Mueller probably thinks Trump obstructed justice but refuses to be Democrats' impeachment fall guy
by Tiana Lowe
| July 24, 2019 12:16 PM
Of all the questions raised by former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's interference in our 2016 elections, none has proven more mystifying and aggravating as to why Robert Mueller ultimately punted the question of whether President Trump committed obstruction of justice to Attorney General William Barr.
Mueller clearly deliberated and decided that not enough evidence existed to charge Trump with any conspiracy charges, yet he explicitly refused to come to a conclusion on the obstruction question. Of all the material benefit to the public brought by Mueller's hearings with the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees, the only real question that matters to the public is why.
Mueller went through great lengths to obfuscate his intentions and understandably so. As special counsel, Mueller was assigned to make a legal decision, not a political one. Following the precedent set by the Office of Legal Counsel, Mueller has consistently maintained that even if he found enough evidence to charge Trump with acts of obstruction, he wouldn't charge a sitting president. But he refused to decide that "even if" question. His words today further indicate that he did believe Trump should have been brought up on obstruction charges otherwise, and his actions point towards his refusal to make a political decision by proxy and give Democrats the green light to initiate impeachment proceedings.
"Based on Justice Department policy and principles of fairness, we decided we would not make a determination as to whether the president committed a crime," Mueller states in his prepared remarks. The phrasing here is key. The Justice Department policy directed Mueller not to bring up charges, but it certainly doesn't say that Mueller couldn't or shouldn't make a verdict on whether Trump ought to be brought up on charges once he's out of office. No, that he blames on the intentionally vague "principles of fairness" doctrine. What does it mean? Likely that Mueller believes that he shouldn't be responsible for instigating political trials, only criminal ones.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/robert-mueller-probably-thinks-trump-obstructed-justice-but-refuses-to-be-democrats-impeachment-fall-guy
