Mueller gives damning closing verdict on Russia inquiry saying ‘if we had confidence Trump DIDN’T commit a crime we’d have said’
ROBERT Mueller has broken his two-year silence to deny President Donald Trump’s claim that the Russia collusion report proved his innocence.
He said in a speech from the Department of Justice, Washington, today: “If we had confidence the president DIDN’T commit a crime, we’d have said so”.
The special counsel added, citing a DOJ policy: “Charging the president with a crime was therefore not an option we could consider.”
Mueller explained in a 10-minute speech that his investigation was bound by a longstanding Department of Justice policy preventing the indictment of a sitting president.
He went on to say it would be “unfair” to accuse someone of a crime when they would not have the opportunity to stand trial.
But he pointed out his team was still allowed to investigate Trump, as others could still be charged.
He didn’t say what might have happened if the law allowed a president to be charged, but indicated the matter could still be pursued, noting that the Constitution “requires a process other that the criminal justice system to formally accuse the president of wrongdoing.”
After announcing the special counsel would be officially closing, and that he would be resigning his post, Mueller said he would not be speaking about the report beyond what he has said today, adding that he would not say anything outside of his 448-page report.
What the Mueller report revealed
The report was the result of a 22-month investigation by former FBI director Robert Mueller
Sarah Sanders fake news
White House press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had no basis for suggesting FBI officials had lost faith in then-director James Comey at the time of his firing, as she’d claimed.
After Donald Trump fired Comey in May 2017, Sanders told reporters that she had personally heard from “countless members” within the agency who were happy with the president’s decision.
Hope Hicks hung up on Putin
Campaign press secretary Hope Hicks received a call from an unknown Russian man shortly after Trump’s victory on election night.
She had difficulty understanding the foreign accent, but made out the words “Putin call”.
Hicks told the caller to send her an email and the following morning she received a message with the subject line “Message from Putin”.
Trump says ‘I’m F***ed’
Trump feared the Russia probe would end his presidency and declared “I’m f***ed” when he was first told about Robert Mueller’s investigation, the report says.
President tried to get Mueller fire – twice
The report says Trump instructed White House lawyer Don McGahn to remove Muller from the probe.
According to the report, Trump twice asked McGhan to fire the investigator telling him “Mueller has to go” adding “call me back when you do it.”
Aides ignore Trump’s orders to interfere
Trump made several attempts to get the people around him to curtail the probe into his campaign and Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
The Mueller report found that Trump’s inner circle saved him from himself as they refused to carry out orders that could have crossed the line into obstructing justice
Sessions carried a resignation letter
Sessions, fearful of his tense relationship with Trump, carried a resignation letter with him every time he visited the White House for months.
Why Mueller didn’t interview Trump
The Mueller report lays out why the special counsel’s office did not interview Trump as part of the investigation.
The two sides spent “more than a year” negotiating the conditions under which the president could answer questions, but in the end only submitted answers to written inquiries.
In the end, Mr Mueller decided not to subpoena Mr Trump because it would take too long — not because there was any legal impediment.
He said: “That is the office’s final conclusion and we will not comment on any other … conclusions or hypotheticals.
“Beyond what I have said here… I do not believe it is appropriate for me to speak further.”
This is the first time Mueller has spoken publicly since he began the report investigation Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election two years ago.
He ended by stating his report’s findings “that there were multiple systematic efforts to interfere in our election and that allegation deserves the attention of every American”.
In a call for congress to act on his remarks, Mueller said this “deserves the attention of every American”.
RETURN TO PRIVATE LIFE
Mueller said he’s “returning to private life” following the publication of his much-anticipated report.
He took no questions following the speech and said he would not testify in front of congress.
He said: “I hope and expect this to be the only time that I will speak to you in this manner. I am making that decision myself.
“I do not believe it is appropriate for me to speak further about the investigation.”
Trump has since tweeted a response to the speech, writing: “Nothing changes from the Mueller Report. There was insufficient evidence and therefore, in our Country, a person is innocent.
“The case is closed! Thank you.”
The White House was notified last night that Mueller would be making the statement at 11am local time.
In March he wrote a letter to Attorney General Bill Barr which said a four-page memo Barr has written on the findings “did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance”.
Mueller wrote: “This threatens to undermine a central purpose for which the Department appointed the Special Counsel: to assure full public confidence in the outcome of the investigations.”
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