Trump beaks off
HodgePodge by Charlie Hodge
The comment made me sputter in disgusted disbelief. How callous!
Robert S. Mueller III, the FBI director who transformed the nation’s premier law enforcement agency into a terrorism-fighting force after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks – and who later became special counsel in charge of investigating ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, died on the weekend. He was 81.
The following day Trump posted, “Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!”
It’s difficult to comprehend how a ‘world leader’ such as Trump can be so tasteless as to publicly say (especially while holding the prestigious office of President) he was ‘glad’ the man (hero in fact) died.
What a buffoon!
Mueller began his 12-year tenure just one week before the Sept. 11 attacks and set about almost immediately overhauling the bureau’s mission to meet the law enforcement needs of the 21st century. He served presidents of both political parties, having been nominated by Republican President George W. Bush.
911instantaneously altered the FBI’s top priority of solving domestic crime to preventing terrorism, a change which created an almost impossibly difficult standard for Mueller and the rest of the federal government: preventing 99 out of 100 terrorist plots wasn’t good enough.
Later, he was named special counsel in the Justice Department’s investigation into whether the Trump campaign illegally coordinated with Russia to sway the outcome of the 2016 presidential race.
Mueller became the second-longest-serving director in FBI history, behind only J. Edgar Hoover, holding the job until 2013 after agreeing to Democratic President Barack Obama’s request to stay on – even after his 10-year term was up.
Mueller was lured out of private practise when Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein asked him to return to public service as special counsel in the Trump-Russia inquiry.
Mueller’s no-nonsense style equalled the seriousness of the task. He spent two years quietly conducting one of the most consequential, yet divisive, investigations in Justice Department history. He held no news conferences or public appearances during the investigation, remaining quiet despite attacks from Trump and his supporters and creating an aura of mystery around his work.
All told, Mueller brought criminal charges against six of the president’s associates, including his campaign chairman and first national security adviser.
His 448-page report released in April 2019 identified substantial contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia but did not allege a criminal conspiracy. He laid out damaging details about Trump’s efforts to seize control of the investigation, and even shut it down, though he declined to decide whether Trump had broken the law, in part because of department policy barring the indictment of a sitting president.
But, in perhaps the most memorable language of the report, Mueller pointedly noted: “If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the president clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment.”
The nebulous conclusion did not deliver the knockout punch to the administration that some Trump opponents had hoped for, nor did it trigger a sustained pressure by House Democrats to impeach the president — though he was later tried and acquitted on separate allegations related to Ukraine.
Mueller was received a master’s degree in international relations from New York University then joined the Marines, serving for three years as an officer during the Vietnam War. He led a rifle platoon and was awarded a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and two Navy Commendation Medals.
Following his military service, Mueller earned a law degree from the University of Virginia and then became a federal prosecutor. He rose quickly through the ranks in U.S. attorneys’ offices in San Francisco and Boston from 1976 to 1988. Later, as head of the Justice Department’s criminal division in Washington, he oversaw a range of high-profile prosecutions that chalked up victories against targets as varied as Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega and New York crime boss John Gotti.
Two more ugly terrorist attacks occurred near the end of Mueller’s term: the Boston Marathon bombing and the Fort Hood shootings in Texas. Both mentally ground him down. Mueller talked about the events two weeks before his departure. “You sit down with victims’ families, you see the pain they go through, and you always wonder whether there isn’t something more that could have been done,” he said.
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Just a reminder of the Beyond Words author event for Project Literacy on Saturday, March 28 hosted at Grizzli Winery in West Kelowna. The event will see more than thirty Okanagan authors showcasing their books. There will be brief readings from some authors, a silent auction, and a raffle draw plus plenty of time and space to talk with the authors while browsing through the selection of genres and books.
I am honoured to be one of the writers featured and will be showcasing my latest novel Lost Souls of Lakewood – the History and Mystery of Blaylock’s Mansion.
All proceeds from the silent auction will go to Project Literacy. The event runs from 2 to 5 p.m. A tip of the hat to local author Darcy Nybo who organized the event. It should be top notch.
