Trump’s fate now up to voters
America’s voters will decide the fate of President Donald Trump, and ultimately that is the healthiest approach for our democracy.
That is the most obvious result of special counsel Robert Mueller’s comprehensive investigation, which found no evidence of collusion between Trump and his campaign with Russia during the 2016 election. That is also why it is imperative that as much of Mueller’s report as possible be made public so voters are fully informed as the 2020 campaign unfolds.
Mueller’s conclusion that “the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities’’ is a clear victory for the president. The special counsel’s report, summarized in a four-page memo by Attorney General William Barr, confirmed Russia’s extensive efforts to influence the 2016 campaign in Trump’s favor.
Those efforts included the well-reported disinformation campaign on social media and the hacking into computers and stolen emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign and Democratic Party officials. While Trump publicly cheered the release of those emails during the campaign, Mueller found the president’s campaign did not conspire or coordinate those efforts with the Russian government.
That should be a relief to all Americans, regardless of political party. A finding that an incumbent president conspired with a foreign government to win an election would have been devastating to our democracy and would have paralyzed the nation and the U.S. government. The focus of Congress and elections officials should intensify now on combating foreign interference in future elections.
Unfortunately, Mueller did not answer with similar clarity whether Trump has obstructed justice. He did not draw a conclusion either way, stating “while this report does not conclude the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.’’ The attorney general’s quick conclusion within 48 hours that the president has not obstructed justice should not be the final word, particularly since Barr previously expressed that opinion and was only recently named attorney general by Trump. So that issue is now left to Congress.
House Democrats should proceed carefully as multiple committees continue their investigations into the president. Speaker Nancy Pelosi previously has discounted any effort to move forward with impeachment, and Democrats who continue to suggest that approach following Mueller’s report are being irresponsible.
Under remarkable pressure, Mueller has performed a great public service for the nation. He conducted a thorough, 22-month investigation with dignity and integrity. Remember that the primary focus of Mueller’s work was how Russians tried to influence the 2016 campaign and whether anyone from the Trump campaign cooperated.
Five people tied to Trump have been convicted or have pleaded guilty to crimes — including Trump’s former national security adviser, former personal lawyer and Paul Manafort, who served for three months as Trump’s campaign chairman.
Mueller’s conclusion that there was no collusion is a good result for the nation and for the president. It is not “complete and total exoneration’’ as Trump claims. So it is critical that the Mueller report be made public so voters can reach their own conclusions regarding how Congress proceeds and how they should judge this president in the 2020 election.
This editorial was first published in the Tampa Bay Times.
This story was originally published March 26, 2019 at 2:43 AM.