City
Epaper

Trump not exonerated of obstructing justice in Russia meddling probe: Mueller

By IANS | Updated: July 24, 2019 23:10 IST

Former US Special Counsel Robert Mueller said here on Wednesday his report on the Russia probe did not exonerate US President Donald Trump of obstructing justice.

Open in App

"The President was not exculpated for the acts that he allegedly committed," Mueller told a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee about his investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election and whether Trump had obstructed justice.

He told lawmakers he would not say if the president had committed a crime, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Based on Justice Department policy and principles of fairness, we decided we would not make a determination as to whether the President committed a crime. That was our decision then and it remains our decision today," Mueller said during the hearing.

He also cited Justice Department rules that he could not prosecute a sitting president, while suggesting that Trump could face legal hurdles after leaving the White House.

In a series of tweets on Wednesday morning, Trump renewed his attacks on the investigation and accused Mueller of being "highly conflicted."

Mueller is slated to appear before the House Intelligence Committee later in the day. The two hearings are expected to last roughly five hours combined. He has reiterated that his testimony will stay within what's already been revealed in his report.

Appointed by the Justice Department in May 2017 to take over the Russia probe, Mueller concluded his 22-month investigation in March by submitting a report to William Barr, who became Attorney General about a month earlier.

The report stated that there was no evidence that Trump's campaign conspired with the Russian government during the 2016 election but didn't conclude if the President had obstructed justice.

Instead, Mueller recounted 10 episodes involving Trump and discussed potential legal theories for connecting these actions to elements of an obstruction offence.

It was the Justice Department that concluded that Mueller did not have "sufficient" evidence to support a charge in the obstruction case, a decision that has drawn scrutiny from Democrats, who have called for more investigations and the former special counsel's Congressional appearance.

The Russia investigation, which Trump has called a "witch hunt," haunted the White House for nearly two years, while leading to criminal charges against 34 individuals, including several Trump campaign associates, and three Russian entities.

Russia has repeatedly denied meddling in the election.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: muellertrumpJustice DepartmentThe Justice DepartmentRussia
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalRussia Train Accident: Goods Train Derails and Bursts Into Flames After Colliding With Truck in Smolensk (Watch Video)

InternationalRussia-Ukraine War: Poland Urges Citizens to Urgently Leave Belarus 'By Any Necessary Means'

InternationalPoland Shuts Airports After Russian Drones Sighted in Airspace; Polish Armed Forces Neutralising Flying Objects

InternationalPM Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin Seen Interacting at SCO Summit 2025 in China

NationalDonald Trump Imposes Additional 25% Tariff on India, Total Tariff Now 50%

International Realted Stories

InternationalUS government shuts down as Republicans, Democrats fail to break impasse

InternationalPhilippines Earthquake: Death Toll Rises to 60 After 6.9-Magnitude Quake Jolts Cebu Province

InternationalDhamma Setu: India's Kangyur bridge to global outreach

InternationalIsrael claims documents from Gaza show Hamas' 'direct involvement' with aid flotilla

InternationalDirector of Rights and Risks Analysis Group raises Guimara massacre in B'desh at UN