...Barr’s note is clear that Mueller did not uncover evidence Trump and his gang were in direct cahoots with Russia’s covert operation to interfere with the US election and boost Trump’s odds.
But the hyper-focus on this sort of collusion—as if Trump instructed Russian hackers on how to penetrate the computer network of the Democratic National Committee—has always diverted attention from a basic and important element of the scandal that was proven long before Mueller drafted his final report: Trump and his lieutenants interacted with Russia while Putin was attacking the 2016 election and provided encouraging signals to the Kremlin as it sought to subvert American democracy.
They aided and abetted Moscow’s attempt to cover up its assault on the United States (which aimed to help Trump win the White House). And they lied about all this.
And, yes, there were instances of collusion—not on the specifics of the attack, but secret scheming between Trumpworld and Russia.
None of the evidence underlying this is in dispute. No matter what Mueller report contains, a harsh verdict remains: Trump and his gang betrayed the United States in the greatest scandal in American history...
If you’re President Trump, what’s your best strategy for dealing with the Mueller report? It’s probably pretty simple:
Insist loudly that the report completely exonerates you and you’re totally in favor of releasing the whole thing.
Do not, however, actually order the report released.
Instead, leave it up to the attorney general, who will stall for weeks or months. Let him take the heat for playing bad cop.
Hope that by the time the report is finally released, Russiamania will be played out and it won’t get much play.
Labels: Russia, The Repugnant Party, Trump
