The clock is ticking on the long Robert Mueller probe
Robert Mueller has dozens of questions to ask President Trump on issues ranging from obstruction of justice to potential campaign collusion with Russia, according to a list obtained by The New York Times.
While there’s little that can be definitively said about what the questions reveal, it’s apparent that the Mueller investigation is making headway, although it still isn’t clear there’s any merit to the worst charges of collusion. Critics of the investigation have grown increasingly outraged by what they see as a naked attempt to destroy the Trump presidency. Decrying it as a witch hunt, they demand the Mueller investigation be wrapped up or shut down.
The critics are only partly right. The reason Mueller is on borrowed time has less to do with what Trump is owed and more to do with the troubling things the investigation has revealed about the American security state and its supporters.
There’s no doubt that the Trump administration is historically chaotic, inexperienced and scandal-plagued. Although Trump has made enemies because of his policies and their threat to the established bipartisan elite’s way of doing things, he has also brought much of his trouble upon himself.
As Bill Clinton can attest, even when you do things the establishment’s way, you generally deserve what’s coming to you if you misbehave on the job. But Kenneth Starr’s investigation of Clinton pales in comparison to the organized opposition to Trump that has emanated from the federal security and law enforcement apparatus.
It is plain that many career civil servants are not afraid to use their power as unelected bureaucrats in an effort to wipe out the Trump presidency, even if the worst charges against it are unfounded.
And it’s clear that many established elites support that effort.
The powerful, arrogant and self-aggrandizing constituency of the bureaucrats can cause long-term harm to American civic life. So can Russian meddling in our elections. But the longer the investigation plays out, the worse the appearance of a problem becomes.
This is why public patience is wearing thin, and why the clock is ticking for Mueller to complete his investigation.
— Los Angeles Daily News,
Digital First Media
The powerful, arrogant and self-aggrandizing constituency of the bureaucrats can cause long-term harm to American civic life. So can Russian meddling in our elections. But the longer the investigation plays out, the worse the appearance of a problem becomes.