Well, it didn’t take long for some entrepreneurial soul to try to cash in on the non-collusion results of the Mueller probe. I saw a T-shirt for sale that read: “Russia didn’t make me vote for Trump. Hillary did.” I believe it was $12.95. Given the “us vs. them” climate of the country at the moment, I’m not sure that would be appropriate garb in too many public places. Maybe a presidential rally. But not a college campus, the studios of MSNBC, or the office of the Speaker of the House.

Based on the information that has been released so far, which, as of this writing, is a synopsis of what Attorney General William Barr sees as the salient points of the report, there seems to be nothing to implicate Donald Trump in any involvement with Russia to help him win the 2016 election. Nor is there anything to suggest Trump associates and family members engaged in any wrongdoing. That news no doubt caused the White House and Republican supporters of the President to raise glasses and shout “Hallelujah!” and “We told you so,” and probably some other poignant phrases against the opposition that may not be suitable for print in a family newspaper.

Democrats and other Trump detractors (including quite a number of news outlets), on the other hand, did a lot of crying in their collective beer and demanding the full report be released forthwith. “Surely,” they voiced in unison, “there has to be SOMETHING in there to implicate The Donald.” And who knows? There may still be. But it is rather doubtful, isn’t it? Why in the world would A.G. Barr keep a bombshell disclosure secret, knowing it’s going to come out in the wash eventually? By all accounts, he’s not a stupid man. It was even reported that one of the Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee conceded in a strategic conference call with fellow party members that it was entirely possible the release of the full Mueller report would be “a good day for the President and his core supporters.”

Like the T-shirt salesman above, both sides of the political spectrum will try to use the Mueller results to feather their own nests. If you’ve ever donated to either party or even an individual candidate, you’ve may have already received an email pleading for more financial support. Republicans are probably saying, “You knew in your heart he was right all along. Now help us take down Pelosi, Schumer, Nadler, Schiff, and AOS. They just spent $25 million of your dollars for NOTHING. Send $10, $20, or $10,000, and we’ll handle the rest.”

Democratic supporters, meanwhile, maybe received missives touting the fact that, “We’re not done yet. We’ve still got time to impeach the bum. You know he’s a crook. Help us find the evidence. ‘Cash for Conviction’ is our new campaign. So give generously to help the cause. You won’t be disappointed this time. We promise. Really.”

There seems to me to be a question of just how many times the political powers-that-be can successfully go back to the Russian well. Polls seem to indicate the American public really does want to see the full report. Yet it certainly looks as though the main contention of collusion just wasn’t present.

But there are a lot of intrepid investigative journalists out there with their eyes on the Woodward/Bernstein prize, looking for anything to elevate their stature to household names. Campaign hush money payments and inappropriate business dealings with foreign governments are two topics that have been run up a flagpole now that collusion is off the table. Both of those issues may require some careful navigation in that it’s probably reasonable to assume Rs and Ds alike engaged in dealings that were at least close to the legal line. In other words, careful what you wish for.

You know what just might be the best outcome of all the finger-pointing to come in the next few months? Perhaps the American people will actually tire of the continuous volleys fired in both directions. Why, We the People might even come to the conclusion that if Congressional committees were to spend as much time, energy, and taxpayer treasure on actual right-in-front-of-you problems in this country, issues such as healthcare, Social Security solvency, livable wages, educational improvements, economic opportunities for all, and a whole host of others, might actually get addressed and possibly even fixed.

I know, I know. In the immortal words of the Everly Brothers, “Dream, dream, dream . . . .”

 

©MMXIX. William J. Lewis, III – Freelance Writer