Minutes after Attorney General William Barr’s four-page “summary” of the Mueller report was released to Congress and the press, Donald Trump’s defenders began proclaiming that it completely exonerated the president and was great news for the White House.
That’s simply not true.
As House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler noted immediately after he read over the summary:
“The Special Counsel states that ‘while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.’”
— (((Rep. Nadler))) (@RepJerryNadler) March 24, 2019
Nadler also revealed that he will be calling the attorney general to testify before his committee very soon:
In light of the very concerning discrepancies and final decision making at the Justice Department following the Special Counsel report, where Mueller did not exonerate the President, we will be calling Attorney General Barr in to testify before @HouseJudiciary in the near future.
— (((Rep. Nadler))) (@RepJerryNadler) March 24, 2019
Since we haven’t seen the entire report, we cannot possibly know if Barr is telling us the full story about what the special counsel found regarding conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and other crimes. And William Barr was handpicked by Donald Trump, so can he be trusted? That remains unclear.
But the real reason the Mueller report summary doesn’t let Trump off the hook is because there remains dozens of other investigations going on in various jurisdictions across the country, on both the federal and state level. As Axios reported last December:
“There are known cooperators in almost every single one of these … open cases, from Michael Cohen to National Enquirer chief David Pecker to former Manafort aides Sam Patten and Rick Gates.”
Here’s a taste of those investigations (and the crimes in question) , each of which could wind up leading to more indictments:
- Campaign conspiracy and Trump Organization finances
- Foreign lobbying
- The Trump Foundation
- The Trump inaugural committee
- Emoluments lawsuit
The biggest exposure Trump faces involves financial matters, and that’s where he remains most vulnerable. There are suggestions of money laundering, influence peddling, and numerous instances of pay to play.
Trump is already celebrating on Twitter:
No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 24, 2019
We don’t know if there was collusion or not. We won’t until we see the entire report. There was evidence of obstruction, the case just wasn’t prosecuted. And it was not a total exoneration.
So if you’re thinking Trump just got away with criminal acts, keep in mind he’s not in the clear yet. There are many more shoes waiting to drop. And when they do, Trump won’t be cheering.