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The special advocate, Robert Mueller, found that neither Donald Trump nor any of his badociates had reached an agreement with Russia in the 2016 election, according to a letter handed to Congress on Sunday by the Attorney General of the United States.
William Barr's letter also revealed that Mueller was unable to draw a "one way or another" conclusion as to whether Trump or another member of the White House was tainting justice. during the investigation.
Mr. Barr quoted directly from Mueller's report in which he says, with respect to the obstruction: "Although this report does not conclude to the commission of a crime by the President, it does not 39, do not exonerate either. "
Mueller was no longer indicted following a nearly two-year investigation in which some of Trump's closest advisers were prosecuted and convicted criminally.
As Mueller was unable to determine whether Trump was obstructing justice, it was up to Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, both appointed by Trump, to decide not to proceed.
Barr described the evidence of obstruction as "insufficient to establish that the President had committed an offense of obstruction of justice". In addition, Barr emphasized in his letter that the decision not to prosecute was not based on any limitation on the indictment of a sitting president.
In just four pages, the letter provided a brief overview of Mueller's lengthy investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 campaign, revealing more than 2,800 subpoenas, nearly 500 search warrants and interviews with about 500 witnesses.
The Attorney General is facing more and more bipartite appeals to publish the Mueller Report in its entirety, as well as the evidence that underlies it. Some Democrats have indicated that they would use powers of summons to obtain the complete document and that they could also call Mueller to testify before Congress.
Barr made it clear that he was ready to publish parts of the report because of "the public interest in this case". He also pledged to consult with Mueller to quickly identify which parts of the report should be made public. But the Attorney General did not specify the amount that would be released and risked being hampered, at least in part, by the continuation of the New York Department of Justice investigations involving Trump.
Immediately after the publication of the letter, New York Democrat Jerrold Nadler, Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, wish to bring Barr to his panel. Nadler cited the decision not to pursue the obstruction of justice as evidence of "very worrying differences and final decision-making within the Justice Department".
However, The summary was immediately seized by Trump and his allies to claim victory.
Speaking to reporters while he was returning from a golf weekend in his private club in South Florida, a jubilant president called the report "total and total exemption" – despite inconclusive findings on the obstruction of justice.
Donald J. Trump
(@RealDonaldTrump)No collusion, no obstruction, complete and total EXONERATION. KEEP GREAT AMERICA!
"It's a shame that our country has had to go through this. To be honest, it's unfortunate that your president had to undergo this, even before I was elected, it started, "said Trump, on the tarmac of Air Force One. "It was an illegal catch that failed."
In a statement sent to the Guardian by e-mail, the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., himself at the center of the investigation after accepting the June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer promising to "dirty" the Clinton campaign , said that Barr's letter proved "what we, healthy minds, know from the beginning that there was no collusion with Russia".
Trump Jr continued: "Unfortunately, instead of apologizing for unnecessarily destabilizing the country in a transparent attempt to delegitimize the 2016 election, it is clear that the perpetrators of media collusion [sic] The parties will only double their sick and twisted conspiracy theories to go forward. "
Donald Trump goes to the media before boarding Air Force One in Florida. Photo: Carolyn Kaster / AP
It seems likely that the President will now seek to take advantage of the Mueller inquiry in the 2020 presidential election, suggesting that this shows that he has fairly won the 2016 contest and that his opponents desperate people will do anything to thwart it.
But Barr's and Rosenstein's decision not to obstruct justice by the president – and their decision to draw such a conclusion rather than leave it to Congress – is likely to cause much controversy in the years to come.
Trump appointed Barr as Attorney General after sending a private memo to the Justice Department strongly criticizing Mueller's investigation and saying that the special council should not even be allowed to question Trump about a possible obstruction.
Trump did not sit for an interview with Mueller, but instead provided written answers to questions.
In May 2017, Rosenstein wrote the memo to Jeff Sessions, then Attorney General, justifying the dismissal of FBI Director James Comey. Trump's shooting of Comey was at the center of allegations that he could have obstructed justice.
FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe was quoted as saying that Rosenstein had been ordered to write the note.
In a joint statement, Speaker of the Parliament Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, senior congressional leaders, said Barr's letter raised "as many questions as answers".
"That the president says that he is completely exonerated directly contradicts the words of Mr. Mueller and should not be taken with any degree of credibility," they said.
"Congress needs the full report and the underlying documents so that the commissions can continue to work independently, including oversight and legislation, to address any issues raised by the Mueller report. The American people have the right to know.
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