President Donald Trump claimed “complete and total exoneration” as the Justice Department announcement that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe found no evidence of collusion between Russia and Trump’s 2016 election campaign.
The president expressed his vindication after almost two years of probe – with its several fretful comments – and blasted the probe as an “illegal takedown.”
His reaction came in remarks to the media in Florida and a Twitter post as Attorney General William Barr wrote a four-page letter to Congressional leaders on findings of the report, the Special Counsel had submitted to him after its completion.
No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 24, 2019
The president told journalists in West Palm Beach before flying to Washington D.C. that it was a shame that the country had to go through this probe.
“It’s a shame that our country had to go through this. To be honest, it’s a shame that your president has had to go through this.”
“This was an illegal takedown that failed and hopefully somebody’s going is to be looking at the other side,” he added.
“So it’s complete exoneration. No collusion, no obstruction.”
Democrats, who control the House of Representatives, have demanded a full release of the Special Counsel’s report, arguing Americans must know all the findings in their entirety. Trump’s political opponents say there are several other ongoing probes on the Capitol Hill and may also factor into Americans’ views on the issue.
“Attorney General Barr’s letter raises as many questions as it answers,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer said in a joint statement.
According to the Special Counsel’s report, as summarized by the Attorney General, “the evidence does not establish that the President was involved in an underlying crime related to Russian election interference.”
However, political commentators say the Counsel’s report leaves open the question of President Trump’s alleged attempt at obstruction of justice.
The findings have been welcomed by President Trump’s supporters and several analysts believe that the conclusion that there was no collusion with Russia means political advantage for him ahead of 2020 election. Many argue that that may remain the case irrespective of the fact that many of Trump’s close aides including campaign advisor Paul Manafort and personal attorney Michael Cohen have been indicted as part of the probe.
The Attorney General’s letter notes that the report’s second part “addresses a number of actions by the President – most of which have been the subject of public reporting – that the Special Counsel investigated as potentially raising obstruction-of-justice concerns.
After making a “thorough factual investigation” into these matters, the Special Counsel considered whether to evaluate the conduct under Department standards governing prosecution and declination decisions but ultimately determined not to make a traditional prosecutorial judgment, the letter states.
“The Special Counsel therefore did not draw a conclusion – one way or the other – as to whether the examined conduct constituted obstruction. Instead, for each of the relevant actions investigated, the report sets out evidence on both sides of the question and leaves unresolved what the Special Counsel views as “difficult issues” of law and fact concerning whether the President’s actions and intent could be viewed as obstruction. The Special Counsel states that “while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”
