Mueller revisionism, and the culpability of the press

Under a presidency that, perhaps more than any in recent memory, tends to be rendered in starkly moralistic terms, there is perhaps no better case study of the rise-and-fall character arc than Robert Mueller. Where the right always hated Mueller’s probe into Trump, Russia, and the 2016 campaign, liberals once lionized him—sticking his rumpled face on everything from protest placards to prayer candles—and many members of the mainstream press cast him as a redoubt of institutional rectitude in a world gone mad. All of this, of course, was projection. Amid the frenzied interest in his character and his investigation, Mueller worked in complete silence. These days, he’s seen differently. His report, which failed to dent Trump politically, is now viewed, in many quarters, as a tragically missed opportunity; with the passage of time, Mueller’s by-the-book stoicism has come to look less heroic, and more like witlessness. Over the summer, Jeffrey Toobin outlined the bones of such a case in a book and New Yorker article. Toobin argues that Mueller failed in two defining respects: he did not issue a subpoena for Trump’s testimony, and he refused to state, one way or another, whether he’d found prosecutable evidence that Trump obstructed justice. (Mueller’s office agreed to abide by a Justice Department rule that a sitting president can’t be indicted; Mueller felt that accusing Trump of crimes would be unfair since Trump wouldn’t have the chance to defend himself in court.) The... Continue reading at 'Columbia Journalism Review'

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-09-23 12:32:09 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Mueller revisionism, and the culpability of the press"


This Reese’s Book Club Book is a Train Wreck

This bestseller could have faded into obscurity, but it collected accolades with an entertaining story and sharp social commentary. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2025-06-10 12:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Everand Acquires Online Book Club Platform Fable

Everand, the online e-book and audiobook subscription service and subsidiary of Scribd, has acquired the social reading and book club app Fable, which has three million users and hosts more than 100,000 book clubs. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-06-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Best Book Club Books of May

There's the latest novel by poet Ocean Vuong, an indie, coming-of-middle-age Indigenous tale, a look at the cost of patriarchy, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2025-06-03 12:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Club: Read ‘Mrs. Dalloway,’ by Virginia Woolf, with the Book Review

In June, the Book Review Book Club will read and discuss “Mrs. Dalloway,” Virginia Woolf’s classic novel about one day in the life of an London woman in 1923. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2025-05-30 14:16:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Trump's Administration Wants to Erase Queer History. An Unconventional Book Club Is Fighting Back

Drag Race star Miss Peppermint is coleading Queer History 101, a virtual book club merging stories of queer resistance with community. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2025-05-30 10:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Martha Hall Kelly: On Personal History Inspiring Historical Fiction

In this interview, author Martha Hall Kelly discusses how a reading recommendation planted the creative seed for her new book of historical fiction, The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club. The post Martha Hall Kelly: On Personal History Inspiring Historical Fiction appeared first on Writer's... Continue reading at Writer's Digest

[ Writer's Digest | 2025-05-25 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


This Week’s Bestsellers: May 26, 2025

Ocean Vuong’s second novel, The Emperor of Gladness, debuts at #2 on our hardcover fiction list and is the newest Oprah’s Book Club pick. Plus Kennedy Ryan’s third Skyland romance, Can’t Get Enough, lands at #2 on our trade paperback list, and Joe Abercrombie lightens his usual grimdark fare... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-05-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Actually, It’s Ok to Steal Your Ideas. Sort Of… (Or: Learning to Love My Literary Influences)

Last month I found myself on a Zoom call with the members of a book club who’d read my debut novel; truly, a bucket list moment in my writing life. Near the end of the call, someone asked the question I suspect every fiction writer gets at some point: Where do you get ideas from? Simple, […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2025-05-19 08:58:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Keep Your Book Club Fresh With These Book Club Accessories

Get into these cute totes, pretty notebooks, and helpful guides that will make your book club run smoothly and get members hype Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2025-05-12 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Hinge Drops a Romance Anthology to Help Gen Z Believe in Love Again

Hinge created an anthology of real love stories that will run on Substack and as a physical book. Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2025-05-12 08:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Riot’s Deals of the Day for May 10, 2025

A Zora Neale Hurston classic, an award-winning YA, a Reese Witherspoon book club pick, domestic suspense, and more of today's best book deals Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2025-05-10 11:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


12 Book Club Picks For May 2025

Get ready for a literary dystopian centering books, Beyoncé's mom's memoir, a novel with a comp to Barry Jenkins's Moonlight, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2025-05-06 10:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Publisher behind hit bilingual poetry book on A470 turns to Welsh rivers

Arachne Press says Afonydd (Rivers) was inspired by success of A470: Poems for the Road/Cerddi’r FforddIts volume of bilingual poetry celebrating the A470 road, which zigzags through Wales, proved a surprise hit.Inspired by the success, an independent publisher is releasing another anthology in... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2025-05-05 10:17:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Riot’s Deals of the Day for May 4, 2025

Ta-Nehisi Coates bestselling, a romantic debut fantasy based on Chinese mythology, A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick, and more of the best deals of the day Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2025-05-04 11:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Best Book Club Books of April

There's a new, mystery-soaked romance by Emily Henry, generations-spanning historical fiction by Morgan Jenkins, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2025-04-29 12:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


At 13, Charlotte Brontë Already Knew How Good a Writer She Would Be

An anthology of her teenage poetry, published for the first time, shows ambition, even if the verse isn’t perfect. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2025-04-25 19:47:37 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Club: Read ‘The Safekeep,’ by Yael van der Wouden, With the Book Review

In May, the Book Review Book Club will read and discuss “The Safekeep,” Yael van der Wouden’s novel about a woman wrapped up in a historical drama and a forbidden romance. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2025-04-25 14:00:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this