Mueller's report has thrown Trump a lifeline. If Democrats do not impeach him, nothing will change

The president believes he got off scot-free and he is probably correct

Robert Mueller’s report came in at 448 pages and could be read via a CD, an internet link or a downloadable Ebook.

It started began the title, Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election, and ended with a reference to Richard Pinedo, a California computer whiz caught by the special counsel for selling fake IDs to Russians, and jailed for six months.

It contained the word “Trump” 1,640 times, referred to “Russia” on 1,612 occasions, but never one mentioned “impeachment”, unless it had been redacted.

Its pages contained deeply damaging revelations about the president. It showed how he has tried to fire the man who penned the report, having determined that his appointment likely marked the end of his presidency. “I’m ****ed”, he said.

It also revealed how Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey could have been taken an attempt to instruct justice.

“Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him,” wrote Mr Mueller.

Moreover, for all the noise from the White House about the report showing their had been no contact with Russia, it showed quite the opposite. “The investigation established multiple links between Trump campaign officials and individuals tied to the Russian government,” it said, before adding that ultimately, the investigation did not establish the campaign co-ordinated or conspired with the Russian government.

Any of this should be deeply worrisome to anyone concerned about the probity of the nation’s government. It shows how Trump plotted to terminate a department of justice-established investigation he believed would bring him down. It confirms that his eldest son and others in the campaign met with Russian officials who promised dirt on Hillary Clinton.

But Mueller report has also given Trump a crucial lifeline. The first was revealed last month by attorney general William Barr, who revealed Mueller had uncovered no “collusion” with Russia, or at least, as we learned on Thursday, no collusion that amounted to criminal conspiracy.

That was vital. Firing your FBI director because you don’t like him is one thing. Had Mueller a smoking gun that exposed Trump as a traitor, even some of his most ardent supporters may have started questioning their loyalty.

Now, Mueller has given Trump more cover. He he has said that in a number of instances his team was unable to determine what had been the president’s intentions, something that further hindered finding there had been a conspiracy.

Trump and the White House did not bother with nuance. The president claimed the report showed “no collusion, no obstruction”. Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway told reporters: “We’re taking apologies.”

For Democrats angrily blowing about all of this, Mueller himself pointed to one option – congressional investigation and possible impeachment.

But do the Democrats dare risk going down this line? There are plenty among them, the younger and more progressive among them, who would like to use Mueller’s report as the basis for their own probe. Congressman Adam Schiff, chair of the House intelligence committee claimed, the report had shown the president’s actions to be “dishonest, unethical, immoral, and unpatriotic”.

But the danger for Democrats is getting bogged down in a lengthy investigation that few have little appetite for and which could risk being seen as overly partisan. Steny Hoyer, Nancy Pelosi’s deputy said as much when he told CNN: “Based on what we have seen to date, going forward on impeachment is not worthwhile at this point.”

In truth, Mueller’s report probably changed not a single person’s opinion about Donald Trump. To his detractors, it was further proof of his evil and dishonesty, while to his supporters it was an utter vindication

Democrats must now get ready for a presidential election that up is coming very fast. The Mueller affair has been an interesting distraction, but it’s time for America to get on with the business to hand.