The Mueller report is now in the hands of Attorney General William Barr and the early reaction both inside the White House and from analysts is that things are looking good for the Trump administration — especially because Special Counsel Robert Mueller is not recommending any further indictments as a result of the nearly two-year investigation.
CNN legal expert Jeffrey Toobin said the lack of indictments is "unambiguously good news" for the White House.
Jeffrey Toobin: "The fact that they are not indicted and are not going to be indicted by Robert Mueller and his grand jury is unambiguously good news for them... I think the sort of swirl of suspicion is not really justified." https://t.co/o1ktFDHvtR pic.twitter.com/rbx82xzxUu
— CNN (@CNN) March 23, 2019
MSNBC's Chris Matthews, meanwhile, expressed incredulity that the investigation concluded without Mueller directly interviewing Trump, though NBC News reporter Ken Dilanian explained that Trump likely would have invoked the Fifth Amendment regardless.
CBS News' Major Garrett reported that Trump's attorneys also are expecting the investigation to end in the president's favor.
"The special counsel's office is essentially shuttered and they believe not only legally, but importantly politically, the president will be found to be largely, if not completely in the clear," Garret said.
CNN's Jim Acosta likewise reported that the White House was celebrating the news "quietly," but "with a fair amount of glee." Acosta said a Trump campaign adviser told him, "This was a great day for America and we won."
The White House is "celebrating quietly tonight," CNN's Jim @Acosta tells @andersoncooper. "They are responding to this news there are no new indictments in this Mueller report ... with a fair amount of glee." https://t.co/qpLiZwBfWc pic.twitter.com/ZQyAX7EBeI
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) March 23, 2019
