Friday News: “Mueller didn’t charge Trump — but his report is a brutal indictment”; Trump Clearly Obstructed Justice; “Barr Must Resign”; “Mueller flinched,” Should Have Indicted; Trump “interfered in probe, directed officials to lie”; “Historic Scandal”; Impeach or Not?

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, April 19.

• The Surprises in the Mueller Report (“The obstruction of justice portion of the report reads like a prosecution memorandum that is leading up to a conclusion to recommend an indictment. It lays out the facts in painstaking detail, some of which (like the discussions of a Manafort pardon) are classic efforts to influence witness testimony. It then contains a lengthy legal analysis of why these acts are criminal and why the legal counter-arguments are mere hand-waving. And then, at the dénouement, when the conclusion should have read “for these reasons we recommend an indictment,” the report radically changes tack. Any other American in the same circumstances would likely be facing criminal charges. Mueller flinched—and that’s a shame.”)
• Mueller links Trump and campaign to 11 instances of potential obstruction (“Episodes of conduct Mueller investigated included president’s efforts to fire the special counsel and James Comey”)
• The Obstruction Case Against Trump that Barr Tried to Hide (“Even with redactions, Mueller’s report is clear Trump undermined the Russia investigation.”)
• Inside Trump’s years-long campaign to stymie the Russia investigation (“Over more than two years, Trump tried to pressure law enforcement officials, back-channel to witnesses and deter inquiries into his murky relationship with Russia.” If that’s not obstruction of justice, what on earth is???)
• William Barr Is a Complete Tool. It’s Time for Robert Mueller to Testify. (“The parallels with Watergate abound.”)
• The best defense of Trump is still a damning indictment
• Robert Mueller Gave Us Everything We Need to Know (“Once again, the president is exactly who he presents himself to be.” Scum, in other words.)
• A Portrait of the White House and Its Culture of Dishonesty
• Mueller lays out evidence against Trump on obstruction, Russia (“The report from special counsel Robert S. Mueller III details 10 ‘episodes’ of potential obstruction of justice by President Trump, alternating between dense legal analysis and jarring scenes of presidential scheming.”)
• Paranoia, lies and fear: Trump’s presidency laid bare by Mueller report (“The 448-page report reveals a vivid portrait of a president and his aides on the brink of obstructing justice.”)
• Mueller depicts Trump campaign as intrigued by Russian overtures (“The report details episodes that show Trump aides declined to forcefully reject the Russian offers or report them to law enforcement.”)
• However you frame it, it’s a damning portrait of the Trump presidency (“The report shows a pattern of behavior that raises the question of what is acceptable in the Oval Office.”)
• George Conway: Trump is a cancer on the presidency. Congress should remove him.
• Mueller didn’t charge Trump — but his report is a brutal indictment (“Analysis: The special counsel’s findings reveal three years of actions by the president that critics say rattle the very foundations of the American system of governance.” Yes, but drop the “critics say” formulation.)
• Robert Mueller Made One Mistake: He Trusted Bill Barr (“The report that the attorney general says clears Trump actually says that Trump lied, lied, and lied again—and pressured his subordinates to do the same.”)
• Democrats Draw Closer to a Dicey Question: Whether to Impeach Trump
• Mueller Report Confirms Trump Runs the White House Like It’s the Mafia
• Renato Mariotti on Why Mueller Didn’t Charge Trump With Obstruction of Justice
• The Mueller Report Won’t End Trump’s Presidency, But It Sure Makes Him Look Bad (“The special counsel’s investigation has given us one of the most damning insider portrayals of a White House ever.”)
• See Which Sections of the Mueller Report Were Redacted (“About 10 percent of the special counsel’s 448-page report is blacked out. A bird’s-eye view of the report reveals the pattern of redactions. More is kept secret in the first volume of the report, which covers Russian interference in the 2016 election, than in the second, which covers possible obstruction of justice.”)
• Trump Beat the Rap, but Mueller Uncovered a Historic Scandal
• On Obstruction of Justice, Mueller Punted to Congress and the Court of Public Opinion
• Trump’s greatest sin wasn’t what we thought it was (“In stopping Trump from firing Mueller, McGahn no doubt thought he was saving the president from himself, and — not incidentally — the White House counsel’s own reputation.”)
• The Mueller Report Should Shock Our Conscience
• Mueller report found Trump directed White House lawyer to ‘do crazy s—“(“The document also revealed the president launched an ‘f-bomb’ when he found out a special counsel had been named to investigate him.”)
• Read the Redacted Mueller Report; Dem Elected Officials, Candidates Reactions to Bill Barr’s Appalling Press Conference
• Congress Should Impeach William Barr (Absolutely!)
• Who Was the Bearded Man at the Barr Press Conference? (“He’s Edward O’Callaghan, a former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, who joined the Department of Justice earlier this month as a principal associate deputy attorney general.O’Callaghan’s career reveals a firm commitment to the Republican Party. As Newsweek reported, O’Callaghan previously worked for the 2008 presidential campaign of the late Senator John McCain. In that capacity, he traveled to Alaska to intervene in a state investigation into Sarah Palin, then the state’s governor and McCain’s running mate.”)
