The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Both sides aim to keep talking Mueller
WASHINGTON — “It’s over,” President Donald Trump declared after former special counsel Robert Mueller ended hours of testimony about his twoyear investigation into Russian election interference. But don’t expect Trump or the Democrats looking to replace him in 2020 to just move on.
Mueller’s marathon Capitol Hill appearance on Wednesday offered few new insights but no shortage of political fodder for both Democrats and Republicans in Washington, where many would rather keep the argument going than mark its end. Both parties will keep waving the special counsel’s findings — and talking about the possibility of impeachment — to motivate core supporters in the coming presidential campaign.
That may be especially true for Trump, whose political strategy relies on conflict, with the Russia investigation remaining a potent adversary.
While the Mueller probe loomed as a pressing political problem for Trump, he also saw that it could be turned into an asset. From the start, he’s peppered his campaign rallies with complaints about the swirling investigation getting in the way of his agenda. And Trump has no plans to let go of the nowconcluded Mueller inquiry as his focus turns toward reelection, standing ready to include it in the litany of perceived slights and political buzzwords that punctuate his raucous rallies and acerbic tweets.
It will be that way for Democratic presidential candidates, too, as they seek to win over highly motivated primary voters who believe Mueller’s report was a roadmap for impeachment.