NPR – Page 16 – * Failed Pols

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation is now complete, and the report of the inquiry has been delivered. According to U.S. Attorney General William Barr, Mueller’s report stated that the investigation found no evidence of collusion between Donald Trump and Russia regarding interference with the 2016 presidential election.

Many have concluded, “No collusion, no crime, Trump is innocent, let’s move on.”

As Trump and his administration celebrated, Trump tweeted, “”No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT!”

But, said Barr, quoting Mueller’s report, “While this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”

Still, Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein have determined that there was not sufficient evidence supporting prosecution of Trump for obstruction of justice in the ongoing investigation.

This does not mean that all investigation against Trump will cease, Americans can begin working together in harmony, and the remainder of Donald Trump’s presidency will proceed happily ever after.

Though Robert Mueller did not recommend any further indictments, we should keep in mind that most legal experts agree that a sitting president cannot be indicted, anyway. And though Mueller’s report concludes that no evidence was found regarding Trump’s collusion with Russia, evidence does show that Russia interfered with the 2016 U.S. presidential election. We should also remember that Robert Mueller’s investigation of Donald Trump was specifically directed at uncovering and determining criminal activity around election collusion with Russia.

Other investigations of Trump, independent of Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, have been ongoing, and will continue. Congress, as well as other federal and state entities, are still investigating Trump and examining other activities around his 2016 presidential campaign, as well as looking into questionable business activities by Trump and the Trump Organization. It’s still possible that criminal charges against Trump could result from these investigations.

George Conway, in response to Robert Mueller’s report, tweeted, “Whatever happens this day or the next, or in this investigation or the next or the one after that, we should always remember this: We should expect far more from a president than merely that he not be provably a criminal beyond a reasonable doubt.”

The public may never see Robert Mueller’s full report. For Trump’s supporters, “No evidence of collusion” is a complete “win” for Trump. But for many others, we should, as Conway said, expect much more than a report stating that nothing was proven.

Trump claims ‘complete exoneration’ by Mueller report | DW News
[2019-03-25]

Trump: Mueller acted honorably in his investigation and report | Fox News [2018-03-25]

North Korea may be preparing to launch a missile or space rocket, as indicated by recent commercial satellite images of a site near Pyongyang. Alternatively, Kim Jong Un may be pushing some Trumpian buttons. After last month’s denuclearization talks in Vietnam between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un broke down, satellite images indicate new activity at the North Korea missile site known as Sanumdong.

In the past, North Korea assembled satellite launching rockets and intercontinental ballistic missiles at the facility. According to NPR, Recent U.S. satellite images from DigitalGlobe now show vehicles parked nearby, rail cars in an adjacent rail yard, and cranes at the site.

After examining the images, Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Project at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, said, “When you put all that together, that’s really what it looks like when the North Koreans are in the process of building a rocket.”

According to Donald Trump’s account of his talks with Kim Jon Un, Kim offered to dismantle the Yongbyon complex, which is the main research and production facility for North Korea’s nuclear program. In exchange, however, according to Trump, Kim wanted the U.S. to lift all sanctions on North Korea. Trump refused.

“Sometimes you have to walk and this was one of those times,” said Trump.

North Korea’s foreign minister, however, stated that North Korea was only asking for a partial lifting of sanctions, not complete sanction relief. Kim had also offered to permanently stop nuclear testing as well as long-range rocket testing.

Christopher Dickey, world news editor at The Daily Beast, remarked, “I think we’re going to see a new round of testing of launch missiles, and also a testing of Donald Trump.”

Dickey stated that the Sanumdong site has been used for satellite launches, but never for intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches. “But that doesn’t matter,” Dickey said. “Kim Jong Un is obviously doing this to tweak Trump. To say, ‘Look. We can do this, and maybe we can go back to testing ICBMs as well’…Trump has kind of boxed himself into a corner.”

Meanwhile, Trump insists that he’d be “very disappointed” if North Korea were preparing to launch a missile.

Photos show North Korea rebuilding missile facility | ABC News [2019-03-06]

North Korea restores rocket launch site: Report | Fox News [2019-03-07]

Category: NPR

Mueller Report: Not Exactly Exoneration

North Korea: Launching a Missile, or Pushing Trump Buttons?