AS I SEE IT
By Neal A. Shipman
Farmer Editor
After more than two years of investigation that included more than 2,800 subpoenas, nearly 500 search warrants and interviews with about 500 witnesses, Americans finally have the answer into whether or not there was a possible collusion between Russian government officials and the campaign of President Donald Trump in the 2016 election.
This past weekend, special counsel Robert Mueller handed over his lengthy report to William Barr, United State Attorney General, which clearly stated that the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.
Obviously Trump feels vindicated by the report. For the past two years, Trump has railed against the media and others for what he called a “witch hunt.”
Democrats and non-Trump supporters, on the other hand feel that it is seemingly impossible that Mueller’s report could not have found the Trump campaign team or him directly involved in collusion during the past election in an attempt to defeat Hillary Clinton as president.
But the report is final. When will the full report be made available to Congress and the American people remains to be seen. But what is certain is that President Trump and his campaign staff did not collude with the Russian government.
For the last two years, the Democratic party along with certain members of the liberal media have had a field day with the prospect of Trump being found guilty of colluding with the Russians to throw the election in his favor.
For politicians, discrediting a member of the opposition party, especially the president, is standard operating procedure. Especially when the president is mid-term and will be seeking re-election.
But some of those in the national media came away as big losers in the process as some journalists, as well as the media networks that they work for, lost sight of the role of a journalist. Journalists must remain above the fray of politics or the news stories that they are covering. The role of a journalist is to present the facts as they exist and to report both sides of the issue as fairly and honestly as they can.
And in this case, those networks and journalists failed the American public. Their desire to self-indict Trump and those around him of collusion conspiracy charges dominated their national coverage on an hourly basis for the past two years.
So now the question that needs to be answered is, “Can America finally move forward?”
The answer that both sides of the political fence have to agree to is, “Yes, we can.”
There are many pressing issues facing the American people and this country - such as possible healthcare reform, immigration reform, building the country’s infrastructure, expanding the nation’s economy, and developing and passing a budget.
It is time for America to move forward. Whether or not you like President Trump, let him be this nation’s president. And whether or not you like the members of Congress that were elected, let them serve. If you want change, then make the change at the ballot box.