Mueller: Charging Trump with a crime 'was not an option we could consider'
Updated: 9:04 AM PDT May 29, 2019
Special Counsel Robert Mueller made his first public statement on the Russia investigation Wednesday.Speaking from the Justice Department, Mueller did not take questions, and did not elaborate on any details from the report he submitted to the DOJ back in March. Mueller formally tendered his resignation from the Justice Department so that he can "return to public life."In his statement, Mueller said that charging President Donald Trump was not an option his office could consider, per Justice Department guidelines to not charge a sitting president. "Charging the president with a crime is not an option we could consider," he said, adding, "If we had confidence the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so."Mueller said "it would be unfair" to potentially accuse someone of a crime when the person couldn't stand trial to defend himself.The statement came amid demands for Mueller to testify on Capitol Hill about his findings and tension with Attorney General William Barr over the handling of his report. Mueller said he is not ruling out testifying before Congress but is serving notice that he does not intend to go beyond what has already been revealed in his report.Mueller's report into Russia meddling in the 2016 election did not find that Russia and the Trump campaign coordinated to sway the presidential election. It also did not reach a conclusion on whether Trump had obstructed justice, with Mueller saying he did not think it would be fair to publicly accuse the president of a crime if he could not charge him. A Justice Department legal opinion says sitting presidents cannot be indicted.Trump chimed in on Twitter following Mueller's statement, saying, "Nothing changes from the Mueller Report. There was insufficient evidence and therefore, in our Country, a person is innocent. The case is closed! Thank you."
Special Counsel Robert Mueller made his first public statement on the Russia investigation Wednesday.
Speaking from the Justice Department, Mueller did not take questions, and did not elaborate on any details from the report he submitted to the DOJ back in March.
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Mueller formally tendered his resignation from the Justice Department so that he can "return to public life."
In his statement, Mueller said that charging President Donald Trump was not an option his office could consider, per Justice Department guidelines to not charge a sitting president.
"Charging the president with a crime is not an option we could consider," he said, adding, "If we had confidence the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so."
Mueller said "it would be unfair" to potentially accuse someone of a crime when the person couldn't stand trial to defend himself.
The statement came amid demands for Mueller to testify on Capitol Hill about his findings and tension with Attorney General William Barr over the handling of his report. Mueller said he is not ruling out testifying before Congress but is serving notice that he does not intend to go beyond what has already been revealed in his report.
Mueller's report into Russia meddling in the 2016 election did not find that Russia and the Trump campaign coordinated to sway the presidential election. It also did not reach a conclusion on whether Trump had obstructed justice, with Mueller saying he did not think it would be fair to publicly accuse the president of a crime if he could not charge him. A Justice Department legal opinion says sitting presidents cannot be indicted.
Trump chimed in on Twitter following Mueller's statement, saying, "Nothing changes from the Mueller Report. There was insufficient evidence and therefore, in our Country, a person is innocent. The case is closed! Thank you."
Nothing changes from the Mueller Report. There was insufficient evidence and therefore, in our Country, a person is innocent. The case is closed! Thank you.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2019