Despite the fact Attorney General William Barr’s letter explicitly quoted the Special Counsel’s report, stating, “[t]he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities”, Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd was on NBC Sunday suggesting the President wasn’t really cleared of the collusion conspiracy theory.
In an interview with Wyoming Senator John Barrasso (R), Todd kept insisting that the President was guilty in some way. He even went so far as to suggest Trump was only “technically exonerated from a crime”:
Let me ask you this. The special counsel did not -- did not find a crime when it comes to conspiracy. There is a counterintelligence investigation. This is what we know from it. And I'm curious if you think the President is exonerated from all of these things, allegedly asking Comey for loyalty, allegedly telling Comey that he hoped he could let Flynn go, telling the Russian ambassador in the Oval Office that he got this Comey thing out of the way, the public asking for help. The President's behavior, while he's technically exonerated from a crime, is he exonerated from his behavior as a president?
Barrasso noted that when it came to the President’s behavior it would be up to the electorate to decide what to do. “I think that the President has been clear with the American people. He has been, I believe, falsely accused for the last two years and Mueller has proven the fact that there was no collusion or conspiracy,” he added.
Seizing on the fact the President was falsely accused of being a Russian asset by the media for two years, Todd put the blame on Trump himself. “Do you think he was falsely accused because of his behavior led people to believe there was something more there (…) Do you think it was appropriate for him to want to do business with Vladimir Putin and Russia while running for president.” Todd asked Barrasso.
“The President is an international businessman, has had success all around the world. It is not surprising that when he chose to run for president he continued to do the business he had been doing beforehand,” Barrasso responded. “You stated a bunch of facts there. You didn't state any opinion,” Todd noted unironically.
Moments before claiming Trump was only “technically exonerated from a crime”, Todd suggested something more, that the report didn’t really say Trump was cleared:
Are you confident there is nothing there? I mean, let me quote from Mr. Barr’s report. He said, “the Special Counsel states that ‘while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.” What do you take that to mean? The president said he’s exonerated. Who’s right here, by the way?
When Barrasso recalled the media’s headlines said there was “no collusion” Todd snapped at him, declaring, “The headlines are Bill Barr's memo. Bill Barr said the report doesn't exonerate him. The President says he is.”
And Barr’s memo quoted the Special Counsel’s report. It seems as though Todd (and the rest of the liberal media for that matter) were bitter clingers when it came to their reluctance to admit they were wrong for two years.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
NBC’s Meet the Press
March 31, 2019
10:38:11 a.m. EasternCHUCK TODD: Are you confident there is nothing there? I mean, let me quote from Mr. Barr’s report. He said, “the Special Counsel states that ‘while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.” What do you take that to mean? The president said he’s exonerated. Who’s right here, by the way?
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO (WY-R): Well, the headlines, no collusion, no collaboration, no conspiracy. That's what is there. I want to see the full report.
TODD: The headlines are Bill Barr's memo. Bill Barr said the report doesn't exonerate him. The President says he is. Where do you come down on this?
BARRASSO: I've asked for a full report to be released. The Attorney General will make that final decision and ultimately the voters will make that decision, as you just saw from your report.
Last week, NBC interrupted a golf tournament, CBS interrupted the final four. People wanted to get back to the sports they were watching. They were more interested in that than they were in the breaking news.
TODD: You may be right. Let me ask you this. The special counsel did not -- did not find a crime when it comes to conspiracy. There is a counterintelligence investigation. This is what we know from it. And I'm curious if you think the President is exonerated from all of these things, allegedly asking Comey for loyalty, allegedly telling Comey that he hoped he could let Flynn go, telling the Russian ambassador in the Oval Office that he got this Comey thing out of the way, the public asking for help. The President's behavior, while he's technically exonerated from a crime, is he exonerated from his behavior as a president?
BARRASSO: Every president is judged on many things. Behavior is part of that. The electorate will be asked to make that judgment in 2020 and we'll see how they decide.
TODD: But what do you think on this?
BARRASSO: I think that the President has been clear with the American people. He has been, I believe, falsely accused for the last two years and Mueller has proven the fact that there was no collusion or conspiracy.
TODD: Do you think he was falsely accused because of his behavior led people to believe there was something more there. He’s the one who wanted -- Do you think it was appropriate for him to want to do business with Vladimir Putin and Russia while running for president.
BARRASSO: The President is an international businessman, has had success all around the world. It is not surprising that when he chose to run for president he continued to do the business he had been doing beforehand.
TODD: I understand it was -- You stated a bunch of facts there. You didn't state any opinion. Do you think it was appropriate?
BARRASSO: I think it’s not surprising an international businessmen do these things.
TODD: Right, but should -- But he wanted to run for president. Should he have given that up? Was that a mistake to pursue something like that? Because it may have helped trigger all of the suspicion.
BARRASSO: It probably did trigger the suspicion, but I don't think there is a fault there on the part of the President.
(…)
