Special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE appeared alone and refused to take questions at a press conference Wednesday — his first public appearance since the launch of his investigation. His report and the indictments, Mueller stressed, speak for themselves.

Mueller brought to mind Marshal Will Kane, the terse, laconic character played by Gary Cooper in the classic 1952 western movie “High Noon.” Kane is the only man in the town of Hadleyville willing to fight a band of murderous gunmen. He writes his last will and testament and walks alone into the street to face the outlaws.

That was the quintessence of Mueller’s tight-lipped press appearance. Like Marshall Kane after the outlaws had been killed, Mueller threw down his tin badge and moved on.

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Much of the buzz after the conference concerned Mueller’s statement about his obstruction findings: “If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so.”

Actually, I think Mueller went out of his way to direct the public to a different section of his report, which described, as he said yesterday, Russia’s “concerted attack on our political system.” He even ended the press conference by saying, “And I will close by reiterating the central allegation of our indictments — that there were multiple, systematic efforts to interfere in our election. And that allegation deserves the attention of every American.”

Mueller was telling Americans: Don’t get so consumed with obstruction and impeachment that you lose sight of the 2016 electoral Pearl Harbor that Russia tried to inflict on the United States and for all we know, succeeded in accomplishing — and thus changed American history. The Russian interference, as Mueller stressed, “was designed and timed to interfere with our election and to damage a presidential candidate.”

For self-serving political reasons, both President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE and Democrats heard in the Mueller press conference what they wanted to hear — and it had nothing to do with Mueller’s key point.

Trump, who is galactically insecure about his electoral legitimacy, has repeatedly denied or doubted that the Russians interfered in the 2016 election. According to press reports, White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney Mick MulvaneyOn The Money: House panel pulls Powell into partisan battles | New York considers hiking taxes on the rich | Treasury: Trump's payroll tax deferral won't hurt Social Security Blockchain trade group names Mick Mulvaney to board Mick Mulvaney to start hedge fund MORE told aides not even to mention Russian interference in front of the president. Trump’s comment on the Mueller press conference was “case closed.”

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Think about it: Russia systematically attacked the infrastructure of our democracy, yet the attitude of the president is that it “never happened.”

The Democrats have become impeachment-obsessed, whether they are for or against it. When did you last hear the impeachment-cautious House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiHoyer: House should vote on COVID-19 aid — with or without a bipartisan deal Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in repose at Supreme Court McCarthy threatens motion to oust Pelosi if she moves forward with impeachment MORE (D-Calif.) or impeachment-firebrands talk about Russian interference?

Impeachment should be a nonstarter for Democrats because Trump will be acquitted in the Senate. Yet, many Democratic presidential candidates, citing Mueller’s tone and emphasis, acted as though the special counsel had just sent them an engraved, embossed invitation to commence impeachment proceedings. In reality all he had done was to repeat what was in his report and note “the work speaks for itself.” Apparently, the momentous decision to impeach will turn on Mueller’s vocal inflections.

Democrats would rather tilt at impeachment windmills than expend time and political capital alerting the public to the ongoing threat of a Russian electoral attack and on hardening our defenses.

It remains to be seen whether Mueller’s emphasis on Russia’s interference in the 2016 election will get the “attention” of “every” American but the results to date have not been encouraging. While polls suggest that a majority of Americans believe that Russia interfered on Trump’s behalf in the election, only about one-third of Republicans hold that view. Given Trump’s slavish devotion to his base, Mueller should have said, “That allegation deserves the attention of every Republican,” although it’s unlikely to ever get it.

Here’s another parallel to “High Noon.” Mueller didn’t seem to want any credit or to have taken any satisfaction from his job, which is understandable since he was attacked by the White House almost daily. As Marshall Will Kane put it, “I’m not trying to be a hero. If you think I like this, you are crazy.”

Gregory J. Wallance was a federal prosecutor during the Carter and Reagan administrations. He is the author most recently of “The Woman Who Fought An Empire: Sarah Aaronsohn and Her Nili Spy Ring.” Follow him on Twitter at @gregorywallance.