• Mueller report reveals Sarah Sanders lied for Trump. It’s time for her to resign. (“Sanders isn’t Trump’s White House press secretary as much as she is America’s main minister of propaganda.”)
• What the Mueller report says about Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. (It’s a crime family, basically.)
• Meet The People In Trump’s Orbit Who The Mueller Report Says Ignored His Orders
• Will Democrats ‘Follow The Mueller Report To Where It Leads’?
• Mueller Report Raises New Questions About Russia’s Hacking Targets In 2016
• Here’s what Watergate experts thought of Barr’s ‘political defense’ of Trump (“‘He was a shill for the president,’ one Watergate expert said.”)
• GOP lawmakers stick to Barr’s talking points, despite Mueller report contradictions (“The echo chamber of ‘No collusion, no obstruction’ continues despite damning allegations.”)
• The Mueller Report Is Clear: Donald Trump Repeatedly Tried to Obstruct Justice
• 3 winners and 3 losers from the Mueller report (“Loser: President Donald Trump”)
• Does the Mueller report exonerate Trump? I asked 12 legal experts. (“If this is what a complete and total exoneration looks like, I’d hate to see a damning report.”)
• Trump claims ‘game over’ on Mueller report as Democrats say game on (Just remember, everything Trump says – on every subject – is a L-I-E)
• How the IRS Gave Up Fighting Political Dark Money Groups (“Six years after it was excoriated for allegedly targeting conservative organizations, the agency has largely given up on regulating an entire category of nonprofits. The result: More dark money gushes into the political system.”)
• Donald Trump’s Personality Is an Impeachable Offense (“The Mueller report reveals the deep unpleasantness of working for the president of the United States.”)
• William Barr Must Resign (“There is no way for him to credibly continue to run the Department of Justice.”)
• Sarah Sanders must go: After Mueller, White House press secretary is toast(“White House press secretary admits lying to cover for the boss. No real journalist should take her seriously”)
• Bill Barr’s amazing spin machine: Trump’s AG is barely even pretending (“Attorney General Bill Barr is not actually Trump’s defense attorney. But he sure played that role on TV!”)
• Mueller report gives Democrats political ammunition but they are split on how to use it
• Democrats See No Green Light for Impeachment in Mueller Report (“House panel leaders call Trump’s conduct ‘corrupt and immoral’; Senator Blumenthal says report ‘far from the end’ of inquiry”)
• Mueller Confirms: Don Jr. Was Too Stupid to Collude (“The special counsel couldn’t prove Junior knew he might be committing crimes.”)
• Mueller Did His Job. Now It’s Our Turn (“Americans know all they need to know when they next go to the polls.”)
• Ex-White House Lawyer Cobb Says Mueller Did a ‘Professional Job’ (In contrast, Giuliani, Barr, etc. are complete hacks)
• Trump’s Obsession With Self-Preservation Laid Bare by Mueller (“President interfered in probe, directed officials to lie”)
• Militia in New Mexico Detains Asylum Seekers at Gunpoint (WTF???)
• Joe Biden Is Running for President (“The former vice president has finally decided he’s in, and he’s announcing in less than a week. Now he just has to finish putting a campaign
• Warner, Griffith react to release of Special Counsel’s report (Don’t care what Griffith has to say about anything, frankly.)
• Democrats cheer, Republicans jeer McAuliffe’s plan to boost Virginia candidates (Republicans are worried, and rightly so!)
• With presidential run off the table, McAuliffe turns attention to Virginia
• Offshore drilling remains ‘dirty and dangerous’ nearly a decade after BP oil spill, conservation group says
• AG Mark Herring Calls on EPA to Withdraw Proposal to Undermine Mercury and Air Toxics Standards
• FWIW Virginia: “T-Mac’s Back”; “Dems on Offense”; Candidates with Larger Number, More Engaged Social Media Followers Rake In More Contributions
• Editorial: Beto O’Rourke’s off-brand trip to Virginia (Presumably, O’Rourke had limited time and wanted to spend it in the most densely populated, “blue” or “purple” – not deep, deep “red” – parts of Virginia?)
• Northam PAC’s finance director leaves following yearbook photo scandal
• Debra Rodman: I am who I am – on the campaign trail and in the General Assembly
• Video: Sen. Barbara Favola Debates Dem Challenger Nicole Merlene at AYD Forum
• Video: Arlington/Falls Church Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos Debates Dem Challenger Parisa Tafti at AYD Forum
• Video: Del. Alfonso Lopez Debates Democratic Challenger J.D. Spain at AYD Forum
• Heath drops out of GOP nomination contest to run as independent against Pillion
• County Leaders Celebrate, but Loudoun Farmland Disappearing Quickly
• Editorial: RPS is making changes
• Group donates 70-acre blue heron preserve to state
• Rounds of heavy rain, some flooding, and severe weather a risk later today and into tonight (“The stormiest conditions seem likely to focus on the afternoon through the evening.”)