GOP-led panel finds no collusion

WASHINGTON — Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee found no evidence during a monthslong investigation that the Trump campaign aided Russia’s election meddling, the lawmakers concluded in a 250-page report released Friday that assails President Donald Trump’s rivals and criticizes the FBI and the intelligence community for their responses to Moscow’s interference.

But in a dissenting document, Democrats on the panel accused the Republicans of prematurely closing the investigation out of a desire to protect Trump and asserted that eagerness by Trump campaign associates to accept offers of Russian assistance suggest ‘‘a consciousness of wrongfulness, if not illegality.’’

The divergent conclusions closed a chapter for a committee that, while charged with oversight of U.S. spy agencies, has fractured into warring factions that often seemed to advance political agendas.

In the charged political climate that has engulfed Washington, the report — the first out of several government investigations into Russia’s interference — immediately served as a useful political tool for Trump and his allies. The president seized on the Republicans’ findings, extolling the conclusions on Twitter and calling the inquiries ‘‘A total Witch Hunt!’’

‘‘MUST END NOW!’’ he added.

Trump said he was ‘‘honored’’ by the report, calling it ‘‘totally conclusive’’ proof that his campaign had not worked with Russia.

But even Republicans did not entirely spare Trump’s campaign. Their criticisms, however, were mostly limited to bad judgment.