The Mueller Report is an official report on the investigation into the Russian collusion and findings by the Special Counsel of Robert Mueller regarding allegations surrounding the then-candidate Donald Trump and his potential involvement with Russian intelligence during the 2016 Presidential Elections.
Attorney General, William Barr received the report from Mueller on March 22, 2019, and a small portion of the complete report was made available to the public until a Supreme Court order forced Barr to release the entire report to the public.
The report was separated into two volumes, one volume stating that there was not enough evidence to confirm Trump’s involvement and cooperation with Russian interference in the election.
The second volume addressed an obstruction of justice and later concluded that Trump had not committed a crime. The Trump administration feared that the investigation would lead to President Trump’s impeachment, but the report found that there were no grounds to impeach Trump based on the findings.
Former FBI Director, James Comey’s investigation of Russian collusion during the 2016 Presidential Election and his poor handling of the Hillary Clinton server scandal during 2016 placed Comey under scrutiny by the public. President Trump remained under fire for claiming treason by the FBI. Although much of what Trump says is not taken too seriously or is taken with a grain of salt as some put it, lead to critics of the mass investigation launched on his campaign to authenticate his transition into being elected president. American people were confused and frustrated during the time of mixed media stances on Trump and Trump's continuous use of the term "fake news." Up until 2016, criticizing the media with the same assaultive approach, Trump had during his election cycle took America by storm. His demeanor and bluntness called for people to become skeptical of everything they read, saw and heard from news sources which they had depended on for credible information for years.
"We must call out his lies that the FBI was corrupt and committed treason, that we spied on the Trump campaign and tried to defeat Donald Trump. We must constantly return to the stubborn facts." Former FBI Director James Comey said in an interview with the Washington Post on May 28, 2019.
Comey criticized Trump during a meeting with the Washington Post where he claimed Trump was a "liar who did not care about his actions." Freedom of speech is vital, and when allowed to speak freely on topics or issues which are emotionally impactful for so many Americans and others who look to the U.S. to serve as a benchmark of society, there is a responsibility to share Comey’s outlook. The topic which Comey discussed hindered freedom of speech, resulting in President Trump firing Comey as Director of the FBI in May 2017 in hopes that it would stop the Russian, Trump investigation. One should never suffer from belittlement for sharing an opinion. Some may agree with what Comey said and others might not. The firing of Comey seemed harsh, but when considering how President Trump was ridiculed by former FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, who exchanged messages disparaging Trump amid the 2016 election, it is easy to see how one may sympathize with Trump.
The FBI terminated Strzok and Page’s employment after they sent various text messages from a private server which enabled them to speak freely regarding the then-Republican nominee Donald Trump where Strzok and Page openly discussed using the powers of their office to "stop" Trump from becoming president (The Hill).
Mueller’s Special Counsel Investigation ended March 22, 2019. A three-year process which caused Americans to speculate, dramatize and, in some cases, create conspiracies around the investigation in hopes of getting a better understanding event. The investigation tugged at the publics political outlooks causing alternating beliefs which formed intense emotions around the subject.
By Alex Fernandez
Sources:
· https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/james-comey-no-treason-no-coup-just-lies--and-dumb-lies-at-that/2019/05/28/45f8d802-8175-11e9-bce7-40b4105f7ca0_story.html?utm_term=.4069e35120cd
· https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/28/james-comey-trump-fbi-lies-1345850
· https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/397902-opinion-one-fbi-text-message-in-russia-probe-should-alarm-every-american