propaganda and gaslighting filling the airwaves 24 hours a day on state radio and TV has been the Republican modus operandi for about two decades in America. The GOP rejected democracy and representative government a long time ago. Decent Americans don't vote Republican for that very good reason.
If Mr.Mueller had presented a fancy, forceful defense of his report and its conclusions ,people would have said that he was a partisan, that he put his thumb on the scale to take downTrump.He stayed within the bounds of the meticulous report and reiterated the results of a two year investigation.In his own words he reiterated that it was not a witch hunt-that Mr.Trump did encourage the Russians in their election interference and that,in fact, Mr.Trump had lied and had obstructed Justice.This is stunning confirmation-what else could people expect from a serious prosecutor.Mr.Mueller does not do theatrics-that is the Republican playbook-words, drama and no truth ,no integrity!
19
Mueller's hesitancy and confusion, when they occurred, seemed to me borne of a reluctance to cross any lines he felt he shouldn't and a determination to understand exactly what was being asked (I often couldn't tell myself) before answering.
The main takeaway for me is that Trump is compromised — and Mueller suggested as much. He has cheated and lied, and Putin can no doubt prove buy-in on the meddling that Mueller's team could not. Trump would do anything Putin wants to avoid having that proof revealed.
16
What we learned is that the Dems don't have a bit of integrity or class or heart or dignity and there's no level they won't stoop to. It was just beyond pitiful to see a good man who's served this country honorably for most of his life taken such advantage of for falsely-perceived political gain. Mueller didn't want to be there, clearly, and he wasn't up to the task to put it very kindly. And it's never been more apparent the Dems would prop up a corpse if they thought it would make a good showing and raise their poll numbers a fraction. Just terrible. Just absolutely pitiful.
7
@TheScribe Russian-Republican oligarchs are completely aligned with Kremlin oligarchs. Sham elections, suppressed votes, rigged, gerrymandered results, Grand Old Propaganda and gaslighting filling the airwaves 24 hours a day on state radio and TV has been the Republican modus operandi for about two decades in America. The GOP rejected democracy and representative government a long time ago. Decent Americans don't vote Republican for that very good reason.
The Russians severely interfered in the 2016 election. Trump has been advised of this, and yet has done nothing, virtually nothing to counter this attack on American democracy. In fact he has stood there and acquiesced to Putin, parroting Putin's own words that Russia had nothing to do with it at all. Trump did this in the face of American intelligence agencies ringing the alarm bell and warning us. Regardless of what one thinks about Trump, Trump is responsible for protecting the USA from attacks and we were attacked. As he has not risen to the responsibility of his job in protecting American democracy, he must be impeached. Beyond that, and in this light, Trump is a disgrace to his office, he has failed to honor his responsibilities.
13
@Jim Sande I have some news for you. The Russians 'interfere' in every election, as does the USA. The fact that people are waking up to it now just shows that the whole reason for this stink now is because they don't like Trump.
2
@Joe O'Malley Joe - nothing comes close to the level of interference that Russia used on us in 2016. This was a whole new animal a new level.
When is it going to be enough for the Democrats? Muller spent two years on the investigation, numerous people testified before several comeeties.
I am a life long Democrat, but these is pushing me away and will not vote Democrat in the next election. What else are the Democrats looking for?
You were elected to do something "Useful" for this country and not to follow your political agenda.
6
Spin all ya want
Cognitive dissonance is too hard to overcome for most human
It’s a big yawn
3
I came to the conclusion that Trump was a crook and that Mueller is a stand up guy.
126
So there you have it, after years of investigating it’s finally over. What a pathetic moment for the Democrats and their media pals.
13
@CG What a sad state of affairs that people think that it was a waste of time to investigate the criminal actions of a sitting president.
17
@CG
If anything it's a pathetic moment for the entire country and a Republican party that stands by a president with no moral leadership or courage.
