Special Counsel Robert Mueller has fared well against political pundits, Trump supporting journalists, and the dangerous world of social media. He has stuck to his guns and continued to plod along following every thread to its conclusion. But now the investigation faces its greatest ever threat: Boredom.
The appetite for this investigation to continue is waning rapidly, and as President Trump’s approval rating goes from strength to strength, it becomes more difficult to see how a prolonged investigation is in the public interest.
The Unforgivable Factor
As Americans consume media at an unprecedented rate, the one sin that cannot be countenanced is that of creating boredom. When the public tune out, the media house of cards begins to collapse. There are, undoubtedly, die-hard leftists determined to believe that this investigation will lead to the impeachment of the president, yet recent polling from Monmouth, Maris, and Quinnipiac all show that interest is waning rapidly.
Could this be due to the incredible length of the investigation? Or is there something a little more considered at play?
No Payouts!
The lack of an ending could be partly responsible for the sheer level of boredom in the public sphere, but it is more likely that Americans are switching off because they have already guessed the final page. Like any good mystery novel, the plot only captivates if you don’t know “Whodunnit!”
Mueller and his team have drip fed information through the press to keep popular interest going, yet we have received one clue too many. It is becoming more and more apparent that there will be neither grand revelations nor shock endings; in fact, it seems more and more likely that the investigation will conclude with a fizzle rather than a bang.
The Charges
Ostensibly, this investigation was set up to look into two things: the possibility of the Trump campaign colluding with Russian actors, and obstruction of justice with the firing of James Comey.
Mueller has already released reports stating that no Americans knowingly colluded with the “13 Russians” who attempted to sow discord in the 2016 elections. So, either he was wrong at that time, or he has nothing further of value (in terms of impacting the president) to add.
James Comey’s own notes state that he informed the president that he was not under investigation, so how could there be an attempt to obstruct justice? What has come to light, however, is that Comey or people under his direct control have been leaking like sieves… certainly a fireable offense.
Escape Plan
The only information we don’t already know (or can guess at), is how Robert Mueller is going to extricate himself from this situation. He is left with the hard choice of dedicating the rest of his life to pursuing an investigation that is going nowhere and has no interest to anyone (except Hillary Clinton), or trying to save his career and reputation by closing it all up in an adult fashion.
The left missed their chance with this. They failed to capitalize on the uncertainty and interest that used to exist; the force is spent, and they are left looking desperate. Perhaps the Democrats need a new hobby? Perhaps they could try being a functioning opposition government and respectable lawmakers instead?
