March 27, 2019--Methinks The Attorney General Doth Protest Too Much

In less than one page of William Barr's three-page letter (it is three pages of text and one page of addresses and signatures), he mentions three times that neither Trump nor members of the Trump campaign "conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities."

In the section of the letter, "Russian Interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election," the Attorney General obsessively drives home this conclusion. 

First mention--

"The Special Counsel's investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. As the report states: “[T]he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”

Second mention--

"As noted above, the Special Counsel did not find that any U.S. person or Trump campaign official or associate conspired or knowingly coordinated with the IRA in its efforts, although the Special Counsel brought criminal charges against a number of Russian nationals and entities in connection with these activities."

Third mention--

"But as noted above, the Special Counsel did not find that the Trump campaign, or anyone associated with it, conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in these efforts, despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign."

And then in the "Obstruction of Justice" section, the AG and his deputy, Ron Rosenstein, again in less than one page, repeat their questionable determination that Trump did not obstruct justice.

In both cases once was clearly not enough. Why might that be?

As with Hamlet's protesting mother the truth lies elsewhere than claimed.