Trump apologists are now running with the argument that there can be no obstruction of justice if we can’t find the underlying crime of conspiracy with the Russians. Setting aside for the moment that there is no law to support such a notion, let me suggest this very real possibility:

What if the reason Mueller didn’t find sufficient evidence of conspiracy was that Trump’s well-documented efforts to kill or stymie the investigation (pages 194 through 347 of the report) ended up working?

If so, we are left with the hall-of-mirrors conclusion that obstruction, if it is ultimately successful, is not a crime. Similarly, if you hide your victim’s body carefully enough, then it’s perfectly legal to hide it — and to get away with murder.