Don’t believe the hype
As rumors again swirl about the supposed conclusion of the Robert Mueller investigation, to be followed by a report that may or may not be officially released to the public in its entirety, Donald Trump is reportedly buttering up newly confirmed Attorney General William Barr. This lame attempt to throw an arm around the new guy’s shoulders to sell him on the virtues of the misunderstood Trump presidency is destined to fail for obvious reasons, but it’s another embarrassing signal that Trump and his followers are fully invested in fooling themselves.
A recent bombshell report from the New York Times includes a poll indicating that the president’s goons have had some success tarnishing the credibility of the investigation. That enhances the false sense of security for Trumpists, along with frustration and worry for Americans. Trump ingratiating himself with Barr doesn’t make us feel any better even if it seems comically desperate. Stories about the “End of the Investigation” and the “Big Report that will Explain Everything” are repackaged. We get anxious.
But the worry about some golden ticket report for Trump is unwarranted. There is no stipulation that a report halts any continuing investigation, and germane information won’t be released publicly by anyone interested in justice if it interferes with those investigations. The report could read, “We investigated those things over there. We’re still investigating these things over here. Have a blessed day.” A full public accounting is clearly not happening in a week. This dark web will likely take years, perhaps decades to unravel as the Trump-Russia conspirators deteriorate in prison cells while watching true crime documentaries about themselves.
Compare Andrew McCabe’s version of events during his very public unmasking of Donald Trump to Trump’s version, based on known facts, and determine which is believable. Then consider the corroborating evidence that Mueller and SDNY investigators are presently acting on, which digs much deeper on what is publicly known (and shockingly unknown), and realize that the fallout from probing Trump’s treasonous ascension will be enormous.
If even a fraction of what seems to be true is provable, and Trump’s family goes down, Trump may see chaos as his only way out. So, when Barr says alarming things about the release of the report or questions the indictment of a sitting president, remember that he’s Mueller’s guy, not Trump’s, and everyone without connection to Trump in these multitudinous investigations is not only working to bring Trump et al to justice, they’re also managing a massive criminal investigation into the most unpredictable and dangerous president in U.S. history. That’s a big reason their motivations aren’t always immediately clear. They have a powerful, belligerent moron to pacify.
That’s why it would make more sense for Robert Mueller to throw a seemingly quiet report out to Barr for him to present a summary of to Congress, calming Trump and his enablers while those in the know stealthily go about their business, talking heads be damned. Don’t believe the hype.
Chuck is a former community reporter, columnist, and Army veteran