[ad_1]
Media playback is unsupported on your device
Robert Mueller's Special Counsel Donald Trump's Conduct, both suspicious and exculpatory, with ample fodder for the political divide.
The 448-page report on the Russian interference in the 2016 US election confirmed what Mr Trump has insisted on from the outset: there was no collusion.
The inquiry has also been made with regard to the obser vation of the Republican President.
While there was no immediate "smoking gun" to trigger impeachment proceedings, Democrats said the report had plenty of ammunition to keep up Congressional scrutiny of Mr Trump.
'This is the end of my presidency'
The report details the president's expletive-filled horror as he has learned that a special counsel has been appointed in May 2017.
According to the Mueller report, when then-Attorney-General Jeff Sessions told the president about the coming inquiry, he replied, "Oh my god, this is terrible, this is the end of my presidency." He added two expletives to describe his situation.
Mr Trump added: "Everyone tells me if you get one of these independent counsels, it is the worst thing that ever happened to me."
- Analysis and reaction to Mueller report
- Trump 'tried to get Mueller fired'
'Mueller has to go'
The White House Counsel Donald McGahn at home from Camp David and ordered him to have the special counsel removed.
We have a second call, Mr McGahn said the president stepped up the pressure, saying: "Call Rod [Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein], tell the truth about Mueller and "Do not let me go" and "Call me back when you do it."
Mr McGahn was so upset that he was more likely to be involved in Nixon-style "Saturday Night Mbadacre".
After media reports in January 2018 revealed Mr Trump's attempts to have Mr Mueller removed, one of the president's lawyers made contact with Mr McGahn, asking him to public the reports. But McGahn, through his attorney, refused.
No collusion
The report is likely to have a number of contacts between members of Trump 's circle and Russia, and the campaign "expected it would benefit from information stolen and released through Russian efforts".
The Trump team also "found interest" in the Wikileaks release of hacked emails and "welcomed their potential to damage" Hillary Clinton. Unpatriotic and immoral, Democrats say. But the Mueller team makes it clear that it does not amount to a criminal conspiracy.
"The Russian contacts of business connections, offers of badistance to the campaign, invitations for candidate Trump and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to meet in person, invitations to campaign officials and representatives of the Russian government to meet, and policy positions seeking US-Russian relations.
"While the investigation is linked to the Trump campaign, the evidence was not sufficient to support criminal charges.
"The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or co-ordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities."
Purpose no vindication on obstruction
On the obstruction of justice, the Mueller report is far from the "total exoneration" claimed by Mr Trump during a victory lap last month.
The report goes on to conclude: "In the case of crimes against crime, the evidence has not been established.
But it also pointedly notes:
"If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. we got about the Presidentnt's atConclusions and conclusions are difficult to conclude.
While the report acknowledges a sitting president can not be indicted, it also mentions Congress' ability to investigate and possible impeach him.
It says: "Congress can apply the obstruction laws to the President's corrupt exercise of the powers of office agreements with our constitutional system of checks and balances and the principle that no one is above the law."
Media playback is unsupported on your device
How else Trump tried to influence
The report quotes 10 instances that were investigated as potential obstruction by Mr Trump.
Mr Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey.
But the findings also validate US media reports that were denied by the White House.
When Mr Trump was interviewed by Trump Tower, Donald Trump Jr., and a Russian lawyer who was said to be promising "dirt" on Hillary Clinton, the president crafted a misleading response , says the report:
"Before the mail becomes public, the President edited a press statement for Trump Jr [Trump Jr] The answer to this question was made to be helpful and the answer is that the meeting is about adoptions of Russian children. "
Mr Trump also asked for training manager Corey Lewandowski to get attorney General Jeff Sessions to announce that the investigation was "very unfair" and Mr Trump had done nothing wrong, says the report.
After Jeff Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation, leaving an enraged Mr Trump feeling that he was losing control of the inquiry, the president pressed his attorney general that he would only "unrecuse" himself he would be the "hero".
- The Trump-Russia saga in 350 words
- Eight legal headaches for Donald Trump
Refusal to 'carry out orders'
FBI Director James Comey, White House Counsel Trainer Don McGahn and Corey Lewandowksi, Trainer Manager.
In one unflattering pbadage, the document says:
"The President's efforts to influence the investigation are largely unsuccessful." for the FBI, McGahn, President of the United States, President of the United States, President of the United States, Lewandowski and Dearborn did not deliver the President's message to Sessions that he should confine the Russia investigation to future election meddling only. And McGahn refused to recede from his recollections about events President's direction to have the Special Counsel removed, despite the President's multiple demands that he do so. Consistent with that pattern, the evidence would not support the obstruction charges against the President.
'Inadequate written answers'
Close followers of the Mueller can recall that in January 2018 at the White House, President Trump told reporters that he was "looking forward" to sitting down for an interview with Mr. Mueller, that he would "love to do that as soon as possible ", and boasted he would do so under oath.
But in the event, the report notes, "After more than a year of discussion, the President declined to be interviewed".
He agreed to submit written answers to the question of Russia-related matters, but declined to "provide written answers to questions on obstruction topics or questions on events during his transition", the report notes.
The Mueller report states: "We would not be able to comment on the position of the President.
But the truth is that the Trump because of the likelihood of litigation would cause a delay in the investigation.
Why Sessions, Trump Jr and Kushner were not prosecuted
The Mueller team did not indict then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions for perjury to Congress when he wrongly testified that he had no contact with Russians during the campaign because of the inaccurate wording of the questions, according to the report.
"The evidence is not sufficient to prove that Sessions gave knowingly false answers to Russia-related questions in light of the wording and context of those questions," the report says.
It also makes clear Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and other campaign staff were on the subject of the June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer.
The Mueller team says they have gone to the polls because they could not prove they had "willfully" violated the law.
Source link
