Collusion, illusion, and delusion

What Mueller is looking for, and why it matters

EDITORIAL NOTE: This article was originally published on December 22, 2018, three weeks before the New York Times broke the news that the FBI opened a counterintelligence investigation of Donald Trump.

The 2016 election, which polarized the country with harsher and more partisan rhetoric than at any point in recent memory, spilled over into a public discourse that has seen unprecedented division become the status quo. As 2018 draws to a close, fierce contention over the multiple ongoing investigations of the Trump organization, campaign, and administration continue, seemingly with a life all their own.

As divided as the American public has become, one thing is certain: the public fervor circling the presidency of Donald Trump is unlikely to end quietly. History will almost certainly record this period with pointed commentary; where Americans differ is in expectations of what that commentary will look like. To a small but vocal group of Americans, it seems clear that history books will one day read something like this:

“The bombshell election of businessman and icon Donald Trump resulted in widespread opposition from the political establishment of both parties. Despite boasting generally positive economic growth and strides in foreign policy, Trump’s…