You already know by now Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on the 2016 presidential election has been released.
In the 400+ pages of the report, some of which is redacted in order to comply with long held legal precedent and the law, there's a section about President Trump's reaction to the appointment of the Special Counsel in May 2017.
Many reporters are publishing the section this way:
Key Mueller finding: in May 2017, after Trump learned from Sessions that Rosenstein had appointed Mueller, Trump “slumped back in his chair and said, ‘Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm fucked.”
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) April 18, 2019
THIS IS THE END OF MY PRESIDENCY. THIS IS THE WORST THING THAT'S EVER HAPPENED TO ME. I'M FUCKED!
— Holly Figueroa O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) April 18, 2019
These are not the utterances of an innocent man.#MuellerReport #trumpcolluded #MuellerThursday #ThursdayThoughts pic.twitter.com/pjaldqRh25
But broader context shows President Trump wasn't saying "I'm f*cked" as an admission of guilt, but rather because a Special Counsel would impede his ability to govern.
"Attorney General was his most important appointment and that Sessions had 'let [him] down' contrasting him to Eric Holder and Robert Kennedy. Sessions recalled that the President said to him, 'you were supposed to protect me,' or words to that effect," the Special Counsel report states. "The President returned to the consequences of the appointment and said, 'Everyone tells me if you get one of these independent counsels it ruins your presidency. It takes years and years and I won't be able to do anything. This is the worst
thing that ever happened to me.'"
Everyone suggesting the president reportedly saying "I'm f*****" is evidence of guilt or that he was in legal trouble needs to keep reading and learn context. Mueller's report then says the president stated the following.
— Micah Rate (@Micah_Rate) April 18, 2019
Y'all will latch onto literally anything. #MuellerReport pic.twitter.com/Ul2nTD4hDd
Carry on.
