EDITORIAL –
Thursday, an anti-climactic day in U.S. politics. Attorney General William Barr approached a podium flanked by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, to announce that President Trump committed no crimes during the 2016 U.S. Election regarding democratic interference. Announced prior to the report’s delivery to Congress and published publicly, Trump quickly assumed he was in the clear, pronouncing “game over” on Twitter in a Game of Thrones-style. Yet, the Mueller Report will be a point of enquiry and controversy long into the 2020 election. Not only has it unveiled weaknesses in his presidency, it has heightened the possibility for further scrutiny and technically has no exonerated it.
Background: Russkiy Mir – Russian World
In the recent decade, Russian President Vladimir Putin has employed soft power to influence global affairs. While this was originally thought to encompass Russian culture, it has now led to allegations of political interference in democratic countries. There have been allegations Russia, and companies such as the Internet Research Agency (IRA), have used social media and the broader internet to influence elections.
The United States was no exception and in late-December 2016 and January 2017 the Obama Administration asserted the Russian leader favoured Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton and sought to undermine Clinton’s chances of winning the election. This included online operations to bolster President Trump, Green candidate Jill Stein and even Bernie Sanders, so to weaken Clinton’s vote base. Just prior to his inauguration, this made President Trump seem illegitimate to many voters, especially fervent Democrats.
What is the Mueller Report?
The Mueller Report, or formally known as the Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election, was commissioned eight days after the dismissal of the Director of the FBI, James Comey, on 17 May 2017. It was suspected this dismissal was based on Director Comey’s investigation into the Trump Campaign’s ties with Russian officials. Overseen by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself, former FBI director Robert Mueller was appointed Special Counsel to conduct the investigation.
Mueller was tasked with investigating the Trump Campaign’s ties to Russians and the influence on the election. When Trump heard the news Mueller was appointed and Sessions had recused himself, he said:
“Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I’m f**ked.”
Donald J Trump
Mueller Report, p. 290
This opened a can of worms that would have seemed unimaginable prior to Trump’s election. Mueller was not only investigating Trump’s campaign team, but the President’s own role and the possibility of obstruction of justice. This ended on 22 March 2019 with the submission of the report to Attorney General Barr.
Before the report was even completed, multiple campaign officials were indicted. National Security Advisor Michael Flynn resigned on 13 February 2017 after news reports about his communication with Sergey Kislyak, Russian Ambassador. Trump asked for Flynn to be let off as “he’s a good guy” but he was charged and agreed to a plea bargain. This was only the start of events for Trump Campaign officials.
In October 2017, campaign adviser George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to making false statements. Soon after, campaign chairman Paul Manafort was indicted on multiple charges while his business associate Rick Gates also surrendered to the FBI. This included charges of conspiracy against the United States for working with pro-Russian forces.
By mid-year 2018, 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities were charged with conspiracy while 12 Russian intelligence officers were charged with attempted interference. These charges included hacking into the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton Campaign’s computers, in addition to the state election boards and the secretaries of various states.
Conclusions from the Mueller Report
The 448-page, two volume, document conveyed that President Trump did not collude with Russians during the election. Yet, this also vehemently criticised the President’s role in the investigation as he gave inadequate answers and refused on multiple opportunities to be interviewed. This led to condemnation from both sides of the aisle, with Republican Senator Mitt Romney saying he was “sickened” by Trump’s behaviour.
The President’s behaviour was a prime target for the media who were waiting with bated breath to get the report. Former Attorney General Sessions said that Trump was fearful of the investigation. The report notes Trump as saying the following:
“Everyone tells me if you get one of these independent counsels it ruins your presidency. It takes years and years and I won’t be able to do anything. This is the worst thing that ever happened to me.”
Donald J Trump
Mueller Report, p. 290
Although nothing was found on Trump himself, it was deemed the Russian Government had “interfered in the 2016 presidential election in sweeping and systemic fashion.” This was through disinformation in public campaigns and the hacking of Clinton Campaign computers. Trump officials were also investigated and found to have numerous contacts between Trump campaign officials and the Russian Government. This included the infamous Trump Tower meeting between Donald Trump Jr. regarding “dirt” on Hillary Clinton. Yet, Mueller lacked information to prosecute key people.
No evidence was found to connect Trump to interference. However, Mueller declared that the possibility for obstruction of justice charges. This was evident on 10 different occasions where this could have occurred. The report noted:
“This does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”
Mueller Report, p. 214
Mueller was hesitant to charge Trump as this would go against the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel opinion from 2000 which noted a sitting president cannot be indicted. This also would hinder his ability to govern and any congressional action against any perceived wrongdoings.
So, Trump was not charged with any crimes, but he was not exonerated either.
What’s next?
President Trump believes the worst in over, claiming in a Game of Thrones-style tweet: “GAME OVER.”
Even so, Congressional Democrats are not relenting and want more clarity. They have called on Mueller to testify before Congress, and want the entire report released, including the redacted sections. Multiple individuals also want further explanations for the report and reasoning from the White House for President Trump’s behaviour. This has even led to some presidential candidates, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, calling for Trump’s impeachment.
Although the President had a Good Friday, if you pardon the pun, and could relax somewhat, the Mueller investigation will continue to haunt his presidency. With a high probability of Mueller testifying to Congress, the Trump Administration should still be cautious. Further disclosure could be even more disastrous for the already tenuous president.
