Mueller confirms report did not exonerate Trump of obstruction
Former special counsel Robert Mueller confirmed Wednesday that his investigation did not exonerate President Trump of obstruction of justice.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that Mueller’s report, released in April, cleared him of allegations that he obstructed justice by attempting to influence the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., asked Mueller about Trump’s assertions.
“And what about total exoneration?” Nadler asked. “Did you actually totally exonerate the president?”
“No,” Mueller said. He also confirmed that his report expressly states the president was not exonerated.
Trump tweeted “NO COLLUSION, NO OBSTRUCTION!” about 35 minutes before Mueller’s testimony was scheduled to start Wednesday morning.
Mueller’s report stated that Trump had attempted to remove the special counsel, limit the scope of the investigation and influence the testimony of witnesses, among other alleged actions that could constitute obstruction of justice. Mueller declined to decide whether Trump had committed crimes, citing a Department of Justice policy that states a sitting president cannot be indicted.
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