Report: Mueller Wanted Congress, Not Barr, To Judge Obstruction

Report: Mueller Wanted Congress, Not Barr, To Judge Obstruction

Special Counsel Robert Mueller made a surprising choice in the obstruction of justice investigation of President Donald Trump, according to a summary of his final report by Attorney General Bill Barr. He chose not to make a choice; instead of saying whether charges against the president for obstructing justice are warranted, he presented the evidence for and against the charge without coming down on one side.

Trump and his allies have cheered this report, but the reality is much dimmer than they think: One of the most respected prosecutors in the entire country thinks there is a strong case to be made that the president obstructed justice, even if that case isn’t decisive.

But Trump took vindication from the summary of the report because Barr said that he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein — both of whom are potentially conflicted in the obstruction case — decided that there was not sufficient evidence to bring a charge of obstruction.

It’s a jarring assertion — one that understandably pleased the president — and there’s no reason to take it at face value. Why would Mueller decide not to come to a conclusion on this issue, only to let Barr and Rosenstein have their say?

According to a source who spoke to the Daily Beast for a recent report, however, this isn’t what Mueller wanted. He wanted Congress to decide:

A source with direct knowledge of the investigation told The Daily Beast that it was their interpretation that “Mueller was making a case to Congress, who (unlike DOJ, in Mueller’s view) is empowered to weigh the lawfulness of a president’s conduct.”

If this is accurate, then we need an explanation of why Barr decided to present the findings to Congress in the way that he did, instead of letting Mueller’s investigation speak for itself. Mueller, Barr, and Rosenstein must all testify on this matter before Congres to get to the bottom of the question.

Advertising

Start your day with National Memo Newsletter

Know first.

The opinions that matter. Delivered to your inbox every morning

Judge In Trump Georgia Case Says Willis Can Continue Prosecution
Fani Willis , right, in Fulton County courtroom

March 15 (Reuters) - The Georgia judge overseeing Donald Trump's trial on charges of trying to overturn his election defeat in the U.S. state said that lead prosecutor Fani Willis can remain on the case, so long as she removes a deputy she had a personal relationship with.

Keep reading...Show less
Russian Witness Against Biden Received $600K From 'Trump Associates'

Alexander Smirnov, center, leaving courthouse in Las Vegas on February 20, 2024

Photo by Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal

I’ll bet you didn’t know that it is possible in this great big world of ours to live a comfortable life being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for doing basically nothing. Well, not nothing, exactly, but the money you get is unattached to normal stuff we are all familiar with like a job, complete with job-related duties and office hours and a W-2 and maybe even a job title. The money can thus be described by what it is not, which is aboveboard and visible. Instead, this kind of money often ends up in the kinds of accounts said to be “controlled” by you or others, which is to say, accounts which may not, and often do not, have your name on them.

Keep reading...Show less
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}