14
@CG Russian-Republican oligarchs are completely aligned with Kremlin oligarchs. Sham elections, suppressed votes, rigged, gerrymandered results, Grand Old Propaganda and gaslighting filling the airwaves 24 hours a day on state radio and TV has been the Republican modus operandi for about two decades in America. The GOP rejected democracy and representative government a long time ago. Decent Americans don't vote Republican for that very good reason.
1
It's like this; I hope.
The vignettes of video testimony and particularly the exchanges
between those respectful of the great man and those who chose to
refuse him time to answer (remember he is a methodical 75 year old
prosecutorial expert who managed a team of younger lawyers dedicated
to the fair outing of facts) these will or ought to be played and
replayed over the course of the next 14 months to show the truth of
these matters.
I believe there will be a great cleansing effect from the continual
review of these encounters with Mr. Mueller.
Anyone with half a head; no I mean brain will understand that Bob
allowed himself to be put upon if only to show that he originally had
no political agenda against Trump but only went for facts.
Mueller comes off clean. The others not so much.
So the meat is in the grinder and the media ought to grind it well.
Because the sausage to be made must be savory to those who will eat.
Disrespect and outright attacks on Mr. Mueller will be reviewed again and again.
It is the man's stature that cannot be diminished; overcoming hateful
rejection of an overall plan to subvert the democracy we cherish;
leaving no other outcome but the defeat of a nazi criminal POTUS we
have over us.
Thank you most admirable Robert Mueller for sticking your neck out.
You won the fight by right of your integrity and honor to the code.
Rest well and go into the park to see the trees
You will never be forgotten for your work and contribution to justice.
20
This whole presidency and his administration are AN OUTRAGE!!! This has got to stop. These republicans are destroying America. They do not care about the rule of law. Impeachment NOW!
30
“Mueller was supposed to uncover a conspiracy or at least indict a Trump camp figure for something related to Russia or2016 election. He did neither. Hence the best NYT can extract from today is hyperbolic fear-mongering for 2020 (like we got for 2018) & a defense of his inquiry:”
“Trump admin/GOP passed a $1.5 corporate tax cut & now wants to deprive 3 million of food stamps. Imagine if our "opposition" party was organizing around fighting Trump/GOP injustices like this, not around a moronic conspiracy fantasy? A good day to ask.”
“A small # of us on the left warned that the Trump-Russia conspiracy theory was baseless, & that spending two years waiting on Robert Mueller "to deliver a death blow to the Trump presidency" was a massive mistake. I hope that's sinking in today for those who attacked us for it.”
@aaronjmate
6
Mueller. Trump. Barbs
Mueller Mull
Mueller Throw Barbs At Trump
Trump Jump
Why The Barbs Mueller
Mueller Stump Trump
Why The Barbs
Barb Wire
Barbs
The Way We Wire
Babs
The Way We Were
The Way We Are
Too Much Stress
And Too Much Barbs
Stress And
Streisand
Mueller Trump Under Stress
Mueller Trump Under Streisand
Too Much
3
If President Obama or the Clintons did a single thing that Trump and his gang did, Republicans and right wing radio would be singing a different song.
54
@MattNg Absolutely. I mean they still can't get off of Benghazi, regardless of the time and money that was thrown at it with nothing found. The hypocrisy is amazing.
8
@Susi
If Trump was a Democratic President doing exactly the same things that Trump has done for the last 3 years, the Republicans would have impeached him before his inauguration!
An impeachment Inquiry for the next two years, would seriously help the re-election chances of him and his supporters.
Democrats, don't declare defeat and go home. Republicans never declare defeat and never stop fighting, no matter how wrong they are or how badly they are defeated.
FIGHT!
1
Thank you Mr Mueller for your shining integrity.
89
Obstruction. So obvious. So painful to watch democracy fail.
