It's been one week since special counsel Robert Mueller submitted his report on the investigation into Russian influence during the 2016 election. On this week's Friday Forum, WNIJ's Jenna Dooley talks with Matthew Dabros, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at Aurora University.
Dabros says the tension had been building for several weeks with word that the special counsel was nearing the end of the investigation.
"I noticed an alert on my phone that the Attorney General had provided a summary report to Congress," Dabros recalled. "And of course immediately I turned on the TV and went right to my social media accounts and onto the news on my phone to see what he had found."
But Dabros, like many, was hoping for a full release of Mueller's findings. So far, just a summary.
"I'm assuming that it's somewhat lengthy," Dabros said. "And so it's not surprising to me that Attorney General [William] Barr released a relatively straightforward, concise report as he continues to sift through the findings and determine what he can release to the public."
The summary concluded that Mueller and his team did not find evidence that President Trump's campaign conspired with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election.
For some, it has felt like a long time coming for the conclusion of the investigation. Dabros says there is precedent.
"Independent investigations involving special counsels, of course, are initiated when serious charges have been raised," Dabros noted. "One source that I consulted with concluded that the special counsel investigations since Watergate have typically lasted over 900 days."
From what he has seen, Dabros believes Mueller's work was thorough.
"It does not appear to me that the special counsel has been idle in his work," Dabros said. "However, because of the paucity of the information, I think it's important to reserve additional judgment until more details of the investigation and its scope are released."
Dabros says he is most interested in learning more about the methodology behind the investigation. For example, he wants to know what leads Mueller's and his team followed and what definitions they used in making their determinations.
"I don't have any reason to doubt what's contained in the summary report," Dabros said. "But I'd like to see how those conclusions were drawn."
Some citizens may be feeling headline fatigue over the ordeal. Dabros says that's understandable. But he believes there should be national interest. And it's a conversation he tries to bring into his classroom.
"Regardless how you felt about the election of President Trump, it really sparked interest in the whole process from students on both sides of the aisle," Dabros said. "The investigation centered on the legitimacy of our election process, a process that's at the heart of democracy."
Dabros says it's too early to tell whether the special counsel investigation will result in any policy changes.
For now, he says the challenge is to sift through the facts as they trickle in.
He offers some advice for news consumers.
"I've made it a point to obtain information about that investigation from outlets that generally differ sometimes substantially in their viewpoints," Dabros said. "My view is that consulting an ideologically diverse set of sources better permits myself to more fully understand and critically consider competing perspectives that have emerged since the 2016 presidential election."
Dabros is in favor of releasing the entire report in the spirit of transparency. Media reports indicate the findings could be released in a matter of weeks instead of months.
