Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III has finally spoken out about the Russia investigation. At 11 a.m. on Wednesday, he made his first public comments on the probe. He had otherwise not spoken publicly about the inquiry since taking it over approximately 2 years ago.
The White House was notified on Tuesday evening that Mueller would be making a substantial statement. Additionally, it was made clear in advance that Mueller would not be answering any questions.
Mueller began his remarks by announcing his resignation from the department, saying he would be returning to the private sector. He then discussed what had already been revealed regarding Russian interference.
Mueller also explained that his office could not charge President Trump with a crime, citing Department of Justice Policy.
“Charging the President with a crime was therefore not an option we could consider,” he said.
However, he also said that if his office “had confidence that the President clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so.”
That, of course, is something they did not do.
In May of 2017, Mueller was appointed to oversee the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. 22 months later, on March 22, 2019, that investigation finally came to an end.
Soon after its conclusion, Attorney General William Barr released a summary of the findings. However, he was swiftly accused of being misleading in his account of the report.
On April 18, 2019, the redacted version of the Special Counsel’s report was released. However, many lawmakers – including those on the House Judiciary Committee – have continued to seek additional information from Mueller. He has, however, been hesitant to testify.
President Trump claimed “complete and total exoneration” following the report’s release.
However, after hearing Mueller’s statement, that claim seems questionable.
