The Mueller Report: Road map to ... where?
Printers across the country went into overdrive the moment the Mueller Report went public on Thursday, and it seemed like just about everyone started devouring its 448 pages.
Wasting no time, President Trump tweeted "Game over" with an image inspired by the TV show "Game of Thrones," and boasted at a White House event that he was having a "good day," while repeating his assertion that there'd been "no collusion, no obstruction."
But it's not so clear-cut.
The report paints a vivid picture of how the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election with hopes of helping Donald Trump win. Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no "members of the Trump campaign conspired" with the Kremlin, but on obstruction he wrote, "… while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him."
"I think it's one of those moments where everyone sees exactly what they want to see, as well as some things they didn't want to see," said Michael Duffy, the acting deputy editorial page editor at the Washington Post. "But there's plenty all around for both sides to both feast and regret."
The report also reveals how the president reacted when then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions told him about Mueller's appointment: The president slumped in his chair and said, "Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I'm f**ked!"
Duffy said, "It is one of most revealing portraits of a presidency that I can remember."
The investigation looked at ten times when President Trump may have obstructed justice, including trying to fire Mueller. Attorney General William Barr said the evidence did not add up to a crime, but may help explain the president's actions.
"The president was frustrated and angered by his sincere belief that the investigation was undermining his presidency, propelled by his political opponents, and fueled by illegal leaks," Barr said prior to the release of the report.
Congressional Democrats are not buying that. They've issued a subpeona for the complete and unredacted report and called on Mueller to testify.
"We obviously have to get to the bottom of what happened and take whatever action seems necessary at that time," said House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler.
Tomorrow, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will talk with Democrats about how to move forward.
Duffy told correspondent Weijia Jiang, "This gives them a road map, if they want to take it. The Watergate road map, which a lot of historians talk about, was 52-54 pages, something like that. This one is 448. So, they have a lot to work with if want to go down the impeachment road."
As for President Trump, he is spending the Easter weekend with family and friends in Florida. He played some golf, and tweeted … in fact, tweeted a lot.
The president said some of the statements made about him "are total b******t & only given to make the other person look good (or me to look bad)," and that he has been "totally vindicated."
The 2020 election is just around the corner. We may not know the real impact of the Mueller Report until voters go to the polls.
Durry said, "That will be a place where the public can make a decision about whether they want to stick with the president, or find someone else to do the job."
- Read Robert Mueller's full report on Russian interference in the 2016 election (CBS News)
- Here's who has been charged in the Mueller probe (CBS News)
- Mueller report suggests Senate Intel Chairman Richard Burr may have told White House about targets of FBI probe (CBS News)
- Review: The Mueller Report, by New York Times book reviewer Dwight Garner
- Analysis of Mueller Report by professor Seth Abramson (Twitter)
- What the Mueller Report Says About Obstruction (Annenberg Public Policy Center)
- Guide to unsealed documents related to Mueller investigation (Just Security)
- Special Counsel's Office (Department of Justice)
Story produced by Sara Cook and Alan Golds.