McConnell Says 'Case Closed,' But is It?

The two-word Republican mantra has changed from “no collusion” to “case closed.” This morning, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) expounded on the congressional Republican near-consensus.With the conclusion of the special counsel investigation, congressional Republicans believe it’s time to move on. McConnell quoted the primary conclusion of the Mueller Report, that “the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.” McConnell referred to the Democratic Party’s repetitious questioning of the 2016 election results as a kind of “Groundhog Day spectacle.” That’s because the opposition party was busy going through the “five stages of grief.”The meat of the speech focused on former President Barack Obama’s record in office and advocating that the United States take a harder line against Russia. McConnell gave freshman Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) a pat on the back for his well-tread admonishment of Obama’s treatment of Russian-American relations during a 2012 presidential debate. This is odd, since the same Senator Romney referred to his own reaction to the Mueller Report’s conclusions as “sickened at the extent and pervasiveness of dishonesty and misdirection by individuals…including the president.” According to the Senate majority leader, Obama’s approach “could have used more Ronald Reagan, and less Jimmy Carter.”