Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian influence on the 2016 presidential election presents a preview of Hillary Clinton's 2020 presidential Campaign, suggests Ira Stoll. Blaming the outcome of the election on illegal Russian interference takes the blame off Clinton for losing. Clinton can already point out that she won the popular vote in 2016. If her electoral vote loss was the result of foreign interference—rather than, say, a poorly managed campaign, or a candidate who couldn't connect with out-of-work coal miners, or the wrong substantive message—then perhaps a 2020 replay, without foreign interference, might yield a different outcome, some will suggest.

For a sense of how the Clinton 2020 reasoning and the Mueller investigation are related, keep an eye on the timing, writes Stoll. If the probe delivers results long enough before the 2020 primary season for Clinton to get a campaign in gear, watch out. If findings don't emerge until later, then they won't be much use to her.

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