AG Barr: Trump’s anger justified

Attorney General William Barr said Thursday that the special counsel’s 23-month Russia investigation showed that President Trump did not obstruct justice in his efforts to derail the probe.

The AG also said that Trump’s actions to fight back against the investigation stemmed from his anger and frustration over what he believed was a bogus probe.

“In assessing the president’s actions discussed in the report, it is important to bear in mind the context. President Trump faced an unprecedented situation,” said the AG (inset), who acknowledged that the Justice Department had provided the White House with the redacted copy of the report earlier in the week.

“As he entered into office and sought to perform his responsibilities as president, federal agents and prosecutors were scrutinizing his conduct before and after taking office and the conduct of some of his associates. At the same time, there was relentless speculation in the news media about the president’s personal culpability,” Barr said.

He also said the report established that there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

“The special counsel’s report states that his, quote, investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election-interference activities,” Barr said at a news conference at the Justice Department, 90 minutes before the report was released publicly.