Trump responds to Mueller report summary: 'Total EXONERATION'
- President Donald Trump signaled he was relieved following the release of a Justice Department letter concluding that the special counsel Robert Mueller did not find a coordinated effort between Russia and the Trump campaign during the 2016 US Presidential election.
- "No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION KEEP AMERICA GREAT," Trump tweeted at Palm Beach, Florida.
- In his report, Mueller reportedly did not recommend any additional indictments. His investigation did not yield a conclusive finding on whether Trump obstructed justice, according to Barr.
- "The Special Counsel states that 'while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him,'" Barr wrote.
President Donald Trump signaled he was relieved following the release of a Justice Department letter concluding that the special counsel Robert Mueller did not find a coordination effort between Russia and the Trump campaign during the 2016 US Presidential election.
"No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION KEEP AMERICA GREAT," Trump tweeted at Palm Beach, Florida, where he spent the weekend.
Before departing Florida to Washington DC, Trump spoke to reporters and described the investigation as an "illegal takedown that failed."
"After a long look, after a long investigation, after so many people have been so badly hurt, after not looking at the other side … it was just announced there was no collusion with Russia," Trump said. "The most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
"There was no obstruction, and none whatsoever," Trump said. "And it was a complete and total exoneration. It's a shame that our country had to go through this. To be honest, it's a shame that your president has had to go through this before I even got elected."
Trump frequently railed against the investigation and characterized it as a "witch hunt."
"Very few think it is legit," Trump tweeted last week, referring to the special counsel investigation.
A confidential copy of Mueller's report was submitted on Friday to Attorney General William Barr, who handed its "principal conclusions" to lawmakers this weekend. The principal conclusion was not expected to provide an extensive look at the investigation.
"The special counsel's investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 US Presidential Election," the four-page letter said.
Barr did note that although "Russian-affiliated individuals" had made "multiple offers ... to assist the Trump campaign," Mueller's investigation did not find Trump's campaign culpable of conspiring or coordinating with the Russian government.
In his report, Mueller reportedly did not recommend any additional indictments. His investigation did not yield a conclusive finding on whether Trump obstructed justice.
"The Special Counsel states that 'while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him,'" Barr wrote.
But the White House appeared to feel differently about the Justice Department's letter and characterized it as a complete exoneration of Trump.
"The findings of the Department of Justice are a total and complete exoneration of the President of the United States," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.
The completion of Mueller's report does not mark the end of the Russia investigation altogether; there are still multiple investigations underway by Congress, the Southern District of New York, and others. Mueller's nearly two-year investigation resulted in numerous indictments and is part of a broader ongoing Justice Department probe led by other offices.
Top Republican lawmakers praised the Justice Department's conclusion on Sunday and echoed Trump's sentiment.
"I have just received topline findings from Attorney General Barr," Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said in a statement. "Good day for the rule of law. Great day for President Trump and his team. No collusion and no obstruction."
"The cloud hanging over President Trump has been removed by this report," Graham added.
Read more about the Russia investigation:
Here's everyone who has been charged and convicted in the Russia probe so far