The Mueller Report: Let Me Get This Straight.

I remain so incredulous regarding the Mueller report and the responses to that report that I simply gasp for air and wonder what universe, what dimension, what time warp I have slipped into.  So just to clarify for my own mind, the following are the facts as I know them to be, all subject to verification via multiple fact checkers.

In May of 2017, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller as Special Counsel for the Justice Department.  The task given Mueller was to investigate claims that the Russians interfered with the 2016 Presidential election and that there existed links and coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russian effort to determine the outcome of our election.  He was also authorized to investigate any other matters that might arise as a result of the investigation.  Mueller is a Republican, and a former director of the FBI.

By August 2018 Trump had tweeted more than 100 times that the Mueller investigation was a “witch hunt.” 

By March of 2019 the Mueller investigation had led to the indictment and conviction of Robert Cohen, Trump’s lawyer, Paul Manafort, Trump’s election campaign chairman, George Papadopolous, Trump’s foreign policy advisor, Rick Gates, a Trump campaign aide, Michael Flynn, Trump’s national security advisor, Roger Stone, longtime Trump advisor, Sam Patten, Republican operative and lobbyist, Russian assets, and 3 companies.  6 pleaded guilty and 27 were indicted, as well as Russian nationals for a total of 34 criminal charges.  Trump continued to call the investigation a witch hunt despite the fact that no other President in history has had as many criminal charges filed against his administration as Trump.  Despite the facts that Mueller is a Republican, appointed by a Republican and all the evidence, the convictions, the guilty pleas, Trump continued to call the investigation a witch hunt.  The charges ranged from violation of campaign finance laws to obstruction of justice, witness tampering, making false statements to the FBI, making false statements to a Congress, lying to Congress regarding an effort to get in touch with WikiLeaks to smear Clinton, lying to Congress about a Trump effort to open a Trump hotel in Moscow, and failure to file as a foreign agent.  There were no charges of collusion.

Since his inauguration, Trump has appointed and/or replaced five Attorneys General or acting Attorneys General.  His most recent appointment is William Barr who assumed office in February of 2019.  Barr is on record as saying he does not believe a sitting President can be indicted, he does not believe a sitting President can be subpoenaed, and he does not believe a sitting President can be charged with obstruction of justice.

On Friday, March 15, 2019 Mueller submitted to Barr a 300 page report summarizing the findings of his investigation.  By Sunday, Barr issued a summary of that 300 page report focusing on the no collusion outcome and the exoneration of Trump.  No one has first hand knowledge of those findings save Barr.  Lawyers across the nation challenged Barr’s ability to read, comprehend and summarize such a lengthy report in a matter of 48 hours. 

No one has seen the Mueller Report except Barr.  Barr, who was appointed by Trump, has submitted the Mueller Report to Trump for editing and redacting prior to public release.

In other words, the administration under investigation now has the authority to edit the report regarding that investigation and such authority was granted by the person appointed by the administration under investigation.

Have I got that straight? 

Can this possibly be justice?

Update 3/30:  Barr announces that the White House will not review and edit report.  He will do it instead.  Is there a difference?  Do you feel better?