Mueller Is Still Investigating

Breaking News: Special Counsel Robert Mueller is still doing the job he was appointed to do. That is all this story says. That's (hopefully) a good thing, of course. But, once again, I find myself in the position of urging readers not to read more into any news item about Mueller's ongoing investigation than is actually there.

Anyway, here's the update from the investigation trail, care of Mike Levine at ABC News:

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team investigating whether [Donald] Trump sought to obstruct a federal inquiry into connections between his presidential campaign and Russian operatives has now directed the Justice Department to turn over a broad array of documents, ABC News has learned.

In particular, Mueller's investigators are keen to obtain emails related to the firing of FBI Director James Comey and the earlier decision of Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from the entire matter, according to a source who has not seen the specific request but was told about it.

Issued within the past month, the directive marks the special counsel's first records request to the Justice Department, and it means Mueller is now demanding documents from the department overseeing his investigation.

...Mueller's investigators now seek not only communications between Justice Department officials themselves, but also any communications with White House counterparts, the source said. Before this request, investigators asked former senior Justice Department officials for information from their time at the department, ABC News was told.

The latest move suggests the Special Counsel is still actively digging into, among other matters, whether Trump or any other administration official improperly tried to influence an ongoing investigation.

Yep. Exactly so. The latest move suggests the Special Counsel is still doing precisely with what he was tasked. We can't discern anything more than that about the investigation.

The optimist's view: This report is reassuring, as it seems as though Mueller is being very methodical and deliberate while also moving as quickly as he can.

The cynic's view: This report is designed to reassure us that something meaningful is still underway, and gives The Resistance a basket in which to put its hope for accountability eggs, thus deterring civil unrest while Trump and the Republican Party usher in authoritarian rule.

No matter your position, optimistic or cynical, we all need to be concerned about how, the longer this investigation drags on, the worse the best possible outcome gets. Even if Mueller's investigation results in Trump's removal (or resignation) from office somewhere down the road, which is still incredibly unlikely, how much irreversible damage will be done in the interim, with a vice-president and his entire party positioned to protect every erosion of our norms and liberties?

We are running out of time. If we already haven't.