Bob Woodward, the famed Watergate reporter whose word is gospel for liberals, drew one important conclusion after investigating the Trump Administration for two years to write his latest book, Fear: Trump In The White House. He found no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to rig the election.
Woodward (shown) divulged that interesting piece of information to conservative radio talker Hugh Hewitt.
The famous reporter told Hewitt he looked for the evidence, and Hewitt asked him about it three time. Woodward answered the same way thrice: He did find evidence of collusion.
Three Times
Hewitt’s question was straightforward, giving Woodward plenty of room to imply that Trump colluded with the Russians or even to imply it.
But that isn’t what happened.
“Did you, Bob Woodward, hear anything in your research in your interviews that sounded like espionage or collusion?” Hewitt asked.
I did not, and of course, I looked for it, looked for it hard. And so you know, there we are. We’re going to see what [Special Counsel Robert] Mueller has, and [Trump’s lawyer John] Dowd may be right. He has something that Dowd and the president don’t know about, a secret witness or somebody who has changed their testimony. As you know, that often happens, and that can break open or turn a case.
Hewitt asked a second time: “But you’ve seen no collusion?”
Woodward: “I have not.”
And, before the interview ended, Hewitt asked a third time. “Very last question, Bob Woodward, I just want to confirm, at the end of two years of writing this book, this intensive effort, you saw no effort, you, personally, had no evidence of collusion or espionage by the president presented to you?”
“That is correct.”
Rosenstein’s Order
Mueller’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s putative collusion with the Russians to influence the 2016 election began in March 2017, when Assistant Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller, director of the FBI for 12 years.
Rosenstein authorized Mueller to probe “any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump” and “any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation,” and as well authorized Mueller to prosecute any crime he found.
Thus far, Mueller has come up with nothing.
As law professor Jonathan Turley wrote in The Hill in July, even after indicting 13 Russians for interfering in the election, Mueller still had no evidence that Trump or his campaign “colluded” with them. “After 14 months of investigation (and for the second time in a formal indictment), the Justice Department has stated that it is not alleging any knowing collusion between Trump campaign officials or associates and the Russians.”
As well, Turley observed, Muller and Rosenstein “expressly noted that the evidence involved ‘unwitting’ communications with Russians adopting false identities. This indictment shows that same pattern of clearly concealed identities in seeking to hack and distribute email information from the Democratic campaign and its associates.”
Mueller simply doesn’t have anything to prosecute. “After 14 months we have yet to see compelling evidence of collusion by Trump or his campaign. Indeed, Turley wrote, “the indictment largely confirmed what we knew. It shows an effort by the Russians to undermine Clinton and influence the election; it also shows no evidence of knowing collusion and, indeed, very limited evidence of unknowing collusion.”
Woodward’s Book
Woodward’s book supposedly reveals an administration that is out of control.
Chief of Staff John Kelly called Trump an “idiot” and “unhinged,” Woodward claimed, while Defense Secretary James Mattis supposedly told Woodward that Trump had the understanding of “a fifth or sixth grader.”
“He’s an idiot. It’s pointless to try to convince him of anything. He’s gone off the rails. We’re in crazytown,” Kelly supposedly said. “I don’t even know why any of us are here. This is the worst job I’ve ever had.”
Kelly and Mattis deny Woodward’s account. “The idea I ever called the President an idiot is not true, in fact, it’s exactly the opposite, Kelly said. “He and I both know this story is total BS.”
Said Mattis, “The contemptuous words about the President attributed to me in Woodward’s book were never uttered by me or in my presence.”
Woodward said the men are lying.
All that aside, we do know one thing. Had Woodward found evidence of collusion, he would put it in his book.
Photo of Bob Woodward: AP Images
