Mueller report mystifies, but not because it cannot be true

The finding that Donald Trump and his 2016 presidential campaign didn't conspire with the Russian government is somewhat mystifying.

Not because it cannot be accepted as true. Special counsel Robert Mueller's reputation for excellence, diligence and thoroughness underscores how the finding is credible and ought to be welcomed.

No, it mystifies because Trump could have sat quietly waiting for the truth to emerge. The president's underlings could have honestly answered questions by the FBI and lawmakers. But this didn't happen.

The president spent nearly two years trashing an inquiry that ultimately cleared him and his campaign of criminally conspiring with Russia, and several former aides are now convicted felons for lying under oath — apparently about something that didn't warrant concealment. Some evidently lied out of a misbegotten, twisted sense of loyalty that only made matters worse.

Mueller's conclusions, as characterized in a four-page summary released Sunday afternoon by Attorney General William Barr, are deeply disappointing to partisans who saw the inquiry as a prelude to impeachment. But that was never the intent of Mueller's investigation, which provides needed clarity after nearly two years of rumors and speculation that swirled about Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Trump quickly and inaccurately called the report a "complete and total exoneration." Actually, the special counsel stated that "while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him" on obstruction of justice.

So how do Mueller's findings, as described by Barr, stack up against Trump's repeated characterizations of the investigation? Let's take them one by one:

"There is no collusion." Trump, it appears, was right all along. Clearly there were attempts at collusion, most notably the Trump Tower meeting in 2016 where aides and family members eagerly met with Russians dangling dirt on Hillary Clinton. But Mueller reported that his "investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities."

"There is no obstruction." Mueller's investigation began after what looked like obstruction of justice in plain sight: Trump asked FBI Director James Comey to go easy on national security adviser Michael Flynn, fired Comey after he demurred, bragged about it to Russian officials in the Oval Office, and told NBC News' Lester Holt that Russia was the reason he fired Comey.

Mueller didn't draw a legal conclusion about obstruction, but Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, after reviewing Mueller's full report, said there was not enough evidence demonstrating the president was guilty of wrongdoing. It would certainly be difficult to convince a jury beyond a reasonable doubt of a cover-up when no underlying offense — such as conspiracy — took place. Even so, Barr needs to explain to Congress and the public how he reached his decision, and did it so quickly.

"This investigation is a witch hunt." Trump repeated this endlessly, and it was always a canard. Mueller's reputation was sterling. He's a highly respected, by-the-book former FBI director and a lifelong Republican who served with valor in Vietnam. In 22 months as special prosecutor, he won convictions of five Trump aides — in most cases, for lying. They included former campaign manager Paul Manafort, fired national security adviser Michael Flynn and onetime personal lawyer Michael Cohen. In all, 34 people and three companies were indicted on scores of charges.

The investigation included more than 2,800 subpoenas, nearly 500 search warrants and interviews with about 500 witnesses (but not Trump himself in person). So now, the president is in the ironic position of hailing the accuracy of an inquiry he repeatedly tried to discredit.

"The Russia thing is a hoax." This depends on the definition of "thing." If it means criminal collusion, then Trump has a point. But if it refers to Russian interference in the election, Mueller dispatched this assertion months ago when he indicted — with pages of extraordinary detail — dozens of Russian nationals on charges of hacking Democratic computers and waging a disinformation campaign aimed at sowing division and helping Trump.

So now what? Congress and the public deserve to see Mueller's full, taxpayer-funded report, and that should happen, with redactions only to protect sources and methods.

Nor is the end of Mueller's efforts the end of Trump investigations. Lawmakers and other federal prosecutors are examining a host of issues: possible campaign violations involving payoffs to women who allegedly had affairs with Trump, inauguration funding, the Trump Foundation, Trump's taxes, real estate deals and potential insurance fraud.

Beyond Trump, the special counsel gave Congress plenty of homework that transcends partisanship. Mueller unearthed a plot by a foreign adversary to undermine America's democracy. Even if the president didn't collude — something for which the nation should be thankful — Mueller’s findings cry out for steps to prevent this from ever happening again.

With the 2020 presidential campaign already underway, there is little time to lose.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mueller report mystifies, but not because it cannot be true