Mueller Report: More Idle Speculation
I join the majority of Americans and the super-majority of those in our allied nations in expressing disappointment that the Mueller report appears not to have turned up evidence of Trump’s collusion with Russia. There are a couple remaining questions, however, and it’s possible that we haven’t heard the last of all this.
If the report exonerates Trump, why can’t we see it?
How can making the report public affect national security if nothing happened?
Why were so many reduced prison sentences granted to people in exchange for testimony if they had nothing of value to say?
What explains Trump’s extreme level of trust in and friendship for Putin, a coldblooded killer and avowed enemy of our country?
Obviously, this can be seen as my grasping at straws. In addition, there are plausible explanations for some of these items. Re: Putin, for instance, Trump really likes all the world’s great dictators and killers: Bolsonaro, Kim Jong-un, Duterte, and MbS. Yes, Putin’s long career of mass murder, as well as repression and torture of his opponents, ranks him at the very top, but this is a difference of degree and not kind.
It really is possible that all this is idle speculation, leading precisely nowhere.
Craig,
WTF ? I had hoped your obsession and paranoia would lessen once it became obvious you were caught up in a hysterical media campaign about nothing.
What is the matter with you? Most Americans are rightfully relieved to discover the nation will not be plunged into a prolonged constitutional crisis. They’re also relieved the President is not involved in any “collusion”.
There is no “super-majority” of “allies” who wish to see the US President distracted by endless internal conflict.
These are just delusions of your own invention, because you can’t accept the result of the 2016 election.
Good grief, why are you now obsessed with Vladimir Putin ?
Putin’s Russia is not the old USSR. The Russian economy is tiny and fragile. Russian society is in even worse shape.
The chaotic and unplanned break-up of the old USSR left a legacy for never ending civil unrest and violent conflict, on scale and complexity beyond the understanding of Americans or most Western nations.
Some of the conflicts have ancient and confusing causes, while others were created by the policies of Stalin and a centrally planned empire.
You may wish Russian politics operated like Switzerland, but that’s not the reality ! Most sensible, pragmatic world leaders understand the Putin’s regime, while not ideal, is at least stable, reliable and organized.
President Trump’s policy is fairly simple. The President’s diplomatic policy is to offer a carrot in the form of public bonhomie , while continuing to strengthen the nations bordering Russia and containing Russian ambitions with sanctions and economic restrictions.
No sensible American President would seek the removal of Putin as without a strong leader, there’s a very real danger Russia would descend into chaos, civil war and extremism.
If Russia were some banana republic like Venezuela, this might not be so worrying, but Russia has a huge Nuclear arsenal and military. The thought of this power descending into the hands of local factional leaders, is a nightmare.
The US has no option but to deal with Putin. To deal effectively with Putin, any president must first understand the problems and difficulties with which Putin is forced to deal.
Putin came to power in a nation where just staying alive in politics was a major feat! Russia has no history of democratic traditions, it went from a repressive autocracy to another even more brutal autocracy.
The US has a long history of interfering in the internal conflicts of other nations, usually with disastrous results. The reason the US intervention fails is because US policy makers can’t seem to appreciate not every people or nation wants to accept US values or model themselves on the US.
Us policy makers never bother to understand the causes of local conflicts or cultures, instead assuming everyone else secretly yearns for the American version of social values.
President Putin is neither a mass-murderer, butcher or any other hysterical tlabel, when viewed in the context of the environment in which he is forced to survive.
To exercise any influence at all, President Trump displays a willingness to understand Putins problems, while offering respect and friendship in return for Putin’s cooperation and assistance with nations like Syria, North Korea, Iran etc.
His public bonhomie is exactly measured to keep the Russian president engaged in talking and the door open to doing a deal.
President Trump knows he has the winning hand, so he can afford to be magnanimous, although The he still needs Putin’s co-operation.
His carrot and stick policy is more effective than making a whole lot of ineffective but impressive sounding ‘symbolic’ empty gestures.
Why isn’t the Mueller report being made public immediately ?
There’s nothing sinister in the process. (After all the President also has called for the report to be made public).
The answer is simple and mundane and involves no hidden agenda or “conspiracy”. Reports of this nature must follow long established protocols and procedures.
The Attorney-General and DOJ lawyers must review the report to evaluate any aspects concerning national security.
A reveiw must also ensure no on-going cases are compromised. Evidence or testimony obtained without the subject being provided due process or constitutional rights and safeguards must not prejudiced by imprudently releasing such material.
Eventually, the full report will be sent to Congress who will decide whether or not the report will be released in entirety, or only the relevant sections.
Questions will inevitable arise concerning the methods of the Mueller team, the legalities and focus of the inquiry as each politician seeks to find some political advantage in every page.
Many will be like you, bad losers who just can’t accept they’re victims of their own hubris.
What has emerged from this process is the worrying participant of senior law enforcement and intelligence officials, members of the press, and a political party who illegally reversed the normal conduct of investigation.
Normal investigation involves a crime being reported followed by an investigation to find the guilty party.
In this case, it has become obvious that some officials and media collaborators, decided an individual didn’t deserve office for political reasons so set out to find (or inveent) a crime to investigate in order to nullify n election result they didn’t like.
This is the real attack on the democratic policy. The idea the “end justifies the means”, is always the death-knell for faith in the democratic system and democratic process.
Representative democracy relies on the losing side accepting the decision with good grace as the will of people.
Bad losers are the real threat.