The redacted Mueller report is damning in so many ways, and even a partial brief summary of what we know of Mueller’s conclusions would include the following:
1) Trump obstructed justice, but because of DOJ guidelines on indicting a sitting president he can't be prosecuted while in office.
2) It's Congress's job to provide justice.
3) The extensive and assiduous cover-up had a purpose, and hid something far more serious.
4) The cover-up largely succeeded.
5) There were many more criminal referrals to other jurisdictions, about most of which we as yet know nothing.
6) Given Barr's obstruction and the GOP's full complicity, this is a Constitutional crisis. Right now.
And this is the House Majority “Leader”:
x“Based on what we have seen to date, going forward on impeachment is not worthwhile at this point. Very frankly, there is an election in 18 months and the American people will make a judgement,†House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told @DanaBashCNN .
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 18, 2019Very frankly, if this level of criminality and complicity isn’t fully investigated by Congress, and there isn’t at least an attempt to provide the justice that Mueller clearly indicates is Congress’s sole responsibility, there’s no reason to believe there will be a fair election in 18 months.
xThis reads to me as an impeachment referral: "The conclusion that Congress may apply the obstruction laws to the President’s corrupt exercise of the powers of office accords with our constitutional system of checks and balanced and the principle that no person is above the law.â€Â
— Garrett M. Graff (@vermontgmg) April 18, 2019 xThey weren't done. It's obvious they weren't. But Barr made it clear they were going to be shut down, personnel removed and no more indictments. So they wanted to get the report to Congress ASAP. That's my theory. They were not relying on Barr to do the right thing at all, btw.
— Elizabeth de la Vega (@Delavegalaw) April 18, 2019 xAgain, this is an impeachment referral. pic.twitter.com/Zk6gydcf0k
— emptywheel (@emptywheel) April 18, 2019The redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report released on Thursday runs 448 pages. But its most important implication can be summarized in a single sentence: There is sufficient evidence that President Donald Trump obstructed justice to merit impeachment hearings.
A basic principle lies at the heart of the American criminal-justice system: The accused is entitled to a fair defense and a chance to clear his name. Every American is entitled to this protection, from the humblest citizen all the way up to the chief executive. And that, Mueller explained in his report, is why criminal allegations against a sitting president should be considered by Congress and not the Justice Department. The Mueller report, in short, is an impeachment referral.
x2/2 decision not to charge obstruction could be technical: prosecutors must prove all the elements of a specific statute. Trump’s conduct may not fall neatly within a statute but still be aimed to end investigation. That’s exactly why Congress has broad jurisdiction.
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) April 18, 2019 xMueller provided an impeachment referral.
— John Weaver (@jwgop) April 18, 2019 x1. Lots of stuff going on in the Mueller report but we finally know what Barr has been up to the last month. Mueller made an impeachment referral to Congress based on overwhelming evidence of obstruction. Barr has spent the last few weeks covering it up
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) April 18, 2019 xThis is an impeachment referral. Mueller is saying that it wasn't up to him to make a prosecutorial decision and is following Jaworski's example in Watergate. This is not for the AG to decide it is for Congress. pic.twitter.com/y0IA5ayC7c
— Max Bergmann (@maxbergmann) April 18, 2019