From the outset, I have been wary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe. This is because it appeared as though his scope was rather limited, and not only that, collusion is such a broad term (and not a legal one), it'd be incredibly difficult to prove that beyond a reasonable doubt, at least when it comes to Donald Trump and/or his inner-circle actually conspiring (the actual legal term) with Russia. So when news came that Mueller had sent his report to Attorney General William Barr and Barr wrote in a letter that the president did not collude with Russia and that there was not enough evidence to charge nor exonerate him of obstruction of justice, I can't say I was terribly surprised. I was disappointed, sure, but not in any way shocked.
What I've been even more disappointed by throughout these Mueller proceedings has been the media. Donald Trump may be an incompetent moron who doesn't know his ass from pinky, but for as unintentional as it may be, he has this natural ability to play the modern-day mainstream media, which is ironic, considering he typically lambasts them with liberal-bias claims. But think about it... The mainstream media treated Donald Trump like a reality star from the start of his campaign through election day. He wasn't properly vetted. He was simply followed around by what appeared to be super-fans just wanting to know what he'd do, say, or eat next. This humanized him as a person, yet made him come across as a non-threatening force as a politician. The media didn't ramp up their vetting until after, to their surprise, Trump got elected president, and they though, "Oh, sh*t! We better finally do our job!" While they've definitely improved their investigative game post-election, they've suffered a setback when it comes to the Mueller probe. For nearly two years, members of the media speculated on what Mueller did and didn't know; what he would and wouldn't find; what would and wouldn't result from his findings. Hell, they weren't even sure what he was specifically investigating, so they'd provide the world with their theories on that front as well. Now, before any of us, including them, have read the Mueller report, they're declaring to the world they know what's in the Mueller report. There have been reports suggesting the Mueller write-up is approximately 700 pages in length. AG Barr's write-up of the write-up was 4 pages. So if that first number is in any way accurate, Barr's write-up would represent just one-half of one percent of the actual report. To place that into perspective, if a person making $1 million annually earned one-half of one percent, he/she'd make just $5,000 for the year.
So what do we know? Robert Mueller worked for close to two years on a probe into Russia's meddling in out 2016 presidential election. During the proceedings, over 30 were indicted, 8 were arrested, and in the cases which have been decided, over 10 years will be spent in prison by these individuals. Russian meddling occurred in the 2016 election. Donald Trump's hand-picked Attorney General William Barr summarized the alleged 700-page report in four pages, claiming the president didn't collude with Russia and that there's not enough evidence to charge nor exonerate him of obstruction. That's pretty much all we know at this time, yet Trump, his inner-circle, Republican politicians, and the mainstream media seem to think they know a great deal more.
While I've been wary of the Mueller probe from the outset, when standing back and attempting to see the full picture, I'm becoming increasingly more curious about the report's findings. First off, while proving Trump conspired with Russia may be difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, as I've said many times before, there are no two ways about it - the man obstructed justice. The only possible defense Trump and his supporters could have would be to claim the President of the United States of America is too stupid to know what obstruction of justice actually is, so he couldn't have intended to obstruct the Mueller probe. What they'd essentially be saying is that ignorance is in fact bliss for the leader of this country. Yeah, as Trump would tweet, "SAD!" In addition to that, given Trump and his minions' behavior throughout the Mueller proceedings, I have an incredibly difficult time seeing them get off scot-free (or Scott Free according to some, well, one). How many people lied to protect Trump during the probe? How many did Trump direct to lie to protect himself? How many times did Trump himself lie to protect himself? The man wouldn't testify under oath. He fired multiple high ranking officials who had tie-ins with the investigation. Hell, he admitted, flat out, that he fired former FBI Director James Comey because of "the Russia thing." Through both his words and actions, Donald Trump has gone on to make himself look like the guiltiest SOB this side of Jeffrey Dahmer munching on a tricep at an all-you-can-eat buffet at his neighbor's house. Trump and his inner-circle have changed their stories countless times. The goalposts have similarly shifted more times than Count Chocula can count. Even more recently, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has blocked an attempt for the full Mueller report to be released to the public. If Trump and/or his cohorts are in any way guilty, all of the before-mentioned events would make sense. If not, they'll likely go down as the stupidest non-criminal-criminals in history. In any case, unlike the media, let's wait to see what comes of the Mueller report before we make a determination on it one way or the other.
Fortunately, at least in early post-Mueller-probe polls, it appears as though the American public's opinion of Trump hasn't shifted. In fact, his likability rating has decreased. Apparently some Republicans wanted Trump to have colluded with a foreign dictator... In any case, it appears as though the people at large haven't bought the crap Barr and Trump are selling, and are awaiting Mueller's full report before placing judgment. I suggest the rest of us do similarly. Sure, we may find "Mueller Time" to be less filling for now, but perhaps it'll taste great in the end. Even if it doesn't, as I've said for a long time, Trump has a lot more to be afraid of with the SDNY's investigation than Mueller. With Mueller, I've been wary. With the SDNY, Trump should be sh*tting himself, "bigly."
