Russiagate is not just nearly dead. It’s really most sincerely dead, because Robert Mueller’s investigation unequivocally found no evidence that Donald Trump (or anyone associated with his campaign) conspired or coordinated with Russians. Furthermore, William Barr and Rod Rosenstein “concluded the evidence [from] the Special Counsel’s investigation [was] not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense.” Democrats can parse every paragraph of Mueller’s report, but the DOJ will not indict the President or investigate him further.
Politically, Washington now goes back to the future. Lost within the media obsession with Russiagate was an angry middle America that observed left-wing totalitarians violating individual rights and breaking laws. Russiagate might be over, but conservatives are still angry that pro-Israel views are banned from college campuses, that Obamacare still forces Catholic institutions to offer health plans that fund contraceptives, and that working-class white guys are called “racists” for opposing illegal immigration. That anger elected candidate Trump; and Russiagate only stoked that fire.
Candidate Trump scared the Obama-Clinton establishment because he championed the ideals of individual freedom and economic opportunity; thereby threatening the Obama-Clinton ideals of equality and regulatory control. Trump blamed “stupid” politicians and “bad” trade deals like NAFTA. His populism was/is the polar opposite of Obama-Clinton globalism, providing probable cause for the “insurance policy” that would preserve things like Obamacare and the Paris Accord.
Thursday night’s rally in Grand Rapids showcased the anger within Trump’s political base. His supporters roared their approval when the President wondered aloud if “Democrats [will] continue defrauding the public with this ridiculous bullsh*t…or whether they will apologize to the American people.” Whatever the polling organization, at least 40 percent of America never-ever believed Trump colluded with Russia, and their ranks will grow once the Inspector General’s report (on the FISA warrants) is released this spring.
Even before Mueller’s findings were known, only 28% of America supported Trump’s impeachment (source: USA/Today). That was then, and now President Trump holds the only legal and investigative power that matters; his appointments as attorney general, FBI director, CIA director, NSA director and originalist federal judges, as well as Lindsey Graham’s Senate Judiciary Committee. Furthermore, President Trump holds most of the political cards as well – much to the chagrin of a few bitter Democrats, such as Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA).
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has wisely warned Democrats that “unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down [the impeachment] path.” She is not alone: Cheri Bustos (D-IL), head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, has warned her party to move beyond 2016, and Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) has proclaimed the Mueller chapter “closed” (source: Wall Street Journal). Swalwell might be in denial, but party leaders can read the tea leaves.
Pelosi knows her party invested too much political capital in the Mueller investigation to now ignore his findings. She watched Trump behave with restraint (not firing Mueller or releasing the FISA transcripts); thereby showing her Congress cannot prove “beyond a reasonable doubt that [Trump acted] with corrupt intent [or] engaged in obstructive conduct.” Pelosi knows the DOJ speaks in indictments, which are not forthcoming, and the “full report” at best will just provide fodder to justify her party’s very-public allegations.
700,000 viewers abandoned Trump-thumping Rachel Maddow (MSNBC) one day after the Adam Barr letter was released, suggesting the mad-liberal lynch mob has lost interest in Russiagate. Let Maxine Waters (D-CA) subpoena Deutsche Bank and Elijah Cummings (D-MD) subpoena Trump’s tax returns, but they lack the resources to put teeth into a German bank or New York tax lawyers. International finance and real estate tax returns are so complex they will bore an already-exhausted electorate to tears – and bored voters don’t turn out to vote.
As a law-enforcement matter, Michael Corleone would tell Ms. Waters, no, Maxine, you are out of the investigation business altogether. The only REAL investigations going forward will be conducted by Trump appointees. As Barack Obama once crowed, elections have consequences. To start, the political fall-out from Russiagate includes many most embarrassing moments; notably, Adam Schiff (D-CA) with his “clear evidence of an attempt to collude” and DNC Chair Tom Perez and his “mountain of evidence of collusion.” They must now defend their false claims.
Amongst the presidential hopefuls, Beto O’Rourke prematurely endorsed impeachment, Elizabeth Warren predicted Trump would be in prison before 2020, Bernie Sanders suggested Russia had something on Trump, and Kamala Harris proclaimed, “foreign powers [were] infecting the White House like malware.” Only Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) resisted, actually criticizing her own party. The sound bites are in, and Trump 2020 will brand the conspiracy theorists as “unhinged” Washington elites.
Damage to one’s political reputation is embarrassing, but damage to one’s legal standing is frightening. The Russiagate perpetrators now face subpoenas, indictments and convictions, because Lindsey Graham, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is coming with criminal referrals. He believes fairly-elected US presidents should enjoy a honeymoon – not face a coup d’état. Graham is looking for criminal abuse of power and a few big names had better lawyer up!
Loretta “Tarmac” Lynch must now defend her interference in the Clinton investigation. James “FISA Warrant” Comey and John “Dossier Pusher” Brennan must now explain where their Clinton support ended and surveillance of the Trump campaign began. They face trickle-down and bubble-up investigations directed by the NEW sheriffs in town, Christopher Wray (FBI) and William Barr (DOJ). Based on the current wave of whistle blowers (Republicans also work in the deep state), the truth will not be pretty.
I am not one of those conservatives who wants to see the Clintons or Obamas go to jail, because that just invites a vicious cycle of partisan warfare – – and gives Vladimir Putin precisely what he wanted all along. I think Watergate is the right punishment for anyone elected president: banishment into the political wilderness and a legacy name synonymous with immorality. No, the lesson of Russiagate should be a few deep-state leaders suffering serious jail time. Elections should have consequences, and those who attempt to undo elections should face a judge and jury.