How AG Barr Misled the American People
On March 24, 2019, Attorney General William Barr sent a four-page summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report to Congress. In this brief summary, Barr took quotes out of context, misrepresented information, and tried to cover up evidence of Trump’s intent to obstruct justice.
On April 19, 2019, after pressure from the public and leaders in Congress, Barr released a version of the redacted Mueller Report for all to see. One thing is now exceedingly clear: the Mueller report does not exonerate the President.
Here’s where we break down Barr’s summary vs. what Mueller actually found.
Conspiracy
Numerous Contacts Established between the Trump Campaign and Russia
It’s true that Mueller found no legally-defined conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, but we can’t just brush this off as “total exoneration.” Mueller’s report details the numerous contacts between the campaign and Russia and shows how the campaign expected to benefit electorally from Russia’s illegal activity — and that’s a significant distinction.
The Campaign Expected to Benefit Electorally from Russian Interference
Mueller highlighted the Trump campaign expected to benefit from Russian efforts, even if it did not conspire or coordinate the efforts.
Obstruction
Mueller Concluded Congress Should Make Judgements on the Evidence, Not AG Barr
Barr wasn’t supposed to make a decision whether the President obstructed justice — that’s Congress’s job. But he went ahead and made that judgment anyway.
Evidence of Intent to Obstruct by President Trump
Barr argued he couldn’t prove obstruction because there wasn’t a conspiracy crime, i.e. no reason to obstruct if there’s no crime. However, Mueller’s report details other intents — not directly related to Russian election interference — that could have driven Trump to try to obstruct the investigation.
Substantial Evidence of Obstruction
Barr said that the Mueller report “identifies no actions that, in our judgment, constitute obstructive conduct.” In reality, Mueller lays out multiple instances of Trump committing an act that would impede the investigation with corrupt intent! So…
And that’s just 2 of the 10 examples.