Commenting on the end to the Mueller probe, President Trump‘s tone was remarkably different from his rhetoric over the last two years. After news broke that the Special Counsel’s investigation found no evidence that the Trump campaign willfully colluded with Russia, Trump wants the world to know that Robert Mueller was legitimate.
When asked by reporters this Monday if Mueller acted “honorably,” Trump replied, “Yes, he did.”
It’s a stark turnaround from opinions Trump publicly held about Mueller not even a year ago.
In a tweet storm from November of last year, Trump said Mueller’s investigation consisted of a “gang of Democrat thugs” who were actually protecting Hillary Clinton and other Trump adversaries.
Universities will someday study what highly conflicted (and NOT Senate approved) Bob Mueller and his gang of Democrat thugs have done to destroy people. Why is he protecting Crooked Hillary, Comey, McCabe, Lisa Page & her lover, Peter S, and all of his friends on the other side?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 15, 2018
In another tweet storm from the summer of 2018, Trump called the Mueller’s probe a “Rigged Witch Hunt” and an “illegal Scam” that was being led by 17 “Angry Democrats.”
There is No Collusion! The Robert Mueller Rigged Witch Hunt, headed now by 17 (increased from 13, including an Obama White House lawyer) Angry Democrats, was started by a fraudulent Dossier, paid for by Crooked Hillary and the DNC. Therefore, the Witch Hunt is an illegal Scam!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2018
Trump went on to lament Mueller’s alleged “conflicts of interest” and claimed that the investigation was rooted in Mueller’s anger over being turned down to head the FBI.
Is Robert Mueller ever going to release his conflicts of interest with respect to President Trump, including the fact that we had a very nasty & contentious business relationship, I turned him down to head the FBI (one day before appointment as S.C.) & Comey is his close friend..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2018
Again, Trump returned to the “Angry Dems” narrative, claiming that Mueller’s investigation was riddled with them.
….Also, why is Mueller only appointing Angry Dems, some of whom have worked for Crooked Hillary, others, including himself, have worked for Obama….And why isn’t Mueller looking at all of the criminal activity & real Russian Collusion on the Democrats side-Podesta, Dossier?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2018
Other examples of Trump’s diatribes against Mueller, both on and off Twitter, are plentiful.
While both sides of the political divide bicker over what Mueller’s final report actually entails, the fact of the matter is that all we know about the report is a summary provided by Attorney General William Barr. who concluded that the report found no evidence of collusion. As to the question of Trump’s alleged obstruction of justice, Mueller offered no conclusion, effectively handing the matter over to Barr, who concluded that no obstruction of justice occurred but added one very important caveat:
“The Special Counsel states that ‘while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him,'” Barr wrote.
Other federal and state investigations of Trump are still ongoing and are looking into his businesses and his charitable foundation, his hush money payments to women who accused him of infidelity, and other potential crimes.
Featured image: Michael Vadon/Flickr