Attorney General William Barr told Congress on Sunday that a sweeping investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence of coordination between Russian Intelligence and the Trump Campaign in 2016, as Barr said there was not enough evidence to pursue allegations of obstruction of justice against President Donald Trump, though Mueller left open that question in his report.
In a four page letter summarizing the major findings of the Mueller investigation, the Attorney General said, "the Special Counsel did not find that the Trump campaign, or anyone associated with it, conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in these efforts, despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign."
On the question of whether the President obstructed justice by impeding the investigation into the underlying matter, Barr said he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had concluded from the Mueller findings that, "the evidence developed during the Special Counsel's investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense."
Republicans said the Barr summary showed the investigation had found nothing which could lead to the President's prosecution or impeachment.
"No collusion and no obstruction," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "The cloud hanging over President Trump has been removed by this report."
The special counsel’s investigation was long, thorough & conclusive: There was no collusion. There is no constitutional crisis. As the report states, "the evidence does not establish that the President was involved in an underlying crime related to Russian election interference." pic.twitter.com/87bVExwGcK
— Rep. Doug Collins (@RepDougCollins) March 24, 2019
While the letter was immediately hailed by Republicans as the end of the investigation, it also left Democrats with some tantalizing tidbits which they are sure to pursue on the obstruction issue.
"The Special Counsel states that 'while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him,'" the Attorney General wrote, in quoting the Mueller report.
"Special Counsel Mueller clearly and explicitly is not exonerating the President, and we must hear from AG Barr about his decision making and see all the underlying evidence for the American people to know all the facts," said Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
Democrats also made clear they want more than just the four page summary written by the Attorney General.
22-month investigation
— Chellie Pingree (@chelliepingree) March 24, 2019
37 defendants charged
Seven guilty pleas
One conviction at trial
The American public deserves more than a four page summary
Release the full #Mueller report nowhttps://t.co/f6YKhAokCi
You can read the full four page letter from Attorney General Barr at this link.
Cox Media Group