[one_third]Liberal – Nicole Cheney

I find it difficult to blindly believe practically anything nowadays, and I’m sure I am not alone in this thinking. Scandal after scandal and accusation after accusation has deeply shaken the trust of many in the government, the justice system, and the media. Although Special Counsel Mueller and Attorney General Barr declined to charge Trump on either collusion or obstruction, Trump’s legacy of criminal behavior–from racial discrimination in housing to sexual harassment to bribery–leaves the conclusion hard to believe.

According to the New York Times, some of Mueller’s team of lawyers, investigators, and other personnel claim the full report was much more damaging than the summary Barr released. Historically, details are not shared on cases that fail to indict, and Barr may have presented neutrally to avoid partisanship. The full, 400-page Special Counsel report will be released to the public after Barr redacts all sensitive and confidential information. Only then will the details become more clear, two years of messy politics won’t leave anyone unscathed, regardless of exoneration or indictment.

[one_third]Conservative – Daniel Cruz

On August 2, 2001, before Robert Mueller was tasked to oversee the special counsel, he was appointed by Senate 98-0 to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation starting Sep. 4, just one week before the Sep. 11 attack on the World Trade Center. A Republican himself, Mueller stood up to both Vice President Dick Cheney and the Central Intelligence Agency with regards to the FBI participating in enhanced domestic surveillance and interrogation tactics for terrorists, according to the LA Times.           

The conclusion of the Mueller report has given a breath of relief to the Republican Party and to people who maintain faith in the FBI as the investigative arm of the executive branch of our government. The House of Representatives voted unanimously on a resolution for the full report to be released since the summary from Attorney General William Barr seemed inadequate. 

While it exonerated him of collusion, Barr’s report leaves some doubt about obstruction of justice charges. The full release will not only help clear the air about obstruction of justice, but also help investigations by Republicans into how the investigation started and if it began on solid legal ground. For now, we know the report concluded there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, which affirms the claim that this was, indeed, a “witch hunt”. After two years of investigation, it’s time to let the issue of collusion come to rest and move on. It’s over, there’s no collusion, get over it. 

[one_third]Independent – Daniil Ivanov

The only glimpse into the Mueller report that has been made public so far is a four-page summary by Attorney General William Barr. He summarized that the Mueller report found various Russian organizations guilty of manipulating the 2016 U.S. Presidential election and the report provided facts regarding potential obstruction of justice by the president, leaving the decision of whether the president is guilty up to the Attorney General. The decision of Barr and his Deputy Attorney General, Rod Rosenstein, was that the Trump administration is not guilty of collusion or obstruction of justice.

However, I don’t think this information will change the opinions of many people. Politics is so divided at this point that Trump supporters will continue to support him while Trump critics will find a dozen other reasons to continue to dislike him.

This investigation has stained political news and Trump’s presidency for over two years now, putting Trump in a negative spotlight regardless of his administration’s guilt or innocence. His legacy will forever be tarnished by this investigation. 

The actual Mueller report, after it has been redacted by the Attorney General for privacy and security concerns, will undoubtedly stir up more controversy. Every time people forget about the investigation, new developments occur that remind the American people of the continuous storm in the White House. 

But, as President Trump said in The Art of the Deal, “from a bottom-line perspective, bad publicity is sometimes better than no publicity at all.”