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Mueller finds no Trump collusion; no conclusion on obstruction of justice

Attorney General William Barr released a letter detailing his reading of the Mueller report.
US-POLITICS-CONGRESS-FBI

WASHINGTON- The Mueller investigation found neither President Trump nor any of his allies conspired with the Russian government's 2016 election interference.

Attorney General William Barr, who was appointed February 14 to replace Jeff Sessions, received Mueller's findings on March 22. On March 24 he sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee describing his reading of Robert Mueller's findings. Read the letter yourself here.

According to the letter, the report was primarily concerned with Russian election interference, collusion, and obstruction of justice.

Russian collusion

Barr said the Special Counsel's investigation "did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election."

The letter then goes on to describe the Russian government's actions against the U.S. These included a disinformation campaign and a successful hacking into the DNC.

According to the letter, the Trump campaign did not conspire with Russia despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign.

Obstruction of justice

The Mueller report highlighted a number of actions by the President which could qualify as obstruction of justice. However, instead of reaching a definite conclusion, the report sets out evidence on both sides of the question.

Barr's letter said "the Special Counsel states that 'while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.'"

Donald Trump responded to this news in a tweet reading "No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT!"

Barr and Attorney General Rod Rosenstein concluded after two days the evidence was "not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense," per the report.

Moving forward

The full details of the report have not been released yet. Many people on both sides of the aisle have demanded the report be made public, according to NPR. In his letter Barr stated the report will be considered a confidential report to the Attorney General, but he will make efforts to release as much as possible.

The Mueller investigation handed off some aspects of the investigation to other offices. Barr said he will not release any information which may impact any ongoing investigations.

Mueller's investigation saw the indictment of 34 individuals, including Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

 

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