Mueller’s Day in the House
FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | JULY 18, 2019
“Trump is combining the worst demagogic aspects of the late Governor George Wallace and Senator Joe McCarthy to stoke racism and divide the country for personal partisan purposes.”
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is scheduled to testify next week before two House committees.
The hearings will take place as President Trump has unleashed a blatantly racist attack on four women of color who are Members of Congress.
Trump is combining the worst demagogic aspects of the late Governor George Wallace and Senator Joe McCarthy to stoke racism and divide the country for personal partisan purposes.
His partisan objectives, however, do not belie the fact that Trump is a racist.
Trump has long made clear that he is also a pathological liar.
When the Mueller report came out, Trump falsely claimed the report found “no collusion” and ruled out obstruction of justice.
The House hearings must make clear to the American people that Trump’s claims were lies.
Mueller has to be asked in the simplest possible way: Did your report find, as President Trump claims, that there was no collusion? Did your report find, as President Trump claims, that there was no obstruction of justice?
Most Americans have no idea what is in the Mueller report. Members must make sure that Mueller’s testimony highlights the principal results of his investigation, including that the investigation:
– Resulted in 37 indictments, including a number of Russians, and obtained seven guilty pleas and convictions;
– Found 10 potential instances of obstruction of justice by President Trump; and
– Identified more than 100 meetings and discussions involving the Trump campaign with Russians and Wikileaks.
The House must pursue its investigations and televised hearings until the American people learn the whole story about Russia’s invasion into the 2016 presidential campaign to help Trump, and the role Trump and his campaign may have played in that effort.
Once that is completed, House Democrats can decide whether impeachment or the ballot box provides the best means to hold President Trump accountable for his improper conduct and his abuses of office.
__________
Fred Wertheimer is the Founder and President of Democracy 21, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to strengthen our democracy and ensure the integrity and fairness of government decisions and elections. See previous Notes from Fred here.
