Trump’s Triumph

The Investigation results strengthen the position of the president in the final stretch of his term in office.

The results of the inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 American election, disclosed this past Sunday, March 24, are certainly positive for President Donald Trump.

After nearly two years of investigation, Special Counsel Robert Mueller did not find evidence that the Republican president himself, or people tied to him, had any part in colluding with Russian authorities to influence the presidential election.

The imbroglio hung over Trump like the sword of Damocles, given its potential to lead to the initiation of impeachment proceedings.

Sticking to his usual behavior, the president celebrated the result with a reaction that ranged somewhere between euphoria and claiming he was a victim. He told journalists that the inquiry was an illegal attempt to remove him from power, which had now failed.

Attorney General William Barr published a summary of the report, which strengthens the position of the president in the final stretch of his term in office and his race for re-election.

Although it did not deliver a devastating verdict for Trump, Mueller’s investigation painted a disturbing picture. The Russian government interfered repeatedly in the American election, hacking into computers tied to the Democratic campaign; Trump’s supporters, knowing what happened, did nothing.

However, according to the report, then-candidate Trump did not participate directly or coordinate such actions with Russia. The conclusions regarding attempts to halt the interaction with Russia were not as decisive. Mueller wrote, “while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him,” listing actions that Trump took which could be interpreted as obstruction of justice.

Drawing any conclusion about the severity and extent of such conduct depends on the release of the full report. A fight among Democrats to make Barr deliver the full report to Congress and the evidence supporting its findings probably lies ahead in a dispute may reach the court.

In short, even though the special counsel’s findings mean an undeniable political triumph for Trump, it is too soon to tell if the battle, which has been going on since the beginning of his term, will play to his advantage.