In response to Byron York’s column on May 22, “Right or Wrong, Mueller Changed Everything”:
Byron York, mimicking Donald Trump and Trump supporters, is trying to claim that the Mueller report exonerates the president and indicates a turning point wherein the report is now irrelevant. He also piles on the other Trump opinions that the report was a failed hoax and now warrants an investigation of the investigators.
First, the report does not exonerate the president and does in fact implicate him in obstruction of justice based on 11 enumerated instances.
Secondly, the report was extraordinarily effective in accomplishing its purpose.
Rod Rosenstein’s appointment letter authorizing the special counsel first stated a goal “to ensure a full and thorough investigation of the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.”
Mueller’s accomplishments on that matter alone should be celebrated by all of us and surely warrants the $30-$40 million spent on the investigation.
Byron brings up the Steele dossier yet again, and yet again it is clear that that dossier was not necessary to warrant the investigation into Trump and his campaign. Lies by Trump and his campaign team were more than enough to warrant investigation.
Do you remember when we found out that there was a Trump Tower meeting that included top Trump campaign members and a Russian lawyer? Remember the initial lie that the meeting was to discuss Russian adoptions – no mention of Russians or being offered dirt on Hillary Clinton provided by the Russian government?
Remember then that it was discovered that Donald Trump himself drafted that misleading statement delivered by Don Jr.? Remember early on how Trump bragged about his ability to put together a team – and yet how many of his team were indicted and jailed?
The Mueller report did not find a hard connection between the Trump campaign and Russia – and that’s great, but his past and continuing behavior easily justifies the special counsel’s work and now other continuing investigations.
The herculean effort by Donald Trump to quash all investigation (from the beginning continuing to today) proves that the Mueller report is not the end of Congress’ oversight duties – it’s a milestone along a continuing constitutional mandate to keep the president within his role as head of a co-equal branch of government.
Duane Mooring
Castaic
