A summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's findings has been sent to Congress. Photo / AP
Special Counsel Robert Mueller did not find that Donald Trump's campaign or any of his associates conspired with Russia in its efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, according to a summary of Mueller's findings sent to lawmakers today.
"The Special Counsel's investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 US presidential election," says the four-page summary by Attorney-General William Barr.
On the question of whether the President might have sought to obstruct the high-profile investigation, Mueller's team did not offer a definitive answer.
"The Special Counsel . . . did not draw a conclusion — one way or the other — as to whether the examined conduct constituted obstruction," Barr's letter to lawmakers states.
"The Special Counsel states that 'while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him'," the letter said.
On that key question, Mueller "ultimately determined not to make a traditional prosecutorial judgment," Barr wrote, leaving it up to the attorney-general and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to decide whether the President had committed obstruction.
Rosenstein and Barr "concluded that the evidence developed during the Special Counsel's investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction of justice offence. Our determination was made without regard to, and is not based on, the constitutional considerations that surround the indictment and criminal prosecution of a sitting president," Barr wrote.
Barr further explained that decision by writing "the report identifies no actions that, in our judgment, constitute obstructive conduct, had a nexus to a pending or contemplated proceeding, and were done with corrupt intent, each of which, under the Department's principles of federal prosecution guiding charging decisions, would need to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to establish an obstruction of justice offence."
“The Special Counsel states that ‘while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.’”
— Rep. Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) March 24, 2019
In light of the very concerning discrepancies and final decision making at the Justice Department following the Special Counsel report, where Mueller did not exonerate the President, we will be calling Attorney General Barr in to testify before @HouseJudiciary in the near future.
— Rep. Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) March 24, 2019
Mueller's central mission has been to determine if Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 election were aided or assisted in any way by Americans, including people close to Trump.
In all, Russian citizens interacted with at least 14 Trump associates during the campaign and presidential transition, according to public records and interviews.
Of particular concern was the interaction between a London-based professor and a low-level Trump foreign policy adviser, George Papadopoulos. According to court filings, the professor told Papadopoulos in April 2016 that the Russians held damaging information about Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton, in the form of thousands of emails.
Mueller also dug into a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower in New York. Trump's son Donald Trump jnr and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met with a Russian lawyer after being told she had incriminating information on Clinton that was being offered as part of the Russian government's support for the GOP candidate, according to emails exchanged in advance of the meeting.
The lawyer has said she was not working on behalf of the Russian Government. Trump jnr and Kushner have said she did not provide any information about Clinton at the meeting.
Seeking to answer the collusion question, Mueller has also scrutinised the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, which released batches of Democrats' emails that US investigators say were stolen by Russian intelligence officers.
Giuliani says on @cnn right now : "We think it is a complete exoneration of the president."
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) March 24, 2019
The Special Counsel did not find any collusion and did not find any obstruction. AG Barr and DAG Rosenstein further determined there was no obstruction. The findings of the Department of Justice are a total and complete exoneration of the President of the United States.”
— Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) March 24, 2019
I have just received topline findings from Attorney General Barr.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 24, 2019
Good day for the rule of law.
Great day for President Trump and his team.
No collusion and no obstruction.
The cloud hanging over President Trump has been removed by this report.
give Trump his due: under withering scrutiny, “no collusion” held up
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) March 24, 2019
Three things:
— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) March 24, 2019
1. We need to see the report, not just Trump appointees' summary
2. Anyone who thought Mueller was a silver bullet that would bring Trump down was living in a fantasy world
3. The administration's corruption on multiple fronts is as obvious as ever
This "leaves it to the Attorney General" language is so strange in that it seems to imply Barr had to reach a conclusion, when in fact he didn't. He could've just passed on Mueller's findings, but decided to put his thumb on the scale after a 48 hour review of the facts. pic.twitter.com/sqXERtP5tq
— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) March 24, 2019
Mixed bag for Trump. Special counsel wrote investigation "did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government." But Mueller merely described facts of obstruction investigation; let AG decide whether it was a crime.
— Matt Zapotosky (@mattzap) March 24, 2019
So Mueller copped out on obstruction charges and Barr/Rosenstein decided there weren't sufficient grounds for a prosecution. House Dems will now have to decide whether there are grounds for impeachment.
— John Cassidy (@JohnCassidy) March 24, 2019
Attorney General: "The Special Counsel states that 'while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.'" https://t.co/4gqJbuA3EI
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 24, 2019
Barr’s letter is careful to say he does not believe there is proof, beyond a reasonable doubt, of acts of obstruction with a nexus to an official investigation & corrupt intent. That is how he couches his obstruction finding & it leaves a lot of gray area Congress should explore.
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) March 24, 2019
Since his appointment in May 2017, Mueller has also wrestled with the question of whether the President attempted to obstruct justice once the FBI began investigating those close to him.
Current and former White House officials who were questioned by Mueller's investigators were repeatedly asked about how the President spoke of the investigation behind closed doors, and whether he sought to replace senior Justice Department officials to stymie the probe, according to people familiar with the interviews.
The Special Counsel's work led to criminal charges against 34 people, including six former Trump associates and advisers.
Yesterday, officials said that one of those cases — that of Trump's former deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates — will be transferred from the Special Counsel's office to federal prosecutors in Washington. Gates pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy and lying to the FBI, and he continues to cooperate with prosecutors while awaiting sentencing.
A senior Justice Department official said the Special Counsel has not recommended any further indictments — a revelation that buoyed Trump's supporters, even as additional Trump-related investigations continue in other parts of the Justice Department, in Congress and in New York state.
Read the document: Here are AG Barr's "principal conclusions" of the Mueller investigation, which he just delivered to Congress https://t.co/YG7Y1Du5nl
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 24, 2019
Twenty-seven locations in Kyiv were hit, including residential buildings.