Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller released a joint statement with Attorney General William Barr Wednesday evening; raising even more questions over his unusual press conference that fueled Democrats’ calls for impeaching President Trump.
“The Attorney General has previously stated that the Special Counsel repeatedly affirmed that he was not saying that, but for the OLC opinion, he would have found the President obstructed justice. The Special Counsel’s report and his statement today made clear that the office concluded it would not reach a determination -one way or the other- about whether the President committed a crime. There is no conflict between these statements,” said a joint press release from Barr and Mueller’s offices.
Attorney General Barr’s office and Special Counsel clarify on OLC guidance re: charging a sitting president. Both say no discrepancy. pic.twitter.com/OVsjHGdzVi
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) May 29, 2019
“If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said that,” Mueller said Wednesday. “We did not determine whether the president did commit a crime.”
“Charging the president with a crime was not an option we could consider,” Mueller explained, adding that “it would be unfair to accuse someone of a crime when there could be no court resolution of the charge.”
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders commented on Robert Mueller’s recent remarks Wednesday; saying the special counsel came to a “very explicit conclusion” there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Sarah Sanders: "If Bob Mueller had determined that there was a crime, he would've had a moral obligation to report it, to put that into his report — he didn't." pic.twitter.com/nuXVcwZjDq
— The Hill (@thehill) May 29, 2019
“If Bob Mueller had determined that there was a crime, he would’ve had a moral obligation to report it, to put that into his report — he didn’t. The whole purpose that he had his investigation, the whole purpose of the special counsel in the first place was to make a determination on whether or not there was collusion,” said Sanders.
“He came to a very explicit conclusion on that front that there was no collusion and there was no conspiracy,” she added.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller officially concluded the two-year long investigation into allegations of Russian collusion in the 2016 election Wednesday; closing his office and retiring from the Department of Justice.
“Special Counsel Robert Mueller, in his first public appearance since being appointed to lead the Russia investigation, said it was ‘not an option’ to charge President Trump with a crime, per Department of Justice policy, but maintained that if they had ‘confidence’ that the president did not commit a crime, they ‘would have said so,’” reports Fox News.
“The Justice Department announced Mueller would make a statement on Wednesday morning–his first in the more than two years since he was appointed as special counsel. A senior White House official told Fox News that the White House was advised on Tuesday night of Mueller’s plans,” adds the report.
“I have not spoken publicly… I am speaking out today because our investigation is complete….we are formally closing the special counsel’s office,’” said Mueller at the DOJ.
“We are formally closing the special counsel’s office and as well I am resigning from the Department of Justice to return to private life,” Mueller added.
BARR TALK: The AG Dares Pelosi in Face-to-Face Meeting, Asks ‘Did you Bring Your Handcuffs?’
Attorney General William Barr reportedly met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi face-to-face Wednesday during an event at the Capitol; asking the top Democrat if she “brought her handcuffs” after accusing the senior Trump official of breaking the law just days ago.
“Colleague Jake Gibson rpts AG Barr spoke to Pelosi in person today, after the National Peace Officers Memorial Service at the Capitol. Source says Barr went up to Pelosi & asked her if she brought her handcuffs,” reported a journalist from Fox News.
Colleague Jake Gibson rpts AG Barr spoke to Pelosi in person today, after the National Peace Officers Memorial Service at the Capitol. Source says Barr went up to Pelosi & asked her if she brought her handcuffs
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) May 15, 2019
“What is deadly serious about it is the attorney general of the United States of America was not telling the truth to the Congress of the United States,” Pelosi told reporters earlier this month. “That’s a crime.”
The House Judiciary Committee voted to hold the Attorney General in contempt last week after Barr refused to meet with Democrats to further discuss Robert Mueller’s “no collusion” final report.
“We will have no choice but to move quickly to hold the attorney general in contempt if he stalls or fails to negotiate in good faith,” Mr. Nadler said. “But the attorney general must make a choice. Every one of us must make the same choice. That choice is now an obligation of our office.”
“The choice is simple: We can stand up to this president in defense of the country and the Constitution we love, or we can let the moment pass us by,” he added.
BERNIE ON MUELLER: ‘I Want the Whole Damn Report’
Vermont Senator and 2020 Democratic front-runner Bernie Sanders weighed-in Sunday evening on Robert Mueller’s final conclusion there was “no collusion” between the Trump campaign and Russia; saying he “wants the whole damn report.”
“I don’t want a summary of the Mueller report. I want the whole damn report,” posted Sanders on social media.
I don’t want a summary of the Mueller report. I want the whole damn report. https://t.co/VU1oNfBMK0
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) March 24, 2019
Bernie’s comments come just hours after the special counsel concluded his two-year investigation into the Trump campaign; telling DOJ officials there was no evidence of “collusion” during the 2016 race for the White House.