It's about obstruction, not collusion

Andrew McCarthy writes in the Hill,

...I believe the so-called Russia-gate probe ultimately will be shown to have begun early in 2016. It may not have been formally opened on paper as “Crossfire Hurricane” until months later — until late July or early August. The murkiness is intentional. There is queasiness on the part of intelligence agencies, both because they were scrutinizing the incumbent administration’s political opponents in the midst of a contentious presidential campaign, and because they were aided and abetted by at least one foreign intelligence service — something that should not have happened; something the revelation of which could damage an information-sharing arrangement critical to national security.

But for however long investigators have been at it, and certainly since Mueller’s investigation came into full swing after May 2017, it has been obvious that there was no criminal conspiracy.

Yet, bear in mind: It was not collusion that triggered Mueller’s appointment. While collusion was the rationale for the overarching Russia investigation, we got a special counsel because of obstruction allegations. Mueller was brought on board eight days after the president fired FBI Director James Comey. In the interim, Comey leaked a memo claiming Trump had leaned on the bureau to drop any investigation of Michael Flynn, the president’s fired national security adviser.

...I do not expect collusion to be the highlight of Mueller’s report. Collusion was just the rationale for conducting an investigation for which there was no criminal predicate. I expect Mueller to file a report that highlights obstructive conduct, though probably not one that calls for an obstruction indictment. That, as I said back in December 2017, would throw the ball into Congress’s court for consideration of impeachment.

And now, lo and behold, with Mueller apparently about to issue his report, the Democratic-controlled House Judiciary Committee suddenly has issued a flurry of subpoenas and document demands. Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D., N.Y.) says his committee is launching an investigation of obstruction, with an eye toward using the special counsel’s handiwork as the foundation for an impeachment inquiry.

You don’t say.

Read more here.