Obstruction Does Not Matter

The 49 questions released by Trump's team earlier this week (...they were not shared with his team, rather, they were recorded by Trump's lawyers as they discussed possible topics of examination with Mueller's team, and obviously released by Trump's team later on...) show what Mueller is really after in terms of the possible criminal liability of Trump and his team.  

One key possibility is that Mueller is looking at charging Trump with obstruction of justice relating to a private conversation with Comey, wherein he essentially asked Comey to drop the investigation of Flynn. The key here is the issue of whether or not Trump thought or knew Flynn had likely committed an offence before he asked Comey to back off. If he thought this or knew this, then asking Comey to back off would constitute obstruction of justice.

Setting aside how terrible a witness Comey would be in prosecuting such a charge - his anti-Trump bias would be laid bare at any trial, putting his credibility deeply into question - the fact is that no one cares about this possible charge, or any such charges. Ending all of this with only a series of obstruction of justice charges would be the political version of a plate of nothing burgers served at a banquet of total irrelevancy. 

More than that, if all that comes out of Mueller's investigation are some obstruction of justice charges, all relating to interviews and discussions with the FBI, then the investigation will have done significant damage to the reputation of that organisation, essentially confirming the "deep state" insanity that is being spewed by the Right in the USA, and others.

Russia sought to pervert American democracy and to bent it to Russia's own ends in 2016. This is the only issue that matters. 

Mueller's team has already laid charges against 13 Russians and three related organisations, which is consistent with collusion. All good, but if no charges are ever laid against any Americans related to this unprecedented intrusion into America's version of freedom - and it is inconceivable that the Russians did not get some help and did not make some deals as they sought to bend the American people to their will - that would be a disaster for the USA, as the miscreants will have got away with it.

Many in the Left press in the USA are crowing about obstruction after the release of the questions. They are missing the point - don't be diverted by the background noise.

I think Mueller and his team are laser focused on what matters here, which is why the first question is about the meeting where any collusion would have most obviously happened. 

This entire affair is about to reach a crescendo...time for the fat cat to sing.