There was a stunning admission from ABC senior national correspondent Terry Moran during Sunday’s This Week when he conceded that, if Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence of collusion with Russia by the Trump campaign, then the President would be "cleared" and there would be a “reckoning for the media” and the others who pushed the notion.
Moran’s concession came after fill-in host Martha Raddatz wondered if it would even be a big deal if nothing was found. Moran suggested it would be “huge” because the left had elevated Mueller to “folk hero” status because of the investigation.
In no uncertain terms, Moran laid out how serious it would be for those desperately searching for collusion:
No, but the most central and most serious question in this investigation, the reason Robert Mueller started it is, did the current president of the United States assist the Kremlin in an attack on our democracy? And if Mueller, after two years, comes back and says, “I don't have the evidence to support that charge,” that's a reckoning. That's a reckoning for progressives and Democrats who hoped that Mueller would essentially erase the 2016 election. It's a reckoning for the media. It’s a reckoning around the country if, in fact, after all this time there was no collusion.
Seemingly unhappy with Moran’s conclusion, Raddatz turned to chief Justice correspondent Pierre Thomas to save the narrative.
Thomas held out hope for evidence of collusion by noting how “the Mueller report is shrouded in secrecy”, despite admitting “the fact is if you look at all the charges so far, no one Mueller has charged so far has been charged with directly conspiring with the Russians.”
“There’s just a lot we don't know, and there are certain facts that Mueller has hinted to throughout the case. Like the fact that Paul Manafort allegedly gave polling data to a suspected Russian intelligence officer. Roger Stone, a confidant of the President, communicating with one of the Russian hackers,” Thomas continued. “So again, stay tuned. We have to see what the report says.”
Raddatz turned back to Moran to hype the plethora of investigations House Democrats were feverishly opening in hopes of finding something to impeach Trump with. “There are certainly other investigations about the Trump businesses, about Trump Tower Moscow which may draw the interest of prosecutors and Congressional investigators and certainly, these issues need to be brought to light,” he said.
But Moran did caution Democrats that opening all those investigations could backfire in the eyes of the public. Advising: “In fact, Democrats have to worry they don't look like they're just throwing anything against the wall and hope it will stick and get back to the old type of politics. If they want to beat Donald Trump, beat him. Beat him on the issues, beat him on politics. Don't beat him with investigations.”
It’s rare that folk in the liberal media will admit that there has been no evidence of collusion. And rarer still, a discussion about what it meant for the media rabidly pursuing that outcome.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s This Week
March 10, 2019
9:48:24 a.m. Eastern(…)
MARTHA RADDATZ: And the big topic, of course, Terry, collusion. The President said, “There was no collusion, there was no collusion.” There are hints that that certainly what Mueller may have been looking at. How big a deal is it if they don't find collusion for the President?
TERRY MORAN: Huge. He's cleared. If Robert Mueller comes back -- Mueller became a folk hero in the United States. Robert --
RADDATZ: Even if he finds all sorts of things?
MORAN: Sure. No, but the most central and most serious question in this investigation, the reason Robert Mueller started it is, did the current president of the United States assist the Kremlin in an attack on our democracy? And if Mueller, after two years, comes back and says, “I don't have the evidence to support that charge,” that's a reckoning. That's a reckoning for progressives and Democrats who hoped that Mueller would essentially erase the 2016 election. It's a reckoning for the media. It’s a reckoning around the country if, in fact, after all this time there was no collusion.
RADDATZ: Pierre?
PIERRE THOMAS: Well, the fact is if you look at all the charges so far, no one Mueller has charged so far has been charged with directly conspiring with the Russians. That's a fact, but the Mueller report is shrouded in secrecy. There’s just a lot we don't know, and there are certain facts that Mueller has hinted to throughout the case. Like the fact that Paul Manafort allegedly gave polling data to a suspected Russian intelligence officer. Roger Stone, a confidant of the President, communicating with one of the Russian hackers. So again, stay tuned. We have to see what the report says.
RADDATZ: And Terry, even if there is nothing there, the hill will start several investigations into all kinds of things.
MORAN: That's right. There are certainly other investigations about the Trump businesses, about Trump Tower Moscow which may draw the interest of prosecutors and Congressional investigators and certainly, these issues need to be brought to light. But then --
RADDATZ: How about the attention of the American public? If the Mueller -- that's a question.
MORAN: It is a question. In fact, Democrats have to worry they don't look like they're just throwing anything against the wall and hope it will stick and get back to the old type of politics. If they want to beat Donald Trump, beat him. Beat him on the issues, beat him on politics. Don't beat him with investigations.
