The Hill: It seems remarkably fitting that a now-disproven Russian collusion scandal started with a blatantly political memo known as the Steele dossier and ended with another called the Mueller report.
I’ve covered the Department of Justice (DOJ) for three decades, a period that involved some of Washington’s biggest scandals (Iran-Contra, Whitewater, impeachment), prosecutors’ biggest triumphs (the Unabomber case) and the FBI’s biggest missteps (the lab scandal and pre-Sept.11 intelligence failures).
I’ve seen and read prosecutorial declination memos before, and few resemble the one that special counsel Robert Mueller’s team presented to the DOJ and released by Attorney General William Barr.
Most are written simply to explain why prosecutors choose not to charge a high-profile suspect whose name was besmirched publicly. Almost all are written in the spirit of the central tenet of American jurisprudence: One is presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
Mueller’s report is not written from that presumption. In fact, it is written more from the perspective that President Trump may be guilty until proven otherwise. Here’s why.
Both volumes of the report — Russia collusion and obstruction — start as a narrative that goes like this: If we were going to indict Trump, here’s our best evidence.
Volume I then ends like a “straw man.” After listing every titillating piece of evidence, Mueller concludes his evidence did not establish a conspiracy between Trump and Russia to hijack the 2016 election. In fact, it unequivocally stated no American conspired with Russia.
Volume II takes the same path on obstruction issues — but Mueller then punts with this remarkable have-it-both-ways conclusion: “This report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”
In short, Mueller’s report lay out all the dirty laundry and then passes on criminal charges.
His 397 pages of prose and 50-plus pages of attachments stand in stark contrast to DOJ rules mandating that a prosecutor not use grand jury and other evidence to besmirch a suspect who was never charged.
“The prosecutor must recognize that the grand jury is an independent body, whose functions include not only the investigation of crime and the initiation of criminal prosecution but also the protection of the citizenry from unfounded criminal charges,” the DOJ rules state.
Mueller’s report irrefutably exceeds these requirements. As such, it is no longer a legal document. Rather, it is a political document, filled with gratuitous, tawdry details designed to besmirch the president and his aides in the court of public opinion instead of the court of law.
He channels Hilary better than anyone I’ve ever seen. If Trump doesn’t fire him it will be a miscarriage of justice.
“no American conspired with Russia” WHAT???
Bill Clinton received $500,000 for a speech in Moscow and
paid for by Renaissance Capital, a company tied to Russian Intelligence.
Hillary Clinton approved the sale of 20% of U.S. uranium to
the Russians while she was Secretary of State which gave control of it to Rosatom the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation.
Hillary and Podesta lied and said she wasn’t a part of
approving the deal that gave the Russians 1/5 of our uranium, but then her e-mails were leaked showing she did lie about it.
Hillary and the Clinton Foundation got $145 million from shareholders of the uranium company sold to the Russians.
Hillary Clinton accepted millions in donations from Russian
oligarchs like the chairman of a company that’s part of the Russian Nuclear Research Cluster, the wife of the mayor of Moscow and a close pal of Putin’s.
Hillary Clinton failed to disclose all those millions of donations before becoming the Secretary of State, and it was only found out when a journalist went through Canadian tax records.
Not ONE WORD was in the Mueller report.
Another case of protecting Hillary from “real” collusion with Russia.
I guess Hillary is TOO BIG to Jail. What a protection racket.
Mueller’s dog and pony show cost over $25 million dollars and decided “no American conspired with Russia”. Mueller is part of the elaborate cover-up to protect Hillary Clinton.
NO INTEGRITY. He ends up as their high price clown who was paid by Taxpayers.
Disgusting.
0bama was Putin’s cock holster.
So much so that 0bama wanted Putin’s “approval” of the Iranian money deal.
Will Vladimir be accepting his award shirtless?
Why would Russia have to do anything to damage the United States with the democrats working diligently to do it for them?