The Mueller Report: A Reading

In this episode, we will cover Section II, Part B: The President’s Conduct Concerning the Investigation of Michael Flynn. General Michael Flynn (whose stint as Trump’s first National Security Advisor lasted less barely three weeks, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI regarding his discussing US sanctions on Russia with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the transition. As if Flynn didn’t know that we only have on president and administration at a time . . . 

This brief section introduces us to the principles behind the obstruction-of-justice investigation into Donald Trump. It outlines the components of an obstruction-of-justice crime--the various actions and the intent behind those actions

Next it describes the considerations made with specific regard to a list of potential obstruction-of-justice crimes committed by Donald Trump.

Today’s episode will launch us into Volume II of the Report on the Investigation Into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election. This is the part of the investigation that focuses on the obstruction-of-justice investigation into Donald Trump.

This episode's narration will consist of the first two preliminary sections: the Introduction to Volume II and the Executive Summary to Volume II.

The Introduction provides a brief overview and conclusions of the obstruction-of-justice investigation, including the methodology and guidelines.

The Executive Summary outlines the key issues investigated. It also describes the statutory and constitutional defenses asserted by the president’s counsel, and explains their lack of merit in this case.

This episode cover the entirety of the final section of Volume I of the Mueller Report--Section V: Prosecution and Declination Decisions.

Briefly  recapping the material covered in prior sections, the volume concludes with discussion and explanation of what charges were brought against whom and why. 

This episode of The Mueller Report: A Reading brings us a bit closer to the end of Volume I of the Special Counsel’s report, continuing to cover Section IV of that volume, Russian Government Links to and Contacts with the Trump Campaign.

This narrations will continue with part A, the Campaign Period (September 2015—November 8, 2016) with the narration covering sections 5, 6, and 7.

Section 5, June 9, 2016 Meeting at Trump Tower, discusses the now infamous Trump Tower meeting between members of the Trump campaign and Russian representatives.

Section 6, Events at the Republican National Convention, covers the campaign presence at the RNC in July 2016, and their involvement with the party’s platform change regarding the U.S. policy toward Russia and Ukraine.

Lastly, Section 7, Post-Convention contacts with Kislyak, outline the contact between Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak and members of the Trump campaign following the RNC.

If you are interested in downloading a copy of the report, please visit the podcast website: