On Saturday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s findings, The Associated Press reports.
The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate said that the two volumes of Mueller’s final report — the first one being about Russian election interference, and the second one being about potential obstruction of justice by Donald Trump — are inseparable. According to Clinton, the Kremlin interfered in a sweeping and systematic fashion, and the president obstructed justice.
“You cannot read the report, chapter and verse, fact after fact, without reaching those conclusions,” she said, proceeding to blast Americans who want to move on from the report and Mueller’s investigation, and focus on other issues.
“People just want to quit hearing about it and get back to their normal lives,” Clinton observed.
“There is nothing normal about undermining the rule of law. There is nothing normal about attacking the press. There is nothing normal about trying to undermine another branch of government,” she said.
The former secretary of state made the remarks during an appearance at Wellesley College.
Indeed, American voters do not care much about Mueller’s investigation, polling has shown. During the 2018 midterm elections, for instance — long before Mueller wrapped up his investigation, finding no Trump-Russia conspiracy, and refusing to charge the president with obstruction of justice — Mueller’s probe ranked at the bottom of issues voters care about, according to Gallup . The American people appear to be more interested in issues such as healthcare, economy, and immigration.
According to a slew of polls published after the Mueller investigation had ended, the entire Trump-Russia saga did not really change anyone’s mind. As CNN reported, polling shows that those who backed Trump before Mueller’s investigation are still rallying behind him, and those who opposed the president still do.
Poll: Majority of Americans say Democrats should move on from Russia investigations https://t.co/m1DdrYeKad pic.twitter.com/9q6EPpkiPz
— The Hill (@thehill) May 24, 2019
The American people remain strongly divided along partisan lines, according to polls, with slightly more than half believing that Trump did not conspire with Russia to win in 2016, and more than 40 percent believing that he did. Likewise, as Politico reported, polls show that about half of Americans believe Trump obstructed justice; the other half disagree.
During her appearance at Wellesley College, Clinton discussed a number of issues pertaining to information warfare and election security. The former first lady expressed concern about the speed of online communications, suggesting that the United States is vulnerable to attacks.
As the Associated Press notes, the former secretary of state said that the speed of online communication allows demagogues to cleverly use “symbols” and “verbal and physical intimidation.”
“This is a classic pattern. There is nothing new about it. I think given the rapidity with which information can be conveyed today because of the internet, it is an even more dangerous set of circumstances,” Clinton said.