Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Mueller, in First Comments on Russia Inquiry, Declines to Clear Trump
New York Times ^ | 05/29/2019 | By Sharon LaFraniere and Eileen Sullivan

Posted on 05/29/2019 11:34:04 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, on Wednesday declined to clear President Trump of obstruction of justice in his first public characterization of his two-year-long investigation of Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election.

“If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so,” Mr. Mueller said, reading from prepared notes behind a lectern at the Justice Department. “We did not, however, make a determination as to whether the president did commit a crime.”

He also said that while Justice Department policy prohibits charging a sitting president with a crime, the Constitution provides for another process to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing — a clear reference to the ability of Congress to begin impeachment proceedings.

Although his remarks closely matched statements contained in his more than 400-page report, Mr. Mueller’s portrayal of Mr. Trump’s actions was not as benign as Attorney General William P. Barr’s characterizations. While Mr. Barr has seemed to question why the special counsel investigated the president’s behavior, Mr. Mueller stressed the gravity of that inquiry.

“When a subject of an investigation obstructs that investigation or lies to investigators, it strikes at the core of their government’s effort to find the truth and hold wrongdoers accountable,” he said.

He suggested that he was reluctant to testify before Congress, as the House Judiciary Committee has asked. “The report is my testimony,” he said.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: again; collusion; hillary; mueller; muellerreport; russia; trumprussia; trusttheplan; whitehat
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-103 next last
To: PGR88

He didn’t use that argument, although his language implied it. But Giuliani did say it. Would you say the same thing about him?

St. Kitts to avoid the civil war when everything hits the fan.


21 posted on 05/29/2019 11:40:06 AM PDT by firebrand
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

The Dems would never allow that to happen.


22 posted on 05/29/2019 11:40:27 AM PDT by marajade (Skywalker)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

For decades we have been praying for someone to come along and “weed the garden” for us and it sure looked like Trump was the guy for the job. We now need to realize that no one will do it for us and that if the job is going to get done we are going to have to do it our own selves. Sure, it’s gonna be messy but it needs doing and no one is going to do it for us. Not Barr, not Trump, nobody. We have been patient for a long, long time.


23 posted on 05/29/2019 11:42:01 AM PDT by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PGR88

Yep.

BTW, I cant absolutely clear you of having committed a robbery last week.

Nor can you, I.


24 posted on 05/29/2019 11:44:35 AM PDT by dp0622 (The Left should know if Trump is kicked out of office, it is WAR)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: IamConservative

RE: Since when does a prosecutor offer the opinion that he could not form an opinion as to whether someone is innocent of a crime that they are not bringing an indictment for?

BTW, Mueller did say that indicting the president is NOT within the options given to him.

Mueller explained that his office was bound by Justice Department regulations that prohibit a sitting president from indictment: “Charging the president with a crime was therefore not an option we could consider.”


25 posted on 05/29/2019 11:44:41 AM PDT by SeekAndFind (look at Michigan, it will)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: minnesota_bound
Will Trump roll over and let Mueller stay out of jail?

For me, one thing is becoming crystal clear. Trump has very little control over the executive branch. They have plotted against him and refused his orders. I believe that is because he does not have the backing of congress and it does America and Trump no good if he is removed. As for barr investigating the investigators, he is the last hope and you'd have to believe he is not a deep state operative. I don't, barr is the only one congress would approve for a reason. barr is a bushite and a jeb supporter, I don't believe he will expose the deep state in the end. Trump is a temporary reprieve of Americas march to destruction.
26 posted on 05/29/2019 11:44:52 AM PDT by JoSixChip (Trump stands alone.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
Mueller did this for two reasons: First to pour gasoline on the smoldering impeachment in the House. There is no doubt the House will vote to impeach Trump by the end of summer. Second, Mueller wants to provide cover for the coup cabal. AG Barr and his pit bull investigator Dunham will prove that the Steele dossier was used as the sole reason for the Mueller witch hunt was phony and the FBI knew it was phony, knew it was bought and paid for by Hillary and fraudulently used it for FISA court approvals to spy on Trump campaign officials and eventually set in motion the whole Mueller investigation. Mueller attempted to destroy Barr’s credibility and make him look like a Trump shill.

I think the American people have had enough and want to move on. The now inevitable impeachment resolution from the House will be seen as a waste of time and boost not hurt Trump’s re-election

27 posted on 05/29/2019 11:46:56 AM PDT by The Great RJ ("Socialists are happy until they run out of other people's money." Margaret Thatche)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

And you can thank Obama’s DOJ for that.


