Just two days after the Mueller report was officially submitted to the Justice Department on Friday, the findings from the investigation have been released to the public today by Attorney General William Barr. The investigation, led by Robert Mueller and his special-counsel team, revealed that neither President Donald Trump nor any of his aides conspired with Russian operatives during the 2016 presidential election.
As reported by The New York Times: In addition to the key finding, which was the main focus of the report, Barr said that he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had concluded that the evidence gathered by Mueller was “not sufficient to establish that the president committed an obstruction-of-justice offense.” Barr quoted Mueller as writing in the report: “While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”
Since Mueller began his investigation in 2017, a half-dozen former Trump aides were indicted or convicted of crimes, most of which included conspiracy or lying to investigators or Congress. The findings put to rest the longstanding speculation that Trump tampered with votes, with the aid of Russia, to be elected president.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders commented on the report’s finding today in a statement: “The Special Counsel did not find any collusion and did not find any obstruction. Attorney General Barr and Deputy Attorney General 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.”
