Where Law Ends

October 5, 2020
Attorney Weissmann delivers a lucid and engrossing insider's look at Special Counsel Robert Mueller's inquiry into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Assigned to lead the team investigating Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort (other teams examined Russian interference and potential obstruction of justice), Weissmann critiques prior investigations by the Justice Department into these and other matters; introduces key players including Mueller's chief of staff, Aaron Zebley; and details internal disagreements over the scope and purpose of the inquiry. Weissmann takes particular issue with Zebley's directive not to subpoena financial records that might have illuminated Trump's ties to Russia, in order to preserve the possibility of an in-person interview with the president (which never happened). Though he laments Mueller's decision not to say outright whether Trump committed obstruction of justice, Weissmann contends that Mueller acted out of “deference to the ideal of fairness and our democratic institutions,” and had no reason to suspect that Attorney General William Barr would “purposely distort our report's factual findings.” Weissmann provides valuable context behind the special counsel's most consequential decisions, though readers will wonder why he didn't speak up more forcefully as the investigation unfolded. Still, this is an essential record of what the Mueller investigation proved and why it failed to bring Trump down.