28 posted on 05/29/2019 11:46:58 AM PDT by marajade (Skywalker)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: PGR88; All

I’ve seen a lot of posts claiming Müller is claiming proof of a negative is required to exonerate Trump but that’s not really what he’s saying. Or, at least that’s not how the Dims are hearing him because really what he said today is nothing different than what he wrote in his report.

What he’s saying is, that since the president of the US cannot be indicted like a usual citizen, without a Constitutional crisis ensuing (because there are no mechanics in the Constitution for “arresting” a sitting president), since that can’t be done, then he, his team, given what they *did* find, in their opinion, cannot clear him of a charge of obstruction.

In other words what he’s saying is that given what they did find, they would be remiss to clear him of the charge, but can’t charge him because charging a sitting president of any crime is beyond the scope of the special prosecutor, or any law enforcement officer really, again because the Constitution doesn’t allow it.

So he’s implying, in as strong a way as he can, that he believes the House should start impeachment proceedings because they are the only ones, Constitutionally speaking, who *can* charge him with a “high crime or misdemeanor”.

But again this is nothing different than what he already said in the report. Now that he’s said it publicly (orally) maybe it will add more fuel to the impeachment fire. We shall see in the next few days and weeks.

But to be clear he’s not saying anyone needs to prove a negative. In fact he’s saying the opposite. And he didn’t say anything new today.


29 posted on 05/29/2019 11:48:19 AM PDT by FourtySeven (47)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
“When a subject of an investigation obstructs that investigation or lies to investigators, it strikes at the core of their government’s effort to find the truth and hold wrongdoers accountable,” he said.

Very Stalinist of you scumbag.

POS speaks of forked tongues and word salad.

30 posted on 05/29/2019 11:48:41 AM PDT by shanover (...To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.-S.Adams)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Robert Mueller is guilty of prosecutorial misconduct. If an investigation does not find enough evidence to charge a suspect, the prosecutor cannot create a permanent cloud over the suspect by claiming they could not “exonerate” the suspect, then close the investigation, leaving the suspect with no recourse. If so, this leaves the suspect guilty until proven innocent. A prosecutor’s mandate is simply to find evidence of a crime sufficient to charge or, failing to do so, close the investigation without charging. Leaving the public with the impression that the suspect still might be guilty is improper and unconstitutional. Mueller either lied today, or he lied when he told A.G. Barr and Deputy A.G. Rosenstein that his decision to not charge was because of the Department of Justice’s guidelines against indicting a sitting president. The fact is, he could have issued a sealed indictment to be opened when the president is out of office if his investigation found any evidence of criminal wrongdoing. If Mueller knew from the beginning that he would not charge the president due to guidelines, then what was the purpose of the investigation, except as an impeachment investigation, which is solely the province of the House of Representatives. Mueller decided instead to breath new life into the democrat calls for impeachment.


31 posted on 05/29/2019 11:49:45 AM PDT by Skeptical constituent
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
Mueller; "I did my job, I helped you win the House,
now you democrats can finish this lynching.


32 posted on 05/29/2019 11:51:50 AM PDT by John 3_19-21 (The left would rather be the leaders of lies, than servants of the truth.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind; holdonnow

If Mueller couldn’t indict because of DOJ guidelines why did he find “no” on conspiracy and punt on obstruction of justice? Shouldn’t Mueller have found the same on both?


33 posted on 05/29/2019 11:51:50 AM PDT by marajade (Skywalker)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Mueller should appear before a Senate committee where they can tell him he FAILED at his job and admonish him for his obvious leaks and politicism and then referred for those Ethics violations.


34 posted on 05/29/2019 11:51:53 AM PDT by TonytheTiger7777
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: FourtySeven

I don’t think your interpretation is quite correct. When has Mueller ever presented ANY evidence of obstruction of justice?


35 posted on 05/29/2019 11:55:02 AM PDT by SoCal Pubbie (Ca)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

His own 400 page report cleared him.


36 posted on 05/29/2019 11:55:06 AM PDT by KC_Conspirator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Signalman

Yep. Barr also said he had people talking notes at the meetings with Mulehead.


37 posted on 05/29/2019 11:56:18 AM PDT by jospehm20
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

He didn’t find enough evidence to convict him, so he is cleared!


38 posted on 05/29/2019 11:57:58 AM PDT by fortheDeclaration
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Cementjungle

He has done so.


39 posted on 05/29/2019 11:58:34 AM PDT by fortheDeclaration
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: The Great RJ
I think the American people have had enough and want to move on. The now inevitable impeachment resolution from the House will be seen as a waste of time and boost not hurt Trump’s re-election

And we'll all get unicorns that crap skittles!
40 posted on 05/29/2019 11:58:43 AM PDT by JoSixChip (Trump stands alone.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-103 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson