Enigmatic special counsel Robert S. Mueller has refused to clear US President Donald Trump of charges of obstruction of justice. Speaking publicly for the first time after a two-year investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 US election, Mr Mueller leaves behind more questions than answers. His choice of words conveying his decision in 10 cases of possible obstruction of justice conveyed the message that it wasn’t clear “the President did not commit a crime”. This leaves the ball firmly in the court Democrats in Congress, who must now decide whether to bring an impeachment motion against Mr Trump or just endure it as such a move may prove too unpopular and politically unwise. Mr Trump himself was emboldened to declare there was no crime and he stood absolved, targeting the “fake news” crowd!
The onus of impeachment is on the Democrats as Mr Mueller, a former FBI director, stuck to the justice department policy that a sitting President can’t be charged with a crime. More than impeachment, it is the securing of American democracy from Russian interference in the Internet age and its outright fake news that should be a priority, although it’s not clear how this can be done in an open society with personal freedoms paramount. Mr Trump, a very unlikely President who has completed over half his White House term, is regularly accused of racism and bigotry. But he will be vigorously seeking a new term when the US economy is looking up. Mr Mueller’s decision, based on policy rather than lack of evidence, represents a significant political moment in American history. What the Democrats do next will be fraught with interest.
