President Donald Trump gestures while speaking at a Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride event in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, April 18, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

MOULTRIE, Ga. — The Moultrie Observer posted to its website Thursday earlier versions of two stories about the release of Robert Mueller’s report (click the links at left to read the updated versions of those stories). Both stories were linked to our Facebook page, which drew more than 30 comments.

Most of the commenters supported the president, and many of the messages came from people who had watched Attorney General William Barr’s briefing on the report. Of those, many were incensed because the Associated Press articles we posted did not agree with the message Barr presented.

“That’s why I don’t get the paper,” Linda Lord wrote. “I listened also and I know what was said.”

The difference between the two versions may have come from the Associated Press reporter reading the actual Mueller report while the commenters were basing their opinions on Barr’s interpretation of it. If you’d like to compare them, a link at left will let you read Barr’s statement, and the contents of the redacted Mueller report can be read here:

Many commenters, including Lord, thought the difference was because of political bias, though.

“I am just tired of our president being put down for trying to do what’s right for America,” she told The Observer after we reached out to her for further comment.

Mueller was assigned to investigate the circumstances of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Since Donald Trump won that election, the most important question was whether Trump or anyone on his staff colluded with the foreign government to sway the results.

Barr released that answer — no — in a summary of Mueller’s report in March.

With the release of the full (but redacted) report Thursday, the AP reporter focused on the question of whether Trump obstructed justice, which Barr’s summary said Mueller had shied away from answering. Commenters on The Observer’s Facebook page thought the AP’s focus was wrong.

“No collusion,” wrote Deatrice Fountain. “The entire investigation based on unverified opposition research paid for by the Hillary campaign. The whole thing was a witch-hunt. Shameful!”

Contacted for more information, Fountain said, “President Trump had the authority to fire Mueller at any time for any reason, and I believe he should have fired him. If Mueller was doing his job in good faith, he would have issued a report clearing President Trump of collusion in just a few weeks. He knew almost immediately that the Steele Dossier was fabricated and that there was no collusion. He would have saved this country from the expense and turmoil this phony investigation has caused.”

Linda Touchton Pettyjohn agreed.

“He said [neither] the President or anyone in his campaign did anything to work with Russia,” she wrote. “They tried but were turned down.

“Barr will meet with Congress if they want. I feel like he is an honorable man. I’ve read some of the report and I think people should take at his word.”

Gene Barton even raised the question of whether Russian interference was necessarily wrong.

“Our country tries to get the elections in other countries to favor our agenda,” he wrote. “Why would Russia be any different?

“Putin wanted Trump to be elected … so what? Russia never influenced my vote. Did they yours? And they say they had damaging info on Hillary and the Clintons. Of course, but what did you ever hear of it?”

In a separate post, Barton wrote, “I read the report. Why wouldn’t Trump want to discourage a bipartisan witchhunt? He wanted to go to work, with no pay, to M.A.G.A. [Make America Great Again]. He didn’t need Russia to be elected. We the people voted him in … not Russia.”

When reached for further comment, Barton identified the AP story as another in a long line of anti-Trump reporting.

“My opinion is that the majority of news organizations have bashed Trump without giving him a fair chance to show what he is capable of doing to help this country,” Barton said. “I am very disappointed in all of the news outlets and late night talk shows. Just give him a chance. You don’t have to like him.

“I didn’t like Obama, but I supported him as my president.”