176
@William
There was no collusion/conspiracy. Hence there was no crime. You cannot be charged with obstructing justice when there is no crime. For reference google the Enron convictions obtained by Andrew Weissmann and the 9-0 reversal of that conviction by the Supreme court. After watching a befuddled Mueller, unable to answer such basic questions like which president nominated him to be FBI Director it's obvious that Mr. Weissmann was the head inquisitor and orchestrated the same sham charge. Only this time he was smart enough to not charge. He knew it would never stick and instead hid behind OLC policy that does NOT preclude a president being indicted after leaving office. Instead he inserted the "we can we exonerate" the president of obstruction into the report as a smear he knew Democrat hacks and their media toadies, desperate to keep the "Russian Collusion" scam alive would latch onto. That's what everyone except Nicholas Fandos learned from yesterday's hearing.
2
@tim k Russian-Republican oligarchs are completely aligned with Kremlin oligarchs. Sham elections, suppressed votes, rigged, gerrymandered results, Grand Old Propaganda and gaslighting filling the airwaves 24 hours a day on state radio and TV has been the Republican modus operandi for about two decades in America. The GOP rejected democracy and representative government a long time ago. Decent Americans don't vote Republican for that very good reason.
7
@tim k We learned yesterday that "attempting to commit obstruction" is itself a crime. Please explain why you think that Trump repeatedly tried to have his staff pressure, lie to, and cajole and/or threaten witnesses into supporting his actions, if there was no crime.
7
I hope the Democrats won’t harass an honorable public servant like Mueller again to hide their lack of policy alternatives against Trump. Mueller was clever not to let both sides do their cheap politics on his shoulders.
12
@Resident
I hope the Russians won’t try and help Trump get re-elected. Republicans won’t stop them and Trump has clearly said he would accept the help.
1
I learned how much bias is in much of the reporting of the event. Left or right. There’s a few simple facts that can be distilled from the report and the media ecosystem is failing to stay on track. Of the other half of that, the reader is just as complicit to pile on.
4
We learned little except that Mr. Mueller apparently knows very little about the investigation he allegedly ran. Whoever actually ran it, we now know, was also incredibly biased against President Trump. We also learned this charade is now over.
20
@Once From Rome
Republican Trump appointed a Republican Asst. Attorney General that appointed Republican Investigator Mueller.
If you say that Mueller was not able to control his own investigation, that would mean that appointing him was an obstruction of justice by the Trump administration.
1
@Once From Rome. Did you even listen to the testimony? Did you take it in that Trump asked for false statements to be put in writing by his staff to protect him? Did you take it in that he asked a private citizen to go to the AG and ask him to limit the scope of the investigation to the future only (so Trump activities wouldn't be included)? No, I didn't think so. Just imagine if Obama or another democratic president did such things. That would be no problem too, right? (No, I didn't think so.)
Since it doesn't appear you took much in yesterday, here are some key points from Mueller so you are not taken in by lies and dissembling from the President:
Mueller said it was not a witch hunt.
Russia attacked our election ( and if your read the report you will learn how unwitting Americans were taken by the Russian efforts).
The Russian attack and the need for investigation was not a hoax.
Trump campaign welcomed the numerous contacts from the Russians. (Just stop and think if Obama had welcomed help from the Russians or other foreign country and how you would feel about that.) A conspiracy with the Russians though was not established. (I think you probably got that point but mention it here for completeness.)
However, the report concludes Trump could not be exonerated for obstruction of justice. It was also noted he could be prosecuted for obstruction when he is out of office (before statute of limitations runs out.
1
So, nothing much was accomplished. Since the media hyped this as 'make or break' for Democrats, they will seem more the 'losers' to the public.
For those of us who believe that Mr. Trump and his crew behaved badly and criminally, that was clearly affirmed. For those (millions of them) who believe that Mr. Trump is much put upon and abused by the terrible Democrats, elites, liberals, feminists, etc., that was affirmed. Rather than seeing Mr. Mueller as a man of integrity doing a difficult job, they see him as nothing but pawn of the enemies of their POTUS. Many of them believe that he is a Democrat and a political hack.
