Very few of us will obtain and then read all 400 pages of the report. That's a fact of both busy lives and the tendency of most of us to "grab and run" with our news.
Here's a summary:
- Russian Interference in the 2016 election.
- There is complete consensus of all parties that the Russians played a major role with fake identities and postings. Russian operatives launched "information warfare" on the U.S. in order to benefit candidate Trump and damage candidate Clinton.
- While the Trump campaign worked with individual Russsians, Mueller found no evidence that any conspiracy or coordination occurred with the Trump campaign.
- Obstruction
- Mueller states that obstruction is a major crime. When the subject of an investigation obstructs that investigation or lies to investigators, these actions strike at the very core of the government's effort to find the truth and hold wrongdoers accountable.
- The Mueller Report describes ten episodes where it found evidence of possible obstruction, and four including definitive evidence that the president attempted to obstruct justice. These include:
- President Trump asked FBI Director James Comey to "let go" of one key investigation.
- President Trump instructed his White House counsel Don McGahn that Mueller "has to go" while the investigation was underway.
- President Trump later told McGahn to deny that he had the conversation referenced above.
- The evidence points to a range of personal motives animating the president's conduct. Primary in this is his resentment that the Democrats, among others, question the legitimacy of his election, as well as threats of the investigation to his family. From the beginning, where then President Trump stuck to a somewhat impossible position that the crowd for his inauguration was larger than the crowd for his predecessor's, when numerous photographs showed the attendance of only about half, he has been extremely sensitive to claims that his election was tarnished in any way.
- So why did Mueller not indict the president?
- The Justice Department has had an internal position since 1973 that a president cannot be indicted while still in office.
- The Constitution requires that a process other than the criminal justice system be used to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing.
- The process described has a very high threshold of action, and must be carried out by Congress as described by the impeachment process of charges (the House) and judgement (the Senate).
- Other charges from the investigation
- So far, 34 people have been indicted as a result of the Mueller investigation, including:
- Michael Cohen-Former Trump attorney and "fixer"
- Paul Manafort-Former Trump campaign manager
- Rich Gates-Former main deputy to Paul Manafort
- Michael Flynn-Former National Security Adviser
- Roger Stone-Long-time Trump confidant
- Each of these has confessed to wrongdoing but Mr. Stone, whose trial will begin shortly.
- A number of Russian nationals have been indicted, but all are outside the U.S. legal system and none is likely to come to trial.
- At least a dozen additional people are under ongoing investigations. All information regarding active cases has been redacted, and the status of these is unknown.
- So far, 34 people have been indicted as a result of the Mueller investigation, including:
- Mueller's final conclusion was stated somewhat obliquely. Basically it said that there was no evidence of collusion with the Russians. However the investigators were unable to reach a judgement that the president did not commit obstruction. That he did, if it is to be determined while he still is in office, must be done according to the Constitutional procedures listed earlier. This does not limit normal judicial processes to apply once Mr. Trump is no longer serving in the office of president.
Enjoy life, it's the only one we will get.
Jim George
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