Democrats on the House Judiciary had one central strategy. The overarching but unsaid theme was “America has not read the Mueller report.” So, over the course of three plus hours, Democrats read the damning parts of the report out loud, and Robert Mueller verified them. Time after time after time Democrats read evidence of obstruction.
Meanwhile, Republicans attacked the integrity of the investigation and the investigators.
The report is 448 pages and despite it being on the New York Times bestseller list, according to CNN, only 3% of Americans have read all of it, 10% some of it. But the important number, 75 percent said they had read none of it. So that became the mission, for anyone who was willing, or had time, to watch the first hearing.
The headline came in the first few minutes of testimony when Chairman Jerrold Nadler asked Mueller if the report exonerated the president. Mueller said no.
After that it was case by case analysis of allegations against Trump and his campaign.
Mueller was at best a reluctant witness who refused to play the star in a politically driven TV drama — even though he was the one in the spotlight. Yet he repeatedly confirmed the findings of his investigation that were most damning to Trump.
Was Russia’s interference in the 2016 election on Trump’s behalf real? Yes, he said — and Russian meddling is still going on.
Was the investigation a “witch hunt,” as Trump calls it? No.
Was it “fair to say” that the president’s written responses to Mueller’s questions were incomplete and not fully truthful? “Generally,” he said, yes.
So, were any minds changed today? Among the average viewer, probably not. But among the majority party in the house, perhaps. More than 90 Democrats are in favor of beginning impeachment proceedings. It will be interesting to see if that number grows in the coming days.
There was a message Democrats wanted to hammer home today. And at the end of each Democrat’s question time, every Representative repeated this message about Donald Trump: “No one is above the law.”