Will it change minds re impeachment? It will change a few. It hasn't changed mine. I think it is a bad idea for the Dems to go there this fall. Yes, it might be that this POTUS should be impeached. It might be that it would be an excellent statement to history. That said, practically it will accomplish nothing. It might even help Trump 2020. If we impeach him, then he is re-elected, what have we accomplished? What have we done to the country? The primary goal must be defeat at the ballot box. That is were we must win; that is where he must get his comeuppance.
10
@Anne-Marie Hislop: Well written, but like so many anti Trumpers, you never tell us why you dislike the president so much. Never got that!Beat HRC, got that!But how has he behaved differently from Obama who had no use for American sovereignty, never stood up for America, behaved foolishly with Iran since he did not speak FARSI, had not traveled extensively there, failed to make good on the red line ultimatum to Assad, thus making us look weak, claims to his having written his own books now in doubt given Ayres's jest,--many a truth is said in jest--that he deserved some of the royalties, benefitted from a questionable real estate deal with a known gangster, Tony Resko, and lives now, thanks to politics, like a Russian oligarch on a private estate on Kalorama Road in the District. Yet he is worshipped by millions and Trump is reviled by you all.Have never understood the reasoning of the Trump haters.Clarification would be appreciated.
2
@Anne-Marie Hislop
I agree impeachment is a mistake for Democrats. Trump would welcome it as it would take the focus off his ‘accomplishments’.
Make him run on his record - tax cuts for the very wealthiest that are busting the deficit, taking health insurance away from people that need it desperately, no infrastructure, love affairs with N Korea and Putin and despots around the world ...
Mueller ‘performance’ wasn’t a blockbuster- I hope it takes impeachment off the table. Democrats win.
@Alexander Harrison here's why, Russian-Republican oligarchs are completely aligned with Kremlin oligarchs. Sham elections, suppressed votes, rigged, gerrymandered results, Grand Old Propaganda and gaslighting filling the airwaves 24 hours a day on state radio and TV has been the Republican modus operandi for about two decades in America. The GOP rejected democracy and representative government a long time ago. Decent Americans don't vote Republican for that very good reason.
Among the minority of Americans actually paying attention, Mueller didn't move the meter in either direction.
Going into the Mueller hearings, there wasn't even a majority of Democrats in the House who have gone on record in favor of impeachment.
Trump's policy of stonewalling all Democratic inquiries, including subpoenas ensures that our chances of even seeing his tax returns before the 2020 election aren't good. And if we get them, will we even care?
Money laundering, Russian election interference, the Dossier, security clearances, tax evasion, dozens of sexual assaults, inaugural committee donations, the Trump Foundation, hush money payments, use of pardon offers to obstruct justice, emoluments, etc., etc.. the electorate is habituated to Trump corruption.
Toute nation a le gouvernement qu'elle mérite.
In a democracy, we get the government that we deserve.
Own it America.
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@Scott B
Democrats have to learn that every nation have he government they vote for: that's democracy!
But for them democracy is in danger only when they loose.....
@Mary toxic partisanship has been waxing for decades. I blame people like Grover Norquist who made it his business to pick off moderate Republicans who were willing to reach across the aisle until all we were left with is a Greek Chorus to provide background music for Trump.
A number of investigations were mentioned by Mueller and referrals to the SDNY occurred.
Has Barr already killed them?
8
Here is what I learned from Mueller show:
1. Mueller was asleep at the wheel.
2. He did not put in one days of work. He as much admitted that he never sat in even on one interview.
3. He let his staff who were all Trump haters do the whole investigation including writing the report. Incidentally, it appeared he was reading Mueller first time.
