A couple of days ago, the Mueller Investigation came to a close and the report was released to Attorney General William Barr – not publicly yet. What do its results mean for Donald Trump, Republicans, and Democrats?
The report had cleared Trump and his campaign of conspiring with the Russian government to infiltrate the 2016 election, having uncovered no direct evidence of collusion. For Trump, that is obviously a victory. With his name cleared, it seems as if he is free to carry out is presidency in peace.
Needless to say, he is pleased with the result, having tweeted “No Collusion. No Obstruction. Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT!” Arguably, the release of the report was the best day of Trump’s presidency as it put an end to the Russia-gate scandal. His approval rating has increased slightly to 42% – his average according to Gallup is 39%. Could this help his chances of re-election in 2020? Possibly, but it is difficult to predict right now. The result of the Mueller Report could potentially reassure some voters that Trump has not colluded with Russia to win the presidency and will vote for him in 2020.
However, the report has not fully exonerated Trump from obstruction of justice. The report states “while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.” To that, Mr Barr has added that there was insufficient evidence “to establish that the president committed an obstruction-of-justice offence.”
Nevertheless, Trump allies have taken the results as a victory and a chance to move forward. White House adviser, Kellyanne Conway, said on Twitter “today you won the 2016 election all over again. And got a gift for the 2020 election. They’ll never get you because they’ll never ‘get’ you.”
It is now expected for Democrats to fight a legal battle to get the full report released, after criticisms of Mr Barr’s summary. Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumar said in a joint statement that the summary “raises as many questions as it answers” noting that the report “does not exonerate the president on a charge as serious as obstruction of justice.” They argue that the lack of exoneration necessitates a full release of the report.
The report should then be passed over to Congress – where Democrats may launch legal challenges if the report features anything else that Mr Barr didn’t say. One thing is certain is that Trump can’t be charged with Russian collusion.
However, this is simply the end of one investigation into Trump – several others are still ongoing. On the list includes a federal investigation in New York over Trump’s inaugural committee – where the campaign is accused of corruption (favors for donors and foreign funds provided illegally through straw donors). Others include the hush money investigation involving Stormy Daniels (Stephanie Clifford), a House probe into obstruction, White House security clearances, and Trump’s tax returns. Mueller’s investigation is but one cloud that has been lifted, but Trump’s legal woes are not over yet. That said, it is very likely that he will complete this term.
What are the consequences of obstruction of justice?
If Trump is found to be guilty of obstruction, he would find himself in hot water very quickly. Obstruction of justice is listed as one of the “high crimes and misdemeanors” as per the Constitution and can lead to impeachment charges. Andrew Johnson was impeached in 1868 for high crimes and misdemeanors, as were Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton.
Would he be charged this term? That is highly unlikely and Trump will carry out his term without facing a legal challenge. If he won a second term, maybe he would be impeached. But these are all ‘ifs’ and ‘maybes’. Nothing has been publicly released over obstruction of justice.
The Mueller Charges
Trump’s administration did not have a clean escape from the Mueller investigation, some having been convicted – mostly over corruption. Paul Manafort, Trump’s ex campaign chairman, has been convicted for financial fraud. Six have pleaded guilty to various crimes, including Michael Cohen to financial fraud, and Michael Flynn and George Papadopoulos to lying to the FBI. Meanwhile Roger Stone, a Trump adviser, has been charged with obstruction, lying to Congress, and witness tampering. Also charged were 13 Russian nationals for conspiracy to defraud the US, 12 Russian officers for hacking, and former aide to Manafort, Konstantin Kilimnik, for obstruction of justice.
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