Why did Mueller wear such soft gloves in this investigation?

[dajoki]

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[2naSalit]

1. Under threat?

Maybe he was threatened? He seemed kind of shaken when he testified before Congress. I think he was threatened, or his family or..?

[empedocles]

2. Did what was possible, as long as possible, given the political realties of the situation?

[lark]

3. Seems to me like being a repug was more important than getting to the facts.

Of course he could have been vetoed often by Rosenstein and is lying about that. but think in the end he was a repug more than he was American.

[Cosmocat]

5. This

agreed.

Upon crossing the line to being an R/conservative there is this thing where there is a total detestation of the liberals.

Justifies any and all words and actions.

Had it been a D POTUS, he would have been FAR more aggressive and dogged.

Just sort of clocked it cause it was the home team for him.

[brush]

4. The fact that the probe was shut down a month after Barr came in is, IMO, not unrelated.

Mueller had asked for funding into September of 2019 which indicates he had more work to do and witnesses to call. That changed and the report was delivered to Barr in March 2019.

Something happened to cut six months off the time Mueller had asked funding for. Apparently it was Barr.

Still though Mueller should've, IMO, had the courage to indict trump on the 10 instances of obstruction of justice he outlined in part two of the report.

[dajoki]

6. I also believe barr shut it down...

and he should have indicted illegitimate, but I still think there is evidence of conspiracy and if it wasn't for all of the obstruction and cutting the investigation short we would have known more.

[philf99]

7. He is a civil servant

And believes in department rules and regulations.

Not sure what else could be expected from him

[Mike Nelson]

8. His gloves were...

... made from the same Republican cloth used to make Pat Nixon's coat.

[Ninga]

9. I struggle to try and characterize the puzzle named Mueller. I am not smart enough nor

networked into DC to ever have a clue.

Still, I am bothered by how steely and non engaged he was during the hearing.

Moreover, I am bothered by the drip drip of bits like the unsealed order that demonstrates he appeared to stop at waters edge...as if he wasn’t interested.

Because if he were interested, he would have reached into his tool box.

[GeorgeGist]

10. Scratch almost any Republican ...

and you'll find a C O W A R D.

[kentuck]

11. I think there has been a struggle with the process since day one.

The Repubs agreed to his appointment because they thought they could control and manipulate whatever might be discovered. Likewise, the Democrats tried to load up the investigation with those looking for more aggressive oversight. It appears to have been 2 1/2 years wasted.

[dajoki]

19. The repubs had a two year...

head start with their coverup. Once we took over the house we had a lot of obstruction to deal with.

[kentuck]

23. I would agree...

Democrats did not have much to say about it as the minority. They felt lucky to have gotten to the mid term elections? Even then, he shut down the government for the first 35 days.

[cynatnite]

12. I recall that it was because compelling them would have bogged down the investigation...

They would have gone to court which would have taken a while.

[TidalWave46]

13. I don't think he wore soft gloves. I think he didn't finish.

Some of the people he nabbed were not small.

[triron]

20. And why were all the plea deals done? This seems a mystery to me unless Mueller quit early

for a reason we will probably never know.

[TidalWave46]

21. Quit early. It simply looks that way.

Reading his report tells me he quit, for one reason or another. He was an ass kicking machine throughout most of it.

[GoCubsGo]

14. Because maybe that's all he was provided?

And, ill-fitting ones, at that. Maybe he knew that forcing Junior and McGahn to testify would be a complete and utter waste of time. I seem to recall that they made it known they were going to plead the 5th Amendment. What's the point in making them come in to testify, when you know they're either not going to say anything, or that they're going to lie? This is all old news.

[real Cannabis calm]

15. Because, unlike Ken Starr, his hands were tied by Barr...

Besides Mueller is a registered Republican.

[Bettie]

17. Why? Because at the end of the day

he is a Republican and a guy who follows orders.

It really is as simple as that.

He chose party over country, which makes you wonder, if the report he did actually produce is that damning, what did he bury?

[H2O Man]

18. Silly.

Mr. O'Brien has insight on some issues, but his ignorance is glaring here.

Donald Jr.'s lawyer told Team Mueller that they would take the 5th, both if questioned in the prosecutor's office, or in front of a grand jury. More, the potential crime he might have been charged with stands alone in federal law -- a person must be aware that they are breaking the law. Thus, by saying -- correctly or not -- that he was not aware, Junior skates unless the prosecutor in a trial has a better than 90% chance of proving otherwise. Perhaps Mr. O'Brien thinks a prosecutor could maintain a straight face while telling a jury that Junior was wise to the ways of the law and elections.

McGhan's testimony to the investigators was 100% about Trump's obstruction of justice as president. This DoJ goes by a "rule" that a sitting president cannot be indicted. In the past 75 years, there has been but one person who disagreed -- Ken Starr wanted to prosecute President Clinton for lying about something that about 50% of adults in divorce court lie about, and that has never been considered grounds for prosecution. While I would like to see a federal prosecutor challenge this in court -- it definitely isn't in the Constitution, as as Spiro Agnew learned, doesn't apply to vice presidents (or federal judges) -- the Mueller Team recognized from the start that the Trump DoJ would never allow them to charge Trump. Hence, there was absolutely no more reason to bring McGhan in front of the grand jury, than there was to bring Junior.

Mr. Mueller correctly pointed out that it was up to the House of Representatives to move forward on this. It's sadly obvious, and not only in O'Brien's case, but many on the internet, that few read the Mueller Report, and even fewer understood it.

[triron]

22. Don Jr. knew. The story line that it would be difficults to convince a jury is just that.

Not sure I buy the reason that McGahn wasn't forced to testify before the Grand Jury.