Week in Review Discussion on The Critical Hour (4/19/2019)
Mueller Report Reveals Trump's Lies And Deception, But Not Collusion
Attorney General William Barr on Thursday released a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report, entitled “Report on The Investigation Into Russian interference in the 2016 election,” to Congress and the public. Before the report was released, Barr held a press conference or what appeared to be more of a spin session with reporters. "The report did not exonerate the president" – here I think it’s important for people to understand the difference between the criminal side of this investigation and the impeachment side of this investigation. Mueller whiffed on a crucial legal question. The special counsel’s report spans more than 400 pages. However, only 12 pages are dedicated to a critical question: Can the federal obstruction of justice statute apply to the president? Mueller treated this question—which is separate from whether a sitting president can be indicted—in an underwhelming fashion. He had simply concluded that the obstruction statute does not apply to the president. There is no reason to detail whether the president violated federal law, if the federal law does not apply to the president.
[My related article: Investigation Nation: Mueller, Russiagate, and Fake Politics]
The rector for Notre Dame Cathedral says a "computer glitch" may have been the cause of the massive fire on Monday. Rector Patrick Chauvet did not elaborate on the glitch but added that investigators may find out what happened in two or three months. On Thursday, investigators said they think an electrical short-circuit most likely caused the fire. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to set out reconstruction ideas Friday while meeting with officials from the United Nations' cultural agency.