“This was an illegal take-down that failed,” declared President Donald Trump shortly after it was revealed that the two-year long Mueller investigation had found zero evidence he or anybody connected to his campaign had colluded with Russia during the 2016 election. 

“It’s a shame that our country had to go through this. To be honest, it’s a shame that your president has had to go through this.”

His tweet was more celebratory, if a little exaggerated.

No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 24, 2019

Democratic leaders, CNN, MSNBC and Hollywood celebrities tweeted their relief that the U.S. president wasn’t a Russian agent and quickly apologized to Trump for spending two-plus years telling America he was.  Sure. And Duke’s Zion Williams is too short for the rides at Disneyland. 

Initial Democratic Reaction 

CNN’s Chris Cizzilla called the report a “huge gift” to Trump. However, he admitted “The Mueller report…did the opposite of what many people expected: It provides Trump with a neutral — and credible — source that, largely validates the mantra of his presidency: No collusion.”

And why would the people expect it? Because CNN and MSNBC spent two years insisting it was true. (Kinda left that part out.)

Sen. Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi issued a joint statement that included a phrase that started popping up the minute Barr’s letter dropped. The report “raises more questions than it answers.” They also attacked the messenger.

Attorney General Barr’s letter raises as many questions as it answers. The fact that Special Counsel Mueller’s report does not exonerate the president on a charge as serious as obstruction of justice demonstrates how urgent it is that the full report and underlying documentation be made public without any further delay. Given Mr. Barr’s public record of bias against the Special Counsel’s inquiry, he is not a neutral observer and is not in a position to make objective determinations about the report.

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler had been declaring Trump guilty of collusion to any newscaster who’d listen. Even earlier Sunday Nadler said, “We know there was collusion. Why there have been no indictments we do not know.” A couple hours later, and he’s pivoting to Mueller’s team of Democratic lawyers not clearing Trump on obstruction of justice. 

Special Counsel Mueller clearly and explicitly is not exonerating the President, and we must hear from AG Barr about his decision making and see all the underlying evidence for the American people to know all the facts.  DOJ owes the public more than just a brief synopsis and decision not to go any further in their work.

Senate Judiciary Committee member Chris Coons echoed Nadler. “We will have a hard fight ahead over release of the full report and materials,” he told CBS News, “Given this statement, Congress is justified in seeking a broad view of what materials led to” the conclusion Mr. Trump was not completely exonerated.

A valid question: Did Mueller’s team, with its known Democratic leanings, refuse to clear Trump on obstruction to give Congressional Democrats an impeachment bone? Said one observer on Twitter: “If Mueller thought Trump obstructed justice he would have said so.”

Republican Response

The President’s son, Donald Jr., who was the focus of speculation over a meeting he had at Trump Tower with a (Fusion GPS-connected) Russian lawyer released a statement. It says, in part:

It’s my hope that honest journalists within the media have the courage to hold these now fully debunked truthers accountable and treat them with the scorn and ridicule that they so deserve.

 Sadly, instead of apologizing for needlessly destabilizing the country in a transparent attempt to delegitimize the 2016 election, it’s clear that the Collusion Truthers in the media and the Democrat Party are only going to double down on their sick and twisted conspiracy theories moving forward.

Sen. Lindsey Graham was happy with the news: “Good day for the rule of law. Great day for President Trump and his team. No collusion and no obstruction. The cloud hanging over President Trump has been removed by this report …”

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders agreed, calling it a “great day for America and the President.”

A great day for America and for President @realDonaldTrump. After two years of wild anti-Trump hysteria, the President and his millions of supporters have been completely vindicated.

— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) March 24, 2019

Her dad offered his typically witty take. 

We now know that the closest @realDonaldTrump did to collude w/ Russia was to watch Boris and Natasha in a Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon in 1962.

— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) March 24, 2019

This just in @HillaryClinton officially lost the 2016 election

— Brian Kilmeade (@kilmeade) March 24, 2019