Making Sense of Mueller

On March 22, Special Counsel Robert Mueller handed over his long-anticipated report to Attorney General William Barr. The Mueller report came on the heels of a 22-month-long investigation. Mueller was looking into whether the Trump campaign worked with the Russian government to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Mueller also examined whether President Trump obstructed justice to end the legal scrutiny of his campaign.

The full report remained sealed at press time. However, Barr released a letter to Congress summarizing its findings. The findings were seen as a political victory for the president. The report concluded that Trump’s campaign didn’t plot with Russia to derail Hillary Clinton’s campaign. But it neither implicated nor exonerated Trump of obstruction of justice. Here’s what you need to know to understand the investigation and what happens next.

On May 9, 2017, President Trump fired F.B.I. Director James Comey. The F.B.I. had been investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election and any possible ties to the Trump campaign.  

Comey’s firing prompted accusations that President Trump had obstructed justice by removing the person leading an investigation involving his presidential campaign. Fears that the president might try to appoint someone to head the F.B.I. who would shut down that investigation were part of what prompted the deputy attorney general to appoint Robert Mueller as special counsel. Mueller then started his own investigation of links between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. He also began gathering evidence about the obstruction of justice accusation.

The reason for appointing a special counsel is to remove an investigation that’s politically tricky from the Justice Department’s chain of command, so it can be independently examined. Mueller, a former F.B.I. director, is well respected by both Democrats and Republicans.

On May 9, 2017, President Trump fired F.B.I. Director James Comey. The F.B.I. had been investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election and any possible ties to the Trump campaign.

Comey’s firing prompted accusations that President Trump had obstructed justice. Those accusations were based on the fact that he removed the person leading an investigation involving his presidential campaign. People feared that the president might try to appoint someone to head the F.B.I. who would shut down that investigation. Those concerns were part of what led the deputy attorney general to appoint Robert Mueller as special counsel. Mueller then started his own investigation of links between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. He also began gathering evidence about the obstruction of justice accusation.

Appointing a special counsel removed a politically tricky investigation from the Justice Department’s chain of command. That way it could be independently examined. Mueller, a former F.B.I. director, is well respected by both Democrats and Republicans.

According to Barr’s summary of the report, Mueller found no evidence that President Trump or any of his aides coordinated with Russia during the 2016 election.

Mueller’s team reached no conclusion about whether Trump obstructed justice. The report, according to Barr’s summary, says that “while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him” on the obstruction of justice issue. But two days after receiving the report, Barr and his deputy cleared the president of that charge, saying there isn’t enough evidence in Mueller’s report to support it.

Still, Mueller’s nearly two-year investigation did uncover wrongdoing ranging from lying to federal investigators to campaign finance fraud. His team brought charges against 37 defendants. They’ve already obtained seven guilty pleas, including ones from top Trump campaign officials and Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. And they’ve won one conviction at trial so far. They also uncovered possible offenses that were referred to prosecutors in other jurisdictions for ongoing investigation.

According to Barr’s summary of the report, Mueller found no evidence that President Trump or any of his aides coordinated with Russia during the 2016 election.

Mueller’s team reached no conclusion about whether Trump obstructed justice. The report, according to Barr’s summary, says that “while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him” on the obstruction of justice issue. But two days after receiving the report, Barr and his deputy cleared the president of that charge. They said there wasn’t enough evidence in Mueller’s report to support it.

Still, Mueller’s nearly two-year investigation did uncover wrongdoing. The misconduct ranged from lying to federal investigators to campaign finance fraud. His team brought charges against 37 defendants. They’ve already obtained seven guilty pleas. That includes pleas from top Trump campaign officials and Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. And they’ve won one conviction at trial so far. They also uncovered possible offenses. Those were referred to prosecutors in other jurisdictions for ongoing investigation.

For President Trump, who has long maintained that the investigation was an unfair “witch hunt,” the report was a big victory.

“It was a complete and total exoneration,” Trump told reporters in Florida before boarding Air Force One. “It’s a shame that our country had to go through this. To be honest, it’s a shame that your president has had to go through this.”

Democrats see things very differently, and they called for the release of the entire Mueller report so the public can understand the conclusions in context. 

“The attorney general’s comments make it clear that Congress must step in to get the truth and provide full transparency to the American people,” says Jerrold Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. “We cannot simply rely on what may be a hasty partisan interpretation of the facts.”

President Trump has long maintained that the investigation was an unfair “witch hunt.” For him, the report was a big victory.

“It was a complete and total exoneration,” Trump told reporters in Florida before boarding Air Force One. “It’s a shame that our country had to go through this. To be honest, it’s a shame that your president has had to go through this.”

Democrats see things very differently. They called for the release of the entire Mueller report. They feel it’s important for the public to understand the conclusions in context.

“The attorney general’s comments make it clear that Congress must step in to get the truth and provide full transparency to the American people,” says Jerrold Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. “We cannot simply rely on what may be a hasty partisan interpretation of the facts.” 

No. Now that Democrats control the House of Representatives, they’re investigating many aspects of the Trump administration as part of their government oversight responsibilities, and that will continue. They’re looking into allegations of campaign finance wrongdoing, corruption, and ongoing conflicts of interest with Trump’s business dealings—investigations that many Republicans denounce as politically motivated.

At the same time, federal prosecutors in New York, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere are investigating allegations against the president and his associates that are beyond the scope of Mueller’s probe. Some of these issues include whether Trump’s inaugural committee inappropriately took money from foreign governments and Trump’s alleged involvement in illegal payments during the 2016 campaign to silence two women who claim to have had affairs with Trump.

No. Democrats currently control the House of Representatives. They’re investigating many aspects of the Trump administration as part of their government oversight responsibilities. That will continue. They’re looking into allegations of campaign finance wrongdoing, corruption, and ongoing conflicts of interest with Trump’s business dealings. Many Republicans say those investigations are politically motivated.

At the same time, federal prosecutors in New York, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere are investigating allegations against the president and his associates. Those allegations are beyond the scope of Mueller’s probe. Some of these issues include whether Trump’s inaugural committee inappropriately took money from foreign governments. They’re also looking into Trump’s alleged involvement in illegal payments during the 2016 campaign to silence two women who claim to have had affairs with Trump.

The president quickly claimed vindication. The end of the investigation removes a cloud that had shadowed him since he took office. He and Republican lawmakers also moved to turn the tables on Democrats for waging what Republicans called an unrelenting partisan campaign against the president.

The 2020 election is just 19 months away. President Trump will likely continue to trumpet the fact that the report found no collusion as he hits the campaign trail. As a result, his Democratic rivals may need to focus on other topics.

“The biggest effect it will have is that it’ll embolden the president to be on the offensive,” says Costas Panagopoulos, a political scientist at Northeastern University in Boston. “The Mueller investigation has had Trump on the defensive. That’s no longer the case, though the controversy is far from over.”

With reporting by Peter Baker and Nicholas Fandos of The New York Times.

With reporting by Peter Baker and Nicholas Fandos of The New York Times.