- Joined
- Apr 15, 2019
- Messages
- 13,579
- Points
- 338
Mueller cited indictments made against Russian citizens as proof of the alleged Russian interference in the election, although indictments themselves are not proof of anything. Mueller made that clear when he said he would not be commenting "on the guilt or innocence of any defendant."
Mueller said that his team had not made any determination as to whether Trump had committed a crime when it came to allegations that he may have obstructed investigation efforts and noted that since a sitting president cannot be charged with a federal crime while in office. Charging Trump with a crime was therefore “not an option we could consider,” he said, adding that it would be "unfair to potentially accuse somebody of a crime” when they can’t defend themselves in court.
Notably, Mueller did not accuse Attorney General William Barr of misrepresenting his report when he presented a summary of its findings to the media back in March. Many Democrats and media figures had accused Barr of trying to spin the contents of the report in Trump's favor.
Concluding the brief remarks, Mueller told reporters that he felt it was “not appropriate” for him to publicly speak further on the matter. He said his report should “speak for itself” and that he would not comment on any alternative “conclusions or hypotheticals” regarding Trump and the election.
And I am okay with that.
He made his position clear and I perfectly understand and respect his will to just step out. He did his job, period.
Unfortunately, both sides are going to screech over it due to the fact they didn't get what they wanted.
