Monday, April 22, 2019

Mueller Report recap

A few observations on the Mueller report:

It's amusing to see critics instantly pivot from collusion to obstruction. Moreover, Mueller didn't charge Trump with obstruction. He punted to DOJ. 

David French used the occasion to burnish his indelible NeverTrump credentials:


I find French painfully naive on this point: naturally subordinates will lie about their conduct if they think a prosecutor is going to indict them for what he deems to be criminal conduct. Does French really think they'd volunteer self-incriminating information? Why would any rational person cooperate with an investigation if they rightly fear that they will be targeted, that their cooperation will be used against them? What universe is French living in? 

Ironically, a CNN journalist, of all people, pointed out that this reflects the failure of the Obama administration to protect the USA from hackers:


For his part, Andy McCarthy highlighted the way Mueller upended the burden of proof: 


On Twitter, Michael Medved noted that by crying wolf for 2 years on "collusion," Democrats have unwittingly inoculated Trump from other scandals. 

What's left? Stormy Daniels? That scandal certainly shows Trump at his worst. But it's not impeachable. Moreover, it hinges on the technicalities of campaign finance law. 

There is a problem when subordinates defy Trump's orders. It's striking, though, that Trump didn't follow up when they failed to carry out his orders. Is this just Trump's way of blowing off steam? The classic "take Trump seriously but not literally"? 

I've read about a potential conflict of interest regarding Trump's business interests abroad. However, the fanatical obsession with "collusion" deflected attention away from what might be a legitimate issue. 

1 comment:

  1. --On Twitter, Michael Medved noted that by crying wolf for 2 years on "collusion," Democrats have unwittingly inoculated Trump from other scandals.--

    Why do you think 'The 4D Chessmaster' (as /TheDonald would characterize it) allowed the witch-hunt to drag on as long as it did?

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