All Republican comments on the Mueller report, in a verifiable list.

Two weeks ago, Attorney General William Barr issued a letter in which he described, in terms favorable to President Donald Trump, the findings of the special advocate Robert Mueller during the investigation into Russia. On the basis of this letter and the Republican reaction that followed, the media reported that the investigation largely allowed Trump to be cleared. But what if these initial descriptions of Mueller's report are misleading? What if the Republicans gave a bundle of lies to the press and the public?

As long as we have not seen the report, we will not know what it contains. But we know what the Republicans have said about it and, eventually, unless it's buried forever, we can check those descriptions against the document. Here is a catalog of what Trump and his substitutes have said since the publication of Barr's letter. Some of these claims were repeated indiscriminately by television presenters, editors and journalists. If the claims prove to be false, the media have a clear duty: to recognize that reporting is more damning than what was said to us.

1. The report exonerates Trump. "The report is here," White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said on March 31 in an interview with CNN. "This completely exonerates the president." Trump, the White House and the Republican National Committee have in use the same word. Vice President Mike Pence has twice called the report "President's total claim".

2. The report excludes collusion. According to the tour de force promulgated by Republicans and by journalists, Mueller did not fail to prove a plot; he certified that no collusion had taken place. In an interview with Fox News on March 24, GOP Chair Ronna McDaniel attributed this verdict to the special advocate: "The Mueller Report and the findings of this report that there is no such thing as no collusion. " The following day, Sarah Sanders, White House Press Secretary, confirmed: "They were incredibly clear in the report, namely, that there was no collusion. Not just by the president, but by no American. Nobody in his team. "

At a press conference on March 25, Senator Lindsey Graham, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, assured the audience: "The conclusion is unequivocal that no one in the Trump campaign has done collusion with the Russians. Kevin McCarthy added, "The US government has never conducted more in-depth and in-depth research. And without the shadow of a doubt, there is no collusion. White House advisor Kellyanne Conway said the same words in Mueller's mouth: "That's exactly what Director Mueller said: There is no collusion. "

3. There is no evidence of collusion. According to the Trump camp, Mueller did not simply demystify the myth of collusion; he found that he was completely unsupported. "The Mueller team has come forward and said there was absolutely no evidence of collusion," McDaniel said. Graham made the same statement about the special council report: "Mr. Mueller said that there was no evidence of collusion between President Trump or anyone else during his campaign with the Russians, that's all. "

At a press conference on March 26, House of Representatives Republican officials called Texas representative John Ratcliffe at the microphone to give him their summary of the report. "The special advocate has issued a clear indictment," Ratcliffe said. "It is an indictment of those who have accused the president of conspiracy or collusion with Russia." While McCarthy, Republican Whip Republican Steve Scalise and Republican President Liz Cheney watched, Ratcliffe said Mueller "did not find insufficient evidence of collusion or conspiracy. He said there was no evidence. … The special advocate said there is no evidence Trump-Russia conspiracy. "

4. There is no circumstantial evidence. This is considered the weakest form of evidence. Still, McCarthy says it has not been proven. According to Mueller's report, the House Republican leader said, "Those who have been saying for more than two years that there is circumstantial evidence of collusion in the United States [an] excuses. "

5. Nobody spoke with the Russians. Speaking at the White House on March 26, Conway dismissed "the idea that any of us" in the Trump campaign "is talking to the Russians". Five days later, on Fox News, she claimed that she had been justified by the plot investigation, no collusion, no contact with any Russian during a campaign that I 'd have. directed. "

6. No American has been involved in Russian interference. It is a broader claim than to deny conspiracy or coordination. In an interview with CNN on March 25, Sanders said the report "revealed that no US citizen, including the president, as well as all members of his team, was involved in any interference. in the elections of 2016 ".

7. No coordination has even been attempted. In a statement issued on March 24, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Mueller had confirmed Trump's denial: "The Special Council's findings confirm the president's claim that his campaign does not have the same effect. had made no effort to coordinate and conspire with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election.

8. Trump and his associates have never accepted Russia's help. On March 28, in her speech to the House, Scalise said that, according to Barr's letter, Mueller had documented "multiple offers from people affiliated with Russia to help the Trump campaign". Scalise said the report showed that Trump and his associates "never came close to accepting these offers.

9. The campaign has rejected Russian offers. On March 25, McCarthy said the report revealed that "the Russians have tried to participate in the campaign. The Trump campaign said no. On March 28, Scalise claimed that Mueller investigators "had seen the Trump campaign postpone offers of help." Neither Scalise nor McCarthy had specified the nature of the repugnance.

