Trump not cleared

Mueller says no exoneration for President over Russia probe

SPECIAL counsel Robert Mueller has bluntly dismissed US President Donald Trump’s claims of “total exoneration” in the federal probe of Russian election interference.

In a long day of congressional testimony, Mr Mueller warned that Moscow’s actions represented – and still represent – a great threat to American democracy. With his terse, one-word answers, and a sometimes stilted and halting manner, Mr Mueller made clear his desire to avoid the partisan fray and the deep political divisions in Congress and the country.

He delivered neither crisp TV sound bites to fuel a Democratic impeachment push nor comfort to Republicans striving to undermine his investigation’s credibility.

But he sounded the alarm on future Russian election interference. He said he feared a new normal of American campaigns accepting foreign help.

Mr Mueller condemned Mr Trump’s praise of WikiLeaks, which released Democratic emails stolen by Russia. And he said of the interference by Russians and others: “They are doing it as we sit here. And they expect to do it during the next campaign.”

Mr Trump later focused on his own political fortunes.

“This was a devastating day for the Democrats,” he said. “The Democrats had nothing and now they have less than nothing.”

In the opening minutes of the Judiciary Committee hearing, chairman Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat, asked Mr Mueller about Mr Trump’s multiple claims of vindication by the investigation. “Did you actually totally exonerate the President?” Mr Nadler asked. “No,” Mr Mueller replied.

He gave Democrats hope when he said he did not charge Mr Trump because of a legal opinion that says sitting presidents cannot be indicted.

But Mueller later said: “We did not reach a determination as to whether the President committed a crime.”