Collusion And Obstruction? Yes

“Total exoneration! No collusion!” The Trump Cult has been repeating these two lies about the Mueller Report.

The lies are being tolerated and even embraced by the ignorant masses, of course.

Unfortunately the ignorant masses are not only in the cult. Moderates are duped as well. And so are many liberals who have not actually read the Mueller Report.

Orwell nailed it with, “Ignorance is strength.”

Trump was NOT exonerated. It’s clearly spelled out by Mueller:

“If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment. ... Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”

Of course Mueller didn’t exonerate Trump, because he obstructed justice:

18 U.S.C. § 1503 defines "obstruction of justice" as an act that "corruptly or by threats or force, or by any threatening letter or communication, influences, obstructs, or impedes, or endeavors to influence, obstruct, or impede, the due administration of justice."

Mueller presented the evidence here: (Pg. 158, Pt. II):

The President launched public attacks on the investigation and individuals involved in it who could possess evidence adverse to the President, while in private, the President engaged in a series of targeted efforts to control the investigation. For instance, the President attempted to remove the Special Counsel; he sought to have Attorney General Sessions unrecuse himself and limit the investigation; he sought to prevent public disclosure of information about the June 9, 2016 meeting between Russians and campaign officials; and he used public forums to attack potential witnesses who might offer adverse information and to praise witnesses who declined to cooperate with the government. Judgments about the nature of the President's motives during each phase would be informed by the totality of the evidence.

The president's efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surrounded the president declined to carry out orders or accede to his requests.

The key elements of obstruction are clear. "The President's motives would be informed by the totality of evidence."

And that is a LOT of evidence.

Public attacks on the investigation and individuals...a series of targeted efforts to control the investigation... limit the investigation... attack potential witnesses... praise witnesses who declined to cooperate... efforts to influence the investigation...Judgments about the nature of the President's motives during each phase would be informed by the totality of the evidence.

He obstructed.

Now let's examine the “no collusion" lie.

We need to understand the definition of collusion and put it in context of the Mueller Report.

From Merriam-Webster:

Collusion: secret agreement or cooperation especially for an illegal or deceitful purpose.

 As in, "Russia, if you're listening....", that's cooperation.

As in the secret Trump tower meeting cooperating with Russian agents, and as in Manifort giving polling data to Russian agents. THAT's collusion.

As in the words of the Mueller Report, "The investigation also identified numerous links between the Russian government and the Trump Campaign...established that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome, and that the Campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts..."

“The Campaign expected it would benefit”. THAT is cooperation, and collusion.

Vol 1 Pg 2:

“Collusion didn't apply to the investigation: In evaluating whether evidence about collective action of multiple individuals constituted a crime, we applied the framework of conspiracy law, not the concept of “collusion.” In so doing, the Office recognized that the word “collud[e]” was used in communications with the Acting Attorney General confirming certain aspects of the investigation’s scope and that the term has frequently been invoked in public reporting about the investigation. But collusion is not a specific offense or theory of liability found in the United States Code, nor is it a term of art in federal criminal law.”

Collusion is not a specific offense or theory of liability found in the United States Code, nor is it a term of art in federal criminal law. For those reasons, the Office’s focus in analyzing questions of joint criminal liability was on conspiracy as defined in federal law.”

The Trump Tower meeting with Russian agents and other efforts to cooperate with Russian agents was collusion, but Mueller didn’t find sufficient evidence to convict for specific legal conditions of conspiracy with the Russian government.

There was collusion with oligarchs and people with connections to the Kremlin, as in a secret agreement or cooperation especially for an illegal or deceitful purpose.

The truth is Mueller recounts numerous contacts between Trump’s people and Russians, and they LIED under oath about those contacts. Flynn, Papadopoulos, Gates, Manifort and Cohen are just five of the convicted criminals. None were convicted of conspiracy, but they most certainly colluded.

Mueller also noted the Trump campaign welcomed the Russian interference. They didn’t report it, as required by law. They cooperated with it. That is collusion.

VOl 1 Pg 1:

”...the investigation established that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome, and that the Campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts...” 

Vol 1 Pg 5:

”The Russian contacts consisted of business connections, offers of assistance to the Campaign, invitations for candidate Trump and Putin to meet in person, invitations for Campaign officials and representatives of the Russian government to meet, and policy positions seeking improved U.S.-Russian relations.”

Vol 1 Pg 6:

“Papadopoulos suggested to a representative of a foreign government that the Trump Campaign had received indications from the Russian government that it could assist the Campaign through the anonymous release of information damaging to candidate Clinton. Throughout that period of time and for several months thereafter, Papadopoulos worked with Mifsud and two Russian nationals to arrange a meeting between the Campaign and the Russian government... On June 9, 2016, for example, a Russian lawyer met with senior Trump Campaign officials Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and campaign chairman Paul Manafort to deliver what the email proposing the meeting had described as “official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary.” The materials were offered to Trump Jr. as “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.” The written communications setting up the meeting showed that the Campaign anticipated receiving information from Russia that could assist candidate Trump’s electoral prospects...”

That’s a lot of “secret agreement or cooperation especially for an illegal or deceitful purpose”, aka collusion.

Conclusion: He obstructed. They colluded. 

~~~

Update: The latest witness tampering and obstruction of justice is evidenced from Trump's personal attorney in a voicemail to Flynn's attorney, "It wouldn't surprise me if you've gone on to make a deal with ... the government. ... (I)f ... there's information that implicates the President, then we've got a national security issue, ... so you know, .... we need some kind of heads up.”

Hey, Congress! We need some kind of heads up about now.