Mueller report indicts Russia. Will Trump protect the 2020 election against Putin?

Much of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election was focused, appropriately, on what crimes or impeachable offenses might have been committed.

But part of Mueller’s mission was purely about finding facts on Russia's disinformation campaign. Now Americans have them.

The Mueller report, released last Thursday, concludes that Russia’s interference in the election was “sweeping and systematic.” This wasn't mere "meddling," as it is often called. This was information warfare against America's democracy.

The report, building on previously released indictments, details the hacking and leaking of emails designed to embarrass Democrats. It also details the works of a Russian organization, called the Internet Research Agency (IRA), that peppered social media with materials designed to exploit divisions within American society. 

As the campaign went on, the Russian effort evolved into one designed to favor Donald Trump and disparage Hillary Clinton. In fact, the IRA went so far as to organize pro-Trump rallies. Trying to gauge whether any of this was enough to sway the outcome is a fool’s errand. But what is clear from the report is that Russia is no friend of democracy or the United States.