10. Mueller's questions to Trump were unimportant. Late in the investigation, Mueller submitted written questions to Trump, who responded with written responses. On March 25, a reporter asked Conway, "Why should the country not be able to consult the written answers of the president?", He replied, "because he was answering questions that," he said. in the end, were not particularly relevant or important for any purpose. "

11. The report excludes obstruction of justice. On March 26, Trump stated that Mueller had specifically cleared him of any obstruction. "The Mueller report was excellent," Trump told reporters. "He said," No obstruction. No collusion. On March 31, Mulvaney confirmed this claim. The report "said exactly what the president had said that he would say," Mulvaney told ABC News, "which means there was no collusion or revelation. ;obstruction".

12. The report did not reveal any obstructive driving. It is a broader claim than the negation of the obstruction of justice. On at least five occasions since the publication of Barr's letter, Conway asserted that the letter and the underlying report explicitly deny Trump engaging in "obstructive driving" or "obstructive activity". The letter "did not say any obstructive activity," Conway told reporters on March 26, she added, "That's exactly what the director Mueller said: there is no collusion, no obstructive driving. "

13. The report revealed no attempt at interference in the investigation. In an interview with PBS on March 25, Conway assured viewers, "The president did not try to interfere in the investigation. And that, of course, we know it, is in the documentation: that no one at Justice thought that Mr.
Mueller could not do his job. "

14. Mueller was without constraint. In a statement on March 24, McCarthy said Mueller had "unhindered power" to investigate Trump – and that it "allowed [Mueller’s] A few days later, on Fox News, McCarthy claimed that the investigation had proved Trump's innocence because "nothing was left to chance". Mulvaney, citing Barr's letter, insisted that Mueller "gave the president no special offer.

15. Mueller saw no reason to interview Trump. Why did not Mueller have an interview with Trump? Because Mueller did not want it, says Conway. On March 25, she told reporters, "Apparently, Mr. Mueller and Mr. Rosenstein have seen no reason to summon the president to appear. They had his answers to the written questions … and they saw no reason to summon the president to appear.

16. Mueller ruled that the evidence of obstruction was insufficient. In an interview with CNN on March 27, Graham summarized the conclusion of the special advocate: "He says," I do not have enough. I am not comfortable with the facts and the law to recommend that you charge the president with obstruction.

17. Mueller asked Barr to decide whether Trump was obstructing justice. At his press conference on March 25, Graham said Mueller gave Barr his power of attorney to resolve the obstruction issue. "He has decided – not Mr. Barr – to give this decision to the Attorney General," Graham said. In an interview with CNN, Sanders claimed that the investigators "had sent him to the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General to make this decision".

18. The Trump-Russia contact reports were false news. Last year, the New York Times and the Washington Post rewarded Pulitzers for 20 articles on Russia and the Trump campaign. Some articles dealt with Trump's efforts to thwart the investigation, but most Russian contacts with Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, Michael Flynn and Jeff Sessions. On March 25, Conway and Sanders argued that Mueller's findings refuted these reports. According to Mr. Conway, the survey showed that "the country's leading newspapers have won the Pulitzer Awards for reporting on something totally wrong." Sanders said Post and Times reports were based on "something we found to be a complete and absolute lie. "

So that's the list. Some of these claims about Mueller's report – beginning with the excuse of an exemption – are in conflict with Barr's letter. Others are in conflict with each other. How, for example, was Mueller able to rid Trump of any obstruction while leaving this decision to Barr? Trump's allies have also made other statements that seem extravagant or absurd. A 19^th According to the complaint, made at least eight times by Graham over the last two weeks, Mr. Mueller – who was not appointed until May 2017 – investigated Trump and Russia for "two and a half years". A 20^th McCarthy says Mueller's report confirms the fact that Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, former chairman of the House's Intelligence Committee, has alleged a plot in the state behind the Trump investigation. At a press conference on March 28, McCarthy said, "Devin Nunes has proven to be accurate. That's what the report says. "

Finally, we will see the report, or at least the parts that are not written. This could show that some of these claims are true. But if they are false, if the Republicans have lied about the report and the media have worshiped these lies, then it will be time to talk less about exoneration and more concealment. Barr's letter and the whirlwind blitz that emerges from it may prove to be another chapter in the Republican campaign to bury the truth.