Trump's efforts to obstruct fell flat because people wouldn’t carry out his corrupt orders: Mueller report

The case against President Donald Trump's obstruction of justice would have been easier if it wasn't for his staff being too ignorant to figure it out, according to the special counsel's report.

Robert Mueller explained that Trump's demands for his staff to undermine the investigation either were ignored or bungled.

“The President’s efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surrounded the President declined to carry out orders or accede to his requests," the report says.

The examples of demands by Trump were telling former FBI Director James Comey to "let it go" on the Michael Flynn investigation. Former White House Counsel Don McGahn was told to tell the Acting Attorney General that Mueller must be removed, "but was instead prepared to resign over the President's order."

Corey "Lewandowski and [Rick] Dearborn did not deliver the President's message to [Jeff] Sessions that he should confine the Russia investigation to future election meddling only," the report continued. "And McGahn refused to recede from his recollections about events surrounding the President's direction to have the Special Counsel removed, despite the President's multiple demands that he do so. Consistent with that pattern, the evidence we obtained would not support potential obstruction charges against President's aides and associates beyond those already filed."

As CNN legal analyst Laura Coates pointed out, the "intent" to obstruct justice is enough to file charges. It's clear the staff did not, but Trump intended to.

Read the full excerpt in the screen capture below: