When it comes to Robert Mueller’s testimony about Donald Trump, the damage has been done
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has a long history of being a sharp, incisive, and victorious prosecutor. When he appeared today before Congress, let’s just say that it didn’t go great for him. Maybe he was having an off day. Maybe it’s just not a good format for him. But whatever was going on, it ultimately doesn’t matter.
Most Americans don’t sit around watching an entire congressional hearing – even one as hotly anticipated as this one. Lots of people are at their day jobs. Others simply don’t have the patience to watch several hours of testimony. Most people are going to hear about Robert Mueller’s testimony through the handful of key soundbites that make it onto social media and onto tonight’s network news.
Those soundbites are going to consist of 1) Robert Mueller confirming that his report did not exonerate Donald Trump, 2) Robert Mueller confirming that Donald Trump can be criminally indicted (and by definition, arrested) as soon as he’s out of office, and 3) Robert Mueller subtly confirming that Trump did in fact commit obstruction of justice.
Of course the soundbite where Robert Mueller referred to Trump as “Trimp” will also go viral. But the point is that Americans will only end up hearing a few things from today’s several hours of testimony. None of them are good for Trump in any way. Most of them are very bad for Trump. Some of them are game changers, when it comes to those non-political people in the middle who have been waiting for someone to finally tell them if Trump is a criminal. Mueller said just enough to likely cause Trump’s impeachment numbers to spike by ten points, thus changing the game entirely.
