Replying to Silly Questions About U.S. Politics: Is Robert Mueller Really Pro-Trump?

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Former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III. (Photo Credit: Federal Bureau of Investigation)


On Quora, Mike Demsky asks:


Is Robert Mueller Really Pro-Trump?


Former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III is a retired Marine Corps officer, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, a lawyer, and one of the most serious and professional law enforcement officials in the history of the United States.
When he was asked to act as Special Counsel in the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election, Mr. Mueller did so without a political axe to grind.
He is a conservative. A registered Republican. Decent. Forthright. A man who upholds the motto of the agency he led for 12 years under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama: Fidelity. Bravery. Integrity.
I do not believe he went into the investigation thinking, “I don’t like Donald Trump. I will do everything in my power to slime him even though he is as innocent as a newborn baby.”
Instead, Mueller and his team looked at all the evidence in an effort to find out how and why Russia had interfered in the 2016 election. His target was not Donald J. Trump per se. It was Russia, and the investigation was intended to answer the question of Cui bono - Who benefits?
If one reads the Mueller Report - a dry, sometimes mind-numbingly factual two-volume document - two things become clear:
  1. Russia attempted to intervene in the 2016 election through various means on behalf of several candidates (Jill Stein was one, but mainly the Trump campaign) in order to hurt Hillary Clinton’s bid for the Presidency. Why? Because Putin wanted an Administration in the White House that would give him a free hand in Ukraine and other areas of Russian interest. Clinton was not that candidate
  2. The Trump Campaign - though not Trump himself - had extensive contacts with Russia, particularly one-time campaign manager Paul Manafort, his co-chair Rick Gates, former Nixon aide and dirty trickster Roger Stone, and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Other people who had talks with the Russians during the campaign included Donald Trump, Jr., who is described in the report as very keen on getting information about Hillary Clinton via Russian sources and Wikileaks.
Considering what Mueller has said about any Presidential campaign getting assistance from a foreign power - it’s both unethical and illegal - I very much doubt that Mueller is “pro-Trump.” As a Special Counsel, he was neither pro- or anti- anyone except those that were in violation of laws or were in cahoots with Russia.
Talking About the Mueller Report: Cui bono - Why Russia Wanted Trump to Win in 2016

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