Democrats were hoping Robert Mueller would recount the president’s misdeeds. Instead he referred to his report
, Robert Mueller has loomed over American politics, nearly unseen and largely silent. Mr Mueller, who was appointed to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, after President Donald Trump sacked James Comey, the then-director, stayed silent throughout the 22-month inquiry. In March, after indicting 34 people, executing 500 searches and issuing 2,800 subpoenas, his office submitted a 448-page report summarising its findings and then closed.
Democrats were hoping Mr Mueller would recount the president’s misdeeds in clear, shareable sound bites that would interest the voting public again after the muted reception of the report. Although close associates of the president were charged with crimes over the course of the investigation, the report did not turn up proof of a conspiracy with Russia.
For House Democrats this was deflating. An impeachment effort last week, called by Representative Al Green over the president’s racist remarks, died after being turned back by a majority of Democrats. It also comes after months of oversight authority—and the subpoena authority that comes with leadership of the House—have failed to turn up as much scandal as was expected at the start of the year.
The Republicans were almost uniformly in Trump-defence mode. Though they took nearly every speaking opportunity to assail Mr Mueller’s credibility and impartiality they did gleefully accept the conclusion that “the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities” without question.
Stuck at the epicentre of a political storm, Mr Mueller sought to extricate himself as painlessly as possible. It was an understandable strategy. Political showmanship reigned in this congressional hearing, as it does in many. His few flashes of emotion came when discussing the prospect of recurring electoral interference. “Over the course of my career, I’ve seen a number of challenges to our democracy.
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