Liz Zito is a multimedia artist so immersed in the Mueller Report that she wrote fan fiction to fill in the parts that were redacted by the Justice Department. When she worried that other Americans didn't know about the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller, she found her own way to make them accessible: A "performative reading" in downtown Manhattan.
"When you deliver a comedic performance, you want people to laugh at all the jokes, but a lot of positive feedback from that night came from people learning what was actually in the report and how manipulated we all were-are as world citizens," Zito says of her June 13 show at the gallery 601 Artspace.
First made public in April, the Mueller report detailing the results of the two-year investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia is no longer just a book or a document to read online. It is a work of theater and other art forms, and a touchstone for Donald Trump opponents seeking to highlight his alleged misconduct, including possible attempts by the president to impede or halt the investigation.
Over the past month, there have been readings in New York, Washington and elsewhere. A San Diego-based publisher, IDW, is planning a graphic novel and at least one musical act, Electric Parrot, has named a song after it.
On Monday night, an all-star reading from New York City's Riverside Church featured John Lithgow, Annette Bening and others. The event was presented and livestreamed by Law Works, which identifies itself as a bipartisan organization that advocates for the rule of law.
"If Americans aren't going to read the report, we wanted to help them watch it," says Law Works executive director David Wade. "We've found that once Americans learn the facts, their concerns skyrocket."
The 448-page report has sold hundreds of thousands of copies in book form even though it can be downloaded for free from the Justice Department's web site (https://www.justice.gov/storage/report.pdf). But according to a CNN poll released in May, three-quarters of the respondents said they had not read it.
From the start, the Mueller Report has been treated like a work of interpretative art. As Mueller and his team were reviewing documents and interviewing Trump's associates, Trump and his supporters repeatedly called it a "WITCH HUNT." Opponents, meanwhile, speculated that the report's findings would prove so devastating that the president would be forced out of office.
Ultimately, Mueller found the Russians had interfered with the 2016 election, but decided there was no evidence that the Trump campaign had conspired with Russia. In reviewing whether Trump obstructed justice, however, Mueller wrote that while "this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." He also noted that a sitting president cannot be charged.
Mueller's refusal to reach a conclusion on criminal obstruction opened the door for Attorney General William Barr to clear Trump, who in turn has cited the attorney general's finding as proof of his innocence. Last month, Mueller declared publicly that his Russia report did not exonerate Trump, and reiterated that charging the sitting president was not an option because of federal rules.
One of the first Mueller readings happened early this month, the 24-hour "Filibustered and Unfiltered: America Reads the Mueller Report," at the New York City venue The Arc. The idea was spontaneous, director Jackson Gay said. Soon after the report came out, she jokingly posted on Facebook that maybe she should stage a reading. The response was so enthusiastic that she found it "impossible not to go ahead." Gay says she has since heard from organizations all around the country, from Richmond, Virginia, to Seattle. She's even putting together a how-to booklet, with advice ranging from securing rights to film the actors to renting chairs.
"What's beautiful about all of the readings is that you're allowing people to come and make up their own minds," she says. "We encourage the performers to read the report as straightforwardly as possible. If somebody gets up there and comments on it than they're really no better than the talking heads on TV."
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TRUMP TRIAL OPENING-AP EXPLAINS — Opening statements in Donald Trump’s hush money trial set the stage for weeks of testimony about the former president’s personal life and places his legal troubles at the center of his closely contested campaign against President Joe Biden. An AP reporter debrief. Newsroom Ready and Consumer Ready edits.
BIDEN-EARTH DAY — President Joe Biden marked Earth Day by announcing $7 billion in federal grants for residential solar projects serving households in low- and middle-income communities — while blasting Republicans who want to gut his policies to address climate change. Newsroom Ready and Consumer Ready edits.
President Joe Biden campaigns in Tampa, Florida. Events at 3 p.m. and 4:15 p.m.
++ Candidate schedules are subject to change. Coverage of some events is on merits. ++
7 a.m. — Live NY Trump Pool coverage outside of Trump Tower in New York is planned.
8:30 a.m. — Live NY Trump Pool or Live AP coverage outside of the courthouse in New York is planned.
9 a.m. — Live pool coverage from the courthouse hallway in New York is planned.
4:15 p.m. — Live US Network Pool of President Joe Biden’s campaign event in Tampa, Florida.
TRUMP-HUSH-MONEY-MEDIA-BLOGS — With cameras not allowed at former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial in New York, live news blogs are coming into their own as an important news tool. SENT: 710 words, photos.
TRUMP-HUSH MONEY — A longtime tabloid publisher is expected to tell jurors about his efforts to help Donald Trump stifle unflattering stories during the 2016 campaign as testimony resumes in the historic hush money trial of the former president. David Pecker, the former National Enquirer publisher, will be back on the stand Tuesday. SENT: 1,160 words, photos, video. UPCOMING: 1,200 words after trial resumes at 9:30 a.m.
ELECTION 2024-TRUMP-ELECTION INTERFERENCE — Donald Trump faces serious charges in two separate cases over whether he attempted to subvert the Constitution by overturning the results of a fair election. Yet it’s a New York case centered on payments to silence an adult film star that might provide the only legal reckoning this year. Some legal experts are dubious about attempting to tie a record-keeping case to manipulating an election. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
SUPREME COURT-TRUMP-CAPITOL RIOT-THINGS TO KNOW — The core issue being debated before the Supreme Court on Thursday boils down to this: Whether a former president is immune from prosecution for actions taken while in office — and, if so, what is the extent of the immunity? SENT: 1,070 words, photo.
ELECTION 2024-PENNSYLVANIA — Pennsylvania primaries on Tuesday will cement the lineup for a high-stakes U.S. Senate race between Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican challenger David McCormick. Joe Biden and Donald Trump are expected to win their presidential nominations easily. SENT: 890 words, photos. Polls close at 8 p.m.
ELECTION 2024-BIDEN-ABORTION — President Joe Biden is heading to Tampa, Florida, to decry the state’s looming six-week abortion ban as his campaign continued to seize on reproductive rights as a key campaign issue. SENT: 890 words, photos, video.
TRUMP-HUSH MONEY — Donald Trump tried to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election by preventing damaging stories about his personal life from becoming public, a prosecutor told jurors at the start of the former president’s historic hush money trial. SENT: 1,270 words, photos, video. With TRUMP-HUSH MONEY-TAKEAWAYS — Opening statements provide a clear roadmap of how prosecutors will try to make the case that Trump broke the law, and how the defense plans to fight the charges.
BIDEN-EARTH DAY — President Joe Biden marked Earth Day by announcing $7 billion in federal grants for residential solar projects serving 900,000-plus households in low- and middle-income communities — while criticizing Republicans who want to gut his policies to address climate change. SENT: 860 words, photos.
Tue., April 23 — Pennsylvania presidential primary.
Sun., April 28 — Puerto Rico Democratic presidential primary.
May 7 — Indiana presidential primary.
May 14 — Maryland presidential primary, Nebraska presidential primary and West Virginia presidential primary.
May 21 — California 20th Congressional District special election, Kentucky presidential primary, Oregon presidential primary.
For coverage and planning questions, the Nerve Center can be reached at +1 800 845 8450 (ext. 1600). For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call +1 844 777 2006.
Former president Donald Trump, center, awaits the start of proceedings at Manhattan criminal court, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. Opening statements in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial are set to begin. Trump is accused of falsifying internal business records as part of an alleged scheme to bury stories he thought might hurt his presidential campaign in 2016. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)
