Bar must be kept high for release of entire Mueller report

Now that the Mueller report has been delivered to the Department of Justice, the attorney general has the obligation to report to Congress and the American people with as much transparency as is allowed and permissible by law.

The attorney general has already delivered an “executive summary” of the Mueller report with regard to findings to Congress via letter. The letter was simultaneously released to the public.{mosads}

I expect Democrats will now overreach in their demands for information they want but are not entitled to as a matter of law. And, if the attorney general does not give Democrats the information they demand, they will use that as a tool of propaganda to show obstruction and protecting of the president and others from liability.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The fact that Congress wants information does not mean they are entitled to it. Also, Congress knows full well what they are entitled to, but will ask for it anyway as a tool of misinformation and disinformation. 

The attorney general has the obligation to protect grand jury proceedings, classified information and personal information. The attorney general has discretion, but it is tempered by the law.

Every American, including the president, is entitled to be treated fairly. The law should be applied equally and predictably. It is unfair and unlawful to disregard the law or misapply the law for any reason and particularly for political purposes.

Democrats in Congress will now embark on a campaign to discredit the Mueller investigation. They will leak. They will allege. They will bully and harass because they see no other way out of a situation that did not pan out for them.

Whatever information that is released with be spun in a way most hurtful to the president. Democrats will take license to interpret facts as they see fit to keep their wild accusations alive before their base and the broader public.

Let’s remember that the Mueller “executive summary” totally debunks the wild accusations Democrats have advanced the past two years. Claims that turn out not to be based on evidence. Here are some of their greatest and most wild unsubstantiated claims, as collected by PolitiFact:

“We have seen, I think, a mountain of evidence of collusion between the campaign and the Russians.” — Tom Perez

“There’s clear evidence on the issue of collusion.” — Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)

“The evidence is pretty clear that there was collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians.” — Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.)

“It’s clear that the campaign colluded, and there’s a lot of evidence of that.” — Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.)

“Here you have a president who I can tell you, I guarantee you, is in collusion with the Russians to undermine our democracy.” — Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.)

Attorney General Barr is a brilliant attorney, a patriot and not a partisan. He must now prove that once again with his handling of the post Mueller report fallout. He must do what is right and I have every expectation that he will.{mossecondads}

Just because Congress or the American people want information does not mean they need it or are entitled to it. It is about time we return to regular order and respect for the rule of law and resist a mob mentality and rush to judgment.

In America, we don’t have laws for Republicans and different ones for Democrats. While Democrats may dislike the president or believe he is unfit, the only way to beat him is at the ballot box. So, get off the soap box.

The facts are that the president has been cleared of engaging in a criminal conspiracy to collude with the Russians to interfere with the presidential election of 2016. In addition, the president was cleared of obstructing justice with regard to the investigation of criminal conspiracy. No amount of further investigation by Congress will change that.

An independent counsel with no axe to grind came to those conclusions over a period of a two-plus-year investigation. Case closed!

Bradley Blakeman was a deputy assistant to President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2004. A principal of the 1600 Group, a strategic communications firm, he is an adjunct professor of public policy and international affairs at Georgetown University and a contributor to Fox News and Fox Business.