US Attorney General William Barr has released his summary of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller’s two-year-long investigation into President Trump and his aides. The summary addressed the question America has been asking for the last 676 days: Did the president, or anyone working for him, conspire with Russia to influence the 2016 election in his favor?
The significance of the Mueller report is enormous. If the special counsel determined that such collusion or obstruction took place, the ramifications for our democracy would be foundational and tragic. The special counsel employed nineteen lawyers who were assisted by approximately forty FBI agents, intelligence analysts, forensic accountants, and other professional staff. The special counsel issued more than 2,800 subpoenas, executed nearly five hundred search warrants, and interviewed approximately five hundred witnesses.
Mr. Mueller “did not find that the Trump campaign, or anyone associated with it, conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in these efforts, despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign.”
While all Americans should be elated knowing that our President is not guilty of treason, that is not the case. It’s fair to say that those who spent hour upon cable-TV hour lovingly anticipating that President Trump would be marched from the White House in handcuffs after the delivery of this report have egg on their faces and are terribly disappointed with this outcome.
When it comes to Russiagate, some politicians and cable networks and news outlets and publications and others have invested their entire reputations in the “Trump is guilty of collusion” narrative. How do they extricate themselves now? “Hey, we got it wrong day and night for the last two years, but we’ll do better next time. We falsely accused the president of treasonous behavior without hard evidence, but nobody’s perfect.”
As the writer, Sharyll Attkisson, stated so eloquently, “We in the media allowed unproven charges and false accusations to dominate the news landscape for more than two years, in a way that was wildly unbalanced and disproportionate to the evidence. We did a poor job of tracking down leaks of false information. We failed to reasonably weigh the motives of anonymous sources and those claiming to have secret, special evidence of Trump’s ‘treason.'” In short, “We were wrong.”
In the last two years, half of Americans say their trust in the media has decreased, while only 8 percent report increasing trust. By a margin of 69 to 29, Americans agree that the media are more interested in advancing their point of view than reporting all the facts. Three-fifths agree that the media covers matters in order “to delegitimize the views held by President Trump and his supporters.”
Republican leaders are now claiming total vindication for the president. Congressional Democrats are calling for all the files related to the investigation be made public so they can pick it apart and try to find some evidence that they we right for the last two years. Barr, has pledged to release the report, in as complete a form as is legally and practically possible, in reasonably rapid fashion. The president seems to support (or, at least, not to oppose) release as well.
Sadly, it is unlikely that the full Mueller report will change any minds. As the New York Times notes, “Opinions have been hardened over time, with many Americans already convinced they knew the answers before Mr. Mueller submitted his conclusions.” People would rather continue to believe a lie than admit they have sold their souls to falsehood.
When the full report is released both sides will argue their talking points with hate filled words and then the next days news cycle will bring more new things that they can attack each other over. But isn’t it past time that politicians, pundits and the people of this country put aside their partisan opinions and curtail their inflammatory rhetoric long enough to work together to fix some of the real problems of this country?
As Christians respond to this controversial issue, and others, it is vital that we resist the temptation to put our political beliefs ahead of our public witness. Whether you are a supporter or a critic of the president and his administration, it is vital that you respond in ways that glorify our Lord and draw people to him. Scripture prescribes two priorities in this regard.
ONE: WE SHOULD RESPECT THE AUTHORITY OF THE OFFICES OUR LEADERS HOLD.
Paul’s injunction was clear: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1). Do your words regarding the president and other elected leaders respect their offices and authority?
TWO: WE SHOULD PRAY FOR OUR LEADERS.
Paul instructed us: “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions” (1 Timothy 2:1–2). When last did you pray for our president and leaders on both sides of the aisle?
Winning arguments is less important than winning souls. Frederick Faber was right: “Kindness has converted more sinners than zeal, eloquence, or learning.” As a result, in a culture so riven with partisan vitriol, the words of seventeenth-century English churchman Thomas Fuller are remarkably relevant: “Kindness is the noblest weapon to conquer with.”
How will you use it today?