“If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so. We did not.” ~Special Counsel Robert Mueller
Robert Mueller made his first public statement today regarding the conclusion of his report into Russia’s election tampering, with the cooperation of members of Trump’s campaign, and Trump’s attempts to obstruct the investigation.
Mr. Mueller’s speech was disappointing in that he said his report speaks for itself, and any congressional testimony he would give would be redundant. He will not go beyond repeating what is in the report, because:
”We chose those words carefully, and the work speaks for itself.” ~Special Counsel Robert Mueller
There is an inherent problem with Mr. Mueller’s disinclination to testify. People need to hear the facts— because Americans don’t read.
Predictably, Trump twisted Mueller’s words into vindication.
I read the report. I started reading it as soon as it was published; it is a compelling read. I sent a link to several people so they could read it. I’ve tweeted links to it more than once, I’ve posted links on my blog, and there is a link at the end of this post.
Despite my efforts, and the efforts of others who are following these events closely, the more people I speak to, the more convinced I am that no one has read the report.
Many GOP members of Congress admit they have not read not the report. I believe their refusal to read the report is because by not reading it they retain plausible deniability, the ability to deny knowledge of or take responsibility for any unlawful actions committed.
Even Attorney General Bill Barr wrote his four-page gaslighting propaganda version of the Mueller report without having read the Mueller report. Barr’s version was short enough to hold everyone’s attention, so more people have read the lie than the truth.
As for the general public, I think Americans are waiting for the movie. Few people seem to comprehend this corruption goes beyond typical political misconduct we’ve seen so many times before. Our democracy is in jeopardy.
The free world is currently more engaged in US politics than most Americans. Foreign newspapers are a better source of information about our government than our own; there is no gaslighting on Trump’s behalf.
It is easy to blame the American media, with their tendency to give equal coverage to Trump’s 10,000 lies, as to the truth, or to report Trump’s constant Twitter meltdowns, name-calling, and bullying timed to distract from real news. Reporters seem to be afraid of being ridiculed, afraid to lose White House press access. Instilling fear in the press is prevalent in authoritarian regimes. While we could blame the media, ultimately the blame is on us. Ignorance is a choice.
The Mueller report should be mandatory reading, not other people’s opinions of the report, the report.
As Mueller said, he chose his words carefully. Read the report, every word.
Once everyone has read it, we will all agree, (except for Trump’s cult), that Trump committed obstruction of justice on at least ten occasions. This is described in detail in part two of the report. He must be impeached so he can be indicted before he kills us all.
Here is something to consider— over 1000 federal prosecutors of both parties came to the following conclusion after reading the report:
Trump committed obstruction.
Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia.
We know 34 people have been indicted. What we don’t know is what is hidden in the redactions, or who. Senators McConnell and Graham have been linked to hundreds of thousands of dollars gifted from Russia, which may explain their willingness to fight to the death to help keep Trump in office.
Read the report, every word.
“No, collusion no obstruction” is simply another lie.
https://www.justice.gov/storage/report.pdf
Unsealed Documents in Special Counsel Mueller’s Investigation [Updated] – Just Security
Watch live: Mueller makes a first public statement about Trump, Russia probe – NBC News
GOP senators vow to let Trump off the hook no matter what crimes he’s committed
Senate GOP vows to quash any impeachment charges quickly
A lot from Lydia 
I believe he wants Congress to do it’s freaking job.
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My concern is that the 2020 election will be tampered with, particularly since Mitch McConnell won’t let the secure elections bill go to a vote. It’s also alarming that Mitch isn’t worried at all about the effect his 18% approval rating will have on his reelection.
My point is I agree; Congress needs to do something now, change their strategy. This is time sensitive.
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Business as usual is going to be the end of us.
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Its.
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I agree with nananoyz that getting Congress to do its job is exactly what he wants. And he doesn’t want Congress to waste any time since there is enough in the unredacted report to impeach him now! I haven’t read the report but I expect that you who have read it could testify to that.
He himself thanks Barr for handing over most of it and pays a targeted complement to Barr, paying respect specifically for this action. A complement so targeted that it should be taken as an implied insult to Barr.
“And I certainly do not question the attorney general’s good faith in that decision.”
Mueller says, “Now, I hope and expect this to be the only time that I will speak to you in this manner…There has been discussion about an appearance before Congress.”
He means “discussion about an appearance before Congress,” before impeachment.
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I agree. The Democrats were hoping to have more public support before starting impeachment, because the it will die in the Senate unless there is public outcry. That won’t happen until public hearings take place during impeachment.
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Yes. A ground swell is most possible in the environment of impeachment. Without impeaching him, his actions and he won’t even be taken to account. He won’t even have to fight it. Imagine the license he will take if he gets away with everything he has done already. Without impeachment all the investigations come to nothing, since, especially with Barr, and Mueller nailing down presidential immunity from indictment, he won’t be indicted. God help us if he’s reelected. Imagine Democrats lose control of the House. If Congress doesn’t have the courage to do the right thing now, do we think they will in a second term with oh so many more suborned judges shielding him. Imagine the horror of a Senate willing to convict and a House unwilling to indict. The world turns.
It is a matter of the conscience and character of our Nation to do the right thing, because it is the right thing to do.
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I am so disappointed. If someone could just wipe that smug grin off his face…
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Another option I’ve been posting on Twitter and elsewhere is to listen to the two summaries being read aloud. It is riveting and takes less than an hour. Whether folks like to listen to their podcasts on their commute or getting a workout in the morning, it is easy to do this. Link here: https://www.lawfareblog.com/full-text-mueller-reports-executive-summaries
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Thank you! I’ll listen to that today. 😉
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