Look out there, Mr. Mueller

As the top G-Man in the United States for a dozen years, former FBI Director Robert Mueller knows how to watch his back. And he’s doubtless keeping an eye out these days as he probes the Russians’ manipulation of the 2016 election and the possible connections of President Trump, members of his family and some of his advisers with Vladimir Putin, the spy who came in from the cold and went to the top in the Kremlin.

It was only a matter of time until some in Congress, perhaps seeking favor with an embattled president, started to go after Mueller, a very serious man with very serious credentials who has made a significant plea deal with Michael Flynn, the retired general forced from his position as national security adviser as his foreign money-making connections became more known.

Now, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has had to defend Mueller before Congress after a couple of senior FBI officials’ texts showed them to have disparaged the president. That was wrong, but it doesn’t mean Mueller’s credibility has been diminished. It’s to be expected that in an investigation of this size, there would be some political leanings or views among some people connected to it. So what? The facts are the facts are the facts, and the investigation’s overall credibility will hang on those.

Beware harsh partisans in the GOP ranks in Congress who are shocked, shocked they say, that political views would be held by some in the weeds of this investigation. Republicans were not so disturbed that Kenneth Starr’s hell-for-leather pursuit of President Bill Clinton was infected with partisanship from top to bottom. It’s just about the truth, they said. So is this.

This story was originally published December 19, 2017 at 9:59 AM with the headline "Look out there, Mr. Mueller."