What I've been even more disappointed by throughout these Mueller proceedings has been the media. Donald Trump may be an incompetent moron who doesn't know his ass from pinky, but for as unintentional as it may be, he has this natural ability to play the modern-day mainstream media, which is ironic, considering he typically lambasts them with liberal-bias claims. But think about it... The mainstream media treated Donald Trump like a reality star from the start of his campaign through election day. He wasn't properly vetted. He was simply followed around by what appeared to be super-fans just wanting to know what he'd do, say, or eat next. This humanized him as a person, yet made him come across as a non-threatening force as a politician. The media didn't ramp up their vetting until after, to their surprise, Trump got elected president, and they though, "Oh, sh*t! We better finally do our job!" While they've definitely improved their investigative game post-election, they've suffered a setback when it comes to the Mueller probe. For nearly two years, members of the media speculated on what Mueller did and didn't know; what he would and wouldn't find; what would and wouldn't result from his findings. Hell, they weren't even sure what he was specifically investigating, so they'd provide the world with their theories on that front as well. Now, before any of us, including them, have read the Mueller report, they're declaring to the world they know what's in the Mueller report. There have been reports suggesting the Mueller write-up is approximately 700 pages in length. AG Barr's write-up of the write-up was 4 pages. So if that first number is in any way accurate, Barr's write-up would represent just one-half of one percent of the actual report. To place that into perspective, if a person making $1 million annually earned one-half of one percent, he/she'd make just $5,000 for the year.
So what do we know? Robert Mueller worked for close to two years on a probe into Russia's meddling in out 2016 presidential election. During the proceedings, over 30 were indicted, 8 were arrested, and in the cases which have been decided, over 10 years will be spent in prison by these individuals. Russian meddling occurred in the 2016 election. Donald Trump's hand-picked Attorney General William Barr summarized the alleged 700-page report in four pages, claiming the president didn't collude with Russia and that there's not enough evidence to charge nor exonerate him of obstruction. That's pretty much all we know at this time, yet Trump, his inner-circle, Republican politicians, and the mainstream media seem to think they know a great deal more.
While I've been wary of the Mueller probe from the outset, when standing back and attempting to see the full picture, I'm becoming increasingly more curious about the report's findings. First off, while proving Trump conspired with Russia may be difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, as I've said many times before, there are no two ways about it - the man obstructed justice. The only possible defense Trump and his supporters could have would be to claim the President of the United States of America is too stupid to know what obstruction of justice actually is, so he couldn't have intended to obstruct the Mueller probe. What they'd essentially be saying is that ignorance is in fact bliss for the leader of this country. Yeah, as Trump would tweet, "SAD!" In addition to that, given Trump and his minions' behavior throughout the Mueller proceedings, I have an incredibly difficult time seeing them get off scot-free (or Scott Free according to some, well, one). How many people lied to protect Trump during the probe? How many did Trump direct to lie to protect himself? How many times did Trump himself lie to protect himself? The man wouldn't testify under oath. He fired multiple high ranking officials who had tie-ins with the investigation. Hell, he admitted, flat out, that he fired former FBI Director James Comey because of "the Russia thing." Through both his words and actions, Donald Trump has gone on to make himself look like the guiltiest SOB this side of Jeffrey Dahmer munching on a tricep at an all-you-can-eat buffet at his neighbor's house. Trump and his inner-circle have changed their stories countless times. The goalposts have similarly shifted more times than Count Chocula can count. Even more recently, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has blocked an attempt for the full Mueller report to be released to the public. If Trump and/or his cohorts are in any way guilty, all of the before-mentioned events would make sense. If not, they'll likely go down as the stupidest non-criminal-criminals in history. In any case, unlike the media, let's wait to see what comes of the Mueller report before we make a determination on it one way or the other.
Fortunately, at least in early post-Mueller-probe polls, it appears as though the American public's opinion of Trump hasn't shifted. In fact, his likability rating has decreased. Apparently some Republicans wanted Trump to have colluded with a foreign dictator... In any case, it appears as though the people at large haven't bought the crap Barr and Trump are selling, and are awaiting Mueller's full report before placing judgment. I suggest the rest of us do similarly. Sure, we may find "Mueller Time" to be less filling for now, but perhaps it'll taste great in the end. Even if it doesn't, as I've said for a long time, Trump has a lot more to be afraid of with the SDNY's investigation than Mueller. With Mueller, I've been wary. With the SDNY, Trump should be sh*tting himself, "bigly."
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