After spending two years perpetuating allegations that President Trump colluded with Russia to steal the 2016 election, news anchors were visibly shaken by the findings of Robert Mueller’s investigation.
From the time news broke on Friday that there would be no more forthcoming indictments from Mueller, to the revealing of Attorney General William Barr’s letter on Sunday exonerating Trump of collusion, cable news outlets were reckoning with their crumbling conspiracy theories in real time.
On MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Friday morning, host Mika Brzezinski became visibly confused as she read the breaking news off her teleprompter.
“ABC News citing sources familiar with the investigation reporting that no more indictments are coming from the special counsel,” she said. “The report also highlights a letter from Deputy Attorney general Rod Rosenstein, suggesting because the president has not been charged, he is unlikely to be condemned in Mueller’s report.”
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow was standing knee-deep in a stream, fishing for trout in Tennessee, when the news first broke. She dropped everything to get to a studio in Knoxville to broadcast the news she, and her viewers, had been waiting years to hear. A visibly emotional Maddow held back tears realizing it was not the news she had hoped for.
In terms of what the Mueller investigation’s conclusion means and what it found, we know only the smallest little bits. This is the start of something, apparently, not the end of something. pic.twitter.com/8NYatLnQfP
— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) March 23, 2019
At one point, Maddow seemed frustrated by Mueller’s actions.
An angry Chris Matthews, a primetime MSNBC host, shouted at his panel on Friday night, demanding to know why President Trump was not indicted for obstruction of justice, or ever interviewed by Mueller as part of the investigation.
“Why was there never an interrogation of this president? We were told for weeks by experts, ‘You cannot deal with an obstruction-of-justice charge or investigation without getting the motive.’ … How could they let Trump off the hook?” Matthews asked. “He will not be charged with obstruction of justice or collusion without having to sit down with the Special Counsel Mueller and answer his d-mn questions. How could that happen?”
Matthews also seemed angry that none of Trump’s children or “henchmen” were indicted.
“My G-d, we know about all of those meetings with Kislyak at the Republican convention in Cleveland. All these dots we’re now to believe don’t connect,” he said.
HBO’s “Real Time” host, Bill Maher, also seemed surprised at the lack of indictments. “Did the Democrats put too must trust in the Mueller report? Because I don’t need the Mueller report to know he’s a traitor. I have a TV,” Maher told his panel on Friday.
I don’t need the Mueller report to know Trump is a traitor. I have a TV. w/@RepSwalwell #SubpoenaMueller pic.twitter.com/gmaljGGBvn
— Bill Maher (@billmaher) March 23, 2019
By Saturday, Maher had joined the rest of the media establishment in goalpost-moving.
I'm over Mueller already. On to Javanka using private e mail/WhatsApp for official business – any other WH, this wld be a giant scandal, and by this I mean giving WH jobs to these two ninnies. What about Tiffany, does she have a boyfriend? Maybe he can run SpaceForce on Snapchat.
— Bill Maher (@billmaher) March 23, 2019