4. Mueller was attempting to not become another Starr with zero upward potential.
5. Democrats are setting up for another probe of Russia when POTUS will be decisively reelected.
6. The Steele Dossier is going to be the noose that is going to tighten around Democrats necks.
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@Neil Funny how republicans always mention the Steele Dossier as being discredited. As far as I can tell the only one who called it "discredited" and "fake news"was the subject of the dosier and one has to wonder why Steele wasn't called before the republican Congress and asked to testify? Inform yourself about the origins of the dossier and you'll discover that it was originally commisioned, not by Hilary Clinton, but by a conservative news organization and you'll find that Steele himself was a highly regarded member of MI6 and in charge of the Russia desk.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump–Russia_dossier
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@Potlemac
The Republicans didn't pay for the Dossier, did they? They originally hired the firm, but it veered in a different direction. ;)
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@Neil
Bet you didn’t watch a minute and are parroting FoxNews. I didn’t hear all of it and this is what I learned.
1. Trump and his associates worked with/for foreign governments for personal gain during the campaign, including Russia.
2. Trump and his associates lied about their associations with foreign governments during the campaign. Those that lied under oath were prosecuted. The President didn’t lie under oath because he wouldn’t appear under oath
3. Russians worked to help elect Donald Trump.
4. Russians are probably already planning/trying to interfere with the next election
Go back and listen on your own, bet you’ll learn more.
1
#45 is enjoying another nothing burger prepared painstakingly by the FBI.
Any chance GOP helps the push for clean and safe elections?!
Blue Tsunami in 2020. Reopen Mueller's report to see if the Cheater-in-Chief can be indicted on the evidence as an ordinary citizen.
10
As fully expected, there was no smoking gun. Can Democrats please move on and focus on actually governing?! We are three years into Trump’s term, for goodness sake. He is truly evil and a horrible leader, but the best way to get rid of him is to win the next election - not impeachment - which would only divide the country (and probably the Dems too)!
10
Mueller did exactly what an the independent consul should do, he remained neutral.
It is up to Congress to decide if there were laws broken from his testimony and determine what should be done.
22
A Salute to Bob Mueller
Bob Mueller did not give an entertaining performance in his appearance before the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees Wednesday. What he did give was an example of what our judicial system should be - unbiased, tilting neither to left or right, to Democrats or Republicans.
Unfortunately, from the U.S. Supreme Court, to the justices who serve on state Supreme Courts, to the judges who preside in our local courthouses, we have judges who owe their titles to political parties. to whomever is president of the United States, to whomever is governor of a state. That should not be. That is not justice for all.
Our U.S. Senate, in its role of advise and consent, would do our nation a great service by having a small-numbered advisory committee composed of an equal number of Republicans and Democrats who would have to agree on nominees for judicial appointments. States should follow that example.
Hopefully, we would get future judges of the Bob Mueller type.
Thank you, Mr. Mueller, for your service.
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@Mary Doan
Say the words High Crimes and demand an Impeachment Inquiry.
1
I did not understand why the committees allowed Mueller to refuse to answer so many questions. Certainly understanding the reasoning behind many of the reports statements would have been important to many of us.
6
@Al Galli
Mueller was essentially under a gag order on aspects of the report by DOJ Barr as well as on-going investigations.
2
Mr. Mueller is the kind of man that helped guide this country in difficult and unstable times to better ways. Few people today would recognize that because they have little understanding of the past, thanks largely to the dilution and decline of education quality. More than a few older politicians today probably do understand that but lack the courage to hold to principles.
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Robert Mueller: “I’ve been in this business for almost 25 years, and in those 25 years, I have not had occasion once to ask somebody about their political affiliation. It is not done. What I care about is the capability of the individual to do the job and do the job quickly and seriously and with integrity.”
Perhaps I'm deluding myself, but it seems like a sentiment like this was once not that uncommon. Seems pretty rare now.
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@Scott H.
Not to mention a bit "deluded" in this hyper partisan atmosphere
5
@Scott H. I heard Mueller say that during yesterday’s testimony and thought that it was the most amazing comment of the day. I contrasted it to the prosecutor where I live, who expects all the lawyers who work for him to be Republican.
4
@Scott H.
Except when their political affiliations influence their ability to do a job with integrity, Mueller should have been more aware of it.
1