Everyone caterwauling over Barr immediately "ending" Mueller probe: Remember Mueller's team has had months to prepare to be ousted/fired/shutdown. Idea that they'd be caught by surprise, without recourse, is absurd. If Mueller is wrapping up, he means to.

This is certainly correct. If Mueller were being shut down against his will, he would say something. This clearly reflects his professional judgment, not a nefarious conspiracy by Barr, Whitaker, or anyone else. As such, it is good news.


It means that to the extent Mueller believes answers are obtainable, he has gotten them.


It means that he is in a position to give his findings to Barr--and through Barr, to the Congress and the public.


Yes, there is a question about whether Barr will allow the transmission, but a precondition for that to happen is that Mueller finishes the investigation and reports his findings.


So it is in no sense a bad thing it Mueller is now finished. It is a moment we have been waiting for for the better part of two years--a moment we had good reason to worry would never come.


It is a moment of accountability.


It is a moment we should all welcome, whether we believe the president friend or fiend, whether we believe that there was "NO COLLUSION!" or whether we believe the president conspired with a foreign power.


An investigation is not a permanent state of affairs. It is an effort to answer questions.


I confess I am perplexed by how it can be over with so many apparently open threads--a subject I addressed today with @SykesCharlie on @BulwarkOnline podcast:
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-bulwark/e/58900763


That said, I trust Bob Mueller. I trust his staff. I trust the FBI personnel who conducted the investigation. And if they are comfortable referring ongoing matters back to DOJ, then I am comfortable with it too.


And if Mueller is ready to tell us he is done, I have not a shred of interest in the investigation's being prolonged a day longer than it needs to.


We may or may not have a fight on our hands to find out what Mueller has concluded. I'm happy for that to be the fight. It means that Mueller has apparently gotten to finish his probe to his satisfaction. That's a huge win. And we should pause a moment to value it.


That's all I got.