OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An Oklahoma couple has been giving away free copies of the investigative report on Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election to encourage civic engagement among their neighbors.
The Department of Justice appointed special counsel Robert Mueller in May 2017 to investigate President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia’s influence on the election. Nearly two years later, the long-anticipated probe conclusion, known as the Mueller report , was released in April. It found there was no collusion with Russia, but it did not exonerate the president of any crime.
Nick and Louise Brooke of Oklahoma City aren’t ready to let that go, leading them to begin the informational effort.
“I don’t want to convince you of anything,” Louise Brooke told the Oklahoman. “I just want you to read this for yourself. Americans are smart.”
Since July, the couple has disseminated more than 60 copies of the Mueller report, which people picked up from the Mueller report-designated mailbox.
The white mailbox decorated with an American flag above the words “MUELLER BOX” in black block letters is also stuffed with voter registration forms. A sign below the mailbox reads, “READ THE REPORT & DECIDE FOR YOURSELF.”
“For all the reporting, there’s not a lot of understanding about what’s in the report,” said Nick Brooke, who’s a data analyst by trade. He added that the giveaway has helped him cope with Trump’s presidency.
“It’s cheaper than therapy and more effective,” he said.
The Brookes place a note in each copy, in which they thank neighbors for their interest in the report. They also encourage readers to pass it along to friends or return it to their mailbox. The couple also includes their email addresses and listings of places where readers can register to vote.
“Yours in citizenship,” the note says.
At first it was mostly Democrats who picked up the free reports, the couple said. But Trump supporters have started to drop by, taking the reports and having good-natured discussions with the Brookes.
Republicans have dominated Oklahoma politics for the last two decades and steadily increased their grip on the state Legislature, statewide elected offices and seats in Congress. But Democrats have found some success in the state recently, particularly in suburban areas around Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
Last November, a Democratic attorney pulled off one of the midterm elections’ biggest upsets, snatching a congressional seat in Oklahoma City from a GOP incumbent that Republicans had held for four decades.
Nick Brooke said he and his wife are aware that Mueller’s probe wasn’t going to “save” them from Trump’s presidency.
“We certainly had a couple pieces of news that we thought would break this,” Nick Brooke said. “Now we realize we’re in it for the slog.”
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Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com
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