Mueller: No Trump collusion with Russia
Special counsel’s inquiry also refuses to accuse US president over allegedly obstructing justice
Donald Trump and his aides did not collude with Russia in the 2016 election campaign, special counsel Robert Mueller has concluded in his report, according to a summary from the US attorney general. Mr Mueller also did not find that Mr Trump obstructed justice in his alleged attempts to thwart the investigation, instead choosing not to reach a conclusion. Mr Mueller did not recommend no further indictments and will not bring any more charges.
DONALD TRUMP and his aides did not collude with Russia in the 2016 election campaign, Robert Mueller, the special counsel, concluded in his report, according to a summary from the US attorney general.
Mr Mueller also did not find that the US president obstructed justice in his alleged attempts to thwart the investigation, instead choosing not to reach a conclusion and simply presenting the evidence.
William Barr, the attorney general and his deputy – two Trump appointees – then decided there was not enough proof to charge the president with obstruction of justice.
Mr Mueller also decided to recommend no further indictments and has no sealed indictments waiting to be made public, meaning that he will not bring any more charges.
The findings amount to a major victory for Mr Trump after 22 months of Mr Mueller’s investigation and they triggered celebration from the White House and leading Republicans.
The verdict left the president and his allies delighted. Mr Trump said: “It was a complete and total exoneration. It’s a shame that our country had to go through this. To be honest, it’s a shame that your president has had to go through this.”
He hinted at an investigation of the Mueller probe itself, possibly by Republicans in Congress. “This was an illegal takedown that failed. And hopefully, somebody is going to be looking at the other side,” he said.
Kellyanne Conway, a long-time aide to Mr Trump, said in a public message to the president: “Today you won the 2016 election all over again. And got a gift for the 2020 election.”
Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, described the findings as “a total and complete exoneration”.
Democrats found themselves in a politically uncomfortable position, being asked whether they agreed that there was no collusion. Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, the two most senior Democrats in Congress, demanded the full report be published.
“The fact that ... Mueller’s report does not exonerate the president on a charge as serious as obstruction of justice demonstrates how urgent it is that the full report and underlying documentation be made public without any further delay,” they said in a statement.
“Given Mr Barr’s public record of bias against the special counsel’s inquiry, he is not a neutral observer and is not in a position to make objective determinations about the report.”
The top-line findings from Mr Mueller’s report were contained in a fourpage
‘It was a complete and total exoneration ... it’s a shame that your president has had to go through this’
summary written by Mr Barr. The summary was submitted to senior congressmen and released to the public yesterday afternoon, giving the first insight into what Mr Mueller had concluded from his inquiry.
In the summary, Mr Mueller is quoted as saying: “The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or co-ordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.” Elsewhere, Mr Mueller is quoted as saying: “The evidence does not establish that the president was involved in an underlying crime related to Russian election interference.”
That finding was effectively victory for the US president, who has been saying constantly during the two years since he entered the White House that there had been “no collusion”.
As well as clearing Mr Trump and his campaign, Mr Mueller’s report also dealt with the allegations that the US president had obstructed justice by hampering the investigation.
Mr Mueller did not reach a decision on whether Mr Trump had obstructed justice – meaning it was not a total victory for the president – instead deciding not to come to a conclusion.
Mr Barr’s summary cites Mr Mueller referencing “difficult issues” of law and fact – a likely nod to department of justice guidelines that say a sitting president cannot be indicted.
The summary quotes Mr Mueller saying of obstruction of justice: “While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him”.
Mr Barr said in his summary letter that he planned to release parts of Mr Mueller’s report, but it remains to be seen how much will be made public.