Life after Mueller: How Trump, Democrats, and the nation can move on
| Washington
Two days after Attorney General William Barr released his summary of the Mueller investigation, everything has changed and nothing has changed.
Everything has changed, in that special counsel Robert Mueller鈥檚 inquiry into Russian election meddling is finally over.聽For the first time during Donald Trump鈥檚 presidency, the Department of Justice isn鈥檛 looking into whether President Trump or his associates conspired with Russians to tip the 2016 election in his favor. Mr. Trump did not collude, and will not be charged with obstruction of justice, the Barr summary said.
Yet nothing has changed. Washington partisanship is as fierce as ever with Mr. Trump crying 鈥渢reason鈥� over the initial launch of the investigation and some Democrats still pushing for impeachment.聽Mr. Trump still faces a raft of litigation and investigations at the federal and state level and numerous inquiries by Democratic-run House committees.
Why We Wrote This
After two years of investigation, how can Americans and lawmakers find a path forward? By returning focus to issues that matter to voters most.
So how can an exhausted nation move on? By renewing focus on the business of governing, analysts say. For politicians across the board, including members of Congress,聽Mr. Trump, and the 16 Democrats running to replace him, that means addressing the Americans care about 鈥� starting with the economy, health care, and education.
The Barr summary of the Mueller report 鈥渢ook the air out of everything,鈥� says Cal Jillson, a presidential scholar at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. 鈥淚t allowed Republicans to claim total vindication, even though that鈥檚 not quite the case. And it completely disoriented Democrats, who thought the Mueller report would give them some momentum.鈥�
Democrats eager to end Mr. Trump鈥檚 presidency now know that to remove him from office, they鈥檒l have to do it the old-fashioned way: by nominating a strong opponent, and defeating Mr. Trump in the November 2020 election. Impeachment is effectively off the table.
Republicans, too, are focused on 2020 and making sure they hold on to the White House. And like the Democrats, they are trying to show they can walk and chew gum at the same time 鈥� dealing with investigations while also focusing on policy.
鈥淢y advice to the president, for whatever it鈥檚 worth, is that you鈥檙e probably stronger today than you鈥檝e been any time in your presidency,鈥� Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a close Trump ally, told reporters Monday on Capitol Hill. 鈥淭he question for you is, how do you use it?鈥�
The president continues to as the top area for common ground with Democrats. But he鈥檚 also stepping up his battle against the Affordable Care Act. Late Monday, the Trump administration said in a court filing that it now backs full repeal of the Obama-era health care reform, in a case pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.
House Democrats had already planned to unveil their own plan for health care Tuesday, which aims to lower costs and protect people with pre-existing conditions. In remarks to reporters, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she welcomed the opportunity to address the issue. Indeed, it was a winning one for her party in the 2018 midterms, which saw Democrats regain control of the House.
鈥淲e won control of the House of Representatives, not focused on Russia, not focused on collusion, not focused on impeachment, not focused on obstruction of justice, but focused on health care and on infrastructure and on cleaning up corruption in Washington, D.C.,鈥� New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, told reporters Tuesday. 鈥淭hat is why we鈥檙e focused on those issues now that we鈥檙e in the majority.鈥�
On the campaign trail, Democrats running for president also say that issues are driving the discussion with voters 鈥� health care, guns, climate change, college debt 鈥� not the Mueller investigation. Though since Friday, when it was announced that Mr. Mueller had finished his investigation and handed in his report to Mr. Barr, Democratic candidates have one by one argued loudly that the full Mueller report should be made public.
And the Democratic House committee chairs who have waited for their time in the majority to use the investigative tools at their disposal and conduct serious oversight of Mr. Trump are hardly going to stand down. Democrats insist they can maintain the right balance in doing both 鈥� issues and investigation.
Republican strategist Rick Tyler, a Trump critic, says the Democrats face a danger of overreach.
鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 mean we don鈥檛 need oversight,鈥� says Mr. Tyler. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 mean we shouldn鈥檛 find out where all the inauguration money went. But if it looks like they鈥檙e just going after the president because they don鈥檛 like him, that鈥檚 a dangerous precedent to set.鈥�
The chairs of the main House investigative committees aren鈥檛 backing down. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who heads the House Intelligence Committee, still insists that evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia is 鈥渋n plain sight.鈥� Also, Democrats note, Mr. Barr explicitly states in his summary that on the issue of obstruction of justice, 鈥渨hile this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.鈥�
Therefore, gaining access to the Mueller report and the underlying materials on which it is based 鈥� after the expected redactions to protect classified and other privileged material 鈥� will be crucial for Democratic investigators. It could also help Mr. Trump, if it supports his message that he鈥檚 in the clear.
Historians note that in past times of American turmoil, the 鈥渨inner鈥� traditionally behaves with some magnanimity and that all parties exercise some humility. That doesn鈥檛 seem to be operative today, says David Pietrusza, most recently the author of 鈥淭R鈥檚 Last War.鈥�
At Appomattox in 1865, he notes, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant allowed his vanquished foes to keep their sidearms, and even then the nation鈥檚 wounds festered for a very long time.
鈥淎 little grace in times of victory goes a long way toward the healing process,鈥� writes Mr. Pietrusza in an email. 鈥淯nfortunately, neither Trumpites this day or Democrats in 2018 seem disposed to even insincere displays of much grace, mercy, or sympathy.鈥�
Staff writer Francine Kiefer contributed to this report.
