Posted on 03/25/2019 10:20:18 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
President Donald Trump is claiming victory after his attorney general published a summary of the special counsel’s nearly two-year investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, and whether the Trump campaign conspired with Moscow.
In a four-page letter to lawmakers, Attorney General William Barr summarized the key findings of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe, which Trump said unequivocally cleared his name on allegations that have dogged him over his presidency.
"No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION," Trump tweeted. "KEEP AMERICA GREAT!"
According to Barr, the Mueller report does largely exonerate Trump on the collusion question — but it’s a stretch based on Barr’s letter to call it a "complete and total exoneration," as Trump did.
What Barr said about collusion is favorable for Trump. But Barr’s letter also says Trump was not exonerated on the question of obstruction in Mueller's report.
On collusion, Barr’s summary states that Mueller did not find criminal coordination between Moscow and the Trump campaign.
Here, Barr quoted the Mueller report directly: "(T)he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities."
One important caveat is that it’s not clear from Barr’s letter what level of evidence Mueller’s office considered — for instance, the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt standard that’s applied to criminal prosecutions, or some lower bar.
Given the intense pressure for Mueller’s report to be released in its entirety, we may learn more about precisely what led Mueller to this conclusion.
But based on Barr’s summary about the collusion question, it’s fair for Trump to say Mueller exonerated him.
Obstruction of justice Trump went beyond the collusion claim, however, to say "no obstruction."
That’s where Trump’s claim runs into trouble. Mueller did not take a position on whether Trump obstructed justice in the course of the Russia investigation, according to Barr’s summary.
"The special counsel did not (...) draw a conclusion — one way or the other — as to whether the examined conduct constituted obstruction," Barr’s letter stated.
And, in fact, Barr quotes Mueller directly saying that while he found Trump had committed no crime, his findings "(do) not exonerate" Trump.
"The special counsel states that 'while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him,' " reads Barr’s letter, quoting Mueller.
The special counsel left unresolved "difficult issues" of law and fact as to whether Trump's actions and intent amounted to obstruction, Barr wrote.
Separately, however, Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein concluded that Mueller's findings were not sufficient to establish that Trump obstructed justice.
They noted that the fact that Trump wasn't involved in conspiring with Russia was a factor in reaching the conclusion that Trump did not obstruct justice.
With respect to the obstruction question, it’s not clear whether Trump’s claim applies to Mueller’s report — or to Mueller’s report plus the Barr and Rosenstein conclusion.
In sum: On obstruction, Mueller explicitly does not exonerate Trump, whereas Barr and Rosenstein do.
Complicating factors The big caveat is that we haven’t seen Mueller’s report — only a four-page summary from the attorney general. If Mueller’s report is released in its entirety, we may learn new information about the Trump campaign’s activity.
As some Trump critics have noted, Barr’s summary also leaves unresolved some broader questions about whether Trump had a conflict of interest with respect to Russia. His former lawyer, Michael Cohen, has said negotiations over building a Trump Tower in Moscow continued longer into the 2016 campaign than Trump and his associates have claimed.
It’s also worth noting that Trump’s former lawyer has separately accused Trump of unrelated wrongdoing, namely, engaging in a campaign finance violation scheme involving Trump’s alleged former mistresses. This was beyond the scope of Mueller’s report, and Trump’s possible culpability on this issue remains an open question.
Oh, when I need facts, I ALWAYS go to Politifact.
They are absolutely the source of truth.
/s
“What Barr said about collusion is favorable for Trump. But Barr’s letter also says Trump was not exonerated on the question of obstruction in Mueller’s report.”
Cannot be exonerated if you didn’t commit a crime in the first place.
And in conclusion: Orange Man Bad.
hey politico- how about you divert your attention to crimes committed by trump’s opponents during the election and before?
Ok, you gotta admit this is pretty funny. :D
They have absolutely gone ‘round the bend.
Who is “fact-checking” Politifact? It appears to me this guy can’t handle the truth. It’s over Spanky. It’s over. Enough is enough. We’ve wasted 27 million taxpayer dollars on this scam.
And the Left double downs on its stupidity.
Earth to @CNN and @msnbc: Mueller decided NO FURTHER investigation on obstruction was warranted—a decision made on the merits. DOJ agreed. That means @potus was FULLY exonerated..— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) March 25, 2019
Obstruction of justice for a crime that did not take place.
These people need a stake driven into their hearts.
Hey! Are you arguing the facts with Politifact??????
The usual suspects in the demon party complained ahead of it coming out that they did not want anything but the entire report, that way they could be the ones who said what was in it. Ya know, spin it to make it look like Trump is really still guilty.
I am so tired of all this crap.
Let’s say negotiations over building a Trump Tower in Moscow were continuing... next question -— SO WHAT?
The question is -— WAS THERE A QUID PRO QUO? e.g. Russia agrees to the tower project in exchange for foreign policy changes.
If so, where is it?
All I see is the USA bombing Russian Mercenaries in Syria, Arming the Ukraine, criticizing Germany for the Russian pipeline and trying to isolate Putin.
I also see the USA aligning with 7 Latin American countries to oust Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela while the Russians are trying to prop him up.
So, where’s the quid pro quo?
Therefore, Mueller declined to make a conclusion on this point.
-PJ
Because or judical sysyem is based on the presumption of innocence, nobody in America needs “exoneration”, Politifuct.
Stupid MOFOs
PROSECUTORS DO NOT “EXONERATE!”
THAT IS NOT THEIR FUNCTION!
Which is why that task was left to Barr and Rosenstein.
These idiots will not stop with their lying BS until someone gets pissed enough to off the treasonous bastards!
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