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"Nothing to see here, folks -- move along," three Michigan Republicans say, in effect, about Topic A on Thursday in the city where they work, they state they represent and everywhere else.
Across the aisle, early reactions to the 448-page Mueller Report are just as consistent.
"Are we forgetting obstruction of justice is still a crime?" tweets Rep. Brenda Lawrence of Southfield. "I believe that special counsel [Robert] Mueller should testify publicly," posts Sen. Gary Peters.
Rep. Dan Kildee, a Democrat from Flint Township, posts a five-tweet thread. "It’s clear that prior to its release, the Attorney General inappropriately cherry-picked select passages to present a more flattering portrayal of @realDonaldTrump, his campaign and administration officials," he begins.
The report, Kildee continues, "lays out evidence that [Trump] attempted to 'curtail the Special Counsel’s investigation and prevent the disclosure of evidence.'"
Party colleague Andy Levin of Bloomfield Township reacts with a literary flourish: "The Mueller Report reveals that the president’s behaviors sundered the fabric of our democracy and subverted the rule of law." He expands in a five-paragraph statement.
A Republican from Lenawee County sees things differently:
Now it’s time to move on from this two-year distraction and get down to the serious work of governing and addressing real issues.
— Rep Tim Walberg (@RepWalberg) April 18, 2019
Reps. Elissa Slotkin, a Democratic newcomer from Holly, and party colleague Debbie Dingell of Dearborn each tweet that their comments will await a full reading and reflection. Dingell adds: "It would be useful for Mueller to testify so that we can actually hear directly from the Special Counsel, not have others interpret his findings."
Sen. Peters also says on social media: "I will review the report carefully and look closely at what is included and what is withheld."
Rep. Fred Upton, a Republican from Kalamazoo, also will "take time to review it." In the meantime, he gives a hat tip to the special counsel: "We appreciate Robert Mueller’s thorough investigation."
Two other GOP congressmen, Jack Bergman and Paul Mitchell, are pleased with what they skimmed or heard by early afternoon.
"The findings of no collusion in the 2016 election should bring a sense of peace to all Americans," Bergmnan of the Upper Peninsula says in a five-sentence statement posted around 2 p.m. "With this chapter now behind us, I look forward to continuing my work with President Donald Trump."
In his six-sentence reaction, Rep. Mitchell of Lapeer County says the special counsel "reinforces what I and many others have said all along – there was no collusion between members of the Trump campaign or any American and Russia."
He suggests "a thorough investigation of the way this investigation began – surveillance of American citizens and a political campaign predicated on political opposition research. No one in our nation should have their constitutional rights violated on political grounds."
Earlier, as Attorney General William Barr held a briefing before issuing a version of the report with blacked-out sections, Michigan's senior senator tweeted:
A two-year independent investigation into Russian election meddling produced the MUELLER report not the BARR report. Mr. Barr is not President Trump’s private attorney. He is Attorney General for the American people! It’s time to release the full report!
— Sen. Debbie Stabenow (@SenStabenow) April 18, 2019
Rep. Lawrence mocks Barr's partial version of the special counsel's findings:
Let’s define “lightly redacted” pic.twitter.com/sCF9WudaCM
— Brenda Lawrence (@RepLawrence) April 18, 2019
Another Democrat, Rashida Tlaib of Detroit, endorses a House Judiciary Committee request for Mueller's public testimony:
I fully support this in the wake of AG Barr’s shameful display of hyper-partisanship not only this morning but since assuming office. After a two-year investigation that cost over $25M, Americans deserve nothing less than to hear from Mueller directly and the full #MuellerReport. https://t.co/qYmdd3RJzY
— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) April 18, 2019
