This was the only real chance I had to watch any live video today … and I have to say I was really quite impressed with the attitudes and clarity of what all of them said.
Some thoughts while watching:
A number of times it was said that Mueller’s testimony was the first act in the effort to tell the story to the American people of what went on during the 2016 election. It seemed like they all intended Mueller to be the kick off to much more blunt talk about what Trump and his campaign did during and after the election.
There was a lot of impeachment talk. They talked about the context of what they wanted to know before pursuing an impeachment inquiry, they talked about the necessity of Congress dealing with the constitutional crisis Trump has put the nation in, and they all plainly seemed to accept the gravity of the situation. TL;DR version: Nobody seemed afraid of impeaching Trump, and they all thought it was Congress’ duty to do so.
Pelosi was very clear that the route to impeachment was not off the table. She put Elijah Cummings up to talk a bit about the status of the lawsuits currently in process, and it was evident that they are all waiting on the courts to clarify the role of Congress in investigating the Executive branch. Pelosi said the ability of Congress to investigate was essential to establishing the more substantive facts they want to pursue Trump. But, waiting on that resolution while Trump continued to stonewall at every turn was NOT going to stop them from doing what eventually may become necessary.
She was absolutely clear about that … in fact, they all were.
Some specifics from Nadler and Schiff:
Nadler:
- Mueller made clear Trump was not exonerated. That he would and did benefit from Russia’s help, and that his campaign welcomed that help.
- Found multiple instances where all three criteria for criminal obstruction of justice were met.
- Anyone else, if they were not the sitting president, would face criminal prosecution. Only the OLC opinion is saving Trump from indictment.
- Saying Trump has been exonerated by the Mueller investigation is a simple lie.
Schiff:
- Russia intervened massively and systematically in the 2016 election.
- The Russians approached the Trump campaign multiple times, and the Trump campaign welcomed it, made use of it, and then lied about it.
- Mueller’s most chilling statement was his fears about this becoming the new normal. Even after the nightmare of the past two years, Trump will still not say he wouldn’t accept foreign involvement again.
- Mueller statements challenge us to act patriotically and refuse to be a party to a foreign attack on our democracy.
It was an impressive press conference. I think we may see some moves after some of the court battles clear up — especially if there is a big ruling about Congress’ ability to investigate. I also think that Pelosi drew a line in the sand about Trump’s stonewalling. She was perfectly clear about her willingness to pursue impeachment if Trump continues to refuse to cooperate, perhaps even more so.
UPDATE: h/t to AKALib for this Twitter link to the whole press conference: