Thread by @gabrielmalor

Here are the ten instances of obstruction analyzed in the report:
POTUS' conduct relating to
(1) Flynn investigation;
(2) Public confirmation of FBI's Russia investigation;
(3) termination of Comey;
(4) attempt to remove Mueller;
(5) attempt to curtail the SCO probe; 1/2

(6) prevent disclosure of campaign emails about Trump Tower Russia meeting;
(7) order to have Sessions resume control over SCO;
(8) order for McGahn to lie;
(9) conduct toward Flynn, Manafort, and [Redacted] (It's Roger Stone); and
(10) conduct toward Michael Cohen.

With respect to POTUS' actions related to Flynn, removing Mueller, curtailing the SCO probe, influencing Sessions, ordering McGahn to lie, conduct directed at Flynn, Manafort, Stone, and conduct directed at Cohen, the Report finds there is an inference of obstruction of justice.

WRT POTUS' reaction to public confirmation of the FBI Russia investigation, the termination of Comey, and his efforts to prevent disclosure of the campaign emails about Trump Tower Russia meeting, the Report finds there is insufficient evidence to infer obstruction of justice.

For each of these ten instances, the Report analyzes whether an obstructive act occurred, whether there was a nexus between the act and an official proceeding, and whether there was a corrupt intent.

For example, when Trump tried to have Mueller fired, the Report finds that removal of Mueller would tend to be an obstructive act, that it was related to an official proceeding, that evidence supports the conclusion that that he knew it was improper.

That said, the SCO determined not to make a prosecutorial judgment, which is why this volume of the Report is couched in terms of "what would qualify" and "reasonable inference."

After the Report lays out the occasions on which it believes there is an inference that Trump obstructed justice, it goes through potential legal defenses to the application of the obstruction statutes to the president.

(Lawgeeks, this section is for you. Starting at II.159)

In his written statements responding to SCO questions, the president says his comment that Russia find Clinton's missing 30,000 emails was "in jest and sarcastic, as was apparent to any objective observer."

Report conclusions:

(1) No evidence of collusion with Russia. This is good.
(2) There is evidence that Trump obstructed justice related to Flynn, Manafort, Stone, Cohen, removing Mueller, curtailing the SCO probe, influencing Sessions, and ordering McGahn to lie. This is bad.

To paraphrase: "yay, there was no collusion!"

But also "holy shitballs, the president likely engaged in a series of illegal acts to derail this investigation into something that it turns out wasn't even a crime. It's always the cover-up."

That last bit is a little flip, but it admits of one big exception: Trump's effort to obstruct justice in the Flynn case was not related to the Russia investigation and can't be justified as Trump just being mad about the Russia investigation.

Two things.
First, the Report did not find evidence tending to show that the termination of Comey constituted obstruction.
Second, although POTUS has broad Article II authority, Congress has Article I authority to protect federal investigations, courts, and grand juries.

https://twitter.com/ryanfazio/status/1118921242826936323

In light of these coexisting authorities, the Report concludes that Congress "can validly regulate the President's exercise of official duties to prohibit actions motivated by a corrupt intent to obstruct justice."

BTW, the Report is comprehensive, reasonable, fair-minded, and readable. Attacks on Mueller's character and professionalism look even more ridiculous now than they did before.

Alrighty, now for Volume I. (Yes, I'm generally reading this thing backwards because I'm weird like that. I also read footnotes first.)

The Report should, in a sane world, put to rest the claim that Russia did not interfere in the election for the purpose of supporting Trump.

Russian interference involved hacking, advertising, staging political rallies in the U.S., and offers of assistance to the campaign.

We can't know for certain what these are, with the exception of HOM involving Roger Stone due to an incomplete redaction.

But reasonable guesses include HOM and GJ involving Wikileaks and Assange, and HOM involving the Russian agents who interfered in the election.

https://twitter.com/ShannonBream/status/1118926710567768064

According to the Report, Russian intelligence targeted state and local elections authorities as well as companies that administer election-related software and hardware.

The GRU gained access to a database of Illinois voters and at least one Florida county government.