MSNBC host Chris Matthews blasted Special Counsel Robert Mueller Friday night after his report recommended no new indictments against President Donald Trump or his associates.
Matthews was visibly angry during a conversation with his panel as they discussed past indictments and the investigation that has lasted about two years. He brought up the infamous Trump Tower meeting and the multiple meetings with Sergei Kislyak, the Russia ambassador to the United States, at the Republican National Convention in 2016.
"All these dots we are now to believe don't connect," Matthews said.
"Well, that's the conclusion in front of us, Chris. All that stuff was suggested. It didn't prove anything. In fact, the Trump Tower meeting, my reporting tells me was a bust. They didn't actually hand over any incriminating information," NBC reporter Ken Dilanian said. "What it showed is that Donald Trump Jr. was willing to accept help, but we saw no evidence that they actually accepted help—hacked emails or analytical stuff, all that stuff. It never panned out."
Matthews went on to sternly ask why there wasn't an interrogation of Trump and added, "How can they let Trump off the hook?"
"So far tonight, we have no reason to believe Trump is going to be charged by rhetoric in a document itself in the Mueller report," Matthews said. "He will not be charged with obstruction or collusion, without ever having to sit down with the special counsel Mueller and answer his damn questions. How can that happen?"
Dilanian agreed with Matthews's frustration over the Mueller report, noting Mueller spoke with Bill Clinton and the FBI spoke with Hillary Clinton. He went on to say his only conclusion was Trump transmitted to Mueller that he would use the Fifth Amendment right not to testify and that Mueller believed it wasn't worth the subpoena fight. That would likely have led to delaying the investigation several months.
Dilanian questioned whether this was the right thing to do.
"You could argue he should have done it anyway. Mueller should have sent the subpoena to stand on principle to show that he took that extra step. He chose not to do that," Dilanian said.
Matthews has repeatedly praised Mueller in the past and predicted back in December that Trump would resign soon as part of a deal with Mueller to save himself, Donald Trump Jr., and Ivanka Trump from being prosecuted.