In Our View: U.S. must emerge from trying time, strengthen

Wednesday’s congressional testimony by Special Counsel Robert Mueller is unlikely to change anybody’s mind about President Trump’s actions regarding Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Mueller appeared in a pair of three-hour hearings before the House Judiciary Committee and the Permanent Subcommittee on Intelligence, providing a day of testimony that was short on both substance and style.

Trump supporters could read into the proceedings that there was confirmation the president is the victim of a witch hunt; Trump critics could surmise that there are clear grounds for impeachment. Either conclusion reflects a severe case of confirmation bias. As Vox.com wrote: “With only a couple of exceptions, Democrats failed to get big-ticket moments or even notable responses. Republicans embarrassed themselves by badgering Mueller with … fever-swamp conspiracy theories. … There were, in short, no real winners from Mueller’s day on Capitol Hill.”

By one count, Mueller deflected or declined to answer questions 198 times, typically saying only that he stands by the report his team submitted to Attorney General William Barr in March, following a two-year investigation. That points out the real lesson from Wednesday’s spectacle: Trump supporters and critics alike should read the 448-page report from an investigation into one of the most significant political scandals in American history.

Reading the report should be regarded as nothing less than a patriotic duty for all Americans. In an age when breathless commentary on cable networks too often is regarded as an adequate substitute for information, American voters are all too willing to allow the national conversation to be dominated by sound bites that obfuscate public discourse. It is a sad state of affairs that diminishes our democracy and threatens the very future of the nation.

George Bernard Shaw once wrote, “Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.” Inattention to our democracy, through a reluctance to vote or by allowing important discussions to be distilled into partisan talking points, has delivered to us the government we deserve. Unfortunately.

Consider the issue from President Trump’s position. If he indeed is the victim of a witch hunt, a conspiracy among the intelligence community and entrenched political officials determined to undermine his presidency, it represents a threat to a system that has stood steadfastly for more than 200 years.

Or consider the issue from the viewpoint of Trump’s critics. If he ignored or even welcomed attempts by a foreign power to influence the election of an American president, the threat is equally dire.

In truth, we wish the president two years ago had said something along the lines of “these are serious accusations and we must learn all the facts to preserve our democracy.” Alas, that is not Trump’s style — for better or worse. But the situation calls for all Americans to go beyond the rhetoric that clouds the issue and represents existential danger to our republic.

That is the essential takeaway from Wednesday’s testimony by Robert Mueller. That is the lasting lesson that will allow Americans to emerge from a trying time with the resolve necessary to strengthen our nation and the foundation upon which it rests.

The Mueller Report should be required reading for all Americans who recognize that U.S. democracy is more important than a single president or a single political party, and that such democracy requires care and attention.