Mueller report finds Trump did not collude with Russia

Donald Trump jubilant as Mueller investigation finds no evidence he colluded with Russia to influence 2016 election.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller departs St John's Episcopal Church, across from the White House, after attending morning services in Washington on Sunday. Picture: AP

Donald Trump has declared a “complete and total exoneration” after the report of special counsel Robert Mueller found no collusion with Russia and did not recommend charges for obstruction of justice.

In one of the most momentous days of his presidency, the long-awaited Mueller report did not provide the Democrats with the evidence they hoped would damage Mr Trump and changed the course of US politics.

Instead, the four-page summary of the report provided to congress by Attorney-General William Barr vindicated Mr Trump’s long-held claim that ­neither he nor his team collided with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election in their favour.

“It was a complete and total exoneration,” Mr Trump said.

“It’s a shame our country had to go through this. To be honest, it’s a shame your president has had to go through this. This was an illegal takedown that failed.”

He later tweeted: “No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT!”

Mr Mueller’s 22-month investigation also found there was not enough evidence to establish that Mr Trump committed an obstruction of justice offence, but the report also does not exonerate him.

Mr Barr’s summary stated: “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’.”

Given Mr Mueller’s non-­decision, Mr Barr and Deputy-­Attorney-General Rod Rosen­stein said they independently examined Mr Mueller’s evidence on the obstruction of justice issue and decided that no crime could be established.

They said they had “concluded that the evidence developed during the special counsel’s investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense”.

No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 24, 2019

In his written summary, Mr Barr said Mr Mueller had found no evidence that Mr Trump or his campaign team colluded with Russia. He quoted Mr Mueller’s report as saying: “The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or co-ordinated with the Russian Government in its election interference activities.’’

The finding is a major victory for the President and his campaign team and vindicated what Mr Trump has claimed for many months that there was no ­collusion or co-ordination with Russia during the 2016 campaign.

The findings are a blow to the Democrats who hoped that Mr Mueller’s highly anticipated report would provide more ammunition to use against the President.

But Democrats seized on the fact Mr Mueller chose not to exonerate the President on the question of whether he obstructed justice. “Attorney-General Barr’s letter raises as many questions as it answers,” Democrat leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer said in a statement. “The fact that special counsel Mueller’s report does not exonerate the President on a charge as serious as obstruction of justice demonstrates how urgent it is that the full report and underlying documentation be made public without any further delay.” They dismissed Mr Barr’s decision to make his own judgment about whether the President obstructed justice.

“Given Mr Barr’s public record of bias against the special counsel’s inquiry, he is not a neutral ­observer and is not in a position to make objective determinations about the report,” they said.

Democrat house judiciary chairman Jerrold Nader said he intended to call Mr Barr to testify before the committee “in light of very concerning discrepancies and final decision-making at the ­Justice Department following the special counsel report.” It is possible Democrat-controlled house committees will also seek to call Mr Mueller to testify. The Democrats called on Mr Barr to release the Mueller report in full. Mr Barr said he remained committed ‘‘to release as much of the special counsel’s report as I can consistent with applicable law, regulations and department policies’’.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the report’s conclusions were “a great day for America and for President (Trump). After two years of wild anti-Trump hysteria, the President and his millions of supporters have been completely vindicated.”

The President’s son, Donald Trump Jr, whose contacts with Russia were also scrutinised by the Mueller team said: “After more than two years of non-stop conspiracy theories from CNN, MSNBC, Buzzfeed and the rest of the mainstream media, as well as daily lies and smears coming from Democrats in Washington, the Mueller report proves what those of us with sane minds have known all along, there was ZERO collusion with Russia.”

Former FBI chief James Comey, whose sacking in 2017 led Mr Mueller to investigate possible obstruction-of-justice charges against the President, tweeted cryptically: “so many questions”.

The Mueller probe found two main efforts by Russia to interfere in US politics in 2016. The first was to conduct disinformation and ­social media operations “designed to sow discord” and the second to hack and disseminate Democrat emails to influence the election. “But the special counsel did not find the Trump campaign, or anyone associated with it, conspired or co-ordinated with the Russian government in these efforts, ­despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the campaign,’’ Mr Barr wrote.

Cameron Stewart is also US contributor for Sky News Australia