What's Next?

So, it’s time to take a deep breath…….

The good news is that after 22 months of investigation, the Mueller probe was able to declare that there was no collusion or conspiracy by the Trump administration with the Russians.  That is a relief and we should all be relieved about that.  The President apparently is NOT guilty of treason.   Whew!

However there is still the open question as to Trump’s behavior and possible obstruction of justice.  The report says definitively that the investigation cannot determine, given the evidence, whether there was or wasn’t obstruction by Trump.  Of course the President has claimed that he was completely exonerated, and as is his habit, he feels no compunction about lying and touting his own facts.  We should expect that by now.

So, where does that leave us?  All the Trumpers will be in a frenzy, foaming at the mouth about all the evil things the Democrats have done to hurt our country, blah, blah, blah.  I think we need to wait until the actual report emerges and we see the details of what Trump’s behavior was that led the special prosecutor to be ambivalent about his exoneration. 

Because in the final analysis, it is not up to the Attorney General, a political appointee of the executive in question, in one 48-hour period to summarize 22 months of detailed investigation by unilaterally opining that there is no obstruction of justice. That is why it is so important to release the full report for all of us to have the benefit of the full context of Mueller’s view.  The Congress must be the final arbiter of whether there are grounds for impeachment.   

However, given where we are now, there is hardly a chance that impeachment will occur over the next two years of Trump’s presidency.  Pelosi said it best.  We need to focus on the business of the country.  Trump is not worth the effort to try to impeach.  Electoral change is the only solution to the misery that the majority of the country is experiencing.

The contrast between conditions now and those at the time of of Richard Nixon’s exit is stark.  Back when Nixon was pushed out of office, there was bi-partisan support for the notion that his behavior was impeachable.  I can’t imagine today’s Congress being able to come to agreement on the President’s behavior.  Congress has learned precious little from the Nixon resignation with regard to protecting their ‘equal branch’ power in our government.

The majority of Americans take as a ‘given’ that Trump is a despicable human being, and is unredeemable as a craven narcissist, and is unfit for office.  We are not going to be able to change him or his supporters.  The only solution is to win back the Congress and the Presidency.  That is the way our system works.

The prima facie evidence of obstruction and Russian interference (the repeated multitudinous contacts that so many of the Trump appointees had with Russians, some of which are known intelligence operatives) is clear.  In fact 7 of Trump’s appointees lied to Congress about their contacts and were convicted of crimes.  No one has been able to explain WHY they all lied!  Therein lies the ultimate truth, and we will probably never get the answer to that question.  To quote the New York Times editorial,

 "Mr. Putin did have a clear favorite. He interfered on his behalf, and his favorite was elected president. Trump campaign officials knew about this and were more than happy for the help. Then they lied about receiving that help. This isn’t so complicated. And while Mr. Mueller may not be able to do anything about it, Congress, and the American people, certainly can."

There is nothing to do now, beyond continued Congressional, federal, and state investigations, until we have the opportunity to rid the country of Trump’s pernicious leadership.

The Mueller Report’s release was a good day for America.  In spite of constant harassment by the President, Mueller managed to finish the process that is proscribed by our Constitution.  So now we must focus on doing the country’s business and trying to propose solutions to our problems and challenges.

Meanwhile we must prepare for the vengeance of the President who will ride this pseudo-exoneration horse into the election campaign.  Be prepared for increased attacks on the press and Democrats in Congress and all those who supported the Mueller probe.

The focus for all those who reject the ‘fake politics’ being spewed by the Trump administration needs to be on winning the next election….pure and simple.