Does Trump deserve an apology for the Russia investigation? Absolutely not.
The president brought it on himself
There's a scene in The Godfather Part II where Michael Corleone, the mobster played by Al Pacino, seems finally to have run out of luck: A Senate committee investigating corruption has him dead in their sights and has promised to introduce a witness to the public who can testify to Michael's crimes. Our anti-hero is finally going to pay for his sins.
Only the witness clams up.
It's not what anybody expected — least of all the committee chairman: "I'm gonna find out what the hell happened here," he growls. "Alright this committee is now adjourned. The witness is excused."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
And Michael is free to go. We know he's a mobster. He knows he's a mobster. Everybody who has been watching the Senate hearings know it's almost certain he's a mobster. But they can't prove it. And so his lawyer, Tom Hagen, decides to press the advantage.
"Senator. Senator! This committee owes an apology!" Hagen shouts, as the scene comes to a close. "This committee owes an apology — apology, senator!"
Fade to black.
If you're guessing this anecdote is another movie mafia-themed metaphor for the Trump presidency, well, you're right. It is and should be obvious that Donald Trump is not a good president, much less an honest one. He looks, walks, and quacks like the most corrupt of ducks. But he has escaped the wrath of Special Counsel Robert Mueller — barely, where the question of corruption of justice is concerned — and so Trump's partisans will assure us that he is an innocent man with clean hands.
But Trump is not owed an apology.
He is not owed an apology, because — even if Mueller didn't turn up sufficient evidence to warrant an indictment — the question of links between Trump and Russia was entirely legitimate to investigate. Trump stood before the media in July 2016 and asked Russia to intervene in the election. Russia did intervene in the election. And Trump's behavior afterwards — his unwillingness to acknowledge Russia's help, his supine behavior when standing next to Vladimir Putin — was fishy. Under such circumstances, an inquiry was all but required. Even without an inquiry, the public has enough evidence to conclude that Trump acted badly, and that his election, if not illegitimate, was at least tainted.
He is not owed an apology because his own public behavior was thuggish. He fired Jim Comey, put the screws to Jeff Sessions, and has made it abundantly clear over the last two years that he expects the machinery of the U.S. government to serve him personally.
And let's be churlish here: Trump is not owed an apology because he would never give one. He spent years promoting his political prospects by spreading the "birther" lie that President Barack Obama was born in Kenya, then tried to take credit for the "truth" of Obama's citizenship being proved. His whole career is built on the idea that an apology — no matter his behavior, no matter how warranted — shows weakness. Let him live by the rules he applies to others.
Despite the frustrations of this moment — we can see how awful Trump is, so why didn't Mueller make a stronger case? — I am sticking with my initial assessment of this affair: I still believe that Robert Mueller has been an exemplary public servant in handling the Trump investigation. What now seems obvious is that he was also extremely cautious: He left the question of obstruction of justice to his bosses at the Department of Justice. That's a sign he believed a great deal of circumspection is required before making criminal allegations against the president of the United States and thus potentially undoing the results of an election. If that decision was going to be made, and if it was a close call — Mueller apparently thought so — then it had to be made at a higher pay grade.
That's appropriate, actually.
Going forward, it remains imperative that Attorney General William Barr release the entire report to the public. There's a difference between being able to establish evidence of a crime and full exoneration, and the cautious wording of Barr's letter on Sunday suggests that Mueller's findings fall into the former category. The American public deserves to see what is known.
And we should remember that other investigations are outstanding. There are criminal and civil inquiries going on at the state and federal level, into his business, his charitable foundation, and into other activities. Congress has its own lines of inquiry to pursue, and they should be pursued with vigor.
This is not a great moment for Trump's critics. We can see that he is a bad president and to watch his defenders proclaim him exonerated is frustrating and troubling. The work to hold this president accountable for his behavior isn't ending, though. Someday — sooner or later — the truth will at long last catch up to Trump. That too might be a painful moment. In the meantime, those who pursue that truth should keep working — and never apologize.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a freelance writer who has spent nine years as a syndicated columnist, co-writing the RedBlueAmerica column as the liberal half of a point-counterpoint duo. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic, The Kansas City Star and Heatmap News. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
Italian senate passes law allowing anti-abortion activists into clinics
Under The Radar Giorgia Meloni scores a political 'victory' but will it make much difference in practice?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine interactive crossword - May 3, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 3, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine solutions - May 3, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 3, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published